Making Sense of Eco-Standards

This presentation will give designers, builders, fabricators, and other building professionals the information they need to navigate the eco-standards that are out there and help to present this information to clients so they can make better informed decisions when building or remodelling.

In the first part, our panel, comprised of a hardwood and lumber expert, distribution spokesperson and sustainable building educator, will provide an overview of forest certifications and discuss FSC lumber in depth.  In particular, Augie Venezia will provide a comparison of forestry standards.  Armand Mazie will explain the distribution process for certified forest products.  John Shurtz will address positioning certified products with your clients.  And Denise Bellas will discuss why FSC is important to the bamboo industry.
 
Later, Linda Delair will discuss 'greenwashing', which are false or misleading green marketing claims, as well-intentioned consumers may be misled into purchases that do not deliver on their environmental promise.  Greenwashing creates cynicism and doubt about all environmental claims.  Linda will discuss additional eco-standards that address other factors such as indoor air quality, home rating systems, life cycle analysis etc.  She will help you to identify valid labels, decipher what is being claimed and how to best educate your customer.