Article Number : 5045 |
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| Date | 11/11/2009 9:53:25 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=5045 |
| Abstract | In case you haven’t noticed, the green movement is about the only thing that has continued to gain momentum during this economic recession.... |
| Article | In case you haven’t noticed, the green movement is about the only thing that has continued to gain momentum during this economic recession. From cars to cleaning, advertisements proclaiming a product’s or company’s green attributes bombard us wherever we look. Just turn on the TV or flip through a magazine and within no time you will see some type of environmentally friendly, socially responsible message. What slowly started in commercial a couple of decades ago has steamrolled its way into residential and onto the front pages. The concept of the 3Rs—reduce, reuse, recycle—has been broadened to include the concept of sustainability. While keeping products from entering the landfill or being dumped in the ocean is still a major priority, today, it is no longer acceptable for a company to just recycle or reduce the amount of energy it uses to produce a product. Now it must put forth a message of sustainability by showing itself as a solid corporate citizen supporting worthy causes that are important to its customers. It all has to do with the fact the world has a fixed amount of natural resources—some of which are already depleted. And population growth is not only straining those resources, it is making it harder to preserve the planet’s “natural wonder.” While we are flooded with eco-sensitive options for things such as hybrid cars; energy efficient appliances, biodegradable/non-toxic detergents, shampoo and other cleaners; compact fluorescent light bulbs, and other devices that save on water, electricity, heating/cooling and so on, this is just the beginning. Even though the green movement is everywhere, it is still early in the game and everyday, new companies—large and small—are coming out with their own green message, program and strategy. There are also changes in laws and regulations that follow the movement as new, unforeseen things crop up as it progresses, such as how mileage ratings on cars are calculated. This is true in flooring, as well. New technologies, new products, new ways of studying and measuring a product’s environmental impact, and new laws, regulations and standards are being developed on an almost daily basis. That is where, this, the second edition of Floor Covering News’ Green Guide, comes in. Last year, FCNews published the industry’s first comprehensive stand- alone publication on everything green. The goal was to put all that is green in the flooring industry in one place and based on the feedback and requests for extra copies as people and companies found it a useful education tool, we think we succeeded. But, while last year’s Guide was extremely successful and widely popular, FCNews’ experienced staff was quick to realize that some things have changed and what was true 12 months ago may no longer be, especially with new laws concerning illegal logging or product emissions. To that end, we scoured through every story in the first edition, updated them where needed and edited out “old” information. We also dropped a number of the stories that required no changes instead of simply republishing them and thus taking up additional resources—energy, paper, printing, shipping weight, etc. Think of the first Green Guide as the introductory learning piece whereas this, the second edition, is more a continuing education tool—a way for the industry to stay current with what is happening in the world of green flooring. Floor Covering News would like to take this opportunity to thank our generous sponsors for their support of the second Green Guide. They understand the green movement is a rapidly moving target and their customers must be continuously updated and kept abreast of what is taking place, in order for their eco programs and initiatives to succeed. For their support and generosity, FCNews thanks (in alphabetical order) Armstrong, Cikel America, Earthwerks, Mannington, Mirage, Mohawk, MP Global, Shaw, USFloors and Wools of New Zealand. |