Chemical makers oppose new green building standards

Green building standards worry chemical manufacturers.

The proposed standards by the U.S. Green Building Council have many chemical manufacturers up in arms, saying that the new rules would unfairly target their products.

Business groups are lobbying lawmakers to reconsider the proposed standards to avoid job losses in the industry.

The proposed changes, known as LEED 2012 or LEED v4, encourage builders to avoid certain materials that go into roofing, piping and vinyl siding to earn a green building certification.

The chemical makers say that a fragile building construction sector will suffer from even more uncertainty if those materials are being avoided.

The Green Building Council, however, has rejected the notion that the building economy would be affected by the proposed changes.

The standards do not ban any products and instead rewards companies that produce more transparent and well-documented building materials, they say.

The final vote of the standards has been delayed until June 2013, and the standards may be changed until then.

Source: The Hill

Better indoor air quality in green construction and older buildings

Poor indoor air quality has been linked with a wide range of health symptoms and lower productivity, among other effects.

Electrocorp has teamed up with engineers, environmental consultants, government buyers and construction professionals to help provide cleaner and healthier air during and after building projects.

Electrocorp’s air cleaners for industrial and commercial applications feature deep-bed activated carbon (or charcoal) filters for chemicals and odors, a HEPA filter for particles and optional UV germicidal filtration for biological contaminants such as bacteria, viruses and mold.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and options.

Going green helps companies earn more ‘green’: Study

Greener buildings can make workers more productive
and help a company's bottom line.

A University of Notre Dame study shows that bank branches using LEED-certified buildings increases their revenues even if they offer the same products and services than other branches.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is awarded to certain buildings that have been built or renovated with energy efficiency and good indoor air quality in mind.

The five main categories are Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality.

In their study, the researchers looked at 562 PNC branches (93 LEED, 469 non-LEED) and found that employees working in LEED-certified branches were more productive and engaged in their work.

This translated into big bucks for the branches: The study authors determined that sustainability equaled about $461,300 more per employee after controlling for other variables that influence performance.

This mirrors what many companies have been experiencing in the recent past: A high environmental and social impact can be maintained while achieving revenue and job growth.

In terms of the bank in the study, going green seems to work, whether it’s because the buildings look better or the people working there are more fulfilled and thus providing better services.

Source: University of Notre Dame

Good indoor air quality can improve productivity

Numerous studies have highlighted the benefits of good indoor air quality on a company’s bottom line. While LEED-certification may not be possible to attain right away, companies can do other things to improve their indoor air quality and worker satisfaction.

1. Source control: Companies can opt for products, furnishings and other materials that are more natural and environmentally friendly and won’t add any pollutants to the ambient air. For example, glass desks or untreated office furniture won't emit VOCs and other toxins.
    
2. Ventilation: Companies can make sure that existing ventilation systems are well maintained and that the filters are replaced regularly.
    
3. Air cleaning: Using portable air cleaners with activated carbon and HEPA can help keep the air clean and much healthier. These air cleaners work around the clock to remove airborne chemicals, odors, particles, dust, bacteria, viruses and mold. 

Electrocorp offers high-quality air cleaners for a wide range of commercial and industrial applications, including

• Offices
• Schools and Universities
• Libraries and Archives
• Hospitals and health care settings
• Beauty Salons and Spas

Contact Electrocorp for more information and more options.
 

Offices can be healthy and provide great indoor air quality

Natural light and good indoor air quality help
make a workplace healthier and more productive.

We often write blog posts to warn readers about the dangers of poor indoor air quality, which can be a problem in many office buildings.

But there are also a number of exemplary offices with outstanding indoor air quality, so we decided to focus on the things many companies and organizations do right when it comes to their offices.

One such example is the Earth Rangers Centre for Sustainable Technology, which houses a non-profit group that helps children become environmental stewards.

The building received a LEED Gold certification and was recently featured in a Globe and Mail article.

Here are some of the features that make this building a healthy and safe place to work:

• Open-concept workspace: It helps work flow and collaboration and also helps with the heating and cooling from the exposed concrete ceilings.
  
• Natural light and green views: Most of the workers don’t need to use electrical lamps, since there is a lot of natural light flooding into the building. About 90 percent of the floor space offers a view of the conservation area surrounding the building.
  
• Low-VOC products: The interior walls were painted with low-VOC or no-VOC paints, so they won’t off-gas harmful volatile organic compounds.
  
• Healthy furniture: The office furniture has been certified by Greenguard to contain no toxic materials that emit harmful gases.
  
• Ventilation: The building gets a constant supply of fresh outdoor air, which is either warmed or cooled in underground earth tubes.
  
• Filtration: The air also passes through UV filtration to neutralize airborne pathogens (bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms).
  
• Building automation: The centre is working on another innovation that keeps track of how many employees are inside the building to adjust the air-handling unit and lights in certain areas.

These types of systems and innovations help keep energy bills low and turn the office space into a much healthier environment, which can help with absenteeism figures and productivity, experts say.

It’s good to know that office planners, employers, workers and others are getting savvier and more interested in advanced workplace technologies and design.

Source: Globe and Mail

Not working in a LEED certified building yet? Most office buildings have a long way to go to provide the best possible working environment when it comes to indoor air quality and other factors. Electrocorp’s air cleaners for offices and for office printers provide the right air filters and technologies to indoor air pollutants such as volatile organic compounds and other chemicals, particles, dust, allergens, bacteria, viruses and mold. Contact Electrocorp for more information.