GREEN TERMINOLOGY
What it means to "Go Green":
OR Understanding the Terms:
GREEN is to be earth friendly. SUSTAINABILITY, in the context of the environment, is to make use of processes and materials that can be maintained, reused, or recycled for an indefinite period in order to reduce and eliminate toxins while minimizing the negative impact on the environment. We have a list of terms you have probably heard before with their descriptions below, but for a more extensive list of terms: see NKBA.org/Green.
GREEN PRODUCTS: A green product is one that causes little disruption to the environment in terms of how it's made. Using renewable and/or recyclable materials is one way for a product to be considered green. Also, the process involved with making the product determines its “greenness”, such as how far they had to transport the materials, what chemicals are used, what happens with the waste products, and other factors.
SUSTAINABLE RESCOUCE: A sustainable resource is a resource that is used up at the same speed that it is renewed. For example, cork is a sustainable resource since cork bark can be stripped from the tree every 10 years without damaging the tree which lives between 170-250 years; bamboo is also sustainable because of its quick growth rate. Oil, natural gas, and minerals taken from the earth do not regenerate and are non-sustainable.
RECYCLED: Recycling involves processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production.
LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green building certification system that provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance, such as: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.
For additional information, please visit: www.usgbc.org
VOC's: VOC s, or volatile organic compounds, are gases or vapors emitted by various solids and liquids, many of which have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Formaldehyde, toluene, and limonene are a few of the most common VOCs that are emitted by consumer products such as cleaning solvents, paints, and printers in an indoor environment. Other household products that emit VOCs are cleaning supplies, pesticides, glues/adhesives, building materials and furnishings. All of these products can release organic compounds while you are using them, and, to some degree, when they are stored. Outdoor VOCs originate from vehicle exhaust emissions, crude oiler tankers, and trees. Consequently, concentrations of many VOCs are higher indoors (on average, 2-5 times higher) than outdoors. In recent years many common materials and products used indoors have been developed and are labeled by their manufacturers as "low VOC" or "zero VOC content" and other similar terms.
OUR GREEN PRODUCTS
CRESTWOOD CABINETRY:
Box construction: All engineered panel material and plywood Crestwood utilizes meet or exceed California's Air Resources Board (CARB) compliance, which requires reduced formaldehyde emissions from wood panels and products made from wood used in the state. No added urea formaldehyde options: PureBond® panel is an innovation that replaces traditional urea-formaldehyde hardwood plywood construction with a new, environmentally safe soy based adhesive. This eliminates urea-formaldehyde adhesive from plywood panels. PureBond panels are also compliant with LEED® standards, earning one point for LEED's EQ Credit 4.4 for Low-Emitting Materials: Composite Wood.
Finish: Crestwood uses a high solids water clear conversion varnish that has been formulated with very low levels of HAPs (Hazardous Air Pollutants) and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), and is therefore both user and environmentally friendly.
Process: Crestwood recycles all cardboard, paper, aluminum, steel, and wood waste that is not burned or used for agricultural purposes; optimal use of raw materials thru computerization for the least waste; designed and built a distiller to clean acetone for re-use. This completely sealed system keeps the acetone from ever being exposed to the atmosphere during the process.
SOLLERA CABINETRY: ESP CERTIFIED
Box Construction: Sollera Fine Cabinetry now offers, as an option, a no- urea formaldehyde added construction of its cases that will meet and exceed the CARB standards. Uses high quality panel product with formaldehyde emissions below the ESP standards. Uses panel product which is made from 100% recycled furnish (core material).
Finish: Ensures that the VOC's, the HAP's and the formaldehyde levels are at a minimum in their varnishes and also have a state of the art distillation unit that is used to reclaim solvents from unused stains and paints. This ensures that those compounds do not enter our atmosphere or landfills.
Process: Optimal use of raw materials thru computerization for the least waste; unused material is recycled and used for animal bedding in local farms and in pulp paper manufacturing; distills its waste finishing material to recover solvents for re-use in the factory
KITCHEN-CRAFT:
Box Construction: Use low formaldehyde containing raw materials. Comply with all local and federal hazardous air pollutants (HAPS) regulations.
Process: Use recycled and sustainable products.
APPLIANCES:
Most of our appliance product lines are committed to producing energy and water efficient appliances while utilizing low-impact manufacturing methods. Because of this, many have Energy Star appliances available that can help save money on your energy bill while also possibly earning you tax credits. For more information and full list of Energy Star eligible appliances, please visit: www.energystar.gov Following are a few of the energy efficient product lines available at our Showroom:
PLUMBING:
Most of our plumbing lines are dedicated to producing water efficient products, while some go even further by implementing green processes in their materials and by recycling. A few are “Watersense” partners, a program with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that identifies high efficiency products that perform well.
CONTROL SYSTEMS:
Control 4 Automation- Through this system, thermostats and shades can be controlled to operate in the most efficient manner. Lights can also be controlled to go on or off at specific times or after you have left a room to be most efficient. They can also be dimmed to a percentage that is imperceptible to the human eye to conserve energy and lower CO2 emissions into the environment.
FIREPLACES:
Steady State Efficiency-This is a calculation as to how efficiently you are burning your fuel and how efficiently you put that heat into the room. When looking at these efficiency numbers the best range to be is between 75% and 83%. Below 75% you are not burning the gas as efficiently as possible. Above 85%, low exhaust temperatures allow water to separate from exhaust gases and this may cause problems with your venting or unit. All of our brand we carry,(Mendota, Napoleon, Enviro) have great efficiency features.
