Have You Heard All the Buzz About Green Lately?

It's impossible to turn on the TV or open a magazine these days without hearing about green. Green building and green design are gaining momentum across the country as more and more consumers are requesting products and services that are safe for our planet. Growing membership in the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) demonstrates the interest among building and design professionals in the Mid-Atlantic region. Other organizations such as the National Association of Home Builders and the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association have also recently unveiled green building programs for their members.

Q: What is Green Building and LEED?

Green building encompasses design strategies, material choices and construction methods that focus on the efficient use of resources over the full lifecycle of a building and the creation of spaces that are healthy and comfortable for occupants.

Helping to promote green building and drive an increase in its adoption, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) established the LEED (Leadership in energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System, a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable green buildings. LEED evaluates buildings according to  sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. Within these credit area, points are awarded. The number of points a project earns determines the level of certification the building will be awarded - Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

DuPont Surfaces GREENGUARD Certified

Corian solid surfaces, Corian sinks, Zodiaq quartz surfaces as well as sealents and adhesives from DuPont Surfaces are GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality certified by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institue (GEI). This certification ensures that these products comply with strict chemical and particle emission criteria for indoor air quality. DuPont Surfaces offers the only complete hard surfacing system certified to support IAQ (indoor air quality).

What makes Corian green? There are several factors. First, Corian is durable and renewable. It lasts a long time and can be easily repaired and renewed. Second, Corian is chemically inert and has low impact on both indoor and out door environments, including ground, vegetation and water resources. third, Corian is non-toxic, with virtually no "off-gassing" of volatile organic compunds (VOCs) at room temperature.

To learn more about GREENGUARD and to attain LEED credits, visit the GREENGUARD website by clicking the link below.

Visit GREENGUARD website