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The USGBC Accepts GREENGUARD Children and Schools Certification as an Alternative Pathway for All Flooring

Posted on: Monday, 9 February 2009, 09:56 CST

ATLANTA, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) is proud to announce that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has approved flooring certified to the GREENGUARD Children & Schools(SM) standard as an alternative pathway for achieving credit within the LEED(R) Rating System. This means that buildings seeking LEED certification will have an additional option for achieving credit EQ 4.3: Flooring Systems in regards to low-emitting flooring.

"We applaud GEI in providing a robust third-party certification program that encourages floor covering manufacturers to verify their products to be protective of building occupants' health and well being," said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and Founding Chairman of the USGBC. "This approval will increase the availability of qualified sustainable flooring products including hardwoods, bamboo, laminates, rubber, stone, ceramic, quartz, underlayment and other alternative flooring materials for LEED projects."

GEI's mission is to protect the indoor air quality of commercial building, homes, schools and healthcare facilities by qualifying construction materials and furnishings for their low, non-toxic emissions that could pollute the air we breathe. The Children & Schools standard, introduced in 2005, is the most stringent of GEI's standards and is designed to be protective of the youngest occupant.

Currently, more than 130 different manufacturers participate in the GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certification Program which requires extensive initial qualification followed by ongoing verification. All products must meet, as a minimum, the health-based criteria of CA 01350's chronic exposure levels including 13.5 parts per billion (ppb) formaldehyde.

"All products must meet this standard within 7 days of installation in a building," said Dr. Marilyn Black, Founder of GEI. "This assures building occupants, including remodelers, that low chemical emissions are quickly attained when new products are brought into indoor spaces."

Currently there are more than 10,000 flooring products certified to this standard and readily available.

About USGBC

The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. Its membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies and other nonprofit organizations. Since USGBC's founding in 1993, the Council has grown to nearly 18,000 member companies and organizations, a comprehensive family of LEED(R) green building certification systems, an expansive educational offering, the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.org), and a network of 78 local chapters, affiliates and organizing groups. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.

About GEI

Founded in 2001, GEI is an industry-independent, non-profit organization that oversees the GREENGUARD Certification Program(SM). The Institute's mission is to protect human health and quality of life through programs that improve indoor air that people breathe. As an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer, GEI establishes acceptable indoor air standards for building materials, interior products, electronic equipment, indoor environments and buildings. The more than 200,000 GREENGUARD Certified products must meet stringent; third-party standards for low chemical emissions based on established health standards and undergo rigorous testing and verification processes on a regular basis. GREENGUARD Certification is broadly recognized and accepted by a number of "green" building programs, including the United States Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED(R) program. An online guide of GREENGUARD Certified products is available at no charge at www.greenguard.org.

SOURCE GREENGUARD Environmental Institute

Source: PR Newswire

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