The Natural Seal program from the Natural Products Association has reached its 1,200th certification of natural products and ingredients. All certified manufacturers can use the Natural Seal on their labels. As the first natural certification in the US, the seal is used to help consumers identify personal care and home care products that are natural, the association said.
The Green Grid has launched a new metric to help organizations measure how their electronic equipment is managed once it reaches end of current use. The Electronics Disposal Efficiency metric is the first universal metric launched by The Green Grid to help end-users of information and communications technologies measure their success in the responsible management of outdated equipment. The Green Grid's EDE metric is defined by calculating the percentage, based on unit or product weight, of decommissioned IT EEE at its EOCU (end-of-current-use) or EOL (end-of-life) that is disposed of through known responsible entities, The Green Grid said.
Puerto Rico has released new guidelines, developed by the EPA as part of the Energy Star program, for energy efficient homes. The guidelines reflect specifications for Puerto Rico’s tropical climate and year-round moderate temperatures. Homes built to Energy Star guidelines are typically 20 to 30 percent more efficient than standard homes. Puerto Rico has some of the highest electricity rates in the country at 29 cents per kilowatt hour, the EPA said.
Four new projects have achieved Sustainable Sites Initiative certification under its rating system for the sustainable design, construction and maintenance of built landscapes: Theater Commons and Donnelly Gardens in Seattle; the Taylor Residence in Kennett Square, Pa.; the BWP EcoCampus in Burbank, Calif., and the Grand Valley State University Student Recreation Fields in Allendale, Mich. These projects have applied the SITES guidelines and met the requirements for certification, and are part of a group of 150 projects participating in a two-year pilot program, SITES said.
A proposed ASTM standard will reflect recent technological advances for asphalt adhesives. ASTM WK40056 Specification for Adhesive Used with Modified Bituminous Sheet Materials is in development with Subcommittee D08.20 on Roofing Membrane Systems, part of ASTM International Committee D08 on Roofing and Waterproofing. Once approved, ASTM WK40056 will be used by government and private specifying agencies as well as by laboratories testing adhesive products for conformity, quality and reliability, ASTM said.
Business standards company BSI has received official accreditation status from the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board for the energy management systems standard, ISO 50001, and can deliver the certification within the sustainability market. This provides assurance to clients that the certificates issued to them are credible and impartial, the company said.
Cascades' Tissue Group plant expansion in Lachute, Québec, has received LEED Gold certification. The plant is the first Canadian paper manufacturing facility to obtain the certification for new construction, Cascades said. Features of the 6,800-square-meter expansion project include a 47 percent reduction of its drinking water consumption, 47 percent of construction spending allocated for materials produced and extracted locally, and use of certified wood, the company said.
