In our current era of rising fuel costs, depleted natural resources, and global awareness of our changing environment, every citizen, business and government must make a concerted effort to drastically reduce their carbon footprint and deleterious effect to the environment.
Prince Lumber understands these concerns, and, in partnership with the Lumber and Building Materials Journal, has undertaken to have all of our sales force certified and trained in "Green Building" principles and applications.
Ideally, Green Building attempts to improve the design and construction of a building to increase its efficiency, and to create a healthier working and living environment for all. Information, education and innovation are essential components to making your home or business “greener.”
Although no uniform standard or guide exists for building “green,” there are several national programs and web sites that are becoming very popular. Some include the following:
LEED – The U.S. Green Building Council’s “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” program is federal initiative that requires a consultant to rate a building as Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Certified. Each level of certification is distinctive, and provides benefits and incentives to both residential and commercial construction. See www.usgbc.org to obtain information, rating systems and guidelines.
NAHB – The National Association of Home Builders has developed the ”Model Green Home Building Guidelines” which were designed to move environmentally-friendly home building concepts further into the mainstream marketplace. Go to http://www.nahb.org/gbg to download a copy
of the guidelines.
GreenHomeGuide – www.GreenHomeGuide.com is a community based resource providing advice, information and links to building professionals.
BuildingGreen – www.BuildingGreen.com provides a broad range of information and education targeted at building professionals and policy makers to improve a building’s environmental performance, and reduce its ecological impact.
Prince Lumber is also partnering with the Forest Stewardship Council (FCS) to become FCS certified. "FCS is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC sets high standards that ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable way." Our hope is that one day in the near future, all lumber and plywood sold at Prince will come from FCS certified facilities.
Our employees are always seeking out improved products and greener materials. For more information, please call us today at 212-777-1150, or Click Here.