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New Report Aims to Simplify Purchasing Green Building Products

Given the range of different green building products on the market, and the broad spectrum of programs to certify them, a new tool from Air Quality Sciences compares and contrasts eight of the biggest first-, second- and third-party certifications.

With green buildings as a keystone of sustainability at the governmental, corporate and individual level, it should come as no surprise that the number of products aiming to help achieve a certain level of greenness in commercial and residential buildings is growing exponentially.

And as with all things green, there are confusing and at times contradictory definitions of just what green means, and what certifications for those green projects actually mean.

A report released this week by Atlanta-based Air Quality Sciences hopes to pierce some of the fog surrounding those green labels, and in the process make it a bit easier to choose products based on both your building and environmental needs.

The report, "Primary Green Product Standards and Certification Programs: A Comparison," expands on research from one of McGraw-Hill Construction's SmartMarket reports, and explores in-depth the following eight certifications:
• Energy Star
• WaterSense
• Cradle to Cradle
• GreenGuard
• Green Seal
• the GreenSpec Directory
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
• Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
"Even though green product standards and certifications offer helpful guidance and assurances, there are significant differences, which lead to confusion in the marketplace," said Tony Worthan, President and COO of AQS. "Specifiers, building owners, contractors, homebuilders and consumers need a clear understanding of what each program offers and what it means when a product carries a particular certification mark."

To that end, the report first defines each of the first-, second- and third-party standard/certification programs listed above, and then explains its level of awareness and market penetration, the products it covers, and relevant background information. The report also includes a table laying out which certifications are accepted for either ANSI standards or the LEED-CI and LEED-NC certification credits.

The full report is available for download from Aerias.org, the resource center for AQS.

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