WHAT IS GREEN?
 An adjective used to describe something that is perceived to be beneficial to the environment.

WHAT IS A RECYCLED PRODUCT?
A product made in whole or part from material recovered from the waste stream.

WHAT IS GREENWASHING?
It is the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

WHAT IS THE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT?
The Ecological Footprint is a resource management tool that measures how much land and water area a human population requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its wastes under prevailing technology.

WHAT DOES THE ACRONYM “LEED’ MEAN?
The acronym LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design – It is the USGBC’s Green building point-based rating system for sustainable development to assess new and existing commercial buildings.  The rating system is for projects, not products or service. Program promotes integrated whole building design practices and establishes a common standard of measurement.

WHAT ARE THE “GREEN” BENEFITS OF TILE AND STONE?
They are considered durable, low maintenance, made from natural materials, hypoallergenic, fire resistant; emit and absorb no voc’s, high performance characteristics.  Some are made with recycled materials.

WHAT ARE VOCS?
 Volatile Organic Compounds – are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquid.  VOCs include a variety of chemicals. Examples include: paints, lacquers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, permanent markers, photographic solutions. 

WHAT DOES PRE CONSUMER MATERIAL MEAN?
Material diverted from the waste stream during the manufacturing process. Excluded is reutilization of materials such as rework, regrind or scrap generated in a process and capable of being reclaimed within the same process that generated it.

WHAT DOES POST CONSUMER MATERIAL MEAN?
Waste material generated by households or by commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in their role as end-users of the product, which can no longer be used for its intended purpose. i.e. aluminum beverage can.

WHAT IS A LIFE CYCLE COST?
Life Cycle Cost is the amortized annual cost of a product, including capital costs, installation costs, operating costs, maintenance costs and disposal costs discount over the lifetime of the product. 

WHAT IS THE LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS?
Is the product manufactures use and end of the products life (cradle to cradle)

WHAT IS MEANT BY THE TERM LOW EMITTING MATERIALS?
Materials that reduce the quantity of indoor air contaminants that are odorous or potentially irritating to installer or occupant’s health and safety.

HOW DOES CERAMIC TILE CONTRIBUTE TO THE ENVIRONMENT?
Because of its recycled material content, environmental air quality, solid waste conservation, water conservation, energy conservation, life cycle, does not promote mold or mildew, fungus or other viruses.

WHAT ARE THE STANDARDS IN SELECTION OF GREEN PRODUCTS?
Some of the criteria are:
Products with pre-consumer recycled content
Products with exceptional durability or low maintenance requirements
Products that avoid toxic or other emissions
Products that reduce impacts from construction or demolition activities
Products that contribute to a safe, healthy built environment
Products that do not release significant pollutants into the building
Products that block the introduction, development, or spread of indoor contaminates

WHAT IS PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP?
The responsible and ethical management of the health, safety, and environmental aspects of a product throughout its lifecycle.

WHAT DOES ISO STAND FOR?
ISO – International Organization for Standardization is a non-governmental organization located in Switzerland, chartered to develop voluntary technical standards that aim to make the development, manufacture and supply of goods and services safer, cleaner and more efficient.

WHAT IS AN ECO-LABEL?
Eco-label is any label, seal, logo or claim used to give purchasers and designers an assurance about the environmental characteristics or production methods of the product.  Eco-labels aim to protect information to purchasers/designers to help them choose products and manufacturing processes that have less impact on the environment. The goal of environmental eco-label are to communicate verifiable and accurate information, encourage demand and supply of environmentally sound products and services, reduce stress on the environment, stimulate the market to create continuous perpetual environmental improvement

WHAT IS AN ISO TYPE 1 - #14024 REQUIREMENT?
ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization.  ISO Type 1 is a voluntary, multiple-criteria based, third party program that awards a license that authorizes the use of environmental labels on products indicating overall environmental preferability of a product within a particular product category based on life cycle considerations. Used for comparative, environmentally preferable claims. Examples of   Type 1 Program: Forest Stewardship Council, Scientific Certification Systems, Green Seal.

WHAT IS AN ISO TYPE 11 - #14021 REQUIREMENT?
The Type II is a specific requirement for self-declared claims. The resource uses statements shall be accurate and not misleading and can be substantiated and certified. The claim cannot suggest an environmental improvement that does not exist and cannot exaggerate the environmental aspect of the product to which the claim relates. Example of a vague claim: earth friendly, nature’s friend.

WHAT IS AN ISO TYPE 111 - #14025 REQUIREMENT?
The Type III is a voluntary program that provide quantified environmental data of a product, under pre-set categories of parameters set by a qualified third party and based on life cycle assessment and verified by that or another qualified third party. Examples: GreenGuard, MBDC, Bureau Veritas, Scientific Certification Systems.

WHAT CAUSES INDOOR AIR PROBLEMS?
Poor indoor air is caused by the presence of pollutant sources, inadequate ventilation for a given area, and levels of temperature and humidity that can increase concentrations of some pollutants.

WHAT DOES SCS CERTIFIED MEAN?
SCS is the acronym for Scientific Certification Systems. SCS is a certification provider for Environmentally Preferable Products and services that can demonstrate a reduced or lessened environmental impact when compared to other products performing the same functions.  SCS can review the life cycle impact of the product, risk assessment, and manufacturing process.

WHAT IS GREEN SEAL CERTIFICATION?
Green Seal bases its work on thorough, state-of-the-art scientific evaluations using internationally accepted methodologies. Product evaluations are conducted using a life-cycle approach to ensure that all significant environmental impacts of a product are considered, from raw materials extraction through manufacturing to use and disposal. Green Seal follows the Guiding Principles & Procedures for Type I Environmental Labeling adopted by the ISO 14024.

WHAT IS THE GREEN GUARD PROGRAM?
The Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI) has established performance based standards to define goods with low chemical and particle emissions for use indoors, primarily building materials, cleaning, maintenance products and interior furnishings. The standard establishes certification procedures including test methods, allowable emission levels, product sample collection and handling, testing type, frequency, program application processes and acceptance.

WHAT IS THE EU ECOLABEL PROGRAM?
The Ecolabel is designated by a “flower” above the word Ecolabel. The designation covers facts that water and energy consumption during manufacturing were reduced residues of dangerous substances for health and the environment were minimized, harmful emissions to air and water were limited.  This label pertains more to the manufacturing plant that the material was produced in, not the fact that the product was actually recycled pre or post consumer.

WHAT IS FLOOR SCORE CERTIFICATION?
The FloorScore® program, developed by the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI) in conjunction with Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), tests and certifies flooring products for compliance with indoor air quality emission requirements adopted nation-wide. Flooring products include vinyl, polymeric flooring, linoleum; laminate flooring, engineered hardwood flooring, ceramic flooring, rubber flooring, wall base and stair tread, and associated sundries. A flooring product bearing the FloorScore® seal has been independently certified by SCS to comply with the volatile organic compound emissions criteria of the California Section 01350 standard.