FloorTalk – for all the latest flooring fashions

Mohawk Key Contributor to “Extreme Makeover” Going Green

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Atlanta, GA, September 16, 2008–Instead of “move that bus,” it was “move that Mohawk truck!”

In a scene that could have been right out of “Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition,” Brock Built Homes, WSB-TV, Mohawk Industries, and others celebrated the construction of Brock Built’s Going Green “The Green House,” with an open house for participating companies.  Attendees lined up across the street and were treated to their first look at the home when a Mohawk tractor-trailer moved out of the way, revealing the unique charity project.

Going Green “The Green House” features a variety of green and environmentally sound building technologies.  The home was constructed by Brock Built of Atlanta and will be showcased in WSB-TV’s ongoing “Going Green Georgia” series, which shows viewers the things they can do to live a green lifestyle.

The Brock Built “Green House” will be the subject of a WSB-TV (Atlanta’s highest rated station and ABC affiliate) special primetime television program on September 17 (7-8 PM EST).  The TV special will kick off an online auction for the house, with the proceeds going to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.  Bidding will begin at $350,000, and bids will be taken online from September 17 through October 3.

Mohawk Industries is a long-time supporter of WSB-TV’s “Going Green Georgia” initiative, sponsoring awards for the “Green Champion of the Week.”  Mohawk contributed SmartStrand® carpet made with DuPont™ Sorona® renewably sourced polymer to “The Green House,” while DalTile, a Mohawk sister company, contributed the ceramic tile.

“We are proud to support Brock Built in this project, and we are continually delighted at the interest in green building that WSB-TV has created with its ‘Going Green Georgia’ program,” said David Duncan, Vice President of Marketing for Mohawk.  “We think it is especially important that this home project is teaching people new ways to protect the environment while raising needed funds for a very important organization.”

Going Green “The Green House” home is now open for tours.  Tours are available on Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 until 5pm, and on Saturdays from 11am until 5pm.  For directions to the home, and to learn more about the home auction, visit www.brockbuilt.com or www.wsbtv.com.

To learn more about other Mohawk green programs, visit www.mohawkgreenworks.com.

Shaw Floors Selected for Good Housekeeping Green House

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Dalton, GA, September 17, 2008- With gas prices rising and global warming on the minds of so many Americans, ideas for greener living are becoming increasingly important to consumers. In July, Good Housekeeping, the magazine that helps 25 million readers a month make informed choices on a wide range of products, unveiled The Good Housekeeping Green House, which will be the first LEED-certified single-family home in Harlem and the most environmentally-friendly private residence in New York City. The home features Shaw Floors including recyclable Anso nylon carpet and recycled Grand Canyon hardwood.

To ensure the interior design was as eco-friendly as the structural modifications, Good Housekeeping partnered with established eco-home lifestyle and design expert Robin Wilson, who specializes in providing the smartest and most efficient solutions for a healthy home. As the magazine prepares for the 100th birthday of the Good Housekeeping Seal in 2009, the house is the physical manifestation of Good Housekeeping’s commitment to “green”, according to the publication.

“The Green House is the tangible evidence of the work we’ve been doing for several years to advise and help our readers make sense of the green—and green-washing—products in the market today,” said Rosemary Ellis, editor in chief of Good Housekeeping. “The Green House also delivers ideas and examples of the changes our readers can make in their own homes that will have a substantial impact on the environment.”

The Good Housekeeping Green House is a stunning four-story brownstone on Harlem’s West 122nd Street — a chic, urban example of the newest lifestyle trends and family-friendly home design complete with all of the key environmental hallmarks, including low-flow plumbing, skylights with solar panels, denim insulation, tankless hot water heaters, no-VOC paint, recycled hardwood flooring and recyclable carpet.

The house features a full-floor master-suite, which includes a spacious terrace, lavishly designed bathroom, and his and hers walk-in closets, as well as a “children’s floor” with two bedrooms, two baths and space for playing and schoolwork. The parlor floor features an open kitchen and living space, including French doors that lead to the back yard, designed by a landscape architect specializing in truly “green” gardens.

The magazine sought input from non-profit environmental organization Global Green and oversight and third-party verification from Steven Winters Associates, one of only 18 LEED residential consultancies in the U.S.

The Good Housekeeping Green House is filled with beautiful Shaw Flooring. The entire first floor and master suite features Shaw’s Grand Canyon hardwood. The first wide-width solid made 100 percent from mill byproducts that would have normally been burned or sent to landfills, Grand Canyon utilizes a technologically advanced manufacturing process. The process alternates the solid grain pattern and combines it with a state-of-the-art gluing process which creates this 8” premium solid wood flooring that is less susceptible to cupping, crowning and warping during and after installation. Grand Canyon has hand beveled edges and ends, Lifetime Structural Warranty and 5 Star, 25 Year Finish Warranty.

The bedrooms, stairway and area rugs within the home utilize Shaw’s Anso nylon recyclable carpet from the Style Solutions collection. Style Solutions embodies the appealing look of high-end carpet styles that are created to coordinate with exotic hard surfaces so popular today. Species, plank widths, trims, stone’s colorations and surface texture all work together with luxurious carpeting to provide beautiful flooring combinations. The collection showcases rich two-toned carpet colors such as chocolate and blue, velvety fabric-inspired textures and upscale sculpted patterns. All Shaw Anso nylon products contain recycled content and can be recycled back into nylon again and again at the company’s Evergreen Nylon Recycling Facility in Augusta, Ga.

For more information on Shaw Floors, visit www.shawfloors.com.