Floor Talk!

PacifiCrest is a manufacturer of commercial carpets located in Irvine, California, a subsidiary of Royalty Carpet Mills. PacifiCrest has demonstrated outstanding environmental performance in carpet manufacturing for over 20 years.

HOW DO THEY CONTRIBUTE?

PacifiCrest carpets are sustainable, recyclable and available with a backing option called E-Lok BioBack. Their carpet face weight contains up to 90% post industrial recycled content and their backing compositions contain:

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The Green Build Expo 2007 had many hardwood exhibitors, but 2 companies in particular caught my attention for their beautiful and unique products.

One company, Sustainable Flooring in Boulder, Colorado offers wood flooring products that are not only sustainable, but have an appearance unlike most hardwood flooring you have seen. Their product line is made up of reclaimed products, those that are “certified” by either the Forestry Stewardship Council or follow similar harvesting and production methodologies, and others that are either made from rapidly renewable raw materials or are created from post-industrial content. “Sustainable Woods” encompasses lesser know species. Their harvesting and subsequent use will help insure that forests are allowed to thrive. (more…)

With over 22,800 in attendance and more than 850 exhibitors at this year’s Green Build Expo in Chicago it was clear that this green movement is here to stay and getting some serious attention.

It was no surprise that the expo was held downtown at McCormick Place, a building that is LEED certified. As you walked into the building there were a series of signs mounted to the wall explaining what it meant for the building to be a LEED certified building. Throughout the expo there were educational stations, recycling stations and many other efforts to educate on ways to become more “green” as well as ways to participate. It was also encouraging that throughout the city there were advertisements for new lofts and condos bragging that these new residences were “green” residences.

The expo kicked off differently than most trade shows. It began in the evening with a cocktail reception. Guests arriving the first day were allowed to spend a few hours getting a sneak peak of the show before the masses showed up to stand in the registration line the next day. Some people waited over 2 hours just to get into the show! I was fortunate enough to arrive the first day. It was helpful to be able to get an overview of the exhibit with less people before the aisles became crowded. It was exciting that some booths were so crowded that I had to come back a few hours later to try to get information.

Like The Remodeling Show in Las Vegas there were exhibitors from every category of the building process. The difference here was that not only were you given the opportunity to learn about the products, but also the chance to learn about the focus of each company’s efforts to protect or preserve the environment. It was interesting to hear each company’s angle. For example, some companies were advertising that their products contained recycled content. Some companies wanted you to know about their efforts to save energy during the manufacturing process. Other companies wanted architects and designers to know how many LEED points they could receive for using their products. The companies that caught my attention the most were the ones that have been practicing “green” for decades. Now that “green” is getting so much attention and has so much value to consumers they are not changing their practices to incorporate “green”, but are simply adding these practices into their marketing.

It was also no surprise to me that the first booth that I saw front and center was from the flooring industry. If I were giving out awards like the awards given for The Remodeling Show, Shaw Industries would take the prize for the most exciting booth, the most creative exhibit, the most energetic staff and the best first impression.

Shaw used several different methods to grab your attention. Their booth’s exterior was made of huge green circular walls with different stations set up inside. One area explained the recycling process with the chemist on hand to break down each stage. Having not been a science whiz in school, I asked the chemist to explain the process in layman’s terms. In 30 seconds or less, she explained the process to me. She used the example of baking a cake to simplify the explanation of the process. So, imagine taking a baked cake and returning it to its original components- flour, eggs and sugar. This is what’s happening with carpet through Shaw’s Cradle to Cradle recycling efforts at their Evergreen Facility in Augusta, Georgia. Through innovative technology, post-consumer carpet is converted into the raw material used to make virgin nylon, which is indistinguishable from first generation material. The unique process allows for endless recycling, diverting carpet from landfills and saving valuable natural resources.

Next, Shaw used large view finders to show the logistics of the recycling process explaining how customers who used their EcoWorx commercial products close to a decade ago have contributed to its recycled content tomorrow because the products will be reused. The images in the view finders showed how products, once they are returned to Shaw, are deconstructed through a process called elutriation. The backing is then returned to the manufacturing process to be made into more EcoWorx. The EcoWorx recycling facility can recycle 1.8 million square yards of carpet per year.

Another station outlined their carpet collection centers. Shaw is actively building the largest carpet reclamation network in the country!! Currently, they have a collection center within 50 miles of 40% of the population and are expanding weekly! Shaw is collecting 100 million pounds of post-consumer carpet waste to supply their Evergreen Nylon Recycling Facility which diverts waste from landfills while reducing the amount of raw materials used in their manufacturing process. They even make it easy to participate. All you have to do is flip over any commercial carpet tile with EcoWorx backing, call the toll free number printed on the back and Shaw will reclaim the material and transport it to their manufacturing facility in Georgia to be made into new EcoWorx!

Shaw’s Cradle to Cradle certification evaluates building and interior products for their human health, environmental and life cycle attributes. Architects and Designers can earn an Innovation in Design point within the LEED Green Building Rating System for using Cradle to Cradle certified products found in EcoWorx tile, EcoWorx Performance Broadloom, Eco Solution Q nylon and Anso nylon. All of Shaw’s carpets are Green Label and Green Label Plus Certified. CRI (Carpet and Rug Institute) Green Label or Green Label Plus Certification ensures that a carpet meets stringent requirements for low chemical emissions and contributes to good indoor air quality.

Shaw’s efforts begin with the design process, carry on through the recycling process, remain strong through the reclamation process, but they don’t stop there. Did you know that carpet waste can be used to generate electricity? Shaw’s waste to energy facility is the only one of its kind in the carpet industry. Through an innovative gasification process, carpet and wood flour waste replaces oil usage in the flooring manufacturing process. This process diverts 22,000 tons of waste from landfills and reduces oil usage by 90% at their dyeing facility.

Wait, there’s more. Shaw operates the 15^th largest transportation fleet in the nation. They use biodiesel fuel to run their trucks because it burns cleaner than petroleum based diesel creating less carbon dioxide emissions; it is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as quickly as sugar. It is produced in the USA from renewable resources such as soybeans which decreases our dependence on foreign oil while contributing to our own economy. Each year, Shaw uses 46,800 gallons of pure biodiesel fuel. Shaw’s participation in the SmartWay Partnership (a voluntary collaboration between the US EPA and the freight industry designed to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gasses and air pollution) will help eliminate millions of tons of emissions per year - the equivalent of taking up to 12 million cars off the road. As a bonus, instead of returning to Georgia with empty trucks after making carpet deliveries, Shaw picks up used carpet from the collection centers!

Shaw doesn’t stop there, they even go to the extent of providing inter office recycling for its 31,000 employees in case recycling is not available where they live.

If you are an architect, designer or builder interested in Shaw’s products that can help you earn LEED points or looking for a faster more straight forward way to specify LEED certified products, Shaw offers a LEED calculator on-line that provides accurate information outlining the environmental attributes of the products as well as their contribution to the USGBC LEED Rating System. You can review and compare products and print, download or email LEED Specification Sheets.

Stay tuned for more from the Green Build Expo 2007!

Each year, carpet accounts for 2% of U.S. landfill waste by volume and close to 1% by weight. That translates to 5 billion pounds of waste per year making it one of the largest single contributors to landfills!

What’s being done about it?

One group called CARE or Carpet America Recovery Effort is a non profit organization formed in 2002 by The Carpet and Rug Institute. Members of the carpet industry, government agencies and some non-government agencies are aiming to increase the amount of recycling and reuse of post consumer carpet and reduce the amount of carpet waste going into landfills. Since CARE was formed, 500 million pounds of carpet have been recovered.

How do they do it?

One way is through CARE’s partnership with a group called Star Net. They have created a network that helps contract dealers find collectors, sorters and processors in their region to help build stronger regional networks. The idea is, the stronger the local network the lower the costs. CARE’s goal is to offer an alternative to landfills at the same or less cost than one would pay in disposal fees. In the first year that Star Net and CARE worked together, 10 million pounds of carpet were diverted with hopes of achieving 50 million pounds this year!

Currently, these efforts are primarily limited to the commercial carpet market even though residential carpet volumes are greater. The problem is the amount of carpet per residential job is not great enough to be profitable. Hopes are that in the future, box stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s will become regional collection centers and open the gates for residential carpet recycling.

What is the carpet industry doing about it?

The carpet industry is also taking steps in other ways to prevent material from even coming into the picture by finding ways to use less material or use materials that are initially more kind to the environment. Good for them for being proactive as well as reactive!
How do they actually do it?

Carpet can be reclaimed several different ways. One method is through Shaw Industries’ Evergreen Nylon Recycling Facility in Augusta, Georgia. Shaw collects post consumer carpet waste from across the country and recycles their Nylon 6 products back into new carpet in a process called Cradle to Cradle. This process diverts millions of pounds of waste from landfills and reduces the amount of raw material used in the manufacturing processes. This is the best effort for the environment because it prevents the carpet industry from having to use all new material when manufacturing new carpet.

Another method is turning it into something non-carpet related like railroad ties, composite lumber, tile backer board or automotive parts. This method is equally as beneficial to the environment, but there is no way to control if these items are then re-recycled where the carpet can be more closely controlled.

Finally, carpet can be turned into fuel. Fuel is obviously a one shot deal, but at least it’s burned for energy so the need for fossil fuels is reduced.

What can you do about it?

If you are involved in a large commercial project:

• CA- LA Fiber Company - (323) 589-5637
• New York / New Jersey- metro area - CarpetCycle (908) 353-5900
• Boston - commercial and universities only - ERCS (978) 664-5050
• Minnesota - NYCORE (770) 980-0000

Or use this map of carpet reclamation areas from CARE.

If you are interested in recycling your residential carpet:

First, you can ask your local dealer for options. They will have the most information for your area. They will be willing to help because sending your carpet somewhere else keeps their waste disposal costs down!

Some Habitat for Humanity resale stores will accept used carpet in good condition. Contact your local store for details. Often, they will even pick it up for you.

Shaw Industries has a program called Shaw Green Edge where they have partnered with recycling companies to establish collection networks throughout the country. They are constantly adding new locations, so check their collection map to see if there is a collection site in your area.

If you have a small amount of carpet and do not have access to a collection site in your area here are some other uses for your carpet rather than throwing it away:

• Place it in the back of an enclosed truck or van to reduce noise or shifting of items.
• Cut it into small squares or circles and place under the feet of heavy furniture.
• Place carpet remnants at doors to catch mud and water.
• Use as floor mats in cars.
• Treat your pet to warm floors if they have cage/house.
• Take with you when cabin camping to keep the dirt/snow out of your “home.”
• Cut into strips wide enough to fit between the rows in your garden. This will minimize weeds.

Make a few phone calls. You can always check with local schools, churches, and recreation centers if you have carpet that is clean and in good condition. They can either have it reinstalled it or have it cut it up into area rugs.

Every little bit helps. If you collected several samples during your selection process that your retailer does not want returned, you can donate them to schools for children to sit on or pet shelters to keep pets from lying on cold floors.

If you are considering replacing your carpet, please make an effort to find someone else who can use it or for it to be recycled. For bonus points, replace your old carpet with a new product that is recycled or environmentally friendly. If you are already a pro and have found places to recycle carpet, please post a comment and share your findings!

Have you wondered how you can make a difference on the planet with your home decorating? Did you know you could do such a thing? Even though it’s the “in” thing to do, here are some green flooring options that are not only responsible, but also smart and stylish. (more…)