People, Wood, and Homes in the 21st Century

1
Emerging Markets for Green Building Sustainable
Design
Jim Bowyer Dovetail Partners, Inc. Minneapolis,
MN
2
Emerging Markets for Green Building and
Sustainable Design

• Green building what it means.
• Green building trends
• Green building and the forest
• products industry
• Forest certification and certified
• wood
• The carbon issue
• Summary

3
Green Building . . What It Means
4

• Green Building Standards Focus On
• Energy efficiency
• Materials efficiency
• Water efficiency
• Occupant safety and health
• Site impacts

5
Within the category of materials efficiency,
most green building programs identify
environmentally preferable materials.
6

• Common Features of Materials Efficiency

• Low or no VOCs
• Low or no formaldehyde
• Wood products certification
• Product durability
• Renewable, reusable
• Recycled content
• Locally produced

7

• Common Features of Materials Efficiency

• Low or no VOCs
• Low or no formaldehyde
• Wood products certification
• Product durability
• Renewable, reusable
• Recycled content
• Locally produced
• Life Cycle Assessment

8
Green Building Trends
9
By the end of 2010 more than half of NAHBs
members, who build more than 80 percent of homes
in the U.S., will be incorporating green
practices into the design, development, and
construction of new homes.McGraw-Hill
Construction, 2006.
10
The number of U.S. cities with green building
programs has increased 418 percent since 2003.
American Institute of Architects, 2008.
11
92 cities with populations greater than 50,000
have established green building programs, up from
22 four years ago.
American Institute of Architects, 2008.
12
More than 130 of 661 cities examined will have
green building programs in place by the end of
this year.American Institute of Architects,
2008.
13
Green Building Programs

• LEED
• Green Globes
• NAHB

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Green Building Programs

• LEED
• Green Globes
• NAHB
• Austin Energy Green Building
• California Green Builder
• Built Green King County (Seattle)
• Atlanta Earth Craft House
• Wisconsin Green Built Home

15
So far, implementation of green building
programs is mostly voluntary across the United
States.
16
A growing number of states and municipalities
are requiring construction of government
sponsored building projects to green building
(often LEED) standards.
17
In California, a few cities now require or are
formally considering commitment to green building
standards in privately-funded projects as part of
the permitting process.
18
Green Building and the Forest Products Industry
19
To this point it the forest products industry has
paid little attention to green building programs.
20
In fact, based on personal interaction with
wholesale and retail building products
distributors nationwide, very few have sales
people who

• can intelligently discuss the various green
  building programs operating in their sales
  regions
• know the essential differences between these
  programs

21
In fact, based on personal interaction with
wholesale and retail building products
distributors nationwide, very few have sales
people who

• can help a customer interested in constructing a
  certified green structure to assemble a critical
  mass of required components.

22
It would appear that substantial opportunity
awaits those who figure out how to better serve
the green building industry and adapt accordingly.
23
Forest Certification and Certified
Wood
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• Common Features of Materials Efficiency

• Low or no VOCs
• Low or no formaldehyde
• Wood products certification
• Product durability
• Renewable, reusable
• Recycled content
• Locally produced

25
Forest Certification Programs

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
• Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
• Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
• American Tree Farm System (ATFS)

26
Forest Certification Programs

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
• Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
• Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
• American Tree Farm System (ATFS)

27
Although the wood products industry was an early
player in forest certification, developing the
SFI program and making it a condition of
membership of AFPA, retail and wholesale
distributors have never embraced certified wood .
. .
28
. . . but that is about to change.
29
Climate Change and Carbon Storage
The Carbon Issue
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Current carbon protocols under the Kyoto accord
award credit only for establishment of new
forests on previously non-forested land.
31
However, proposed rules would provide credit (and
payments) for avoided deforestation.
32
The potential for reduced carbon emissions
through use of wood rather than more energy
intensive non-renewable alternatives is also
gaining recognition.
33
The potential for reduced carbon emissions
through use of wood rather than more energy
intensive non-renewable alternatives is also
gaining recognition.
And carbon storage is likely to become an
important issue in the green bldg movement.
34
Net Carbon Emissions in Producing a Ton of 1/
2/
1/ Values are based on life cycle assessment and
include gathering and processing of raw
materials, primary and secondary processing, and
transportation. 2/ Source USEPA (2006).
35
A great deal of carbon is contained within wood.
Elemental Analysis of Wood
36
Projected Change in Carbon Stocks in Ontarios
Forests, 2000-2100
Million metric tons of carbon
Source Colombo, S., Chen, J., and
Ter-Milkaelian, M. 2007.
37
Net Carbon Emissions in Producing a Ton of 1/
2/
1/ Values are based on life cycle assessment and
include gathering and processing of raw
materials, primary and secondary processing, and
transportation. 2/ Source USEPA (2006). 3/ A
carbon content of 49 is assumed for wood.
38
The Evolving Role of Life Cycle Assessment
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Life Cycle Inventory (LCI)

• Examination of all measurable
• Raw material inputs
• Products and by-products
• Emissions
• Effluents
• Wastes

40
Life Cycle Inventory (LCI)

• May involve all stages in production, use, and
  disposal, including
• Extraction
• Transportation
• Primary processing
• Conversion to semi-finished products
• Incorporation into finished products
• Maintenance
• Disposal/reuse

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Life Cycle Inventory
EMISSIONS
Forest Management (Regeneration)
(Transportation)
EFFLUENTS
Raw Material Acquisition(Harvest)
MATERIALS
SOLID WASTES
(Transportation)
ENERGY
Product Manufacturing
OTHER RELEASES
(Transportation)
WATER
Building Construction
PRODUCTS
(Transportation)
COPRODUCTS
Use/Maintenance
(Transportation)
Recycle/Waste Management
(Transportation)

• Impact Assessment
• Ecosystem Health
• Human Health
• Resource Depletion
• Social Health

• Initiation
• Purpose and Scope
• System Boundaries
• Data Categories
• Review Process

Improvement Assessment Extend product life
Red. energy consumpt. Eval substitute matls
Improve processes Enhance use/maint. Imp.
waste mgmt.
42
It will soon be important for sales people to
understand the essentials of LCA and to be able
to talk with customers about it.
43
Conclusions
44
Conclusions

• Building green is a rapidly growing trend.
• There are over 40 GBP nationwide.
• Virtually all GBP require the use of certified
  wood.
• Carbon issues are likely to become a focus of
  GBP.

45
Conclusions

• LCA is becoming important as a tool for informing
  building design and construction.
• Green building is a clear opportunity for the
  forest products industry.