DOG DAYS OF SUMMER!!! Read some coollllllllll ideas to make your summer a Green one!

1.. Steppin' light
Find local activities with low environmental impacts like a trip to the local park, woods, zoo, ballgame, or beach with friends to relax. Time spent with friends and family can be a great way to catch up and have fun. Picking up that new book you've been meaning to read while lounging on the deck is another great way to pass the time and leave a smaller footprint behind. The Deathly Hallows ought to keep you busy for a little while. Once you've gotten out of the city, check out our guide on How to Green Your Outdoor Sports.
2. Cool and easy
Air conditioning can offer much-needed respite from the heat and can make sweaty nights bearable, but be sensitive to overuse. Turning up the thermostat a few degrees on your AC is a great way to save tons of cash while making the planet a cooler place at the same time.
3. Up in your grill
Love to BBQ? Propane burns much cleaner than either wood or charcoal briquettes. If you can't resist charcoal, try a natural product like those produced by Cowboy Charcoal--much cleaner than your traditional briquettes. Of course, when you're done grilling, use natural cleaning products such as SoyClean organic grill cleaner to keep your summer as chemical-free as possible. Tests show it's just as tough on grime as traditional cleaners, but won't leave that chemical residue behind to leach into your next burger or grilled tomato. Plus, if you want to give your neighbors something to gossip about, try a solar over from a company like Solar Cookers International. How to Green Your Meals has some tasty advise, as well.
4. The local roundup
Buy food locally. Farmers markets are great places to shop, and ensure that the veggies you're eating hot off the grill or mixed in a salad haven't traveled thousands of miles just to reach your plate. That cuts down on the use of fossil fuels, which leads to significantly reduced levels of pollution and resource depletion over your typical tomato bought at the local supermarket. Websites like Local Harvest can help you find one in your area, even if you've never seen one in your life.
5. The green plate special
Use reusable dishes rather than plastics or Styrofoam. If you absolutely must use disposables, make sure to pick up compostable varieties beforehand to put in the compost bin when you're through. For more, check out Where to Get This Stuff below.
6. Greenie bikini
You don't have to go so far as wearing a biodegradable or solar bikini to make your summer accoutrements more sustainable. Look for eco-friendly products like clothing, swimsuits, sandals, towels, and skin care. Each of them is a step in the right direction, and you might just fall in love with a product or style you never knew existed. Lots more to learn at How to Green Your Wardrobe.
7. Charge!
Pick up a solar backpack or device like the Freeloader or the Solio to take with you on day trips. That way, whether you're at the beach or on the go you'll be able to run and recharge a wide range of portable devices on solar energy. Save a buck by cutting out the electric company and giving your rechargeables the solar power they deserve. More green power tips and a roundup of solar chargers and other products can be found here.
8. No poison, please
Remember those carefree days of running alongside the DDT truck as it sprayed the happy townspeople and iced all the bugs? Well, we're a little smarter now, so use products like garlic barrier to ward off mosquitoes. Traditional products certainly do the job, but they can end up turning your backyard into a deathtrap for every other kind of living thing that drops by for a visit. That means birds, butterflies, ladybugs, and even the family dog gets an unhealthy dose. Not to mention yourself, the kids, the neighbors' kids, and even your bratty nephew who lives down the block. Make sure to apply it when you think it won't rain for several days, and the garlic alternative should treat you right. Planting rosemary is a natural and low-tech way to block skeeters. Then there are always the big guns like the Mosquito Magnet.
9. Wet and wise
Water usage levels are a big deal throughout much of the U.S. and the summer drought season can really make things tough. Be certain to watch what you use, water plants only when necessary, and take a few minutes to install a low-flow showerhead. They're simple steps that can make a big difference. For more, check out How to Green Your Water.
10. The greener road
Have to travel long distances to arrive at your dream destination this summer? Consider making it by road or rail rather than by plane, but be sure to offset your carbon emissions no matter what mode of transportation you choose. Companies and non-profit groups like Terrapass, Climate Care, MyClimate, Native Energy, and American Forests all offer ways to offset the damage done when you pick up and travel to places unknown. How to Green Your Carbon Offsets is a great launch pad.

Getting familar with Green Products- Check out Nurazzo's Green story !

Made Green in the USA
The Green Solution There's no question about it: Building green boosts your bottom line. That's why high-performance terrazzo tile from Nurazzo® are the best solution for your commercial flooring needs. Our Marble Line is manufactured using natural marble chips from local quarries.. Our Crystal Collection uses 70% post-consumer recycled glass from regional recycling centers. Our Recycled Marble Collection is created using 100% post-industrial recycled marble aggregates. Installing Nurazzo® flooring can contribute to the points needed for LEED certification -- the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability. When you choose Nurazzo® terrazzo tile, you're demonstrating to your customers and the world that your building project is truly "made green in the USA." The Facts About Nurazzo® and LEED Certification Choosing Nurazzo terrazzo tile can help your project qualify for LEED Certification: Nurazzo® terrazzo tile is guaranteed durable for 20 years. Our terrazzo flooring provides significant savings over traditional flooring products. Our Crystal Collection uses 70% post-consumer recycled glass from regional recycling centers. Ref. LEED Materials and Resources 3.1 and 3.2 Materials Reuse - 5% and 10% (1-2 points) "Reuse building materials and products to reduce demand for virgin materials and to reduce waste. "Use salvaged, refurbished or reused materials such that the sum of these materials constitutes at least 5% (or 10%), based on cost, of the total value of materials on the project". LEED Materials and Resources 4.1 and 4.2 Recycled Content - 10% and 20% (1-2 points). "Increase demand for building products that have incorporated recycled content material, thereby reducing the impacts resulting from extraction and processing of virgin materials". LEED Innovation in Design 1.1 to 1.4 (1-4 points) "for exceptional performance above the requirements set by the LEED for New Construction Green Building Rating System and/or innovative performance in Green Building categories notspecifically addressed by the LEED for New Construction Green Building Rating System". Our Recycled Marble Collection is created using 100% post-industrial recycled marble aggregates yielding a 70% recycled product. Use of our Recycled Marble Collection contributes towards LEED project points. We recycle all water used in our state-of-the-art factory. Ref. LEED 3.1 and 3.2 Water Efficiency "Maximize water efficiency within buildings to reduce the burden on municipal water supply and wastewater systems. Employ strategies that in aggregate use 20 (or 30%) less water than the water use baseline calculated for the building" (1-2 points)". We use regional materials. Our marble is locally quarried, and the recycled glass used in our Crystal Collection comes from local recycling centers. Ref. LEED Materials and Resources 5.1 and 5.2 Regional Materials. (1-2 points) "Use building materials or products that have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured, within 500 miles of the project site." We recycle the waste material from our manufacturing process by grinding and reusing it. Ref. LEED Materials and Resources 2.1 and 2.2 (1-2 points) "Divert construction and demolition debris from disposal in landfills and incinerators. Redirect recyclable recovered resources back to the manufacturing process. Recycle and/or salvage at least 50% (or 75%) of non-hazardous construction and demolition debris." For more information about getting LEED certification for your building project, visit the Building Green section of the NRDC website.
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REMINDER TO ALL WE ARE NOW RECYCLING PAPER, CANS, AND BOTTLES IN BINS...KEEP UP WITH THE GOOD WORK! PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ WHAT RECYCLING YOUR CANS COULD MEAN.

Aluminum Recycling Facts

	A used aluminum can is recycled and back on the grocery shelf as a new can, in as little as 60 days. That's closed loop recycling at its finest!
	Used aluminum beverage cans are the most recycled item in the U.S., but other types of aluminum, such as siding, gutters, car components, storm window frames, and lawn furniture can also be recycled.
	Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours -- or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.
	More aluminum goes into beverage cans than any other product.
	Because so many of them are recycled, aluminum cans account for less than 1% of the total U.S. waste stream, according to EPA estimates.
	An aluminum can that is thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now!
	There is no limit to the amount of times an aluminum can be recycled.
	We use over 80,000,000,000 aluminum soda cans every year.
	At one time, aluminum was more valuable than gold!
	A 60-watt light bulb can be run for over a day on the amount of energy saved by recycling 1 pound of steel. In one year in the United States, the recycling of steel saves enough energy to heat and light 18,000,000 homes!

Rapidly Renewable Materials (LEED MR Credit 6): What are they?

As a Flooring Contractor we only deal with a few credits in the LEED rating systyem, in the next few weeks I will be focusing on each one . The first one we are going to look at is.........

Rapidly renewable materials are natural, non-petroleum-based building materials (petroleum based materials are non-renewable) that have harvest cycles under 10 years. Such materials include bamboo, straw, cork, natural linoleum products (such as Marmoleum), wool, wheatboard, strawboard, etc. In the LEED green building rating system, LEED MR Credit 6.0 states that rapidly renewable materials must be equal to no less than 2.5% of the cost of a building project in terms of value. Additional LEED MR Credits may be earned for using specific percentages of recycled content, regional materials or a combination.

Some green building materials products are comprised of a composite of rapidly renewable materials and recycled content such as newsprint, cotton, soy-based materials, seed husks, etc. Environ Biocomposites creates a line of rapidly renewable composite materials for various LEED Materials and Resources credits including: LEED MR Credit 4.1, LEED MR Credit 4.2, LEED MR Credit 5.1, LEED MR Credit 5.2 and LEED MR Credit 6.0.

Getting Familiar with Cradle to Cradle design in the flooring world

The Cradle to Cradle Certification evaluates and improves products by thoroughly assessing and optimizing materials and production processes. Certification means a healthy, safe, effective and quality product that is recyclable again and again.
As a non-consensus standard, Cradle to Cradle was not created by the carpet industry or any other specialty group. Founded and administrated by MBDC, Cradle to Cradle is an independent, multi-attribute product certification based on the Cradle to Cradle design protocol, a scientifically based, peer-reviewed process used to assess and optimize products and processes to maximize health, safety, effectiveness, and high quality reutilization over many product life cycles.
Cradle to Cradle is open to a wide variety of products – not just carpet – which allows for stringent criteria during the evaluation process that does not focus on one industry in particular.
The categories used to evaluate products include:

• Environmentally Safe and Healthy Materials
• Efficient Use of Water and Maximum Water Quality
• Use of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
• Instituting Strategies for Social Responsibilities

McDonough + Partners: Cradle to Cradle

What is LEED anyway????

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies intended to improve performance in metrics such as energy savings, water efficiency, CO₂ emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

LEED has evolved since its original inception in 1998 to more accurately represent and incorporate emerging green building technologies. LEED NCv1.0 was a pilot version. These projects helped inform the USGBC of the requirements for such a rating system, and this knowledge was incorporated into LEED NCv2.0. LEED NCv2.2 was released in 2005, and v3 in 2009. Today, LEED consists of a suite of nine rating systems for the design, construction and operation of buildings, homes and neighborhoods. Five overarching categories correspond to the specialties available under the LEED Accredited Professional program. That suite currently consists of:
Green Building Design & Construction

• LEED for New Construction
• LEED for Core & Shell
• LEED for Schools
• LEED for Retail: New Construction and Major Renovations
• LEED for Healthcare

Green Interior Design & Construction

• LEED for Commercial Interiors
• LEED for Retail: Commercial Interiors

Green Building Operations & Maintenance

• LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance

Green Neighborhood Development

• LEED for Neighborhood Development

Green Home Design and Construction

• LEED for Homes

LEED also forms the basis for other sustainability rating systems such as the Environmental Protection Agency's Labs21.
After four years of development, aligning credits across all LEED rating systems and weighting credits based on environmental priority, USGBC launched LEED v3,^[5] which consists of a new continuous development process, a new version of LEED Online, a revised third-party certification program and a new suite of rating systems known as LEED 2009. In response to concerns that LEED's requirements are cumbersome and difficult to learn, in 2009 USGBC supported the development by BuildingGreen, LLC of LEEDuser, a third-party resource that contains tips and guidance, written by professionals in the field, on applying LEED credits and the LEED certification process.