Jamie Jones
jamiejones@daltoncitizen.com
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The biggest hurdle in convincing homeowners to “go green” is education.
But here’s the rub, according to Nate Kredich, vice president, residential market development, for the U.S. Green Building Council. Most homeowners get the majority of their information on environmentally friendly products and eco-conscious companies from television. However, most consumers say the medium they most distrust for those details is television.
“Information of green homes is available, but it’s available in fragments,” said Kredich, adding the U.S. Green Building Council established a website (www.greenhomeguide.com) to bring that information together.
Kredich spoke at Floor Covering Weekly magazine’s second annual Green Step awards luncheon in Dalton on Wednesday honoring seven companies that have made strides to positively affect the environment, including Anderson (owned by Dalton-based Shaw Industries), Dalton-based U.S. Floors and Calhoun-based Mohawk Industries.
There were 90 entries in four categories — Product, Process, Promotion and Pinnacle — and two winners were chosen in each group by a six-person panel of industry experts. Event organizers lauded the floorcovering industry for its environmental leadership.
“We’re honored to recognize their accomplishments,” said Santiago Montero, publisher and editor-in-chief of Floor Covering Weekly. “We started this program a couple of years ago because we looked around the floorcovering industry and we were so proud of the strong environmental initiatives that were happening in our industry.”
The winners:
Pinnacle (a person or company that went above and beyond)
• Mullican Flooring: In 2009, the company became the first hardwood floor maker in the nation to produce a solid domestic Forest Stewardship Council 100 percent pure floor. Its “Green Haven” products also help bring builders and architects to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.
• InterfaceFlor: The Atlanta-based company’s “Mission Zero” program is designed to eliminate its negative impact on the environment by 2020. Recently published was the company’s progress in waste elimination, energy use, renewable energy, use of recycled and bio-based materials, greenhouse gas emissions, water intake and safety.
Process
• Crossville: The tile take-back program recycles fired tile, something many in the industry said never could be done.
• US Floors: The roof of the company’s Dalton location has the largest commercial solar panel array in Georgia. Now, 15 percent of the company’s total electric consumption is from solar power.
Product
• Anderson Topical Reflections: The collection was designed to be “as environmentally sensitive as possible” and contains timber from 100 percent domestic North American hardwood species.
• Mohawk SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona: The product is made of a renewable polymer. Mohawk adds no chemical stain blockers to the carpet, meaning most stains can be removed with only water.
Promotion
• Mannington: The company worked with Salem County, N.J., schools for the “Going Green — It’s a Journey” campaign. The program helps teachers encourage staff and students to conserve, recycle and be aware of the environment.
• Mohawk University: The educational sustainability course targets dealer owners and sales associates in explaining the importance of being sensitive to the environment in retail settings.
