One of our core values is sustainability, and we are continuing our commitment to reduce our impact on the environment by offsetting the carbon emissions that result from our business operations. For the fifth consecutive year, Statements Tile is purchasing carbon offsets equal to or greater than the total amount of carbon we emit importing tile, driving company vehicles, and on business travel. At the same time, we are working to reduce our overall environmental footprint through a robust office recycling program, a first in the nation tile recycling program, and through our unique product selection program that evaluates new products on eight separate criteria for sustainability.

IEQ Credit 4.3: Low-Emitting Materials—Flooring Systems

Tile is fired at very high temperatures, usually in excess of 2,000°F. At such high temperatures, any organics that might be present in clays or binders are completely burned away. As a result, the final product is inert and has no VOCs that can be emitted.

Due to its VOC-free nature, ceramic and porcelain tile products are exempt from all testing criteria outlined in LEED® IEQ Credit 4.3 (1 point).

On April 14, 2010, USGBC issued an addendum to LEED® IEQ Credit 4.3. It states, “Mineral-based finished flooring products such as tile, masonry, terrazzo, and cut stone without integral organic-based coatings and sealants … qualify for credit without any IAQ testing requirements.”

For more information, see the Tile Council of North America’s Natural Choice website.

But these lessons don’t just apply to business. They’re also applicable in our homes. Here are five lessons business can teach you to lessen your impact on the environment:

Veto Unnecessary Purchases

Successful businesses buy only what’s necessary, whether it’s office supplies or product inventory or capital assets. Businesses take these decisions very seriously, and in many cases establish a purchasing committee to review all potential new items. Now, I’m not saying that every home should establish a purchasing committee (I can already tell you, that would not go over well with my wife). But the lesson still applies: is this purchase a smart allocation of resources to meet our families needs? Smart buying makes your household more sustainable by cutting back on stuff. You know what I’m talking about — that stuff that gets used once, then is set aside in your basement and eventually gets thrown out.

Sustainability lesson: Reduce demand on natural resources and lessen the burden on landfills by not making unnecessary purchases.

Avoid Carrying Costs

Even if you buy only what’s necessary, you’re still bound to accumulate stuff. Stuff that was once useful may have lost its utility for your household. If something has been sitting around long enough to gather dust, it’s probably time to get rid of it. Smart businesses evaluate their stuff all the time, since inventory that sits in the warehouse for too long incurs high carrying costs (costs associated with storing and handling goods such as rent, insurance, labor, spoilage, etc.). The same is true for your home.You are paying rent and heat on that extra square footage in your basement that is filled with dusty old relics. You’re probably insuring it too (just think about that for a minute, paying insurance on something you wouldn’t replace if it were destroyed).

So what do you do with stuff once it’s no longer a useful asset in your household? Donate it, sell it, or give it away. Three great ways:  Goodwill, Craigslist, and Freecycle, respectively.

Sustainability lesson: turn idle goods into productive ones by transferring them to those who need them.

Get Rid of Unused Space

Now that you’ve gone through your closets, emptied out the guest bedroom, and sorted through all the junk in your garage, what should you do with all that unused space? Do what businesses do: take it off your balance sheet! When businesses have a surplus of space, they have two options: they can sublease it or they can vacate it. Subleasing makes sense for business when the space may be needed again in the future or in the case of a long term lease contract. Vacating is the better option when long term plans or the location no longer make sense. In the case of your home, the same rules apply. And subleasing could take on many forms–maybe you put up a foreign exchange student or host visiting relatives (instead of putting them in a hotel) or list your extra bedroom on CouchSurfing.org. Maybe you’re kids have flown the coop and you’ll never need the two or three extra bedrooms again. It’s time to downsize. Move into a condo downtown and make room for that burgeoning young family looking for a home just like yours.

Sustainability lesson: recycling unused space back into the marketplace prevents unnecessary new construction and reduces ongoing costs.

Don’t Make Unnecessary Trips

Businesses spend a great deal of money each year finding the most efficient routes and schedules for their vehicle fleets. (One of the more interesting examples is UPS eliminating left turns from its routes. Full story here.) The lesson is simple: don’t make unnecessary trips. How many trips to the grocery store do you make each week? Could you cut that number in half? Are there goods or services you could order online rather than drive to the store to purchase?

Sustainability lesson: reducing trips cuts down on energy consumption and pollution.

Go Paperless

One of the most significant changes in the office environment over the last two decades is the reduction of paper. Email has replaced faxes and letters, handhelds have replaced pickslips, and websites have eliminated catalogs. What paper can you eliminate in your home? Here’s an easy one: sign up for the Do Not Mail registry for junk mail (http://www.ecocycle.org/junkmail/index.cfm). Or how about the phone book or your morning newspaper? Both are available in full online.

Sustainability lesson: reducing the use of paper in your home reduces energy, transportation and raw material consumption.

• The International Green Construction Code, which was just released in draft form last week, is a gamechanger. It will displace many of the greenbuilding standards since it is intended to be a code overlay adopted by municipal governments. In other words, it becomes law. And law is a much more powerful inducement to participation than an opt-in standard.
• Tile gets credit for its positive impacts on indoor air quality. Or more precisely, tile surfaces do not require the same testing after installation that mold harboring, VOC emitting surfaces do.
• The IGCC also encourages the use of high-reflectance outdoor hardscapes. In other words, for parking lots, sidewalks and other exterior hardscapes, light tiles that reduce the heat island effect are privileged over darker materials.

There was much more in the presentation, which I’ll pass along in time. Suffice it to say, tile finally seems to be getting the credit it deserves for being the greenest floor covering.

• Choose a flooring material that will last. The longer the life-expectancy of your floor, the more sustainable it is–since you save the energy, waste, raw materials, and other inputs and outputs that are necessary to replace a floor. Porcelain tile is an excellent choice, since it will last for centuries when properly installed.
• Make sure there are no toxins are other harmful components that can leach into the surrounding environment after installation. Many flooring products are treated with chemicals to make them flame retardant or to resist mold. Tile needs none of these treatments or sealers.
• Finally, find a product with recycled content. For two examples of porcelain tiles that meet all three criteria, check out EcoLeader and Pietra Riciclata–both of which contain at least 40% recycled content.

As a part of that commitment, we have purchased renewable energy credits to mitigate the impact of fossil fuels (which don’t replenish). This year, our purchases of credits come from the Upper Rock Island gas-to-energy project. Upper Rock Island captures the methane gases produced by a landfill and turn it into energy to power the homes and businesses in the area. What a great idea! And we are glad to participate to ensure that our great grandkids have the same opportunities that we have. Here’s a great illustration showing how gas-to-energy works:

*image via Affiliated Engineers

Statements Tile is a green business, top to bottom. After an extensive environmental audit three years ago, we instituted a sustainability program that addresses the impacts we have on the environment beginning with the most cost effective and working down the list. Essentially, we want to get the most bang for our buck. We have written about a couple of those initiatives, including big picture stuff like product selection (What makes our tile green?) to little picture stuff like composting in our staff kitchen (It’s easy being green!).

One outcome of the audit was the recognition that we don’t have control over all the ways our business impacts the natural environment. In fact, our biggest footprint is the emissions associated with shipping material from the factory to our warehouses in Seattle. So how can we mitigate those impacts? In a partnership with Renewable Choice Energy, we are now purchasing carbon credits equal to the emissions associated with our freight, effectively canceling out the emissions from our shipping with credit from reductions from other sources. The reductions come in a variety of formats: the construction of wind turbines, the planting of trees, or the installation of solar energy facilities.

But the question we ask is why we are willing to pay more for clean energy and carbon credits, not how we do it. When my grandfather started a tile company over forty years ago, he wasn’t looking for a quick buck. He wanted to create something for his grandchildren. He succeeded. Taking the long view, thinking generations into the future, is built into the DNA of our company. It’s our definition of sustainability, and it’s why we are willing to take the extra step to make our business green.

One last note. As I wrote this story, I came across an article, just published today, about how the shipping industry can go green–without any new technology. Just by slowing down.

In particular, his essay addresses the greatest shortcoming of many product certifications, green building standards, and consumer preferences: Single Impact Analysis. Rather than examining the product or project in its entirety, Single Impact Analysis takes one trait (most commonly, recycled content) and makes that trait the basis for a product’s environmental sustainability.

A better approach is Life Cycle Analysis: “an across-the board study of a product that begins with the extraction of raw materials, the environmental impact of extraction, the manufacturing process, impact on factory workers and surrounding community, recycled content, transportation, application, use, effect on users & occupants, maintenance, end-of-usefulness, recycling or reusing or disposal impact on the environment.”

Ceramic tile truly shines when compared with other surfacing products in a life cycle analyses.  For more information, please read “Ceramic Tile – Missing In Action on the Green Building Front“.

1. I’ve never worked with an architect.  What can I expect?

Don’t be shy.  The key is for the client and architect to have good, open communication in order for the design and construction process to run smoothly.  The architectural design process has a language of its own and it is our job to teach you this language and the best way to communicate the design to you.  We ask that you let us know if there is something you don’t understand or that doesn’t make sense.  We also encourage you to get your hands into the design process to convey your ideas in whatever way you feel comfortable-sketches, models, images, etc.

As for the design process, here is a quick summary of the design phases that each project goes through:

Site Analysis:  The first step in the design process is to determine the existing conditions.  If necessary, we help clients to have a survey drawn of the site and any geotechnical work that may be required.  For remodels, we measure your existing house to use as a base for the design.  During this phase, research for zoning codes, building codes, and other regulations will be started.

Schematic Design:  Before we start the design, we begin with a client meeting to go over design ideas for the project.  This meeting may include looking at images from magazines and books that the client is drawing inspiration from for their project.  We will take the ideas from the meeting and create several sketches of the basic design in the form of floor plans, exterior elevations, sections, and site plan (depending on the scope of the project).  We will begin developing the design ideas into one scheme through an iterative process.  Once we settle on a basic design, we like to bring a contractor on board to assist with initial budgeting to make sure we are on track with the budget.

Design Development:  After confirming the design ideas and contractor’s initial budget, the design is developed through adding more detail, thinking about materials, and coordinating with the structural engineer.  We start developing the interiors during this phase and provide the client with views of the interiors.

Permit Set:  The permit set of drawings typically includes site plan, floor plans, elevations, sections, wall sections, and structural drawings.  Most often we submit a set of drawings to the jurisdiction to review for the building permit while simultaneously continuing to develop the Construction Documents as most jurisdictions have an extended review time for the permits.

Construction Documents:  The Construction Documents are the final drawings and documents which are handed off to the contractor for construction.  This set of documents includes all drawings provided in the permit set, plus electrical plans, architectural details, interior elevations (typically kitchens and bathrooms), finish selections, and specifications (depending on the scope of the project).

Construction Observation:  There are many decisions that are completed on site during the construction process.  We find that weekly or bi-weekly meetings with the contractor and client are beneficial to help facilitate any decisions or changes that need to be made during construction.  We are also available to answer contractor’s telephone questions, review shop drawings (i.e. kitchen cabinets, etc), and to help the owner to determine amounts due to the contractor at the time of invoice.

2. Where do I start?

Remodeling your home or building your dream home is typically a one time opportunity for most homeowners.  The design process is creative, challenging, and an exciting process where you see your ideas come to life.  On the other hand, budget overruns, unexpected costs, complex building and zoning code restrictions, and construction delays can become a headache overnight.  We first suggest scheduling an initial design consultation with an architect to discuss design ideas, project scope, and budget.

Early in the design process, we suggest that the homeowner create a priority list.  We’ve all learned from the saying, “Our eyes are bigger than our stomachs”.  The project scope can quickly creep past the budget constraints, so it is helpful to create a priority of needs and wants for the project.

Work with an architect and contractor that you feel comfortable with and who work well together.  Communication is key to a smoothly executed project.  At some point during the design and construction process you will run into an obstacle.  Negotiation will be much easier with a team that communicates well with each other to come up with a solution to the obstacle.

3. My budget doesn’t allow me to do my whole project now.  Can I break it down into phases?

H2D has successfully completed several phased projects.  With the current economy, it has become much more common for homeowners to phase their construction project.  It is important to discuss the budgetary constraints at the beginning of the design process, so that the architect can help you determine the best way that the project can be broken down into manageable phases.  In addition, we recommend designing the whole project up front and then breaking the project out into several phases for construction.  This will help to reduce the amount of work that will be redone during a later phase had the whole project been planned up front.

4. How are project costs and construction costs different?

When evaluating the budget for a project, the total project costs need to be considered.  It is important to know the difference between construction cost and project costs.  Construction cost is the money paid to the contractor for the construction of the project, including the contractor’s profit and overhead.  Project costs include, not only the construction costs, but also design fees (architect, structural engineer, interior designer, etc), permit fees, and any other fees that may be associated with the project (i.e. land survey, furnishings, land fees, utility hook-up fees).

5. Is it more expensive to build green?

The answer to this question is yes and no.  There are a multitude of green materials and sustainable construction methods that you can use in the construction of your home.

For new construction, you may build with an advanced framing technique to reduce the amount of lumber that goes into the frame.  This will save you money on materials and labor costs.  On the other hand, you might use this savings to increase the amount of insulation in your home to create a more energy efficient building envelope, saving you money in long term heating costs.  The overall costs of a green home may be more upfront, but the quality, comfort, and peace of mind that you gain from building green may outweigh the extra cost.

For smaller projects, you may want to incorporate green finishes.  Choosing ‘green’ cabinetry is not much more expensive than high quality custom cabinetry.  Most pre-fabricated cabinets are not built with formaldehyde-free substrates due to the lack of demand in the marketplace.  The materials are not significantly more expensive, but you will need to have the cabinets built at a custom cabinet shop which typically runs 30% more.  Returns are immediate in quality of the cabinetry, custom fit to minimize wasted space, exact style, wood, and dimension that you request, and fewer toxic fumes.  Other green finishes, such as paints, tile, and flooring, have become more mainstream and pricing for some of these materials is becoming quite comparable to their traditional non-green counterpart.

The best part of the whole trip was the memories Susan and I had from going. We trudged out the Tuesday before Thanksgiving when it was pouring rain. Not moderately pouring, but what seemed at the time like a torrential downpour pouring. The best part was that we got to actually cut the tree down ourselves. They give you a limb saw and tell you any tree is $40 regardless of size (we definitely took advantage of that) and you get to cut down any tree you want. It was great fun and we had lots of laughs, plus how often do you get to cut down a tree when you live in the city? I also found I am not going to be able to quit our jobs and become lumberjacks anytime soon.

The final outcome was great. We love our tree, we saved a ton of money and we enjoyed supporting a local business and having a green Christmas. No pun intended.