It was a surprise, pleasure and honor to be asked to participate on the panel of judge’s for the 2010 GreenStep Awards by Floor Covering Weekly’s Executive Editor, Kimberly Gavin. Even before earning the LEED Accredited Professional designation, I’d made it a goal to emphasize green flooring options whenever possible, and participating in initiatives like this is what I live for (in business, anyway).
After reviewing the four award classifications, I was glad to see consideration given to more than just materials in a product. In fact, without giving away my choices, I was looking for forward-thinking, risk-taking and systematization while going over the entries. Of course, my “greenwashing antennae” were on full alert, but only one entry made that list (and I’ll keep that one to myself).
Here are the categories:
Product
Green product attributes – This included products with recycled content (both post- and pre-consumer), as well as some whose production required less energy.
Process
Sustainable practices or process – Some manufacturers highlighted their use of renewable energy at their facility while others found innovative ways to incorporate previously non-recyclable material into products even outside of the flooring industry.
Promotion/communication
Educational, marketing or promotional activities that foster sustainable efforts – This included examples of advertising and PR materials.
Pinnacle
A person or company that has gone beyond the norm to embrace sustainable concepts – The flooring industry can be a tough audience to play to at times, and anyone who steps beyond the curve can take a few shots. This deserves some recognition.
Once the awards are announced, I’ll reveal my choices and the reasoning behind each and we’ll see how I measured up to the rest of the distinguished panel.
All the best,
Chris
Northern Virginia Flooring Bamboo Carpet Wood Tile Green LEED GBC and GSA 
I applaud your commitment. Well done!
The flooring industry used to be one of the worst polluters and I believe Ray Anderson deserves a lot of credit for leading the way with Interface. I hope you voted for one of their entries 😉
I can’t think of a better judge of GreenStep. Interface is a fantastic example of commitment, but there are others jumping on board. The talk with you today was super! It re-ignited my convictions and my faith that the flooring industry is coming around. Cheers Chris! I’m sure that you chose well.