SFI Program and Green Building
Environmentally responsible buildings are becoming increasingly mainstream. Green building is attracting consumer demand and being embraced by planners, designers, architects, builders and customers.
The choice of building materials has a huge impact on the environment. And wood’s inherent properties – as a sustainable, natural, and renewable resource – make it an excellent environmental choice for any new construction or renovation, as long as it comes from a responsible source. As the largest single forest certification standard in the world, the SFI program is well positioned to meet the growing demand for certified products.
When compared to non-renewable products such as steel or concrete, wood’s outstanding environmental lifecycle characteristics, and desirable aesthetic and construction characteristics make it one of the most environmentally friendly and popular of building materials.
Overall, wood production consumes less energy, emits less greenhouse gases, releases fewer pollutants into the air and generates much less water pollution compared to steel and concrete. In addition, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow, sequestering and storing the carbon while producing oxygen – and this reduces greenhouse gases and improves air quality.
More and more buyers – including governments, businesses and individuals – are asking for wood products from responsible sources. SFI-certified products are recognized by many leading green building rating programs in the United States, Canada and overseas. These include residential programs such as the ANSI/ICC 700-2008: National Green Building Standard and the Built Green™ Program, and commercial programs such as ANSI/GBI 01-2010: Green Building Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings (formerly Green Globes U.S.)
The U.S. Green Building Council is assessing benchmarks that could allow a more inclusive approach to certification in its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. For the latest information, visit the SFI update page.
DOCUMENTS:
News Release: Maine Executive Order Puts Forest Certification on Equal Footing; (December 2011)
Article: LEED Acceptance of SFI Now Pending — John Wagner, LBM Journal; (October 2011)
News Release: USDA Study Shows Economic And Environmental Benefits Of Wood As Green Building Material
News Release: Home Construction Across Canada Will Soon Benefit from Built Green
News Release: Green Building Initiative Establishes American National Standard for Commercial Green Building
News Release: ANSI Approval Good News For Forest Certification
Fact Sheet: Build Green with SFI-Certified Wood
LEARN MORE:
Continuing Education Unit: Certified Wood Branches Out -- Forest Certification's Evolving Role in Green Building Rating Systems
SFI-Certified Wood and LEED Pilot Credit 43
Update on USGBC, LEED and SFI
SFI Feb. 2010 Statement on USGBC Forest Certification Benchmarks
U.S. Governors and Other Leaders Take a Stance on LEED Forest Certification Credit
Leaders Call for Inclusive LEED Forest Certification Credit
LINKS:
Built Green Canada
ANSI National Green Building Standard
Green Building Initiative
Green Globes (Canada)