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WHAT IT MEANS TO BE GREEN
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| Learn
how to sort through the enviro-friendly product hype |
I
walk into a hardware store and the word “green”
is everywhere. There are green paints, green appliances, green
flooring and green windows that scream, “Buy me if you
care about the world you live in.” I see formaldehyde-free
engineered wood, lumber harvested from sustainable forests,
compact fluorescent light bulbs, VOC-free paint…the list
goes on.
Contrary to Kermit the Frog’s lament, it is easy being
green these days, so long as you can separate what’s legitimate,
what’s a marketing ploy and what’s worth the cost.
Just because something is labelled “green,” “environmentally
friendly” or “sustainable” doesn’t necessarily
mean it’s a smart buy.
“Advertisers will print anything to sell a product, so
you have to educate yourself and figure out if the claim comes
from one small feature or if the product really is green or
energy-efficient,” says Bill Crawford, chief technical
adviser at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC). “There’s
no national labelling program we can turn to, so look for specific
claims rather than vague ones.” Since anyone can tack
on the word green, use the label as an entry point, not the
decisive factor in whether to buy or not.
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| CERTIFIED
GREEN |
| “Green”
or “environmentally friendly” certification
labels appear on everything from lumber to appliances.
Labels are a contentious issue. At the heart of
the debate is what these claims actually mean. The
best advice? Beware of vague claims, and look for
official accreditation with the following labels: |
CSA
(Canadian Standards Association):
recycled content, energy-efficient
CSA SFM (Sustainable Forest
Management): lumber and paper from certified,
sustainable forests
EcoLogo: building materials
and appliances certified for recycled content, indoor
air quality, low VOCs, energy-efficient, water-efficient
Energy Star: energy-efficient
appliances, lighting and building materials
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council):
lumber and paper from certified, sustainable forests
Greenguard: products
(flooring, furniture, finishes) and appliances (furnaces,
water heaters) that
promote indoor air quality
Green Label Plus: low-VOC
carpets and rugs
Green Seal: low-VOC
cleaners, paint, carpet, lighting and particleboard
Rediscovered Wood:
reclaimed or recycled wood
SFI (Sustainable Forest Initiative):
lumber and paper from certified, sustainable forests |
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Saving Energy
Luckily, government and manufacturers have done some of the
research for us—at least, in terms of energy efficiency.
“If a window or door or appliance has an Energy Star label,
you know it’s efficient,” says Crawford. Energy
Star is a North America-wide program supported in Canada by
the federal government’s Office of Energy Efficiency.
You’ll find the label on windows, doors, lighting, ventilation
fans, furnaces, fridges, skylights, light bulbs, air conditioners
and household appliances.
“We’ve seen a huge demand for Energy Star-rated
products over the past three years,” says Anne Wilkins,
Energy Star equipment file manager for Natural Resources Canada.
“And as demand increases, price goes down. Most Energy
Star products cost the same or just slightly more than other
products.”
They also save you money on energy bills. For example, if the
windows, skylights and doors in an average home were replaced
with Energy Star-rated products, household energy consumption
would be reduced by about 12 per cent, slashing your energy
bills and helping to cut back on greenhouse-gas emissions.
As far as Energy Star lighting goes, compact fluorescent bulbs
last 10 times longer than incandescent ones, plus they use almost
three times less power. “With an incandescent light, almost
85 per cent of the power used goes up in heat, so you’re
paying for something you don’t need,” says Crawford.
But there’s more to think about than energy savings. “If
your only concern is energy efficiency, look no further than
an Energy Star label. But if you’re going for a more holistic
approach that includes other factors, such as sustainability,
indoor air quality and recycled content, then look for EcoLogo-branded
products,” says Kevin Gallagher, vice-president of Terra
Choice, a science-based environmental marketing firm that administers
the EcoLogo labelling program for Environment Canada.
Unlike Energy Star, which focuses squarely on energy efficiency,
the EcoLogo label considers manufacturing processes, recycled
content and the chemical makeup of a product. Building materials—gypsum
wallboard, hardwood flooring, adhesives, paint—as well
as appliances, windows and doors, venting, and furniture are
all part of the EcoLogo program.
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1.
Energy-saving products | 2.
Retrofitting your home
3. Improving Indoor Air Quality
| 4. Conserving Water |
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