“Green” Seminar Attracts Crowd at IWF Show this Week

Nearly 150 people attended a seminar yesterday in Atlanta on “going green” which was sponsored by DWM magazine.

The International Woodworking Fair (IWF) being held through Saturday in Atlanta, kicked off yesterday, and nearly 150 people flocked to a seminar on “Going Green,” which was sponsored by DWM magazine.

The session titled, “Should You Go Green? The Economic and Logistical Impact of Becoming Eco-Friendly,” was moderated by DWM editor and publisher Tara Taffera.

“We were thrilled with the attendance,” said Taffera. “One attendee even said that of the 16 technical sessions held during the show this was the only one he planned to attend. Additionally, many people had questions for the panelists during the question and answer portion and then many stayed after the seminar to speak to the panelists further.”

The session, aimed at all segments of the woodworking industry, had attendees from various industries represented including door manufacturers. The speakers included a panel of representatives from the door and window, furniture and cabinet industries. They discussed various aspects of sustainability including cost and logistical issues, benefits, items to consider when making this transition, and much more.

Attendees from all sorts of industries received valuable information regarding how to strive for sustainability in their products, their plants, and in their companies as a whole.

Taffera opened the session by reminding attendees that when it comes to “green” claims, it’s important to make sure the data is there to back up your statements.

“The good news about green is that green practices will conserve our earth’s resources while also proving many great opportunities for companies like yours. The bad news is that so many people throw the word around that sometimes companies roll their eyes when you say you have a green product,” said Taffera. “So I would just caution you to have specific examples of what you do in regards to ‘being green.’”

The next speaker, Dennis Creech, executive director of the Southface Institute, echoed Taffera’s statements.

“The term green is almost starting to join the ranks of ‘new and improved.’” What does that mean?” he asked.

At Southface, a private, nonprofit organization providing education, technical assistance and research in energy, sustainable technologies and applied building sciences, they practice what they preach. The company has built a sustainable building at its Atlanta offices and employs tactics such as capturing rainwater to flush the toilets and mist the cooling systems.

“At our company, we put our data on the Internet [as far as our carbon footprint, etc.] so we can answer the question of, ‘says who?’ said Creech.

Creech also told attendees that companies who employ sustainable business practices are attractive to investors, but also warns that it is a long, continual process.

“I wish I had better news for you, but this will take time. The ‘green officer’ will never be successful on his own. You need buy-in from all levels of the company.”

He said that even at a company as fanatical about green as Southface the company faced challenges as far as getting support from all levels.

Panelists Give Specific Examples of How Going Green Can Mean Saving Green
All of the session’s panelists gave specific examples of how companies can save money by employing sustainable business practices. The first panelist was Tim Petersen, national sales manager for door manufacturer, VT Industries. Petersen said that at his company most of its products now assist with LEED credits, and the company also offers FSC-certified products.

At VT’s factories the company has worked to reduce Hazardous Atmospheric Pollutants (HAPs) by several tons per year (TPY). For example, in 2005 the company produced 12.903 TPY and just two years later that number was reduced to 1.790 TPY.

Additionally, the company places a huge emphasis on recycling and recycles 8,171.8 tons of waste per year, and its wood waste is used to heat its building. Petersen says all this has reduced fees such as those associated with trucking, propane and landfill fees and saves the company $143,000 per year.

Most companies would be thrilled with those numbers, but Petersen said it’s not enough as far as recycling is concerned.

“We recycle 89 percent of our waste but that’s not good enough. We want to be above 96 percent,” he said.

“There is a definite economic value of recycling [and other sustainable methods],” added Petersen.

The next panelist, Bill Perdue, vice president of Environmental Safety Health and Standards for the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA), said, “We were doing the ‘green’ thing before it was cool. But you won’t really hear me talking about green anything. We talk about this in terms of sustainable design.”

It was evident that Perdue is passionate about this topic, which is how one attendee described him following the seminar.

One of his passions is in regards to instilling sustainable design into the corporate culture.

“Without doing this, it’s just a program you put in your notebook,” he said.

He added that having a “green” product means nothing if the company doesn’t focus on sustainability.

“If you’ve done nothing in your facility to change your environmental footprint, just because you have a green product doesn’t mean you’re promoting sustainable practices.”

And Perdue has coined a new term to replace “think outside the box.”

“I like to tell people to destroy the box,” he said.

He also gave examples of companies who have saved money through recycling. For example, Stanley Furniture saved $98,000 in landfill costs through a focused recycling program.

The last panelist, Kevin O’Neill, general manager for Wellborn Cabinet Inc., told attendees about the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturer Association’s (KCMA) environmental stewardship program. The goal of the program was to cover all aspects of the supply chain and this includes air quality, product resource management, process resource management, environmental stewardship and community relations.

But as the other panelists said, the sustainability process is an evolving one, and this is the case with the KCMA program as well.

“We have a bar set in each one of these areas,” said O-Neill, “But each year we will make them harder.”

Following the presentations, one attendee asked if it was possible for all segments of the wood industry to come together for the creation of one wood certification program as “it is all very confusing.”

O’Neill said he certainly agrees that this would be a simpler process but added that it was a long and difficult road for just the cabinet industry to agree on this program. One for the entire wood industry, while a great idea, may not be a reality in the near future at least.

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