What does it mean to be green?When it comes to making sense of the burgeoning environmental movement relative to making and selling wood products, it's hard not to get rhetorical rhe·tor·i·cal adj. 1. Of or relating to rhetoric. 2. Characterized by overelaborate or bombastic rhetoric. 3. Used for persuasive effect: a speech punctuated by rhetorical pauses. . * What does it mean to be green? * What are the steps a wood products company should take not only to produce greener products, but to be a better environmental steward? * What are some of the risks and rewards in substituting materials that go into a product or changing the processes used to make them? * How does one measure, monitor and maintain good housekeeping Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. practices? * How does a company translate its environmental efforts and achievements into an impactful and credible marketing program? Judging by a recent study of our Woodworking VIP Panel, these and many other open-ended, green-related questions remain to be answered by most wood products company executives. Asked to rate how green their company is on a 10-point scale, approximately 58% of the respondents gave their company a "6" or lower. Clearly there is room for improvement. In Search of Answers Last October, the Department of Forestry at Purdue University Purdue University (pərdy  `, -d`), main campus at West Lafayette, Ind. and
Wood & Wood Products collaborated on the Dollars & Sense of
Going Green Conference to address nagging questions concerning forest
and chain-of-custody certification issues. The conference brought
together 250 representatives of Lumber lumber, term for timber that has been cut into boards for use as a building material. The major steps in producing lumber involve logging (the felling and preparation of timber for shipment to sawmills), sawing the logs into boards, grading the boards according to , secondary wood products and
supply companies.
Next month, Purdue and W&WP will present the second Dollars & Sense of Going Green. The conference looks to build on the issues of wood certification, while expanding into other important topics of interest to industry thought Leaders seeking new ideas and avenues to strengthen their companies' environmental programs and strategies. The conference, Nov. 19-20 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel, in Chicago's northwest suburbs, is by and large divided into the following four half-day sessions. SESSION 1: Industry Best Green Practices The conference opens with a keynote presentation by Dan Meyers Dan Meyer is the name of two prominent baseball players:
hardwood Timber obtained from broad-leaved, flower-bearing trees. Hardwood trees are deciduous trees, except in the warmest regions. Review Weekly. Meyers' presentation will be followed by individual presentations by representatives of several Leading wood products companies. Among them, John Earl, environmental manager of Canyon Creek Canyon Creek can mean the following:
SESSION II: Green Products for Wood Manufacturing This session highlights developments in adhesives, finishes and veneers. Also featured is a presentation on green design by Kenn Busch, founder of MaterialIntelligence.com. SESSION III: Forest & Wood Certification Update This session picks up where last year's Dollars & Sense of Going Green Conference left off. Presentations will cover new developments in Forest Stewardship Council The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a non-profit organization based in Bonn, Germany. The Council's stated mission is "to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests". and Sustainable Forestry Initiative The Sustainable Forestry Initiative is a program to certify forests to insure they are being managed in a sustainable manner. SFI was started in 1994 by members of the American Forest and Paper Association. certifications and their implications for wood products manufacturers and their customers. Certification issues, including chain-of-custody, also will be examined as they apply to panel makers, sellers and users. SESSION IV: Green Horizons The final chapter of the conference includes topics snatched from recent headlines. For example, updates on combustible com·bus·ti·ble adj. Capable of igniting and burning. n. A substance that ignites and burns readily. dust issues and formaldehyde formaldehyde (fôrmăl`dəhīd'), HCHO, the simplest aldehyde. It melts at −92°C;, boils at −21°C;, and is soluble in water, alcohol, and ether; at STP, it is a flammable, poisonous, colorless gas with a suffocating rulemaking, pages 13 and 15 respectively in this issue, will be covered. So will information on the Lacey lac·ey adj. Variant of lacy. Act's impact on companies that import lumber, veneers, components or finished wood products. Networking and More What makes this program even more valuable are the networking opportunities afforded at meals and breaks. What's more, a networking reception with tabletop exhibits immediately follows the conclusion of Session II on Thursday, Nov. 19. Come to the program to get your questions answered, including ones you probably haven't even thought to ask. For full details and online registration, visit greenwoodseminar.com. CONFERENCE Nov. 19-20, 2009 Schaumburg, IL Second Dollars & Sense of Going Green Conference Nov. 19-20, 2009 Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel Schaumburg (Chicago), IL greenwoodseminar.com By Rich Christianson rchristianson@vancepublishing.com |
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