A short while ago I commented on an initiative by the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) to establish a new wood certification standard for U.S. sustainable forest management. I was skeptical of the NWFA’s ability to undertake this project credibly given its reputation for issuing promotional press releases with highly torqued environmental claims. Everyone should be given a chance to improve, however, and if the NWFA can just tone down its rhetoric and employ some valid metrics … [Read more...]
FSC, Others Sue Bush Administration Over Canadian Funds
October 21, 2008 By Leave a Comment
There’s a maxim in journalism that says “follow the money.” So let’s see where this following development came from, and then we can watch where it goes. Three U.S. forest conservation organizations are suing the Bush Administration, alleging the Administration illegally directed $350-million to forestry foundations that are dominated by industry players that could lower the bar on sustainable forest practices. The suit is brought by the Forest Stewardship Council – US, Conservation … [Read more...]
Green Support in Canada’s Federal Election
October 16, 2008 By Leave a Comment
If Canada’s Green Party was the standard bearer for environmental policy in the country’s recent federal election, one could draw the conclusion that Canadians on the whole are not particularly interested the environment but that there is a nascent interest emerging in the population. This doesn’t square with most polling prior to the election, and the reason in large part is likely the current global economic turmoil that caused voters to focus on issues of more immediate self interest. However, … [Read more...]
Canadian Election Drops Environmentalism
October 15, 2008 By 1 Comment
My green building blog isn’t about partisan politics or environmentalism per se, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t make a bit of an observation in these veins regarding the results of Canada’s federal election yesterday. Since green building is driven by global environmental concerns (I’d welcome a dissenting voice that could convince me it was simply driven by energy efficiency.), it does get connected to political events and environmental movements, if only tenuously. So, what … [Read more...]
FTC Green Guides similar to Canadian Guidelines
September 25, 2008 By Leave a Comment
It’s doubtless no mere coincidence that both the United States and Canada are conducting a review of their respective environmental marketing guidelines in the same year. There are striking similarities in the two proposed documents, and with the level of commercial integration of the two countries, it makes good sense to seek similar standards in consumer protection, particularly in the hot topic of green marketing. Both reviews are under the jurisdiction of federal agencies with similar mandates … [Read more...]
FTC Green Guides: US Advertisers Raise Caution
September 9, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Despite the fact that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) began a public process this year for revising its guidelines on environmental marketing claims, the issue has not had a high public profile. I’ll therefore attempt to remedy this misfortune by including the topic here in my vastly read blog. And since I have already critiqued some prickly points in the similar – though certainly not identical – Canadian guide, it would be unfair if I didn’t have a go at the American one as well. … [Read more...]
Life Cycle Analysis: The Case to Exclude Shipping
September 3, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Try typing “Non-tariff Trade Barriers” into Google and you don’t find CAN/CSA-ISO 14021. How odd! Well, give it a year or so and see what happens. My guess is that Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade will have more than a few issues to deal with. The foregoing alphabet soup is ID for Canada’s new international standard for environmental marketing. The standard is the foundation of Plus 14021 – Environmental Claims: A guide for industry and advertisers, a new … [Read more...]
Plus 14021 – Environmental Claims: A Guide for industry and advertisers
August 28, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Canada’s new guide for environmental marketing claims (Plus 14021 – Environmental Claims: A guide for industry and advertisers) could prove to be an iron fist in a velvet glove. From an environmental point of view, this may be seen a good thing. The advertising industry has shamelessly permitted – worse, promoted – the proliferation of every imaginable green claim for pretty much every product in the marketplace. Its inability, or lack of desire, to self-regulate in this respect has created … [Read more...]
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