CRADLE-TO-CRADLE Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) Certification is one of the first green certification programs for building products. It verifies that everything that goes into a product has an identifiable pathway for reuse in another biological or technical process—instead of becoming a wasted resource. C2C is the brainchild of architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart, partners in the Charlottesville, Virginia–based firm McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC).
Hanson, Massachusetts–based Litecontrol is the only lighting manufacturer to have obtained C2C Certification for any of its products (its entire product line has been certified). So far, reactions from specifiers have been all positive, according to Robert Davis, director of product management: “Many architects are aware of C2C because of large companies that have certified products (Herman Miller, Steelcase, etc.), and they seem pleased that a lighting company has pursued the certification.”
CARBON FOOTPRINTS Concern about global warming has found its way into the lighting industry, with manufacturers trying to neutralize their carbon footprints. (A carbon footprint is the calculated amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are put into the atmosphere as a result of business practices.) Individuals and organizations can use a carbon footprint analysis to conceptualize their impact on the environment, and consequently their contribution to global warming. The analysis is based upon a series of determinants about emissions from fuel use in facilities, purchased electricity, employee commuting, business travel, and materials transportation. The biggest percentage of the carbon footprint for most lighting manufacturers belongs to inbound and outbound freight.
In November 2007, La Mirada, California-based Architectural Area Lighting (AAL) announced that it had become the first carbon-neutral commercial lighting manufacturer, with a zero carbon footprint. Manufacturers and individuals interested in becoming carbon neutral can purchase carbon offsets, which are certificates representing the reduction of one metric ton of carbon dioxide emissions. The concept is fairly simple: calculate your carbon footprint, and purchase one carbon offset for every ton of carbon emission. Carbon-offset vendors, such as San Francisco-based TerraPass—www.terrapass.com—used by AAL, provide verifiable proof that they have made an offset purchase from carbon-dioxide reducing projects, such as clean energy-producing wind-farms.
An added benefit to being carbon neutral is that it can help designers looking to achieve an “Innovation in Design” credit (ID 1-1.4) for projects applying for LEED certification. AAL vice president and general manager George Preston explains: “In this age of sustainability, as our audiences strive for certification under the LEED Green Building Rating System, we felt it was our responsibility to take the necessary measures to eliminate our carbon footprint, which will in turn assist them in gaining a LEED ‘Innovation in Design’ point.” In a system where every point counts, designers will likely begin to seek and specify products with this as a prerequisite.
THE FUTURE IS GREEN Sustainability means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It is a way of life that is quickly, and thankfully, becoming standard for all of the building industries. As designers and their clients become more aware of the importance of sustainable business practices, and start to demand them, manufacturers will continue to respond with products and manufacturing methods that push the envelope and strive to give back to the environment, rather than just taking from it.
Megan Casey received her MFA in Lighting Design from Parsons The New School for Design. She works in the New York City office of Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design.