Green / LEED

Preserving our earth through the use of environmentally responsible products is one of the many ways we can contribute to conservation. As a supplier, we value our role in offering products that come from forests where the highest standards of forestry management are practiced.

Green Building Design

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) (https://new.usgbc.org/) has developed a set of guidelines to provide a national standard for Green Building Design.

Green Design incorporates design and construction practices to greatly reduce or eliminate a building’s negative impact on the environment and the building’s occupants.

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program (https://new.usgbc.org/leed) focuses on five main areas: sustainable site planning, safeguarding water and water efficiency, energy efficiency, conservation of materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification

With the LEED program’s materials and resources category, FSC certification is a contributing factor toward obtaining LEED credit. Certification is a seal of approval awarded to forest managers who adopt environmentally and socially responsible forest management practices, and to companies that manufacture and sell products made from certified wood. This seal enables consumers, including architects and specifiers, to identify and procure wood products from well-managed sources and thereby use their purchasing power to influence and reward improved forest management activities around the world.

There are two types of certification:

• Forest Management Certification (https://us.fsc.org/en-us/certification) is awarded to responsible forest managers after their operations successfully complete audits of forestry practices and plans.
• Chain of Custody (COC) (https://ic.fsc.org/en/what-is-fsc-certification/chain-of-custody-certification) is awarded to companies that process, manufacture, and/or sell products made of certified wood after audits verify proper accounting of material flows and proper use of the FSC name and logo.

The Bahr Company represents many FSC Chain of Custody (COC) manufacturers to better assist your needs in obtaining certified wood flooring and flooring related products. We employ Professionals to help answer any questions related to your LEED or Green project.