ality and durability; energy efficiency; environmental performance; safety and disaster mitigation; and affordability. In addition, the "Top 10" are all proven, practical, easy-to-use, and quickly gaining acceptance with builders. The 10 technologies on this list are:
Frost Protected Shallow Foundations
Home Run Plumbing Systems
Engineered Panelized Systems
Tankless Water Heaters
Shared (Community) Waste Water treatment
Air Admittance Vents
Low Impact Development
Integrated Steel/Wood Combination Framing
Pre-cast Concrete Panels (Walls & Foundation)
Visit the PATH Web site for additional information the Top 10 Technologies.
Bonded Logic Plans New LEED-Certified Factory
Bonded Logic, Inc., manufacturer of UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation, plans to make its new manufacturing plant meet Leadership in Energy& Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The 108,000 sq. ft. facility to be built this year in Chandler, AZ, is being constructed to meet the growing demand for Bonded Logic’s natural fiber insulation products.
Green building consultant, Charlie Popeck of Green Ideas, a LEED accredited professional and host of the PBS green building television series “Build It Green,” will oversee the LEED aspect of the building process in conjunction with Bonded Logic.
“We are very excited to become one of the few LEED Certified manufacturing facilities that also makes a product that may contribute to credits within the LEED ratings system,” said Scott Tonkinson, Marketing/Advertising Manager of Bonded Logic. “The standards that we set for ourselves here at Bonded Logic coincide well with the LEED Ratings Program so it seemed logical to take the next step and achieve a LEED Certified rating for our new facility. We are members of the USGBC as well as founding sponsors of our local Arizona USGBC chapter. We look forward to experiencing the LEED Ratings Program from both perspectives, as a supplier of insulation that may assist in earning LEED credits and now as a building owner trying to achieve LEED certification.”
Bonded Logic currently manufactures UltraTouch, a LEED eligible, environmentally safe, non-itch insulation made from natural fibers. It offers acoustic and thermal performance without using fiberglass, formaldehyde or chemical irritants.
Village Begins Global Commerce in Certified Wood Products
Pueblo Nuevo of Durango has become the first community in Mexico to sell its Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified lumber to a major international furniture company. In December, they delivered a container of furniture parts to SitWell, a company that manufactures sofas for the international IKEA company.
“This achievement ensures employment for qualified local labor, increased added value for the wood, a direct deal without unnecessary intermediaries and greater direct economic benefits for the community of Pueblo Nuevo, said Juan de Dios Bermúdez, Coordinator of the Market Relations and Forestry Production Program of the Rainforest Alliance in the state of Durango.
A total of 208,863 acres (84,560 hectares) of forests owned by the Pueblo Nuevo community are certified by SmartWood/FSC.
“IKEA is fulfilling its commitment to buy products from soundly managed forests, and the Pueblo Nuevo community is demonstrating its capacity to capture part of the international market's growing demand for certified wood,” explains Abraham Guillén, Head of Market Development for the Rainforest Alliance's TREES Program (Training, Research, Extension, Education and Systems of Certification). “The fact that the Pueblo Nuevo community has caught IKEA's attention to begin a mutually beneficial commercial relationship is proof that community forestry operations in Mexico can be competitive globally, as long as the demand for certified products matches their sustainable supply capacities and available resources.”
As part of this initiative, Durango's community forestry operations have received support from a number of organizations working with the Rainforest Alliance, including the International Program of the US Forest Service and the US Agenc