-By By Kevin Foster O’Donnell

The green product race is on. Exhibition floors across the country feature companies showcasing green innovations. Collectively, my staff (at Schorleaf, Inc., a Phoenix-based design firm) and I walked the biggest show floors of 2007, hunting for our next library addition, but we found that expos lacked truly new, ground-breaking products. We returned home empty-handed, leading us to believe that material specifiers cannot and should not solely rely on trade shows to introduce them to innovative green materials. If you want to build your own green library, you can take matters into your own hands by learning where to look for green products, understanding certifications, and building a personal information network.

Great initial online resources for finding green materials are: Material ConneXion (www.materialconnexion.com), Rate It Green (www.rateitgreen.com), The Green Building Center (www.greenbuildingcenter.net), and GreenSource Building Green (greensource.construction.com). While access to Material ConneXion is fee-based and not all listed products are green, these search engines are valuable clearing houses that supply information about hundreds of green materials. Always research further to ascertain any green claims you encounter, however.

There are a few third-party rating programs available that provide a comprehensive overview of certain green materials. The most influential are Pharos, Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES), and The ATHENA Institute—all life cycle assessment (LCA)-based tools that examine every stage of a product. Pharos rates materials based on three categories: Environment–Resource (resource extraction); Health–Pollution (application); and Social–Community (manufacturing). BEES rates them according to 12 potential environmental impacts. One drawback to all three programs is that there are so few products rated. This will change in time as these systems gain momentum. For now, Pharos has taken down its product listing to further enhance it; a new version should be posted later this year. While all three systems are free to users, product inclusion in BEES requires a hefty fee, leading to an even more limited list.

If these suggestions leave you wanting more, look into individual third-party certification listings.* There is FSC, EcoLogo, Cradle-to-Cradle, GreenSeal, SCS, and GREENGUARD, to name but a few. For example, if you want to find distributors of environmentally friendly mahogany flooring with a valid FSC certification in the United States, the FSC search engine suggests seven options with contact information included. The best certification standards, like the rating systems, will look at each product from an LCA perspective. If you like one particular product but can't find any ratings or certifications on it, develop your own questionnaire and send it to the manufacturer. This works equally well when you want more detailed information on green claims associated with a particular material.

Once you have products you want to include in your green library, reach out to the manufacturers. If you want samples, be prepared to pay for them. Some of the companies creating beautiful, unique materials are very small operations and samples are a very real depletion of their product inventory.

This is where you need to start building your network of insiders. For material specialists, it's all about whom you know. Start talking to people who are equally passionate about making a difference.When you have access to artists, manufacturers, researchers, and information providers who have the latest material intelligence within their reach, it's easy to become part of the creation process and be in a position to design new and proprietary products. This will work only with small companies. Become their advocate, and they will be willing to experiment for you.

Trade shows are great. But, let's face it, they are businesses that charge large fees. Many of the companies we've found that are on the cutting edge of material development are too small to have marketing budgets that allow them to exhibit at large-format shows. Thus, material specialists can too easily miss out on learning about great products. Build your network of trusted information sources and innovators, and you can bet you will always be in the know. Above all, commit to using green materials. Even if you have no replacements yet, rid your library of all products that don't support your green goals. This will force you to find environmentally friendly alternatives.

Kevin Foster O'Donnell is creative director of Schorleaf Inc.

*For more detailed information on the current status of third party certification systems, see "No Product Left Behind" (p. 66).