OK so.

I'm normal this I am these
certifications apartment manager at the.

I'm also still a tutor for the in
the building challenge collaborative.

And this is basically our kickoff
event for the club it existed for

a few years and it just took us to get
things going but we're going to be here so

excited to be paired up with Georgia Tech
for our first two events and

then also be excited to have some of
the really awesome speakers here tonight

they're talking tonight and
here is transparency.

Hopefully you guys have
heard a little bit of.

Fear in industry about what's going
on with the materials market.

And should a little bit more.

On that I'm going to bring the.

Better.

At them.

OK so.

Let's get started.

Like you said.

Collaborative just getting started this.

If you guys didn't sign in when you guys
leave if you wouldn't mind standing there

freshman's there is continue
education you can see.

That connected to this
lecture tonight you know.

You can get at least an hour hour and
a half for ignite and

also connect with the collaborative so
that you can tell us what's going on so

if you're not familiar with Living
Building Challenge there are collaborative

facilitators and then also in Fasteners So
right now the classroom is

basically the steering committee
of myself John a color of you and

your family home tonight and then Mariana
Morris and the three of us work for

obscene group where you can reach
not get some more people in.

In the closet of all of them
steering committee and hopefully

over the next have some more involvement.

We're on Facebook and Twitter with
post most of our events to Facebook

them are also connecting with
your organizations like.

Georgia and I see from detector how to
get out the word to so hopefully you guys

should be at the see
the events are going on OK So.

Now while we're all here are some
materials in the current marketplace so

since adoption in two thousand
leaving the leading system has brought

a lot of attention to the topics B.O.C.

off gassing indoor air quality so
by now we're all a little

familiar with exactly what's going on
with some of the indoor air quality

issues that there will be talking about
tonight so you know if you see for

example that you know nice design or
furniture and that the new I

mean he's Is it fresh going to go into
the new building that you do building.

I think we're all very familiar with.

So as designers and consultants we
care about the presence of the cities

within the building of flushing out the
thing in order to reduce those initial big

cities and then ensuring that the views
these are present in smaller quantities

based on the South Coast Air Quality and
this are guidelines but

now there's a shift in the materials
marketplace the meaning transparency and

we're here today to shine a little bit
a little late on the subject matter.

So the Living Building Challenge
in the region for

rating systems are basically starting
to focus more industry attention and

building material ingredients and
how those materials affect human health.

And so not to talk about where we
are today I'm actually going to

give a bit of history so
in one thousand before.

The World Health Organization committee
reported that up to thirty percent

of new and remodeled buildings were the
subject of excessive complaints related

to indoor air quality is better
known as the sick building syndrome.

So your research went into how and why
buildings are making people sick chemical

Intimidator identify this or that
compounds such as secondhand tobacco some

of the high high volume coffee machines
and concentrated products there

were on fire services such as out there in
intakes looking in exit congested freeways

that are basically just pumping beer
because obstruct Li into the buildings.

And last but not least they're basically
incubating legal things by allowing

water and humidity to collect and
become stagnant so that scheme ashtray

in sixty two which basically
demand an adequate ventilation for

buildings so when you say level needs
to off gas before they were occupied

I made a move to increase the ventilation
rates controlling the committee and

we know better than to the Alice
clothing to sit on condition for the.

Summer but we're not done so our
buildings are still making people sick.

In recent news here guys may
have heard the story doctors

have to repeat accounts of a rare
form of cancer in that young women

who incidentally all play soccer and
are all soccer or at least so

the culprits they believe
are recycled rubber tires so

no than the sustainable building industry
we've basically been working this on

the landfill issue as a part of it and
tires and everything greater being or

cycled and turned into new materials in
Tassie right incentives tires are composed

of forty nine different chemicals seven
of which are new person engines so

these percentages you know they're
being turned into plastic.

Harassing playgrounds that are more
terrible and the worst part is that this

isn't necessarily new information so
it turns out it's two thousand and

seven environments on help human
help instead of tired terms and

identify the off gassing unleashing of
at least four known person engines so

why are we still specifying river for.

Other fields gardens
Xandra I'm not sure but

this is why we need transparency this is
where the market's moving and it's moving

towards transparency with a small step
that's needed in order to develop new and

political procedures.

And there is something the on here about
tonight one of particular is green

straining for safer chemical not that
green screen receive the chemicals method

excusing and it's basically hopefully
going to help many factors in designers

alike understand the possible connection
between a product really incinerating for

different health issues and cities food
will hopefully help identify inherently

safer alternatives.

And what we really need is we
need actually to partner with us

obviously the transparency movement so
you'll hear from Mohawk and

I talk about their role and
where they come from as many factures So

we need novel chemists to help designers
avoid compounds that make us sick and

determining factors which
compounds can be used instead and

we need rating systems like the mating
change like the Living Building Challenge

in Vision twenty twenty to continue to
push the boundaries and building standards

to focus on human wellness
within the built environment.

So.

You don't talk about changes in
the materials or research to suite and

neither version for the most her.

Very integrated system is Peter Cat Pete

is the is I think consulting department
and you're with that same group.

And lawyer from Johnnie color.

And John color is the architect and
project manager with the Action Group

who will introduce us to the appearance
included in the material hello

of the Living Building Challenge and then
also joining us this evening is Justin

from the Mohawk group I mean come from
a nation with John and discuss a little

bit about the materials prospects at
the Mohawk design studio project and

on Georgia it's currently attending
couple certification and last and

not least for
show not member from the UK group

I'll talk more about transparency with
the Mohawk has already accomplished and

as I said before we need more
manufacturers to get on board.

And.

I'm going to turn to Keith again the Q.
and Summit being here.

Good evening everybody or
you today to my question that.

In order to get going we want to
start with an overview material

transparency street in
the leverage system.

It's kind of the two thousand.

Rebuilding systems history right now and
specifically look at how it's being

approached in lead version four.

There is a three credit
sweetly version four for

building product disclosure and
optimization.

Is extremely controversial right now and
represents a change from the rating system

that the credits that are in the street
credit suite are for environmental product

or Asians sourcing are probably
Tiriel some of the cereal ingredients

which is the credit that was from the last
time on tonight's presentation but

before we get into that I want to talk
a little bit about some background of

what's changing and
why we were ordering system and

why such a radical change to the cereal
resources credit category was necessary.

One reason is that to date believe
rating system is really only true

of the environmental impacts
of building materials and

very rudimentary ways based on assumptions
of materials high recycled content but

if the material is extracted within five
hundred miles of manufacture with them

five hundred miles then
it must be sustainable.

But that's not necessarily true of
what I like to show here is kind of

the sustainability version of the old
algebra problem the train leaves from

Albuquerque and is moving west
on the train for a few ticks and

it's going right what point will they
pass each other or collide depending on.

Risk a year plus or teacher was so

in this case the state of
the only version of it is.

If you have aluminum so.

Riding that's made from recycled chip
from four hundred miles away by air

isn't really more environmentally
responsible than none of us see

cedar wood siding shipped from
six hundred miles away by rail.

I know which of those two problems in the
older versions of the lead rating system

are going to contribute
to more lead points but

they're not necessarily the ones that
are going to be the most environmentally

environmentally responsible.

It's a good point but I want to touch on
is we need to understand that when it

comes to sustainability there is no such
thing as a perfect building material all

materials have strengths and weaknesses
when it comes to sustainability that when

siting is excellent in terms that it
has very low a value and energy and

it sequesters carbon but
it also is often less durable and

requires were maintenance that other
potential material selection so

in that way it's less sustainable
it's not a perfect cereal there is.

The third point then is warm talk about
greenwashing which is one of the things

that lead version four is attempting
to address when it comes to the new

materials resources critic category and
when you say green washing I think

there is a misperception in the industry
that a lot of times we must she is out and

out fabrications but
I didn't hear eels industry and

that's not necessarily true
what often happens instead is.

Material manufacturers spin what
are the positive aspects of their

material from a sustainability standpoint
and omit what the negative impacts are so

for instance there's a wonderful.

Complete co-created industry
that concrete is the sustainable

choice of the Photoshop the concrete
green so therefore it must be green and

then you say concrete is how leader
won't charge is very low maintenance and

can have a reasonably high
percentage of recycled content.

All that is completely true a single line.

Of the film mentioned.

It was that the production
of Portland cement

is one of the largest
sources of C O two emissions.

So again it's not perfect material
from sustainability standpoint.

And there's a lot of confusion
in the industry because.

Material manufacturers' don't necessarily
disclose what the negative impact will be.

We also have to forgive ourselves as
designers if we take a step back and

understand that there are other
criteria that we have to deal with or

building a building first structural
character characteristics what the cost of

materials are with the aesthetic impacts
that we're trying to achieve with our

material selections even things like what
the fiery material of materials are and

understand that Woodside you framing
may be an excellent selection for

a low rise or to family project that's
probably going to be inappropriate for

a federal courthouse so towards that
end we really need to build up tools so

that we can understand
one of the positive and

negative sustainability characteristics
of the materials and so

we can make informed selections
go ahead project towards that end

there's the building product the slow
zation sweet credits and the credit that

we're going to talk most about tonight is
the material agree screen this is the most

controversial of a otherwise completely
controversial three credit suite and

this one is actually banned by the South
Carolina legislature by law can't do

it on the state property in South Carolina
already even though we've heard for

isn't going to go fully into effect until.

Twenty sixteen so that should let
you know how much they love it.

The intent is to encourage the use of
products materials which lifecycle

information is available and
that have environmentally economically and

socially profitable lifecycle impacts
different work project teams for

selecting products for which the chemical
agree into the product are in.

Venturi using accepted methodology and for

selecting products verified
to minimize the use and

generation part substances allows the not
least to work raw material better factor

is to produce products
verify data lifecycle and.

So before we get into what how do you
get the credit with the credit actually

addresses in terms of its technical
criteria it's important to point out

that each one of the credits of the three
credit suite has the same structure

each one is worth one or two points and
the first point is from your

participation in the material
transparency per isn't necessarily for

achieving any particular
performance factor but merely for

participating if you have
twenty materials from five

manufacturers in your Earth that one for
whatever.

Transparency criteria is for
that particular crane so

you can have twenty materials that have
been reported from one manufacturer you

have to have it from at least five
with that view of needs an overall.

Idea of having work a transformation
trying to prompt as many companies as

possible to participate in the serial
transparency report the second

point then is for installing a certain
percentage of material by cost that meet

optimization criteria that actually
meet certain performance threshold.

In order to.

Make the billing statement and there
are some extra factors that get piled on

top of that so for the first point.

Is the is the building product third party
verified or is it a product specific

that will change the fact or to realize
how much of the particular product will

countless health care that comes from.

And then the second
point can be altered by.

If it's a locally sourced material it
can help double in terms of its about.

It's harvested manufactured and
distributed from within one hundred miles

of your project site it counts it up but
you're only allowed to have thirty percent

of your value come from a closure
structure that last was in particular to

try a product that is manufacturers to
participate heavily in these programs

to help more of this part of the mix and
she did.

So materials ingredients
credit has three main

components to it last year which
combined together the first is

ingredient reporting this is the first
point where you have to use at least

twenty different program please stop the
cereals from at least five many factors

that use one of the form
following chemical and Torrie.

Methods So the first is having a publicly
published manufacturer in the Tory

where you have to publish
all of your ingredient names

as well as your chemical abstract
service registry numbers.

And that has to be out in
the public now there are.

Provisions that are made within
the credit which allows.

Ingredients that are deemed to be
trade secrets they can be withheld.

But you have to disclose
what that ingredients are.

And what its rescreen benchmark is but

later what the green
screen program is about.

The second way that you can show
compliance with this credit is to

participate in health plan a product that
will ration their health product equation

for that cereal and the third one is to
have a cradle to cradle sort of fusion

that is either Cradle to Cradle basic or
Cradle to Cradle version three case and

if you have later on in the presentation
talk about some of the specifics of those

individual that you have any materials
from five different manufacturers

that meet one of those criteria and
you get the first point.

The second point comes
from the next two of them.

That's what you can actually combine
The first is for ingredient optimization

you have to use products that document
the material ingredient optimization

using any one of two for
at least twenty five percent

total cost so if the building goes
through a green screen method and

it goes through the Will strands
Laden which is a less than.

Chemical analysis you could take out one
time the value of the material towards.

Compliance with this credit if you go
through a full assessment then you get to

count one and a half times its
value towards the current or

you can do Cradle to Cradle sort of
occasion you into gold reversion three

silver certification for
that material you get one times that.

If you get written to platinum over three
gold or platinum certification cradle.

Certification System for

that material you get to count one and
a half times its value.

And again parts harvested
manufacture then.

You can then count twice that about
towards the particular credit compliance.

The other way to go about getting
the second point that the supply chain

optimization which is usually the products
where at least twenty five percent of

my cost.

Supply chain that has been third party
verified the bus safety health hazard risk

programs in place as well as
sustainability policies in place as well.

And you can actually combine
those two the elements together.

In order to get to your
twenty five percent value and

you get that second point but
only thirty percent come from structural

closure and the important thing
is you can't double count here so

material is Cradle to Cradle certified and
it has a robust supply chain.

Policies in place you can only
count it once or to this crash.

So.

These are these the summary of
the three planets stars that you have

particular credit that you don't
really have for the first point and

then you can come in last year but you're.

Part of factors by chain optimisation.

Now.

At this particular point in
the presentation you're thinking my gosh

I probably need to get a certified public

to start working on projects that
are total up put all these factors

multipliers on the material cost
in order to earn his points and

what why is this important because
the Seems like an awful lot of extra.

Effort for the reason is
because according to the E.P.A.

Americans spend approximately
ninety percent of their time.

So our buildings are in order for

disproportionate effect on human
beings and we need to understand

that there are about eighty five thousand
chemicals that are commonly used in

building products that are building
materials which the deepest ninety six

percent of them have never been tested in
order to determine what their impacts on

human health are which is kind of a scary
number and what should be even scarier

to you is of the four percent that we have
tested there's a few of them that we know

are talks that can have negative impacts
on human health and we're still using.

So what we're trying to
do we are already system.

Have this credit see to work many
factors that put in place processes for

continuous improvement and really try
to piece be transparent with their

materials ordering what the potential
health impacts of them may be.

With a view towards allowing
designers to fully informed decisions

what materials that use.

So the programs that I mentioned earlier
on health care correlations these sound

like he's if you've heard of if you
look at product that correlations.

But they are say help protect aeration or
Terry.

Program where manufacturers
are encouraged but

not required to divulge all
the ingredients that they use in their

products companies may
exclude at their discretion.

Chemical or variants their.

Particular products for proprietary
reasons manufacturers most of all angry

in their products that aren't
any one of three major lists.

Harmful to human health.

And H.P.V. is as I mentioned was
an Open Source of compliance.

Most people who participate in this
program are in it for altruistic.

It's a it's a fairly decent program for
that respect but

you can see there is some margin for
abuse here.

And then factors can claim they have trade
secrets and that's the reason they don't.

Want a particular.

Chemical in their product
sometimes that happens to be

something like well it's harder for
your productive system and

you would have no way of.

Product that.

Restrain method.

Used for safer chemicals is a method
assessing products through chemical I was.

Relies on benchmarks which where
the combined hazard concerns of different

chemical combinations different from
the Help articulation standpoint

we're also looking at how different
chemicals interact together in order to

create combinations of chemicals and
how they affect your health.

A more cursory comparison.

And rescreen is done through the trees for

English translator that's the one
that's worth one times the value.

It's not an exhaustive complete screening
of the product for sustenance but

parts agreements requires a green screen
assessment by a third party verifier

That's four times the parts about ports.

The last of the programs that
cradle to cradle action which was.

Technically looked on obviously.

Are the feedback from many
of the world's leading.

Manufacturing brands it covers not just
building materials but they're also.

Covered by the furniture factory.

Go through Cradle to Cradle certification
and materials are given scores of basic

platinum and five different kind of.

Material you.

Know what energy and
carbon more stewardship there

from which then awaited scores for
material.

It's unique and

that extends beyond the manufacturing
process to how material is used at the end

of its lifespan how manufacturers
actually go about doing business.

Requires about.

Three elements of.

Our little.

Social system and
because it's a category labeling system

it attempts to be an all encompassing.

Environmental conduct operations which are
really informational Cradle to Cradle is

actually attempting to say
this is a good product for.

US it's great for insurance plans.

So that's an overview.

Version for.

Chemical transparency.

Particular system I'm not going to hear
that over to the Keller who's going

to talk a little bit about the materials
and all Living Building Challenge

programs and specifically I'm
sure the right place to run.

Lying in the room.

One hear

me.

Trying to decide which which
kinda hold each thing.

I am going to talk about Balloon
challenges take on the truly

transparency is a fact and.

So to start with.

It's like a little bit of the materials
at all as a whole category.

With this five imperatives the intent of
which is to help create materials economy

that is not toxic ecologically
regenerative transparent and

socially acceptable but interests are
responsible for many adverse environmental

issues throughout their life cycle
including personal illness how they tend

species loss pollution and
resource depletion imperative and

the materials paddle in to remove
the worst unoffending materials and

practices and to drive business towards
a true response from Israel's economy.

However impacts can only
be reduced not eliminated

therefore you see games that there
is an obligation not only to offset

the damaging consequences associated
with the construction process but

also destroyed for
corrections in the industry itself.

At the present time like he said it's
kind of impossible to gauge the true

environmental impact and toxicity of
the built environment do a lack of pride

level information although the O.P.C. does
continue to shine a light on the need for

the for
Transformative industrial practices.

The materials total.

Get online theme of the materials
at all is Ruth park.

I'm sure in principle it's
better safe than sorry approach.

And the Red List is a perfect example of
the precautionary principle that comprises

some of the worst in class materials and
chemicals that are ubiquitous in

the environment there are carcinogens
persistent organ Clinton's and

reproductive toxicants many of which
are bio accumulative meaning that they.

Build up in organisms and

the broader environments as
they travel up the food chain.

This imperative prohibits the use of
these fourteen to chemicals within living

letting go in projects some more obvious
ones might be espoused as some lead but

then there are other chemicals
materials like corrugated plastics

Well if you flame retardants V.O.C.
is when preservatives that kind of

thing that are in pretty much
every building material or

product.

For instance Canyon is a heavy
metal used in paints and I and

electronics and stabilize P.V.C.
is a percentage and and

is toxic to the kid a long impulse into.

Corning of plastics and
I know I can as strong and from say.

Very painful chemical names.

So forgive me but so
there are several corrugated plastics like

chlorine in polyethylene or
a softening of polyethylene or

public forum pretty which is
also known as corporate rubber

these go by the brand names of
hiring pipeline and neoprene.

Are also seeing with lifecycle there are
some leases resulting from manufacturing

processes and combustion dioxins
belong to the so-called Dirty Dozen

which is a group of dangerous chemicals
known as persistent organic pollutants

dioxins are highly toxic and cause for.

Productive and developmental
problems damage the immune system

interfere with hormones and
also cause cancer his scoring of plastics

are used in things like add this to P.V.C.
in Windows pipes and

cables singleplayer roofing numberings
Geo membranes and other good fabrics

they're also using gaskets the tar
flashings expansion joint filler and

other coatings So it's pretty much in
everything use it should be noted that

cost competitive subject to materials with
equal or superior performance after abuse

are available for most of these
applications like Ti Vo membrane or

A.T.P..

Another of those chemical telling of flame
retardants are formulated in fabrics

phones and various other plastics
to reduce of course flammability

bars are a persistent bio humid parts and

that they grow as they
travel through the chain.

And disrupt by Royden estrogen
hormones which can cause developmental

disorders including brain and
reproductive system damage.

Now it's are commonly used by not
building materials like flooring and

wall coverings.

To make them flexible and durable is
believe there's something related to me

adversely affect human reproduction and
development.

With treatments like call for creosote is
why the use is a pretty well preserved in

the US and it's a probable human
percentage in and again arsenic as

known stand in respiratory nervous
system and percentage and thanks and

took for you know has been heavily used
in the US for utility utility poles

then supposed and similar products
can also be found a little bit in.

A lot of houses for insured boats
that kind of thing but then vans for

the most part says Mikey for involve
the Tysons from way treating products and

off gases with increased temperatures
as a probable human percent gen and

lead to liver any new system damage.

So he's a bad things.

But I think deeper into the if you see
the red list this seemingly simple list of

twenty two couples actually represents
forty five chemical groups with multiple

aliases accounting for seven hundred
seventy seven the state chemical C.S.

numbers are cast members and
actually her both.

To be clear because greedy answers
sometimes hidden behind an alias.

Often the only way to charm and
other chemicals in the red list is by C.S.

number so these numbers are uniquely
American identifier assigned by the couple

abstracts service for nearly every known
chemical compound or organic substance and

are very effective in transferring way to
evaluate billing product ingredients and

often a really great way to communicate
with manufacturers about what

is actually on the Red List So how do we
find out what chemicals are in hurdling

products.

We can look at until safety data
sheets which are required by OSHA for

all products they're designed to
address Occupational Safety and

provide sort of a bare
bones assessment of.

The problem is that what manufacturers are
required to report is pretty minimal so

disposal wells are all over the map
the good news is that what they do because

when they do disclose
the ingredients it's by C.S.

number which then I can
compare it to the Red List.

There's a marginal product at
the relations which provided as

he was citing they provide information
about environmental impacts or

product over its life cycle and
clicking listening to.

Yes and where the materials come from
however it may not be put in much detail

and certainly not in greens are the
ingredients for more complex systems.

Hope right that the ration.

Again is Pete Earley covered.

Sort of just provide information about
the health impacts of the product and

requires than any factors to explicitly
state the level of ingredient disclosure

which is nice and
that the writer has a profile for.

Reasons that are hazardous.

They do however identify areas for
a serious number.

On a credo was another option.

As he went into detail and
it was a material of quality category and

defined radiance and chemical hazards with
potential threats to human health and

the environment so as you see products
under Version two with measurable health

or gold or platinum or products sort of
under Version three Anything basically of

a basic are likely to comply with
the red list it goes through.

A similar protocol as the drug list and

their inventory to at
least one hundred ppm.

However are set for a cradle has
no public disclosure requirements

we must really actually request
manufacturers for disposing radiance and

a written confirmation that the products
do not include any of those materials or

chemicals.

Which brings me to declare.

We just developed by the international
encounters Institute and

is designed to meet
the needs of the A.B.C.

it's a transparency to have any credence
label important database manufacturers or

declare what it really is for in
the products this is like the simple and

interactive way for manufacturers to fully
disclose the areas of their products

today there are a hundred fifteen
products in that their database.

Which an awful probably talk more about.

As you may suspect.

I am some of the list.

Is Enough of the thing as
a mistake I want to read list or

call it on a lot of building
products that maybe has one products

one like do not imply of easy
brightness imperative and

compliant relish free
alternative can't be found or

manufacturers are willing to disclose
all the ingredients like proprietary or

second second tier supply or
authorities have injuries stiction.

Require specific product that includes
realistically and such as P.V.C. in one

reallocations and easy cases you see
requires performance before you do it in

to put forth a genuine effort to
exclude anybody those products.

For instance searching for

read those three alternatives outside of
the appropriate Sony sourcing zone or

requesting a variance from
the authority and jurisdiction.

And it also requires advocacy in the form
of letters the transparency of all

material ingredients and the elimination
of red listed brothers materials and

chemicals and many ways.

It's easy diligence and advocacy efforts
that form the vault of the grandest

imperative and that obesity is driving
force behind materials conspiracy.

To give a brief overview of the role or
application of the A list is just in from

I think it's going to talk to us about the
design studio from Ohio which is pursuing

at certification.

Thank you John.

This is my counterpart here.

My name is Justin frog and

I'm here to talk about a really
exciting project I'm working on.

A carpet design with Mark industries
I know very little about what you do.

I design carpet products welding I do know
is that we spend a lot of time putting

energy into beautiful products we want to
see those products on the floor we go out

one single product so I'm really excited
to know that I work with a company that's

working to make all of our
products the color work sort of I.

Was going here represents me
I'm a I'm an ambassador for

the Living Building Challenge.

I've gone through the formal training and
I'm I'm pretty dangerous but

I don't know a whole lot have a formal
education really like this said

the ambassador service someone who can
have an informal conversation to begin

to spark interest for
those who want to do the.

Real looking building challenge if you
don't know this already it's really

collaborative So it is an ever moving
car so I say of all the parts so

you really have to be involved
to know what's going on.

On the main reason I'm here
because if you look apart here.

You'll see one building you look bottom so
you know.

What the top of that is our show room and

dog door which has been relocated to
Cowherd and as a result it's beautiful and

the space has opened up Currently our
design center resides just adjacent Was

that on the same side it's actually
a dark concept of metal so when we notice

that this building the floor to ceiling
windows all the way around the building.

Mountains of on top of a hill beautiful
mounds of trees we're very excited to

maybe get the moving respects so what we
did when we reached out to sabbatical.

Of Arms done and we can we collaborated
with them to come up with some

interior design of the rebuilt at this
point in time the project was really

all about settings and
functionality of movement and

the occupants the title of
the project was the light like.

Merrily because our our most important
feature is the new opportunity to have so

much like the space.

In our building and don't our design
team we have three interior designers so

we wrote the plans and we really started
to get a little more practical with them

with the great ideas gave us and
you can see for example we were returning.

With.

The ship that we were anyway we retain
some of the playable from scat but

we started to make some just for

practical reasons as I'm sure you're aware
of don't give a detail about the project.

We are we haven't hired
an architectural firm per se

we did hire an obscene group to do.

Most of the work that we need
to do we have our own internal

architecture team and
our own internal construction stuff so

our project is unique in that sense
it gives us a nice advantage and

that we have we have more control over
the many people having some problems

OK looks looks like
the Energy Star has that.

Couple who will just sit here from.

Cincinnati.

And you know.

This is our jury plan and
what we started didn't.

Really it's not about the floor because
we're for Government fact realize we

have an opportunity to source multiple
materials obviously we're going to go with

our products that are most sustainable in
the fourth because we want to celebrate

that want to talk about how sustainable
we are as a transparent company so

we were very clear labels and
we were going through and

trying to decide which products we
wanted to do and always said when it.

Began more than us we talk about
this we're actually the customers

who are the client let's make this
entire building a certified building in

the Living Building Challenge so this was
the first opportunity in SE We registered

under version two point one and
we got started.

Quickly thereafter and we had a sure
rep that reprints this hosted by

South base last year we got them
to work with many professionals

said by the other professionals
we took the different paddles of

the Living Building Challenge and we took
the scope of our privately handed out and

they said Apple useful started the case so
about an hour later

we had collaborators come up with
concepts and ideas to do that.

With it took those concepts and ideas back
to Dalton on the greatest place on earth

and.

A lot with that we brought the Epstein
group and we decided to hire to take it to

a more finer point that's
the group came down and also

the International Living Creature incident
came from Seattle we have them for

a day of consulting and they helped us
really kind of crack through some of

the confusion that we might have had since
they outsourced and what we ended up

landing on were four of the five or
four almost five panels I should say

literal sites like Woody beauty and I'm
going to say a partial health because for

focusing on about Philip there
are more posts some of the other.

We were not able to do what the reason
being says the renovation and

I hate them excuses for
everyone it's them they are with us

we're just we're building a foundation
to achieve this in the future so what

that's one thing we're looking forward to
with this program that's one thing that.

The Living Building Challenge does
that they accommodate very well.

Let's start talking about repurpose
materials first because that has really

helped us get through the projects a lot
we have a facility in Dublin Georgia and

unfortunately it will close but
it's loaded with material so

what we've done is a truck those materials
from Dublin Georgia to Dalton Georgia we

have metal warehouse and we're using those
company wide when we do build out as you

can see these beautiful one here it's aged
wood and what we're going to use it for

in the building is anytime we need wood
I don't know the TARP destruction got

because they're not excited by all
the prevailing and everything put

We're excited about the look and
feel we're going to expose the beam from

the ceiling as they radiate out some of
the things we're going to use the wood for

is our kitchen cabinets in design that
would any left over would we have from

the project since the building is a three
hundred sixty degree view of trees we're

going to we're going to use our leftover
pain and wood to build birdhouses and

put them up there these are little
details that we're really excited about

if you look here you'll see.

A drawer This is a small detail
that to us it's green and

it points to our bottles
like the syllabi and

some of the Jordan which is
the largest bottle Flake the silver we

crush Mountain Dew bottle green bottles
to create power it's the largest one

in North America so we're just going to
create We're going to use that resin and

the design to have a career our own
little mold wood in the room it creates.

Sorry looks out about in fact something
that I could go on and on and

on about this because we've really come
up with some great ways to repurpose

materials do the limitations
same sourcing new material.

And I'll go into new interiors.

One more one more cool thing I got I got
to say that we want one take a policy and

build a chandelier there were
reflecting our own balls and

we're going to build a beautiful art
piece in the center of a building and

to give a little bling the mirrors in the
bathroom which we're not replacing Rex and

just given the bathroom a facelift they
have some water damage across the bottom

so we're going to cut that out there in a
slice those up and put it back to back and

uses some nice reflective elements.

And people.

We're working with because paints
they make he feel see eating paint

is that it's got to declare
a label on it as well and.

If you're not familiar with
their pain it's it's very very.

Interesting back in our research it really
is and it's you are sailing with you for

a start this week.

On talk about new new
materials really quickly.

What we did when we got started John
was my counterpart most of the time of

this problem and.

We had already built a lead building
in County Georgia for our corporate

headquarters and when I mentioned
earlier it took the show on material and

during the build out we had acquired
licensing materials so we figured since we

are broke your of those are contractors
were from there with the vendors and

we would just start there so we had a list
that was about you know three feet long

periods we started hammering through
that and John and started diligently

looking for materials that would have
been in the information we needed to to

check that box and we probably worked
through I'd say about twenty percent

of the list and
it's been it's been tough because.

Manufacturers don't want to share
information and you can understand why and

that's why I want to bring Rochelle up and
talk about that it's been really tough for

us even with our own corporations to
convince the powers that be to share our

potentially secret sauce with everyone
with we value the importance of the.

Clarity that we are for
her company and that we can build

a building we can help to build buildings
for the occupants or got worse since

we don't want things to happen
with the your forty dollars

mark called Rochelle Riley
who is our director so.

She's the real

expert.

And.

We're going to turn the lights up just
a little bit because I have a few examples

of the clearly rules thank you and
that was fantastic.

I actually hadn't seen a picture of
those two or pool so that was great for

anything so let's talk about
the importance of transparency from

a corporate perspective.

So most people can relate
to in Korean slave walls

on food products I don't know if we
always pay attention to what we read or

how that affects our choices but I think
it's when I first started working for

Mohawk about how that's going to be
almost three years by now when I met

with architects and designers all over the
country they started talking about product

transparency and how important this was
to them in fact that's what I heard on my

third week of the job I met
with somebody with one of

the largest architectural firms in the
world called Ginzler up in Washington D.C.

in that was what they started talking to
me about and then I said well where were

you coming from with this Mr told me about
the Living Building Challenge I said or

how do I find that standard
this is all you have.

Do is just kind of a web and
you can print it off and I was thinking

you know have to pay a hundred fifty
dollars you know to look at that and

I was so intrigued by all this
that it really set me and

to creating a whole new direction for
Mohawk.

And this is our philosophy.

We want open communication
with the public.

We want to be able to share
ingredients information we don't

want to have to go through a third
party or an intermediary we would

prefer instead to have that one on one
conversation with our customers and

we also want to share transparent
the information transparently and

that may seem like well that would
just be the natural thing to do but

it really isn't because there's a lot of
companies out there saying that they're

transparent but in fact you have
to ask them for ingredient data.

Maybe in the form of a hint written letter
or something like that it's nowhere to

be found when you actually go to ask for
it so

that certainly not the way we
want to approach transparency.

That's And we are so we are so
involved in the US that we now have

over three hundred seventy rez
list free foreign products

along with our flex Lockett's the carpet
installation system I mean this is and

this is really unheard of we have some of
customers now that are coming up to us and

they just cannot believe that Mohawk
has been able to accomplish so much and

I actually have some of
our to clear labels.

Again maybe I thought it would be
a good idea to just pass these around

and you guys.

You can see what an actual
to clearly looks like.

And we have we have nineteen of
those now we just got more last week

that would cover our hospitality
product products for

hotels and motels and
casinos and that sort of thing.

And we also have six health product Eckler
ations which is also highly unusual for

a foreign company it's a company think
they have or they're doing really good but

we have six and we also have three
environmental product acclamations and

I do want to mention that you know this
is a continuing evolving effort and

so we will have more of
these products covered so

in terms of all these reckless free Mohawk
products what I'll do this include.

We made an amazing discovery that all of
our carpet tile can actually be made and

be read was free if we use a non P.C.
backing and

Mohawk is a large you know
company that we can offer both

we actually see more of our product
on my craving towards the non P.V.C.

wreckless free carpet backing as more and

more of our customers learn about
this may become more educated and

that's really the whole purpose of
transparency I mean we think about how it

affected the nutrition industry and
the food industry and

the same is going to happen with building
products as people learn more and

understand more they will make more
informed decisions and that will in fact

in fact you know transform the economy so
we have also discovered

that all of our brought in carpet which is
really carpet on rolls that that is also.

All Red List free and so you may be
wondering will gosh why is Mohawk

doing this so we are doing it first of
all because it is the right thing to do

we have nothing to hide and
we we fully support and

believe in product transparency.

We have a process at Mohawk we have this

very well integrated now I'm working
very closely with our R. and D.

team we have these ferries
extra help hers UL actually

has a branch of the UL environment and
they do third party certification

of our E.P. TS and also our
recycled content in our carpet and

we're also working with H.P.
collaborative on the H.P. D. and

there is James he is with the
International Living future Institute and

they are overseeing the declared effort.

And I just wanted to show
you some photographs and

I also wanted to see if there are any
questions out there about the declare

labels at this point have you guys
had a chance to take a look at those.

You have.

As any Does anybody see one that has
any red with sitting pretty in its.

OK so there is one person
here that has been a and so.

This makes it pretty easy right you can
see which ingredients are actually red

with the chemicals and I do want to make
the point that you Mohawk is being very

open with all of our gradients and all of
our products we're not just cherry picking

the best the best we're going to clear
away balls on all of our products and

again this is a pretty radical notion for
a corporation.

So this is that woven product and
this is really the earliest type of big

construction and it can last for
up to twenty five years and

these are all red was free
all of our woven products.

This is our profit and all of our
broccoli products are also revels free.

And here is one of the tile products and

this might resemble one of the declare
labels and these are the two Paula Murs

shown here that make peace see
which is a red list chemical and

P three it's kind of a controversy or
red with chemical because a lot of people

say well gosh what's in the product
there really isn't any harm but

politically challenge does look at that
chemical throughout its entire life cycle

and so that's you know that's
really the argument there.

And you can see here if it has a red with
chemical then the label will show declare.

Versus if it's red list free
now you make one train or

gosh what does that mean Living
Building Challenge compliance so if and

if a company proposes that one of the red
was chemicals is actually a required

ingredient and there's not currently
an option available on the market and

they can get this temporary when they
go in challenge compliant status

that's one way or another way sometimes
companies say that it's necessary for

them to claim a proprietary exemption.

Mohawk only has Living Building Challenge
read was free and

declared we're not claiming
any proprietary exemptions.

Here is one of our beautiful carpet tile
products that Israel is free and this is.

Is an off the shelf product.

This is the flex lock in here has
the flex walk to clear label.

Right back in the back so
you know is there anything

unique like maybe the very few
number of ingredients right.

Or for gradients that's it and
this works really well with our non P.C.

carpet tile so the two together just make
a really great sustainable choice and

for him.

And you know a couple people in nights
that they've been to the ball at center.

Had already maybe other people so
this is you know has those sustainable or

Korea's commercial building in
the world and this is the home of

the International of the future Institute
so they have their their office there and

we're very excited that Mohawk Harbin
is install here this is ground

strategy modular that's the name of
the style and there's a living wall

in the room and here's the declarant
label that goes with that product and

this this actually was one
of the main reasons why no

and got some volved in this whole
Red List free and at the says

because there is a designer at the board
Center and she wanted this product but

we import we did not know that we could
do it as a Red List free product and

we try to encourage her to select another
product that already had to clear a label

and she said no way you know I want
this fund so that started the wheels

turning in the law and it just
happened we discovered that we could

do any of these carpet tiles on our
bread was free carpet backing and

the entire carpet would be relished free.

And most recently this
is this is a wonderful

program you guys should learn about
it is called the c collaborative and

there is a woman named Stacy Smedley and
she decided that she wanted

her her kids to be in Living Building
Challenge classrooms because she was

concerned in particular about her children
being supposed to hazardous chemicals

in portable classrooms and so
she started this this movement and

now these buildings are being built
all across the United States and

this is one of just in seize on.

This.
Wonderful mosaic and

the reason it looks like that is because
the children said that they wanted their

flooring to look as the the image appears
when they look out of the window women

are playing so that was.

Just in central potations great.

And OK so.

Without access ability you cannot have
transparency because you have to be able

to provide people with a tool to
get all these documents and so

cream wizard is that tool
this is really a fantastic

search tool is kind of like e-bay for
building products and

our customers can quickly search according
to whatever sustainability critique

they're interested in if it's recycled
content and they want read was free

if they want to Claire and
by the way this is a free program so

you want to check out
great wizard dot com and

see how easy it is to search for products.

So I'm going to just close with
a little discussion about how Mohawk

has become so intertwined with
the International Living future Institute.

And I first heard about their
first hard somebody in a formal

lecture on the Living Building Challenge
in November of two thousand and twelve and

cream built and
that was in San Francisco and

it just struck me as something
very very important and

certainly something that no one
needed to be involved in so

after the presentation I
walked up to the speaker.

Who was in the form of his former
executive director of the Institute and

I think here you work with a foreign
company he said no I'm not who are you so

it started this conversation and.

We had the folks from Institute coming
meet with the executives at Mohawk and

really within six months of the day
when I first heard that presentation

not walk in the institute formally
committed to work together and

Mohawk first became an angel
sponsor of the Institute and

this is what we did last year we
stand many days out on the road

educating connecting people all about
the Living Building Challenge we went to

California and Texas Florida drawn to
Milwaukee Minneapolis this fantastic

experience and as a result of the Mohawk
efforts a new collaborative just like with

being developed here in Atlanta
was created in Dallas and

this year we are now a guy sponsor.

Meaning mother earth she
is from Craig mythology and

we are going to have these events and

these four locations this year and
it's very exciting

that we're going to be able to build upon
the model that we developed last year.

So I just want to end here in
a quote how important it is to.

Be fully involved in this transparency
discussion in an honest way and

certainly if a manufacturer says
that they are being transparent but

they're not sharing information
transparently then it's not real so

think about that.

And with am able to understand a reward.

Thanks guys and basically wraps it up one.

Question.

That I know it's there's a lot
of information that's kind of

given to you guys today.

I know that I have specifically got.

To say to believe that because it's
another challenge that's added to

the design specs that was easy to
start with you know it's like now

there's all these other things you have
to think about like maybe I should to get

some work in St Francis and
it was slow here in Jerusalem.

And things of that intrusive I
understand what they're talking about

when it comes to here and
the different chemicals that are basically

probably going to expand
the list of chemicals and

we should be concerned about so
are there any questions.

For

anyone.

Yet so the question being I guess what
level of vertical integration and

do we have some I want is
a Berkeley didn't really come.

Any and we do make our own fivers So

this does give us more control
over our supply chain Yes.

And when I just want to mention if you
could please return the declare label so

I have a next presentation and
basically agree it's the

same.

Sound you know it's kind
of interesting because

when I first started talking about this.

With people were like saying well
there's no way we can do this so

the first thing I did was I hired eighteen
year old interned to prove everybody that

we could to want and I think he got like
seventy five percent of the information

by calling the that nurse and
that not to make light of this that moment

is a large company we do have a lot
of clout and so I was asking and

this may be there might have been a little
bit of concern with some of the suppliers

if I don't give them the information
they might go to another supplier so

that I think influenced
their decision on whether or

not they were going to
give us the information.

That we were we were able to accomplish.

If.

He's.

Just with this event tonight the years.

Go by more transparency.

Conversations will happen.

People saying this is where it suits him
we're going to be one of our patients.

So I think we're going to
get back I always compare

challenge to where we want to be and
the struggles supply and

demand line and so
now that the street system is asking for

transparency to hopefully.

Show them to get.

The.

Right.

Yes the first or the question did
we have any problems fires and so

the answer to that is yes we get
currently have a few and they deal mostly

with our resilient products that
we some of them we do not but

they are made in Asia and
that seems to be more of a difficult

situation however the first
Asian supplier did

come through with their list of
ingredients a couple months ago and

I think it's going to make the impact

the attitudes of the other suppliers and

I heard today as a matter of fact that one
of the problem suppliers that was holding

out put together a team of people
in transparency chemo just for

that today you work with us and
talk with us about our needs and

transparency so
that was the first question and

then the second part I'm sorry was.

I right.

And.

Yes So really our R. and D. team has
been involved in this because they're

the ones that are developing
the labels and so

our procurement folks have not been
involved so much is really in the R.

and D. team and
they they have done a fantastic job and so

really I think what happened was once
the in turn was able to gather so

much information and the big guys in R.
and D. that had been there for twenty or

thirty years the first that to me we
can do this they changed their mind and

then they got on board with the process so
they've been doing a great job thank

you.

Very much.

The rating system is asking for
about a thousand words.

So.

Much.

I mean.

There's.

This.

Because there's.

Is there a

process.

You need materials that you can't see.

Like insulation or with the

carbon.

Right and you know that that would
be pretty good sir actually airborne

troops fighting air samples and.

The different chemicals that have been
talked about by specifically around this

to others and
it's you know if there's any kind of for

cooling off and some type that's when
you have particulates are released or

if you just kind of come in contact
to it contact with it often and

I think a good example
of this is probably the.

Astroturf site for pellets and
they're actually being Justin so

with a certain point but
then said the study they showed for me.

They were saying that the different making
factory plants birds tires are being made

that these people are you know in the meat
packing plants helping make the brownies

and they're experiencing all these
different facts and so I think.

It's probably pretty difficult to try and
figure out what's fair especially.

You know I mean you can look at Harvard
and was very good to talk to someone who

designed the building you're going
to really know who it came from.

And then you know
the second aspect would be.

Which of these products and with me and
started out and I think I mean it's very

dear to me and I'm you know this
is what I do it every day so.

I think we all have a lot to learn.

But maybe you know hopefully we'll get
there and then you know you actually start

breaking in.

And then another and

I think that aspect of it all the that
is offering or are actually things

that people bring into the workplace and
the Living Building Challenge does address

this very thing you were only testing for
example air fresh.

Hers and things like that are really you
know many cases I think people are like

you are crazy they can be very toxic and
they can cause all sorts of reactions and

it's these are common in workspaces and so
sometimes it's not even the products but

it's the activities and
what people bring into the say.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes familiar with the reporting which is.

What.

You.

Write it's basically a social
responsibility I said but

there's a lot of environments.

That are putting like you know.

Trying to get you have.

You know about your carbon footprint and
what are you seeing for that.

Because you have it specially
your main character.

Yeah child child you know.

It's very interesting and I'm actually
as a part of living challenge there's

a program called Just which is trying
to speak to such responsibilities so.

I can go on about what they guess what.

Yeah I have to have another event but

I didn't just going through that sense and
suffering.

That interesting and very frightening
process of hers I'd be a part of it.