I know there are LEED experts out there in our industry and I would love them to explain to me how glass cullet is not a recyclable item but yet a bi-product. No clue of what I am talking about? Well then that means you haven’t run into this latest LEED adventure that diminishes glass. I have hit on this before, but the value of glass from the energy angle all the way to the recycling effort, is so understated it’s insane. But yet the way I see it, the USGBC has a different view. I’d love to hear some reasoning on why.
Elsewhere…
-- Are you as enthralled with the Olympics as I am? The men’s 4 x 100 relay was amazing, the men’s gymnastics was insane as the US team really battled every step of the way and of course the disappointing 2nd place run for the women’s gym team. All this before the track and field starts… all good stuff. But makes for some really late nights!
-- Look for Michael Phelps to be the BEC keynote speaker… in 2028… that’ll be about the time he’ll be available to speak after the epic Olympics he’s having.
-- And speaking of the Olympics- check this story out on how much money the New York Times will spend to cover these Olympics. Man how do you show an ROI on this one?
-- Did you see the story on the glass falling from the NY skyscraper? Scary stuff- and if you think about it, it’s amazing this does happen more. It’s also proof that we have some of the most skilled people in the world because the amount of work going up vs. accidents like this really shows the skill level being on our side.
-- Back to China for a second- there was a story linked on USGNN about “Green” projects in China. Amazing a country with deplorable air conditions has any facilities that are green- but the bigger question- in two weeks when the world leaves and the Olympics are over- will any other building ever be built “green” there? And more importantly, will any measures be put in place to control the horrid pollution?
To the links….
-- This is a fun one… the most mispronounced words and phrases out there today…
-- Sometimes the internet is wrong… a classic journalistic error regarding the Georgia/Russia conflict. To my friends in Villa Rica- watch out for those tanks!
A classic... the person who called the bank disasters we are suffering through now expects things to get much, much worse. And more comical, she’s married to a professional wrestler… good read through…
Video of the week:
The gymnast who is taking heat for the US going silver… after seeing this, no way would I pick on her.
3 comments:
Max,
It's not a LEED thing. It's a Federal Trade Commission thing. Here is the excerpt from their Green Guides:
Recycled Content" Claims
"Recycled content" claims on labels and in advertising may be made for materials that have been recovered or diverted from the solid waste stream, either during the manufacturing process (pre-consumer) or after consumer use (post-consumer). If the product or package does not consist of 100 percent recycled content (excluding minor, incidental components), qualifying words-like the percentage of recycled content in the product-must be used to limit the claim.
Pre-consumer recycled material is a waste product of a manufacturing process, diverted from the solid waste stream and not normally reused by industry during the original manufacturing process. To make an appropriate "pre-consumer" recycled content claim, you must be able to substantiate that the pre-consumer material would otherwise have gone into the solid waste stream. In contrast, by-products of a manufacturing process that normally are reused within the process and usually don't enter the waste stream are considered industrial scrap and don't count toward recycled content. When you make a "recycled content" claim, you may distinguish between pre-consumer and post-consumer materials if you have substantiation.
I knew you would jump in... I guess I just get frustrated with the abuse that glass gets in the process- especially since it can all be recycled and re used. Thank you for the insight and the post!!
Regardless of "pre/post consumer" definitions, I agree that glass is getting shorted with respect to cullet & LEED. Not only does remelting cullet save space in landfills, it dramatically lowers energy consumption and helps make north american produced glass more competitive in the market place.
Float manufacturers, and downstream customers, should be able to reap more LEED benefit/credit based on cullet recycling programs because it would provide further incentive to Do the Right Thing.
In step with increased credit from LEED the government should consider providing incentives & subsidies to help bring more downstream glass back to the float plants. It's risky bringing off-site cullet back to float plants, but a little government support here could go a long ways towards diverting glass from going to landfills, reducing energy consumption, and increasing the strength of our north american mfg base. Glass is a must for "zero energy" building initiatives ... come on Uncle Sam, how about a little love for us glass guys.
Keep it coming Max, good stuff!
Scott
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