by kevin, on November 19th, 2009
At the 2008 Greenbuild Expo, I thought Forbo Marmoleum had the best exhibitor booth, or should I say lack thereof. But this year, they felt the need to change gears and fill their booth with stuff. Last year’s minimal approach and video chat with a remote sales rep seemed to fit perfectly with the best sustainable strategies. As I’ve said in earlier posts, the exhibition floor was so big, and time so tight, that I surely missed a few aisles – or walked them so fast I probably passed by more than a few interesting companies. One standout was InterfaceFLOR. Similar to last year, they used their floor space to communicate an important issue rather than focus solely on product. Last year it was the launch of Mission Zero, and this year a discussion of the elephant in the room – petroleum use in products.
Holding the opening festivities in Chase Field – the baseball stadium of the Arizona Diamondbacks – was a nice change. I assume the decision to use that venue rather than a boring convention hall was probably driven by the sheer number of attendees and the headline acts – Al Gore and Sheryl Crow. Each year the USGBC manages to secure big names. As a member of Mr. Gore’s The Climate Project non-profit education organization and one of his trained presenters, I’ve seen him talk many times. He’s become such a big figure in the sustainable movement and a major draw that it was interesting to attend if only for the people watching. I was surprised by how well the stadium worked for such an event. USGBC organized an excellent celebration that was entertaining, social, and intimate even with such a large group.
In addition to being a LEED certified building, the PHX Convention Center was a pretty good venue. At the past two Greenbuild Expos (Chicago and Boston) I was able to arrive easily using public transportation. Although Phoenix opened a light rail system last year, it still doesn’t have enough range to make it easy to use. Due to other circumstances, I drove the short distance from hotel to convention center and was worried that parking would be a nightmare. With the exception of one day of heavy traffic, I was able to secure the same parking spot close to an entry each day quite easily. At the Boston convention center, I preferred how all exhibits were in one central hall. This year the floor was split in two halls some distance apart. It wasn’t a huge issue, but running from one to the other to interview exhibitors was difficult and time consuming.
Other than a few disappointing educational sessions, the expo and conference were a big success for Aleida and me. We were able to accomplish almost everything we set out to do. We’re currently processing all the interviews we conducted with exhibitors and will be posting them next week. One exhibit booth I thought deserved a photo and a mention as a questionable Greenbuild exhibitor was the Vinyl Institute. I cannot imagine the kind of conversations that must have taken place there. As you can see in the photo above, their tag line was Vinyl: The Material for Life. They could not have stated the problem more succinctly. There are valuable uses for vinyl products and situations where its durability is needed, but overall, we should be figuring out how to eliminate vinyl from the built environment. US buildings are the largest consumers of vinyl products. Its production requires petroleum, it’s toxic during manufacturing, it’s toxic when manipulated or installed in buildings, it’s toxic in a fire, and it’s toxic at the end of its life. And although a vinyl manufacturer will tell you the product is recyclable, there are currently no vinyl recycling programs available. The vast majority of polyvinyl chloride products end up in a landfill or get incinerated – both are environmentally hazardous options. When vinyl is burned it releases dioxin – the most carcinogenic material known. In a landfill, vinyl can last between ten and twenty thousand years. It does not interact with nature as a biological nutrient – no bacteria or organisms feed on it. It breaks into smaller pieces if exposed to the sun, but it does not get processed naturally. It therefore is a toxin for a very long time – for many many lifetimes.
I’m a big fan of a grand finish. I hate leaving for home after a good conference or expo on a low note. The closing plenary session at Greenbuild is the opportunity to rouse attendees and hopefully get them to convert interest into action. The past three years have been anticlimactic, this year especially. The closing is an opportunity to rally the troops and send them off revved up and ready to engage. Instead, this year was a sad talk show conversation. Last year was better with Janine Benyus and EO Wilson. Each of them presented compelling material and then sat down for a conversation between colleagues. It was clear they had incredible respect for one another. Their excitement was palpable and infectious. Hopefully next year will be better.
I’m already looking forward to next year in Chicago. I have to determine a better game plan to get even more done in the limited time available. If you attended this year, or plan to next year, let me know. I would love to hear your opinion.
Hi – nice article and it makes me want to go next year! I’m glad it’s in Chicago where I am. I would make sure you read through your article as there were a couple missing words. I’m weird in that it distracts me from the content. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I wholeheartedly agree with the Vinyl booth – when I saw the image, I was mystified. Why, with all of our technology, can’t we find a way to replace vinyl? It doesn’t REALLY look all that great after a few years so it’s really NOT for life. Find something that actually looks good for the whole time you have it AND is biodegradable or reusable.
Hi Kristen,
Thanks for the comment. When I first started this blog just over a year ago it took me forever to get posts done. I would rework and revise the text for hours. Finally, I realized that perfection was the enemy of done. I’m trying to write every day, post, then go back to make adjustments as needed. Sorry if the missing words were distracting. Thanks for pointing them out. I’ve tried to find them all and make corrections.
I did some research recently about how pervasive plastics are in buildings – it’s shocking. We don’t really think about it, but vinyl and other polymers are everywhere. We should be moving to reduce and eliminate, but there’s so much of it, I think it’ll be a while before it’s gone.
Hi Kevin,
What a great synopsis of Greenbuild Phoenix this year! Good job. I loved your comment about “Vinyl-material for life”……..so true. I’m wondering how the USGBC let that one slip in. REALLY bad…
Thanks for all of your good work.
Pat
Hi Pat,
Thanks for the comment and kind words. I’m glad my coverage was useful. I’m now digging through several hours of recorded interviews with exhibitors and writing blogs for each. I’ll be posting them all next week. They’ll be called Stories of Sustainability.
The same vinyl booth was at the AIA National Convention, so the Vinyl Institute seems to be making a big push to clean up their image within the design and construction industry.
Maybe those of you who believe vinyl is “really bad” do not understand the true manufacturing and benefits of a really sustainabile material. Many non vinyl products are not any better and do not have the durability, and may not be recyclable, or use more energy to manufacture. Please learn moreabout the science behind vinyl products before dismissing them.
Hi Beth,
Thanks for your comment. I don’t believe the opinions I expressed made any comparison between vinyl and other materials. You are correct, there are many products manufactured and used in building construction which are just as bad or worse than vinyl. And it’s true that products derived from natural materials aren’t inherently better than man-made ones. There are many natural materials just as toxic or dangerous with long term human exposure. The primary difference, however, is that most man-made compounds (such as polyvinyl chloride) cannot be detoxified through natural processes. They remain caustic and harmful for the duration of their very long lives. In addition, all polymers are petroleum based. If it weren’t environmentally unfriendly, extensive vinyl use should still be reconsidered due to its utter dependence on the diminishing supply of crude oil at its base.
The way most of it is currently manufactured and disposed of, vinyl cannot make a reasonable sustainability claim without totally ignoring its many negative and harmful aspects. Durability, price, and longevity are its principle selling points, but those aren’t necessarily sustainable features. For many, those are reasons important enough to overlook adverse environmental impacts, but I’m not one of them. I’m working to rid vinyl from my designs.
I’ve done quite a bit of research on vinyl and other polymers. If you know of any good research material I would welcome any suggestions. It’s always good to learn more.
Kevin, while I am no proponent of vinyl. I think some of the arguments against are disingenuous..and frankly, provide a diversion for REAL change. In fact, even the folks at interFace will tell the story of the improvements that have been made in vinyl production worker safety. Not that the process is any safer…but that the workers are now protected. Also, “toxic in a fire”. Yes, vinyl would be one of 100 products contributing to the toxicity of the smoke. Last, the landfill issue. Most things don’t break down in a modern landfill. If we are to be truely pragmatic, we should not villify one particular product….an integrated design/build, energy efficient, behavior modification, LCA/PDA approach will be much more productive.
Hi Kris,
Thanks for your comment. Vinyl is not the only material I’m trying to remove from the buildings I design. I’m also looking to reduce or eliminate the use of expanded polystyrene, adhesives and coatings that emit volatile organic compounds, wood products with added formaldehyde, products coated with brominated fire retardants, polyethylene sheeting, wood harvested from old growth rain forests, and much more. I’m also working to reduce my use of materials that have high embodied water and/or energy. I focused on vinyl in this post because of all those other materials, the Vinyl Institute was the only one exhibiting at Greenbuild. I was pointing out the irony of the situation and the unintended message in their slogan. Had an asbestos advocacy group set up a booth claiming its product to be green because it prevents fires and provides insulation, I would have called that out also. I don’t think I’ve vilified vinyl. In the post and in follow up comments I’ve stated its positive attributes, which I completely agree it has.
I advocate that every designer have their own material selection criteria or vetting process to determine what products they deem acceptable for inclusion to their materials library. It’s an issue I’ve written about many times on this blog and one that I’m very passionate about. The system I’ve developed for my practice takes into account a multitude of factors including life cycle assessment. Given that I can find, in most cases, an alternative to polymer based products, I believe their up-side doesn’t match their down-side and therefore don’t pass my standard for selection. But that’s my system for my clients. Everyone has to develop their own. I respect anyone’s decision to use vinyl. It’s a material I’ve evaluated for my clients and decided to eliminate.
You are correct that there are few, if any, materials not toxic to an inhabitant during a fire. The principle difference between vinyl and others, however, is that it releases compounds that when mixed with water become sulfuric acid. Not only are the released fumes toxic, but they create a chemical dangerous to the very people and equipment trying to put the fire out. It is true that without light or air, most materials will not break down quickly in a landfill. But organic material at least has the potential to decompose and be filtered or processed by natural forces over time – vinyl cannot. No matter where it ends up, it will be there for many generations. I believe that’s a significant difference that cannot be overlooked. The best features of vinyl are its durability and longevity, but those are also the very same attributes that make it a disposal problem. In most cases, the life span of productive use is minuscule when compared to the lifetime it spends in a landfill.
While I agree that an integrated approach is best, I disagree that deliberate and careful selection of materials does any harm or thwarts real change. I think just the opposite is true. Designers deciding which materials are more favorable or less favorable than others sends a market signal to manufacturers. And the vinyl industry is starting to respond. There are VCT flooring options with recycled content and organic material as filler thereby reducing the amount of virgin vinyl made, new polymers are being formulated that will break down and biodegrade, as you mentioned improvements to production is safer for workers, and much more. Without frank conversations like these, none of that would happen. Thanks for engaging in the conversation.
BTW, I like your web site, we’re both in LA and should grab a coffee some time to continue this.
This is one of the most interesting posts I’ve read in awhile, I’ll be sure to add you to my favorites and include your feed in my google news reader. Thank you!
It kills me that the plastic industry is still defending their product through lobbyists instead of addressing the real issue at hand – the environment. There’s no responsibility for products we throw away. We’ve seen it with outlawing plastic grocery bags.
Even the office supply industry is slowly changing their ways. Remember vinyl binders? Yeah, they still make them. How about shedding the vinyl all together and giving consumers products without the plastic coating. ReBinder makes some great binders with removable covers that can be recycled end of life. A closed loop system. The rings can even be used again with a replacement cover.
We need better design and products that take responsibility.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by R. Aleida Montejo and Kevin ODonnell, Tom Lent. Tom Lent said: Vinyl Institute gets threadcollaborative worst for GreenBuild http://threadcollaborative.com/threadpost/2009/11/greenbuild-2009-best-worst/ [...]