Green Products and Services Guide
Introduction
The purpose of the New Jersey Green Home Remodeling Green Products and Services Guide is to help homeowners navigate the market with some helpful tips on what to look for when shopping for a particular green home remodeling project. Organized by building system, the Guide lists the general products and services that pertain to remodeling tasks within that system. It includes features and applicable certifications to look for, as well as web links to more information on that product or service.
Please note that the New Jersey Green Home Remodeling Green Products and Services Guide does not endorse any particular brand or company. It is not the function of the Guide to direct the consumer to a specific product, but rather to provide a resource to seek out an appropriate manufacturer or service provider to handle remodeling needs.
With the ever-increasing number of green products and services coming into the home remodeling market, finding the appropriate ones can be a challenge. In the past, manufacturers marketed products as “green” when in reality they were only marginally better for the environment and the products green features overlooked other aspects of their manufacturing or composition – a phenomenon known as “greenwashing.”
Product Certification Programs
Today, green product standards and certification programs help consumers identify products that meet predefined green criteria. Leading green product standards and programs include:
- Cradle to Cradle – certifies products based on the life cycle of materials used to construct a product and the overall life cycle of the product
- EnergyStar– identifies efficient products that reliably deliver energy savings and environmental benefits
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – certifies wood products grown in forests managed to meet social economic and ecological needs
- GreenGuard Certification Program – certifies products and processes for their low chemical emissions and toxicity. The UL SPOT Sustainable Product Database lists all GREENGUARD Certified products.
- Green Seal – certifies products and practices for their low toxicity and overall environmental impact
- GreenSpec Directory – a published resource on environmentally preferable products
- National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) – a non-profit organization that administers the only uniform, independent rating, and labeling system for the energy performance of windows, doors, skylights, and attachment products
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) – certifies wood products coming from well-managed forests and responsible procurement practices
- WaterSense – identifies high performing, water-efficient products, and practices
Figure 1 – Look for these Green Product Certification Labels.
New Jersey Green Home Products and Services Guides: