Green

An A. O. Smith manufacturing facility in Johnson City, Tenn., earned the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification. 

The 470,000-sq.-ft. Johnson City facility manufactures residential and light commercial gas and electric water heaters.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Annual Conference has been set for Sept. 17-19, 2013, in San Antonio. 

According to its website, the SFI is based on principles promoting sustainable forest management, including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value.

The 2012 conference was held in Milwaukee. 

Marketers of consumer products touting various environmental-benefit claims finally have some closure on how to approach green advertising without running afoul of the Federal Trade Commission, said LeClairRyan partner and 17-year FTC veteran Thomas A. Cohn during an Oct. 12 business-law conference.

Belgium-based cleaning brand Ecover said it has created the world's largest green cleaning product company with the acquisition of San Francisco-based Method.

The acquisition will expand Ecover's distribution network across Europe, the United States, Asia and Australia. Collectively delivering sales of $200 million and employing around 300 staff, Ecover and Method will continue as separate brands with a shared ambition to bring as many new consumers as possible into the green cleaning and personal care market, the company said.

Tampa, Fla.-based entrepreneur John Wink, of Novel Ideas, has announced the national launch of EcoBorder, an environmentally friendly landscape product.

Manufactured in the United States and molded from recycled tire rubber, this landscape edging was invented in 15-year landscape Wink’s garage, after his position with Merrill Lynch ended about the time of the 2008 stock market crash. With 15 years of experience in landscaping, he invented EcoBorder out of his garage in 2009.

Gaco Western, a maker of spray foam insulation, announced GacoGreen 052/052N earned credentials as code-compliant in a multiple categories.

An evaluation report (ESR# 2478) from ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES), provided evidence that the half pound open cell spray-applied polyurethane foam meets the following code requirements:

Las Vegas -- Energy efficiency, a consumer focus that is influencing the residential building industry, is moving into the home improvement sector as well, judging from the exhibits at the National Hardware Show. Vendors with energy-saving products could be found in almost every category, and were marked with a special decal this year.

In 1992, Energy Star was launched as the first national, market-driven energy efficiency partnership program of its kind. If EPA’s estimates are to be believed, the effort has worked wonders. According to the EPA, Energy Star has helped save Americans $23 billion on their energy bills while preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the annual emissions of 41 million vehicles.