Each month, this section highlights the environmental messaging of a different GBI Supporting Member.

Wood Offers a Soft Environmental Footprint, Helps to Achieve High Performance

In the world of green design, wood offers a variety of benefits that minimize environmental impact while also helping to achieve high building performance.

Its renewability and sustainability have contributed to the fact that, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, North American forests expanded by 10 million acres during the 1990s, and about two million acres over the past five years. It also has low embodied energy, which means it requires minimal energy to extract, transport and manufacture. It performs well in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of pollution, and it’s both recyclable and biodegradable.

In terms of building performance, wood’s most significant attribute is its insulation value, which helps to minimize the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling. Wood flooring can also add to indoor air quality by preventing the accumulation of dust and microbes, and the engineered wood products used for sheathing, beams and joists are made with glues that don’t contribute to allergies.

For more information, please visit the Wood Promotion Network at www.beconstructive.com. To view a complete list of GBI supporters, please click here.