Welcome to the HF Green Blog! I've been asked to blog now and then on the various "green" issues in the flooring industry. I'll try to make a post at least once a week and I'm going to try to offer up (hopefully) useful information on various issues. I may chat now and then or even rant once in awhile as well, but mostly I'm going to try to provide information that will help our industry get a handle on green issues.
As Metropolitan Hardwood Flooring's ECO (Environmental Compliance Officer), I have full or partial responsibility for a number of areas of focus. My most important job is supervising the contents of our products-the wood and chemicals that are used to produce the flooring. I give myself headaches trying to interpret all the various regulations and program details-that alphabet soup of FSC, LEED, CARB, and other acronyms. I also am involved in quality control procedures and supporting our corporate social activities.
I've been in the industry for over 20 years and have been fortunate enough to travel widely-I've left footprints in over 60 countries and a thousand mills of all sizes, qualities and products. And I still have a tremendous amount left to learn and see. I welcome input into this blog-please leave comments, ask questions, make suggestions for additional topics. If you catch me in a mistake, please, do tell me. "Green" is an evolving standard and concept in our industry and can cover almost any aspect of our business, from the material that goes into the flooring, to how it's produced or installed, to the corporate policies of the company that provided it.
So there's a lot to look at. Next week, a few thoughts from my recent jungle journey.