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BRATTLEBORO, VT. — The fifth edition of the GreenSpec Directory of environmentally preferable building products and materials has been updated to reflect changes in the green building movement.
The 464-page book includes more than 1,850 product listings for contractors, designers, builders and owners to use in identifying products that can improve the environmental performance of their buildings in ways that range from water and energy savings to using recycled materials. More than 200 product listings have been added since the last edition; about 100 have been dropped because they were either discontinued, had changes in their manufacturing process or because the directory’s criteria have been tightened to remove lower performing products.
A case in point is the changes that have been made in the toilet listings. While low-flow toilets have long been recognized as environmentally friendly, the poor performance of various models has at times been a source of dissatisfaction. In 2004 a new testing protocol was developed for toilets that accurately measured flush performance. To be listed in GreenSpec, toilets must evacuate at least 65 grams of solid waste per liter of flush water. This standard, rounded to the nearest 50-gram increment, amounts to a minimum 400 grams for 6-liter (1.6 gpf) toilets, and 250 grams for 4-liter (1 gpf) toilets. Special calculations are used for dual-flush toilets.
The directory includes Guideline Specification language in the CSI MasterFormat structure. It costs $89 plus $5 shipping and handling. For more information, visit www.greenspec.com, e-mail or call 800/861-0954.