May Housing Construction Jumps by 17.2 Percent - ABC News

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May Housing Construction Jumps by 17.2 Percent - ABC News

Agrifiber Composit materials are just Better!

"When compared to wood-based particleboard, agrifiber composite materials, comprised of wheat straw or other agricultural fiber, have been found to provide: Greater strength, Competitive prices, Better dimensional stability, Lighter weight- up to 20 percent lighter, Better machining characteristics, Better screw and nail holding capabilities, Better water-resistance, Better lamination attributes, Environmental Impact. Look for those which contain no added urea-formaldehyde."

Reads like an ad from our panel manufacturers, Biocomposite's MicroStrand wheat board literature...

but NOPE!, it's from the "Guide to the 2007 Built Green(r) Checklist Version 2007.2 page 216.

Always good to have an unbiased third party referral!

Koch & Co's GREEN series cabinetry fits the bill using MicroStrand wheat board for over 85 percent of the cabinet construction. Not only does wheat board exhibit all of the benefits as outlined above, it's rapidly renewable! Think about it, a tree takes decades to mature. Wheat is grown and the stalk harvested sometimes twice in just one year!

Got Formaldehyde? We Don't!

KBIS 2008 Interview at Koch & Co. Booth

David was selected as spokesperson for Koch & Co.at KBIS 2008 to recap the highlights of their GREEN Series cabinet line.

Media Highlights from '08.

Tripping down the Internet memory lane:

Is Stainless Steel a Fad?
KBB Article here quoting yours truly at the end.

HGTV Interview for Koch & Co. at KBIS 2008
Fast forward to the 2:40 mark to catch my portion that survived the cutting room floor! Link here.

GreenBuildingTalk Blog says...

Several cabinet companies showcased beautiful bamboo and other sustainable materials. A highlight was Koch & Co.’s Wheat Board cabinetry. Wheat board is a particleboard that is manufactured from wheat stalk fiber instead of tree fiber. Koch's wheatboard cabinets also use low or no VOC finishes, making their product one of the greenest. Koch also offers cabinetry made from German Beech wood, a sustainable wood product from the forests of Germany. When I spoke with Doug Martin, a Pollmeir rep marketing German Beech wood, he impressed upon me that the Beech wood coming from Germany is quite sustainable. Pollmeir’s German Beech wood meets sustainable forestry standards, including the Programme for the Endorsement of Forestry Certification (PEFC) and makes up 57% of Germany’s hardwood forests.
Read GreenBuildingTalk Blog post.

KBIS 2008 Report

The KBIS (Kitchen - Bath Industry Show) held here in Chicago last weekend was a great success. In spite of the soft housing market, it seemed to be a good turnout for the event. I spent most of the weekend in the Koch & Co booth presenting the line to prospective clients and dealers, as well as acting as their spokesperson for an HGTV interview. HGTV was in the booth three different times on Friday for the initial interview and follow up footage on the Koch GREEN Series product.

The Koch GREEN Series features construction of the cabinet box and drawer boxes with a wheat core particleboard without any added urea formaldehyde and is available in an array of wood species and finishes. Bamboo carries some buzz as a fast growing resource but when you factor in the plant’s initial incubation period, the distance it has to be transported, and the question of the chemicals involved in the binders, wheat core particleboard wins hands down on the rapidly renewable and environmentally friendly scales. The wheat core is manufactured from the post harvest leftovers of wheat stalk and stubble that is typically plowed under or burnt off. This is fabulous considering it creates an additional source of revenue for the Midwest farmer for a waste by-product as well as preventing additional pollutants from the burn offs.

Your new home is breathtaking! Maybe it's the formaldehyde?

Your new home is breathtaking! Maybe it's the formaldehyde? I coined this phrase last fall (as far as I can tell since it doesn't show up on a Google search!) In any event, I started using it in presentations to Architects, Developers, Contractors and other prospects for our Koch GREEN Series cabinetry. I like it enough to blog it and see if it takes off. Formaldehyde is in the news and not just in regards to the infamous FEMA trailers:

From NewsInfrerno.com: Formaldehyde Problems Not Limited to FEMA Trailers "Formaldehyde is an invisible gas that is known to cause cancer. It can also cause other illnesses ranging from nose bleeds to chronic bronchitis. Commonly used in manufactured homes and recreational trailers, formaldehyde can cause respiratory problems and has been classified as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and as a probable carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)."

From the EPA site: "Levels in HomesAverage concentrations in older homes without UFFI are generally well below 0.1 (ppm). In homes with significant amounts of new pressed wood products, levels can be greater than 0.3 ppm."

Koch GREEN Series Wheatboard Box

Green Building Is "Good"

From The Chief Engineer:

Three major trends are pushing green building to the forefront of the construction industry’s consciousness: 1) an unprecedented level of government initiatives; 2) heightened residential demand for green construction; and 3) improvements in sustainable materials.

• Government Initiatives. As the largest owner and operator of buildings, the U.S. government has the ability to exert tremendous influence over the construction industry and to put in place policies, rules and regulations designed to drive private sector investment in construction toward a predetermined end. In the first five months of 2007, over 100 green building bills were introduced at the state level. Many states have adopted sustainability requirements for all of their new government-funded construction projects. Governments have also implemented economic incentives in the form of tax rebates and credits, density bonuses and other policies such as expedited permitting and approval for green projects.

• Residential Demand. The heightened level of interest in sustainability within the residential construction sector has contributed to green construction’s movement into the mainstream. While demand for traditional residential construction is slowing down, the green housing and materials markets are expanding. Homeowners are increasing their investment in sustainable housing due to improved economic paybacks resulting from high energy prices and their growing sensitivity to environmental concerns. According to the Overview, the National Association of Home Builders Green Building Conference in April 2007 revealed that green building and remodeling is experiencing a level of demand that exceeds the current supply of qualified firms.

• Green materials. Green materials and building products are becoming more popular due to the upward trend in the green construction market. Consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about their health and the environment and are now questioning the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in their carpet, paint and wood. They are making a conscious effort to identify what building materials are healthier, more energy efficient and economically sensible. As the demand grows for green products and materials, the cost is mitigated. Today, many manufacturers are making green products, which leads to more competition and better pricing. In addition, distribution outlets for green materials are improving.

Complete article here.

Building Green Can Provide an Edge in a Tough Market

Building Green Can Provide an Edge in a Tough Market, Report Finds as reported at GreenerBuildings.com ...
"...building and renovating green homes and facilities can make property more desirable, according to a new report from CarbonFree.
The report, Zero And Low Emission Buildings, looks at energy-saving building technologies ranging from new materials to low-power appliances, and examines a green building market that, as the number of housing starts continues to fall, is shifting towards the retrofitting of low emission solutions into existing buildings." Read more...

Koch is going to KBIS!

Koch is going to KBIS! Join them at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Booth S3443 in the South Hall. KBIS 08 is only the largest gathering of the industry and it is hosted right here in Chicago!

I am hearing rumors of an exciting Pre-show announcement coming soon. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, for a free registration pass to the show floor ($55 value) send an email with subject “KBIS Pass Request” to KochKBIS08@email.com and you’ll receive the registration link in reply. Make sure to mention you saw the offer here! (This is not an auto respond link so the reply may take up to 48 hours.)

How Green is Green?

Time to play blogger catch-up! We have been extremely busy the last few weeks. I came away from the GreenBuild Conference with a lot of new insights regarding the criteria for Green Construction. Here are two key observations.

Thoughts from the USGBC's GreenBuild Conference and Expo held here in Chicago November 7-9, 2007. I have to say that GreenBuild is the most energetic trade show, convention, expo I have ever attended. At “only” 25,000 attendees it is on the smaller side of the scale for a national show, but man oh man, there was energy in the house at McCormick Place West! Make no mistake about it - Green is here to stay. Somewhere in the near future we will drop the adjective “Green”, as it will become the “norm” for the built environment.

Green Construction is a Journey, not a Destination. It is hitting the proverbial moving target. As soon as you think you get there, there is no longer there. Shades of green are constantly shifting. It is much like “growing up” – back in high school my Dad was the dumbest man alive; 20 years and four kids later, he now may very well be the wisest. The more we learn the more we realize how dumb we are; the greener we get the more we realize how light green we are. Thus, Green Construction will be a journey, not a destination.

Key "Greenness" Issue

David Linzer, CKD addresses key “Greenness” issue in October KB&B and succinctly encapsulates my personal opinion of the KCMA's ESP designation as merely a marketing tool and not a truly green indicator.

“Many companies have adopted environmentally responsible business practices that, in their mind, make them green. However, running a business responsibly and producing green products are two different things.”

David Linzer, CKD

For Kitchen Village, this distinction played a huge part in the decision-making process during our search for an affordable Green cabinet line to represent. While there are dozens of cabinet manufacturers touting their KCMA “Environmental Stewardship Program” (ESP) credentials as making them Green, does it? Or, does it merely reflect, as David Linzer states, “their capacity to adopt environmentally responsible business practices?”

I would submit that, in reality, many of the ESP-credentialed manufacture’s have not so much “adopted” environmentally responsible practices, as simply “purchased”, for the princely sum of $250, the ability to spin their existing practices in a new, quasi-green light. In my opinion, the ESP program has some merit, but for the most part the environmental impact bar is not raised very high.

A cursory look at the requirements as laid out in the KCMA’s ESP Brochure reveals that almost any cabinet plant in the USA should be able to self-certify, pony up the $250, and “help set a new standard in sustainability.”

The Program requires the manufacturer to achieve 80 points in five key areas:

Air Quality, Resource Management-Product, Resource Management-Process, Environmental Stewardship, and Community Relations.

I. AIR QUALITY – 75% of the Particle Board, MDF, and Plywood the manufacturer used for the cabinetry must meet CPA and ANSI standards for Formaldehyde emissions.

My thoughts: First, 75% - what about the other 25%? Second, is it even possible in our lawsuit and health conscience society to source materials that do not meet the CPA and ANSI standards? Seems like a slam-dunk for 30 points to me.

II. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT—PRODUCT – 75% of the Particle Board and MDF must meet CPA specifications for recycled/recovered fiber content. Manufacturer to have written plan to educate suppliers on their preference for certified hardwood lumber. Hardwoods purchased are certified through a recognized sustainable forestry program.

My thoughts: Aren’t Particle Board and MDFiber Board by nature composed of recovered fibers? An annual written plan stating a “preference” for certified lumber just does not seem nearly as strong as a Purchase Order stating a “requirement” for certified lumber would. Seems like part II is another slam-dunk for at least 30 points. Wow! already three quarters of the way to our 80 point requirement.

III. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT—PROCESS – Recycle, Reduce Waste, Alternate Energy, and Conserve Energy.

My thoughts: The Recycling and Reduction of Waste requirements as laid out seem to me to be “no brainers” and most likely are existing required practices by local waste management. Alternate energy is a great concept! With the lowest possible points to be awarded. My last employer had a written energy conservation policy. It was a Post-it note by the door reminding us to turn off the lights! Written, conserves energy, good for 5 points! Part III should be good for at least 20 points! BAM! We are there- over the 80 point bar. Write a check and let’s get ESP certified!

IV. ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
V. COMMUNITY RELATIONS
I will leave the research on the last two categories to your own humorous interpretation.

We have chosen to represent the Koch GREEN Cabinet series in the Chicago market because the end product, not just the process, is truly green. That is the distinction I seek to make with this blog.

See my previous post on “Why Koch IS Green” here.

I should have been a Contractor!

The conspicuous consumption aspect may fly in the face of some of my greener friends, but, hey, let's get past that and enjoy the humor! The yacht is named "Change Order" and the dinghy is "Original Contract". Is that a hoot or what!

(Click on the picture and a larer version should open.)

Thanks to MNP Architecture

Kitchen Village granted Green Cabinet contract on PAR Craft project.

PAR Craft, Ltd of Arlington Heights, Illinois placed their recent contract for Green Cabinets on the Altman Residence remodeling project with Kitchen Village. Paul Rogner, owner of PAR Craft, a design build firm based in the Chicago suburbs, has a strong requirement that his work meet or exceed the NAHB’s Model Green Home Building Guidelines.
As stated at the NAHB web site, "The exploding market for sustainable, environmentally friendly and recycled building products, along with the greater availability of educational opportunities for builders, has accelerated green building’s acceptance rate. By the end of 2007, more than half of NAHB’s members, who build more than 80 percent of the homes in this country, will be incorporating green practices into the development, design and construction of new homes."

Rogner's involvement with implementing the Green Home Building Guidelines goes beyond the 9-to-5 business commitment. He serves on the HBAGC's (Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago) Regional Green Building Committee, working with other Chicago premier builders to implement these national guidelines on the local level. And bring it down to the local level he does as evidenced in his emphasis with Kitchen Village's award-winning designer, Jim McDonaugh, CKD that we provide Green Cabinets for the Altman residence in Palatine. The Koch Green Cabinet series was selected mainly due to its affordable Wheat Board Construction, wide variety of door styles, and Low VOC finishes.

WheatBoard is an engineered panel manufactured from sustainable, annually renewable agricultural fibers (wheat straw) and a formaldehyde-free, emissions-free synthetic resin.

WheatBoard is:
Environmentally Friendly – Premium Wheat is the particleboard of choice for architects and manufacturing engineers whom design truly “green” buildings and/or products. Because Premium Wheat is made ”tree free” with annually renewable agricultural fibers, users are capable of producing sustainable components and finished products.

Emission Free – Premium Wheat is ideal for interior applications where air quality is of concern. Because Premium Wheat utilizes emissions-free synthetic resins, in place of traditional resins containing formaldehyde, this board produces no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s).

High Performance – Premium Wheat exceeds all ANSI A208.1-1999 requirements for M-3 particleboard. Better Modulus of Elasticity, Surface Hardness, Modulus of Rupture, Internal Bond, Face and Edge Screw Holding, Thickness Tolerance and Moisture Resistance, are features users realize.

Lighter Weight - Premium Wheat is often lighter weight than other engineered particleboards and MDF. The result is a high performance panel that is easier to handle and reduces transportation costs.

Processing – Premium Wheat is handled and processed in a similar manner as other particleboards and MDF. Because Premium Wheat is a high performance product, it will readily accept all common hardware and fastening applications.


For additional information on PAR Craft Ltd and the Altman project go here. For additional information on Wheat Board go here.

Making Creativity Fun! (R)

"Making Creativity Fun" is not just the registered trade line for the infamous Etch-A-Sketch, it is Job One for us at Kitchen Village! One of the key elements in the award winning cabinet designs from the folks at Kitchen Village is that it looks good! So good, you just know they had fun creating it!

Kitchen Village Contractor Sales Division Presentation

Green can be affordable and mainstream!

From Cherokee Investment Partners the largest private equity fund in the world that specializes in the acquisition, remediation and sustainable re-development of contaminated real estate, or "brownfields."

Project Introduces Unique Eco-Friendly Cabinets to Mainstream

...“Our research team scoured the industry and concluded that Koch is the only manufacturer in America that successfully produces high quality, environmentally friendly cabinetry that is traditionally styled to meet the demand of the average homeowner,” said Cherokee Senior Director Jonathan Philips. “Koch and Potters Mill epitomize the concept of ‘mainstream green.’ The cabinets have an attractive and traditional, raised panel finish yet they still are constructed with renewable materials and in a way to provide beautiful finishes without toxic offgassing.”...

Full Press Release Text here

Dagan Park Estates of Palatine featured in 2007 Fall Festival of Homes!

Dagan Park Estates - Chicago Tribune 2007 Festival of Homes featured Custom Townhomes in Palatine - utilizes Arlington Heights based Kitchen Village staff and products for superior customer service and designs. Kitchen Village Contractor Sales manager, David Summer, has been working closely with Dagan Builders on their 23 unit Custom Townhome project in Palatine.

David Summer says, "The Dagan Park Estates project is offering Koch cabinetry with solid wood, raised panel doors in full-overlay styling as their standard, not an upgrade! An on-site selection center showcases the Koch product in a complete kitchen display along with alternate species and door selections shown in the island and a vanity display. Two of the six townhomes currently under construction will also be used as models to show additional Koch cabinetry door-style, stain finish, and design layout options. These are truly "Custom" Townhomes - custom is not just a label at Dagan Park Estates."

"I can vouch that David's work on behalf of Kitchen Village in servicing our clients is unmatched. His innovative designs and professional guidance set my clients at ease from the very first appointment. David and Kitchen Village actually make my job easier!" says Lori Balog, townhome sales manager for Dagan Park Estates.

Jerry Balog, President of Dagan Builders, adds, "We're extremely pleased with the effort David has put forth in making sure our project flows as smoothly as possible. From his design work with the clients, to coordination with our site managers for delivery, to responding to questions from the carpentry crew he has been on top of it all. Heck, I think I've even seen him stop by on a Saturday!"

For additional information on Koch Cabinetry and Kitchen Village email David Summer. Dagan Park Estates web site and contact information is available here.