Champions

As general manager of business development for Armstrong Ceilings, Brian represents Armstrong as chair of EMerge Alliance. EMerge is a not for profit, open industry association that is advancing safe, low voltage direct current (DC) power distribution in commercial buildings. Brian played a leadership role in developing the new EMerge Standard, a guide and seal of approval for commercial building products to access and conduct DC power instead of alternating current (AC) “grid” power, thereby increasing building sustainability.

Sustainable How?
EMerge Alliance is important because commercial buildings use between a third and one half of the alternating current (AC) electricity produced and distributed by public utilities in the U.S. Conversely, companies today use more digital electronic devices that are inherently DC power. This demands that even more AC power be converted to DC (direct current) to make equipment like electronic lighting ballasts, solid state lighting (i.e. LEDs), HVAC controls and actuators, and assorted computer/IT equipment work. Similarly, DC power from renewable energy sources like solar or wind must be converted to AC to be compatible with public utility supplied power. These conversions result in a significant loss of electricity and wasted energy. EMerge Alliance advocates distributing power in commercial buildings as DC, which permits fewer and/or more efficient conversions. The EMerge Standard is focused on direct use of DC power, including sustainable energy sources and devices.

Jon Salomon, Manager, Maintenance and Engineering, South Gate, California Floor Plant. In 2008, Jon was charged with reducing our compressed air energy use and landfill waste at our South Gate, California plant by implementing the 3Rs - reduce, reuse, recycle. As a result of his work, the plant is:

• saving energy equal to powering 45 homes annually;
• recycling 20% more in 2009 than 2008 which is equal to what 187 people combined recycle annually;
• reducing hazardous waste 31%, by analyzing, filtering and then re-using machinery oil;
• reusing scrap product and dust and recycling trash to the tune of 187 tons total diverted from the landfill -- the equivalent to the garbage 232 people generate in a year.

This year, he is leading a team that will reduce water use by over one million gallons annually.

At home, his family upgraded to Energy Star appliances and added a solar attic fan to better manage their energy consumption. Jon added, “Routinely, we avoid using our HVAC and use small fans for cooling, instead. In winter, we layer on clothes to keep warm. Overall, we make a conscious effort to turn lights off, use less water, recycle whatever we can and try to remember to bring bags with us to the store.”

Starting in 2003, Wright-Patterson Airforce Base has recycled over one million square feet of old ceiling tiles through Armstrong’s Ceiling Recycling Program. Ceiling recycling is now standard procedure for all renovation and demolition projects at the base. 

According to Martin Nicodemus of the base’s Environmental Management Division, “Recycling is a major part of our program -- it saves valuable landfill space and the old ceilings are used to manufacture new ceilings, so fewer natural resources are required during production. From an economic point of view, recycling can be less costly than dumping, because it eliminates tipping fees, dumpster costs, and the expense of transporting the tiles to the landfill.”

As part of ongoing renovations for its corporate offices in New York City, Pfizer, the world's largest research-based biomedical and pharmaceutical company, recycled nearly two million square feet of ceiling tiles in 2008 through the Armstrong’s Ceiling Recycling Program. That’s almost 950 tons of waste that found a second life as raw materials for new acoustical ceiling tiles. Recycling old ceilings, which can help contribute to LEED^® credits, proves to be nearly as fast, and often less expensive, than the cost of handling, transportation, container and landfill fees for the materials. So our program has little, if any, adverse impact on a renovation project’s schedule and bottom line.

Perkins+Will wanted to deliver the creativity, sustainability and high-performance Kemira was looking for in a floor. Our new MIGRATIONS® BioBased Tile® (BBT®) flooring fit the bill. MIGRATIONS flooring is considered a “green” product because it’s made with BioStride®, a polymer that contains rapidly renewable ingredients, and 10 percent recycled material.

The firm is very environmentally conscious, and because MIGRATIONS® performs above and beyond standard composition tile, it was the right choice.

In keeping with our business strategy to make sustainable products, John, Ken and Kevin set out to develop a no added formaldehyde ceilings backcoat for our Cirrus® and Fine Fissured™ ceiling products manufactured in Beaver Falls, Pa.  The three, along with the many plant employees, completed this ambitious effort from feasibility study to market launch in under one year. These products now successfully meet the Collaborative of High Performance Schools (CHPS) specifications for classroom environments.

John led the project effort as project manager and lead scientist.
Ken was the prime Exploratory Coatings technical contact.
Kevin provided key technical support.

In 2007, we began a companywide effort to benchmark Armstrong in four focus areas that align with our manufacturing footprint – energy and greenhouse gases, water and forest management.  André was charged with leading the energy “network” at three Armstrong facilities in Europe that make mineral wool for our ceilings products — Team Valley, UK; Muenster, Germany; and Pontarlier, France. 

André’s energy work continues to move us closer to achieving our goal of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions 10 percent by 2015.  He credits key partners Dave Bright at Team Valley; Karsten Schultz at Muenster; Nathaniel Jeanpeiti at Pontarlier; and our technology group in Lancaster, Pa.

In just under a year, the Team Valley plant has reduced by gas consumption per square meter of produced material by two percent; Muenster by almost six percent and Pontarlier by four percent.  The Pontarlier plant reduction alone equals the amount of energy used to heat 15 homes (at approximately 150 square meters or 1,600 square feet per home) for 29 years. 

How did André and his European energy network do it?  By maintaining a consistent and optimal manufacturing process, upgrading to more energy-efficient equipment and improving insulation.

On a personal note, André is buying a new car now and is being coached by his two boys to “pick a car with low CO₂ emissions and low gas consumption!”  He brings newspapers and catalogues from home to the Pontarlier plant to be pulped andrecycled.

Jeff started to ride his bicycle to work in the 1970s because his car chugged along at 16 miles to the gallon, and there were widespread gas shortages.  The gas spike in 2008 sent Jeff hunting the Internet for info on converting a mountain bike to an electric bike.  With $400 and a couple of hours, he was e-biking.  It took him 15 minutes to get to work. He filled his gas tank once a month and put fewer miles on his car.  His 15-year-old used it to get to places Jeff would have had to drive him to before.  Jeff was featured on a local Lancaster TV station.

Life was good. But the urge to tinker struck again.  Why not convert a motorcycle to run on batteries and get around even faster? 

In just two months, Jeff got it done. Now he zips about on his e-motorcycle – an electric Kawasaki 750cc Ninja that does 60 mph for about 20 miles on a single charge. It plugs into a standard 110v home outlet through the gas cap.  Ingenious!

Jeff’s plan is to upgrade from six military grade AGM 12 volt batteries, about $1,200, to lithium cells, about $4,500, for more speed (80 mph) and longer charge (60 miles).

Jeff's resources [read more]

Rob's focus on wise use of resources has helped to drive remarkable results at our Thomastown flooring plant. The Thomastown plant has cut water usage 33% and reduced gross greenhouse emissions by 16% despite production increases.  In 2008 alone, Thomastown diverted 12,200 kg of waste from the local landfill.

Following Thomastown’s example, our other flooring plant in Braeside, Australia, reduced water consumption by 30% in 2008 and projects annual average reductions of 45% starting in 2009.   In addition, Braeside is implementing energy/greenhouse gas emissions and waste reduction plans. 

Both plants use motion sensor lighting to control energy and employ air loss/pressure reduction tactics in manufacturing. 

These efforts by Rob and teams at both plants led to recognition by government and industry, including the Keep Australia Beautiful - Sustainable Cities Litter & Waste Management Award in 2006 Zero Waste Award in 2007, the Greenhouse Challenge Award Plus 2007 and Armstrong's induction into the Victorian Manufacturers Hall of Fame in 2008. Both have International Standards Organization (ISO) 14001 accreditation for world-class environmental management practices.

Anita is both internal advocate and external spokesperson for our sustainability initiatives. One of our most important ceiling initiatives is the Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program. Anita has been driving the growth of this program, expanding it year over year since its inception in 1999. Most recently, she led a team effort to develop our ceiling tile consolidation network, so we can pick up smaller quantities of ceiling tiles from job sites and consolidate regionally, instead of waiting to fill a full truckload.

Recycling smaller quantities of ceiling tiles helps everybody:

• Contractors get a tidier, more efficient, site and
• Armstrong gets more material to make ceiling product with even higher post-consumer recycled content.

Armstrong has recycled over 80 million square feet, or 40,000 tons, of ceiling tiles that would otherwise go to landfills.

Click here to see the Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program on TV.

Other feathers in Anita’s environmental cap:

• She helped drive USGBC LEED - Existing Building Platinum certification for Armstrong’s Corporate Headquarters Building 701 in Lancaster, Pa., the first commercial building to be LEED-EB certified in Pennsylvania.
• She conducts industry outreach at trade shows like Greenbuild and NeoCon and green building continuing education unit (CEU) courses.
• She’s active in our local Central Pennsylvania Green Building Chapter and serves as a Green Schools advocate to promote USGBC’s vision.
• She is a LEED accredited professional. Anita created Armstrong university sessions on sustainability and drove the creation of Green Genie, Armstrong ceilings’ online tool for LEED calculation.
• She and her husband have breathed new life into a circa 1900 Victorian home in Columbia, Pa. by improving its energy efficiency: new windows, insulation/envelope improvements, and updated HVAC operations. Their property’s old cistern captures rainwater from the gutters for outside water needs.

Chelsea has made environmental education for her architect and interior designer customers, as well as students pursuing those disciplines, a priority. She’s taught sessions for:

• Interior Design students at Vancouver Community College and Kwantlen Polytechnic University about “thinking sustainable;
• Regional flooring distributors about the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

Chelsea’s most important message? “There is no one perfect green solution. Every project has its own goals and challenges and it’s the responsibility of the project team to balance design, function and cost all the while making every effort to leave the smallest environmental foot print possible.”

She adds, “It’s important for design students to be tuned in to how sustainability is playing a role in their chosen field, and how committed Armstrong is to offering a selection of products and services that fulfill a sustainable green building effort. I want these students to understand the value manufacturers can bring to their projects. As a representative of Armstrong, I am a resource for them as they pursue their profession just as I’m a resource for our existing distributor and retail customers. Bottom line, our industry partners, both existing and future ones, want to know we’re doing the right thing when it comes to the environment and that we have the products lines and tools to help them do the right thing too.”

Chelsea embraces sustainability in her personal life too:

• She drives a small, fuel-efficient car.
• She recycles all paper, plastic, metal and cardboard at home and at her home office.
• She manages her heating by using heavier bedding and wearing lots of sweaters.
• She recently renovated her home using low VOC paint; high-recycled content commercial carpet tile. that is CRI Green Label Plus-certified; and lighting with occupancy sensors.

Dave’s work to improve Building 701’s energy use includes:

• Achieving $43,000 savings in energy costs annually;
• Attaining a 60% recycling rate for office waste;
• Implementing green cleaning techniques for all campus buildings that save thousands of dollars per year and improve indoor air quality;
• Installing water saving appliances that save 380,000 gallons of water per year;
• Establishing carbon dioxide monitoring to ensure adequate airflow in occupied building areas.

Life Cycle Assessment
Amy Costello, Senior Environmental Scientist

Amy’s work is all about influencing the green building industry to use scientifically valid, accurate and transparent techniques to understand and measure the environmental impact of products and buildings called “life cycle assessment.” Her field is experiencing a period of real positive change and growth.

In 2009, Amy was appointed to the United States Green Building Council‘s (USGBC) Materials and Resources Technical Advisory Group, a small group of experts who develop and practically apply the science of USGBC’s LEED Rating System thereby ultimately determining its future.

She has also been instrumental in bringing the methods of life cycle assessment into practical applications and standards as chair of Product Communication work group for the ASTM International (previously American Society for the American Society for Testing and Materials) Sustainability Committee – E60.

Her work is paving the way for the greener products and buildings that will be part of our lives for decades to come.

Amy said, “People are demanding products that have less negative environmental impacts. The challenge is standards do not exist that help people select products based on environmental attributes.  Unlike food labels where you can compare product A to product B, and select the product with the lowest fat or sugar content, you can’t easily compare building products and select the one with the lowest carbon footprint.  The standards that I am working on will help people make those kinds of comparisons and choose products that are best for them.  As an environmentalist I want to leave the world better than I found it, and I am fortunate my job gives the opportunity to do just that.”