First there was the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) vs. CALGREEN (California Green Building Code) tussle - now we have the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) vs. the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) tussle about who certifies the greenest wood.
It all stems from the fact that to achieve LEED Certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), a project needs to earn a pre-defined number of "credits", some of which may be earned in the category of Materials and Resources. At this time, the only wood products eligible under the current process is wood that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The folks at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), think this is a bit "narrow", and would like the USGBC to open the process up to other "forestry certification systems". Of course the FSC believes this would weaken the overall certification process, remarking that "all certification systems are not created equal".
In the end, it is clear that the sustainability industry loves acronyms, and arguing. The bottom line is that the more complex, difficult, and expensive, the industry makes it to achieve "sustainability certification", the less likely people are to pursue it. Can't we all just get along...
It all stems from the fact that to achieve LEED Certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), a project needs to earn a pre-defined number of "credits", some of which may be earned in the category of Materials and Resources. At this time, the only wood products eligible under the current process is wood that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The folks at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), think this is a bit "narrow", and would like the USGBC to open the process up to other "forestry certification systems". Of course the FSC believes this would weaken the overall certification process, remarking that "all certification systems are not created equal".
In the end, it is clear that the sustainability industry loves acronyms, and arguing. The bottom line is that the more complex, difficult, and expensive, the industry makes it to achieve "sustainability certification", the less likely people are to pursue it. Can't we all just get along...
