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CSI Introduces ‘GreenFormat’

Monday, December 15, 2008

The Construction Specifications Institute formally introduced GreenFormat™ (www.greenformat.com) at the U.S. Green Building Council’s recent Greenbuild Conference and Expo in Boston. CSI demonstrated the web-based database of green-product information and reported interest among manufacturers, designers, and specifiers and other construction professionals who make product choices in construction.

GreenFormat is a new CSI format that provides a standardized framework for identifying the sustainable properties of building products. The free, web-based search tool offers an unbiased approach to evaluating green-product information, and is organized by MasterFormat divisions, the institute said.

The requirements of the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ are among the standards referenced within GreenFormat’s search capabilities. GreenFormat was developed in collaboration with CSI member specifiers, product manufacturers, BuildingGreen Inc., and the Charles Pankow Foundation.

CSI is offering manufacturers a free one-year subscription of product listings on GreenFormat for a limited time.To enter products into the database, building-product manufacturers complete an online questionnaire that collects sustainable information about their products. Sustainability claims are verified by relating questions to compliance with standards and certifications. Information is then displayed in a standardized manner; product listings are organized by MasterFormat divisions in a spec-friendly layout.

The format's categories focus on topics that are important to design and product selection decisions, CSI said.

“We developed GreenFormat to address the need for consistently and concisely structured information about product sustainability, to help those searching for the right product,” said Roger Grant, CSI director, technical services and development. “As we strive to refine the database and its functionality we ask for comments and feedback from the industry.”

More information and free listings are available on the website located at www.greenformat.com. Questions can be submitted by sending e-mail messages to greenformat@csinet.org.