[Green Pest Management] Builders Go Green

The world of “green” has blossomed in the past few years. Nearly 40 percent of Americans surveyed said that they are more aware of the environment and environmental issues than just two years ago. Thanks to the advertising arms of consumer goods companies, “green” has become not just a good idea but to an extent, a “social duty.”

Building “green” has also evolved into a niche market for some builders. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is expecting that for 2009, there will be only about 35 percent of the number of housing starts compared to 2005. Builders, as with any market sector this year, will need to be resourceful. While green building wasn’t started in order to shore up the market, green building might help buoy the housing market with customers asking for high-ticket niche green building. NAHB has developed optional Green Building Standards that were approved earlier this year by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Just as with “green” pest management, builders can implement their own brand of green and use products based on their judgment rather than any bona fide green product credential; however, NAHB will market their standards to the consumer so there will be pressure on builders to use NAHB’s standards.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program assigns optional points to obtain a LEED rating. Pest management provisions in this program are primarily tied to existing commercial construction/building maintenance. While LEED is generally for commercial structures, builders can still set their own criteria for non-LEED buildings. (Editor’s note: Since the focus of this article is residential construction, LEED is mentioned just for illustration.)

The Great Debate. Open any home section of a newspaper, walk through a building supply store or browse construction materials Web sites, and green products are mentioned with great enthusiasm. Similar to green pest management, to date there is much activity about green building but green is a miniscule part of the market. As with pest management, this market niche is bound to grow. As a general philosophy, “green” building and the accompanying materials can be defined as those that meet one or more of the following “tests”:

• Energy efficient
• Sustainable
• Renewable
• Low carbon footprint

In examining the list, one can see that some of these may result in contradictions. For example, if there is an insulation material that is extremely energy efficient, but it is made with petrochemicals and takes huge amounts of energy to produce the material, the manufacturer might still call it green simply due to energy efficiency. It certainly does not meet the definition of renewable or even low carbon footprint, however. Since consumer opinions dictate the priority, energy efficiency might then be overshadowed if one looks at the process scientifically. The debate regarding this paradox rages on among various factions in the building industry.

For now, if a builder can justify products designated by the manufacturer as green regardless of data, these products are considered “green” and may consequently lead to an entire structure being designated green even if it is only in the eyes of the builder or buyer. At the same time, builders commonly set their own standards for building “green” and take these seriously, so just because a builder doesn’t follow NAHB’s (or some other group’s) standards doesn’t mean that the building project cannot be defended as green. This also parallels the pest management industry’s position.

Exterior. Exterior cladding is one of the best areas for builders to produce energy-efficiency results. Today’s cladding — ranging from insulation to preformed walls — greatly contributes to a builder’s energy efficiency goals. Energy efficiency is the key phrase and seems to eclipse any attempt to ensure sustainability, renewable resources, or lowering the carbon footprint. Energy efficiency probably is the only easily measurable attribute of the four “green” tests.

Some petrochemical-based products continue to advertise the “green” advantages. Some styrenes, used in the energy-efficient insulating materials, may contain benzene and pentane in manufacturing…hardly green if you asked the average homeowner. These products are encouraged by officials due to energy efficiency. Many generally recognized green products are made of combinations of cotton, mineral wool and cellulose. While the processing of these products might not really be green, since the main components meet several of the four tests, they might be considered green. This pattern of energy efficiency trumping the other “tests” might change as media reports of land abuse might bring sustainability and even carbon footprint criteria to the top of the list. Consider hybrid cars: these vehicles are energy efficient but no other part of the engineering is green. In fact, replacement of batteries and disposal issues suggest that these are much less green than originally thought.
Some green building technologies can be disastrous for pest management. One technology that should certainly receive the Darwin Award strictly from a pest management perspective is the “green roof.” This system affords temperature control and insulation characteristics by planting a flat roof with dense plants or grasses. It is a pest management nightmare with pests from rats to termites finding these areas hospitable, thus making control very difficult.

Interior. The interior world of a structure further complicates the world of green. Not surprising, energy efficiency is still firmly in first place on the priority list, although dropping fuel prices might shift the spotlight away from energy efficiency. As a priority, builders are looking at materials that do not negatively affect indoor air.

Builders and their customers often will shop for carpets that have limited or no off gassing (volatiles from the manufacturing process passing into the home air). The issue of clean indoor air is more important since houses are being built “tight” so that there are minimal leaks of outside air to flush out any indoor air pollutants. This is also why low volatile paints and varnishes have become so popular. Thanks in part to television home improvement shows that have evolved into more infomercial than education, the consumer is asking for products by name.

After energy efficiency and off gassing (which affects the carbon footprint criteria), the material choices shift towards products that are renewable and sustainable. Appealing to the buyer, flooring from renewable supplies such as bamboo and paints with minimal volatile organic compounds are this year’s products of choice.

What We Need to Do. Professionals should keep informed of new technologies and developments in the green building realm. Since the building materials market is so huge, developments occur nearly daily. Technicians must recognize technologies that will affect their pest management services. From “green” roofs to insulating forms, the “green” world is here to stay and integrating this market sector into our training is imperative to guarantee our success as pest management professionals.

The author is vice president of technical services for the National Pest Management Association. He can be reached at gbaumann@giemedia.com.