Recently in CHPS - California school materials Category

California has approved the most stringent, environmentally-friendly building code in the United States that will apply to new commercial buildings, hospitals, schools, shopping malls and homes. The new code, called "CAL Green"  which won a unanimous vote by the California Building Standards Commission, will take effect in January 2011.

CAL Green codes require builders to install plumbing that cuts indoor water use, divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills to recycling, use low-pollutant materials, and install separate water meters for different uses in nonresidential buildings.

CAL Green code also requires energy system inspections by local officials to ensure that heaters, air conditioners and other mechanical equipment in nonresidential buildings are working efficiently.

Property owners can also label their facilities as CAL Green compliant, once they pass state building inspection, without the additional cost of third-party certification programs. The mandatory CAL Green provisions will be inspected and verified by local and state building departments.

However, the regulations were opposed by several private organizations that offer construction rating systems, including the U.S. Green Building Council, which said it could result in confusion for builders, local governments and the public, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

More than 40 California cities have some form of green building ordinances.

"The code will help us meet our goals of curbing global warming and achieving 33 percent renewable energy by 2020 and promotes the development of more sustainable communities by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency in every new home, office building or public structure," stated Governor Schwarzenegger in a press release.

CAL Green from California Building Standards Commission: 

• California Building Standards Green Code
• SB1473 Building Standards Administration Special Revolving Fund
• Education & Outreach
• Green Building Standards Bulletin - BSB 08-02

(The CHPS Product Database is currently in beta phase.)

The population of the database with sustainable products will be an ongoing effort, so check back  to search for products that will help you identify and select sustainable and healthy products for your next high-performance construction project.

The Collaborative for High Performance Schools expects the database to be sufficiently populated for public release shortly and will be promoted with the help of the project's partners:

• Collaborative for High Performance Schools,
• US Environmental Protection Agency
• California Integrated Waste Management Board.

CHPS is expanding the existing and popular CHPS low-emitting materials table to the format of a searchable database to include other products with sustainable and healthy attributes.

https://www.chpsregistry.com/live/

California's Integrated Waste Management Board helps businesses list their recycled content products. 

Businesses need to certify in writing to the contracting officer or his or her representative the minimum percentage, if not exact percentage, of postconsumer material in the products, materials, goods, or supplies offered or sold to the state regardless of whether the product meets the minimum content requirements specified in law (see back for minimum content requirements).

The certification shall be furnished under penalty of perjury. The certification shall be provided regardless of content, even if the product contains no recycled material.

A state agency may waive the certification requirement if the percentage of postconsumer material in the products, materials, goods, or supplies can be verified in a written advertisement, including, but not limited to, a product label, a catalog, or a manufacturer or vendor internet web site.

Businesses must certify that these environmental claims for recycled content regarding specific products are consistent with the Federal Trade Commission's Environmental Marketing Guidelines in accordance with PCC 12404.

Postconsumer material comes from products that were bought by consumers, used, then recycled. For example: a newspaper that has been purchased and read, next recycled, and then used to make another product would be postconsumer material.

If the product does not fit into any of the product categories, enter "N/A." Common N/A products include wood products, natural textiles, aggregate, concrete, electronics such as computers, TV, software on a disk or CD, telephone

Product category refers to one of the product categories listed below, into which the reportable purchase falls. For products made from multiple materials, choose the category that comprises most of the product by weight, or volume.

For reuse or refurbished products, there is no minimum content requirements

Product Categories  and their minimum content requirement  

1 Paper Products - Recycled 30 percent postconsumer fiber, by fiber weight

2 Printing and Writing - Recycled 30 percent postconsumer fiber, by fiber weight
 
3 Compost, Co-compost, and Mulch - Recycled 80 percent recovered materials. i.e., material that would otherwise be normally disposed of in a landfill  
 
4 Glass - Recycled 10 percent postconsumer, by weight

5 Rerefined Lubricating Oil - Recycled 70 percent re-refined base oil

6a Plastic - Recycled 10 percent postconsumer, by weight

6b Printer or duplication cartridges a. Have 10 percent postconsumer material, or
b. Are purchased as remanufactured, or 
c. Are backed by a vendor-offered program that will take back the printer cartridges after their useful life and ensure that the cartridges are recycled and comply with the definition of recycled as set forth in Section 12156 of the Public Contract Code.  

7 Paint - Recycled 50 percent postconsumer paint (exceptions when 50 % postconsumer content is not available or is restricted by a local air quality management district, then 10% postconsumer content may be substituted)

8 Antifreeze - Recycled 70 percent postconsumer material

9 Retreated Tires - Recycled Use existing casing that has undergone retreading or recapping
process in accordance with Public Resource Code (commencing with section 42400). 

10 Tire- Derived - Recycled 50 percent postconsumer tires

11 Metals - Recycled 10 percent postconsumer, by weight

For additional information visit www.ciwmb.ca.gov/BuyRecycled/

Find the registration forms at chps's website