Green Building Resources Directory
A large and thriving industry has sprung up in the past several years, providing information, products, and services relating to green building.
Rather than recreate the excellent work that is being done in the field of green building, we are simply providing a directory to some of the many
resources and materials available. We hope this directory will help your school invest in healthier, more sustainable buildings, be it small
purchases such as carpet, paint, or lighting or entire infrastructure replacements, remodels and repairs.
Disclaimer: Listing in this Directory should not be construed as a recommendation or endorsement by Green Schools Initiative or any of its
supporters or partners. GSI is providing this information as a public service to promote the use of greener practices and products. Listings in this
Directory are based on information obtained from the product manufacturer, supplier, or service provider in question. The information obtained
from these sources has not been independently verified Green Schools Initiative. GSI provides no warranty or guarantee of product
performance, price, or availability.
Green Building Resources Directory
Building design & Materials Information
Organization / Document
Type of Information
Website
U.S. Green Building Council for
Information on what green building is, rationale for green
http://www.buildgreenschools.org/
Schools
building for schools, resources for LEED certification,
education links, and much more.
Collaborative for High
CHPS is a green building rating program aimed at
www.chps.net
Performance Schools (CHPS)
designing learning environments that are energy efficient,
healthy, comfortable, well lit, and conducive to a quality
education. Comprehensive resources for creating a “high
performance” school, including manuals on best practices,
financing, training and other events, and monitoring
performance, database of low-emitting materials.
Build It Green
Professional non-profit membership organization whose
www.builditgreen.org
mission is to promote healthy, energy and resourceefficient buildings in California. Website contains
information for both green builders and consumers,
including directories of green products and building
professionals, fact sheets, case studies, and directories.
Pharos Project
Wiki website with framework for assessing the health,
www.pharosproject.net
environmental, and social impacts of building materials, as
well as some product lists.
iGreenBuild.com
iGreenBuild.com has a powerful search engine, thousands http://www.igreenbuild.com/default.aspx
of articles, videos, a Buyers Guide with listings of
ecologically friendly product and service providers and
expert editorial provided by the site’s popular Green
Project Frog
Modular Building Institute
National Clearinghouse for
Educationnal Facilities
Green Seal Certified building
components
Green Guard general construction
materials
Environmental Choice certified
building & construction materials
& products
Organization / Document
Green Building Initiative
(Executive Order S-20-04) and
Green Building Action Plan
Environmental Choice electricity
Energy Star
Syndicated Columnists.
Green Portables and Modular Buildings
Green modular school buildings that are healthy, quick,
and cost-effective.
Information about sustainable modular buildings, example
of Triumph Leasing and NRB Inc.
List of links and resources for healthy, green modular
buildings
Building components certification
Doors and windows
Criteria for certification of low-emitting construction
materials; link to certified products
Broad range of building materials certified under a number
of criteria; see website for details
http://www.projectfrog.com/
http://www.mbinet.org/htmlPage.aspx?HtmlPa
geId=410
http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/portable.cfm
http://www.greenseal.org/findaproduct/index.cf
m#windows
Main page: http://www.greenguard.org/
Product search page:
http://www.greenguard.org/Default.aspx?tabid
=12
http://www.environmentalchoice.com/English/
ECP%20Home/Products%20&%20Criteria/Bui
lding%20&%20Construction%20Related/Gene
ral%20Building%20&%20Construction%20Mat
erials%20and%20Products
Energy – products, information, & certification
Type of Information
Website
This initiative calls for public buildings to be 20 percent
General:
more energy efficient by 2015 and encourages the private http://www.green.ca.gov/GreenBuildings/defau
sector to do the same. The website has information on
lt.htm
implementation of the initiative in schools as well as links
to environmentally preferable purchasing, which is
School-specific:
required of state Government offices
http://www.green.ca.gov/InfoSchools.htm
Criteria for certification of power sources and
http://www.environmentalchoice.com/English/
technologies; links to companies certified in this area
ECP%20Home/Products%20&%20Criteria/Ele
ctricity%20Products/Overview
A joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=about.
Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that provides
ab_index
energy efficient products and practices.
Paint – products, information, & certification
Organization / Document
Healthy Building Network
New American Dream
Green Seal – Choose Green
Report
Green Seal
Green Guard certified paints
Environmental Choice paints
Organization / Document
EPA Energy Star
Toolbase Services
Zero Mercury Campaign, Green
Purchasing Institute presentation
Organization / Document
Computer TakeBack Campaign
Type of Information
List of paints with information about VOCs, certification,
and colors and types available, paints with total VOCs less
than 20 g/l
Information on health hazards associated with paint and
links to a ‘green guide’ to paints, institutional paint
purchasing, and recommendations for paint sources.
This report lists the basics of selecting paints, including
recommended VOC levels, harmful ingredients, and tips
on disposal. Companies and types of paint also listed
List of paints certified by Green Seal based on
environmental and health effects
Criteria for certification for low-emitting paints and
coatings; link to certified products
Website
http://www.healthybuilding.net/healthcare/LowVOC-Paint-Listing.pdf
http://www.newdream.org/consumer/paint.php
http://www.doi.gov/oepc/reports/cgr_paints.pdf
http://www.greenseal.org/findaproduct/index.cf
m#paints
Main page: http://www.greenguard.org/
Product search page:
http://www.greenguard.org/Default.aspx?tabid
=12
Criteria for certification; link to companies certified in this
http://www.environmentalchoice.com/English/
area
ECP%20Home/Products%20&%20Criteria/Bui
lding%20&%20Construction%20Related/Paint
s,%20Finishing%20&%20Treating%20Product
s
Lighting – products, information, & certification
Type of Information
Website
Information about energy efficient lighting and list of
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=lightin
certified energy star lighting products
g.pr_lighting
Information about LED Lights, costs/benefits
http://www.toolbase.org/TechnologyInventory/Electrical-Electronics/white-LEDlighting
Presentation on Mercury-free lighting options, LED lighting zeromercury.org/EU_developments/LEDsand
OtherMercury-freeTechnologiesGPI.pdf
Computers – purchasing and disposal
Type of Information
Website
Information on electronic waste and recycling; link to
General:
guidelines on computer purchasing guidelines established http://www.computertakeback.com/
by the University of California
Purchasing Guidelines:
EPEAT (Electronic Product
Environmental Assessment Tool)
Organization / Document
Collaborative for High
Performance Schools (CPHS)
Department of General ServicesCA
http://www.computertakeback.com/procureme
nt/index.cfm
http://www.epeat.net/
Information to help purchasers in the public and private
sectors evaluate, compare and select desktop computers,
notebooks and monitors based on their environmental
attributes.
Carpet / Flooring – products, information, & certification
Type of Information
Website
Lists of low-emitting flooring materials
http://www.chps.net/manual/lem_table.htm
Information on the California Gold Sustainable Carpet
Standard and what to look for in green carpets
http://www.green.ca.gov/EPP/building/carpet.htm#
CAgold
Green Guard certified flooring
Criteria for certification of low-emitting flooring; link to
certified products
Environmental Choice flooring
Criteria for certification of flooring and carpet; links to
companies certified in this area
Green Guardian
Lists of where to buy green and high-recycled content
carpets
Lists of where to buy green and high-recycled content
carpets
Main page: http://www.greenguard.org/
Product search page:
http://www.greenguard.org/Default.aspx?tabid
=12
http://www.environmentalchoice.com/English/
ECP%20Home/Products%20&%20Criteria/Bui
lding%20&%20Construction%20Related/Floori
ng%20Products
http://www.greenguardian.org
Co-op America
Inform – Carpet Take Back
Information about how to recycle used carpets, proper
disposal, carpet purchasing and bid specifications
Solar Resources
Coming soon…
Water Efficient Appliances
(http://www.coopamerica.org/tools/print.cfm?p
age=/pubs/realmoney/articles/flooring.cfm )
http://www.informinc.org/fact_CWPcarpet.php
Coming soon…