IceStone Achieves Prestigious Gold Level Certification

IceStone is the first and only surface manufacturer to receive the prestigious Gold Level, Cradle to Cradle certification.  Given by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MDBC), this certification shows that IceStone's company and products have passed stringent manufacturing standards that measure toxic ingredients, emissions levels, water and energy usage, renewable investments, on-going data collection systems and recyclability, as well as code of corporate ethics and labor standards.

With this achievement, IceStone has set the standard as a model 21^st century green building business - one that calls for stringent adherence to a code of compliance for products, an ethic of social responsibility to employees, and a long term commitment to the health and sustainability of the planet.

IceStone's Architectural & Green Specifications Available Through ARCAT

ARCAT is a web-based directory that provides information on building materials for architects, spec writers, engineers and contractors. ARCAT provides complete CSI 3-part architectural specification that can easily be downloaded into a variety of formats, customized for your residential or commercial project, and included in your master spec for future use. 

IceStone's green specification clearly identifies its LEED data, points for Materials & Resources and Innovative & Design Process categories, and Cradle to Cradle Gold certification.

IceStone Receives 2009 GREEN LOG Award

The GREEN LOG Home Awards were created by PrecisionCraft Log Homes to shine a spotlight on innovative green building solutions. Winners of the GREEN LOG Awards exhibit the kind of products and services that will catapult the building industry into the future. Winners were selected based on innovation, effect on the environment, integration, and enhancement to the home. IceStone was selected based on its friendly manufacturing process, and for its efforts in diverting over 10 million bottles from landfills in the last year.

U.S. Demand for Green Building Materials on the Rise

Trends from several independent research studies show growth in the green building segment as follows:

• 75% of commercial real estate executives - developers, building owners, brokers, architects and engineers - say the credit crunch will not discourage them from building green.  (Green Building Barometer, Turner Construction, 2008)
• 83% said they would be "extremely" or "very" likely to seek LEED certification for buildings they are planning to build within the next three years
• 70% of homebuyers are more inclined to buy a green home over a conventional home in a down housing market (McGraw-Hill Construction's 2008 SmartMarket Report)
• More than 80% of commercial building owners have allocated funds to green initiatives this year, according to "2008 Green Survey: Existing Buildings," a survey jointly funded by Incisive Media's Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com, and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
• LEED-certified projects are directly tied to more than $10 billion of green materials, according to a Greener World Media study on green building. That could reach more than $100 billion by 2020, contributing to an industry that could drive an economic recovery.

IceStone's made-in-the-USA and Cradle to Cradle Gold Certification will enable architects, designers, and fabricators to take advantage of these green growth trends.