By Jennifer Evans
Madison Magazine
Special To Channel 3000

In Madison, where only six months ago Mayor Dave Cieslewicz kicked off the citywide MPower campaign to reduce CO2 emissions by 100,000 tons by 2011, big-picture solutions to reduce global warming can't come fast enough.

Josh Arnold, member of the board of directors of the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance, said building or retrofitting an office space to be more "green" provides a major opportunity to reduce Madison's carbon footprint, while improving the workplace environment and maximizing a company's financial, social and environmental gains.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council, buildings in the United States represent 65 percent of the country's electricity consumption, 36 percent of its energy use and 30 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to guzzling energy and pumping out carbon dioxide, Arnold said buildings have a major impact on the quality of public life.

"People spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors," Arnold said. "There are huge opportunities for businesses to build energy-efficient buildings that contribute to a healthy indoor environment."

Thanks to the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system -- a tool for assessing a building's level of sustainability, indoor environmental quality, materials, water efficiency and design -- businesses interested in "going green" don't have to look far for ways to build or retrofit offices.

New and existing buildings can apply for LEED certification, where a third-party member will rate and verify the operation of a building according to its green features, such as high quality of air and amount of natural light.

Arnold said studies show increased access to properly managed daylight in offices and schools correlates with higher levels of employee productivity and student performance. Another way to improve quality of life is by reducing the amount of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, typically found in paints and finishes.

"Studies show if you eliminate the use of VOCs, you reduce the amount of sick and personal days used by employees," Arnold said.

Changes Afoot

For Majid Sarmadi, a UW-Madison textile chemist and professor of design studies, it's his concern for the future health of the earth and its inhabitants that serve to drive his research.

Sarmadi recently developed a new set of standards to push the carpet industry to make more environmentally-friendly and sustainable products. With an $85 million dollar bid from the Los Angeles Community College District on the line, Samardi helped find a carpet manufacturer willing to follow his suggestions for reducing the carbon footprint and pollution of carpet production.

"We know some of the changes are available but (previously) the carpet industry had no incentive to change," Sarmadi said. "When California put $85 million behind the purchase, I knew this was the time to use force to (provoke) change."

Some of Sarmadi's specifications for improving the industry involve eliminating VOCs, making the dying and drying process more energy-efficient and ensuring carpet is one 100 percent recyclable and more durable.

"For commercial businesses, any time you have to replace the carpet, hundreds of workers are disrupted," Sarmadi said. "Everyone pays for it. Companies have to pay for the landfill, for increased health care if workers get sick (from indoor air pollution) … it has ripple effects."

Sarmadi hopes his new standards will help to continue to push the carpeting industry in the direction of sustainability, and help improve consumer awareness about environmentally-friendly carpets. Sarmadi said UW-Madison has expressed interest in using green carpets in new buildings on campus.

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