As concerns for sustainability and the environment approach an all-time high, there is no shortage of TCNA and TCNA member involvement in the green building community. From its “Tile – The Natural Choice” campaign to its involvement in green building standards committees, to its environmental product standardization efforts, the TCNA Green Initiative is in full swing.

According to Bill Griese, TCNA standards development and green initiative manager, many of TCNA’s Green Initiative endeavors are coming to fruition. “We are pleased to announce the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently acknowledged the positive impact of tile installations on indoor air quality by issuing an addendum to LEED 2009, which exempts ceramic tile from VOC testing in IEQ Credit 4.3,” stated Mr. Griese.

In addition to being an active USGBC member and participant in several LEED committees, Tile Council has been active in the ASTM E60 Committee on Sustainability since its inception. TCNA also participated in the creation of the first draft of the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) as a participant in the indoor air quality working group and voting member of the materials and resources working group. “We are excited about the direction many of these green building standardization projects are headed, and we take pride in our tile industry representation and the traction we have gained in these efforts,” Mr. Griese added.

Through its collaboration with international tile associations, Tile Council is working to make its “Tile – The Natural Choice” campaign a global effort. “These are exciting times at TCNA,” stated TCNA Executive Director, Eric Astrachan. “With the launching of TileTheNaturalChoice.com and the incredible support of our members, the TCNA Green Initiative will continue to move ahead at full-speed.”