Collaborative effort looks to promote green building in West Virginia, Upper Appalachia

The program is being funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.

ASPN will equip Upper Appalachia to meet increasing residential and commercial sector demand for the products and materials used to construct, renovate, maintain and operate healthy, energy-efficient buildings and infrastructure and connect buildings to a cleaner grid, according to a press release from the organization.

To this end, ASPN is inviting regional manufacturers to participate in a no cost Life Cycle Assessment of their products.

The LCAs, which measure environmental impact by considering the entire life cycle of a product from raw material extraction to disposal, will be conducted by GBA at no cost to participating manufacturers.

“By strengthening the reliability and growing the scope of the region’s manufacturing supply chain in sustainable building products, the Appalachian Sustainable Products Network will contribute to the regeneration of Upper Appalachia as it transitions from the extractive industries that once fueled its economy,” said Jenna Cramer, president and CEO of the Green Building Alliance. “We invite all those engaged in the regional economy to join in or access the upcoming webinar to learn more about the project, the market study and ecosystem mapping process, and the product Life Cycle Assessment Pilot.”

LCAs typically require up to six months of engagement, but close collaboration with the GBA team will enable engagement with manufacturers to be completed within one- to two-person weeks of effort on the part of the manufacturer, according to the release.

The initial LCA pilot will take place between April and June.

“By engaging in a Life Cycle Assessment, manufacturers can identify opportunities to optimize resource efficiency, reduce waste, and make informed decisions regarding product design and supply chain management,” said Greg Norris, GBA vice president of Life Cycle Sustainability. “These studies will be for internal use by the manufacturers and should provide major and actionable insights.

“Each could also be later extended to support communications or certifications that open up new market opportunities, particularly in the buildings and construction industry where demand for energy efficient, reliable and green design is growing rapidly. Most significantly, this is a quantitative assessment that is the gold standard in understanding the environmental consequences of a product.”

In addition to the LCA Pilot program, the planning phase of ASPN includes:

• Market Analysis to quantify opportunity, demand and growth within the green building and sustainable development sector and for the region.

• Ecosystem Map to identify and assist producers, manufacturers and other entities in the regional supply chain find and better support one another; connect them with resources; and highlight dynamic hubs of sustainability activity within the region.

Both the Market Analysis and Ecosystem Map processes are underway, and together with the Pilot Study will spur further innovation as companies refine their product lines to meet higher performance standards, according to the release.