ESP: Environmental Stewardship Program is administered by the KCMA and provides cabinet manufacturers with a tangible way of measuring and showing their commitment to environmental sustainability.
Formaldehyde: The chemical compound Methanal (H2CO). Urea formaldehyde is an important chemical used widely by industry to manufacture building materials and numerous household products. It is also a by-product of combustion and certain other natural processes. Humans, plants and animals produce it as a normal part of living. Formaldehyde levels in building materials have been lowered by more than 80% since the 1980’s. Formaldehyde is measured in parts per million of air. Levels of 00.2 ppm and less are considered very low and ‘non-threatening’ to human health. It’s important to note that wood products touted as “formaldehyde-free” do, in fact, contain and emit trace amounts of formaldehyde. When cabinetry, furniture, trim or paneling is painted, stained, laminated or otherwise coated – as most materials are – they emit almost no measurable level of formaldehyde.
FSC: The Forest Stewardship Council was created to develop principles, criteria and standards relating to forest management and sustainability. http://fscus.org
HAPs: Hazardous Air Pollutants are air-borne chemical compounds which in higher concentration levels could cause adverse effects to the environment and ultimately human health.
Holistic: From the Greek word ‘holos’, meaning all, total; the whole is more than the sum of individual parts or components.
KCMA: Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association is a national trade association representing and servicing cabinet manufacturers in the areas of quality standards, research, and education. www.kcma.org
LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design provides a rating system for measuring ‘green’ performance levels in commercial and residential building projects. See product specifications for Bellmont for LEED certification points available.
SFI: The Sustainable Forest Initiative is an independently directed program incorporating third party certification focused on protecting economical, environmental, and social needs of our forests and communities.
Sustainability: In the context of forestry refers to the environmentally conscious processes and procedures for planting, managing, and harvesting timber as directed by forestry certification programs such as SFI and FSC.
VOCs: Volatile Organic Compounds are chemical compounds containing carbon that vaporize or ‘off-gas’ from a variety of natural and artificial products including various household items such as cleaning chemicals, carpets, and solvents.
Wood: This natural building material source is neither scarce nor finite. No energy is used to generate wood. Hardwoods and softwoods are ‘produced’ naturally with power from the sun and irrigation from the rain.