When The Green Standard was founded in 2000, little was known in the US about science-based evaluation of products. Since then we have focused on educating manufacturers and purchasers on best global practices in product eco-design, development and selection, based on life cycle thinking and life cycle assessment.

First we created "The EPA KnowRoom" featuring 3,000 square feet of educational resources on green product selection.  A leader at the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency reported “Thousands of visitors to our campus have stopped to see the KnowRoom which has been particularly popular with and useful to those professionals involved in design and construction, providing a wealth of information.” 

Second we developed "The Green Guides to NeoCon" providing purchasers with an EcoLibrary of articles on green product evaluation, a matrix describing diverse tools, and an EcoList of products certified to a standard with a resulting eco-label.  Created for Stamats Business Media, this publication won the top award in the U.S. for a magazine supplement and was used to develop a Green Guide to the Greenbuild Conference.

Then we developed an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) System oriented to the needs of North American manufacturers, empowering them to measure, verify and report all relevant product performance in one source- economic, environmental, human health, mechanical and safety impacts.  As it meets all requirements of ISO Standard 14205, this system empowers U. S. companies to succeed in all global markets and offers purchasers with a science-based means of evaluating the level of green achieved by brand products.

Now we are co-hosting with the German Institute for Construction and the Environment a forum on THE NEW WAY TO DEFINE GREEN in Washington, D. C. on April 28-29, 2010. It will feature a full day of training on developing product LCAs and EPDs, followed by one- day forum on how to achieve a positive ROI on these investments. It is the first of several informational sessions to be offered by our two not-for-profit groups.

Next we are planning to develop and travel to many metropolitan areas a dynamic exhibit on WHAT SHADE OF GREEN IS THAT?  An innovative team of environmental educators, exhibit designers and videographers is beginning work on asking and responding to the questions millions of Americans are asking about how they can be a contribution to a sustainable future. The Green Standard seeks to empower all of us to embrace positively to the directive given by Teilhard de Chardin:

The Future belongs to those who give the next generation reason to hope.