The Natural Stone Council (NSC) will begin work next month to develop a standard green certification for stone.

In its latest quarterly activity report, the industry group noted that a standardized certification would:

• Establish well-defined environmental and human health metrics within the sustainability movement that indicate our industry's leadership performance;

• Educate green building, government, and environmental leaders about the production of stone products;

• Create a mechanism to reward natural stone companies that certify to the standard;

• Address competitor's negative press using scientifically proven data;

• Establish environmental requirements for stone quarrying and production;

• Encourage transparent chain-of-custody for reporting in support of LEED® credits for regional materials; and

• Create parity between stone and competitive products covered by existing certification programs.

The program would also include development of labeling that clearly identifies certification to a standard.

The NSC is seeking participation in developing the standards, with active participation in attending meetings to discuss and execute the plan. For more information on participating, contact NSC Executive Director Duke Pointer. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The NSC also noted that, as an alternative to the proposed industry check-off system for funding, it would seek federal grant funding. The Keelen Group, the NSC's Washington-based advisor, will help seek an appropriation through the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) program for education and outreach efforts.

The Keelen Group will also identify other grant opportunities from federal and state governments. The NSC noted that this is a bridge funding mechanism; its board of directors is still seeking a long-term solution.