Green trophy an inaugural award program from the Forest Stewardship Council offers promotion and recognition opportunities for the customers of pro dealers selling certified wood

Prosales, Sept, 2005

Pro dealers holding a chain of custody certificate for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)--certified lumber can now pass along the opportunity for greater recognition to their contractor-customers who are working on unique projects using FSC-certified wood. In partnership with Portland, Ore.-based marketing consultancy Forest Products Solutions, FSC-US announced July 5 a call for submissions for the first Designing & Building with FSC Award, an annual accolade to recognize building projects that have furthered responsible forest management through the purchase and use of FSC-certified wood products.

* The award is open to architects, general contractors, builders, consultants, and interior designers. While dealers themselves are not eligible to enter, FSC expects the contest to increase the visibility and marketability of FSC wood for all channel partners. "We hope this award will help bring attention to the hard work of progressive firms and project teams using the leading forest certification system in their efforts to build green," says FSC-US president Roger Dower.

* Project submissions can be any building type, including commercial, institutional, mixed-use, or residential. To qualify for entry, 50 percent of the project's new wood by cost must be FSC-certified and the project must have been completed during or since 2002.

* The selection committee includes representatives from forest product manufacturers, architecture firms, and industry organizations. Projects will be judged on the use of wood, inclusion of FSC-certified wood, efforts to progress certified forest products' market transformation, overall wood design, and appropriate wood use. The winning project will be announced at the GreenBuild Conference and Expo '05, being held Nov. 9-11 in Atlanta. For more information on the award or to download an application form for a customer, click on the Green Building section of FSC-US Web site, www.fscus.org.--C.W.