Metafore Spreads the Word on Wood for Building Green
(April 2004)
Architects, designers, engineers and other specifiers of wood products learn how and why environmentally responsible wood should fit into their construction plans.
“It’s the right thing to do.”
You can almost hear the gravely voice of oatmeal pitchman and actor Wilford Brimley as these words roll around in your head. But this mantra is fast becoming the marching orders for those who champion environmentally responsible business practices.
Business leaders use it as their principle rationale for becoming eco-friendly. Environmental groups use it to convince laggards to move toward the light. Governmental agencies use it as a means to enact change.
But what about those who use wood to build end products? What’s their motivation? Throughout 2003, Portland, Oregon-based non-profit Metafore — supported by USAID — set out to educate the masses on the efficient use of responsibly harvested wood products and the burgeoning green building movement.
“These wood specifiers and their customers are the true decision makers when it comes to material selection, and yet they’re often left out of the loop on the how, the why and the where to find environmentally preferable wood,” said David Ford, Metafore president and CEO. “Metafore aimed to change that with a series of outreach workshops that went directly to specifiers instead of sitting back and hoping they could find the information on their own.”
In a whirlwind tour of 11 cities in 10 months, Metafore commissioned a two-man team of educators to spread the word to architects, designers, engineers and other specifiers of wood-based projects that building using “good wood” was not only the right thing to do, it could put their businesses in the spotlight as innovators. It also allowed them to pursue green building incentives from local and national green building organizations.
Not always easy to find, environmentally responsible forest products include wood from certified well-managed forests, or wood salvaged for reuse or remanufacture. It excludes products derived from endangered forest as well as those harvested illegally — an all too common practice in many parts of the world. Metafore Wood for Building Green Workshop educators Terry Campbell and Bryan Ripka set out to demystify ‘green’ wood and green building. These workshops were also designed to show this audience of wood specifiers that their efforts as active marketers for this building initiative are integral to the widespread success of green building in the U.S.
After Metafore completed its Wood for Building Green Guide for this audience, Campbell and Ripka hit the road, putting on half-day workshops in Cleveland, Los Angeles, Honolulu, San Francisco, Portland, Ore.; Seattle, Vancouver, BC; Maple Grove, Minn.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Columbia, Mo.; and San Diego. These workshops consisted of three presentations, a certified-wood showcase and ample time for participants to network with each other and form relationships.
Presentations on certification, green building certifications, efficient wood grade and tree species use, how to find wood for building green, the benefits of doing it and case studies of local businesses succeeding with green building initiatives brought the message home to the more than 500 workshop participants.
“Increasing the awareness of green building and certified wood was definitely achieved, and that was key,” said Campbell. “And we could’ve done more if we had the time. These were really well-received.”
Ripka heard first-hand just how well-received these workshops were during the certified wood showcase exhibits.
“I had several people come up to me and tell me how great the program was — from architects and designers to other exhibitors,” Ripka remembered. “This wasn’t only architects learning about wood for green building, this was manufacturers and others learning about the demand for that type of wood. So the door was really swinging both ways.”
Both Ripka and Campbell noted that the real education began when people from these separate, yet linked building sectors got together to share their experiences and brainstorm collaborative solutions.
“The case studies were awesome,” Ripka said. “It was a really great opportunity for people we call ‘super-consumers’ or specifiers for large projects, to be in the same room with people who just may turn out to be their suppliers.”
That was one of more positive experiences for workshop attendee Alison Lindburg from The Lander Group, Inc.
“I came to obtain information about what certified wood is, how it is used, why it is important and how to incorporate it into the building process,” Lindburg noted. “My expectations were exceeded in that I also made some great connections.” That sentiment was echoed by Larry Potts of Warm Springs Forest Products in Oregon, who praised the workshop for building his confidence in trumpeting the value of certified wood for projects.
“I definitely feel more confident in our ability to add value to our certified lumber products,” he said. “For a four-hour workshop, it was great.”
The positive feedback has led to a groundswell of support or at least curiosity about how to build efficiently and cost-effectively using environmentally preferable wood products. The success of leading businesses that incorporate the principles of green building into their projects is leading the way.
“The word is out on wood for building green,” said Campbell. “We continue to get calls from other cities that want the show to come to their town next.”
Metafore’s Ford was also very pleased with the results of these workshops, particularly the way they managed to dovetail with Metafore’s mission of “catalyzing business action that conserves protects and restores the world’s forests.”
“It was really exciting to see this influential audience of people who spend every day of their working lives around forest products being enlightened about the benefits of building using environmentally responsible wood and being shown how to be more efficient with wood in their building projects,” said Ford. “For Metafore, it proved our theory that we could be true to our mission of helping build thriving forests by actively promoting the building green movement.”
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