VSJF Receives Grant for Green Specs

MONTPELIER -- The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) announced it has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation's Sustainable Communities grant program, the Eagleridge Fund, and the Sustainable Future Fund to support the development of Vermont Sustainable Wood Guide Specifications (SWGS), or the Green Guide Specs project.
"This project will directly tie a Vermont resource - sustainably managed or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood - to Vermont craftspeople, wood mills, and manufacturers of certified wood products," said architect and guide specification author Jonathan Miller. The SWGS will be available as a hard copy and online at no cost to the end user, and can serve as a means for Vermont wood manufacturers to promote their products to design professionals and green builders regionally and nationally.
A guide specification, similar to chapters in a book, is part of a broader specification document used by architects to describe materials in a construction project drawing and set project prices. Guide Specs focus on single construction material groupings (like wood flooring or cabinetry) and help architects, and designers tie specific resources (like Vermont sustainably harvested wood) to project applications.
According to VSJF Deputy Director Janice St. Onge, "The grant will be instrumental in helping the VSJF and partners create, launch and market these green guide specifications to architects engineers and other design professionals throughout the greater New England region - making it easier for these decision makers to source and purchase Vermont sustainably harvested wood."
Other project sponsors include the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI-Vermont Chapter), and the Vermont Wood Manufacturers Association (VWMA). Project partners will work closely with the Vermont Chapter of the American Institute for Architects (AIA) to educate and inform their members about the guide. These same project partners will provide industry expertise and serve on a review panel for the SWGS, help distribute the comprehensive green guide specifications to key stakeholders throughout the New England region and Northeast markets, and provide access to the guide specs on their websites.
The green guide specifications will be the topic of focus for a workshop targeted at architects at the September 27, 2008 Vermont Fine Furniture and Woodworking Festival (www.vermontwoodfestival.org) in Woodstock. According to Kathleen Wanner of the VWMA, "We believe this guide will go a long way towards linking Vermont's forests and its forest products to architects throughout New England."
Established in 1995, the VSJF was created to help accelerate Vermonts green economy through targeted grant making and technical assistance. To learn more about the VSJF, visit www.vsjf.org.