TROPE GROUP SEEKS LEED CERTIFICATION FOR TWO DESIGNERS
BY LORALEE STEVENS
SANTA ROSA – The Trope Group, long-time office furniture and interior provider, is training two of its design directors to be LEED-certified.
Mavis Allan and Heather Leachman-Beck are attending the green building professional certification program at Sonoma State University according to Trope Group President Christina Pratt.
“Herman Miller, our major supplier of office furniture is very supportive of its retailers using green materials and practices,” said Ms. Pratt. “They were founders of the original movement, back in the 1950s.”
Paint, flooring, cubicles and furniture are all candidates for green certification under the U.S. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building standards.
A separate environmental agency, Greenguard, certifies air quality, which can be affected by fumes from paint, carpeting and upholstery.
The Trope Group carries Herman Miller’s proprietary panel fabric Kira, which is made entirely from corn and can be used to compost crops. It mimics petroleum-based polyester in look, feel and durability but contains no oil.
Ms. Pratt said the Trope Group is by no means the first office furniture dealer to promote sustainability and non-toxic materials.
“Most office furniture dealers are on board the green movement now, but we think having two LEED-certified design professionals on the staff will give us an edge,” said Ms. Pratt.
So far the two Trope Group design directors have attended one of the four sessions at Sonoma State.
The program teaches that not all natural materials are green if large amounts of fuel are necessary to transport them.
“You learn to look for materials that are natural to the region: mud finish rather than stucco, for example. Concrete takes a huge amount of energy to produce, I found,” Ms. Allan said.
She and Ms. Leachman-Beck will finish the program by creating a green project of their own.
“It could be a made-up business where we specify the greenest possible paint, carpeting and acoustical tile. Or it could be working with an actual business to improve its materials and practices. We’re going to try to do both,” she said.
Herman Miller is very supportive of what Trope Group is doing. Many of its buildings are LEED-certified, and it has been using recycled plastic bottles in some of its furniture for years.
“I visited their headquarters in Zeeland, Mich. 20 years ago. Even then, there was practically no waste generated by their operations. It was turned into energy. Every worker was close to a source of natural light. It made me think about how green practices are as healthful to the people as they are to the environment,” said Ms. Allan.
Copyright 2012 – North Bay Business Journal
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