The launch of the Manitoba Green Building Products Directory will help industry help the environment, Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie and Marten Duhoux, chair of the Canada Green Building Council Manitoba Chapter, announced today at the Better Buildings Conference in Winnipeg.
The directory is a partnership between Green Manitoba, a special operating agency of the Manitoba government, and the Manitoba Chapter of the Canada Green Building Council. It lists environmentally preferable building products and materials for the construction, renovation and operation of commercial and institutional buildings.
Green Manitoba (http://www.greenmanitoba.ca/cim/1001.dhtm) is a service delivery agency for government departments and a wide range of public- and private-sector organizations to help create a greener and cleaner Manitoba.
The Honourable Bill Blaikie
“The new, web-based directory will make it much easier to find and incorporate locally available products for green construction projects that will ultimately benefit Manitobans and our environment,” said Blaikie. “Though our Green Building Policy, the province is a national leader, incorporating sustainability in its construction and supply needs planning.”
Duhoux, who represents a growing number of Manitoba businesses who want to build to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) specifications says this new website will help architects, interior designs, landscapers and trades source everything from recycled beams to green insulation to paving stones created from recycled tires available in Manitoba.
“LEED builders earn points for not just using green products but reducing transportation costs and greenhouse gases by using materials available within 100-mile radius. For LEED, the grass is greener on this side of the fence,” Duhoux said.
Local green building products will be easier to find in a single directory, Blaikie said. The goal of the online directory is to provide a simple, easy-to-use and low-cost way for Manitoba-based green product manufacturers and suppliers to connect with Manitobans who design, construct and operate buildings.
To be listed in the directory, companies must pay a small fee and have a physical presence in the province. Building products or materials they list as made-in-Manitoba must have more than 50 per cent of their value added in Manitoba. There will be no charge for users of the directory to search for products.
The directory can be found at www.mbgreenbuildingproducts.ca.
