IBS SHOW JAN 20-24, Las Vegas
Steven and I had the opportunity to attend the International Builders Show last month in Las Vegas. The show was back in Las Vegas after several years in Orlando. This show is the largest display of home building products in the world. Manufacturers of all types of products from various foundation/footing systems to roofing and everything in between are on display. From indoor electrical and plumbing fixtures to outdoor patio and pools, if it can go in, on or around your house manufacturers have their products displayed. Seminars are also available on a wide variety of subjects, with well known guest speakers each day. And it is a large show, utilizing every hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and if you go next year make sure you have comfortable walking shoes, something I learned 12 years ago at my first one! And what a difference 12 years has made in the way products are displayed from back than to now. Green is everywhere. Ask any rep why their product is “green” and they had an answer. Of course the term “green” takes on a lot of meanings and it is up to you to determine if the product fits your definition of “green”. One rep told us their wood product was “greener”, not only because they replace the mature trees with multiple saplings, but the product was lighter than their competitor’s. And lighter meant they could fit a little bit more on a truck and therefore leave a smaller carbon footprint in transportation. By the way, the competitor’s product was made from recycled materials. So it became necessary to view all products equally and then determine if it met your own personal criteria of what makes it green.
We spent the first day (Tuesday) cruising and I mean cruising to take in as much as we could. We picked up literature or had our badge scanned to receive email (paperless!) from various manufactures we were interested in but kept on moving. We then spent the next two days going back and talking to all the reps of products we were interested in. Wednesday’s theme was “Green Wednesday” and featured various guest speakers and seminars on the subject of renewable and sustainable building. Quite a few manufactures also had speakers at their booth. One speaker we made a point of meeting and talking with was Ed Begley Jr. from the Green Channel’s “Living with Ed” (http://www.livingwithed.net/). Ed is a distinguished actor and has been a leading promoter of sustainable living for many years. He was there to introduce a new type of vertical wind generator for home or business. If you’re thinking wind, with all its new technology, this is quite an urban generating source. You can visit their website and find out more at http://www.enviro-energies.com/. We had a conversation with Ed thanking him for his dedication to conservation and recycling/renewing in our world. We also told him that we remembered him 20 some years ago holding up his garbage for the week in one hand on TV. He saw our business, with the progressive levels, as the right way for people to start becoming eco-friendly, one step at a time. You just don’t go green, and become the most conservative and renewable person you can be overnight. We all need to start though. Like when a standard incandescent bulb burns out in your home, replace it with an energy saving compact bulb. It not only becomes affordable but you are not recycling perfectly good bulbs. And you are not only saving money you are reducing energy consumption! And if every person started in this way imagine the reduction in fossil fuels and carbon emissions from the generation of that power. A small step here and another there puts you on the road to making and keeping the earth healthy for all our children and generations to come. You can see a picture of Ed, Steve and I at the show on the “about us” page of Green Life Exteriors.
Baby steps will move us in the right direction and with enough of us taking those steps; our steps will grow in leaps and bounds, just as a child grows. Some grow faster than others, but get there just the same.
Until next time,
Robert
