Building And Construction Southwest

ANAWALT

8/7/08

10:38 AM

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a n a w a lt l u m b e r c o .

Anawalt Lumber’s nursery department offers plants for bedding, landscaping and the house, orchids, herbs and vegetables, fertilizers, organic potting soils, garden tools, pest repellents, foundations, terra cotta pots and decorative indoor and outdoor planters. Sustainable Practices As a company that sells lumber and other building materials, Anawalt Lumber says it fully understands the importance of preserving the environment. To help guide its purchases and policies, the company says it promises to: » Carry environmentally friendly products wherever possible; » Recycle and encourage the use of materials and products with recycled content; » Conserve resources by using energy wisely and seek new opportunities to improve the efficiency of its stores; » Comply with environmental laws and maintain programs and procedures to ensure compliance; » Be committed to minimizing the environmental health and safety risk for its associates and its customers; and » Train its employees to enhance understanding of environmental issues and to promote excellence in job performance and all environmental matters. “We are committed to purchasing lumber from forest product companies that employ sustained yield harvesting plans and environmentally sound practices,” the company says. “Currently, there are two independent organizations that certify that these practices take effect – the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The majority of the lumber we stock is certified by one of these organizations.” Strong Synergies SFI says its program is based on the idea that responsible environmental behavior and sound business decisions can coexist. Participants in the SFI program practice sustainable forestry on all the

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lands they manage. Additionally, SFI explains, members of the program influence millions of additional acres through the training of loggers and foresters in best management practices and landowner outreach programs. “Products from SFI-certified companies are recognized under both the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes and the National Association of Home Builders’ Green building systems,” SFI says. “In addition, homebuilders can support forest certification by preferentially purchasing products from SFI-certified companies, even if homebuilders are not seeking greenbuilding certification.” FSC says it was created to change the dialogue about and the practice of sustainable forestry worldwide. The council sets forth principles, criteria and

standards that span economic, social and environmental concerns, which, it says, represent the world’s strongest system for guiding forest management toward sustainable outcomes. The FSC standards for forest management have been applied in more than 57 countries around the world. “In many forests around the world, logging still contributes to habitat destruction, water pollution, displacement of indigenous peoples, and violence against people who work in the forest and the wildlife that dwells there,” FSC says. “Many consumers of wood and paper and many forest-products companies believe that the link between logging and these negative impacts can be broken, and that forests can be managed and protected at the same time. FSC certification is one way to improve the practice of forestry.” x