Industry Standards News

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ISO issues energy management system standard

GENEVA, Switzerland—ISO has issued ISO International Standard ISO 50001 on energy management systems. It is estimated the standard could have a positive impact on some 60 % of the world’s energy use.

ISO 50001 will provide public and private sector organizations with management strategies to increase energy efficiency, reduce costs, and improve energy performance.

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ISO offers brochure on standards development

GENEVA, Switzerland--ISO has published a brochure on the benefits of involving consumers in standards development, and how to achieve their participation.

Involving consumers—Why & How provides national standards bodies and other standards development organizations with practical guidance on achieving consumer participation in standardization.  It covers why and when to engage consumers, the added value of their participation, how to organize it effectively and what it means to be a consumer representative.  

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ICC and ARCSA sign MOU

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The International Code Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA), building on its emphasis on green construction in the Public Version 1.0 of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC).

The MOU calls for both organizations to use their knowledge and expertise to advance and promote the safe and effective design and implementation of rainwater catchment systems. ARCSA contributed significant time and expertise to the development of the RainwaterCollection and Distribution Systems section of the IGCC, drawing from their well-established Rainwater Catchment Design and Installation Standards guideline document.

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Maryland adopts IGC Code

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The State of Maryland has adopted the International Green Construction Code (IGCC), thereby enabling the adoption of the IGCC by all local governments across the state.

State statue also offers a corporate and personal income tax credit for green buildings that, while officially available through the end of this year, fulfilled its goals by July of 2009.

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NSF offers new programs

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—NSF International, an independent organization committed to protecting and improving human health and the environment, offers Product Category Rule (PCR) development and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) verification across multiple product groups and industries. 

Based on international environmental management guidelines (ISO 14025), Product Category Rules define how to conduct a life cycle assessment for a particular product group and what to include in the resulting report. A life cycle assessment measures inputs, outputs, and environmental impacts of a product across its lifespan, from cradle to grave. The Environmental Product Declaration is the third-party-verified report that functions like a nutrition label to explain the data generated from a life cycle assessment. 

For more information, see www.nsf.org

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