Ok, well, the words Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko said in the movie “Wall Street” were actually “Greed is good.” I like to think most of us would disagree with that. On the other hand, green is good. Think about all the things that are green in color that are good for us: leafy green veggies; grass, plants and trees; and of course, glass (even though the clearer versions are preferred). And, believe it or not, there’s even a cuddly green puppy … but more on that later.

In an otherwise non-COVID world, some of us might be planning to attend or exhibit at the in-person Greenbuild Expo, which typically takes place in November. However, like so many others, that event is taking place next month virtually. Typically the November issue of USGlass magazine would include a Greenbuild preview, but since there are so few glass industry companies involved this year, we will be focusing on green products in our Showcase department, so be sure and keep an eye out for that.

Speaking of the November issue, we will also be announcing this year’s Green Award winners. Historically, we have recognized completed projects with these awards, but changed it up last year to recognize products, companies and people. I’m looking forward to sharing the winners with you in a few weeks. It’s always interesting to read about the steps companies are taking to advance their products and operations for the betterment of the planet and environment.

But having green, high-performance building products does us no good until they are installed. And that may just be one of the biggest challenges we face as an industry: educating others—architects, owners, developers, code bodies, etc.—about the performance benefits of glass and glazing products. As Helen Sanders with Technoform told me, we have all the products already; it’s now, a matter of driving them into the codes. And it’s the people in the industry who will need to take the action to make that happen.

One Final Green Note

And in completely non-related green news, I came across this link and thought it would be a nice distraction. 2020 has been hard enough on way too many levels. I hope this makes you smile and is perhaps a bit of happy distraction.