California Honors CRI For Green Label Plus

Dalton, GA - December 21--The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) was honored with a certificate of recognition after being nominated for the 2004 California Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA). CRI, California's Department of Health Services, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, and California's Integrated Waste Management Board were nominated as a partnership for their work on Low Emitting Materials. Green Label Plus was the collaborative effort by the carpet industry and these partners to provide the lowest emitting product possible for use in publicly-funded buildings and was established to meet and even exceed California's Section 01350 standard for low-emitting products. Green Label Plus is now the highest standard available for indoor air quality and represents the fourth time in the 12-year-old Green Label program that CRI has enhanced its carpet testing standard. Established in 1993, the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Awards are California's highest and most prestigious environmental honor recognizing individuals, organizations, and businesses that have demonstrated exceptional leadership in building public-private partnerships while making notable contributions in conserving California's environment. This year's awards recognized outstanding contributions by businesses, organizations and government offices in seven award categories. "It is truly an honor just to be nominated for such a prestigious environmental award. What has been accomplished with the Green Label Plus program is not only a model for all public-private partnerships, but best of all, ensures that the end user is the biggest winner of all," said Werner Braun, president of the Carpet and Rug Institute. "This nomination is just another indication of the accomplishments of this industry in setting the standard for sustainable practices."