Professor's Work Leads to Major Carpet Purchase

Madison, WI, April 25, 2008--A passionate textiles professor at the University of Wisconsin helped the Los Angeles Community College District insist on buying environmentally friendly carpeting for an $83 million contract, according to a story in the Wisconsin State Journal.

His work reflects growing interest in sustainable choices in carpeting, from homeowners to commercial contractors who want their buildings to be "green" from top to bottom.

"My whole research agenda for the past 26 years," has been focused on textile manufacturing and recycling issues to protect the environment, Majid Sarmadi, 54, a professor of textile science at UW-Madison told the newspaper.

Robin Pharo, president of Healthy Homes, a building consultant in Mount Horeb, said people are paying more attention to the environmental and health impacts of carpeting.

Coupled with his determination and a friendship of two decades with LACCD purchasing agent Larry Eisenberg, Sarmadi's research led to an enormous purchase of carpeting for LAACD from Tandus.

When voters approved the district's $2.2 billion expansion and remodeling project involving nearly 500 buildings, Eisenberg turned to Sarmadi, calling him "an incredible expert."

California has a state standard for environmentally friendly carpeting, but it's not as good as the 300 pages of specifications developed by Sarmadi, Eisenberg said.

Those requirements include solution-dyed fibers and elimination of harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde, plus being 100 percent recyclable with a 30-year warranty.

"We've had an overall commitment to environment and sustainability for a long, long time," said Glen Hussmann, president and chief executive officer of Tandus. Over the five-year contract, Tandus will be providing carpeting in 56 colors and patterns.

At UW-Extension, Sherrie Gruder, a sustainable design specialist, has helped develop national standards for carpeting that have been adopted by the carpet and rug industry.

Because so many builders are seeking LEED certification, they've become more focused on details of everything they use, Gruder said.

"That system has basically caused this huge market transformation" that benefits residential consumers seeking carpeting, she said.

"Because there's such demand, there is a huge variety in the market that's good quality," she said. "It's been tested and used, and a lot of it is cost-competitive."

At Coyle Carpet One, general manager Paul Dominie is seeing so much interest in sustainability from commercial customers that the company is remodeling its Beltline showroom to showcase such products.

"Architects are asking for it, designers are asking for it," he said, and about 40 percent of his residential customers are expressing an interest.