FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2009
Contact: Danny Karch, National Director,
Market Access (Canada), SFI
(450) 659-8733
Maun Demchenko, Director
Media and Public Relations, Team North
(519) 841-0965
WATERLOO, ONTARIO – Three companies certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) program will donate wood from well-managed forests to build an advanced solar-powered house for an international competition.
The independent SFI program arranged to have AbitibiBowater, International Forest Products Ltd. and West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. donate lumber, plywood, engineered wood products and decking for North House. The 800-square-foot prototype home will be entirely solar powered and hyper-insulated, using materials and passive solar construction that absorb heat during the day and release it at night so it will produce more energy than it consumes.
North House will make its first appearance this fall at the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon – a biennial international competition where university teams from around the world compete to build 100 percent solar-powered homes. The event will draw more than 200,000 visitors over a 10-dayperiod to the National Mall in Washington, DC, in October of 2009. North House will then be shipped to Vancouver for display at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, before returning to the Waterloo region where it will be set up in a public demonstration home
“We are interested in performance and sustainability so wood is a perfect choice for North House – it is a natural, renewable product that delivers the strength and flexibility we need,” said Professor Geoffrey Thun of Team North, an expert team of researchers, academics, students, government and industry professionals from across Canada who are designing and building North House.
“The SFI program delivers added assurance that the wood is from a well-managed forest, which is essential for the credibility of our project,” said student team leader Lauren Barhydt.
“The SFI program and Team North share a common goal of advancing sustainable solutions that benefit current and future generations,” said SFI President and CEO Kathy Abusow. “North House shows the potential for responsible building construction. Products from well-managed forests are one way builders, designers and others can demonstrate their commitment to the environment, and show the many benefits of building with wood.”
SFI Inc. is a registered non-profit organization responsible for one of the largest third-party forest certification programs in the world. Across Canada and the United States, more than 65 million hectares (160 million acres) are certified to the SFI forest standard, which addresses key environmental, social and economic forest values – from water quality and biodiversity to harvesting and regeneration. Its unique fibre sourcing requirements promote responsible forest management on all suppliers’ lands, and its chainof- custody certification tells buyers how much certified fibre is in a specific product.
-30-
About Team North
Team North’s mission is to design and deliver North House, a compelling, marketable solar-powered home for mobile, sustainable lifestyles; while building Canada’s next generation of leaders in sustainable engineering, business and design. It envisions the combination of green building, solar and interactive technologies as a powerful vehicle for reducing energy demand, building a conservation ethic and improving quality of life. North House will be developed by an expert team of leading researchers, academics, students, government and industry professionals. The core team comprises students and faculty members from the University of Waterloo, Ryerson University in Toronto and Simon Fraser University in Vancouver working alongside Canada’s best and brightest industry leaders.
For more information about Team North, visit www.team-north.com.
For more information about the U.S Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, visit www.solardecathlon.org
About SFI Inc.
SFI Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit charitable organization, and is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program (www.sfiprogram.org), that is internationally recognized and among the largest in the world. It is one of the fastest-growing forest certification programs with over 65 million hectares (160 million acres) of SFI-certified forests across North America. The SFI Standard also includes unique fibre sourcing requirements that promote responsible forest management on all suppliers’ lands and a chain-of-custody certification, which is used to tell buyers how much certified fibre is in a specific product. The SFI forest standard is endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes, a global umbrella organization that has strict requirements for endorsement. SFI Inc. is governed by a three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally.
For more information about the SFI program, visit www.sfiprogram.org.
About Team North
Team North’s mission is to design and deliver North House, a compelling, marketable solar-powered
home for mobile, sustainable lifestyles; while building Canada’s next generation of leaders in sustainable
engineering, business and design. It envisions the combination of green building, solar and interactive
technologies as a powerful vehicle for reducing energy demand, building a conservation ethic and
improving quality of life. North House will be developed by an expert team of leading researchers,
academics, students, government and industry professionals. The core team comprises students and faculty
members from the University of Waterloo, Ryerson University in Toronto and Simon Fraser University in
Vancouver working alongside Canada’s best and brightest industry leaders.
For more information about Team North, visit www.team-north.com.
For more information about the U.S Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, visit
www.solardecathlon.org
About SFI Inc.
SFI Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit charitable organization, and is solely responsible for maintaining,
overseeing and improving the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program (www.sfiprogram.org), that is
internationally recognized and among the largest in the world. It is one of the fastest-growing forest
certification programs with over 65 million hectares (160 million acres) of SFI-certified forests across
North America. The SFI Standard also includes unique fibre sourcing requirements that promote
responsible forest management on all suppliers’ lands and a chain-of-custody certification, which is used
to tell buyers how much certified fibre is in a specific product. The SFI forest standard is endorsed by the
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes, a global umbrella organization that has
strict requirements for endorsement. SFI Inc. is governed by a three-chamber board of directors
representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally.
For more information about the SFI program, visit www.sfiprogram.org.