The Growing Green Theme

This week, St. Patrick's Day comes along -- as a guy with the last name O'Neill, I do enjoy this holiday -- but the "wearing of the green" takes on a whole different meaning for me these days. I cannot even hear the word 'green' without immediately thinking of sustainability and eco-friendly products. And in this industry, that means metal buildings, metal roofing, metal wall systems and all the associated metal accessories.

While the people within our industry have intimate knowledge of just how 'green' metal building materials are and can be, one of the most important efforts happening throughout the metal construction industry --from coast to coast -- is the education of builders, contractors, specifiers and owner/developers about the true green benefits of metal buildings. As an industry we need to spread the word and reinforce the sustainable benefits of metal buildings, not just the recyclability of the materials (which should not be underestimated) but also the energy savings that can be achieved by using metal building materials when properly installed and insulated.

To that end, more and more companies across many industries now have employees with titles like Chief Sustainability Officer, Sustainability Manager, Director of Sustainability, Environmental Policy Manager, or Director of Environment, Energy & Safety, to name a few.

Are these simply added functions and responsibilities that have already been assumed by an individual or individuals at your company (minus the trendy title), or is there a need for such a position in your operation?

We'd like to know exactly how metal building manufacturers, suppliers and contractors are reacting to this evolving business climate, so please e-mail me with your comments, thoughts and opinions: boneill@moderntrade.com.