Class Reflection: October 23rd

A day away from school! Our second field trip was to visit the Jeld-Wen showroom. The presenter and sales manager gave a thourough presentation with an emphasis on the sustainable practices employed by the company. Although a successful presentaion, I agree with Judith in her hesitation to take them as serious environmetalists. Sadly, "being green" is a marketing gimmick these days. It is getting harder and harder for the consumer to determine what really is an eco friendly product. I felt that marketing was all Jeld-Wen saw in sustainable, even down to the choice of the renewal of an old building, which adds to their image. Another note in support of my opinion is the fact that these "green" chemicals are only available in their premium line, not to mention the use of PVC. Clearly it is not a universal concern for the company.
Again Judith's comment on their products seeming suburb like is the exact feeling I had. I myself am not a fan of artificial wood. Also, I was iritated by the weight put on their recycling practices. It is clearly beneficial to reuse excess materials in processing, but it is still new material. Post consumer recylcing and reuse are the practices we need to incorpoate to really lighten to load of industrial production inflicts on the environment.

Class Reflections, October 23rd, 2008

Our concern for the environmental impacts of manufacturing has become quite apparent, and rightfully so, since so much of what we make enters and conflicts with the environment’s natural processes. This was the overriding theme of our outing to Jeld-Wen Windows and Doors. The presenter was composed and articulate and I was truly convinced that their products were at the very top of sustainable technology. As the presentation went on however, I began to think more about the impacts of PVC on the environment and on our health. Working towards having little impact on the natural world goes beyond recycling waste materials and a reduction in resource use. The processes of production that flush chemicals and foreign things into the environment have just as much of a negative effect than anything else. Despite this, I did leave with much insight into the complex engineering of window design and technology. Although I do have to agree with Katie on this one, that perhaps the aesthetics should be left to the designers.

Class Reflection October 23

The Jeld-Wen field trip gave me significant insight into the technical properties of windows, of which I had little knowledge. It is important that Jeld-Wen is a company who consider environmental issues when designing their products. The company's incorporation of recycled materials into both their molded interior doors and their PVC windows is positive, and their involvement in LEED projects is encouraging. However, I too am critical of Jeld-Wen's use of PVC, which comprises eighty-five percent of their window sales. Furthermore, the fact that only their premium line is SFI certified (uses sustainable forestry practices), leads me to question whether Jeld-Wen is a company that has actually become green, or whether their green initiatives are smoke and mirrors, in an effort to make the company appear green. Equally discouraging was the fact that Jeld-Wen's windows are designed by Engineers! I was disheartened by the fact that these windows are dominating the market, and their esthetics scream prefab suburban. Perhaps they will wise up and hire some U of M grads in future years!

Reflections for October 23 Class Jeld-Wen

The salesman who gave us a presentation at the Jeld-Wen showroom was very well spoken and provided an array of different sustainability practices their company uses. After everything was said and done, I must say I don't think I was quite sold. Our guide kept on telling the class they used all recycled materials, but a fellow blogger (Ms. Lindsey Weller) brought up the issue that their recycling went to a limited extent. After the transfer of ownership, they would take no responsibility of disposing the product. Their windows and doors would still most likely end up in landfills, majority of them non-biodegradable. They advertise under the banner of recycled materials when really what they do is not waste any of the raw materials they extract. There was no mention of actually using materials from former plastics or wood from waste materials beyond their own. They also use the quote 'walking softly on the Earth' on their website which I feel is a false statement. Their windows and doors still contain PVC's and their Auralast wood doesn't decay. How is creating a product that will take hundreds or more years to return back the Earth a 'soft' impact?

I do commend them for their initiatives on trying to be as sustainable as possible. Long lasting windows and doors will reduce the amount of waste and perhaps save those who can afford them some money in the long run. I just feel that we need to be smart consumers by analyzing if a company's procedures are as green as they make them out to be.