Triton Achieves Carbon Neutral Certification
Brighton, Mich.-based Triton Stormwater Solutions, a manufacturer of efficient stormwater chambers, has been approved as a carbon neutral product through third-party certification.
"At Triton, we want to be environmental leaders and take stormwater production to a whole new level," explained Joe Miskovich, president of the company, in a July 31 press release. "Reusing stormwater itself is a strong environmental effort, but what good is it if you are producing it in a factory that is emitting more greenhouse gases? You're just trading one environmental concern for another. "
The cradle-to-consumer life cycle study showed that the total carbon dioxide reduction at facilities using the system is 15 to 30 percent in energy/greenhouse gas use year after year. The carbon neutral certification gives Triton products an additional two LEED points, the U.S. Green Building Council's benchmark for green building.
To obtain certification, Triton underwent a complete life cycle analysis in which the certification team went through every facet of the manufacturing process from the farming of the soy bean used to harvest the soy oil to the manufacturing of the raw material into the product all the way to the energy used to ship and install it to how the end user will use the finished product.
"The Triton material itself is made out of bio-plastics, not petroleum," said Mike Dolkowski, president of Carbon Credit Environmental Services, which tested the product. "It takes less time to install, so it uses less of the diesel construction equipment that emits greenhouse gas. It can be carried by two people rather than a machine. Once installed, the system is used to collect water and reuse it to water plants or flush toilets, saving energy by not sending water to a wastewater treatment plant. This product actually improves its carbon footprint."