The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) unveiled GreenFormat, a Web-based database of green product information, at the U.S. Green Building Council's Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Boston.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) unveiled GreenFormat, a Web-based database of green product information, at the U.S. Green Building Council's Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Boston.

CSI demonstrated the new resource, accessible at www.greenformat.com, during the conference, drawing interest from manufacturers, designers, specifiers and other construction professionals who make product choices in construction.

GreenFormat is a new CSI format that provides a standardized framework for identifying the sustainable properties of building products. The free, Web-based search offers a fast-and-easy, unbiased approach to evaluating green product information, saving time for designers, specifiers, and constructors. Like all CSI's standards and formats, MasterFormat divisions organize GreenFormat. Its downloadable results are spec-friendly.

The requirements of the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System are among the standards referenced within GreenFormat's search to help searchers achieve their green project goals.

“CSI received overwhelmingly positive feedback on GreenFormat during GreenBuild,” said CSI Executive Director and CEO Walter Marlowe, P.E., CSI, CAE. “Designers can use GreenFormat to sift through the green information flooding the construction industry quickly and easily.”

CSI is offering manufacturers a free one-year subscription of product listings on GreenFormat for a limited time.

To enter products into the database, building product manufacturers complete an online questionnaire that collects sustainable information about their products. Sustainability claims are verified by relating questions to compliance with standards and certifications. Information is then displayed in a standardized manner; MasterFormat divisions in a spec-friendly layout organize product listings. The format's categories focus on topics that are important to design and product selection decisions.

“We developed GreenFormat to address the need for consistently and concisely structured information about product sustainability, to help those searching for the right product,” said Roger Grant, CSI Director Technical Services and Development. “As we strive to refine the database and its functionality we ask for comments and feedback from the industry.”

To learn more about GreenFormat, visit www.greenformat.com.