Jeff Hiller, newly appointed President of the Sustainable Furnishings Council has been moving quickly to unite furniture manufacturers and retailers in an effort to create green building practices and educate consumers on the benefits of owning sustainable furniture.
What's New with the Sustainable Furnishings Council
Jeff Hiller has big aspirations for the Sustainable Furnishings Council. "The prospects of the SFC are virtually limitless," says Hiller. "There remain tens of thousands of manufacturers, retailers, and designers that we have an opportunity to impact, and it is essential that we reach as many as possible." Hiller plans to at least double membership each year for the next two years. He also plans to increase the immediate benefit for new members in improving the sustainability of their operations while helping them make sales.
"The time is now," Hiller ads. "By 2011, sustainability will become the dominant topic of the day, as the worldwide economy settle down and the next UN report on climate change is released. This is not only a moral imperative, but a business imperative as well."
Jeff Hiller will be supervising the new GREENleaders program at the upcoming market in High Point, North Carolina. By taking this 6-Hour training course, furniture retailers can get accredited as experts in the area of sustainable home furnishings.
How Will Green Legislation Affect the Sustainable Furnishings Council?
In a recent interview with Furniture Today, Jeff Hiller revealed his outlook on impending legislation. "I agree that a carbon cap is imminent and may be necessary... The polar ice caps are melting faster, droughts are more widespread and more severe, all indicators are predicting much worse consequences much sooner. Carbon may need to be legislated to produce the necessary results."
Many businesses are bracing for the carbon market-cap proposed by Obama that would require businesses to pay for their units of carbon pollution beyond national standards that become more strict each year. Under this legislation, green leaders would be able to sell their over-efficiency to other companies, creating a strong incentive to go green. The Sustainable Furnishings Council specializes in helping retailers and manufacturers get well-below the government guidelines. "There's no time like the present," said Hiller. "The SFC has done a great job of getting the movement off the ground in home furnishings."
The highest level of green commitment in the SFC is the "Exemplary" status, reserved for only the greenest businesses. "Our model is based as closely as possible on the highly successful LEED model in commercial building. They have a wide gate for base membership, inviting all who are sincerely interested, then reserve Exemplary levels for differentiating truly stellar current performance. The idea is to get companies on the escalator, then give them significant milestones to shoot for... it is proceeding beautifully."
Hiller is optimistic that the practices endorsed by the Sustainable Furnishings Council will catch on with the industry's main producers and be a strong stride forward in the greening of our nation.
