Standards & Compliance Briefing: EV Roadmap, Criteria for Destinations, e-Stewards, LEED

Here’s the latest standards and compliance news affecting corporate environmental and energy executives. Today’s briefing includes seven items.

ANSI has released its Standardization Roadmap for Electric Vehicles – Version 1.0, developed by the institute’s Electric Vehicles Standards Panel. The document assesses standards, codes, regulations, conformance and training programs envisioned for the safe, mass deployment of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure in the United States.

The automotive, electrotechnical and utilities industries and other standards developing organizations and government contributed to the roadmap. Two overall aims of the plan are to facilitate comprehensive and streamlined standards and conformance, and to coordinate and harmonize the environment for international and domestic partners, ANSI said.

Environmental software developer Locus Technologies has been accredited by the California Air Resources Board to provide greenhouse gas emissions verification services for facilities regulated by the board. Locus has verifiers certified in all reporting sectors, the company said.

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council has released its Criteria for Destinations – a set of performance indicators based on the UN World Tourism Organization’s Indicators of Sustainable Development and other existing guidelines. The council will review existing certification standards and acknowledge those that meet its criteria. Also, any destination can use the guidelines to set up sustainability targets. The GSTC is taking public comments on the criteria until June 2.

Electronics recycler All Green Electronics Recycling has received three major certifications – e-Stewards, ISO 14001 and R2.  All Green said it completed its accreditation to prepare for new federal directives saying that all e-waste generated by federal agencies must be directed to certified electronics recyclers.

Kimberly-Clark Professional said that about 97 percent of its towel and tissue products are now Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain-of-custody certified. The majority of its towel and tissue products are also EcoLogo and/or Green Seal certified and meet EPA standards for minimum post-consumer waste content, the company said.

Plaza Construction’s new 35,000-sq.-ft. headquarters in New York City has been awarded LEED Gold certification. Plaza worked on the project with engineering and sustainable design consultants Cosentini Associates, architect HOK and lighting designer OneLux. Features of the building include a lighting system designed to use 15 percent less energy, 20 percent recycled content and 75 percent FSC-certified wood, the New York Real Estate Journal said.

Aetna has earned LEED Silver certification for the renovation of the 40-year-old, 500,000-sq.-ft. Atrium building on its Hartford, Conn., campus. Features of the building include on-site solar power that provides more than six percent of daily electrical energy; work station tables and surfaces that use up to 70 percent recycled material; and a “green” maintenance program for lawns, Aetna said.