| Leadership
In Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating
System™ Both consumers and corporations have become more aware of their responsibility in protecting the environment in which they live and work. They are taking environment initiatives ranging from recycling programs to driving fuel efficient vehicles, limiting use of fossil fuels to controlling energy consumption, and preserving green space to ensuring less water, earth, and air pollutants. Jelinek Cork Group is no exception and continues to promote the use of environmentally friendly, sustainable and renewable products in the building and construction industries. The company fully supports the initiatives of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Rating System. LEED is a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED projects are documented allowing building and construction companies to earn certification points based on five key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy savings, indoor environmental quality, and materials selection. Cork products contribute extremely favorably to the LEED rating system. Cork is a 100% sustainable and renewable natural resource. Cork bark is harvested from the Quercus Suber tree (cork tree) without damage to the tree and the stripped bark begins to re-grow almost immediately. This harvesting does not harm the tree in anyway and after nine years the trees are ready for bark stripping once again. Natural cork bark is initially used in the production of cork stoppers and the “waste” or leftover bark is then ground up and used in the production of composition cork products such as Jelinek’s QuietCork™ underlayment, cork flooring, cork wall coverings, memo boards, and other acoustical and insulating materials. Over 90% of the cork content in Jelinek Cork building products is recycled material either generated from the manufacturing leftovers of industrial cork products or from Jelinek Cork’s own used wine cork recycling program. Jelinek Cork Products and the LEED Rating SystemBuilding products are given points which contribute to the LEED rating of a finished building (exterior or interior). The individual building products are not LEED certified, its the finished structure or interior that is certified. The following LEED credits are applied when using Jelinek Cork products such as cork underlayment, cork flooring, acoustical cork wall tiles, cork fabrics, and more: MR 4.1 (1 point): Recycled Content, 10% (post-consumer + ½ pre-consumer) MR 4.2 (1 point): Recycled Content, 20% (post-consumer + ½ pre-consumer) MR 6 (1 point): Rapidly Renewable Materials EQ 4.4 (1 point): Low-Emitting Materials, Composite Wood & Agrifiber Products ID Process (1-4 points): Innovation in Design, using the unique natural cellular property of cork in sound transmission reduction (underlayment, wall and floor tiles), thermal insulation, acoustical properties, anti-vibration, expansion joint filler, etc. Jelinek Cork is committed to developing environmentally sustainable products. Since the founding of the company in 1855 the company’s goal remains the same …. enhance public awareness of cork through delivery of products made in an environmentally friendly and renewable manner. There is no other material, whether man made or natural, with all of the characteristics that are unique to cork: light weight, ability to compress and expand, impermeable, soft, and buoyant.
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