One of the top priorities at Acrymax Technologies has always been to be respectful of the impact our protective coating products may have on the environment. But we don’t just talk “green” at Acrymax, we back it up. As a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Acrymax is dedicated to green building practices. We are committed to the mission of the USGBC, which is to “transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life.”
The U.S. Green Building Council promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built and operated. The USGBC includes more than 15,000 members from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible. These members represent every sector of the building industry and include building owners and end-users, real estate developers, facility managers, architects, engineers, general contractors, roofing contractors, roof consultants, subcontractors, product and building system manufacturers, and government agencies.
The USGBC is probably best known for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™. LEED® is a voluntary, consensus-based standard to support and certify green building practices. It recognizes environmental leadership in the building industry and is helping to transform the marketplace by providing a widely accepted “green building” certification system. LEED provides a guide for an integrated multidisciplinary approach to the design, construction and operation of the built environment. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
Forward-thinking private entities as well as state and local governments are using LEED and there are LEED initiatives being implemented by many federal agencies. With its dedication to green building practices, Acrymax has been part of countless projects that qualify for LEED points, and we always keeps USGBC and LEED standards in mind when designing and specifying our elastomeric roofing systems, cool roof systems, and other building products.
LEED Rating Systems have been developed for new construction, existing buildings, schools, homes, and other segments of the building industry. In the “Sustainable Sites” section of these rating systems there are points available for Credit 7.2 Heat Island Effect-Roof. Cool roof coatings from Acrymax can be used to earn LEED points under this section. Cool roof coatings provide both high reflectivity and high emmisivity. An urban heat island is a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas. Air temperatures in cities can be as much as 22°F warmer than the air in neighboring, less developed regions. Elevated summertime temperatures in cities increase energy demand for cooling with a corresponding increase in demand for electricity. Companies that supply electricity typically rely on fossil fuel power plants to meet much of this demand, which in turn leads to an increase in air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions. Mitigation of Urban Heat Islands is an important strategy in the battle against global warming, to reduce energy demand, and to improve the quality of life in urban areas.
Although LEED credits deal only with indoor air quality, an important environmental goal is to reduce pollution and improve air quality in the global environment. Waterborne coating technologies have made possible the production of VOC-compliant paints and coatings that are safer for the environment then the solvent-based technologies that they have replaced. Our state-of-the-art waterborne coatings perform at least as well and often better than their higher VOC predecessors. In addition to substituting hazardous solvents with water, we also evaluate all of the raw materials used in our coatings and systems with an eye toward their impact on the environment – and in the process, have developed a number of technologies, each with a level of sophistication and performance to meet today’s coating needs. We manufacture energy efficient coating solutions, environmentally responsible protective coating solutions, and cool reflective roofing systems that help to conserve energy and resources while at the same time saving money. Acrymax weatherproofs and protects the building envelope while also helping to keep our planet “green.”
With roofing systems playing such an important role in the energy efficiency and environmental friendliness of new and existing buildings, it is crucial for an industry leader in those products, like Acrymax, to be a pioneer in green building processes. We have manufactured reflective roof coatings since the 1950s, long before they became widely accepted, and with our support of the USGBC and its mission, Acrymax affirms its commitment to the environment and sustainable building practices.
As a manufacturer of environmentally responsible high performance roof systems, protective coatings, energy efficient coatings, and wall coatings, we take great pride in our respect for the environment. In addition to the environmental features offered by our coatings, such as reflectivity and low VOC content, long-term performance is critical to sustainability. Contractors, commercial building owners, schools, homeowners, and countless others have counted on Acrymax coatings and coating systems for decades to repair roof leaks, provide unmatched moisture and thermal protection, solve roof waterproofing problems, provide cool reflective roofing, and provide solutions to countless other problems related to roofing, waterproofing, and the protection of the built environment. Through it all, Acrymax has been committed to the future of our environment, and now backs it up as a member of the USGBC.
Since 1951, Acrymax has manufactured all kinds of coating solutions – including metal roof coatings, coatings for historic roof preservation, coatings for asphalt roofing, roofing restoration products, concrete roof coatings, architectural coatings, single-ply roof coating systems, specialty products, and fluid-applied elastomeric coatings. Contact Acrymax today, and together we can help protect your building while we preserve our planet.
