Herman Miller blog: Discover » Greenbuild

Good Stewards: Setu’s Not-So-Secret Secret

David Foster — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:00:43 +0000

In 1953, Herman Miller founder D.J. De Pree promised, “We will be good stewards of the environment.” That promise drives the design and innovation of our products today.

Setu’s Kinematic Spine, for example, has a not-so-secret secret—polypropylene, the same recyclable material used to make everything from toothbrushes to garbage cans. Making the plastic structure flexible and strong involved creative engineering. The result is a lightweight mechanism that lets Setu mimic your every move.

Visit us at Greenbuild 2011 in Toronto, October 4-6, 2011.

A Greenbuild Conversation with Lisa Ling

Susan Huls — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 19:19:37 +0000

At the recent Greenbuild conference, I had the chance to interview television journalist Lisa Ling. A special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show and host of National Geographic’s Ultimate Explorer, she’s tenacious about reporting the stories of those who often don’t have a voice. She’s also an advocate for environmental sustainability—as we are—which led to her interest in attending the show.

“Everyone I’ve talked to is so enthusiastic about what they’re doing,” she says about the exhibitors. “Our country is in the midst of an economic catastrophe and this green movement is the answer to our economic woes. That’s why Greenbuild has the highest attendance numbers ever. People are intrigued by what’s going on here.”

Ling is no stranger to building green. She’s about to move into the first energy-neutral home in Santa Monica, California–it’s a place she hopes will inspire others to make their homes more environmentally friendly.

“I try to be the vehicle from which people hear about a situation, with the hope that they want to effect change,” she adds.

Catch Lisa Ling in her new series called “Our America” on the Oprah Winfrey Network, beginning in February 2011.

Greenbuild Exhibit Shows Steps to Reducing Our Carbon Footprint

Susan Huls — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 21:31:17 +0000

This week in Chicago, thousands will gather at Greenbuild to see the latest in environmentally sustainable products and building practices. This must-see event has emerged as one of the office furniture industry’s largest trade shows in North America.

Hosted by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), the annual event is celebrating 10 years of raising awareness about the importance of thinking and building green.

Herman Miller is a founding member of the USGBC and has exhibited at the event since the beginning. This year, conference attendees will be able to experience several of our latest environmentally conscious products, including the SAYL family of seating, the Thrive Portfolio of ergonomic office tools and accessories, and the Energy Manager device.

Driven by our Perfect Vision initiatives, we’re on track to achieve by 2020 zero waste to landfills, zero hazardous waste generation, the use of 100 percent green energy, and 100 percent of product revenue through sustainable designs.

Tomorrow, we’ll release our fourth annual Better World report, which highlights our progress toward these initiatives. In some cases we’re ahead of schedule, which is good news for us and the planet.

Shedding Light on Perfect Vision at Greenbuild

Derrell Jackson — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:08:08 +0000

Herman Miller enjoyed a great showing at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Phoenix, Arizona earlier this month. In addition to the collective sighs of relief from weary attendees enjoying our comfortable seating, many also engaged our staff about Cradle to Cradle certification and our commitment to our “Perfect Vision” goals–a zero operational footprint by 2020. Our networking gardens and VIP lounge provided ample opportunities for attendees to take a breather and experience our furniture first-hand.

Herman Miller also received recognition for our Convia energy management platform. BuildingGreen, publisher of the GreenSpec Directory and Environmental Building News (EBN), included Convia in its Top-10 Green Building Products list for 2009. The award competition recognizes the most innovative and exciting green building products added to the GreenSpec Directory, the leading national directory of green building products, or covered in Environmental Building News in 2009. The Convia platform was chosen from hundreds of products.

Following the show, Herman Miller was given the opportunity to showcase its Eames Classic furniture and Setu chairs at a month-long Greenbuild art exhibition hosted at Optima Camelview Village, a premier, LEED-certified condominium complex in Scottsdale, Arizona.

We’re looking forward to sharing our latest green innovations at Greenbuild 2010 in the Windy City!

What’s New in Green: Greenbuild 2009

Derrell Jackson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:18:01 +0000

Graphic via: Greenbuild

Herman Miller will be heading to Phoenix, Arizona for the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo held on November 11-13, 2009. Hosted by the US Green Building Council, the annual conference—the world’s largest of its kind—offers attendees information on the latest advances in green building practices and design. As a sponsor of the event, Herman Miller is excited about the opportunity to share our progress towards achieving a zero operational footprint by 2020 as part of our environmental advocacy. Join us on Twitter for real-time updates on what’s new in “green” and what’s happening on the show floor.