AAMA Fall Conference to feature keynote speech on benchmarking green performance, codes and regulatory affairs updates

The upcoming American Architectural Manufacturers AssociationFall Conference, to be held Oct. 10-13 in Santa Ana Pueblo (Albuquerque), N.M., will feature a full roster of task group meetings, according to a Sept. 20 release. The AAMA Codes Action Committee, responsible for developing code change proposals, public comments and AAMA positions primarily directed to the International Code Council, and proposals to selected state or local codes as determined necessary by the committee, will meet at the conference. The work of this committee comes in conjunction with the ICC development of the 2012 edition of the existing 2009 International Codes. The committee has discussed the next set of code proposals and during the Fall Conference meeting will provide attendees with updates on the effects that this round of code development will have on the fenestration industry.The Regulatory Affairs Committee, responsible for monitoring proposed regulations and determining necessary action by AAMA, will also meet at the fall conference to provide updates on regulations originating from sources including CARB (California Air Resources Board), Energy Star, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), OSHA(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). The committee will provide relevant updates on regulations from these organizations as well as on state code activity reports. Chris Nelson, director of global commercial development, UL Environment will be thekeynote speaker. He will provide an overview of the importance of third-party validation and certification of sustainable products, as well as how a company can set itself up for success to earn third-party claims by: * Developing precise and measurable eco-claims* Creating products in compliance with industry-wide sustainability standards* Understanding the various sustainability aspects of products and document accordingly.Nelson will provide an overview of the growing demand for green building and the resulting shift that this demand has caused in the real estate and high-density residential construction markets, creating a marketplace focused on greener and more sustainable products, according to the release. His speech will detail how the sudden growth of residential and commercial green building projects has resulted in builders, specifiers, architects and general contractors seeking validation of green claims to ensure the products they purchase are truly green and meet the environ­mental claims being made. Manufacturers must now demonstrate the validity of their green products to build trust with the quickly growing green market."Looking towards our fall conference, we're very pleased to be bringing Chris Nelson to share insight on the value of third-party validation and certification of sustainable products," said Rich Walker, AAMA president and CEO, in the release. "This is a key topic in our industry right now, and green building has experienced positive growth in a time of economic recession. It is important, then, that we fully understand the impacts of the green building trend and how we can best rise to meet the growing demand for products that live up to their green claims."Development on a number of standards and educational courses will continue at the conference during the committee, task group and council meetings.To register, click here.For more information,contact Kaydeen Laird, AAMA senior meetings coordinator.