Standardization News

ASTM International Committee E60 on Sustainability develops standards that promote sustainability in construction, hospitality, manufacturing and other areas. E60 also aids other ASTM committees in the development of sustainability standards. In both cases, the goal is the same, says Michael Schmeida, vice chairman of E60: "E60 works to promote the creation and adoption of sustainability standards throughout all industries."

Dru Meadows, chairman of E60, says that emerging interest in sustainability is reflected by the development of E60, founded in 2008 after having been a subcommittee in Committee E06 on Performance of Buildings.

"The fact that we have E60 is huge and it's not been without some effort," says Meadows. "In 1994, a subcommittee on green buildings attracted two people to its initial meeting."

Today's E60, with hundreds of members and many standards under its jurisdiction, illustrates the evolution of sustainability. Meadows and Schmeida speak of the innovative ways in which E60 presents sustainability issues.

Meadows, principal at the theGreenTeam Inc., Tulsa, Okla., says that the Sustainability Database compiled by ASTM and other organizations and now maintained by E60, highlights more than 800 standards, including over 500 ASTM standards.

Schmeida, director, compliance and sustainability at Tremco Commercial Sealants and Waterproofing, Cleveland, Ohio, notes that he and Meadows have visited the executive committee meetings of other ASTM committees to describe E60's work. E60 offers assistance whether a committee opts to develop sustainability standards through its own subcommittees or via an E60 group. In cases such as work on standards for vegetative green roofs, E60 and Committee D08 on Roofing and Waterproofing established a coordinated effort that best utilizes the expertise in each of the committees.

E60's latest workshop, Sustainability Standards and Methods: A State of the Union, will be held Oct. 21 in Jacksonville, Fla. The workshop will bring standards organizations together to get an understanding of what standards are needed and to identify possible areas of collaboration. Information on the workshop can be found on the Committee E60 home page.

E60 also presents awards of appreciation to members of other ASTM committees who promote the cause of sustainability. Recipients have been:

"Committee E60 definitely wants to be a partner to any other committee," says Schmeida. "We want to be a resource and an incubator for sustainability standards."