Key Meeting Set on ANSI Natural-Stone Standard

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The work of the Natural Stone Council (NSC) in developing an ANSI Dimensional Natural Stone Standard includes a crucial meeting here next week.

NSF International will host a “stakeholders” meeting on developing criteria for the standard on Aug. 22-23 – and interested parties not able to make it to Ann Arbor can attend electronically.

The group defined as stakeholders – quarriers, fabricators, architects, builders and others – began work last fall, dividing into work groups and subgroups focused on scoping issues relevant to the standard and then developing draft criteria around the various issues.

Primary work groups tackled processing and quarry operations. Subgroups formed for water, energy, social responsibility and transportation, among other topics. (Documents are available on the NSC’s website; scroll to the bottom of “Stone Industry News” to see the ANSI standards files.)

Developing an ANSI standard would give more credence to natural stone in the green building movement by showing leadership in determining sustainability standards, and addressing environmental concerns in quarrying and processing. It also would aid in educating key members of the green building movement, government, and environmental advocacy groups about the production of natural-stone products, and the benefits of using natural stone in sustainable building.

The meeting next week will be critical in the development process, as the stakeholders begin to pull all of the criteria together into one cohesive document.  A preliminary agenda is included here.

Electronic participation can be by telephone, a combination of telephone audio and web visuals or VoIP with a direct audio-visual link via a web-based connection. Instructions are offered here.