The Black-And-White About Green Lighting:
A19 is A-OK

Green is the cool new black. I know some of you get confused about green, sustainability, CO2, and the zoo of new colorful phrases in eco-babble speak, but today we’ll help you make this black and white – it might even light you up – by telling you how our friends at A19, a woman-owned, green manufacturer of handmade ceramic lighting fixtures, produce products that fit right in with the demand for sustainability building products in homes and hotels. Sound A-OK?

Ontario, California-based A19 has placed an emphasis on improving the quality of life of its customers, our employees, the community, and the environment.

A19 president Cinnamon Alvarez explains, “Being socially and environmentally conscious has allowed us to create a green facility in which we can make a lighter impact on the earth by producing environmentally-sound products. We have also been able to give back to the community and improve working conditions in the U.S. and around the world.”

A19 also committed to helping educating in and outside of the building industry on green lighting with an ongoing article series read by architects, interior designers, lighting retailers, and design students, and folks like you and me wanting to know more energy efficient lighting.

Their manufacturing incorporates sustainability. And that means that their products help architects and construction firms meet sustainability building standards established by the US Green Building Council, a non-profit organization whose LEED® green building certification programs are the benchmark of sustainability in the building industry.

LEED does not certify products. Most of us get confused with the ENERGY STAR® product rating program, run jointly by the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy. Instead, LEED certifies buildings by assigning points to five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality. With lighting, they look at light pollution reduction, renewable electricity sources, controllability of lighting, and the materials and resources used (generally, local is better than far away, since you need energy to transport it). The more points you get, the higher your certification status.

A19 designed a lighting sconce specifically for the Hotel Indigo Group, which proactively supports sustainable tourism products, by examining the “environmental impact of hotel development and operations from the inside out - evaluating everything in the life cycle of a hotel from site and design to management and operations.” In fact, their Hotel Indigo San Diego, is specifically being designed and built in order to achieve LEED certification.

"We see the supply-and-demand arrangement between A19 and the Hotel Indigo Group as a perfect match of philosophies," Alvarez noted. "For the good it does, you might even call it a match made in heaven."

It’s the forward thinking and philosophy of manufacturers like A19 — who follow green practices because they know it’s the right action to take rather than a sales ploy by hitching a free ride on the green band wagon — and sustainability-conscious buyers, whether on a hotel chain-wide basis or you updating your own home’s lighting, that’s the natural match maker in giving us sustainability faster and easier.

Like other companies driven by a personal philosophy, Alvarez, adds, "I truly want to make sure that we’re doing the right thing, and doing it right. So far, I think folks certify us with a pretty good rating. Of course, I’m always looking for ways to improve."

And that heavenly match is A-OK with us.

For more information about A19 and green lighting, please visit: http://www.a19.com/green