Green Statement

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is the largest association exclusively dedicated to the kitchen and bath industry. With eleven various industry segments, the NKBA’s greatest strength is the diversity of its members. The National Kitchen & Bath Association is thoroughly committed to sustainability and our responsibility to the global environment, and we actively encourage our members to contribute to the integration of green practices in the kitchen, bath and related industries.

The kitchen and bath are two rooms that consume much of the energy and water used in the home. The NKBA is committed to helping its members understand and learn the environmental impact that the creation and use of these rooms can have on energy, water, air quality, health, safety and welfare in the home and the environment.

In addition, to realize a return on investment for practicing sustainability, the NKBA urges its members to look for shared values between business and environmental initiatives.

Understanding of Terms: Green is to be earth friendly. Sustainability, in the context of the environment, is to make use of processes and materials that can be maintained, reused, or recycled for an indefinite period in order to reduce and eliminate toxins while minimizing the negative impact on the environment. For a more extensive list of terms: see NKBA.org/Green.

The National Kitchen & Bath Association promotes sustainability on a number of fronts:

• Mission of the Board: To educate our members to be better stewards of the environment for today and for future generations.
• National Headquarters:
• Adopted practices, policies, and training for employees to “live and work” in a sustainable organization
• Working towards greening its major conferences, such as K/BIS, by recycling and exploring methods to conserve water and energy use
• Encourages members to make every attempt to teleconference, carpool, and use e-mail notices in lieu of paper mailings
• Education and Networking: To provide current educational programs on sustainability. The NKBA provides networking opportunities to share best practices through chapter programs and meetings. For current educational courses and chapter meetings, visit NKBA.org/Courses.
• Members’ Responsibility: To educate clients on sustainable practices in the selection and specification of materials for every product within their homes.
• Partnering: To create alliances with like associations in order to provide resources and opportunities that help to educate our members.