An assisted living facility in Richmond’s West End has a new name and an updated look, thanks to a renovation that included installation of vinyl plank, vinyl wallcoverings, window treatments, and vinyl-backed carpet.

The vinyl fencing around Welch Standardbreds horse farm in Beecher, Ill. was financed not by a bank loan or a rich uncle, but by Pokagon, a three-year-old pacer who won a $200,000 race in Canada. The purse paid for far more than the fencing.

In the escalating push to divert material from landfills, vinyl flooring manufacturers are collecting installation waste from construction sites and even experimenting with reclaiming old used vinyl flooring.

SALEM, N.J., July 16, 2008 – Mannington Commercial has become the first floor covering company to gain a certification of Environmentally Preferred Product (EPP) for all of its commercial inlaid resilient flooring. "Inlaid" flooring, in this case, means commercial sheet vinyl with a consistent pattern throughout, rather than one that is printed on the top layers.

Thanks to new and stronger frame designs, storm resistant vinyl windows can be installed in high-rise buildings in Florida, where previously the wind and water loads could only be met by aluminum windows.

Last year, LSI Wallcovering, a privately owned company in Louisville, Ky., closed the recycling loop for vinyl wallcovering by becoming the first operation in North America to collect old product and recycle it into a new line of vinyl wallcoverings.

The Gates©, which for 16 days in February 2005, brightened a wintry New York City with 23 miles of orange banners that were supported by 7,500 frames made of recyclable vinyl, is the focus of a new HBO® documentary.

New lines of vinyl/PVC decking that are easier than ever to care for debuted at the 2008 International Builders Show, largely in response to consumer demand for low-maintenance decks that keep their looks longer. The show is the world’s largest annual light construction convention.

Tapping one of the largest construction waste streams, flooring company Mannington Industries is recycling drywall gypsum, adding it to vinyl carpet backing and vinyl tile. In the past year, Mannington has recycled more than 115 tons of drywall waste.

Twelve original works of art painted on recycled vinyl billboards are going on display across Los Angeles, where they will be seen by an estimated 500,000 commuters a day, according to the organizers.

One of Australia’s leading hospitals announced a major investment in vinyl furniture to help curb dangerous infections. Other major hospitals are likely to follow suit, according to the Melbourne Age.

Two Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design students won first place for their innovative use of vinyl in an architectural competition to design a transit stop for the Milwaukee County Transit System.

Students of architecture and design need to be alert to “green-washing” as they work toward a more sustainable future, attendees were cautioned at the conference of the American Institute of Architecture Students in Milwaukee.

Sweden has become a leading center of the latest styles in "Sexy" resilient vinyl flooring and Giorgio Armani is among its biggest fans, according to the upscale European lifestyle magazine Monocle.

Tough, portable reusable PVC water barriers have become a valuable new tool in fighting emergencies ranging from floods to hazmat spills to frest fires.

Engineers and engineering students working with Engineers Without Borders--USA have been saving lives and improving living conditions for tens of thousands by bringing clean drinking water, sanitation and irrigation systems to developing countries.

The safety of PVC in consumer products is well established and has been confirmed by numerous government health and safety agenices in the U.S. and worldwide over many years, according to a new study released by the Vinyl Institute.

Nationwide demand for vinyl roofing is "growing by leaps and bounds," according to industry experts, who say that demand for reflective white vinyl "cool roofs" has soared in the past five years as California and other states adopted codes encouraging the use of reflective materials.

The European PVC industry reported that its recycling program "exceeded expectations" in 2006, more than doubling the volume of recycled material for the second year in a row.

Since the first Earth Day in 1970, vinyl has played an ever-increasing role in helping Americans save energy, save water and reduce greenhouse gas emssions.

What makes a product "green"? This was one of the challenging topics at the National Association of Home Builders" Green Conference held recently. And it is the subject of a lot of misinformation, according to speaker Judith Nordgren, director of industry affairs of the Vinyl Institute.

The Vinyl Institute said that the final report of a U.S. Green Building Council panel on PVC (vinyl) reaffirmed the conclusions of its earlier draft report that PVC should not be the subject of a negative credit in the Council's LEED rating system.

When some four million gallons of raw sewage gushed from a manhole at an intersection in this Dallas suburb recently, authorities discovered that the problem was a burst concrete sewer pipe. They quickly replaced the collapsed concrete pipeline with 500 feet of PVC pipe, restoring flow to the system.

When a Canadian company stripped the vinyl siding from 275 houses being demolished on a military base, it was able to salvage 100 percent of the siding and then deliver it all to recyclers, saving many thousands of dollars in landfill fees and avoiding the landfill.

Two of the nation's leading window manufacturers -- Andersen and Pella -- announced that they are boosting production of vinyl windows to meet increasing public demand.

With the new Congress pushing legislation to renew America's aging drinking water and wastewater infrastructures, experts say the many advantages of PVC pipe will make it the material of choice for renewal programs throughout the country.

The Vinyl Institute welcomed bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week that renews the nation's commitment to financing state wastewater infrastructure projects.

The Vinyl Institute welcomed California's approval of CPVC (vinyl) pipe for residential plumbing as "a major victory for California consumers."

An architectural design competition that required competitors to use vinyl in 60 percent of visible components of a park kiosk in Boston concluded in December, and several winners were chosen.

Creative new uses of vinyl in the design of an innovative, energy-saving home of the future will be on desplay until July 29, 2007, at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City.

Vinyl -- the material best known for classical recordings, weatherproof siding and energy saving windows -- is now coming into fashion for high-end interior designs, according to a new generation of East and West Coast designers.

Architect Betsy Pettit, president of Building Science Corp. in Westford, Mass., explains in an article for Fine Hombuilding magazine why she feels that vinyl siding is green. This article is from the July 2005 issue of Fine Homebuilding magazine.

A key medium in artist Christo's heralded "The Gates, Central Park, New York" was vinyl. The ability to easily extrude vinyl to match the saffron color scheme of the project; its durability; and, most importantly, its ability to be recycled made it the material of choice.

A new draft report from the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) PVC Task Group finds that the environmental and health impacts of vinyl used in building products are comparable to those of competing materials.

Description: If you think building a three-bedroom home in seven days is fast, watch it get done in seconds.

Louisiana State University architecture students will have the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge in creating an affordable single-family home for a design competition announced by the Vinyl Partners for Humanity (VPH). The winning design will be built in spring 2005 as part of a vinyl industry “blitz build” for Habitat for Humanity (HFH), contributing to the international organization’s goal of ending substandard housing.

A study of environmental life-cycle analyses of vinyl by the European Commission finds that vinyl can offer environmental benefits equal to or better than those of other materials in many applications.

The Wallcoverings Association (WA) and the Chemical Fabrics & Film Association (CFFA) offer this review of a variety of scientific, technical, and medical resources to answer questions and to educate readers about the complex and often controversial issues surrounding mold growth in homes and buildings, particularly with respect to wallcoverings.

The Vinyl Institute (VI) donated $5,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Pittsburgh on behalf of attendees at a green building conference and exposition held at the convention center here Nov. 11-14.

In applications ranging from cold water delivery and landscape irrigation systems to drain, waste and vent (DWV) systems and sewage transport, PVC plays a vital role in providing dependable piping service. This advertorial originally appeared in the October 2003 issue of Building Design & Construction.

The Building Design & Construction editors published the following white paper on green building and unveiled it at the U.S. Green Building Council's 2003 Greenbuild Conference & Expo. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information

PVC pipe’s durability and ease of installation were deciding factors for the engineers selecting materials for a “marsh machine” at a Philadelphia wildlife refuge. The project gained national recognition when it was named one of the Earth Day Top 10 Green Projects this year by the American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment (COTE) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy.

Prompted by the energy crisis over a generation ago, Wendy's International tops all of its restaurants with reflective vinyl roofing systems. The vinyl roofing specification has long been the standard for all company-owned restaurants, and is encouraged for use by franchisees.

A multitude of things have inspired design over the years - a beautiful face, profound literature, divinity and, yes, even skiwear.

After 22 years as an orthodontist in the Navy, Dr. Alfred J. Maskeroni decided to open a private practice with the goal of creating an office environment that would appeal both to his staff and teenage clientele. Using creative ceiling treatments, a vinyl wall mural of the underwater world and decorative but functional lighting, JSR transformed an ordinary office into an experience.

When ProGrafix International, Inc., a graphics firm located in Layton, Utah, learned about a plan conceptualized by the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Committee (SLOC) and entered the competition for a larger-than-life print job, it was clear that the project might be ProGrafix’ most demanding and thrilling assignment ever.

Arlington, Va., April 15, 2002 - Interior designers specializing in healthcare facility design say the most important criteria ...

Vinyl, used as an interior material, combines aspects of traditional materials with advanced technologies and ongoing innovation that give it versatility, durability and beauty in many applications. As with products of any material, client satisfaction with the selection of vinyl products requires knowledge of the characteristics that can deliver particular performance attributes, but also proper specification and a commitment to ensuring that qualified installers deliver the workmanship on which that performance depends.

Architectural firms charged with creating a new terminal at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport found vinyl was the best roofing material to meet all the demands of this unique design. Read more about why vinyl was chosen in this part of a $4.4 billion redevelopment project at Canada’s busiest airport.

The Vinyl Institute (VI), in conjunction with the Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Architecture and The Greater Baton Rouge Habitat for Humanity, announced on Feb. 22 the winners of a student competition to design a Habitat for Humanity house.

Fourteen senior students from the Louisiana State University School of Architecture spent their last semester on a project some say they learned more from than all their previous years. They participated in a competition sponsored by the Vinyl Institute to design a Habitat for Humanity home. Then they all had the opportunity to build the home. Read more about this project and view a slide show from the build.

C&A Floorcoverings (C&A), a Tandus company, announced it has recycled more than 100 million pounds of reclaimed vinyl and vinyl-backed carpet, since it introduced the Infinity Initiative 10 years ago.