With environmental concern increasing among the tile and stone industry, Coverings 2007 offers a “green building” track at its upcoming trade show April 17-20 in Chicago, an aim toward enlightening industry manufacturers, distributors, retailers and installers on the importance of sustainability. The 11 50-minute sessions promote environmental awareness and provide How-To steps for recycling ceramic, tile and stone products, each session tailored for a specific member of the industry.

“Sustainability is integral to today’s business,” said Tamara Christian, ceo of national trade publications. “We wish to tackle the green building topic from a variety of perspectives.”

Some of the seminar titles include “How to Contribute to Green Building with Recycled Flooring”, “Ecological Design and Decoration” and “Tile and Stone: A Healthy Alternative”.

Sharing the line-up with the green building track are the annual Spectrum and Prism Awards for architectural and design projects, representing the most innovative and visionary use of ceramic tile and natural stone. Another highlight is Coverings’ first-ever invitation to architects and designers to bring their VIP clients with them, free of charge. They can host up to two guests during the four-day run.