Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation has awarded Athena Institute International a $60,000 grant to improve decision-making tools that can help reduce the environmental impacts of building commercial and residential structures.

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"For more than a decade, the Athena Institute has been helping architects, engineers and others to evaluate the environmental impacts of new and existing buildings through life cycle assessments," said Karen Johnson, president of the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation. "This grant will help them improve tools for assessing how building products and systems affect the environment."

Wayne Trusty, president of the Athena Institute, said the grant from the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation will be used to update the ATHENA® Impact Estimator for Buildings. The software is the only system in North America that evaluates whole buildings and assemblies based on internationally recognized life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology.

Using the Estimator, architects, engineers and others can review and compare the environmental implications of industrial, institutional, commercial and residential designs-both for new buildings and major renovations.

"With assistance from the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation, Athena will now be able to take more information into account with regard to the production, use and disposal of building products," said Trusty. "As a result we will be able to look at a broader range of environmental impact measures for products used in buildings, and our new software system will now better integrate current environmental procedures and standards."

For companies that require life cycle results for products or processes, Athena services range from advice on study objectives and design to full responsibility for the study-including sub-contracting, management, accountability and reporting. They work independently to assess a building's structural systems and provide an environmental profile.

Life cycle assessment, or LCA, is a methodology for assessing the environmental performance of materials, assemblies and even whole structures over the course of their entire lives, from extraction through manufacturing, transportation, installation, use, maintenance and disposal or recycling.

The Athena Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to the sustainability of the built environment-a goal that can only be achieved by meeting the building community's need for better information and tools. Through offices in Canada and the United States, the Institute furthers the use and science of LCA through groundbreaking software, world class databases and customized consulting services, and by working collaboratively with the international research community. For more information about Athena, visit: http://www.athenasmi.ca/.

The mission of the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation, established in 1948, is to enhance the quality of life in communities where Weyerhaeuser has a significant presence, and increase understanding of the importance and sustainability of forests and the products they provide that meet people's needs. To learn more about the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation, visit: http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/citizenship/philanthropy/.

Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world's largest forest products companies, was incorporated in 1900. In 2006, sales were $21.9 billion. It has offices or operations in 18 countries, with customers worldwide. Weyerhaeuser is principally engaged in the growing and harvesting of timber; the manufacture, distribution and sale of forest products; and real estate construction, development and related activities. Additional information about Weyerhaeuser's businesses, products and practices is available at http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/.

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SOURCE: Weyerhaeuser Company

CONTACT: Shawn Watson of Weyerhaeuser Company, +1-253-924-4691; or Jenny
Read of Athena Institute, +1-613-269-3795

Web site: http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/
http://www.athenasmi.ca/