All materials have an environmental impact; we need to be able to consider the consequences of material decisions relative to a project's specific circumstances. We think it is important for information to support your ability to compare and choose materials that have fewer environmental consequences and to serve this decision-making process by promoting broad and deep thinking or what we call intelligence. To this end we have developed our matrix with 14 criteria; we also include cost information. The criteria are organized with those having the greatest capacity to impact energy and water use located to the left and being darker in color; impacts to the health of the environment and humans centrally placed; and resource use and waste management impacts to the right.

Energy Performance: identifies a product's capacity to reduce energy consumption, with qualifications where appropriate such as R-value for insulation.

Heat Island Affect: identifies a product's capacity to contribute to management of temperature increases due to the built environment such as using light materials that have solar reflectance and thermal emittance factors qualified by an SRI.

Daylight Performance: identifies a product's capacity to contribute to the use of daylight rather than electric light.

Water Efficiency: identifies a product's capacity to contribute to reduced water consumption, with qualifications where appropriate such as EPA WaterSense certification and/or gallons per flush information.

Stormwater Design: identifies a product's capacity to contribute to on-site management of storm water such as by onsite filtration and slowing the release of water.

Embodied Energy: not derived from Life Cycle Assessment methods, rather it is a simplified approach based on easily obtainable information.

• Production: this category references any environmental policy or practice a manufacturer engages during production.
• Maintenance: this category identifies manufacturer claims around maintenance, longevity, and warranty.
• Recyclability: this category identifies the capability of the product to be reclaimed whether by manufacturer reuse, recycling, or compostabing.

North America Sourced: identifies a product's location of manufacturing, highlighting those sourced in North America where transportation, environmental, and human equity concerns may be less of a consequence.

Low Emitting: identifies a product's no or low emission of volatile organic compounds, containing no materials on the environmental red list, and/or has no added urea formaldehyde, with qualifications where appropriate such as GreenGuard certified.

Recycled Content: this category identifies the % of recycled content post-consumer and pre-consumer.

Rapidly Renewable: this category identifies the % of rapidly renewable content; rapidly renewable sources are those that renew within 10-years.

Third-Party verification/qualification:

• Certification: this category identifies certifications issued to this product.
• Rating: this category identifies ratings achieved by the product.

Economics: where it makes sense, cost information for material only is provided to give the user a general idea of the economic impact.