CeritifiedGreen

EverGreen Recreational Vehicles LLC continues to revolutionize the RV industry as the first all-composite, eco-friendly, manufacturer to achieve the TRA Green Certified Emerald Rating for its Ever-Lite travel trailers and fifth-wheels.

 

The company achieved the rating on Nov. 19 and will be only RV company to introduce its 2011 line of eco-friendly trailers at the 47th Annual National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Ky., Dec. 1-3, according to a news release.

“We formulated the parameters based on the National Green Building Standard and tailored that standard to the recreational vehicle industry,” said, Mandy Leazenby, green program manager for Elkhart, Ind.-based TRA Certification Inc. ”We must extend solid congratulations to the EverGreen team, as we were positive an RV company would never achieve our Emerald Certified Green Rating. They proved us wrong. No other Emerald Certified Green companies will be at the upcoming RVIA Show. EverGreen is the only RV company to achieve this status.”

The certification was based on the eco-friendly, all composite, wood free outside wall construction with which EverGreen trailers are built, and the fact that all these materials are completely recyclable. The Certified Green Emerald Status was also based on EverGreen’s lean and green manufacturing processes that recycle all waste and even reuse window and wall cutouts as baggage doors on its products.

“Our team was extremely proud to receive this distinction upon the review of our last audit by TRA,” said EverGreen President, Doug Lantz. “It’s the honored verification of a journey we have all traveled together since we all founded EverGreen. Our vision was always towards the future, to become the RV industry’s first truly green company. We are all very proud to achieve this honor.”

The EverGreen Difference

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Evergreen’s management “Green Team” has the passion to change the RV industry by utilizing COMPOSITEK™ engineered “green” materials to replace traditional industry building materials. These new composites have been used in other industries throughout the world but were not commonly used in the RV industry. The new COMPOSITEK™ materials have been chemically engineered to meet the RV industries stringent standards. COMPOSITEK™ engineering utilizes higher quality, stronger materials, to increase the longevity and ultimately the customer satisfaction of every Evergreen RV owner. Our unique construction and design methods are innovative and environmentally friendly.
 
EverGreen’s exclusive COMPOSITEK™ construction eliminates the use of wood substrate in the floors, walls and roof of our products. COMPOSITEK™ waterproof composite materials will not rot if they get wet and are mildew resistant. These materials are recyclable, eco-friendly, formaldehyde and VOC free and most importantly made in America.

There’s a reason lauan is called “Brazilian mahogany” – it is hardwood right out of the rain forests. Lauan is imported from tropical rain forests from South America to Indonesia. EverGreen eliminated some 50 sheets of lauan per trailer, replacing it with stronger, lighter ComposiTek™ that doesn’t come out of the rain forest and won’t let the rain in. We also replaced three to four sheets of plywood with composites in the interior furnishings. ComposiTek™ materials are made in the U.S.A.

We vacuum bond laminate all of our walls, roofs and floors, “in house”. We even double weld our heavy gauge aluminum structures to insure extra strength. The EverGreen RV floor, sidewalls and roof used to make the Ever-lite trailers are the lightest and strongest in the industry!

The Evergreen Construction Video by Brian Brawdy (60 seconds)

Play All Videos:  (Approximately 9 minutes)

Compositek Construction

 

 

Ever-Lite floor, sidewalls and roof are VACUUM BONDED. This is the most reliable process for laminating. This is the same process used in every high end luxury motor home. Vacuum bonding is the lamination process where the entire structure is placed in a giant vacuum bag and is pressurized to approximately 129 pounds per square inch. The wall remains in the bag under pressure for 20 to 40 minutes, depending on atmospheric conditions. This process uses a higher technology that is significantly more expensive, but the result is the finest construction available in the RV industry today.


Other manufacturers will say they are “laminated” or “bonded”, but if they do not claim to be vacuum bonded, they are probably “pinch-rolled” – a process where the adhesive is sprayed on and the wall goes through two big rolling pins, squeezing the glue as it “pinches” the pieces together. The vacuum process allows for even pressure at a high pounds per square inch rate over a much longer period of time.

Higher Technology, Better Quality! 

Laminated Floors

 

Ever-Lite’s one-piece, laminated composite floor is THE LIGHTEST AND STRONGEST FLOOR IN THE INDUSTRY. It is framed with 2” box aluminum that is double welded together and uses a stronger, more dense, two-pound block foam insulation. The top and bottom layers are one piece Compositek™ that is three times stronger than the traditional heavy 4’ X 8’ plywood sheets or other one-piece wood chip and resin boards.

NO MORE SOFT OR ROTTED FLOORS! Compositek™ will not rot or deteriorate! Water has no effect on Compositek™. In fact, it is so water resistant that the roof of the Ever-Lite is made with the same material!

The seamless one-piece design of the Compositek™ composite flooring system means there are no squeaky or soft spots!

This new technology has allowed us to eliminate hundreds of pounds of excess weight from the Ever-Lite floor alone!

Compositek™ is a green eco-friendly composite material.

Lightweight, Strong, Water Resistant & Green!

Laminated Sidewalls

The sidewalls of the Ever-Lite are the LIGHTEST AND STRONGEST IN THE INDUSTRY! We use heavy gauge aluminum tubing that is double welded – not screwed or stapled together. Some manufacturers try to make their sidewalls lighter by eliminating all but the perimeter aluminum studs, relying on the wood backer to give it strength. We construct our aluminum frames as a full cage design and EVERY opening from the biggest slide-out to the smallest water inlet is completely framed in aluminum. We use strong 3” aluminum tubes around our slide openings and at other major stress points in the wall.

Ever-Lite sidewalls are constructed using a more dense, 2 pound, block foam insulation, compared to most other’s 1-1/2 pound, less expensive foam. EverGreen’s higher density foam is stronger, with less of chance of compression lines and also has a higher R-value.

 

Ever-Lite sidewalls have a composite insulation factor of R-9. Think of it this way - a styrofoam coffee cup is only 1/8 inch thick, yet you can hold it full of boiling hot liquid. Imagine the insulation value of a thick foam core wall!

 

On the left is wood paneling used by all our competitors. After it has gotten wet it grew mold and may cause allergic reactions. On the right is our COMPOSITEK. It is waterproof and will not promote the growth of mold.

Both the aluminum and foam are recyclable.

 

EverGreen's Compositek™ (one piece)

The competitioin

Lauan wood fiber backer (pieced together)

The competition purchase their fiberglass sidewalls with one layer of 1/8" lauan wood backer (this will show seams), or two layers of lauan (less seam show-through, but twice as heavy)! Wood lauan backer will absorb water and rot, mold, mildew and deteriorate over time as well as could contain harmful VOC's and formaldehyde. Ever-Lite sidewalls are constructed with one piece Compositek™ composite substrate which is three times stronger than lauan. Yet it will not absorb water, is mold and mildew resistant, will not deteriorate and is VOC and formaldehyde free.

The adhesion of the fiberglass to the Compositek™ is the strongest in the industry. These two chemically similar materials fused together become virtually one as they are bonded. Our competition uses wood and fiberglass which are two entirely different substances that are held together with an adhesive, allowing for a greater chance for delamination.

Lightweight, Strong, Water Resistant & Green!

 

Roof Construction

 

Lightweight, Strong, Water Resistant & Green!

Ever-Lite’s roofing system is strong and unique. This full walk-on roof is vacuum bonded using high density polystyrene foam sandwiched between Compositek™ composite material. The A/C duct work is actually molded into the foam for the best cold air temperature retention ever achieved! The radius aluminum framed design combined with state of the art vacuum bonding and a Compositek™ shell creates the strongest roof in the industry.

Ever-Lite uses special 100% UV protected Compositek™ as the top panel, eliminating the need for a rubber membrane. The Compositek™ will never tear from a tree branch and you never have to worry about a rubber roof becoming “unglued” and billowing up as you travel down the road!  Compositek™ is also impervious to mold, mildew and rot, eliminating black streaks.

Other manufacturers use the “old standard” roof system made with wood or thin stamped steel trusses and a heavy wood decking, then a rubber or vinyl membrane is glued on top. The older conventional roofs are heavy, will absorb water and rot, mold, mildew and deteriorate over time.

Did you know the rubber membrane on a 30 foot trailer adds over 80 pounds of weight?

 

Competition's Roof

 

Rubber Membrane Wood Sheathing

* NOTE * While the Compositek material is formaldehyde free, some interior components do contain formaldehyde : "Composite wood products used in construction of the interior of EverGreen's recreation vehicles are certified by EverGreen's suppliers as being compliant with formaldehyde emission levels established by the California Air Resources Board."