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BuildingGreen’s 2008 Top 10 Green Building Products
Published: November 21, 2008
Boston—BuildingGreen LLC has announced the names of this year’s top 10 green building products in a press conference at the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) 2008 Greenbuild Expo in Boston. The seventh annual awards program recognizes the top products listed in the GreenSpec Directory, a national directory of green building products, and in Environmental Building News.
The following are BuildingGreen’s top 10 green products:
Smith & Fong’s PlybooPure Bamboo Flooring
The first bamboo flooring to be FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-certified, Smith & Fong’s PlybooPure is made with low-emitting, non-formaldehyde polyisocyanurate binder. Measuring 5/8-in. x 3 ¾-in. x 75-in., the floor is available in either flat- or vertical-grained, in a natural or amber color, unfinished or prefinished with aluminum oxide. PlybooPure contributes to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) credits in the rapidly renewable material, low-emitting material and certified wood categories.
www.plyboo.com
Safe 'N Sound Emerald Doors by Masonite
These interior doors are comprised of wheat-straw particleboard cores, composite wood skins, and FSC-certified solid wood. In addition, they do not contain any added urea formaldehyde. With a thickness of 1 3/8-in., heights of 6 ft. 8 in., 7 ft. and 8 ft., and widths from one to three feet for passage doors and two to six feet for bifold doors, the doors are designed to reduce sound transmission. Additionally, the product contributes to LEED credits for recycled content, rapidly renewable material and certified wood.
www.masonite.com
Benjamin Moore’s Natura Paint
Benjamin Moore’s zero-VOC Natura paint and primers are designed to be spatter-resistant and to dry quickly with little odor. The product contains 100 percent acrylic resin that reportedly meets the Master Painter Institute’s Green Performance standard and Green Seal’s 2009 GS-11 standard, in addition to contributing LEED points toward low-emitting materials and construction IAQ (indoor air quality) management plane. Using the company’s own Gennex zero-VOC colorants, it is available as a primer, as well as in flat, eggshell and semi-gloss. It will be available nationwide in Spring 2009.
www.benjaminmoore.com
Concrete Blocks by Integrity Block
Made from a soil mix that includes 60 percent pre-consumer recycled content (byproducts from mining), Integrity Block is a compacted earth-block used as a replacement for concrete masonry units. The Integrity Block meets ASTM (C-90) performance standards for load-bearing CMUs (concrete masonry units) and is available in a number of common form factors—standard, bond beam, open-ended bond beam, half blocks, pilaster and landscape, sizes and colors, including Gray, Sahara and Sedona. Using 40 percent less energy to produce, they are initially being shipped in northern California, though the company has plans for additional plants nationwide so that regional markets can be reached with low transportation, and thus low carbon, impact. The blocks contribute to LEED MR Credit 4: recycled content.
www.integrityblock.com
Vermont Natural Coatings’ PolyWhey Floor Finish
A waterborne wood finish that utilizes recycled whey protein as a binder, PolyWhey contributes to LEED MR Credit 6: rapidly renewable materials and EQ Credit 4: low-emitting materials. PolyWhey is reportedly twice as hard as, and contains 25 percent less VOC content than, the average water-based finish. It provides a water-, chemical- and scratch-resistant clear coating, which, according to Vermont Natural Coatings, makes it suitable for high-traffic areas. The finish is designed to dry to the touch in less than two hours and be fully cured in less than a week. The coatings are available in gloss, semi-gloss and satin finish. Additionally, the cans are made from 100 percent pre-consumer recycled polypropylene.
www.vermontnaturalcoatings.com
Natural Fiber Fabrics by O Ecotextiles
O Ecotextiles has produced natural textiles that are made from 100 percent organic cotton or other sustainably grown fibers, such as hemp, flax, abaca, ramie, silk and bamboo. Manufacturing processes throughout the supply chain eliminate the use of many hazardous substances typical to the industry. Many of the fabrics exceed contract specification as defined by ACT standards, and all are certified to meet the Oeko Tex Standard 100, with some also certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). The fabrics are free of hazardous chemical residues, except in cases of functional finishes, such as flame retardancy and stain resistance. The fabrics contribute to the LEED EQ Credit 4: low-emitting materials.
www.oecotextiles.com
Agilewaves Resource Monitor
The Agilewaves Resource Monitor is a web-based system that provides building owners with real-time data on electricity, gas and water consumption, and calculates the building’s carbon footprint. It can track, store and analyze temperature, humidity, air quality, output from PV and solar water-heating systems and utility costs by floor, room, appliance, circuit or utility. The Resource Monitor stores both current and historical information, providing users with trends and comparative analysis across any time period. The company reports that the monitor can help to reduce energy, gas and water consumption by up to 20 percent. It contributes to LEED points through optimizing energy performance, additional commissioning, and measurement and verification.
www.agilewaves.com
Rainwater HOG Storage Tanks
The Rainwater HOG is a modular rainwater storage tank for use in tight spaces. It is available in two versions: a potable water tank made from virgin food-grade polyethylene and a non-food-grade tank made with 15 percent recycled content. The tank holds 50 gallons of water that can be used for irrigation, toilets or laundry. If installed within a building’s envelope, the tank can serve as a thermal storage for passive solar heating systems. The Rainwater HOG is available as a stand-alone tank that is plumbed into the downspout or as part of a complete rainwater harvesting system, Rainwater Rescue. The system’s standard color is bronze olive green, but additional colors are available for orders of 20 or more units. A 350-gallon HOGzilla tank will be introduced in 2009. The system can be used toward LEED SS Credit 6: stormwater management, WE Credit 1: water-efficient landscaping, WE Credit 3: water-use reduction and MR Credit 4: recycled content.
www.rainwaterhog.com
SunCache Solar Water Heating System by Harpiris Energy
Designed for Sunbelt locations (it is not intended for use in cold climates), the SunCache integral-collector-storage (ICS) solar water heater uses a roof-mounted, water-filled, unpressurized, polyethylene panel and copper heat exchanger to preheat water. No pump is needed for the pre-heated water to flow to a conventional storage or tankless water heater. Compatible in both new construction and retrofit installations, the SunCache is designed to reduce annual water heating costs by 30 to 50 percent, consequently reducing the building’s carbon footprint. It contributes to LEED EA Prerequisite 2: minimum energy performance and EA Credit 2: renewable energy.
www.harpiris.com
Matrix Total Home System by NTI
Pre-configured for air conditioning, NTI’s (NY Thermal Inc.) Matrix combines a gas-fired condensing boiler and furnace, condensing demand water heater and heat-recovery ventilator into a single unit. The Matrix is reportedly capable of reducing gas consumption by 30 percent, compared to a conventional system, providing an AFUE of 94 for forced-air, 92.7 for hydronic heating and an energy factor of 0.85 for water heating. The appliance can provide five gallons of hot water per minute without a tank or standby energy loss. It is the first product to meet Canada’s new CSA-P.10 standard for integrated mechanical systems and it contributes LEED credits in the categories of EA Prerequisite 2: minimum energy performance, EA Credit 1: optimize energy performance, EQ Credit 2: increase ventilation effectiveness and EQ Credit 7: thermal comfort.
www.nythermal.com
