If you’re looking for a cost effective alternative to a below ground rainwater cistern, the Rainwater Pillow, which was on display at Greenbuild NEXT, may be your answer.  Easy to locate under a deck or in a crawl space, the Rainwater Pillow is ideal for a retrofit project where placing a typical above or below ground cistern may prove difficult.  As long as you have a flat surface with no obstructions the Rainwater Pillow can be laid out tied into your landscape irrigation system with ease.

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Smith & Fong debuted SoyBond, a bamboo flooring and plywood line with a soy-based formaldehyde free adhesive system, at this year at the USGBC’s Greenbuild.  Smith & Fong has always promoted and offered non-urea formaldehyde resins; however, the step to a soy-based formaldehyde-free adhesive advances their product line further.

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Greenbuild 2011 marked the first international Greenbuild Conference and Expo, driving the importance of a global solution to sustainability.  It was also, quietly, the 10th annual Greenbuild, where was that celebration?  While the mood was upbeat, we were also alongside over 23,000 leaders of the green building industry, or as Thomas Freidman put it in his opening plenary (31:00 in), the dumb ones who keep on fighting for a green revolution!

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One of the most innovative products found on the Greenbuild Expo floor was the Reveeco EcoVéa recycling shower. This might be a hard sell for some but the concept is brilliant, allowing you to enjoy long showers without guilt. Possibly the world’s most intelligent shower, EcoVéa recycles water within your shower to push the limits of water conservation. For a ten minute shower, the EcoVéa can save up to 66% above your fixture efficiency savings.

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Sunverge has released a new Solar Integration System (SIS) package containing an inverter and battery storage unit to complement the standard residential solar PV array.  Brought to the market in February 2011, this new offering will give homeowners the opportunity to attain reliable net-zero energy status and eliminate reliance on the grid.

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Michigan-based Great Lakes Electric has a solar hot water product with evacuated tubes that allows for creative building-integrated solar hot water.  By releasing the restriction of roof mounting, as with typical solar hot water products, GLE’s unit allows for more innovative placement and ends the worries of roof penetrations and units looking like large black rooftop tarps.

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