Sustainable construction materials manufacturer, Stramit USA, has introduced an interior partition system called CAFquiet™ Studless Wall System, made from their proprietary compressed agricultural fiber (CAF) board, which requires no studs to install unique, noise-insulated interior environments.

Included in the GreenBuilder Editor’s Choice Hot 50 Products for 2013,  CAFquiet walls are manufactured from agricultural waste to create a matrix of organic material that absorbs and dissipates sound. Easily installed using clips and steel tracks, the system is perfect for creating partitions in music studios, hospitals and medical clinics, schools, and offices, especially when privacy and sound insulation is required by law.

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Bright Beads lighting pendants by Marz Designs are handcrafted from American Ash, American Oak, American Walnut, Rock Maple, and Smoked Ash (FSC-certified timbers), and come with E27 screw-in lamp holders that are suitable for LED and EE bulbs.

Six configurations are available, dubbed Abacus, Africa, Aleenta, Alice, Art, and Aztec, which can be hung individually or in clusters to create chandelier arrangements. Five feet of electrical cord facilitate their installation from ceiling hooks or through less obtrusive methods.

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Barn Light Electric has announced its launch a a new line of lighting fixtures that utilize innovative LED technology from Cree, Inc., an innovator in LED lighting.

Barn Light is combining its vintage-styled lighting with energy-efficient, low-maintenance LEDs. Cree provides a proprietary TrueWhite® technology that transmits a warm light similar to traditional incandescent bulbs.

“While LED lighting is hardly new, many people are unclear on all of the benefits of using LEDs,” said Scott Dodson, Project Manager and LED Liaison at Barn Light Electric. “When you invest in LED lighting, it may cost more up front than incandescent or fluorescent bulbs, but you’ll start saving money, through reduced energy consumption and lower maintenance costs, the minute you flip the switch.” Read more »

Atlas Block, a manufacturer of concrete products based in Ontario, has signed a licensing agreement with CarbonCure, an emerging leader in science-based concrete technology for green building, to manufacture low-carbon concrete that will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the concrete industry.

Several months have been spent testing the bolt-on technology from CarbonCure at the Atlas Block Hillsdale plant. The method sequesters carbon dioxide into the concrete during the manufacturing process. CO2 waste is consumed during concrete production to transform it into solid limestone, thus creating a better concrete product. Read more »

Spray foam has been the subject of much discussion in green building circles.  Whether the concern is installation safety or global warming potential or better energy performance, it seems there’s no shortage of debate.  Along these lines, the guys at 475 High Performance Building Supply, a Brooklyn-based provider of products for high-performance projects, have a list describing 13 ways foam fails, starting with the “dangerous toxic ingredients.”

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