When looking for an eco-friendly countertop, there are various factors to consider and literally hundreds of options.  Here's another one to consider: Rivers' Edge Countertops, Inc., an Oklahoma company that makes concrete and recycled glass surfaces.  The company sources post-consumer recycled glass — bottles, dinnerware, windows, safety glass, and light bulbs — from a local recycling center, making surfaces with 75-80% recycled content and a cement base bolstered with crushed granite. 

Read more »

North Carolina-based Meld USA, maker of ecoX and Micro, launched a new paver called Plus Plus.  The cement paver is available in six standard colors, as well as nearly limitless custom colors, and made with up to 74% recycled content.  Also, to minimize the environmental impact of manufacturing, Plus Plus is “wet cast, air cured, and form finished,” according to Architect Magazine.  Meld’s paver can be used in any garden, driveway, or patio.

Read more »

Colorado-based Ec Manufacturing started making structural insulated panels (SIPs) about a year and a half ago.  The company was studying 2009 building code and thinking about how to innovate their products, when someone decided the building industry could use a thermally broken lumber material.  That led to the creation of rSTUD.

Read more »

TerraChoice recently released a new report, The Sins of Greenwashing: Home and Family Edition, and published some interesting findings.  The company found that big-box retailers stock more "green" products and products with legitimate environmental claims than smaller boutique-style stores.  TerraChoice also found that over 95% of consumer products with a "green" claim are committing at least one "sin" of greenwashing. 

Read more »

Interior Design just closed voting on this year’s BoY Awards, and the Eco Products category has some excellent entries.  Of which, I noticed this 3D tile called Buzziskin from Buzzispace.  It’s made of ecofelt, or a 100% recycled PET material, in a variety of colors.  Buzziskin is offered in both rectangular and cubic sizes with a self-adhesive backing.  Each tile runs about $150.

Read more »