Sustainable Industries recently announced its sixth-annual Top 10 Green Building Products as selected from more than 100 entries this year by an expert panel of judges. The products have been chosen based on a view toward environmental performance, scalability/market impact, innovativeness, design aesthetic, value and compatibility with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system. Here are all ten:
Earlier this week, Formica announced the availability of high-pressure, decorative laminates with full FSC certification at no additional charge. The new, eco-friendlier laminates are manufactured in plants in Evendale, Ohio and St. Jean, Quebec and may contribute toward LEED credits in the certified wood category.
A new paint technology from Sherwin-Williams has received an innovation award from the Environmental Protection Agency this week. The company’s Water-Based Acrylic Alkyd Technology, or WBAAT, is being awarded a 2011 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the Designing Greener Chemicals category. The paint uses soybean oil and recycled PET plastic bottles to replace oil typically used in alkyd paint and, in doing so, reduces VOCs in the paint by 60%.
Clayhaus Ceramics, maker of eco-friendly ceramic tiles in Portland, recently announced a new partnership with Modwalls, a web-based seller of modern tile and wall coverings. The companies are now offering Clayhaus for Modwalls, which is a custom collection of modern ceramic tiles available online through Modwalls.
Although formaldehyde is now listed as a known carcinogen by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, humans will be exposed to this substance in the environment, at home, and in the workplace. It’s in soil, food, and water, not to mention one of the primary methods of exposure: indoor and outdoor air. And besides being a carcinogen, health effects include eye, nose, and throat irritation; wheezing and coughing; fatigue; skin rash; and severe allergic reactions, according to the EPA.
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