Green Building : Jetson Green

New Green Loll Outdoor Furniture

Loll Designs makes contemporary, durable outdoor furniture from recycled materials.  You've probably seen their 4-slat Adirondack chair, but the company has a number of other pieces, as well as some new ones, too. They're made from 100% recycled post-consumer HDPE, and 90% of the manufacturing waste is sent to a recycling plant (or remember when the guys from Hive Modular recycled Loll pallets to create a barn?).  Loll uses recycled packaging and does a number of other things to reduce the environmental impact associated with business.  Here's a preview of some of the new work:

EcoRock Green Drywall Gets World's First UL Environment Validation

EcoRock by Serious Materials continues to make headlines.  If you haven't heard of it, you will once the product starts to sell.  EcoRock is billed as a green replacement for gypsum drywall, and it's already received a number of awards and certifications:  Cradle to Cradle Gold Certification, GREENGUARD Certification, and ASTM D3273 for resistance to mold, etc.  In addition, Serious Materials just announced that EcoRock received the world's first validation of claims by UL Environment. 

Light, Durable, Recycled Content Pavers

There's a paver out there, the Vast Paver, that's been showing up on HGTV, the Today Show, and Renovation Nation.  It's probably because the composite paver is made from roughly 90-95% recycled scrap tire rubber and plastics -- every 1,000 square-feet of pavers saves 500 tires and 15,000 plastic containers from landfills!  These durable pavers work in a number of situations, including for low-volume traffic, driveways, walkways, rooftops, decks, and patios.  Colors include redwood, boardwalk, village, waterwheel, polo, and olive (below). 

Slate-ish Recycled Interior Design Tiles

If you're searching for something new -- maybe as a back splash, wall accent, or decorative element -- give Slate-ish a look.  Slate-ish tiles come in seven colors and are made from reclaimed scrap from the fabrication of Richlite and PaperStone countertops.  This is 100% post-industrial waste paper laminate cut into strips, squares, bars, and cubes.  Slate-ish tiles are light, non-porous, and provide an interesting alternative to stone applications. 

5-6-09 Update: Slate-ish tells us most tiles are under $20 psf loose, with a range of $15-40 psf.  Backed tiles on pre-mounted panels run about $20 psf extra.  Read more about Slate-ish ...

Eco by Cosentino Green Countertops

Cosentino, the world's largest manufacturer of quartz, has just launched a new eco-friendly countertop called ECO by Cosentino.  The new countertop is the embodiment of six million dollars of research over a three year period.  It's available nationally through Lowe's at a price of $68-$118, depending on the thickness and color.  ECO contains 75% post-consumer and post-industrial recycled raw materials, as well as 25% natural elements. 

Old 1940s Grain Silo Converted to Boutique Texas Inn

I just love this grain silo home -- it's a fantastic example of adaptive reuse.  In 2007, Gruene Homestead Inn purchased the 1940s grain silo and remodeled the interior and exterior.  The result is authentic and incredible.  Can you imagine chilling on that front porch, enjoying a little Texas summer?  The Silo includes one bedroom and one bathroom in a loft-type setup for the rental price of $175/$210 a night. 

A Clever Eco-Office Accessory

Recently, we mentioned reclaimed cardboard art, the kind of stuff that's perfect for your green boardroom, but here's another neat idea, this time from Studio Crank.  It's also a comically ironic idea: a waste paper basket made of 100% recycled cardboard.  It's called the "Chuck" Waste Paper Basket based on the notion that tons of reusable materials are typically chucked into landfills. 

Invitrum 100 Percent Recyclable Kitchen

Just noticed a new product called Invitrum by high design, Italian kitchen maker Valcucine.  Invitrum is being referred to as a 100% recyclable kitchen, which means the product can be recycled at the end of its lifecycle -- but the consumer needs to make that happen.  To help the consumer, as you can see with the image below, the cabinets have been labeled for recyclability.  The structure is of drawn, recycled aluminum and the base units are of recyclable glass.  Invitrum was designed to be manufactured with less material and energy.  So slick ...

Tiny Texas Houses and The Economist

The small house movement is going buck wild.  Some say it's because of a concern for the environment.  Others say it's because of the economy.  We could all say it's a confluence of both the economy and the environment, but what's important is that people actually rethink what a home can be -- including how big it needs to be.  Just the other day, The Economist, published a story about two of the main players in the super small home genre, Tiny Texas Houses and Tumbleweed Tiny House Company.  We've mentioned Tumbleweed previously, but I learned something new about Tiny Texas Houses. 

GreenBox Eco-friendly Materials Annual Subscription Service

Ecolect, a website that helps designers, architects, and builders discover eco-friendly material alternatives, has launched an interesting service called GreenBox.  GreenBox is an annual subscription of green material samples that's shipped right to your door every three months.  Each GreenBox delivery includes 8-12 material samples, material information, sustainability specs, performance overview, cost profiles, and distributor information.  And it's all neatly designed to hang on the wall or cubicle or any other place you have in mind.