The Original Rainwater Pillow recognized at one of The TOP 5 Green Building Products for Homes at GreenBuild 2009
It's a far cry from a "tree huggers convention" that began in
2002 in Austin, Texas with only 4000 people in attendance. This
years' 2009 GreenBuild International
Conference and Expo drew more than 27,000 architects,
developers, builders & innovators, making it clear that a
movement is well underway.
Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and a founder of the organization that
started it, the United States Green Building Council, or USGBC, spoke to a packed house at Chase Field in
Phoenix, Arizona last week. "GreenBuild is about the families who
must weigh their power bill against their grocery bill; workers who
labor in buildings that take a toll on their bodies and spirits;
and it's about kids who spend their entire childhoods in toxic
classrooms," he said. "We have the power to make choices that will
fundamentally change the environment and people's lives for the
better."
GreenBuild's keynote speaker this year, Vice President and climate change activist Al Gore, reiterated
Fedrizzi's sentiment and encouraged all Greenbuilders to stay on
track and be proud of their efforts that will undoubtedly be felt
by the next generation.
The 2009 GreenBuild event included educational seminars, product
showcases and a forum for leaders in energy efficiency, sustainable technologies and climate change to
network and share ideas.
The convention's 1800 exhibitors showcased their wares that
included sustainable materials such as recycled wood flooring;
energy and water efficiency products including rainwater harvesting
systems and vertical wind turbines, all for building greener,
healthier homes, office buildings, schools and healthcare
facilities.
From them, we've selected our Top 5 Green Building
Product Picks according to the type of LEED project and
its use for Homes, Schools, Commercial Buildings and Retail. LEED,
or Leadership in Energy
& Environmental Design, is the USGBC's green building
program by which buildings, homes and other structures are rated
for their efficiency, use of natural resources and healthy indoor
environments and include the designations: "certified, silver, gold
or platinum certification," depending on the features incorporated
into the project.
Our TOP 5 Green Building Products for HOMES (LEED AP Homes & LEED AP
ND)
1. New World Home. Although I'm into
modern prefabs, this historically inspired "New Old Green Modular
Home" or NOGM, probably fits someone's taste. And it has all the
right stuff, such as tankless hot water heaters, FSC certified
lumber and cabinetry, bamboo flooring, Energy Star appliances and
more. www.newworldhome.com
2. The Original Rainwater Pillow is a
great way to capture rainwater from your roof without a huge
investment in other systems. The average 40×40 roof collects 1000
gallons of rainwater from 1 inch of rain, so don't let it run-off,
capture it. The U.S. made Rainwater Pillow can be stored in a crawl
space or under decking, and is made from durable, industrial
strength fabric used by the military. www.rainwaterpillow.com
3. Pioneer Millworks reclaimed and
sustainable wood floors are U.S. made and include FSC certified
woods. Although initially hesitant to create an engineered flooring
product, they made sure their engineered floors were
thicker, U.S. sourced and made with no added formaldehyde. www.pioneermillworks.com
4. Ventless Dryers, unlike vented, are a
great alternative for applications where installing a vent pipe to
the exterior may not be possible. Ideal applications are small
apartments that had no outdoor ventilation available, and interior
spaces that typically had no outlet to the outside.
5. Rheem Heat Pump Water Heater, Tankless and
Solar Water heaters. Save energy, save on water heating
costs and save the environment with the Rheem family of water
heaters. Check out the government incentives and state incentive
available too. www.rheem.com
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