Green Print
At the end of a project, each design and building professional leaves a very unique imprint on the space they have just created - influenced by the choices they've made in materials, systems, and furnishings, down to the smallest details.
A real opportunity and challenge exists for professionals these days in finding ways to "green" their new construction and renovation projects, turning that unique imprint into a "GreenPrint". This involves thinking in a broader way so that not only can you achieve aesthetically what you and your client want, but you can also create spaces that are healthy, safe, and harmonious with the environment.
Green Depot can help you create that GreenPrint, with a range of products that look beautiful and perform better than their standard counterparts. Bring us your conventional blueprint spec and we'll help you "flip it green" - whether you're working on a LEED project, or helping a client create a better, healthier, greener home for their family. Take a look at some of the ways Green Depot can help you "flip it green":
| Old Product Spec | GreenPrint |
| Paint: Traditional paints can have a major impact on indoor air quality. Most traditional latex paints in use today contain a host of potentially harmful ingredients, including formaldehyde, ethylene glycols, silicas, polyvinyl acetates, and other VOCs. These chemicals not only off-gas into indoor air during the painting process, but can continue to off-gas for weeks and months afterwards - and can affect people with asthma, allergies, and chemical sensitivities, causing nausea, dizziness, and respiratory irritation. When paint vapors escape outdoors, they combine with other pollutants and sunlight to form smog, ozone, and greenhouse gases. | AFM Safecoat low- and Zero-VOC paints are specially formulated to give off no odor during application or afterwards. They're made using water-based acrylic co-polymers, kaolin (clay), titanium dioxide, and limestone, and contain no formaldehyde, ammonia, crystalline silica, ethylene glycol or other toxic ingredients. The paints provide good coverage, clean up easily with soap and water, and are available in hundreds of standard colors and can be custom mixed to match the colors of almost any paint manufacturer. |
| Carpet (Synthetic): Most carpet is made with petrochemicals, and can be the source of potentially harmful gases – as can the padding, subflooring, and adhesives used in installation – which can continue to be released into the air for weeks or months after installation. According to the EPA, that "new carpet smell" can cause headaches and fatigue, shortness of breath, and irritation to eyes, nose and throat. In addition, though some carpet recycling efforts have been made, an estimated 4 billion pounds of carpet ends up in landfills each year. In addition, highly-toxic and carcinogenic chemicals such as dioxin are released into the air when carpets are incinerated. | Natural Carpet is produced by companies such as Design Materials Inc., Shaw, Nature’s Carpet, and Earthweave, whose mission is to promote high-quality, 100% wool carpeting without synthetic dyes, backings, or chemical treatments. Wool is a rapidly-renewable material, that is extremely strong, naturally stain repellant, and does not off-gas. In addition, natural rubber and plant fibers such as jute and hemp are used as binders and backing, and mineral pigments are used instead of chemical dyes. Carpet and area rugs are available in a variety of woven and pile styles. When the carpet is worn out after many years, it is biodegradeable - it can literally be composted. |
| Granite Surfaces: Granite countertops are typically associated with high-end, luxury spaces - and are therefore frequently found on homeowners' decorating wish lists. However, the luxurious look of granite masks the environmental destruction that is wreaked with the destruction of natural habits caused by the mining process. In addition, granite quarries are typically found in remote locations, such as Brazil, India, and China - which means that heavy slabs must be shipped long distances, which requires the use of fossil fuels, and does nothing to benefit our local economies. | IceStone Surfaces are made locally, in Brooklyn, NY, using multi-colored glass from bottles and jars that is sourced from neighborhood recyling programs across the northeast, then embedded in a non-toxic concrete base. IceStone surfaces are strong like granite, not as porous as marble, and heat-resistant like stone, and are currently available in over 20 patterns. IceStone has a “Cradle to Cradle” certification based on its attributes for human health, environmental health, energy and materials use, and social responsibility. |
| Paint Strippers: The methylene chloride used in many conventional paint and wood finish strippers is carcinogenic to laboratory animals, is a potential cause of cancer in humans, and can also harm unborn children. Methylene chloride evaporates quickly, and can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, and lungs when inhaled, and can cause headache and dizziness. High exposures to methylene chloride - and to other stripping solvents including acetone, toluene, or methanol - can also cause liver, kidney, and brain damage. Warning labels will also tell you that waste-soaked rags can catch fire if vapors start to build up in confined spaces like garbage cans. | Back to Nature Ready-Strip Pro is one in a line of environmentally friendly paint and varnish removers, capable of removing up to 10 layers in one application. Unlike conventional strippers, it contains no methylene chloride, caustics, harsh chemicals, or harmful vapors, and is biodegradable, non-flammable, and can be cleaned up with water. Ready-Strip Pro strips 5-10 times more paint than conventional liquid paint strippers; is a semi-paste, which truly clings to vertical surfaces; and its revolutionary "Color Change" feature signals the time for removal with an off-white color. |
| Drywall: Used commonly as the finish construction for interior walls and ceilings, standard drywall is made of a paper liner wrapped around an inner core made primarily from gypsum plaster. Standard drywall typically retains moisture, providing ideal conditions for the growth of toxic mold. | Sheetrock Mold Tough is the first patented wallboard that actively inhibits mold growth on the paper surface and throughout the gypsum core. Using proprietary technology, ingredients are added during the manufacturing process to protect the wallboard from moisture and toxic mold growth - a widespread problem that continues to plague builders and homeowners - thereby reducing health risks and improving indoor air quality. |
| Insulation: Effective and adequate insulation is a critical factor in increasing the energy efficiency of your home and lowering your utility bills. Conventional insulation, however, is typically made from fiberglass - potentially harmful to installers - contains low recycled content, and uses formaldehydebased binders. | Soy-based spray foam insulation expands its volume to completely fill every space and void, creating a tight barrier and thermal seal - unlike other types of insulation. This can greatly improve indoor air quality by blocking harmful outside pollutants and allergens, and reducing noise pollution, and also delivers lower energy costs. Soy-based insulation is manufactured from American grown soy beans, an annually renewable resource. It is durable, contains no irritating fibers, does not off-gas, and helps prevent mold and fungi growth. |
| Wood: Pressure Treated lumber is traditionally used where damage from rot and wood-eating insects is of major concern, such as in building foundations, playgrounds, decks and picnic tables. The most prevalent chemicals that has been used to treat wood is copper chromated arsenate (CCA), which contains the potentially deadly chemical arsenic, and leaches out of the lumber throughout its life cycle, affecting groundwater and anyone who comes into contact with it. | Everwood is treated to protect your home against weathering, decay, mold, and wood-ingesting insects such as termites. It is non-toxic, contains no arsenic or other heavy metals, is clean and safe to handle, and has no objectionable odor. It is not harmful to humans or animals. Everwood is easily painted or stained, just like conventional wood. |
| Cleaners (Conventional): Household cleaning products are among the most hazardous products sold to consumers, containing VOCs and other toxic chemicals which can make indoor air unhealthy; cause skin, eye, respiratory and other health problems. In 2000, cleaning products were responsible for nearly 10% of all toxic exposures reported to U.S. poison control centers. In addition. these products are harmful to the environment. Once released into wastewater, the harsh surfactants in many conventional cleaning products can cause eutrophication, leading to undesirable changes in water quality in lakes and streams. A host of harmful and carcinogenic toxins can also be released, including perchloroethylene, ammonia, phosphoric acid, toluene, xylene, and acetone. | Environmentally-Friendly Cleaners are available from companies such as Clean Control, EcoLogic Solutions, and AFM. From dishwasher and laundry detergent, to toilet bowl cleaner, to strong commercial degreasers and hospital-grade disinfectants, these products contain natural surfactants derived from plant oils such as corn, soybeans, and citrus, and are free of synthetic dyes and perfumes. Enzymes and beneficial bacteria are employed to digest greases and organic waste in clogged drains, and to kill pathogens. These products are biodegradable, non-toxic, and low-odor, and while some were developed with people with chemical sensitivities in mind, many ordinary people have come to appreciate cleaning without the presence of strong vapors. |