Green Building Materials
Walls, Floors,Tile, Counters, Insulation, Finishes
If you're looking for natural and non-toxic building materials — that are certified, safe, environmentally friendly and sustainable Improve indoor air quality, eliminate toxic chemicals and create a healthier home or office with the best name brand quality products, most of which are sustainably certified and qualify for LEED points.
Here are the Some common misconceptions about building and remodeling Green
Green Products don't really help the environment. Most building products that are natural and non-toxic will be good for the indoor and outdoor environment. There is no question anymore about the positive effect of using non-toxic materials to reduce or eliminate indoor air pollution. Whether it will reduce outdoor air pollution or save the whales or eliminate dangerous levels of CO2 remains to be seen. There are not enough people using Green building materials now to make much of a dent on the larger scale, however this will change.
Zero VOC or VOC compliant it must be Green: A great deal of emphasis has been placed on the term VOC (volatile organic compound) The US government has exempted acetone and ammonia--two very toxic chemicals--from regulations as VOC's (even though European governments recognize them as VOC's) These toxic ingredients have found their way into zero VOC formulations of major manufacturers--safe from government regulation--without concern for their effect on users.
Green Building is still new and not as efficient as traditional building: The design, methodologies, materials and building procedures of the Green Building movement have been around for thousands of years albeit in a slightly different form. Modern technologies have made Green Building materials more readily available, useful and reliable than ever before. The popularity of Green Building is not just a response to the energy crises or the health crises, but rather a natural evolution of the building industry towards greater efficiency, purity, and harmony with nature. Green Buildings are far more efficient and technologically advanced than most traditional buildings.
If it has a Green Label it must be Green: Corporations with toxic products have changed their ingredients slightly in order to comply with government standards or other green standards and suddenly appear on the market with green labels. This "greenwashing" erodes the validity of green standards because if toxic products can receive a green label, then the label is rendered meaningless. Many legitimately pure and healthy products do not contain certification or green labeling at all. However information about the contents are readily available and clearly indicate the purity of their products. Adding a green label would not make their product more green, it would make it more expensive. Just because a product has a green label, does not mean it is green. Nor does a product without a green label does not mean it is not green. The need for clear definitions of a product's "greenness" is critical to producers and consumers alike.
Building Green is more expensive: Many green building designs, strategies, materials and practices can and do save everyone money because they generally reduce energy costs, labor costs, and medical costs now and in the future. In general, Green Buildings improve indoor air quality, health. They last a longer time, require fewer resources to develop, consume little energy and are very cost efficient to heat and cool. Resale values of Green buildings are often greater than those that are conventionally built.When we consider the cost benefits of Green Building on energy savings, worker productivity, safer indoor air quality for tenants and homeowners, longevity of the building, small environmental footprint. Green products may cost more initially but more often then not they cost the same and when life-cycle costs are factored in as well as human health concerns, building with Green materials makes good financial sense.