Building | General Building
GDC/Building For Health
The global leader of healthy home material supply, specializing in interior finishes and furnishings such as AFM Safecoat Paints and others,, toxin-free flooring, custom air purification systems and solutions, and other nontoxic building products. Healthy building expert Andrew Pace has over 25 years experience in the education of home health and human wellness. With over 20,000 satisfied clients all over the world, Andrew has a keen awareness of the issues relating to chemical sensitivity, green building, mold remediation and toxicity reduction.
Green Building Supply
Natural and nontoxic building materials sold by a knowledgeable staff with almost two decades of experience. All products meet the following criteria: 1) Non-toxic and safe 2) Renewable, recycled, or upcycled 3) Energy efficient and Energy Star compliant 4) Meet or exceed US or European environmental standards 5) Good reputation in the industry 6) Personally tested by our company. Descriptions are exceptional, there are MSDS sheets on the contents of most products, and guidelines.
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Listen to my interview with Joel Hirshberg, Co-founder and President of Green Building Supply |
Green Depot
One of the internet’s most complete resources for green home furnishings that are healthy and resource efficient. Their product list includes recycled-glass tiles, cork flooring, natural linoleum, hardwood flooring, natural fiber and recycled carpeting and carpet pads, countertops, cabinets, paints and primers, wood finishes, strippers, wallcoverings, sealers, and more. In addition to their products, they also have on-line buying guides to help you choose which of their products is right for you. And if they don’t have what you are looking for, they promise to help you find it.
Amicus Green Building Center
"A 'one stop shop' for all your green building needs." No-VOC paints and stains, natural and FSC-certified flooring, modular and natural carpets, recycled countertops, sinks and fixtures made from recycled metals, cabinets, tiles, and more.
Oikos Green Building Source
A complete resource for green building, including product listings, bookstore, classified ads, and an extensive library of informative articles. Product searches are organized for professionals, but easy to use for homeowners. Product catagories include doors, and windows, sitework, concrete, masonry, metals, thermal-moisture, specialties, equipment, mechanical, electrical, and special construction.
LEED – Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Green Building Rating System
"A voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Members of the U.S. Green Building Council representing all segments of the building industry developed LEED and continue to contribute to its evolution." The LEED program is more for professionals than consumers, but I've included it here because they are developing standards for certifying individual homes, and you may hear about "LEED standards." Here you can find out more about what they are.
Habitat for Humanity ReStores
Habitat for Humanity brings families and communities in need together with volunteers and resources to build affordable, healthy, sustainable housing. The program enables families to build their own homes, with assistance and training. "Habitat's Environmental Initiative promotes cost-effective, best-practice construction methods to its U.S. affiliates, raising awareness of the environmental impacts of house building. As a result, partner families may enjoy healthier, more energy-efficient and durable housing at the lowest possible cost. Over time the initiative has been integrated into Habitat's standard education and training activities, so that affiliates are encouraged to be good house builders and good stewards of natural resources."
To finance their work in part, they operate "ReStore" home improvement centers across America that sell high quality used and surplus construction and home improvement products of all types. Indoor and outdoor lighting, home appliances, doors, windows, cabinets, counter tops, tiles, and more are sold at substantial savings. Most are donated by building supply stores, contractors, demolition crews and individuals like you. Proceeds help fund the construction of Habitat houses within the local community. My husband and I went to visit our local ReStore and found a good selection of doors (including a $50 front door exactly the same as one we had purchased at a salvage yard for $100 and was selling for $200 at a home improvement warehouse), marble bathroom tiles, some great salvage windows, and a lot more. It's worth a visit.
See their pages on Materials Conservation and their Energy Bulletins.
GreenHomeGuide
This site is dedicated to making it easier for consumers to choose green building and remodeling products. Click on "product dirctory" and you'll find essays on choosing green products and lists of links to the most popular green products of that type. The site is targeted for Northern California resources, but is worth visiting regardless of where you live.
GreenSage
A comprehensive resource for energy efficient, non-toxic, recycled, reclaimed, naturally resourced and biodegradable building materials and methods. You'll find ceiling tiles, insulation, tile & stone, wallboard, windows, wood, and more. Also lists architects and architectural consultants, building diagnostics consultants, contractors/remodelers, designers, green materials consultants and installers. They've been in this business since 1988, so they are well-experienced. The founder started GreenSage after personal experience with MCS. Affiliations include IIDA, AIA, USGBC, and AIA's Committee on the Environment.
Greenpeace International PVC Alternatives Database
Database of pvc-free construction products.
Green Building Pages
A sustainable building materials database and design tool for the environmentally and socially responsible designer, builder and client. Has useful databases of products and green building resources, plus information on sustainable design and case studies. Has a sustainability review section for each product.
Earthcraft House
A project of the Southface Energy Institute in Atlanta, Earthcraft House is "a green building program that serves as a blueprint for healthy, comfortable homes that reduce utility bills and protect the environment." While not available online, they do have extensive planning documents that can serve to give you ideas for your own green building project.
City of Seattle Green Home Remodeling Guides
Free, easy-to-use downloadable guides to various aspects of green remodeling, including Remodel Overview, Bath & Laundry, Kitchen, Painting, Landscape Materials, Roofing, Hiring a Pro, and Salvage & Reuse. These books are simple, user-friendly, and full of photos. Designed for homeowners.
Built It Green
Though this website is oriented to the needs of the San Francisco Bay Area, it contians much general information on green building that is useful anywhere. Their free downloadable Green Building Guidelines are an excellent place to start if you are designing new construction or a remodel, and the AccessGreen Directory is full of green building products.
Building Green
A huge amount of information on green building and green building products, compiled and commented on by people who know this field. Their free-access GreenSpec directory contains entries to "more that 1,800 environmentally-preferable building products with descriptions, manufacturer information and links to additional resources." All listings are screened and written by their experienced staff. Also take a look at their article "What Makes A Product Green?" . They also publish a the well-regarded Environmental Building News and have much more information on their site. This site is pretty nuts-and-bolts, geared more to professional architects and builders, and gives more information that you may need or want to know as a homeowner, but it is a great resource for anyone interested in green building.
