Category: Green Products

Business-ethics.com recently responded to a reader who asked the question, “Which woods can I purchase without harming forests?” The short answer is, of course, to look for sustainably harvested woods, or even to seek out salvaged or reclaimed wood. Because, as the article states, “Wood products are essential to...

Thanks to our friends at Inhabitat.com for enlightening their readers as to the mechanics behind the ever-evolving list of green certifications out there. See their excerpt below for explanations: FSC CERTIFIED (Forest Stewardship Council) – This certification accredits forest managers, manufacturing companies, and controlled wood products that exhibit responsible...

We love the free plans that Popular Woodworking offers online, especially this Swedish-inspired Skansen bench from their “I Can Do That” feature. As editor Christopher Schwarz writes: “This bench is from the Älvros Farmstead, a group of buildings from the 16th and 17th centuries that were moved to Skansen....

Protecting your deck investment has always meant using a petroleum based product.  Now our friends at Penofin have introduced a new line of earth friendly finishes for your needs. Verde is the first of its kind. It is a 100% sustainable, petroleum free oil finish with no heavy metal...

The Canadian Wood Council recently released a document called “Green By Design: Building Better Buildings”: “As designers strive more and more to design green buildings that lessen the demand on the environment, the benefit of wood construction is becoming ever more apparent. Wood makes a major contribution to improving...

Structure magazine recently posed the question, “Can using more wood reduce your environmental footprint?” The magazine explores why it’s important for designers to focus on which materials they will use, as well as the life cycle of those materials. For example: “Some people might think that recycled products are...

Did you know? “Wood is the only major building material that is renewable. Warm, natural wood uses less energy and produces less air and water pollution than the energy intensive manufacture of steel and concrete,” according to an article in Wood Design & Building magazine. Do you want to...

Builders and architects are used to clients relying on their expertise in regards to building materials and installation methods, but when it comes to sustainability, are they well-versed in green practices? Here are five easy ideas–per Residential Design & Build magazine–to get you started: “Use low-odor, zero-VOC or low-VOC...

Residential Design & Build magazine’s columnist John D. Wagner, who says he traveled thousands of miles across the U.S. to speak to contractors and designers alike about the green building industry in 2009, predicts that the future is green, and you’d better have a plan to capitalize on it,...

“Of all the terminology used when discussing green products, sustainability might be most often misunderstood. Sustainability has been defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; a definition created in 1987 at the World Commission...