Americans make up 5 percent of the world’s population, yet we consume 30 percent of its resources. Because buildings have the greatest impact on the planet, opting to construct a healthier, more energy-efficient, environmen- tally friendly home can help—and this worthy goal is becoming more achievable with every passing day.

In early November 2007, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Conference & Expo, held in Chicago, showcased hundreds of innovative green building products during a three-day event that drew more than 22,000 people from all over the world.

The message? Building green is easier than ever before.

That is partly due to the fact that conventional (and, to a great degree, toxic) methods of manufacturing building products are giving way to a cross-pollination of resources. That is, byproducts from industrial processes are being used as raw material to create new materials. These new products are less toxic, more durable and beautiful. And they are sprouting up everywhere.

Let’s take a look at just a few of the lat- est smartly designed and visibly pleasing green products available for your home.

One Person’s Trash Is Another One’s Treasure

Installing countertops is the number one home improvement project in America, with granite being the top choice for high-end installations. Environmentally speaking, the impact of mining, manufacturing and shipping granite—to get it out from under millions of tons of soil and into your sparkling, new kitchen— has enormous negative impact.

Thankfully, there are plenty of greener options to choose from. Paper, scrap sheet metal, fly ash, recycled bottles and glass are just a few of the items rescued from landfills and recycled into a wide spectrum of countertops in a variety of colors and textures. EnviroGLAS is a terrazzo surface made from recycled glass. EnviroMODE is manufactured from never-used recycled tubs, sinks and toilets. Both are available in hundreds of resin colors and are both durable and a breeze to maintain.

A Green Home Has Healthy Cabinets

When choosing cabinetry, it is important for consumers to be well informed. Many companies manufacture the cabinet boxes in America but purchase their cabinet doors abroad. These hybrid cabinets typically contain high levels of formaldehyde. Most cabinet manufactures share this problem, and are looking for solutions.

“Green” cabinets are manufactured from renewable resources such as eucalyptus trees, bamboo or salvaged materials. They are also extremely low in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and are manufactured using water-based adhesives and finishes.

One supplier of custom-made green cabinetry is Holiday Kitchens, based in Rice Lake, Wisc. This company manufactures its cabinets in an energy-efficient manner that produces minimal waste and pollution.

Forest Stewardship Council Reclaimed Lumber

In centuries past, reclaiming wood was as natural and as commonplace as cutting trees. As we entered the industrial age, however, society set aside its self-sustaining practices in a quest for new consumables—old-growth forests being one.

Today, we are slowly waking up to the fact that most of our natural resources are in danger due to over-consumption. It was this very realization that prompted the formation of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in 1993. This nonprofit organization is devoted to encouraging the responsible management of the world’s forests. The FSC sets high standards to ensure that forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable way. Consumers and contractors interested in building green should look for the FSC Certification when they place their lumber orders.

Recycled Tires Could Be Your Next Lifetime Roof

Longerlasting, eco-friendly, maintenance-free, recycled roofing materials are now being used to provide a lifetime of service to our homes.

When Baron Haussmann began to renovate Paris for Napoleon III in 1853, he used zinc, and the beautiful rooftops of today’s Paris are still more than 80 percent zinc. Unbeknownst to the Baron, zinc has chemical and physical properties that make it one of the most environmentally benign building materials available. The metal is virtually 100 percent recyclable and ecologically friendly at every step in its life cycle. Once again, architects are turning to this long-used traditional material for reasons far beyond its storied past.

Enviroshake is a composite “high tech” roofing product that replicates the look of cedar shake but has the added benefit of performance and durability associated with traditional composite materials.

Composite Fences Make Good Neighbors

A major contributor to global warming has been lost canopy cover as the world’s forests have been devoured to meet our lumber and building needs. Fences may make good neighbors, but those fences (and our decks) have come at a great cost to the environment.

Interest in renewal and recycling has led to some forward strides in composite building products. One such example is when materials that are destined for landfills are redirected and used to create innovative new composite building products that look great and preserve our forests.

Heartland Bio Composites in Torrington, Wyo., produces attractive, alternative wood composite products that are more environmentally friendly than commercially available wood, vinyl and wood-plastic composite products—and are superior in performance and quality.

Moving towards products made from recycled materials is a step worth taking, as it gives each of us a chance to reduce our carbon footprint while conserving precious natural resources.

Doing more with less, while still having a beautiful home, is possible and prudent. As you move forward, stop, think, and reuse and recycle whenever possible. In this way, we can change the planet, one home at a time.

— Always Build Green is your one stop source for building and living green here in New England & the New York Area. We have been in the building materials and construction field for over 30 years, and we freely share our vast experience and expertise in classrooms and seminars throughout the year as we helps others to embrace and build green. Always Build Green, "Greening one family & home at a time".