Drywall of the Future?

Dry wall has been a staple of conventional building in the United States for years. Just about every interior wall in America is sheathed in the gypsum-based material, but few realize the vast of amount of energy consumed during its manufacture, and unfortunately there have been few viable alternatives on the market, until now. Spertech, a New Mexico based company, has just developed a fly ash based wallboard, called Greentech Wallboard, that looks, feels and performs like the standard gypsum drywall used throughout the country.

This commercially viable alternative to traditional drywall is made from 98% recycled content, primarily fly ash, a common by-product of coal-fired power plants. Fly ash has traditionally been relegated to landfills and the US creates upwards of 60 million tons of fly ash annually.

By using fly ash destined for the landfill, Spertech is able limit the need for further large-scale gypsum mining that has disastrous consequences on the local environment. The Greentech wallboard, unlike gypsum, does not require extreme heat to cure, takes far less energy to produce and creates a much smaller carbon footprint than traditional drywall.

As more and more buildings are being built with the environment in mind, look for Greentech wallboard to find its way into more homes near you.

Spertech Website

Jewelry_Cycle Exhibition

Jewelry_cycle is an educational showcase of wearable treasures made from re-purposed and re-cycled materials. With the idea of an exhibition in mind, co-curators Christine Dhein and Christophe Koch asked the collective members to create wearable art from a variety of small, discarded circuit boards. Read more: here.

Currently exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Craft + Design on 550 Sutter Street (until January 4th, 2009).

Chicago Center for Green Technology: A new Ecolect Partnership

With a 38,000 square foot green roof on city hall, Chicago is leading the way in being a genuinely eco-aware city. An active green business community combined with a progressive environmental department has led to a platform for leadership in sustainable development.

The CCGT, which opened in May 2002, was designed by a team of community businesses led by Farr Associates and was the 3rd certified LEED building in the nation. The building is a model of progressive green technologies (solar panels, ground source heat), and traditional resource efficient practices (passive solar heat, water barrels, greenhouses). Most of the construction materials used in this project were manufactured within 300 miles of Chicago Green Tech and 40% of the materials are made of recycled content.

Today, the Chicago Center for Green Technology is a resource for visitors to learn about the practices exhibited in the builidng. Homeowners tour the space as research for at-home green roof projects, radiant heating designs, etc. More serious or info hungry citizens and industry professionals attend the Green Tech U classes to acheive a greater understanding of the systems supporting “green” elements and their facets in society. They also have a resource center that serves as an exhibition space of green materials and a consultation space for homeowners and industry professionals.

Ecolect is proud to announce a new partnership with the CCGT. Interns from the resource center will be loading material profiles for us on Ecolect.net. In turn, Ecolect will be hosting an online materials database for them. Intern and material scientist Jessica Weninger, has already created profiles for materials such as EcoCycle Porcelain Stone, and Aluma Floor. Our goal is to build this database to include all 200+ mateirals found in the Center for Green Technology resource center.

We are proud to welcome them to our community and excited about the opportunities this partnership holds. To discover this growing database of sustainable materials search “CCGT” from the Ecolect.net home site.

Save the Mattress! The Discarded Dreams Design Competition

Ever think of where old and used mattresses end up? Most (40 million or so) end up in landfills each year. A new design competition called Discarded Dreams is challenging designers to turn old mattresses into a completely new recycled product. The competition is looking for students or professionals to create a comprehensive plan to reclaim the old mattresses and transform them into usable goods.

Architecture for Humanity and Rubicon National Social Innovations have created the contest to explore innovative ways of utilizing mattress waste. Preference will be given to teams who use the most material per mattress and entries are encouraged to take full advantage of local resources, and existing manufacturing and waste facilities.

Winners will receive $1,000 and have the chance to develop their design into an actual product.

To find out more about the competition check out the Open Architecture Network here.

Sustainable Shoes for You and Me

Shoeaholics of the world may feel a little bit better in the coming months as Payless ShoeSource has just announced plans to launch a new line of eco-friendly, sustainable shoes. The shoes will utilize materials such as organic cottons, linen and natural hemp, recycled outsoles, as well as the use of eco-smart packaging.

Payless plans to bring the new line of sustainable shoes to market in about a year, and will be comparable in price to other shoes sold in their stores. To help drive innovation, Payless has partnered with Eco-consultant Summer Rayne Oakes to oversee their green initiative.

Known across the country as an affordable retailer of shoes, Payless is in a unique position to dispel the assumption that all green products must be expensive. According to Matt Rubel, CEO of Collective Brands, Inc., the parent company of Payless ShoeSource. “Green items are often expensive and inaccessible to so many. With our mission to democratize the latest ideas in footwear and accessories, we are in the best position and proud to bring forward a green footwear line that is affordable and accessible to all.

Payless ShoeSource is the nation’s leading specialty footwear retailer and as of 2006, operates a total of 4,602 stores. By delivering great quality and value, Payless has grown into a potent force in the retail industry, and its new line of green shoes will be able to reach a wide range of customers.

further reading

Payless Website
Payless Press Release

Google Makes a Mouse (from Recycled Plastic)

From Google comes a wireless optical mouse (with USB WiFi dongle) made of recycled plastic, a worthy entry into the burgeoning market of greener electronics. Even the packaging is made from recycled materials! Of course, it still uses AAA batteries (please use rechargeable ones when possible), and like most electronic devices today, the internal components are probably still toxic. However, it is clear that Google is taking an environmentally pro-active approach to product development, not to mention their initiative in leading the transition to alternative energy and making California (and the nation) a green powerhouse. One question is whether the company will accept these mice back at end of life for further recycling/reuse, but my guess is that they will. As part of their Green Initiative, the company intends to develop more products like the mouse, office supplies, clothing, etc, from more sustainable (e.g. organic or recycled) sources, for sale to customers and fans.

Available in (Google)Red and (Google)Blue directly from the company.

What’s in that Roll?

Mention it to most people, and you’ll probably either get a humorous aside or no response at all, but make no mistake. Toilet paper is serious business. The earliest known use of toilet paper is said to have been in 6th Century China, and since that time, the product has seen some dramatic improvements. It wasn’t until 1883, when Seth Wheeler of Albany, NY got a patent for a roll of paper wrapped around a tube, that what we now think of as modern day toilet paper or “bathroom tissue” was born.

Considering the extent of recycled paper in the final product, toilet paper is a perfect example of wide-scale reuse of waste material. Two of the most well-known recycled paper product manufacturers are Marcal and Seventh Generation, both of whom have made it their business to grow financially while reducing waste and doing good by the environment – their paper household products are made from 100% recycled content. To illustrate how serious Marcal is in this regard, the company has recently developed a co-product called Kaofin® Fiber clay, made from the clay and cellulosic fiber waste that comes at the end of the recycling process for glossy coated paper products such as magazines. This can then be used for a number of applications, including for landfill cover, as a cement additive, and in the manufacture of animal bedding.

How Toilet Paper is Made on You Tube

How Toilet Paper is Made article on www.madehow.com

KAIGHT NYC Weaves Fashion and Sustainability

Opening their doors in 2006, KAIGHT NYC brands itself as “Smart, Ethical, and Eco-friendly Clothing and Accessories”. The store was inspired by founder Kate McGregor’s ’search for stylish, ethically produced clothes made from environmentally friendly textiles, a search that ended quickly at a few online stores.’ Unsatisfied with what she found, Kate fulfilled her dream of opening a ‘green boutique’ that houses ethically and environmentally conscious fashions.

The designers featured at KAIGHT use materials such as end-of-run fabrics, shoes from water-based glues and nickel-free hardware, reused T-shirts and leathers, bamboo, and paper pulp.

www.kaightnyc.com