Reclaimed Wood as a Backsplash

Reclaimed wood has become one of the eco-friendly backsplash options for today's homeowners.  Wood as a backsplash may seem a little strange to some, but after the wood is properly treated it will be capable of resisting mold and moisture and serve the same purpose as a tile or glass backsplash.  Because reclaimed wood is a completely recycled material it's definitely Earth friendly. Reclaimed wood can make for a visually stunning backsplash that can bring an original style to any kitchen.  Whether it's a random horizontal design or a herringbone, reclaimed wood provides a stylish durable backsplash that can last for decades.  Paper Plane Co is available to help you design and install a reclaimed wood backsplash of your own from a various of local and regional reclaimed wood species. For more information on reclaimed wood as a backsplash please visitwww.paperplaneco.us/reclaimed-wood

Bamboo Countertops....Green Beauty!

Bamboo is another eco-friendly countertop available from Paper Plane Co.   Thanks to the eco-conscious people at Teragren in Bainbridge Island, WA, we can now offer South Florida a beautiful bamboo countertop or worktop surface.  This ecosmart countertop is available in three different styles:  Parquet Butcher Block, Traditional PureForm, and Strand Xcora.   These countertops are made from Optimum 5.5 Moso Bamboo which is harvested at maturity for peak density and beauty.   They provide a food safe surface that is harder than maple and will last for decades.   For more information about Teragren's bamboo countertops please visit www.teragren.com.  If you are interested in having bamboo countertops installed in your home or business, please visit www.paperplaneco.us/teragren

Bamboo, bamboo, bamboo......eco-friendly!

Is bamboo an eco-friendly building material?  Bamboos are some of the fastest growing plants in the world, which makes them rapidly renewable and thus eco-friendly.  Amazingly, certain species of bamboo can grow up to 35 inches within a 24-hour period.   During the growing process bamboo can capture four times the amount of carbon dioxide and it produces 35% more oxygen than trees.   Bamboos have notable economic and cultural significance in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia where they are not only used as a building material but also as a food source and multipurpose raw product.   Bamboo has a higher compressive strength than wood, brick or concrete and a tensile strength that measures up to steel.

Unfortunately, the United States is the largest importer of bamboo in the world.  The biggest reason being is the United States growers produce very little bamboo.  Forward thinking companies like Southern Bamboo of Jackson, MS are working to reduce bamboo imports by growing bamboo right here in the United States.    They are also working to harvest bamboo that has grown randomly in the U.S.   If you happen to have some bamboo growing on your land, please contact Southern Bamboo by visitingwww.southernbamboo.us

Today, building material manufacturers are using bamboo to make flooring, cabinetry, countertops, wall coverings and much more.  Manufacturers like Teragren are making flooring, countertops, and plywood & veneers from bamboo.   The Teragren bamboo products are stylish and durable, for more information please visit www.teragren.com

Why is cork eco-friendly?

Why is cork an eco-friendly building material?  It's not made with recycled materials and it's not a material like bamboo that is rapidly renewable.   Well, it's neither recycled or renewable, but the production of cork would be considered highly sustainable.   This is because cork is manufactured from the bark tissue of the Quercus Suber or Bark Oak trees.  Once these tress are about 25 years old the cork is typically stripped from the trunks every nine years or so.   The tree continues to live and grow.   The quality of the cork improves after the first few harvests, incredibly these trees live to be around 300 years old.   The sustainability of manufacturing and the recyclable nature of cork products and by-products are two of its most eco-friendly aspects.   Cork Oak forests also prevent desertification and are the home in the Iberian Peninsula for various endangered species.  Cork has become known as one of today' s more  eco-friendly building materials.

The Quercus Suber or Bark Oak trees are indigenous to southwest Europe and northwest Africa.  Portugal produces approximately 50% of the world's cork production while Spain produces close to 30% with production also in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, and France.   Today Cork is being used for flooring, wall and ceiling covering, and much more.    Cork is not only eco-friendly, it is also hypoallergenic and has antimicrobial properties.  Cork tends to repel dust, hair, and other small particles from its surface.  It is also easier to get completely clean. Because of this, cork floors tend to promote higher indoor air quality. In addition, cork contains a waxy substance called suberin. This material has the property of naturally repelling small vermin and insects. This makes cork floors resistant to the growth and colonization of these organisms, and can therefore help to promote the healthiness of an environment.  For more information about cork building materials please check back at www.paperplaneco.us/cork in the near future.

Are you bad for the environment? You can get Eco-Friendly!

As the world continues to become more  eco-friendly, how can we tell what impact we make on the environment?  Thanks to the nice people at The Nature Conservancy we can measure our own carbon imprint to determine how environmentally friendly we really are.    Undeniably, as we go about our daily lives -- commuting, doing our jobs, housing our families, consuming food and beverages — all of us contribute to the greenhouse gas emissions that are creating climate change.   We can measure our carbon imprints using the Nature Conservancy's tool called the Carbon Footprint Calculator.  This free tool can be found at www.nature.org/greenliving.  The calculator takes into account your personal energy consumption  in Home Energy, Driving & Flying and Food & Diet.  It also takes into account your habits when it comes to Recycling & Waste.

The Nature Conservancy also helps fund forest conservation, improved forest management and reforestation projects that produce measurable benefits to the atmosphere. The projects in this program will help reduce or slow the worst consequences of climate change and protect habitats and the natural services they provide.  Still, there are many things each of us can do individually to reduce our carbon emissions. The choices we make in our lives, how we travel, the foods we eat, and what we buy and throw away all influence our carbon footprint.  For more information from the Nature Conservancy or to make a donation please visit http://www.nature.org.

Beautiful Countertops made from Recycled Materials

This eco-friendly countertop is called ECO and it's manufactured by the Spanish company Cosentino®.  ECO is comprised of 75% of recycled materials such as mirror, glass, porcelain, earthenware and vitrified ash.  The remaining 25% is made up from a blend of quartz, natural stone, pigments and a partial vegetable resin.  Cosentino even recycles over 90% of the water used during its manufacturing process.

ECO countertops are sustainable and designed to be a high quality replacement to less Earth friendly stone countertops.  ECO was created by Cosentino through a comprehensive research and development project.   The internationally renowned company has reinvested a major portion of it's annual income to create state-of-the-art eco-friendly products.  All of Cosentino's manufacturing processes comply with environmental standards.  For more information on ECO please visit www.ecobycosentino.com.

How much does recycling impact U.S. landfills?

How much does eco-friendly recycling impact the U.S. landfills?  In 2010, the United States added about 250 million tons of trash to landfills.  The unrecycled trash added to these landfills consisted of items people use and then throw away, such as product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps and papers.  In the same year, the United States recovered almost 65 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste by recycling.    What we were able to recycle comprises almost 25% of what actually ended up in a landfill.   This shows that the recycling effort in this country makes a considerable impact to our landfills but much more could be done.

The waste added to our landfills in 2010 consisted of 29% Paper and paperboard, yard trimmings and food scraps accounted for another 27%,  plastics 12%,  metals 9%, rubber, leather and textiles 8%, wood was approximately 6.4% and glass 5%.   Other miscellaneous wastes made up approximately 3.4%.  There are still many things that end up in our landfills that could be recycled, such as, paper, wood, and glass.

Green friendly upcycling has gone global..

The eco-friendly term upcycling was first coined in 1994 in an article by Thornton Kay of Salvo.  The concept of upcycling is to take something no longer of use and turn into something of value.   Converting an old suitcase into a chair may sound like a strange idea, but the style and quality that can be achieved might just surprise you.   All in all, upcycling is great for the environment as not only does it prevent the item from being added to a landfill, it also eliminates the manufacturing of a new item.   Over the last few years upcycling has become increasingly popular, there are now over 700,000 upcycled items available worldwide on the popular site etsy.com.  Television shows like Flea Market Flip and local and regional upcycling competitions have also expanded the concept.   And since every upcycled piece is an original, it's a great way to add some unmatched style to your home or business.  If you want to see upcycled items for sale, please visitwww.etsy.com and search upcycled furniture.

It wasn't just a detergent bottle after all, why we Recycle!

When the founders of eco-friendly Polywood, Inc. saw an opportunity to utilize recycled plastic materials in the late 8o's, they jumped on it.  With creative ingenuity they created a material called Polywood by utilizing recycled detergent and milk bottles.   They use Polywood to manufacture beautiful outdoor furniture that is not only stylish but can last for decades.  Because of the components used to manufacture Polywood,  it is has exceptional resistance to corrosive substances such as oil, salt,  and dirt.  The furniture requires no maintenance, waterproofing, or painting and it comes in a variety of chairs, tables, and more.    For more information about Polywood please visit www.polywoodinc.com.

MDF moving closer to a Green Building Material.

MDF stands for Medium-density fiberboard, is it an Eco-Friendly building material?  MDF is made with wood residuals that are broken down into fibers and it is often used to make furniture and shelving.  It can be a suitable replacement to plywood or particleboard.  On the surface MDF would seem to be an eco-friendly building material since the wood residuals are often recycled or a by product.  The problem is the wood fibers in MDF are held together with a toxic glue that contains formaldehyde making it not eco-friendly.

Fortunately companies like Sierra Pine have developed eco-friendly MDF products by utilizing adhesives that are formaldehyde free.   SierraPine offers products that have no-added formaldehyde and the use of SierraPine MDF products qualifies for LEED® points for Materials & Resources - Recycled Content.  In addition, they offer a line of Sustainable Design Fiberboard products that contribute to Indoor Environmental Quality points due to our manufacturing process that uses a formaldehyde free binder system.  For more information visit www.sierrapine.com.

Strawboard an Eco-Friendly Marvel

Strawboard is an eco friendly building material comprised mostly of straw, a by product of the grain industry.   The straw is combined with formaldehyde free adhesives or natural resins and heat compressed to make an extremely durable surface that is highly eco-friendly.   Manufacturers like Ronbow and Novofibre are manufacturing strawboard and using it to create eco friendly cabinetry, countertops, building materials, and other interior design products.

Strawboard has emerged over the last few years as an excellent alternative to wood materials,    Due to the density and strength, strawboard building materials  and strawboard cabinetry are  ideally sturdy and water resistant.   Strawboard's strength allows for screws and it holds up to warping and cracking.  The material is also extremely moisture resistant and naturally resists mold and termites.  Since it's made from quickly renewed sources that are actually a by product or recycled,  it's eco-friendly score is off the charts.

For more information on Strawboard please visit novofibre.com orronbow.com

Is concrete really eco-friendly?

Over the last decade concrete countertops and floors have become a popular alternative.  One of the big questions surrounding the use of concrete is whether or not it's an eco-friendly building material.   In it's traditional form concrete should not be considered an eco-friendly material for a number of reasons.  Traditional concrete is made from a mixture of cement, sand, gravel, and water—and therein lies the main problem: its heavy reliance on the use of cement.

Cement is an environmentally hazardous material for the following reasons:  In comparison to other manufacturing processes, cement production is extremely energy and fossil fuel dependent, making it the third ranking producer of carbon dioxide emissions (the primary greenhouse gas contributing to global warming).  Cement production is increasing by approximately 5% a year, making it one of the biggest environmentally destructive materials on the planet.  Concrete's aggregate materials like sand and stone that are mixed with cement are mined, further expending our natural resources.

Recycled Bottles and Jars make a Countertop

Vetrazzo^® is a recycled glass countertop surface comprised of 100% recycled glass.   The countertop material is very eco-friendly as it's comprised with a  high glass content ( 85% by volume).  From architectural to art glass, to beer bottles and jars, each mix is a signature blend of color and life.  Vetrazzo is durable and more resistant to surface damage than other stone.  However, all stone can be damaged by force and no stone is chip-proof.   Objects hitting edges particularly at sinks or dishwashers may cause chips. Surface markings are more visible on monotone colors than multi-colored surfaces.

Vetrazzo is comprised of 85% Recycled Glass and 15% modified Portland White Cement. Variation in the glass source of a Vetrazzo slab is the result of the recycling process made possible by the nature of comingled recycling. As a result the color, pattern, size, shape and shade are inherent and unique characteristics to be expected in a slab of eco friendly Vetrazzo.   This does not affect the product performance in any manner.   Random bits of glass that differ from the predominant color of the glass in the slab can be expected.  From time to time the glass sources will change, and while the source may remain, 'beverage bottles', or 'demolition glass', the beverage brand, or the old building the glass came from can change, and result in a slab that differs slightly.

Vetrazzo makes for a great eco-friendly countertop surface and fabricators are available nationwide.   For more information visit www.vetrazzo.com.

Wrapped in Paper

Kliptech's EcoClad® cladding or siding is an eco-friendly product designed to provide superior protection against natural weather elements.  EcoClad® is constructed of post-consumer paper products and dense, sustainable bamboo fibers, allowing for outstanding durability and water resistance .  EcoClad® is available in three different versions and several different colors.

Using an FSC certified 50/50 fiber blend of 100% post-consumer recycledpaper and rapidly renewable bamboo fiber, EcoClad® is one of the most innovative materials to have been introduced to the construction products market, and offers the largest impact on LEED® projects over traditional aluminum, stone, wood, and HPL cladding products. EcoClad is made in he USA and is a great fit for both interior or exterior applications.