a New Urban Home.com exclusive
21 December 2005

For the past four years, BuildingGreen, Inc. has awarded the ten most innovative green building products of the past year. Winning products are chosen from the year’s additions to GreenSpec Directory, a detailed listing (1,800 products) compiled by BuildingGreen. Editors of GreenSpec chose the winning products with help from Environmental Building News, and announced them at the US Green Building Council’s Greenbuild Conference in Atlanta.

The List
	BioNet Erosion-Control Mats from North American Green Not only do these mats reduce erosion, but they are an ingenious use for agricultural waste. They are woven from straw and coconut fibers, with jute netting, stitched together with cotton thread, and are 100% biodegradable. www.naGreen.com See website for retailer near you.
	PureBond Hardwood Plywood and Agrifiber-Core Panels from Columbia Forest Products The largest North American manufacturer of hardwood plywood has replaced the standard urea-formaldehyde binder with a soy-based binder. This product is distinguished for removing a known carcinogen from their product and utilizing agro-waste (straw) as a core for its veneers. www.ColumbiaForestProducts.com See website for retailer near you.
	Nybacker Recycled-Carpet Tile-Backer from NYCORE, Inc. Nycore has found various new uses for discarded carpet. Their recycled carpet products include Nybacker, a tile backer which aids the adhesion of tile to plywood. Unlike typical backerboard, Nybacker does not release harmful silicon dust. www.Nycore.com 200 Galleria Parkway Suite 2000 Atlanta, Georgia 30339
	Stonescape from American Biltrite Canada, Ltd. This product is notable as the most efficient PVC flooring alternative to date. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) emits volatile organic compounds, and thus any alternative is welcome. Stonescape is many times stronger than previous PVC alternatives, and will require less surface treatment. www.American-Biltrite.com See website for retailer near you.
	Terratex Biobased Textiles from Interface Fabrics and Carnegie Terratex fabrics are recycled, bio-based, and attractive enough to be part of Herman Miller’s, AllSteel’s, and Teknion’s workstations. This product was designed primarily for use in commercial workstations and is a blend of post-consumer recycled plastics and reclaimed wool. www.Terratex.com See website for furniture manufactors and distributors near you.
	Uppercut Dual-Flush Flushometer Valve from Sloan Valve Company This is the first dual-flush valve available for commercial toilets. Popular in much of Western Europe, Australia, and East Asia, the dual-valve allows a toilet to operate with standard flush for solid waste, while a lower-volume flush is used for liquid waste for a 30% water savings. www.SloanValve.com See website for retailer near you.
	Aquia Dual-Flush Toilet from TOTO USA, Inc. The Aquia Dual-Flush toilet implements the flushing mechanisms described above. This is a top-selling product in Thailand where it is manufactured; it comes in six colors and is estimated to save a family of four 7,000 gallons of water per year. www.TotoUSA.com See website for retailer near you.
	Ice Bear Thermal Energy Storage System from Ice Energy, Inc. The Ice Bear reduces peak-daytime cooling demand by 95% by maximizing the potential of ice. Overnight, a 500 gallon water tank is frozen. Throughout the day, a small, low-energy pump circulates refrigerant though the ice tank, which cools it thermally instead of electrically. Thus, the only electricity used during peak-hours is that which powers the pump, and the major energy expenditure (to freeze the water tank) occurs at night during off-peak hours, which saves money and helps level peak in energy demands. www.Ice-Energy.com 9351 Eastman Park Drive, Unit B Windsor, Colorado 80550
	UltimateAir RecoupAerator® 200-DX ERV from Stirling Technology, Inc. Energy recovery ventilators pull in fresh outdoor air that is heated and humidified as the exhaust air is pushed out, for a 96% heat-recovery. Furthermore, its filters remove indoor pollutants and block the introduction of outdoor pollutants. www.UltimateAir.com SSee website for retailer near you.
	Enbryten LED and Pendant and Downlighting Luminaires from Permlight Products, Inc. Light-emitting diodes (LED) are the only incandescent alternative that does not use mercury vapor. Furthermore, LED lights are one of the most efficient electrical light sources, and Permlight’s Luminaires will last for 30,000-50,000 hours. www.Permlight.com See website for retailer near you.

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