New Green Reno

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Cabinetry

Conventional cabinets illustrate the problem with conventional EWPs. Lower-grade cabinets are constructed of plywood, particle board, and/or fiber board. The adhesives used to bind these materials often contain urea-formaldehyde, which will offgas for months after installation. The high-end cabinets available are not much better. Typically, the face of the cabinet is a solid hardwood, while the box is a hardwood plywood or even veneered particle board. For better options, try reclaimed wood or abandon wood altogether: strawboard, wheatcore and bamboo are all readily available.

• Neil Kelly strawboard cabinets and custom cabinetry from certified reclaimed wood (www.neilkelly.com)
• Humabuilt wheatcore doors and cabinets (www.humabuilt.com)
• Bamboo Hardwood custom cabinetry (www.bamboohardwoods.com)

Flooring: Bamboo and Reclaimed

Flooring may be a more familiar bamboo product. Bamboo, a grass, is rapidly renewable and durable. Many species of bamboo reach maturity in three to six years, where hardwoods like maple and oak take 50 years or more. Blond bamboo flooring is harder than most hardwood flooring, whereas the darker variety, which has been carbonized (boiled longer), is softer. Like many EWPs, though, it is a laminate requiring strong adhesives usually containing urea-formaldehyde. Furthermore, most bamboo flooring is produced in China, raising accountability issues. Claims of formaldehyde-free adhesives are of particular concern, as they are difficult to verify.

• Bamboo Hardwoods, produced in Vietnam, formaldehyde content less than half the stringent European Union standard (www.bamboohardwoods.com)
• Teragren, produced in China, low-formaldehyde (www.teragren.com)

Reclaimed wood can be sourced from local U.S. producers and offers unparalleled grain and texture.

• Conklin's Authentic Antique Barnwood (www.conklinsbarnwood.com)
• Mountain Lumber of Virginia (www.mountainlumber.com).

For more flooring options, including reclaimed and FSC-certified wood, see our Flooring Buying Guide and "Green Flooring Put to the Test"

Insulation

Cotton insulation made from pre-consumer recycled denim scrap makes an efficient insulator with no impact on indoor air quality and negligible pollution during manufacture. Wool insulation is naturally resistant to fire but can attract harmful insects, so the wool is treated with boron—a healthier alternative to brominated flame retardants which accumulate in our bodies. Loose fibers in fiberglass insulation may still pose a breathing hazard, but can be found without formaldehyde resin binders. If you prefer the insulating qualities of polyurethane foam insulation, but want to reduce your reliance on petroleum products, soy foam insulation has been available to new home builders for a number of years, and can be used in existing homes as well. Something to look out for: Two graduates of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a prototype insulation, Greensulate, made from mushroom spores. Tests at National Institute of Standards and Technology demonstrate it is comparable to existing products.

• Denim: Bonded Logic denim Ultra Touch Natural Insulation (bondedlogic.com).
• Wool: Good Shepherd Wool Insulation (www.goodshepherdwool.com)
• Formaldehyde-free Fiberglass: John Mansville ComfortTherm with 20 percent post-consumer glass content (www.jm.com)
• Soy: BioBase 501 and 1701 (biobased.net)

For more green building products, including paint and wood finishes, see our Buying Guides.

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