Summary: BuildingGreen, Inc., publisher of the GreenSpec® Directory and Environmental Building News™, announced the 2008 Top-10 Green Building Products on November 20. This seventh annual award, announced at the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild Conference in Boston, recognizes the most exciting products drawn from additions to the GreenSpec Directory and coverage in Environmental Building News. BuildingGreen’s Top-10 product selections, as in previous years, are drawn from new additions to the company’s GreenSpec product directory.

Product name: Integrity Block
Manufacturer: Integrity Block
Web site: www.integrityblock.com
It’s green because it’s made with pre-consumer recycled content, is natural or minimally processed, and releases minimal pollutants
Integrity Block is a compacted-earth block used as a cost-competitive replacement for concrete masonry units (CMUs). Made from a proprietary soil mix that includes up to 60 percent pre-consumer recycled content (byproduct from mining or quarrying), Integrity Block uses 40 percent less energy to produce and meets ASTM C-90 for load-bearing CMUs. The portland cement content is approximately half that of standard block. Integrity Blocks are the color of the earth used in manufacturing, giving them a unique natural appearance without any added dyes or pigments.

Product name: Safe n’ Sound Emerald Doors
Manufacturer: Masonite International Corp.
Web site: www.masonite.com
It’s green because it uses agricultural waste material and rapidly renewable FSC-certified wood
Masonite’s Emerald Safe ‘N Sound solid-core interior doors have wheat-straw particleboard cores, skins made from composite wood, and stiles and rails made from solid wood certified according to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards. These doors reduce sound transmission and do not contain any added urea-formaldehyde. Safe ’N Sound Emerald doors are available in 1-3/8th-inch thickness and 6’ 8", 7' 0", and 8' 0" heights, with widths from 1' 0" to 3' 0" for passage doors and 2' 0" to 6' 0" for bifold doors.

Product name: FSC-certified PlybooPure bamboo flooring
Manufacturer: Smith & Fong
Web site: www.plyboo.com
It’s green because it releases minimal pollutants and is made of rapidly renewable materials
Smith & Fong has introduced the first bamboo flooring to carry Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. Available under the brand name PlybooPure, the flooring is also made with low-emitting, non-formaldehyde polyisocyanurate binder. PlybooPure comes either flat- or vertical-grained in a natural or amber color. It is available unfinished or prefinished with aluminum oxide. All flooring measures 5/8" x 3-3/4" x 75" and comes 23.4 square feet per box. The company also offers a comprehensive range of trim moldings in stair nosing, threshold, reducer, and base-shoe profiles, and baseboard prefinished in amber or natural color.

Product name: Natura Paint
Manufacturer: Benjamin Moore & Co.
Web site: www.benjaminmoore.com
It’s green because it releases minimal pollutants
Benjamin Moore’s Natura line of zero-VOC paints and primers are made for residential and light commercial use. These spatter-resistant paints dry quickly with little odor. Natura contains a proprietary, 100 percent acrylic resin that, according to the company, will meet the Master Painter Institute’s Green Performance standard as well as Green Seal’s 2009 GS-11 standard covering chemical content and paint performance (though Benjamin Moore has decided to seek its own independent testing and will not be applying for MPI or GS-11 certification). Although most zero-VOC paints use colorants containing as much as 150 grams per liter of VOCs, Natura uses Benjamin Moore’s own Gennex zero-VOC colorants. Natura is available as a primer as well as in flat, eggshell, and semi-gloss.

Product name: PolyWhey Floor Finish
Manufacturer: Vermont Natural Coatings
Web site: www.vermontnaturalcoatings.com
It’s green because it uses rapidly renewable agricultural waste material, comes in 100 percent pre-consumer recycled content cans, and releases minimal pollutants
PolyWhey is a waterborne wood finish that uses recycled whey protein, a by-product of the dairy industry, as a binder. These LEED-qualifying, low-odor coatings contain no toxic heavy metals and have a VOC level less than 180 g/L. They provide a clear coating with water, chemical, and scratch-resistance and with twice the durability of other waterborne finishes, according to the company, making them suitable for high-traffic residential and commercial areas. These coatings are available in gloss, semi-gloss, or satin finish; the cans are made from 100 percent pre-consumer recycled polypropylene.

Product name: O Ecotextiles Natural Fiber Textiles
Manufacturer: O Ecotextiles Inc.
Web site: www.oecotextiles.com
It’s green because it releases minimal pollutants and is an alternative to hazardous components, is made from rapidly renewable materials, and reduces pollution or waste from operations
O Ecotextiles produces a diverse and luxurious collection of premium organic textiles that have been produced with careful attention to three critical factors: non-toxicity (both in the growing of the fibers and the production of the cloth), carbon footprint, and social justice. In pursuit of safe fabrics, every ecologically harmful aspect of the textile industry was carefully considered and almost entirely ameliorated. O Ecotextiles are made from 100 percent organic cotton or other sustainably grown fibers, including hemp, flax (linen), abaca, ramie, silk, and bamboo. The textiles are produced in living-wage environments. Manufacturing processes throughout the supply chain eliminate the use of a wide range of hazardous substances typical to the textile industry and produce wastewater safe for aquatic life.

Product name: Matrix Total Home System
Manufacturer: NTI Inc.
Web site: www.nythermal.com
It’s green because its equipment conserves energy and manages loads, and it blocks introduction, development, or spread of indoor contaminants
NTI’s Matrix is an integrated appliance that combines a gas-fired condensing boiler and furnace, condensing demand water heater, and heat-recovery ventilator into a single unit, and it is pre-configured for air conditioning. According to NTI, the Matrix’s advanced heat exchanger is capable of reducing gas consumption by 30 percent compared with a conventional system, providing an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency of 94 for forced-air and 92.7 for hydronic heating, and an energy factor of 0.85 for water heating. The Matrix can deliver five gallons of hot water per minute at 110°F without a tank or standby energy loss. Features include an efficient, variable-speed, electronically commutated (ECM) motor; a microprocessor that adjusts heat output based on the home environment; and a sealed-combustion system that draws in outdoor air and directly vents exhaust. Compared with standard products, the efficient combustion results in less cycling, improved efficiency, and less noise, and it can be vented using conventional plastic piping.

Product name: Suncache solar water heating system
Manufacturer: Harpiris Energy
Web site: www.harpiris.com
It’s green because it uses renewable energy and fuel cells
The SunCache integral-collector-storage (ICS) solar water heater uses a roof-mounted, water-filled, unpressurized, polyethylene panel and copper heat exchanger to pre-heat water for domestic use. Developed through research supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, the relatively inexpensive SunCache captures heat in 50 gallons of non-circulating water stored in a rooftop panel. When a hot-water tap is turned on, cold water from the supply line flows through copper heat exchanger embedded in the panel, extracting heat from the stored water. The pre-heated water then flows via cross-linked polyethylene tubing to a conventional storage or tankless water heater. No pumps are used. The acrylic glazing minimizes convective heat loss, but nighttime losses from the collector will still be significant. People using hot water in the afternoon or early evenings will see the greatest energy savings. SunCache is affordable and easy to install, making it appropriate for both professional and do-it-yourself installations. The water heater is designed for warm climates, including the Sun Belt, and is not intended for use in cold climates.

Product name: Agilewaves Resource Monitor
Manufacturer: Agilewaves Inc.
Web site: www.agilewaves.com
It’s green because it offers equipment that manages loads and conserves energy
Agilewaves Resource Monitor provides residential and commercial building owners with real-time data on electricity, gas, and water consumption. This system can be accessed via the Internet, providing monitoring data from circuits, rooms, water lines, and appliances. Agilewaves can also track, store, and analyze temperature, humidity, air quality, output from PV and solar water-heating systems, utility costs, and carbon footprint information. It can also communicate with certain building management systems to actively manage loads based on real-time usage. By influencing occupant behavior, Agilewaves can help reduce energy, gas, and water consumption by up to 20 percent, according to the company. Each system is custom-configured to meet specific monitoring needs, such as runoff from green roofs.

Product name: Rainwater H2OG storage tanks
Manufacturer: Rainwater HOG
Web site: www.rainwaterhog.com
It’s green because it uses renewable energy fuel cells, and fixtures and equipment that conserve water; it also reduces pollution or waste from operations
The Rainwater HOG is a modular rainwater storage tank for use in tight spaces, such as under decks, against houses, or even within walls. Two versions are available: a potable water tank made from virgin food-grade polyethylene and a non-food-grade tank made with 15 percent recycled content. Each module holds 50 gallons of water that can be used for gardening, irrigation, toilets, laundry, or (with the food-grade tank and after proper filtration) potable water. When installed within a building envelope, the tanks can serve as thermal storage for passive solar heating systems. These 71" x 19.5" x 8.5" tanks can be installed horizontally or vertically, and they can be installed in series. They come with inlet screens, elbow vents, and outlet valves. Tanks and components are designed for future reuse. Rainwater HOG is available as a stand-alone tank that is plumbed into the downspout or as part of a complete rainwater harvesting system called Rainwater Rescue, which combines the Rainwater HOG tank with GLI Systems’ RainTube roof-level water collector.