building materials

The yearly GreenBuild Expo doesn't start until November 7th in Chicago and we already have a great update to pass on to you! Officially launching at this year's event, Green2Green's beta website version is up and running.

Built by GreenBlue, an organization founded by William McDonough of Cradle to Cradle fame, Green2Green "features comprehensive information regarding green building products, materials and practices. The site offers side-by-side comparisons of products using a variety of environmental, technical and economic criteria." The site also features expert advice, forums, direct feedback from users on all products, and dealer locations.

Green2Green is guided by an expansive advisory team, which Building Green TV's very own COO Max Mead is a part of. According to the G2G website, the team is compired of members who "guide key decisions about data presentation, green building issues and policy."

"Green2Green has been developed in response to the growing demand for green building materials and the difficult process of choosing among so many products and possibilities," says the GreenBlue organization's website. "Together, we strive to maintain a balance of perspective, addressing the very practical day-to-day decisions an architect, builder or homeowner faces, and the limitless theoretical framework that inspires innovation."

Finding just the right materials for your new kitchen cabinets or dining room floor can be more difficult than finding a hydrogen car on the road. This common problem for sustainably-concerned consumers is on the road to being solved, thanks to a new online directory of eco-materials.

Based in both San Francisco and Providence, Rhode Island, Ecolect is not only a listing of green materials, but also aims to be a community for people to share ideas and sustainable design experiences. Though the online directory recently launched, it already features an extensive collection of eco-materials and products.

Didn't find a material you already know of? Take the time to suggest it to the Ecolect folks; they'll review your suggestion and, if it meets their green criteria, they'll add it to their ever-expanding browsable listing.

Are you free tonight? Are you in the Bay Area? You should drop by Ecolet's San Francisco Launch Party at the Swissnex Event Space (730 Montgomery St) from 6pm-9pm - there will be drinks, products, samples, and a drawing for a gift certificate to the Branch store.