Green Design

Created as a more functional and operationally superior alternative to traditional white boards and dry-erase wallcoverings for office environments, Tabrasa offers abundant opportunities in homes too. Imagine using it in the mudroom or laundry area.  Tots to teenagers finally can draw on their walls without a disaster or a time out! See the illustration of the product here. 

Tabrasa^TM is water based paint that transforms any smooth surface into a seamless, high-performance dry-erase writing surface.   Discover all the options and applications for this amazing product and consider how you could adapt it in your home.

Instead of sticking notes around your home office, choose one of four colors and post schedules, creative ideas or brainstorming concepts on the wall.  Use a strip of wall space in your kitchen and post the weekly menu. 

Let me know how you might adapt this product in your home.

Tags: home, paint, Wallcovering, white board
Posted in Green Design | 13 Comments »

Watch a video about Squak Mountain.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUlDIMtmeJs[/youtube]

Recently I met Amee Quiriconi at the Green Peer table lunch I attend monthly with other Seattle designers.  But I was already familiar with her unique countertop product as I used it in the  shared bathroom of  the Seattle Street of Dreams 2006 home I designed, Casa Montecito.

From graduate school paper to reality, the story of how Squak Mountain Stone™ came to be is an exciting story.  Working to complete her masters degree in 2003, she prepared an economics paper  requiring  the students to develop a product or service that would could benefit their local economy. Specifically,  find something in their community that is purchased from someone outside of that community and then develop a “substitute” for that item that could be made  and sold within the local economy.

Employing her knowledge in engineering, construction and research, Amee created a unique new product called Squak Mountain Stone™.

Amee started with paper that couldn’t be recycled because it was crosscut by shredders, then added portland cement, crushed glass and coal fly ash from an electric plant in her home state of Washington. After stirring, grinding and polishing samples for 18 months, she hit upon a way to make the hand-cast slabs rock hard. “It’s a recycled material that replaces real stones that have to be quarried out of mountains.”  Squak Mountain Stone resembles soapstone or limestones. Learn more about it here.

Closeup view of Squak Mountain

Tags: countertop, Green Design, Squak Mountain Stone
Posted in Green Design | 2 Comments »

I discovered Paperstone in early 2006 as I began my design of Casa Montecito for the 2006 Seattle Street of Dreams.  I loved the touch of the product and decided to use it in the main floor laundry and catering prep area.  One of the goals of this project was to introduce green products that would entice potential users. Hopefully by seeing them used consumers and contractors would be motivated to integrate them into projects.  Recently I completed another home that used Paperstone on the perimeter kitchen counters and granite on the islands.

In 2006  Paperstone was selected as a top 10 product by the editors of GreenSpec® and Environmental Building News™.  PaperStone Certified is a beautiful and heavy-duty solid surface known for its performance, its warm touch, its contemporary appearance and its environmental sustainability. It is made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper and a proprietary, petroleum-free resin. It is the only solid surface material certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, Smartwood and the Rainforest Alliance. Specifying PaperStone can earn up to five LEED points. PaperStone is durable and is recommended for residential kitchen and bath and commercial uses, indoor and out.

Tags: Green Design, Paperstone Counter
Posted in Green Design | 2 Comments »

Roy Hunter, a contractor and environmentalist started Second Use after becoming frustrated with the amount of materials he saw getting thrown away on construction sites. He pooled finances with a few family members and leased an empty 2-acre field in Woodinville, Washington as the site of the first store. The first inventory consisted of salvaged lumber and beams from the demolition of a Fred Meyer store in north Seattle. Second Use has been reclaiming building materials for reuse in the Puget Sound region since 1994.

Second Use Founder Roy Hunter

In 1997, the Seattle store opened in its current location on Second Avenue South in the South Park neighborhood. Second Use has been recognized for ongoing growth and achievement in the community. In 2006, it was a winner of the Seattle Mayor’s Small Business Award. In 2007, it received the Washington State Recycling Association’s “Recycler of the year – business primary” award.

Online Inventory Search

Whether you are a homeowner, business owner, or contractor Second Use can help you find a greener way to approach your next remodel or demolition.  If you have a project you’d like to discuss, please contact our field crew.  If you have materials you’d like to bring in, see our acceptance policies and/or visit our store.  You can also learn more about our salvage services by exploring the links.

I hope you will visit Second Use either online or in person.  Try the calculator:

Find out how much re-using materials can save the environment in real world terms:

• Lbs of CO₂ averted
• Days a fluorescent bulb could stay lit
• Miles a SUV could drive

Love your comments, Faith

Tags: environment, Green Design, recycle, remodel, remodeling, resource
Posted in Green Design, Ideas and Inspirations | No Comments »