It can be difficult to figure out which building products are 'green'* and what makes them so, and then to find out where to buy them from. Here are some of the best directories from people who have compiled this valuable information.
* The newsletter "Environmental Building News" defines green building materials this way:
We've also compiled a short "sample list" of some 'green' materials that we've used, or hope to soon....
The Alternative Building Sourcebook Traditional, Natural
and Sustainable Building Products and Services
Editor: Steve Chappell
Unique among green building guides in its exclusive focus on
natural building methods, such as strawbale, clay infill, cob,
thatch, and timber framing. Useful information on associated products,
services, and tools is also provided. (Reviewed in EBN Vol.
7 No. 4)
1998 paperback $19.95
Fox Maple Press, Inc.
Order
from the Oikos Catalog
Architectural Resource Guide
Editor: David Kibbey
A green building products directory in CSI format with about 900
listings, weighted towards the Northern California region. Available
either on CD-ROM or in paperback for $35, or get both for $50.
(Reviewed in EBN Vol. 6 No. 7)
Northern California ADPSR
1618 Parker Street
Berkeley, CA 94703
510/841-1039
ADPSR@aol.com
www.adpsr-norcal.org
GreenSpec Binder
Editors: Dwight Holmes, Larry Strain
A comprehensive guide to information on over 1,200 green building products and materials. This two-part tool features the 300-plus-page GreenSpec Product Directory and more than 135 pages of manufacturer's product literature, organized in a large 3-ring binder. (Price to EBN subscribers: $75.)
Order online ($99, annual loose-leaf and CD) from www.BuildingGreen.com
Guide to Resource Efficient Building Elements
Compiled and written by Tracy Mumma, 118 pp.
One of the original lists of sustainable building materials, updated roughly annually. More detailed descriptions than many other lists.
The Center for Resourceful Building Technology
P.O. Box 100
Missoula, MT 59806
406/ 549-7678
Order online ($28) at www.crbt.org
The Source Book for Sustainable Design
A directory of environmentally responsible building materials
and processes, 170 pp.
Editor Andrew St. John, AIA, Architects for Social Responsibility
Boston Society of Architects
52 Broad St.
Boston MA 02109
617/ 951-1433 (voice)
617/ 951-0845 (fax)
www.architects.org
The Harris Directory
By B.J. Harris
1583 Pacheco Street
Santa Fe, NM 87505
888-844-0337
www.harrisdirectory.com
The original green building directory. An online electronic database ($150/year) for PC or Macintosh, with an emphasis on materials that minimize pollution and construction waste. May also be available on disk. Ms. Harris also publishes a small booklet, "On Behalf of the Planet." Resources for waste management, resource planning, database for recycled and pollution-preventing building materials
This list is is also available as a PDF (Portable Document Format) for easy downloading and printing. You'll need the free Acrobat Reader if it's not already installed on your computer. Click here to download it from the Adobe website