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Green Showrooms - This Old House |
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   Shopping Green - October 2007
Featured on This Old House website
More
DIYers than ever before are seeking out earth-friendly home-improvement
options. But even green consumers keen on the concept can be cagey
about committing until they’ve laid eyes—and hands—on the products.
Now, entrepreneurs across the country are addressing consumers’
concerns, and reinventing the traditional home store in the process. If
you’re contemplating an eco-renovation, hop in your hybrid and head to
one of these green showrooms.
Natural Built Home
Owner Rachel Maloney of Minneapolis, Minnesota, conceived of the Natural Built Home
store while sitting in traffic during her daily commute in 2005. "I
knew that a showroom would need to quickly follow," she recalls, "as
the materials and products were something that customers wanted to see,
touch and feel before purchasing." Since Earth Day in 2006, that
showroom has been "our chance to let customers see that building green
is beautiful," she says. "Whether you have a traditional craftsman home
or a modern loft, there are environmentally friendly products available
that will fit your decor."
Her merchandise ranges from cork and
natural linoleum flooring to low-VOC paints and safe household
cleansers. Among products shown here are Eleek recycled-metal sinks and
IceStone recycled glass countertops. Of equal importance to Maloney is the opportunity the showroom affords
her to dispel what she considers a common misconception about the
expense of eco-friendly construction. "A challenge of any green
building supply showroom is customers' belief that green products cost
more than traditional products," she says. "Green products don't cost
more; just like any store, we have products in many different price
categories. In fact, over the long term, utilizing green building
techniques will save money that would ordinarily be spent on energy,
water and health care."
The store hosts free classes on topics
like carbon-footprint reduction, as well as low-cost seminars in
earth-friendly skills like clay plaster application. |
