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 theyve laid eyesand handson the products. Now, entrepreneurs across the country are addressing consumers concerns, and reinventing the traditional home store in the process. If youre 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. |
