THE Alternative Building Material

(This appeared in May '10, Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest)

When I began thinking about this article and the various alternative building materials I could write about, several came to mind. But what counts for “alternative,” anyway? For example, there are products that are greener versions of old standbys like triple-glazed windows or FSC lumber. I could write about Serious Materials’ (www.seriousmaterials.com) innovative EcoRock drywall which they claim is 5 times more environmentally friendly than gypsum drywall, or Eco-Panels’ (www.eco-panels.com) super-efficient and well-designed structural insulated panels (SIPs). And then there are materials and methods that have thousand-year histories but aren’t mainstream, such as cob, which combines clay, sand and straw fibers usually sourced onsite. But these kinds of natural alternatives don’t usually require much of a supply chain. Instead, I’m going to highlight a building material that will blow your mind – hemp.

Industrial hemp used to be one of the most important agricultural products in the United States, but its cultivation has been illegal here for decades. (That may change soon - google Hemp History Week to learn more.) The Puritans brought it with them from Europe, many of our Founding Fathers grew hemp, and as recently as 1942, the government actively encouraged farmers to grow it. In those days, hemp was indispensable for making rope, cordage and sail cloth, and it yielded more usable fiber per acre than cotton or flax. Innovations in more recent times have demonstrated its value as paper and plastic feedstock, nutritive food ingredient, and biofuel. Cultivation can also bring benefits to farming communities as it delivers relatively quick, dependable yields without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.

Absolutely the coolest thing about hemp is that it’s being used to sequester carbon in an innovative new product called Tradical Hemcrete. It’s a combination of hemp shiv, which is the woody core of the plant, and a hydraulic lime binder. The components are mixed at the jobsite and packed into forms to make thermally efficient, breathable walls that could potentially last for hundreds of years. After its first US installation in the NauHaus, an innovative new home prototype designed by building science think-tank NauHaus Institute, (www.thenauhaus.com), there are now several more homes in the works.

Hemp Technologies, (www.hemp-technologies.com,) based in Ashville, NC, is the North American distributor of the product, importing it from England where it was originally developed. Greg Flavell, co-founder and hemp technology guru, said he discovered the product after searching for the most sustainable building material he could find. “I think this is it – it’s zero waste, non-toxic, breathable, mold resistant, durable, and is carbon negative, sequestering about 238 pounds of carbon per cubic yard,” he told me, adding “it’s also cost competitive.”

There are a few limitations, of course. The product is imported from England, where it was originally developed, because hemp isn’t yet grown domestically, nor are there easily sourced quantities of domestically produced hydraulic lime. The system is sold in two bags, Tradical HF and Tradical HB, which must be mixed at the jobsite by company-trained installers, though any contractor could easily master working with the material. In any case, those factors will slow widespread adoption of the material in the near term. However, Flavell says that they’re working on sourcing a little closer to home and developing a new panel system. Panels could dramatically expand the potential applications and make it easier for distributors and dealers to pick up the product. “We’re hoping to have panels available later this year,” says Flavell. If everything goes according to their plans, hemp could very well become less “alternative” and much more mainstream.

For Healthy Walls, Think Plaster

(This appeared in April '10, Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest)

Whether it’s new construction, remodeling or home improvement, the ultimate goal is to create a healthy, comfortable space for the occupants. It’s an art, of course, but there’s some real science behind understanding how various building components interact to maximize indoor air quality, while minimizing mold growth and energy demand. It turns out that wall “breathability” may be one of the most important components determining long-term indoor air quality and occupant comfort. This isn’t going to be a science lesson. But this kind of thinking is becoming more mainstream, creating new opportunities for dealers to begin supplying solutions.

Interesting thing about walls: they all get covered, coated or stained and almost every dealer in the supply chain sells one or the other or all three. Paint is the most common coating and every dealer who sells paint carries at least one line of “green” paint, or is considering adding a line right now. The number of “green” paint brands has exploded over the last year or two, with nearly all the major national and regional manufacturers marketing some pretty good to great products. The greenest paints, of course, are the ostensibly non-toxic, zero-VOC formulations, coupled with zero-VOC colorants. The demand is there and growing, and the products are easy find, so getting into a good green paint brand is a no-brainer at this point.

But there are limitations with paint and that, in part, is driving more interest in lower impact, healthier, and, surprisingly, more traditional alternatives. Manufacturing paints requires a fair amount of energy and requires lots of chemicals, even for the green brands. Paints have limited durability requiring touch ups and re-application every few years. Paints also seal, keeping moisture out, but also keeping moisture in. They’re not breathable, potentially creating the conditions for mold to grow within the walls, which is one of the main causes of “sick building syndrome.” These factors have contributed to a significant rise in the use of traditional plasters, or more up-to-date versions of traditional plasters, that have relatively low-embodied energy, are non/low emitting, breathable, durable, and have other interesting properties.

One of the best known examples is American Clay, (www.americanclay.com), an interior clay plaster line made in New Mexico. Because it’s breathable, it helps to moderate humidity in a room and allows for air exchanges that reduces or eliminates condensation within walls. According to a company announcement at GreenBuild last fall, the products also exhibit moderating effects on temperature that may lead to lower energy bills. In other words, versus paint, rooms with American Clay stay cooler in the heat and warmer in the cold.

Another modern-traditional innovation just coming into the US market from Japan is EcoDeVita, from Shikoku International, (www.ecodevita.com.) Two products in the line contain diatomaceous earth and have the very unique property of adsorbing formaldehyde and chemically breaking it down, rendering it harmless. Not only does it provide all the other benefits of a traditional wall plaster, but it also cleans the air, too.

Orit Yanai, (www.orityanai.com,) a LEED Accredited Professional and one of the industry’s top experts on plasters, thinks that demand for sustainably produced, multi-functional plaster products like these will continue to grow. “One of the biggest topics in the green building community right now is about breathable walls and the good news is that the solution has been around for thousands of years – plaster,” she tells me. “But having said that, it’s not always easy to source materials for a project.” A few minutes on Google indicates the current dealer mix includes those that specialize in plaster and related products, green-building boutiques, and a handful of more traditional LBM dealers. If there’s growing demand that’s under served, traditional LBM dealers could leverage natural advantages in scale and contractor relationships to make green plasters a healthy new line of business.

Is GIY the New DIY?

(A version of this appeared in March '10, Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest)

For me, the one phrase that best sums up the ongoing shift in household economic behavior is this: less is more. For anyone who pays attention to the history of this industry, it's a familiar story that comes about with every recession. Folks are doing more projects on their own and the trades are hurting. Mark Twain once said, "history doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme," and this time around the return to DIY might be different in some important ways that just might stick.

Most people I know aren't simply doing without, but are discovering new ways to create the lifestyle they want, spending less money and doing more themselves. More households are growing their own food, taking steps to "decarbonize" their homes, and generally looking for simpler, healthier "green it yourself" projects they can take on inexpensively. In fact, the terms "GIY" and "green it yourself" are catching on, appearing frequently in the blogosphere and other media to describe everything from caulking windows with a solvent-free sealant to rigging your own greywater system. In some neighborhoods, if you want to keep up with the Jones, it's not the size and expense of your solar panels, but how little you spent building your own wind generator from an alternator salvaged from Grandpa's old Buick, spare bicycle parts and a plastic milk jug.

On the leading edge of this resurgence of self-reliance and handiness is the rapidly growing permaculture movement. In short, permaculture is a holistic approach to creating household and community-scale sustainability based on modeling and enhancing natural systems. It's deeply green and aimed at creating abundance with fewer inputs - in other words, doing more with less. Typical permaculture projects include intensive food gardens, rainwater harvesting, greywater systems, passive solar, natural building and lots of creative re-use of salvaged resources.

At the community level, this kind of approach, and similar kinds of inexpensive projects, can contribute to greater community resilience, especially in hard times. There are a growing number of non-profit permaculture-based groups, such as City Repair (www.cityrepair.org) in Portland, OR, who are doing just that, rejuvenating the fabric of life in urban neighborhoods. Many of these groups are getting serious funding and are participating in local retrofit programs.

While permaculture is catching on among early adopters, community activists, and even government agencies, it's not mainstream yet. And even though permaculture and GIY projects tend to utilize salvaged, free or otherwise inexpensive resources, there are some good reasons for dealers to pay attention. Becoming knowledgeable about the kinds of permaculture projects happening in your area will likely inspire new thinking around merchandise and promotion. In areas where greywater systems are now legal, for example, stocking non-PVC pipes and fittings might be a good thing. Building close relationships with local permaculture groups and practitioners is even better, and with a little cross promotion can bolster your green reputation. And if permaculture can really help your community become greener and more resilient, you might find that this new kind of DIY is good for you, too.

Taking Stock of Your Green Stock

(Originally published in the January 2010 issue of Merchant Magazine.)

There’s an old bit of business wisdom that goes something like, “you can’t improve what you don’t measure.” It seems appropriate to spend a little time thinking about that. For one thing, it’s January, a natural time to assess where we are, resolve to make improvements and chart a course for the rest of the year. For another, it’s a fundamental principle underlying every serious sustainable business initiative. It’s a simple formula: identify the right things to measure, create benchmarks, set goals for improvement, monitor performance, and adjust as necessary. Whether the economy in 2010 comes roaring back or stays about the same, it’s clear that there are revenue-boosting and cost-saving benefits for companies that get serious about sustainability.

As merchants, the core business is all about the product mix with basic metrics tracking sales, velocity, inventory, etc. Assuming staff is trained and products are merchandised well, these metrics can be useful for identifying the poorest performing SKUs to eliminate and which categories to strengthen. But to address the needs and desires of the growing number of “green” customers, these metrics fall short. How many of your products would contribute to LEED credits? What percentage is Energy Star rated or would qualify for rebates? Which products are heavy energy consumers or contain the most toxic chemicals? And where are they manufactured – locally or the other side of the planet?

Some “big box” retailers and major mainstream product manufacturers have benchmarking programs in place and are mobilizing their marketing teams around them. For example, WalMart introduced its Supplier Scorecard a couple of years ago and last year announced its Sustainability Index Consortium, an effort to define standards for a variety of product categories. They’ve also announced goals to reduce packaging and increase the number of green products on the shelves. The Home Depot rolled out its EcoOptions program in 2007 with 3,000 products and announced a goal of increasing that number to 6,000 by 2009. Their website claims to have sold over one billion such products since the program’s inception. Proctor & Gamble also announced an initiative to benchmark chemicals used in their products with a goal of reducing toxics. All of these efforts have garnered positive press and “greened” their respective reputations.

The basis of those kinds of goals and marketing claims are the assessments, but these kinds of programs, and their benefits, are not exclusive to big companies. My firm recently helped a group of much smaller companies create green product criteria against which we characterized about 250,000 individual SKUs. The result is a starting point from which these companies can create meaningful business goals, merchandising programs, and marketing campaigns. More importantly, they now have a new set of metrics that will help them measure performance and progress toward their goals.

Imagine a dealer or distributor who wants to become the energy efficiency leader in their market, but they have no idea how many Energy Star, or other energy-saving, products they already sell. They’re literally in the dark with a meaningless, maybe even dubious, goal unless and until they know their starting point. Only after assessing their product mix, can this imaginary dealer resolve to double the number of Energy Star products, properly train and incentivize staff, and begin to make the marketing claims that would lead them to their goal. For real-world dealers and distributors, the benefits of such benchmarking could lead to greater sales, deeper organizational knowledge, and competitive advantages. By any measure, that’s not a bad way to approach the new year.

Better Living Through (Green) Chemistry

(Originally published in the December '09 issues of Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest.)

If you’re like me, that phrase brings back memories of nerdy high school science films extolling the modern marvels of convenience, value and progress, made possible by the Chemical Industry. It was a huge post-war economic engine that expanded its reach into nearly every product category and helped fuel the rise of the American suburb. There are now about 80,000 chemicals on the market, but only a few hundred have been tested for human or ecological safety. One unintended consequence is that many of these chemicals have reached into our ecosystems, including the very top of our food chain – us.

“Body burden” is the term toxicologists use to describe the toxic load an individual might be carrying at a given moment – several hundred substances, some of which will accumulate, others metabolized and excreted. Pregnant mothers will pass these substances to her child. One of the common pathways for exposure to toxic chemicals is through inhaling airborne pollutants. Most people have heard by now that indoor air can be far worse than outdoor air, and that the rise of asthma, multiple sclerosis, and other diseases could be caused by long-term, low-level exposures to the chemicals that surround us in daily life. And of course, we spend most of our time indoors.

The LEED rating systems aim to drastically reduce potential exposures to building occupants by limiting the use of emitting materials in the first place, and promoting active measures for improving indoor air quality. I always recommend stocking products that contribute to LEED credits, especially low-emitting, less-toxic products, that appeal to the green builders in your area. Products like formaldehyde-free plywood and cabinets, formaldehyde-free insulation, zero-VOC adhesives, zero-VOC paints and coatings – the list of less-toxic alternatives is long. But the list of emitting products, products that would not meet LEED’s requirements for indoor air quality, is much longer.

I invite you now to get up (after reading the article first, of course!) and follow your nose around your store. Pick up a few products and pronounce their ingredients. The paints, strippers, cleaners, pest killers, weed killers, plywood and treated lumber – what is the quality of this air that you and your staff breathe everyday? There’s a very good chance that some nasty neurotoxins, carcinogens, and endocrine disruptors are floating around in the mix. Unintended consequences, yes. More importantly, the people who might be exposed to off-gassing chemicals are probably the people you most care about. Swapping out the high-emitting products in your inventory, in favor those with zero or dramatically fewer toxic emissions, contributes to a healthier workplace with fewer liability issues.

In the long run, there are large-scale initiatives underway that will eventually lead to safer alternatives through greener chemistry. The Toxic Substances Control Act, the current federal chemical oversight regime, will likely be strengthened, giving the EPA more power to eliminate toxics and require manufacturers to prove health and safety before bringing new formulations to market. In California, the Green Chemical Initiative is undertaking a range of activities designed to make rapid progress eliminating toxics and stimulating growth of greener alternatives. However, the positive effects of these efforts won’t be felt for years.

In the meantime, the motivated dealer can learn more about body burden, LEED and indoor air quality from dozens of informative online resources – start Googling! SCS, GreenGuard and GreenSeal publish lists of their certified products, and there are other green product databases out there, too. The intended consequences could be felt immediately, leaving those you care most about breathing a little easier.

Community Insulation

Community Insulation
(Originally published in the November '09 issues of Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest.)


With the economy still in doldrums and the cold winter months around the corner, I continue to be fascinated with insulation. Not the rebate-earning, energy-efficient, recycled-denim kind your customers will love you for, but the economic kind that will sustain your business through the lean times and propel the inevitable upturn to come. There’s little doubt that energy efficiency and green building will define the shape of this industry for decades to come, so it makes sense for every LBM dealer to bone up on these issues, stock and promote the products, train the staff, etc. But creating sustainable “economic insulation” requires deep community collaboration.

There are good examples of multi-generational, family-owned dealers that are well-placed in their communities, have staved off the “big boxes” and done well, even in hard times. These are good models, but the reality is that these examples are getting harder to find and even harder to replicate. Two organizations, BALLE, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, and AMIBA, the American Independent Business Alliance, are focused on helping local businesses thrive, creating new models.


In the Rockies just outside of Denver, sits Big Horn Building Materials, a big local supplier for the surrounding mountain towns and resorts. Founder, Don Sather, has been a big proponent of energy efficiency and green building, walking his talk – the store is fitted with solar panels and is involved with a local non profit studying the feasibility of wind power in the community. He was also one of the founding member of Summit Independent Business Alliance, (SIBA), an AMIBA affiliate. “A few years ago, our community successfully fought off a new 'big box' chain and that really opening my eyes,” Don told me. “One of the most important things about being involved in a local network is getting closer to local officials and educating them about the economic benefits of supporting locally-owned business versus national chains.” Strong relationships with other local businesses and SIBA’s shop local campaigns have kept his business doing well, even though the economy overall has been weak, he added.

Woodland Building Supply, a 9 year-old dealer in Philadelphia, is another interesting model. Larry Reese, president and co-founder, was determined to make Woodland a destination for green building, stocking a wide selection of products, and recently opening a green showroom. “We’ve always focused on the triple bottom line and building relationships with local green builders,” Reese said. They joined Greater Philadelphia Sustainable Business Network, a BALLE affiliate, about a year ago. “It seemed like the natural thing to do. We’ve developed many more strong relationships with local builders, developers, and vendors and, to be honest, they’ve kept our business really busy over the last year.”

Paula Burke of Burke’s Hardware, a family-owned dealer with a 72 year history in Raleigh, North Carolina, told me a similar story. They recently joined their local network, Shop Local Raleigh, and were immediately impressed with the results. “We participated in a Shop Local TV ad, and even though we’ve been in the community for a long time, it was amazing how many people came into the store who’d never heard of us before!,” she said. They were motivated to join the network in part by the down economy, but mostly, she said, “because it was just the right thing to do, to support your community.”

Going Local

(Originally published in the October '09 issues of Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest.)

For most of us independent business owners, the idea of buying local is pretty familiar – at least with respect to our own businesses.  We know that money spent in our stores, from folks in our own community, tends to stay in the community.  A good chunk of our salaries and those of our employees will likely be spent and invested locally, for other goods and services, as well as for local taxes that pay for fire, police and other municipal services.  Awareness of these benefits is spreading and giving rise to hundreds of buy-local campaigns which could be an important component of your green strategy.

Recently, the media has covered the growing interest in buying locally produced food as “locavores” seek to reduce the “food miles” and carbon footprint of their daily meals.  Right alongside, the shop local movement has been quietly picking up steam.  Organizations like BALLE, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, (www.livingeconomies.org) and AMIBA, the American Independent Business Alliance, (www.amiba.net), and a few others, are experiencing rapid growth.  Combined they represent over 30,000 independent businesses and over 130 local networks, with the bulk of those forming over the last two years.  Not surprisingly, a growing number of these businesses are LBM dealers, such as Kenyon Noble Lumber in Montana and Burke Brother's Hardware in North Carolina.

“Joining an Independent Business Alliance, or starting one in your local community, is not unlike joining a co-op, where members can benefit from group buying on advertising, supplies, etc.,” says Jeff Milchen, co-founder of AMIBA.  Milchen, counts the recession and growing interest in reducing environmental impacts as two of the main drivers lifting the number of independent business alliances they work with from 30 before the recession to an anticipated 75 by year’s end. 

Both organizations provide support to locally-focused business networks to educate the community about the benefits of buying and “thinking local.” Alissa Barron, of BALLE, points out that there’s a strong economic case for local businesses to form collaborative networks that promote buying locally.  “Dollars spent at locally-owned businesses circulate in the community 2-4 times longer, and do 2-4 times more good, than those spent with chains,” says Barron.  “We’re also finding that businesses end up collaborating on broader issues, too, like pooling resources for buying renewable energy.“ 

Seeking to tap this trend with some innovative twists is San Francisco start-up, Viv, (www.doyouviv.com). It’s a forward-thinking rewards program that helps green customers entice participating retailers to continuously green their operations with a simple card scan. The businesses take green steps based on the number of customer visits, while the Viv team offers consulting, free energy audits, and discounts from affiliated wholesalers.  Meanwhile, your customers share pride in your accomplishments and become more loyal.

For most independent LBM dealers, this trend plays to your natural advantage, but you can’t sit on your hands.  Join your local network, put signs in your windows, buy your supplies locally, and start educating your customers – both contractors and home owners - about the community benefits of buying local.   There may be opportunities to pool resources with fellow local businesses, too.  If you’re sourcing local materials, make sure to point them out - they can also contribute to LEED regional credits.  All in all, by fully embracing your local selves, your business will benefit and your community will, too.