2008 NeoCon Green Stars
Penny Bonda -- Interior Design, 7/25/2008
Announcing the Interior Design NeoCon Green Stars — Awarded for Environmental Excellence
Choosing the brightest shade of green at NeoCon isn’t easy. It’s a crowded field. But our intrepid eco-reporter, Penny Bonda, deemed these 14 products as worthy of special recognition at NeoCon 2008.
The criteria:
- New this year at NeoCon
- Demonstrates exceptional forward thinking in environmental conscientiousness and accountability
Congratulations to the 2008 Interior Design NeoCon Green Stars winners. Wear your Green Star proudly – you earned it!
Green Stars will be back at NeoCon 2009—so keep your green ideas coming.
And the winners are . . .
Building Products
A decorative modular wall system available in a variety of materials – resin, wood veneers, aluminum, laminate – and many finishes including custom imagery.
Why is it green? It’s modular, lightweight, flexible and easy to install and reinstall to any wall or ceiling – with or without a frame. Moving the modules creates no waste, plus the ecoresin contains 40% post-industrial recycled content.
Crossville: Echo Glass and EcoCycle
Two product introductions: Echo Glass is a glass tile for walls, countertops and floors; EcoCycle is a porcelain tile with a rustic look that mimics natural stone.
Why is it green? Both products have impressive percentages of pre- and post-consumer recycled content. EcoCycle tile is the first porcelain stone made of recycled content - 40% - on the market and is certified by SCS. Echo Glass has 30% to 50% recycled content with SCS certification pending.
Movable walls, low-profile access floors, modifiable furniture and modular power, beautifully and thoughtfully designed, provide flexible workspaces.
Why is it green? DIRTT has developed a holistic environmental product paying particularly good attention to wood: Forest Stewardship Council certified and urea formaldehyde-free medium density fiberboard (MDF), water-based finishing on all wood surfaces, veneer wrapping and FSC Chain-of-Custody accreditation.
Carpet
Inspired by vintage couture fashion, the brilliant David Oakey designed Convert carpet tiles in a full spectrum of colors from reclaimed post consumer yarn.
Why is it green? InterfaceFLOR manufactures Convert from the post-consumer recycled yarn that comes from its ReEntry 2.0 fiber reclamation process. The stunning colors debunk the myth that something reclaimed and recycled can’t also be beautiful and fashionable.
Shaw has unleashed its designers to create new products by pushing boundaries and exploring new unconventional materials and techniques. The results to date were displayed at the Design Lab exhibit at NeoCon.
Why is it green? Same old, same old isn’t going to move the environmental conversation forward. Design Lab encourages non-traditional materials and manufacturing processes for the Shaw designers and all of us.
Fabrics and Wallcoverings
Architex: Angela Adams Green Collection
The Angela Adams Green Collection of upholstery and panel fabrics feature nature-inspired patterns.
Why is it green? Made with 50% to 100% recycled post-consumer and post-industrial polyester, four U.S based mills, three of which are third-party certified by MBDC, produce this collection; the fourth is in process.
It’s not a product – though many of Designtex’s 2008 NeoCon introductions are impressive. It’s a mindset and a methodology labeled ED (Environmental Design) that includes an easy to understand graphic life cycle evaluation of each of its product lines.
Why is it green? With ED, Designtex is taking green communication to an exciting (and honest) level by way of a hangtag “wheel” that evaluates seven environmental design criteria. The attributes achieved for each product are highlighted; those that fall short are clearly indicated.
A commercial grade Type II wallcovering replicating the traditional look of raffia.
Why is it green? Part of the Innvironments Collection, Valancia, one of several patterns made from 100% non-toxic sustainable plant-based cellulose fibers, is breathable, biodegradable and recyclable.
Finishes
Idea Paint transforms any smooth surface, like a wall, into a seamless, high-performance dry-erase writing surface.
Why is it green? Minimal raw materials, no end-of-life waste, formaldehyde-free, flexible. The product requires far less packaging and fuel to ship than a whiteboard.
Flooring
Green Choice offerings include palm wood and mulberry in addition to bamboo as hard surface alternatives to hardwood flooring.
Why is it green? Green Choice salvages palm wood that would otherwise be cut down and burned as waste when the coconut tree stops producing fruit. Mulberry tree branches, traditionally discarded once the silk worms have eaten the leaves, are salvaged to produce a new flooring product.
Cork flooring coated with BASF’s Acrodur acrylic resin binders and a durable, low maintenance ceramic micro-bead finish.
Why is it green? Wicanders has taken the urethane and formaldehyde out of its products. It’s also the only cork seller to control the entire process from seedling through harvest and manufacture, key to minimizing the product’s environmental footprint.
Furniture
Highly adjustable and space efficient Hum is Kimball Office’s new workspace furniture system. Pura is a clear, ultraviolet water-based wood finish.
Why is it green? Both Kimball Office introductions were designed per Design for the Environment (DfE) protocols. Hum incorporates significant recycled content and rapidly renewable materials, is free of common toxins, features energy-efficient LED lighting and is designed for easy end-of-life recycling. Pura has virtually no VOCs, is exceptionally clear, very durable but repairs easily.
A wooden side chair designed by industrial designer Carl Gustav Magnusson with advanced wood to metal connection techniques and Danish Modern sensibilities.
Why is it green? Synapse’s five field-replaceable parts disassemble easily for recycling and give it a longer life cycle; it ships flat which minimizes shipping impacts; the beech or maple is sourced from sustainable forests and meets low emission indoor air quality standards.
Lighting
Luxo: Ninety Light
This ergonomic LED task light, housed in a sleek design, provides asymmetric light distribution.
Why is it green? Ninety is the “world’s most energy-efficient task light” according to Luxo. Its four highly efficient light diode system lamps, which use just 1.4 watts each, have a 45,000-hour life span, producing optimal light with low energy consumption.
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