GreenDigs Blog

A cool new product I saw featured this past week is BP Glass Garage Doors, which is made from 100% recycled aluminum, glass, and steel, and can even be recycled at its end of life (similar to a cradle-to-cradle product).  They make commercial or residential grade garage, barn, gates, or swinging doors for various applications. (Check out their photo gallery for some great design ideas and past projects they’ve completed.) These have numerous applications, one of which could be a live/work space, to open up to fresh air and close as needed (and look really cool when illuminated at night).  Visit BP Glass Garage door’s website more more information.

Introducing Loll Designs - new contemporary, durable (and recycled content) outdoor furniture.  Made from 100% recycled post-consumer HDPE (think milk jugs and plastics), even the manufacturing by-product waste is able to be sent to a recycling plant.   Style-wise, they produce a modern spin on traditional-like pieces like the Adirondack chair.

Check out their website, complete with milk-jug icons that keeps track of the number of recycled packaging used to make each product. Although the price tag might be a little high for some consumers ($1200 for the 405 Chaise pictured above), even the most savvy recessionista knows that good green design saves money and the environment all at the same time.   Everything from planters, to chairs and tables, to kids furniture; Loll has a variety enough to suit your inner green style. Check it out.

(Spotted on Jetson Green)

Countertops with recycled glass content are about as common as cell phones these days, but it’s a bit rarer to be easily accessible to the general public.

Available through Lowe’s is the ECO line by Cosentino, launched which contains a mix of up to 75% post-consumer and post-industrials recycled mirrors, glass, and porcelain materials. What makes ECO unique is its concrete/bio based resin composition; it has about 25% of natural based products used as a binder.  It’s even available in tile form as well as slab sizes.

Eco is Greenguard certified (doesn’t contribute to indoor air contaminants) and can even help contribute towards LEED points. Check out their site.

Leftovers that you actually might enjoy!  Slate-ish is a paper composite tile made from Richlite  material production waste.  (Richlite is a recycled paper composite product similar to Paperstone.)  After Richlite slab/pieces are cut into customer sizes, the scrap pieces are taken to the Slate-ish and processed into squares and rectangles tiles.  As the name suggests, Slate-ish has a textural, slate-like appearance, which varies from light (6 mm) to heavy (18 mm) texture.  Available in Richlite’s seven color products, the tiles are for interior use only and can be left unsealed and even dry stacked (no grout needed) as floor or wall tiles.  Custom sizes are available, and finishes range from natural to glossy. A very cool way to take the waste of green material production and turn it into another useful product!  Check out Slate-ish.