Each December, ED+C takes a count of the products in its New+Notable and Product Focus sections that have received the most reader requests for more information throughout the year. Tallies of years past have shown a mixed bag of products with no clear theme. Whether it was because of recent drought, rising costs of water or some other reason, water-conservation and water-related products dominated the top 15 of this year’s tally, which includes the issues from November 2008 to October 2009. Those 15 products are included on the following pages. For more products, visit www.EDCmag.com.
1. Greywater System Reclaims Water From Drains
Franklin Park, Ill. — Sloan Valve Company’s Sloan AQUS Greywater System reclaims greywater from bathroom drains and reuses it in toilets. Sloan’s system funnels water that flows down lavatory sinks and routes it through a sanitizing device that disinfects and filters the water. The water then goes to a storage reservoir under the sink. When a toilet that is connected to the system flushes, water is pumped from the reservoir to the flush tank. According to the company, this system significantly reduces the amount of clean, potable water needed for toilets by reusing greywater. The Sloan AQUS Greywater System is designed for restrooms with regular tank-type toilets. www.sloanvalve.com.
Reader Service No. 175 Sloan Valve Company
2. Integrated Tree and Stormwater System
San Francisco — The Silva Cell, from Deep Root, is a modular subsurface system for containing unlimited amounts of soil underneath hardscapes while supporting aboveground traffic loads, the company reports. This system enables two critical ecological functions to take place: growing large, healthy trees and maintaining rainwater on site. The Silva Cell makes simultaneous on-site bioinfiltration and healthy tree growth possible. Once installed, this underground biotechnology sustains itself — the soil absorbs water from daily rainfall events, cleaning it, cooling it, and slowing it down. www.deeproot.com.
Reader Service No. 176 Deep Root Partners, L.P.
3. Porous Pavement System
Golden, Colo. — Gravelpave2, from Invisible Structures, is a porous (permeable) pavement system. According to the company, rainwater is allowed to percolate through the system and back into the groundwater supply. Hydrocarbon drips, metals, nitrogen and many other pollutants are naturally removed with the Gravelpave2 system. It is manufactured from 100 percent recycled plastic and has a 100 percent recycled/remnant geotextile fabric backing. The third-party anchoring system is also manufactured from 100 percent recycled steel. About 56,000 square feet of Gravelpave2 was installed at the Pentagon Memorial. www.invisiblestructures.com.
Reader Service No. 177 Invisible Structures, Inc.
4. Rapidly Renewable Acoustical Ceiling Panels
Lancaster, Pa. — Tierra, from Armstrong Ceilings, features an exclusive BioAcoustic substrate made from jute, a natural fiber that grows from seed to harvest in 90 days. According to the company, as a result of its unique substrate, Tierra has the highest rapidly renewable content in the industry at 45 percent. It is also recyclable at the end of its service life through the Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program and has a high post-consumer recycled content of 23 percent. In addition, Tierra has attained Cradle to Cradle Silver certification from MBDC. Tierra contains no added formaldehyde, has a Class A fire rating and is humidity resistant. www.armstrong.com/tierra.
Reader Service No. 178 Armstrong Ceilings
5. Alternative to Mulch
West Fargo, N.D. — Tumbled Landscape Glass, from Glass Advantage, Inc., is 100 percent post-consumer recycled glass and tumbled for smooth edges, the company reports. Designed as an alternative to mulch and for other distinctive landscape applications, Tumbled Landscape Glass comes in a variety of colors, is durable, recyclable, chemical-free, and slug- and bug-resistant. Fifty pounds covers 6 square feet at a 1-inch depth. www.glassadvantageinc.com.
Reader Service No. 179 Glass Advantage, Inc.
6. Water-Source Heat Pump with Energy Recovery
Aylmer, Ontario, Canada — The Senior Series, from Change’Air Products & Service LTD, is a line of customizable air-handling units specifically designed for school classroom ventilation and heating and cooling needs. The Senior Series offers a water-source heat pump design compatible with either water-loop (traditional boiler/cooling tower) or geothermal applications. With a new energy-recovery option, 70 to 80 percent effectiveness is realized resulting in as much as 30,000 BTU/hour of recovered energy, the company reports. An economizer damper, with full bypass of the recovery wheel, is standard with the energy-recovery option. www.changeair.com.
Reader Service No. 180 Change’Air Products & Service LTD
7. Solid Surface Material Composed of Recycled Content
Menomonee Falls, Wis. — Bradley Corp.’s Terreon RE solid surface material is composed of an eco-friendly bio-based resin, pre-consumer recycled granule fillers and other natural materials. It is constructed with 25-percent pre-consumer recycled content and 8-percent rapidly renewable material. It resists stains, burns, chemicals and impact. Surface marks and scratches can be repaired with everyday cleaners or fine-grit abrasives. Since there are no seams or adhesives, TerreonRE does not support microbial growth. Certified to comply with ANSI Z124.3, Z124.6 and ANSI/ICPA SS-1-2001, Terreon RE is available in eight new colors. www.bradleycorp.com.
Reader Service No. 181 Bradley Corporation
8. Award-Winning Flapperless Toilet
Cedar Knolls, N.J. — Niagara Conservation’s WaterSense-certified Flapperless toilet has won a 2008 Merchandising Innovation Award from Home Depot. The toilet, which saves up to $100 or 12,000 gallons of water annually, the company reports, uses unique tip-bucket technology and is currently available at Home Depot under the Pegasus & Glacier Bay private label brands. The Merchandising Innovation Award highlights innovative, groundbreaking products available at Home Depot that provide true benefits to consumers. www.niagaraconservation.com.
Reader Service No. 182 Niagara Conservation
9. Sustainable Designer Wallcoverings
New York — Joseph Abboud for Versa is a 14-pattern collection of Type II, 20-ounce vinyl wallcovering measuring 52-inches and 54-inches wide. The low-VOC collection uses water-based inks and adhesives and incorporates a mildew-inhibiting agent that helps prevent fungal and other microbiological growth. Designs include 20 percent recycled content via Second-Look technology, but have the same durability, aesthetic quality and price point of Versa’s nonrecycled wallcoverings.
Reader Service No. 183 LSI Wallcoverings
10. Sustainable Glasswool Insulation
Shelbyville, Ind. — The distinctive brown color of EcoBatt Glasswool Insulation products from Knauff Insulation comes from the ECOSE Technology binding agent. ECOSE Technology converts natural organic materials into an inert polymer through a proprietary process to create an exceptionally strong binder that bonds the insulation fibers together, according to the company. The insulation combines at least 30 percent post-consumer recycled glass and sand. ECOSE Technology is up to 70 percent less energy intensive than traditional binders, and it reduces the carbon footprint of its products by eliminating the petroleum-based chemicals traditionally used to make insulation binders. www.knaufinsulation.us.
Reader Service No. 184 Knauf Insulation GmbH
11. Cooling Technology Conserves Water
Bensenville, Ill. — Earthwise Environmental, Inc.’s eSolution is a patent-pending program that eliminates chemical treatments and reduces cooling tower discharge by as much as 75 percent compared to most cooling tower programs, the company reports. eSolution eliminates drum disposal, chemical treatments and safety issues associated with chemical programs by using anode-cathode reactions under a supplied current to remove and control mineral scale. Minor piping installation and a small operating footprint allow eSolution to be installed from a skid-mount platform and easily moved from system to system. www.earthwiseenvironmental.com.
Reader Service No. 185 Earthwise Environmental, Inc.
12. Recessed LED Lighting
Peachtree City, Ga. — The HALO LED luminaire from Cooper Lighting is designed to provide light output and distribution comparable to a 65-watt BR30 incandescent lamp or an 18-watt compact fluorescent lamp, according to the company. The Halo luminaire can be dimmed to 15 percent (nominal) with most standard AC incandescent analog dimmers. Die-cast aluminum construction conducts heat away from the LED, keeping the junction temperatures below specified maximums even when installed in insulated ceiling environments. The LED module is controlled with a high-efficiency driver with a power factor of >.90 at an input power of 120V, 60 Hz. Exceeds high efficacy requirements for California Title 24 2005 standard. www.cooperlighting.com.
Reader Service No. 186 Cooper Lighting
13. Insulated Standing Seam Roof
Deland, Fla. — Containing recycled content and able to be recycled at the end of its life cycle, MeTecno USA’s 1000 Series functions as an insulated, mechanically seamed system designed for low-slope roofing applications. The product combines the performance advantages of a standing seam roof with the insulation advantages of a sandwich panel, the company reports. The 42-inch width of the panels allows for fast installation, and a 24-inch width is also in the works. www.metecnousa.com.
Reader Service No. 187 MeTechno USA
14. Low Maintenance, Low Water Usage Grass
Abernathy, Texas — Turffalo is a turfgrass designed to require half the water and maintenance of other turfgrasses, the company reports. It also has a slow vertical growth that requires about half the mowing of most other turfgrasses to maintain a longer-lasting manicured look while reportedly using half the water of Bermuda grass and one quarter the water of fescue grass. Turffalo brand turfgrass has been specified on a number of commercial applications by landscape architects and civil contractors. www.turffalo.com.
Reader Service No. 188 Turffalo
15. FSC-Certified Wood Ceilings
Boston — Designed to meet both a project’s aesthetic and sustainable needs, WoodWorks panels from Armstrong Commercial Ceilings have 92 percent pre-consumer recycled content, and are California Air Resources Board Phase l compliant, the company reports. WoodWorks ceilings are FSC certified, contain no-added ureaformaldehyde, and have a Class A fire rating. They are offered in variety of veneers, including maple, light cherry, dark cherry and bamboo. WoodWorks ceilings are designed for use in applications ranging from retail, hospitality, healthcare, higher education and office environments to lobbies, entryways and conference rooms. www.armstrong.com/woodworks.
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