On November 5, sustainable design resource BuildingGreen announced the 2017 winners of its Top 10 Green.
Earth First!
Aqueous Hybrid Ion “Saltwater” Battery
Aquion Energy
Pittsburgh
Aquion’s battery for grid-tied photovoltaic systems stores power by utilizing sodium-sulfate electrolytes rather than corrosive sulfuric acid or flammable lithium salts. These nonhazardous alternatives, including the attendant lithium manganese-oxide anode, are inexpensive, abundant, and safe to use. The battery contains no PVC and meets Cradle to Cradle standard.
Acetylated Wood
Accoya
Dallas
A nontoxic alternative to chemically preserved wood, these FSC-certified radiata pine products are treated with acetic anhydride. The colorless acid changes the chemistry of the wood’s cell walls, making the material impervious to moisture and rot; it also keeps the wood from shrinking, swelling, or absorbing water. These properties make it an ideal choice for exterior applications, including windows, doors, decking, cladding, and engineered products.
Hyperpure Water Piping
Legend
San Antonio
This flexible potable water pipe provides an inexpensive, simple-to-install, and environmentally friendly alternative to copper, chlorinated PVC, and cross-linked polyethylene options. The bimodal polyethylene product is easily recycled and does not leave the water with a chemical taste.
Securock Exoair 430
USG and Tremco
Chicago / Beachwood, Ohio
Unlike most weather-resistive barriers, Securock ExoAir 430 is easy to install: Simply hanging it completes 80 percent of the process. The fiberglass-faced sheathing comes with a factory-applied Tremco fluid barrier, which reduces time and trades needed on the site. It also ensures a more uniform application of the membrane and increased protection against air and moisture penetration.
Phoenix Composting Toilet
Advanced Composting Systems
Whitefish, Montan
Because the toilet composts waste on-site, it eliminates the need for a septic tank or municipal sewer system. The unit uses a biochamber whose 4-watt fan creates negative pressure for ventilation. Daily upkeep is minimal—you mostly add wood shavings and mix the compost—and after 18 months, the resulting product can be used as a non–food crop fertilizer.
Power Hub Driver
Nextek
Detroit
Most office equipment, including LED lighting and computers, runs on DC-grid power. However, for those devices that don’t, there’s Nextek’s Power Hub Driver (PhD), which converts AC into 380-volt DC, and then to a safe-to-handle 24-volt current. By doing so en masse instead of one machine at a time, PhD saves material costs, reduces e-waste, and increases a device’s reliability.
Designtex Textiles
Designtex
New York
The global textile industry has one of the worst environmental records of any manufacturing sector; its complex supply chain also makes finding more equitable options difficult. Designtex counters this with its catalog of over 8,000 materials, which allows specifiers to search by fabric, pattern, color, and environmental certification while filtering for a number of sustainability and performance metrics.
Commercial Electric Lawnmowers
Mean Green Products
Hamilton, Ohio
Mean Green lawnmowers require no fuel, produce zero emissions, and need minimal maintenance. They utilize lithium energy module (LEM) battery technology and last two to seven hours per charge. Mean Green offers 48-inch stand-on models and 52 and 60-inch ZTR riding options; all help meet LEED goals for building operations and maintenance.
D-rain Water Filter Drain
Biomicrobics
Shawnee, Kansas
Used in place of pavers, the D-Rain offers a cost-effective solution to stormwater runoff. It resembles a standard concrete-slab expansion joint but offers a roughly 1-inch gap that allows water to drain just below the surface at a rate of up to 5 gallons a minute per linear foot. D-Rain comes in 8-foot lengths that can be installed in concrete and asphalt sidewalks and driveways.
HVAC Load Reduction (HLR) Ventilation
EnVerid
Boston
EnVerid’s HLR ventilation system cleans indoor air by running it through a recyclable sorbent cartridge that removes contaminants such as VOCs and formaldehyde. The system also brings in enough outdoor air to maintain positive pressure, with sensors providing real-time feedback to maximize air quality and energy savings based on a building’s needs. The modular product can be installed on a wide variety of HVAC systems, with each unit managing approximately 20,000 square feet.
