Third Edition of Green Building Products Directory Released

BuildingGreen, the publisher of Environmental Building News, and copublisher New Society Publishers, have released the third edition of Green Building Products, a product directory for home builders, remodelers, and homeowners. The new edition includes nearly 1,600 product listings from the GreenSpec® database of green building products, which BuildingGreen has maintained since 1998.

The third edition contains nearly 230 new listings, and many listings from the previous edition have been removed due to higher minimum environmental standards adopted by the editors. “Each year we raise the bar with some of our product criteria to encourage change in the marketplace,” said coeditor Alex Wilson. “As a result, some products get dropped, and better ones are introduced.”

Green Building Products, which includes a foreword by architect and author Sarah Susanka, covers everything from porous paving systems to photovoltaic roofing shingles and top-efficiency appliances. Products are organized according to building component, but can also be found in the index under manufacturer or product name. The book includes more than 250 product photos.

Products are selected for GreenSpec using criteria that Environmental Building News editors have developed over more than 15 years. These criteria include recycled content, FSC-certified wood, avoidance of toxic constituents, reduction of construction impacts, energy or water savings, and contributing to a safe, healthy indoor environment. The full list of criteria can be downloaded for free from the BuildingGreen website.

Manufacturers do not pay to have products included in GreenSpec or in Green Building Products. “We base selections on careful in-house review by our editorial staff,” said Wilson. “Keeping an arm’s-length relationship from manufacturers allows us to be non-biased when we are evaluating company claims,” he said.

Green Building Products sells for $37.95 (plus shipping) and is available from BuildingGreen, LLC. (www.BuildingGreen.com or 800-861-0954) and most book sellers.

BuildingGreen has been providing the building industry with quality information on sustainable design and construction since its founding in 1985. The company’s flagship publication, Environmental Building News, is the nation’s oldest and most trusted source of information on green building practices, and their online BuildingGreen Suite is one of the most relied on Web resources in the building industry. For information, visit www.BuildingGreen.com or call 802-257-7300.

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