Getting the "Right Stuff": A Guide to Green Building Materials Retailers

Long-time green architects Rob Harrison of Harrison Architects and George Ostrow of Velocipede Architects feel pretty lucky when it comes to specifying and obtaining green building materials. “We are in a unique position here in Seattle.

We have the Environmental Home Center—almost an ‘Eco-Home Depot’—where our clients can see and actually touch a really wide range of materials,” says Harrison. “Add to that EdenSaw for certified lumber, Duluth Timber for salvaged, and the EcoBuilding Guild as an information network on green building materials—it would be a really tough go without all these great resources,” says Ostrow.

Jonathan Morse and Steve Mindel of Mindel and Morse Builders in Brattleboro, Vermont have been EBN subscribers and green builders from the very beginning of it all. Morse and Mindel relate quite a different experience. “We have a devil of a time getting just about all of our materials, from certified lumber to efficient lighting; so much difficulty that we have seriously considered going into the [retailing] business ourselves!”

Every green builder or architect faces the same issues: how do I find—and get to the job site—the green building materials I need for my projects?

There are probably as many answers to this question as there are types of green building materials retailers. This article takes a look at building materials retailers that specialize in green products. Detailed profiles of a number of these retailers reveal some interesting trends and developments for green architects, specifiers, and builders to consider as they select and purchase green building products.