H1N1

Worried about the H1N1 virus? Me too!

We have a product called PureGreen24. It is a disinfectant - the first EPA registered green disenfectant.

AND IT KILLS THE H1N1 VIRUS!!!

Not only that, but it also has a 10-minute kill against Rhinovirus, Norovirus and Human Influenza A.

It kills resistant strains of bacteria, including MRSA, VRE and E-coli in just 2 minutes!

In addition to all this, PureGreen24 provides a 30 second kill AND 24 hour residual protection against Staphylococcus aureas, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella choleraesuis.

PureGreen24 is also EPA registers for use on children's toys, cribs and high chairs. It can safely be used on any other sensitive areas of the home or office and is used in hospitals, schools, gyms and spas, day care centers, sports equipment and other public facilities.

PureGreen24 is odorless, colorless, non-corrosive, non-flammable and is compatible with other disinfecting and cleaning chemicals.

With H1N1 running rampant throughout our country, how could you not stop in our store or call us up immediately and order your bottle of PureGreen24 right now? This product is not on our website, so again, call us today! We can take your order over the phone and ship your PureGreen24 TODAY!

(231) 668-6361 - Eco-Building Products is doing all we can to help keep you safe from H1N1!

Do You Twitter?

Everywhere you go, you hear TwitPics, Tweeting, Re-Tweeting . . . What?

I didn't think I'd ever get wrapped up in this new "fad", but funny thing is, I don't think it's a fad anymore! And yes, I'm in it, up to my eyeballs - and I'm loving it!

Know what your Followers are up to every minute of every day! Something cool just crossed your desk? Tweet about it so everybody else knows how cool it is!

http://twitter.com/EcoBuildingProd

If you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, go check us out at the link above, sign up and get Tweeting, you Twits!!

Marmoleum

Forbo Marmoleum inspires creativity and colorful design . . .

Beautiful colors and textures found in nature have inspired Forbo to develop a variety of color choices that inspire a fresh design for your home. Unique appearances are achieved through the combination of multiple colors to create a single color way. Shades that appear soft and muted are achieved by mixing three or four complimentary colors, while bolder contrasting shades combine seven or eight contrasting colors to a achieve a deeper and more heavily marbled visual. From soft and muted to bold and vibrant and anywhere in between, Marmoleum has a shade for you!

Forbo Marmoleum inspires with quality . . .

Marmoleum is a high quality product and the ideal flooring for any room in your house, from the hallway, kitchen and children’s rooms, where traffic is likely to be heaviest, to the living room, study or bedroom. And because of the natural ingredients found in Marmoleum, the product continues to harden and become more durable over time.

Because Marmoleum is a natural product like wood, it makes your house snug and warm and is always comfortable under foot. It reaches room temperature quickly and can even be used with radiant floor heating. Marmoleum is a stylish investment that will create a better environment in our home.

Installation . . .

Forbo trains professional flooring contractors to install their system. In many cases, it is highly recommended that you hire a Forbo certified contractor to install tile and sheet goods, in particular. Installing according to manufacturer’s procedure is required to ensure warranty.

Indoor air quality . . .

The Marmoleum Click tile’s inherent anti-static properties repel dust and dirt making it easier to clean, reduce exposure to allergens and contribute to improved indoor air quality. It is the first flooring product to be certified asthma & allergy friendly™ by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America! Marmoleum Click Tiles are made from only natural ingredients and offer the most comprehensive choice in color and design variety in its category.

Marmoleum Click Tiles Designed for Easy Installation . . .

Marmoleum Click Tiles were designed to make installation easy for homeowners and do-it-yourselfers. Required tools are limited to just a hammer, a straight back hand saw, tape measure, pencil, tapping block, angle or adjustable bevel and jigsaw and are installed without any need for glue.

Because the material expands and contract in temperature changes, you must leave 3/8” gap along the edge of the floor. After installation of the last panel, base or quarter round molding is installed to cover the expansion joints all around the room. The floor can be walked on immediately after installation.

Maintenance and Cleaning . . .

Your Marmoleum floor is designed to last for many years. It carries a 25 year limited warranty if properly installed in residential settings. With a little care and attention it will stay looking good through out its life.

Your floor takes more punishment than almost any other furnishing in your home and Forbo has designed a finish and a cleaner especially for your Marmoleum floor. These will make cleaning easier and enhance the richness of the colors

Sweeping/dust mopping or vacuuming is likely to be the most frequent procedure. If the floor is muddy it can be cleaned with a damp mop, making sure the dirt is rinsed out of the mop and not spread back on the floor. If the soiling is tenacious, use Marmoleum Floor Cleaner as previously instructed in restorative care. After several such applications, you may wish to apply one or more additional thin coats of Marmoleum Floor Finish to restore the gloss level. Do not over apply finish over areas which are not walked on (such as wall base) as this just causes unnecessary build-up of polish. The need to apply finish may vary dramatically from perhaps every couple of months to annually, depending on the degree of usage or other circumstances.

Renewable Energy Systems

SOLAR THERMAL HOT WATER

WIND TURBINE POWER

PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) POWER

A solar thermal hot water system is extremely efficient and can reduce your hot water heating bills by up to 85% or more! Also, an evacuated tube solar collector is ideal for our northern climates, where we see more cloudy weather for a longer period during the year. Converting the sun’s energy to heat is the easiest transfer of power, which is why using this system to heat the water you use throughout your home or business is smart and it pays for itself in record time!

Michigan is ideally situated for stronger winds, being surrounded by the Great Lakes and higher elevated land, making wind an accessible and easily captured power source. Many of the wind turbines are designed for the wind speeds we get here in Michigan, producing 300-400 Kwh per month on the smaller side and upwards of 1,000 or more Kwh per month on a larger scale. Zoning and ordinances are the key - so be sure to check with your county and township to ensure you can put up the wind tower you desire.

Photovoltaic (PV) or better known as solar panels, collect the sun’s energy and converts it to electricity. While you may think that solar power is not very usable in northern Michigan, that is not the case. Especially when paired with a solar tracking system, solar power can provide a substantial amount of Kwh to your home. Even better, newer inverters make it possible to build your solar system one panel at a time, instead of having to pay the cost all at once for a multi-panel system.

The federal government has also initiated a 30% federal income tax credit for renewable energy systems. You can lessen your carbon footprint, lower your monthly utility bills and get 30% of the cost of your system back in your pocket!

Fall is in the air!

Brrr! Did you feel the wind blow this weekend? We sure did here in Northern Michigan! Makes you want to grab your blanket and curl up on the couch, doesn't it? We've already started to light those furnaces, shut the windows, lock it all up tight! The goal is to trap all that cold air outside, right? What about what you've trapped inside?

The Toxic Air We Breath - Just How Dangerous is our Indoor Air?

Since the end of World War II conventional building practices and product selections have proven to be unsafe for both the builder and the occupant of the building. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies have shown that Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is 2-5 times worse than the outdoor air quality in a newly constructed home. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) cause acute and chronic illnesses. Acute problems like eye, nose, throat irritations, and headaches are caused by these compounds. VOCs can also cause birth defects, chronic illnesses such as kidney and liver failure, central nervous system damage, and even cancer. In recent years we have come to recognize that many conventional building materials have high VOC content. Installation of conventional building materials cause off gassing of potent VOCs. Even after these products have been installed they may continue to off gas toxins into living and working spaces in less noticeable doses. These less noticeable doses have become a significant contributor to “Sick Building Syndrome” according to the EPA.

Eco-Building Products Solution - An Easy Way to a Healthier Building Process

IAQ can be improved through Moisture Control, Pest Management, HVAC Systems, Combustion Ventilation Systems, Radon Control and the appropriate Building Material Selection. Simply specifying high quality non-toxic building materials will have a signifi cant and long-lasting impact on the quality of your client’s indoor air. Eco-Building Products represents high performance building materials that earn credits for green building standards, are long-lasting, cost effective and safe to install for the applicator and the occupant. Now you have a number of environmentally friendly building products that can be specified to improve indoor air quality.

While you might think that this is going to be expensive - hold on, it's not! Less than 1% of your total home cost is the amount out of pocket - but what it saves? Your health!!!

Next Week:

Marmoleum: The most natural flooring on earth!

Grand Opening Celebration

October 5, 2009

Our Grand Opening that was held on the Autumn Equinox, September 22, was a huge success! The outpouring of support was fantastic! We are very lucky and blessed to have the opportunity to serve the Grand Traverse and surrounding region with our environmentally-friendly products and services.

The Traverse City Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors were on-hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony. As Jim Barnes, one of the owners, did a practice “cut”, we were right on track, but when it came to the actual 1-2-3-cut, he was so excited, he only made it to 1 before he snipped the ribbon!

We were able to entertain our guests with some great food and local beverages too! The food, courtesy of Crystal Lake Catering, was fabulous! Many thanks go out as well to North Peak, Left Foot Charley and Right Brain Brewery for supplying us with delicious beverages for the evening.

Talent is everywhere! Local artist and WTCM AM/FM Marketing Consultant, Greg Nachazel, did an incredible natural earth plaster demo on our back wall which we’ve named our American Clay “Play Station”. Gred did an amazing job with a metal stencil of his own creation, along with some really unique textured samples. The response was fantastic! Everyone loved Greg’s work and it showed interesting techniques that can be used when applying Amercian Clay!

Another added surpise for the evening was a special appearance by Derek Bailey, Chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Derek made it a priority to come out and show his support for Eco-Building Products, which was so appreciated. Kchi Megwetch!

Our appreciation goes out to Bill Policastro and the Michigan Green Consortium, a local organization whose mission is to create economic awareness and support for green enterprise in Michigan and to help it thrive. They held their monthly meeting during our Grand Opening, not only to show their support (and to enjoy the food and beverages!), but to introduce their members and guests to our store and staff! Please go check them out at www.mgconline.org.

Also, the evening couldn’t have happened without the hard work and dedication of Eco-Building Products’ newest staff members! Marketing Director, Melissa Hromada and Retail Sales Manager, Scott Bouma worked many long days (and nights!) in preparation for our event. Their organizational skills and awesome ideas played a large part in the fashion in which this event happened.

Many of the awesome product displays throughout the new showroom were designed and constructed by Eco-Building Products’ second owner, Larry Kinney. Larry has been a tremendous source of product use information as well as our go-to guy when it comes to media interviews and hands-on experience. Thank you Larry!

Working together, that’s what it’s all about. We encourage you to stop by our beautiful downtown Traverse City showroom to see what steps you can take to make your own personal environment around you cleaner, safer, greener.

New Store!!

New Store in Traverse City Eco-Building Products is pleased to announce the opening of our new retail store located at 130 Hall Street in the Warehouse District of Traverse City, Michigan. Since March of 2006, we had operated from a pole barn on the west side of Traverse City.

Now, we have made an ambitious move from the back woods to a downtown retail location and have hired two highly skilled employees to help with operations.The goal of our new store is to assist members of the Grand Traverse community to more easily adjust to a new and different lifestyle. The blend of eco-building products and systems will help the community to build and remodel more efficiently as well as live a more rewarding and lower impact lifestyle.Our high performing products are energy generating, energy efficient, natural resource sensible, durable, cost-effective and healthy for the environment and you.

Eco-Building Products has worked closely with a LEED accredited builder who installs most of the products and systems that we represent. Utilizing this builder's years of experience and success with using our products, we have had an opportunity to learn how effective our products really are. This process, coupled with applying high screening standards (Life Cycle Assessment commonly known as LCA) and superior buying principles, enables us to carefully screen these products and offer them to you with full confidence in their performance as well as their environmental benefits.Below is a list of some products that we carry:

-Natural earth clay plasters

-No VOC paints and stains

-No VOC adhesives and sealers

-Low VOC penetrating oils and natural clear finishes

-Sustainable, high grade, harvested bamboo and cork flooring

-Natural linoleum flooring (5 simple and natural ingredients)

-Structural insulated panels made from formaldehyde free OSB and straw

-Wind turbines and solar collectors generating electrical and thermal energy

-Insulated concrete wall forms made from recycled wood chips

-Natural daylighting systems (tubular skylights)

-and more (take a look in our store)

Please forward this message on to others that might have an interest in our effort. This way, you can help us to continue to inform and supply the Grand Traverse community.

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