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.

Visit our Online Store

Cherry Republic Partners with Eco-Building Products

By Forest Mullins

Going Green in Leelanau County

“We are not just selling cherries anymore; we are trying to make a better world,” says Cherry Republic President Bob Sutherland, who has taken a cue from one of the country’s prominent environmental philanthropists and made an effort to “green up” his popular Glen Arbor business that sells all things cherry — from ice cream, to salsa, to clothing. True to form, Cherry Republic installed dual-flush toilets and a solar-thermal system this past May.

Sutherland is not alone as the green building movement gains traction in Michigan and beyond. And that’s a breath of fresh air. As recently as 2006, buildings accounted for 40 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States and 38 percent of our carbon dioxide emissions.

In our state, environmental improvements could serve two purposes. Michigan boasts the highest unemployment rate in the nation, and green jobs and technology could prove to be a savior. Grand Rapids, for instance, boasts 26 buildings that are LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) — making it per capita the top city in the country.

Leelanua's Green Businessman
Of course, you have heard of Bob Sutherland, the local boy who began by selling T-shirts out of the back of his car. Since those meager days, his business has grown to become the leading distributor of specialty cherry products worldwide. Meanwhile, Sutherland’s environmentally-conscious business practices have distinguished Cherry Republic among local businesses as a green pioneer. The company donates one percent of its sales to environmental nonprofits — an amount that has already topped half a million dollars. Sutherland cites Patagonia outdoor clothing company founder Yvonne Chouinard as the impetus for his environmental mission.

Chouinard “was a huge inspiration to me,” says Sutherland. The two met 11 years ago when Chouinard came to Traverse City to speak on behalf of the Michigan Land Use Institute, an environmental and land use advocacy organization. Sutherland took to heart Chouinard’s pleas to do more for the planet.

The three-year goal at Cherry Republic now is to reduce energy consumption by 40 percent by creating renewable energy and adopting energy conservation. “We’ve already gotten to 20 percent in our first year,” Sutherland adds with a smile.

The “green team” at Cherry Republic — staff members who focus on cutting energy consumption and educating fellow employees on ways to conserve energy at work and home — has teamed up with Eco-Building Products of Travers City to implement environmental improvements at the store in Glen Arbor. “We started with the basics, changing light bulbs, increasing the insulation, and installing thermostats,” Sutherland adds. The next step was to purchase construction materials from Eco-Building Products such as paints, clear finished, and adhesive that off gas very few, if any, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that pollute indoor air. He installed three Caroma dual-flush toilets in employee and guest restrooms in the Glen Arbor location that will save 24,000 to 36,000 gallons of water this year. The most expensive investment was to install a commercial Solar-Thermal System on the roof of Cherry Republic's Cafe.

The Green Building Alliance
Cherry Republic and Eco-Building Products (EBP) are paving the way for other local businesses by spreading the word about green-building techniques. “We are very proud of our association, because we are helping them make a living so they can make more companies in our area greener too,” summarizes Sutherland.

“We were so inspired by Cherry Republic's commitment to have a positive impact on the environment, we thought that we needed to recognize the company for its efforts. “Barnes explains. “So we developed our own Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Program (EP3 for short) similar to President Bill Clinton's 1998 Executive Order, entitled Greening the Government through Waste Prevention, Recycling and Federal Acquisition.”

The Traverse City Firm’s Environmentally Preferred Partnership (EP3) is based upon a mutual commitment to have immediate positive impact on Mother Nature. (Go to Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program for information.) All of EBP’s products and systems eliminate or reduce negative environmental impact as soon as they are installed. In exchange for purchasing and installing its eco-building products and systems, Eco-Building Products provides it's partners with valuable empirical data (often in the spreadsheet form) that measures environmental impact and financial Return on Investment (ROI).

This valuable data ensures that its partners are well-informed, calculated, well-balanced and sustainable. EBP provides its EP3 partners with volume discounts and “broad scope” discounts that encourage its partners to take action on several environmental fronts as long as it is economically sustainable. Cherry Republic has purchased products that promote good indoor-air quality, save water, off-set carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) by reducing Kilowatt-hours usage, and generating clean energy.

Water Efficiency and Free Hot Water
Glen Arbor does not have public restrooms, and will not have them until next spring. In the meantime, Cherry Republic has gone though four sets of toilets in six years and experienced the stress of high water usage on its septic field. If used correctly a Caroma dual-flush toilet has the ability to save 14,000 gallons of water each year in a commercial setting,” explains Jim Barnes.

Meanwhile, Eco-Building Products’ solar-thermal system heats water that can be used for washing Cherry Republic's cafe dishes, guests and employee hands. This represents over 200 gallons of water each day during the high-volume summer season. Unlike solar (photovoltaic) panels, which turn solar energy directly into electricity, solar-thermal systems harness the sun’s energy for thermal energy or heat.

Several concave vacuum-sealed glass tubes are visible on the roof of café. No matter where the sun is in the sky, these tubes direct light to copper pipes in the middle of the tube. “When the liquid heats up inside the copper pipe it turns to a gas and transfers its heat to a medium (either water or a water/glycol mix) in a closed-loop system that will then transfer the heat into a water storage tank in the utility room,” Barnes explains.

“It’s the most efficient, best payback, cleanest, and longest-lasting form of renewable energy. Everyone in Northern Michigan should have one,” encourages Sutherland. “A single-family home with a two-panel system will typically cost $8,000-$10,000 installed,” estimates Barnes.

Federal Tax Credit Inspires Solar Energy and Green Building
Besides earning a 30 percent tax credit on average, solar water heating can reduce carbon emissions by one ton per year if replacing natural gas, and three tons per year if replacing electric hot water heating. Cherry Republic has also begun buying wind power energy credits from a wind farm in McBain, Michigan, called Heritage Sustainable Energy.

“Our whole green initiative here has invigorated me as a business owner,” says Sutherland. “Creating a green team has inspired employees. They are more loyal and proud of what we are doing here.”

As founder of the Sierra Club Foundation David Brower put it, “There is no business to be done on a dead planet."

Originally Published by the Glen Arbor Sun
http://www.glenarborsun.com/

On the WEB:
The Cherry Republic all things Cherry!
Green Building Products at Eco-Building Products

You Tube Videos Added

We have added installation videos and more to our YouTube Channel (GreenBuildingProduct). We will continue to add videos and collect resources for all your Green Building Product installations.

Please visit our YouTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/GreenBuildingProduct

Sample Video:


Remember, all of our Green Building Products are available at Eco-BuildingProducts.com

Compact Flourescent Lights : Pocketbook Savings

CFL Energy-Saving Installation
Save thousands with Eco-Building Products energy-saving expertise. Replace 100 bulbs today and save $5,000 over nine years. (And 33 tons of CO2!)

How CFL lights Save Money and Energy
A common incandescent bulb has a life span of 1,000 hours. A CFL light bulb will last 10,000 hours (approximately nine years). A 60 watt incandescent bulb at 10,000 hours will use 600KwHs. A comparable 14 watt (same lumens and color temperature) will generate 140Kwh. At $.12 a KwH the difference is about $55 a bulb over nine years. This does not include costs associated with replacing the 10 incandescent bulbs. (100 compact fluorescent bulbs replaces 1000 incandescent bulbs!) The low cost of CFL lights (here, here, and here) will actually be less than or equal to the cost of 10 incandescent bulbs. As well, the time spent changing 1,000 bulbs vs 100 CFL bulbs will save you time and money.

Eco-Building Products CFL Energy-Saving Plan
Improve your bottom line. Save money. Save the environment. Replacing 100 incandescent bulbs with 100 spiral compact fluorescent lights will save you over $5,000 and reduce your CO2 footprint by over 33 tons over nine years. See our compact fluorescent installation service plan.

Wide Array of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
CFL bulbs come in all shapes and sizes and will fit nearly any application. From CFL Spirals to Compact Fluorescent Globes, Reflectors to A-Lamps you can start saving money today and within one year have a net energy and monetary savings. From two watts to 68 watts, these little marvels range from SpringLamps® to floodlights, decorative globes to circline lamps. And they fit any incandescent application. Indoors and outdoors – in chandeliers, ceiling fixtures, floor lamps, recessed cans, wall sconces, vanity strips, and more. Where will you use our CFLs? Anywhere!

Reduce Mercury Emissions with Compact Fluorescent Lights
Coal-fired power plants are a large percentage of our energy policy. Coal is rather dirty and the energy-hogging incandescent lights found in most homes are large contributor to energy consumption. By reducing this consumption, there is a net reduction in Mercury Emissions when using Compact Fluorescent lighting, even though they contain small amounts of mercury. Energy Star Fact-Sheet on Mercury and its Clean-Up.

CFL's that Fit Everywhere
Where will you use our CFLs? Our CFLs fit everywhere a standard incandescent light will fit. Up to 23W lights are rated for enclosed fixtures. Small and compact, our lights can go where other CFLs cannot.

Special Note on CFL Colors
The color of light is measured by its color temperature in degrees kelvin. An incandescent bulb is typically about 2700 kelvin. Daylight typically ranges from 5000k to 6500k. The higher the temperature kelvin, the "cooler" or "bluer" the light. Thus, the most flattering light for human skin tone is in the 2700K - 3500K range.

Color Temperature Usage Chart
2700K = "Soft Light."
Soft light is the most flattering light for human skin and is the most popular light. Incandescent bulbs are typically in the 2700k range. Best for use in bedrooms, living spaces, and anywhere a soft, warm light is useful.
3100K = "Cool White"
Cool white is bluer in color and is optimal for lighting halls, offices, hospitals, and areas where productivity is more important than flattering light.
5000K = "Day Light"
Day Light colors are especially useful for detailed oriented tasks such as reading and drawing.

Color Rendering Index (CRI)
The CRI rating is a percentage rating given to a light source to measure its ability to depict colors accurately compared to a natural light source. In a nutshell, the higher the CRI the better the rendition of colors. CFLs typically fall in the 80-85% range. Incandescent are often in the 97-100% range.

See a full range of Compact Fluorescent Lights at Eco-Building Products Green Building Store.