Page 19 - Green Builder July-August 2018 Issue

Hard

Choices

This year’s Eco-Leaders face a growing

list of environmental challenges.

BY ALAN NADITZ AND GREEN BUILDER STAFF
HAT’S THE NO. WAY TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY? For
this year’s Eco-Leaders, the answer is to focus on the task at hand,
and do a better job--in terms of product design, transportation and
manufacturing. For consumers, the bene‡ts are many: Lower water
W bills. More-eŠcient heating. A lighter electric load. Cleaner indoor
air. Less land‡ll trash. All come with a big “thank you” to the folks who set them on
a greener path.
Some of the environmental trendsetters are veterans to our annual list, o’ering new
examples of how they’re leading the charge against climate change and other eco-hazards.
Others are newbies making the roster with their innovative green e’orts.
There are the two surfers who turned a part-time job into a world-renowned bamboo
furniture company. The porcelain tile manufacturer with a knack for reusing its product.
A chemical-free wood •ooring maker. And more.
This year’s list also features a number of companies that are making continued
progress in their e’orts to take charge of how they handle the environment, or that are
fringe businesses that you may or may not realize have ties to green building.
And then there are the change makers, corporate trailblazers who have personal
reasons for leading the ever-growing green vanguard.
All these stories make for quite a full house. In an industry that relies upon how
sustainably homes are built, that’s a very good thing.

July/August 2018 GREEN BUILDER 17

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