Concrete Staining and Engraving www.2dyefloor.com
- John Iverson, 266 Bridge Street, Shoreview, MN 55126, 651-246-5510
Cabinetry www.valcucinena.com
- [insert names of visitors] - please review reprint of article featuring Valcucine’s dedication to green design
Local Hand-made Tile Artists www.claysquared.com
- 34 - 13 th Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413 - 612-781-6409 - Clay Squared to Infinity is a fully functional ceramic studio, a handmade tile and polymer clay showroom, and a gallery dedicated to advancing the public's knowledge of the ceramic arts. It is all located under the roof of the Keg House Arts Building in Historic Northeast Minneapolis'
Arts District. The majority of the handmade tile sold through Clay Squared's showroom is made on site by the talented artist-staff at Clay Squared to Infinity. They spend every day of the week custom creating, glazing and firing tile and are on hand to assist you with envisioning your idea through to a fully realized project. From impressed earthenware tile to terra cotta art tile; from field tile for use in kitchen backsplashes, bathrooms and fireplace surrounds to home accessories like ceramic switch plates, outlet covers and hand-molded house numbers, Clay Squared to Infinity has the selection to inspire any home remodeling project. Our showroom features tile by 15 local and national handmade tile artisans. In addition, classes are offered at Clay Squared to
Infinity in polymer clay creations and mosaic techniques.
Material: The Palm www.durapalm.com
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With more than 150 species growing in countries from Southeast Asia to Africa and Central America, palms hold great potential for sustainable export lumber products in the developing world. Smith & Fong works with a coconut palm found abundantly in Asia. These plantation-grown palms produce nuts for more than 100 years. As palms get taller with age, nutrients traveling from the base cannot reach the nuts efficiently, thus diminishing production. The taller palms are eventually removed and replaced with younger, better producers. The felled timber as a byproduct of the palm plantation has no developed secondary market and frequently goes unused.
Manufacturing:
The un-wood Durapalm® coconut palms only grow to approximately 12" in diameter but can reach 100 feet or more in height. Unlike wood, coconut palm is darker and harder at the perimeter and is soft and light in color at its core. Smith
& Fong cuts the logs in a special process, then slices and kiln dries the material before the lamination process begins.
Careful handling is essential to the success and integrity of the material. Non-toxic adhesives are used in the lamination process to maintain the environmental value of the end product. Finally, we mill the flooring and apply a seven-coat finish system to create a durable wear surface.
Timber Bamboo - Growing and Harvesting www.plyboo.com
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Fast growing and long lived, our timber bamboo grows to a height of 40 feet with a diameter exceeding 6 inches and matures in 4 years. Bamboo is a grass and from an environmental standpoint, this is important. Unlike traditional hardwoods, bamboo when harvested does not require replanting. Mature bamboo has an extensive root system that continues to send up new shoots for decades. Our bamboo is grown in managed forests in China. Harvesting is done by hand, minimizing the impact on the local environment. By working with bamboo and understanding its growth patterns, bamboo farmers are able to maximize timber production while maintaining healthy forests.
Manufacture of Plyboo®
All our products are made from Bamboo strips. Bamboo is hollow in the center and we are working with the wall thickness of the stalk. The wall at the base can be more than an inch thick and will taper over the length of the stalk.
We are milling a flat strip from the core of this wall. These strips are then boiled in a bath of boric acid and lime solution. The purpose of this bath is to extract the starch that attracts termites or powder post beetles. Boric acid and lime are a natural non-toxic repellent, used to insure that our products will come to you pest free and will continue to be so throughout the duration of their product life. The strips are kiln dried and sanded to a smooth surface for laminating. The strips are then laminated edge to edge to

create a single-ply panel. These panels are then laminated again to each other to create a multi-ply bamboo plywood.
Our products come in two colors, natural and amber. The natural color is the color of the bamboo untreated. The amber color is derived from a heat treatment process that darkens the bamboo, giving it a warm tea-stained, amber tone.
Glass Resources www.glassartdesign.com
- 427 10 th Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55408, phone: 612-870-0247
It is important for the GlassArt Client to be aware that after the initial contact, we will guide the project from concept to completion. You may already have exacting specifications of design and budget, or simply have a need requiring a solution. Our full service shop with its in-house designers and onsite fabrication capabilities coordinates every stage of design and production.
GlassArt may often employ a wide range of techniques to achieve the end product. We might recommend surface etching, stage blasting, carving, beveling, color enhancing, silvering, faceting, grooving, polishing, bonding, fusing, etc. The products of our labor may be found in hotels, offices, retail establishments, restaurants, churches, and of course, residential settings.
POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS ARE: signs and graphics glass furniture decorative borders logos backlit mirrors edgelighting privacy windows room dividers cabinet glass sidelights lettering mirror walls entry doors skylights table tops screens light fixtures transoms firemolded glass shower doors custom vanities backsplashes glass tile bowls
Other Web Sites: www.energystar.gov
- Energy Star is a government-backed program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. Labeling program includes office equipment, home electronics, heating/cooling, appliances, lighting, building envelope (windows), etc. www.crescentstone.com
- Minnesota Iron Range Stone, Banded Taconite/Fossilized Stone with greens, purples, and reds with quartz can be used for flooring, tables, countertops, sculptures, etc. www.lumicor.com
- Lumicor is one of the most exciting and innovative products on the market today. Lumicor encapsulates textiles, metals, natural foliages, wood veneers and imagination into high performance resins. Uses limited only by your imagination - backlit walls, cabinet doors, interior windows, screens, shower enclosures, sink bowls, and anything else you can think of… www.usgbc.org
- The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation’s foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. This website is packed with research and helpful information regarding LEED certification in commercial and residential buildings to encourage building green. www.naturalbuilthome.com
- sustainable & safe building products. The Twin Cities’ only one-stop shop for eco-friendly building supplies. High quality products are selected to be safe for you and your family and sustainable for the environment. Currently working on a retail store-front at 4020 Minnehaha Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55406, but products are available on their website.
Product lines include flooring, counter tops, building materials, tile, sinks, lighting, cleaning supplies, paint and finishes. Rachel
Maloney, CEO/President, phone: 612-605-7999 www.naturalcork.com
- Cork flooring is a healthy choice and good investment that, if properly maintained, will last for generations. Comprised of a renewable natural material, cork is environmentally correct as well as providing improved health and comfort for human indoor living. In our homes, cork floors create a warm, comfortable, resilient surface that is gentle underfoot, is anti-microbial, will not spread flame, and is inherently resistant to molds, mildews, and common pests such as termites.

www.nextstep.state.mn.us
- Minnesota Sustainable Communities Network - Taking the next step toward a sustainable future.
This site has been designed to provide Minnesota Sustainable Communities Network (MnSCN) members and others with information, access to resources, opportunities for networking, and inspiration on the topic of sustainable communities. NextStep site users have the ability to post information and resources on the site as well as to access the resources and information posted on the site. Features of this site include: searching for over 1,000 resources related to sustainability through regular or
"action" searches, reviewing topic pages where top resources have been listed, posting and learning about jobs related to sustainability, posting sustainability-related events and reviewing the events calendar, adding the user's name to the online member directory and searching for others with similar interests, reviewing case studies, and more! www.parkerchandlerglass.com
- GlasScapes, Inc., 4870 Martindale Street, Prior Lake, MN 55372, maker of hand-made custom art glass panels, platters, backsplashes, tiles, and more. www.treefrogveneer.com
- Reliable and consistent. Treefrog Veneer is pleased to bring you a complete selection of beautiful real wood veneer laminates. Our veneers feature composite wood technology, an innovative process that creates the look, feel and warmth of almost any wood species. This technology also allows us to eliminate many natural imperfections in the wood grain, ensuring a consistent and reliable selection of beautiful wood patterns, no matter how large your design space. Veneers include such effects as Birdseyes, Burls, & Figured Collections www.chemetalco.com
- the parent company of treefrogveneer - offers bold and colorful metallic laminates. I thought you might be interested in this product, so I included the link! They have beautiful finishes! www.wirsbo.com
- This company has now changed it’s name to Uponor, Radiant Floor Heating, PEX plumbing, and fire protection systems www.bioshieldpaint.com
- eco-friendly paints, stains, finishes and cleaners for a healthy home. www.sherwin-williams.com
- Harmony Interior Latex Coatings are no VOC paints available for the do-it-yourselfer. Many other useful tools at this website. http://shop.altenergystore.com/educate_yourself.htm
- The Alternative Energy Store - making renewable energy affordable.
Information about any possible type of renewable energy products and systems. Solar Hot Water Systems, Solar Heat Gain
Systems www.carpet-rug.com
- this website is the home of the Carpet & Rug Institute Green Label Plus Program www.enviroglasproducts.com
- recycled glass turned into beautiful countertops, flooring, and other decorative elements. www.barkskin.com
- caba company produces organic, hand-pounded bark materials for wall coverings www.medimports.net
- Med Imports is the sole importer and North American distributor for TERRAMED to texture and give life to walls, recreating the atmosphere of Mediterranean homes. Dried clay compounds in many natural colors. www.americanclay.com
- Earth Plasters for walls - environmentally friendly alternative to cement, gypsum, acrylic, and lime plasters. This is a VERY COOL product! Unique! http://portal.tricycleinc.com
enables sustainable design in the creative product lifecycle of the interiors industry. They are developing prototyping systems as alternatives for textiles/carpeting samples to reduce the landfill waste. This is a cool site. www.kireiusa.com
clean and beautiful contemporary design constructed entirely from reclaimed agricultural fiber. Strong, lightweight, durable, environmentally friendly substitute for wood - usable in furniture, cabinetry, casework, and interior design elements. Helps reduce forest clear cutting and indoor air pollution while bringing a new element of beauty to modern interior design. www.richlite.com
- hemp-based countertops, a visually unique surface alternative that’s produced from an exceptionally sustainable resource.

www.livinggreen.org
Minnesota State Fair Grounds, Grandstand Building - admission is free!
The Eco Experience
Minnesota State Fair (Saint Paul, Minn.) www.ecoexperience.org
Aug. 26 – Sept. 6, 2010
The Eco Experience is a 25,000 sq. ft. exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair. More than 350,000 people visit the Eco Experience to learn about the environment and what they can do to help make it better.
Explore new technologies
Talk with experts
Eat Minnesota-grown food
Play with hands-on exhibits
Living Green Expo www.livinggreenexpo.mn
The Living Green Expo is a free, family-friendly event that inspires people to lead healthier and more sustainable lives. The Expo is now organized by the Minnesota Environmental Partnership.
 Expo web site
 Sponsorship
 Exhibitor information
 Volunteer
 Contact
About MEP: A local nonprofit and long-time supporting partner of the Living Green
Expo, the Minnesota Environmental Partnership is a coalition of more than
80 Minnesota environmental and conservation organizations. The partnership provides a way for environmental organizations to collaborate in their efforts to make sure that Minnesota's natural resources are well cared for.

www.art-a-whirl.org
Art-A-Whirl® is an open-studio and gallery tour of Northeast Minneapolis. It is an enticing event that calls and welcomes local and regional visitors who want to see the art being produced in
NE. NEMAA is the bridge between the local and regional world and NEMAA artists. As visitors come to see the art, they also experience the NE Community. More than 300 artists participate in AAW, including potters, tile makers, painters, sculptors, musicians, photographers, glass blowers, printmakers, and textile designers. They showcase their art in warehouses, homes, storefronts and cafes. Things to consider…
Knowledge changes attitudes!
 Consider durability…a building or product that lasts twice as long has half the environmental impact
 Use less energy - operations, manufacturing, occupant travel - condensed living environments of seven houses per acre - density of houses in an area with mass transit and community resources requires less infrastructure
 Use local resources instead of shipping from all over.
 Salvage materials - either by reusing them or donating them to places like the ReUse Center,
Architectural Antiques, Art & Architecture, Bauer Brothers Salvage, City Salvage, Twin Cities
Free Market, Got Junk,
 Heat islands (roofs and driveways) are raising the temp 5-7 degrees from driveways and roofs (185 degrees) - use garden roof, alternative materials and other reflective services.
 Population growth versus energy - 6 billion people - population expected to double in the next 145 years
 Population is growing and oil product is reducing
 63% of electricity in MN is from coal - price of coal has doubled in the last few years due to the cost of transportation!
 Food production is tied to oil costs - what competes for the oil in the future - cars, food production or heat?
 Today’s kids imagining the power of tomorrow!
 Daylighting in school classrooms lead to an increase in student test scores.
 The Minnesota State Fair Technology Building will be devoted entirely to Green Building this year!
 Consider remodeling the existing footprint of a house before expanding - look at the entire space for best use!
 Create sustainable sites - landscaping, we use more than 3700 billion gallons/year more than we return to the natural water system. Keep your own water on your own land to restore the water tables. Be careful in some states as this may be “stealing water rights”!
 Forest Stewardship Council dimensional and casework lumber is certified as coming from sustainable harvesting, sustainable livelihoods. Each piece is marked with a number and can be tracked all the way back to the forest to verify it’s authenticity.
 Always use a dumpster supplier who uses a transfer station! They literally dump out all the contents and sort through the contents to recycle whatever they can.
 USBG Local Chapter (Mississippi Headwaters) membership is $25 for students - get on to their mailing list and participate in any events.
 IT COSTS 1-2% MORE TO BUILD A HOUSE THAT IS 15% MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT!