by Rebecca Walker — November 13, 2009—BuildingGreen, LLC, publisher of the GreenSpec Directory and Environmental Building News, has released its list of the 2009 Top-10 Green Building Products.
This eighth annual award, announced at the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild Conference in Phoenix, recognizes the most exciting products drawn from recent additions to the GreenSpec Directory and coverage in Environmental Building News.
This year’s list is particularly diverse and includes a recycled-content concrete block, a flywheel energy storage system for data centers, a mobile solar generator for job-site power, and an advanced modular classroom for schools.
Energy-saving products among the Top-10 include a line of mineral wool insulation, an integrated rain-screen/insulation wall cladding for commercial buildings, a heat-pump water heater, an energy control system for lighting in commercial buildings. A structural matrix system, Silva Cell, provides a support system for urban tree roots, helping trees survive in largely impervious environments and helping to manage stormwater runoff.
The winners are:
 Concrete masonry units and facing brick from Pozzotive Plus are made with post-consumer recycled materials |
Pozzotive Plus concrete masonry units (CMUs) and concrete facing brick from Kingston Block, which are manufactured using up to 30 percent post-consumer recycled glass as a portland cement substitute and an average of 50 percent post-consumer recycled masonry aggregate from sources in the Northeast. |
 The use of mineral wool insulation products from Thermafiber can reduce heating and cooling loads and reduce noise. |
Thermafiber mineral-fiber insulation products, made from pre-consumer recycled iron-ore slag for commercial and residential thermal, sound attenuation, and fire-resistant construction applications. The products, according to the manufacturer, are noncombustible without flame retardants, are odor-free, will not absorb moisture or support mildew or fungus, and will not rot or decay. |
 Invelope steel and foam panels create a weather-tight backup wall system for metal-framed commercial buildings |
The Invelope Integrated Wall Insulation and Rainscreen System. Invelope steel and foam panels create a weather-tight backup wall system for metal-framed commercial buildings. Invelope provides a moisture and vapor barrier, drainage plane, and insulationas well as a mounting system for brick veneer or terra cotta claddingall in one panel system. |
 Furniture from Baltix made with recycled or biobased content includes workstations, tables, seating and accessories |
Baltix commercial furniture, made with a range of green materials, including sunflower seed hulls, wheat straw, FSC-certified bamboo, FSC-certified MDF and veneers, and recycled plastics and paper. |
 Modular green classrooms from Project FROG can be assembled quickly with virtually no construction waste |
Project FROG modular green classroom. Project FROG designs and custom-fabricates modular classrooms and other commercial buildings that feature high-performance envelopes, natural daylighting, high-efficiency mechanical systems, healthy materials, and green components. |
 Convia’s energy management infrastructure uses plug-and-play components that can be linked together to form larger zones, or pre-set to specific levels as needed |
Convia, a Herman Miller company, has partnered with cabling and distribution leader Wiremold to offer a modular energy management platform that integrates lighting, switches, occupancy sensors, timers, and other devices and links them to sophisticated controls capable of monitoring and adjusting a building’s overall energy performance. |
 The GTX flywheel from Pentadyne prevents power disruptions |
Pentadyne’s GTX flywheel is a short-duration energy storage product used to replace batteries in uninterruptible power supply (UPS) in data centers, healthcare, manufacturing, and other commercial applications. |
 Silva Cell supports paved surfaces while holding soil for tree growth and stormwater management |
The Silva Cell Subsurface Tree Protection and Stormwater System is a modular system that holds soil for tree growth and stormwater management, while supporting paved surfaces. Growing trees in urban areas can reduce the urban heat island effect, non-point-source pollution, and flooding, while replenishing oxygen and connecting us with the natural environment. |
 Mobile Solar Power makes solar-powered generators that are more environmentally responsible than diesel-powered versions |
The Mobile Solar Power Generator from Mobile Solar Power, maker of a range of portable solar-powered generators that integrate PV panels, inverters, charge controllers, and lead-acid storage batteries into a self-contained trailer that keeps all components other than the PV modules fully protected and out of the elements. |
For more information, see the Web site.
