Water, Walls and Whey at Greenbuild Past: Where are they now?
In 2012, Andrea Vollf, LEED AP ID+C, shared with KB-Resource what green products from the 2012 Greenbuild expo in San Francisco can–or may already–be home-bound. Now it’s 2020. Where are they now?
Vollf said that “Schools, offices and other public places usually have all the fun at Greenbuild, the annual mecca for sustainability professionals.” While that may be true, what was true than may not be true now. Here’s a rundown of three products Andrea covered then.
Water: Fresh Supply Pulled from the Air
In 2012, Office Depot showcased Aquaboy, a water generator machine (on left) from AWS Inc., which uses the same condensation process as an air conditioning system to deliver fresh, clean, drinkable water. One of this product’s top attributes is its ability to deliver filtered, high-quality water that is free of heavy metals without access to plumbing. All you need is an outlet; it is literally “plug and drink.”
The new line — “The Future of Refreshing”TM, AquaBoy® Pro II and shown on the right — produces up to 2 to 5 Gal. per day of “purified great tasting water”TM by making it directly from th air. Using some of the latest technological advancements, this luxury appliance provides hot and cold purified drinking water with just the touch of a button. Great for hot tea, gourmet coffee, purified ice, cooking, pet care and much more. There’s no installation, just plug it into any 120-Volt receptacle and follow the Quick Start instructions.
Walls: Vertical Greenery for Fresher Air
Another hot trend Vollf saw in sustainability was the vertical wall. More and more commercial spaces, including retail and hospitality—and now more recently residential properties—are installing beautiful and functional vertical green walls indoors.
Considering certain species have the power to purify the air quicker than others, many consumers are now making use of a green wall for better indoor air quality. Today, all you have to do is go to Pinterest to see Green Walls to your heart’s content. And for information, simple read “Top 10 Benefits of Living Green Walls or Vertical Gardens” by Giuseppe Tirelli on Ecobnb, Simone Riccardi’s website. Riccardi PhD degree on User Generated Cities at the Parma’s Department of Engineering and Architecture. He won a Fulbright BEST fellowship he spent at UCLA studying business and management with focus on entrepreneurship.
Whey: Dairy By-Product for Low-VOC Coatings
Vermont Natural Coatings also had a well-visited booth in 2012, but didn’t make to the 2019 Greenbuild. Its main product was an environmentally friendly line of wood coatings and sealers made of whey, a natural dairy by-product. They now promote PolyWhey®, which has emerged as new wood finish technology; harnessing the power of whey protein, a byproduct of cheese making, to deliver a durable, beautiful finish that has established the industry’s highest performance and environmental standards. Suitable for both interior and exterior applications, it has very low VOC and works under extreme weather conditions, making the products appropriate for use anywhere in the world. The company offers sustainable solutions for flooring, furniture and exterior wood.
The point is, as time marches on, products march with it, and change — often for the better and a more sustainable world. Send us your information on your products; our readers are anxious to read about them!