I spent a couple of days in Boston in November at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, looking for products that genuinely push the ecological envelope in a positive direction—as opposed to the same old products gussied up and repackaged with a green label. I tried to give equal time to small, entrepreneurial firms and building giants—listening to their sales pitch and asking questions about life cycle, durability, and cost. Here’s my short list of ten products that you might want to take for a test run.

Dryvit Brick System
If you haven’t ever taken a serious look at Dryvit exteriors, this product might catch your eye. It’s an insulated exterior finish, covered in faux brick, with a lot more insulating value than traditional brick. The company has retooled its business and products since their PR disaster a decade ago, to the point where I feel good about recommending them as a top-shelf green siding system. I’d love to see them push deeper into the retrofit market, where an exterior insulating system that looks like brick might offer homeowners a cool façade they never imagined was possible on an older home. www.dryvit.com

Eco-Shake
One of the biggest objections to polyvinyl chloride products has been the relative lack of recycling and recycled content. But this product caught my eye—first for its excellent aesthetics. It looks like a thick wooden shake, heavily textured and naturally colored. But more important, it’s made from 100% recycled PVC. The product has been around for a while, since 1995, so it has enough of a track record to suggest it performs as advertised. The tech guys say the color goes all the way through the product, so it won’t fade to gray. It comes with a 50-year warranty and weighs about 250 lbs. per 100 square feet. www.renewwood.com

Bomanite Grasscrete System
The age of asphalt is over. I heard that prediction a couple of times from concrete people at the show. With the price of asphalt double what it was a year ago (notwithstanding the recent drop in fuel prices), concrete paving is looking good—especially porous systems like this one from Bomanite. It also solves wastewater disposal issues, because the chambers can be filled with soil and planted with ground cover. “Does that mean more lawn to mow? Forget that!” No worries. Apparently you can plant thyme and other ground cover that needs little water and no mowing. www.bomanite.com


Kolbe & Kolbe Retractable Screens
It’s hard to come up with something new in the window category, but every so often somebody makes a better mousetrap. I wanted to acknowledge Kolbe & Kolbe’s new built-in retractable screens. The potential green benefit from this product is twofold. In summer, the screen reduces heat gain, of course. But more important, in the frozen north, many homeowners tend to leave their screens on year round. With this system, they can roll screens up inside the glass, and recapture the solar gain they would have lost to laziness.
www.kolbe-kolbe.com

Thermomass Wall Systems
This durable concrete wall system is crossing over from commercial to residential use. I spoke to company founder Bob Long, Sr., and he says the residential version of Thermomass is getting a lot of attention. One of the big perks—prefabrication. The insulated concrete panels can be precast locally, shipped and tipped into place on the jobsite. Thermomass is ideal in climates with wide temperature swings, he notes, because the mass of the concrete balances the indoor HVAC requirements—result, a lower carbon footprint. www.thermomass.com

Master Shield Gutter Protection
What’s green about gutter protection? To answer that, you have to step back and look at the bigger picture of water conservation. This product pre-filters water from the roof, so it can be deposited directly into a rainwater collection cistern or barrel. As a result, homeowners get a ready supply of non-potable rainwater for use watering shrubs and plants with little maintenance. www.mastershield.com

BASF Pervious Concrete AdmixtureWe’ve talked about this product before in Green Builder, but it warrants another look. BASF has created a three-part binder that allows concrete aggregate to stick together yet remain extremely porous. I watched a demonstration where water literally passed right through a concrete slab. This technology has a lot of potential for sidewalks, driveways, and walkways. It uses a less cement than standard concrete and has been formulated to allow for longer working times—without sacrificing strength.
www.basf-admixtures.com

Dutch Windmill
Every time I walked by this exhibit at the show, I’d see a group of people hovering, gawking at the product—a compact wind turbine designed to run on a rooftop, even in urban areas. The problem with nifty European technology, of course, is that it is notoriously hard to get information and/or product in a timely manner. I spoke with the U.S. distributor, and he says he can deliver. I’ve included both a link to the rather vague website describing the product and the U.S. contact.Manufacturer: www.gtc-almere.com/windenergy/index.htmlU.S. contact: www.methexusa.com

“Persuade” High-Efficiency Toilet Kohler’s latest residential toilet takes seriously the goal of saving water without creating performance problems. While the model name makes the adolescent in me chuckle a bit, the technology is sound. This dual-flush model flushes with either 1.6 gallons or .8 gallons, depending on the magnitude of the job. Kohler estimates water savings with this model at 22,000 gallons annually over an older toilet. There’s a big market for products like this out there. Half the nation’s toilets still flush at 3.5 gallons. www.kohler.com

Nichiha Fiber-Cement Shakes
To get homeowners to spend a little extra for more durable material, such as fiber-cement siding, looks matter. That’s why this handsome Sierra Premium Shake caught my eye. At about the same cost as comparable fiber cement products, these 1/2” thick panels are sturdier than most competitors. The palette of natural wood stains also is more realistic than others I’ve seen, and panels are pre-sealed on all six sides at the factory. Michael Cobb, vice president of sales, says renewing the color is a matter of adding a refresher coat of stain every few years—no sanding or scraping. www.nichiha.com