The Hub is being built hour-by-hour and day-by-day, but not without careful thought and planning to have as light an impact on the earth as possible. Materials were run by the ideal criteria before purchased: Reused, made of recycled content, recyclable or biodegradable, made or sold locally, design and function.
Chairs for our presentation room were generously provided by Office Interiors. The Very branded chairs are very sustainable indeed, and the first of their kind (literally – The Hub will have the first chairs off the
production line). They are made with up to 71% recycled content and up to 98% recyclable materials. To boot, the thing can be taken apart and be ready for the recycling bin in less than five minutes. They are Cradle to Cradle, Green Guard and LEED certified. The chairs are designed and built in the United States by Haworth.
All other office furniture is donated by Aliant through Revive, a Green Solutions program. “Green Solutions provides socially responsible solutions to the disposal of no longer needed facility assets to major corporations across North America. They do that by trying to maximize redistribution of assets to charities, schools and other worthwhile causes. Anything that is not suitable for redistribution is recycled using best environmental practice. The goal of every project executed is to minimize landfill, with a target of 95% diversion on every project.”
The insulation for the interior walls is 85% post-industrial recycled blue jean material called UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber. The material is free of chemical irritants, VOC** concerns and even comes without the regular insulation warning labels.
Our drywall is made of 77% recycled content and is made up of the byproducts of the cleaning process used by coal fired generating plants. This product was bought from Coastal Drywall, and recommended by the Ecology Action Centre.
Paints for the walls of the Hub were from the Aura Benjamin Moore line. All Aura meet LEED** standards and are Green Guard Indoor Air Quality Certified, meeting standards for low emitting products.
Marmoleum is the new linoleum. It’s so natural that you could snap off a piece and eat it if you were in dire need. This floor material is made of natural raw products – linseed oil, rosins, wood flour, jute and pigments – and it is installed with solvent-free adhesives and no VOCs. The product is made with ISO 14001** certified manufacturing processes.
Our bathroom sinks were bought from Renovation Resource Inc in Halifax. The kitchen sink is re-used, and came from Maritime Demolition. Most sink fixtures are made in China (yes, even the fancy expensive German ones!). The parts we used are from China, assembled in Canada, and bought form a small local business called The Plumbing Barn in Dartmouth.
Carpet tiles were purchased from the Wacky’s Flooring, a member of the Shaw Contract Group. Carpet tiles allow for spot-replacements over time, versus having to remove and replace the entire wall-to-wall carpeting. We used eco*worx, a Cradle to Cradle** product that is Green Label Certified. It is 100% recyclable and contains recycled materials.
Lumber was supplied locally by Maurice Bruhm Ltd in Mahone Bay. Most other small supplies – paint brushes, plastic covering, etc – were bought at Pierceys, a locally-owned business.
** Cradle to Cradle Certification marks a product that is environmentally-intelligent by design. All materials are safe, even healthy, for people and the surrounding environment and can be reused, recycled or composted. The labeling helps consumers chose products that are socially responsible.
** LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED Certification implies that the product reached high performance levels in contributing to human and environmental health, primarily: sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
** ISO 14001 is a management tool that helps control and improve environmental practices, while ensuring that a systematic approach is in place to help set and achieve environmental objectives and targets.
** VOCs are Volatile Organic Compounds, gases that are given off from certain products like paints, building materials, pesticides, cleaning products and permanent markers. The chemicals can have negative health effects on people.