Buy Green

All of the green earth products you need are available at BuyGreen.com. You will find eco friendly clothing, including bamboo clothing, green home environmental products including natural organic products and solar powered lights, just to name a few. Commercial buyers also have a wide selection of products from environmentally friendly bags for retailers to recycled paper products as examples. Please explore the incredible selection and for more information on our Green Standards.

Mission & Vision

The mission at BuyGreen is to become your most trusted source for green products, offering the widest variety of quality products, the best information for consumers, and the most enjoyable shopping experience. We believe that the power to make change rests with the individual consumer. The products you buy every day make a difference. Eco-friendly products are healthier for you and better for the planet. In addition, when a large group of consumers choose to "buy green", the market will respond with greater variety, more innovation and lower prices for green products and services.

History

The site was created in response to our own search for earth-friendly products. Like you, we want to buy products that are better for our families and our planet. As we have discovered however, finding green products and understanding what if anything makes them green can be challenging and time consuming. We believe that there is a better way to buy green products. At BuyGreen, we want to provide the best possible buying experience by offering a wide range of products, the tools you need to understand why a product qualifies as 'green', and superior customer service. Our goal is for BuyGreen to be your primary destination for green products, services, and green living information.

More Information

Ensuring the best possible shopping experience is our most important goal.
If you need to reach us, just send us an email or give us a call.
We make every effort to respond within 24 hours.

Customer Service Hours: 9 to 5 Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.
You can call us at 888.9.BUYGREEN or 888.928.9473

Contribution by Jillian K

Kerei USA

Kirei is a Japanese word signifying many meanings, including Beautiful, Clean, Pure and Truthful. These combined meanings are the starting point for our philosophy, which is to bring beautiful, natural materials to today’s contemporary designers. Each of our products uses reclaimed, non-toxic materials to lessen our impact on natural resources and contribute to a beautiful, clean, healthy indoor environment. These principles also apply to the way we run our company, using recycled products and efficient, sustainable practices.

Since 2003 Kirei has been dedicated to bringing beautiful, natural materials to market, enabling architects and interior designers to create elegant interior spaces while using sustainable, nontoxic materials. Our goal is continual introduction of new materials while improving our production and business practices to be as low-impact and sustainable as possible. We regard the "Triple Bottom Line" of "People, Planet, Profit" to be the guiding principle of our company. We aim to bring new economic activity to our source regions by providing new jobs at fair market wages in a safe, healthy workplace while lessening human impact on the environment. These principles, we believe, will result in a profitable company that "Does well by doing good." We practice continuous improvement of our business practices to lower our carbon footprint and waste generated, while valuing team input from all of our members.

Reclaimed & Rapidly Renewable Materials
Kirei Board, Kirei Coco Tiles and Kirei Wheatboard
Kirei panels use rapidly renewable and reclaimed agricultural fibers to create unique, environmentally friendly interior design materials. Kirei Board, Kirei Coco Tiles and Kirei Wheatboard are manufactured using reclaimed agricultural fiber from the Sorghum, Coconut and Wheat plants grown around the world for food. After harvest the stalks or coconut husks are usually burned or thrown into landfills. By using them in the production of Kirei Board, Kirei Coco Tiles and Kirei Wheatboard this material is removed from the waste stream, reducing landfill use and air pollution, while giving rural farmers a new source of revenue from previously unused waste material. Rapidly renewable or FSC-certified wood are used as bonding strips, greatly reducing the need for newly harvested wood for building.

Kirei Bamboo
Kirei Bamboo uses the fast-growing (as much as a foot per day!) Moso bamboo grass to make ply panels and veneers with the modern bamboo look. The fiber produced from these dedicated bamboo plantations is greater than would be produced from similarly committed wood forest land, helping to reduce pressure on habitat from clearcutting. (PS- no pandas are harmed in the taking of bamboo for our panels - in fact the plantations, which are generally reclaimed farmland, help to preserve uncut habitat.)

Low-VOC Emissions
Formaldehyde has been shown to be a harmful indoor air pollutant present in high levels in many indoor spaces. Using Kirei products can help reduce ambient formaldehyde emissions often found in new construction. Our products utilize low-or no-added urea formaldehyde adhesives to minimize any formaldehyde emissions. All Kirei products will meet California’s stringent new CARB air quality standards, as well as qualifying for LEED points for Low Emitting Materials. Kirei Zero Bamboo utilizes no-added urea formaldehyde adhesives, so if your project requires NAUF bamboo panels, specify Kirei Zero bamboo.

For more information:US Green Building Council and LEED www.usgbc.orgCARB www.arb.ca.govForest Stewardship Council www.FSC.org

Contribution by Lauren Wymore

Sample Request

I found the company Kirei USA online when searching for sustainable materials. This company produces board material that can be substituted for wood. I requested a sample of the Kirei USA products through their website by filling in my information on the request a sample link. The process was simple and I received an email telling me that the sample was being processed and would be mailed to me. A couple days later I received an email from a representative of the company telling me that because I was a student they have a ten dollar charge for student samples. I needed to respond with my payment method via email. I did that and waited for over a week and received no samples and the ten dollar charge had not been taken out of my account. I emailed again to ask what was taking so long and if I should still be expecting the order to go through. The representative replied within a few days explaining that they had a computer crash and lost a lot of information and the reason I had not received anything is because she thought the order had already gone through before the computer crashed. So I am still waiting to receive the samples of the sustainable board materials but she said they would be sent out right away. Although it has taken a long time because of unavoidable circumstances, I found the process easy and the representative I communicated with very helpful.

Green Cell Foam

Biobased materials reduce the consumption of nonrenewable resources and reduce the

environmental impact associated with the creation of synthetic materials, such as increased CO2 emissions.

The U.S. KTM Industries has created a family of starch foam products that have an enhanced performance window and provide a reduced environmental footprint when compared to the products they replace – namely synthetic foam cushion packaging and insulation coolers.

A key driver in today’s market place is a product’s “environmental footprint” – the measure of the burden or impact that a product, operation or corporation places on the environment. Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, one can compute holistic environmental

foot prints of a product. Some key metrics that need to be measured in this process are:

1- Green House gas emissions (COX, VOCs)

2- Energy Consumption

3- Total waste production (mitigated by reduction in use, recycling and/or composting)

4- Toxic waste generation

5- Regulated Air pollutants release – air emissions( SOCs/NOX, particulates)

6- Water discharges

Green Cell Foam provides the most flexibility and convenience in disposal options of ANY packaging material:

COMPOST: Green Cell Foam is compostable in any residential or commercial compost facility.

BIODEGRADE: Green Cell Foam biodegrades within 4 weeks in a moist soil environment.

RECYCLE: Green Cell Foam recycles easily with corrugate or paper materials

DISSOLVE: Green Cell Foam dissolves in water - put small pieces in the sink and watch it "melt" safely down the drain; it even biodegrades in seawater and freshwater!

BURN: Green Cell Foam burns cleanly and safely in fireplaces, firepits and power plants; works great to start your barbecue!

Obtaining BioBag

From my original list of products made from sustainable materials, I decided to pursue BioBag. Specifically, I was interested in the kitchen trash bags that was a part of their line. First, I will give you some information on BioBag as a company and as a product. Then, I will describe how I got a sample and what I discovered about that sample.
BioBag makes 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable bags made from the material Mater-Bi. What is Mater-Bi? It is the first completely biodegradable and compostable bio-polymer ever invented. Mater-Bi is produced by Novamont, an Italian research company dedicated to environmental alternatives to polyethylene-based plastics. Mater-Bi comes from renewable resources of agricultural of agricultural origin, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and the consumption of energy and non renewable resources, and it completes a virtuous circle. Mater-Bi can also be printed on as well as colored in bulk using biodegradable Master-batches.
BioBag’s American office is operated out of Palm Harbor, Florida. Some information from their website about their products states that they are certified GMO Free. No polyethylene is used in the production of BioBag. The bags are shelf stable; they biodegrade naturally when exposed to soil and the earth’s elements. They will decompose in 10-45 days. Both fresh and salt water will also decompose the BioBag in 8-14 months.
There is also some specific information about the BioBag kitchen bags. They are to be used primarily for food and other biodegradable waste. Their 3 gallon size will fit most composting pails. BioBag helps to reduce odor because the bag is able to “breathe”, allowing heat and moisture to evaporate. Because of this feature, the 3 gallon bags are great for storing fruits and vegetables in your refrigerator. Besides the 3 gallon size, BioBag also offers the tall kitchen size (13 gallons) as well, which they say will fit most kitchen waste bags. They can also be used for outdoor waste. The only precaution for using BioBag kitchen bags is to keep them in a dry, cool place; extended heat can make the bags feel soft and eventuall split.
When I called to get a sample, I was told I could not get a free sample since I was a student and not with a company. However, they were more than glad to give me a discounted price. I went to buygreen.com and put in a discount code they gave. You cannot actually buy their products from the BioBag website, but they give links to sites where you can. Normally, the price for the 3 gallon bags is $4.59, but I ended up spending about $2-3 dollars. It took somewhere between 2-3 weeks for the bags to arrive at my house. Buygreen.com shipped it in a recycled cell phone box, and the roll of bags did not come in any sort of packaging. I opened the box, and there they were.
The bags themselves feel quite soft to the touch, but they seem to be just as durable as any other trash bag. The 3 gallon size is a bit small. I can’t imagine being able to fit a lot of waste into that particular size. I am sure that the tall kitchen bags would be able to accomodate a lot more. The printing on the bags claims that they are actually produced in Norway, which I am sure contributes to the higher price. When I brought my sample into class, we did a little experiment on it with water. If you pour water onto the bag, within just a few minutes you can see that the bag is beginning to break down. The water goes from clear to a milky white as it begins to break down the bag.
Overall, I was pretty impressed with the BioBag company and product. Some other products they produce that would be worth trying out are 33 gallon lawn and leaf bags, dog waste bags, cat pan liner, and a nature toilet system. If you want to learn more about BioBag and the products they sell, try out their website at http://www.biobagusa.com/.

Quest for a sample

I started out by emailing several companies that I found on ecolect.net. I mentioned that I was interested in receiving a sample of their product. Three of the companies (Novamont/bioplastic film, Soyworks, and Earth friendly moving) immediately responded with a generic email informing me that my request would be processed as soon as possible. A few days later I received follow up emails from Spencer Brown at Earth Friendly Moving and Roy Taylor at Soyworks however I did not receive any follow up from Novamont. Spencer Brown requested a fed ex or ups number in order to ship the sample. I called Spencer the following day and told him that I am a student at the University of Iowa and I need a sample for my environmental design class. He said that he had gotten several other phone calls from University of Iowa students requesting samples and that he needed to speak to my professer. He said that he would be happy to help but he just wanted to know what we intended to do with the sample. I received a similar email from Roy Taylor at Soyworks. He apologized for his fussiness because he wanted to know why I wanted a sample. He stated that the technical information is proprietary and covered by an exclusive commercial liscence for the underlying technology. He then noted that my email account is from the University of Iowa and wanted to know if I was doing research. It seemed like these companies were a little apprehensive about giving out their samples to students.
I decided to start fresh with a company called KTM industries from Lansing Michigan (listed on ecolect.net). They make a product called Green Cell Foam which is used for packing and shipping. I skipped the emails and called the company directly. I spoke with Tim who was extremely helpful and provided lots of information as well as the web address of the company. The website provided lots of information and independent labwork about the sustainability of the product as well as the impact on the environment. I ordered a sample which arrived one week later. I received a huge box filled with all different shapes and sizes of the material along with an information packet. I had several questions as to the cost and process of manufacturing of Green Cell Foam so I gave Tim a call. Again he was very helpful in answering all of my questions and in fact provided more information than was on the website. KTM was the easiest and most helpful company to work with.

Puffy Stuff

100% Biodegradable Packing Peanut

Puffy Stuff is an all-natural packing peanut. It has a high density for rugged durability, and won't shrink in humid conditions. Puffy Stuff exceeds wheat starch, corn starch and polystyrene in all labratory tests. Styrofoam is not only messy, but it's bad for the environment. It consumes up to 30% of our nations landfill space while producing harmful greenhouse gasses and toxic chemicals into the earth. Puffy Stuff will disolve after the first rain, and is actually good for soil.

Advantages:

• 100% biodegradeable (no disposal fees!)
• Unaffected by oil prices
• Static free
• Competitive cost

My Seventh Generation Journey

It was very difficult for me to find a sample at first. When I started looking online using google.com, I typed in "sustainable materials" in my search and was able to find a MSN site titled Shop Green. Here, I was able to find a list of several different environmentally friendly products that were suitable for the assignment. I chose the first item, Seventh Generation Natural Paper Towels because paper towels are something my roomates and I use a lot at our apartment. I then went to google.com and found the company's actual website. I was instantly attracted to the website, being the color green. It also contained a quote stating, "Seventh generation products have saved 279974 trees and 550891 gallons of petroleum"...I knew they were serious about their stuff. I then retrieved their contact information. I first attempted to contact the company via their Consumer Relations e-mail because I thought it would be the easiest solution. I explained to them my situation, that for my Environmental Design class at the University of Iowa I was required to find a sample of some sort of sustainable material. I waited a few of weeks and never got an e-mail back...a little frustrating. I then decided to call them. The man I spoke to over the phone was kind and assured me that the company could send me a sample and I would just have to pay for shipping. Seventh Generation is in the United States, out of Vermont, so I quickly agreed. My product has still not arrived, so hopefully it will be getting here any day now...

Adhesives

I was interested in updating my knowledge of adhesives, as my first project required A LOT of glue. My research confirmed what I already knew - there are plenty of friendly adhesives out there (see previous posts) and I was already using some of them in my work. I had various PVA samples on hand, as well as a large bottle I purchased for some of my book art work. I used that glue in my 'cardboard storage unit' project, and contributed the remainder of my last glue bottle to the sample library. PVA is used in many adhesives, mostly for wood-based projects.

As an update to my PVA research:

PVA does emit trace amounts of naturally-occurring formaldehyde, but those amounts are less than the emissions of many of the surfaces that you would use the adhesive on (untreated lumber, etc.). As an example, a veneered wood using PVA adhesive emits LESS formaldehyde than that same wood does when untreated. Fantastic!

Experience with Yemm & Hart

Fortunately, this was the first company I got in touch with for the assignment and it was successful! Contacting Yemm & Hart for samples of their sustainable product, Origins, was very easy. On the website I found the address to send a request form. Because I am a student they would allow me to choose up to 4 samples, at a cost of $5. I typed up a quick letter and included my address for the samples to be shipped to. The package arrived about a week later. There was no response letter included, but the samples were just what I needed. They were about the size of a credit card, neatly labeled with information on the name of the sample and what material it was recycyled from. I would definitely do business with Yemm & Hart in the future.

Sample Research

My experience while finding a sample was quite easy. My dad is in the packaging business so getting a biodegradable packaging peanut was trouble-free. I simply called my dad and asked if he knew of any companies that supplied environmentally friendly products. He told me that he had just gotten a shipment of packing peanuts in various sizes that he was able to send to me. He let me know the product’s name and sent me a package within the next few days. The Puffy Stuff company is based out of Nashville, TN. Puffy Stuff Biodegradable Packing Peanuts are all-natural packing peanuts. They are unaffected by oil prices and have a competitive cost. The peanuts have a high density for rugged durability, and will not shrink in humid conditions. Upon direct contact with water, the peanuts are quickly consumed by soil bacteria. They can be reused and they do not attract pests. If Puffy Stuff packing peanuts are not reused, they can be put in a landfill or even hosed down and used as a fertilizer. Surprisingly enough, Puffy Stuff Biodegradable Packing Peanuts are edible and digests easily!

http://puffystufftn.com/index.html

GreenFiber™ is the manufacturer of natural fiber insulation, fire and sound products.
Their products deliver high-efficiency thermal insulation and effective R-value and offer permanent and proven fire resistance for the life of the structure. They also reduce nuisance noise when used in walls,offering a more comfortable living space. They are all made from 85% recycled paper fiber and they also support energy conservation programs focused on environmental responsibility.

Student Contribution: Courtney Watson