Eco-friendly building products.....one-stop store!

Interested in a kitchen countertop made of recycled paper that's as tough as steel and heat-resistant to 350 degrees? Or a premium indoor paint with zero toxic compounds?

If so, your shopping may be a bit easier with the opening of a one-stop store devoted to the latest eco-friendly building products, including some from the U.S. that weren't previously available in Vancouver.

The newly opened GreenWorks Building Supply at 386 West Eighth carries a range of what it calls healthy, environmentally friendly products, including countertops, flooring, paints and finishes, for builders and consumers.

Many of the products -- or similar products -- sold at GreenWorks are offered in other building supply stores such as Home Depot or Dick's Lumber and Building Supplies, but GreenWorks part owner Pete McGee maintains that their store is the only "one-stop" eco-friendly building supply store in Vancouver.

"There are stores that sell green products, but not exclusively," McGee said in an interview. "We also fill the need for a number of products over different categories. And it's our focus. It's all we sell. And we're strict about how we select our products."

McGee said he and business partner Alastair Moore opened their store a month ago, and the response has already been great. "Our focus is on developers, architects and designers. We want them to spec it into their products. Our goal is to get this into the design world, so they're into the mainstream. But we also know there's a pent-up demand in the do-it-yourself market.

"We're also getting people with chemical sensibilities who need these products."

McGee said sales of eco-friendly building supplies are growing by about 30 per cent a year in Vancouver and that more people are willing to pay extra for the product.

He said that people generally pay a premium of 10 per cent for green building products over the equivalent alternative, but that prices aren't the only factor.

Their Yolo Paints, for example, which contain no toxic compounds, sell for $45 a gallon, compared to other high-quality paints that sell in the mid-to-high $30-dollar range. A Dick's Lumber official said their premium paints sell from $30 to $60 a gallon.

In addition to such products as bamboo flooring and recycled hardwood, GreenWorks also offers PaperStone, a bio-composite counter surface made with recycled paper and a resin derived from cashew nut shells.

"It's incredibly strong, really durable," said McGee.

He also carries American Clay, which uses natural clays to create plasters for walls and ceilings.

McGee says it has been a struggle for Vancouver residents to find green building materials. "Increasingly, people are realizing the benefits of buying these products. And it's not just for the environment. It's also a health benefit."

Yolanda Ricketts, owner of Fixin' Vixens: Handy Gal Services Inc., a Vancouver maintenance and repair business, said in an interview that she is excited about GreenWorks. "I've never come across anybody that sells only green products. I'll be recommending [their products] to my customers."

Kirt Sims, assistant manager of Dick's Lumber in North Vancouver, said he also hasn't come across another store that sells green building supplies exclusively, but notes that Dick's Lumber and other building supply companies carry full lines of eco-friendly products including recycled wood and bamboo flooring, and low-emission paints.

Julie Bruneski of The Kerrisdale Lumber Company Ltd., said eco-friendly building supplies are an option at their store, but not a lot of people choose it, largely because of the price. "People don't want to pay the extra money. It's generally 10- to 20-per-cent more."

(article in Vancouver Sun by Brian Morton "Home handyman, handywomen can now go green")