Expo highlights green products

Sunday, April 06, 2008

By KATHY JUMPER

Real Estate Editor

The inventors of the "think chair" put a lot of thought into its design.

The certified "cradle to cradle" piece of office furniture designed and sold by Steelcase will be one of 75 featured exhibits at the GreenCoast 2008 Green Expo, which is open free to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.

Smart Coast and the U.S. Green Building Council have organized a building green conference on those same days at the convention center.

Steelcase's cradle to cradle certification means the chair was created safe for human and environmental health and at the end of its use, the materials can be recycled.

"It's the hot thing," said Gerri Kennedy-Holland, vice president of OEC, an office furniture and supply store in Mobile. "The think chair is 98 percent recyclable." Her company is the Gulf Coast dealer for Steelcase, an international company based in Grand Rapids, Mich., which carries about 35 cradle to cradle products.

"Not a lot of people are using these products in this market," she said. But the company was the successful bidder for furnishing White-Spunner Construction's new 40,000-square-foot office building off Interstate 65 and Government Boulevard. The two-story building is being built using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED guidelines.

"Cradle to cradle products are perfect for new construction and as your old furniture needs to be replaced, you can easily come back with products that are eco-friendly," Kennedy-Holland said. "If you've got to buy something new and the price point is comparable, why wouldn't you buy something that is environmentally friendly?"

The think chair ranges in price from $600 to $900, she said.

"Once the word got out about the Green Expo, we heard from a lot of local companies," said Wendy Allen, an executive director of Smart Coast, a regional nonprofit group. "It has really brought some good products to the forefront, and we hope to publicize them on our Web site after the conference as well."

Most of the exhibitors are from Alabama, but some have come from Biloxi; Pensacola; several cities in Georgia; Irving, Texas; and Hazelton, Penn. Besides green building products, the booths feature sports and recreational lighting, non-toxic cleaning supplies, solar designs and custom closets.

"We're trying to get industry professionals to understand what the potential is and move toward that," she said. "It's important for our area. Companies like ThyssenKrupp and Northrop Grumman are already used to green building and environmental protection, and are not going to put up with buildings that don't do those things."

/cut/1/cMIKE KITTRELL/ Staff PhotographerTom Bramlett, president of OEC, an office furniture and supplies company in Mobile, discusses the "think chair." The chair was designed to be safe and healthy for people and the environment, and in fact, 98 percent of it can be recycled at the end of its use, according to its designer, Steelcase. It will be on display this week at the Green Expo during the GreenCoast 2008 Conference at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.



Expo highlights green products Sunday, April 06, 2008 By KATHY JUMPER Real Estate Editor The inventors of the "think chair" put a lot of thought into its design. The certified "cradle to cradle" piece of office furniture designed and sold by Steelcase will be one of 75 featured exhibits at the GreenCoast 2008 Green Expo, which is open free to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center. Smart Coast and the U.S. Green Building Council have organized a building green conference on those same days at the convention center. Steelcase's cradle to cradle certification means the chair was created safe for human and environmental health and at the end of its use, the materials can be recycled. "It's the hot thing," said Gerri Kennedy-Holland, vice president of OEC, an office furniture and supply store in Mobile. "The think chair is 98 percent recyclable." Her company is the Gulf Coast dealer for Steelcase, an international company based in Grand Rapids, Mich., which carries about 35 cradle to cradle products. "Not a lot of people are using these products in this market," she said. But the company was the successful bidder for furnishing White-Spunner Construction's new 40,000-square-foot office building off Interstate 65 and Government Boulevard. The two-story building is being built using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED guidelines. "Cradle to cradle products are perfect for new construction and as your old furniture needs to be replaced, you can easily come back with products that are eco-friendly," Kennedy-Holland said. "If you've got to buy something new and the price point is comparable, why wouldn't you buy something that is environmentally friendly?" The think chair ranges in price from $600 to $900, she said. "Once the word got out about the Green Expo, we heard from a lot of local companies," said Wendy Allen, an executive director of Smart Coast, a regional nonprofit group. "It has really brought some good products to the forefront, and we hope to publicize them on our Web site after the conference as well." Most of the exhibitors are from Alabama, but some have come from Biloxi; Pensacola; several cities in Georgia; Irving, Texas; and Hazelton, Penn. Besides green building products, the booths feature sports and recreational lighting, non-toxic cleaning supplies, solar designs and custom closets. "We're trying to get industry professionals to understand what the potential is and move toward that," she said. "It's important for our area. Companies like ThyssenKrupp and Northrop Grumman are already used to green building and environmental protection, and are not going to put up with buildings that don't do those things." /cut/1/cMIKE KITTRELL/ Staff PhotographerTom Bramlett, president of OEC, an office furniture and supplies company in Mobile, discusses the "think chair." The chair was designed to be safe and healthy for people and the environment, and in fact, 98 percent of it can be recycled at the end of its use, according to its designer, Steelcase. It will be on display this week at the Green Expo during the GreenCoast 2008 Conference at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center. © 2008 Press-Register © 2008 al.com All Rights Reserved.