Green Build Boston Show Review

This week we attended the Build Boston show in Boston MA and got free passes to the Greenbuild Expo which was also held in Boston.  The Green Build Expo had the largest WOW factor of any show that I have ever attended!  From the vendor selection to the layout to even the free beverage stands, the show was a model of what a Green Show should look like.

The Green Build expo’s security did a good job keeping out the random people off the street who just attend events for something to do.  This allowed the vendors to handout all sorts of goodies to people that might actually use their goods and or services.  While the show floor had thousands of people at all times, the venue was so large that we never once felt crowded.  Most of the booths that we visited were staffed by knowledgeable people who could answer all of the questions that we asked of them.  This green show was not staffed by sexy college girls working for $15 an hour without an interest in promoting a product line.

We walked the show floor of the Green Build Expo from about 3pm until it closed at 6pm on both Wednesday and Thursday.  The 6 hours that we spent on the show floor was about really not enough time to meet with all of the vendors that we had an interest in talking to.  If you are planning to attend the show next year, I would suggest being there from when the doors open until they close each day.

Greenbuild Boston Expo Highlights

RECYCLING BINS

If you have ever spent any time on my blog you would know that I have a thing for recycling and recycling bins.  In fact, I love to take pictures of recycling bins and see if people actually used them based on their design, placement and ease of use.  I feel that one of the highlights of this Green Show is the amount of vendors who were selling recycling bins, recycling garbage stations, solar powered recycling stations and recycling products in general.  Another thing of interest was that they actually had staffing at some of the shows recycling stations to educate people on what garbage goes in what bin.  I found out that my coffee cup belonged in the composting bin, I did not even know that coffee cups could be composted!

DRAINING EXTERIOR SURFACES

Gone are the days of rain water run off issues since almost every exterior surface that you could dream of is now being made to drain water.  Several vendors had running water displays to show how their asphalt, stone and other exterior surfaces could drain water.  Some of these displays were several inches thick and they drained water from a garden hose as quick as the water could be applied!

REPLACEMENT WINDOWS

Since I own a replacement window company in Boston I love to learn about all of the new glass technology as it is invented and rolled out into the market place.  When you have several different glass and window companies showing off their new inventions it keeps the whole industry on their toes with new inventions.  The triple pane replacement windows that are in the market place today perform several times better than windows from even 5 years ago!  One of the vendors had windows with built in solar panels, another had a skylight with a built in water heater!

EXPANDING LIVING SPACE WITHOUT ADDITIONS

I’m a big fan of expanding your living space without expanding the foot print of your home (building an addition).  We talked to a vendor of the only green certified basement system on the market.  I never knew that basement systems were in the market place that actually looked attractive unlike ones that look like they belong in mobile homes!  The vendor’s R-17 wall system that has zero potential for mold/mildew issues was so impressive that my company might add it to our product line!

Another impressive system was a system that is used on flat roofs to suspend a decking system above the roof that will not harm the roof.  The system looks like a great way for commercial buildings to add outdoor space without ripping up lawns or disturbing the environment.

In conclusion, I would suggest this show to and Green Building Professional and anyone who has any interest in green products, green vendors or ideas on how to “green up” their home or business.  Over the next few weeks I will update this post or create new posts in order to highlight some of the green products that we found interesting.

Today I get the enjoyment of visiting another home show that is attracting visitors with a “think green” theme. Their website is promoting the theme along with their other forms of advertisements. Since my review of the Boston home show with a green theme was rather poor I decided to set up some standards prior to my visit. I will create a list of standards of how I will judge both the show’s promotion and how I will judge the vendors.

Show Standards

1. Does the show promote a green theme?

2. Are all of the signs and handouts informing people about the green theme and the benefits of going green?

3. Is the show holding classes or providing the public with an education about why they should buy green products?

4. Is the show actively seeking green product vendors or are they just looking for vendors with money?

5. Are the vendors being held to any standards when they promote their product as a green product?

6. Is the show asking vendors to promote their green products with signs or hand outs?

Vendor Standards

1. Are the vendors actually promoting a green product line?

2. Are the vendors informing people about the benefits of using their green product line?

3. Are the products actually green products?

4. Can the vendor rep (person at the booth) answer these questions:

A) Why is your product green?

B) What makes your product green?

C) Who says that your product is green?

D) What plans does your company have for introducing more green products?

E) How long will your green product last compared to a non green product?

F) Is your product approved by the IGPCC? I made this term up in order to see how many people will lie if they don’t know! Hopefully there is not really an International Green Product Council Coalition (IGPCC) if so, I will like an idiot thinking that I made up the term! Each vendor will get an equal chance of telling me the truth.

5. Does the vendor have any passion about selling a green product line?

Hopefully I should have my review of the show posted later on this evening. If you can think of any other standards that I should add to my list feel free to post them (leave a comment).