Hey Everyone- Sorry for the delay in posting this...Here are some of the links/contact info for what I REALLY liked at this year's NeoCon held in Chicago. ***NeoCon is an international trade show for designers, architects, contractors and anyone else involved in this industry. Vendors and manufacturers from around the world come to participate. Workshops for CEUs, parties for networking and a LOT of walking around the Merchandise Mart!*** As a side-note, some of these products may only be available through a designer and not in mass market. Nayer Kazemi-Waterart- Waterwalls that are spectacular!!! www.nayerkazemi.com Ki Furniture- Eco-friendly furniture that was originally designed for "institutes of higher learning" but can be used in the home or office (or retail, hospitality)! They are also aligned w/Pallas textiles-very cool fabrics! www.ki.com Forbo Flooring-One of the leaders in eco-friendly, sustainable rubber flooring. LOVE this line. Great colors, can be used anywhere, can custom a pattern, can now use product as wallboard (think wainscotting) AND bulletin boards! This company also practices what they preach watching their carbon footprint of sales staff, recycling and conducting workshops on eco-friendly business practices. www.forboflooringna.com Ceres Floors-another great line of recycled rubber, low PVC flooring in incredible colors! Mostly for commercial, but I would apply in high-traffic areas of the home (hallway, entryway mudroom). www.ceresnaturalfloors.com TOTO-we all know of my love of this company and product line...but WAIT until you see the just introduced Waza Collection...It's stunning! It's Asian inspired, and not for everyone as it's rather formal. Make sure to check out the Waza Miyabi line which features a traditional art called Kiyomizu-yaki, from the Kyoto region of Japan. It is to "capture the 4 seasons of nature" in the hand-painting. At the product release party, they had an artist who did this type of art...beautiful! (also great for Feng Shui-ing....). www.totousa.com Nedlaw Living Walls-this was kinda cool..these walls clean the indoor air with the same processes that nature uses outdoors. The patented, active living wall system uses lush green plants and "beneficial" microbes to produce high quality indoor air w/minimal energy use. Again, this is perfect for a commercial application or a VERY LARGE conservatory, sunroom or 3 season room. www.nedlaw.ca Skyline Design-one of my very favorite new vendors! This is an eco-friendly line of furniture for kids! tables, chairs and shelves. Recycled, renewable and low impact materials make up the furniture-plus lots of bright colors! www.skylinedesign.com Greenlam Laminates-a new line of laminates that can be used for LEED designs. Great colors and patterns. www.greenlam.com Stark Carpet-I know I'm rather anti-carpet, but this is a line of ORGANIC carpeting and fabric. A nice alternative. www.starkcarpet.com Ecolect-offers a "GreenBox" subscription service that delivers sustainable materials to the office, studio or classroom every 3 months. Very cool signage and great education and information. LOVED this!! www.ecolect.net/greenbox EchoWood-environmentally responsible wood products. They manipulate common wood fiber through computer design to reporduce the natural appearance of nearly any species of wood the client desires. Check them out at www.hardwoods-inc.com Anji Mountain Bamboo Rug Co-nice small start-up company. The BEST product was the bamboo chair mats...can be used on carpet or hard flooring surfaces so your office chair doesn't scratch the floor! Loved it. They also have area rugs made from bamboo, jute, sisal and seagrass fibers. www.anjimountain.com DuPont-introduced the new Sorona, renwably sourced fiber for commercial applications. This fiber is derived from renewable feedstocks, rather than petroleum. Another nice alternative if you must have carpeting in your space.www.sonora.dupont.com Sherwin-Williams-As we know I also love Sherwin Williams paint products. I feel they definitely lead the way in eco-friendly products and innovation. They have teamed up w/Robert Allen fabrics. 4 color schemes: Tulip, Terrain, Leaf and Hydrangea (my fave). Great color schemes and patterns. Cards are available to make the matching easier. www.sherwin-williams.com RealBio-the newest innovation from Canada in ....foam! They came up w/3 densities of foam from "cushy" (which you'd use for seat cushion) and denser version (which would make up the body or structure of whatever you were building, and a "hard" foam that can actually be made into columns! Definitely for commercial applications. www.foamforthefuture.com SkyFactory-I've written about this company before w/their virtual windows. They've now come up w/a virtual window that is actually a movie screen...Think your favorite "white noise" CD (Bach by the Ocean) but w/pictures! There is an actual player w/disc that is connected to the window/screen...and you are immediately transported to the beach, the woods, a garden...LOVE IT!!!!!!!!! Great if you live in the northern tundra and are craving the beach...bring on the Jimmy Buffett music, crank up the heat and a cocktail and you're good to go... www.skyfactory.com CanvasPress-no frame artwork.... www.canvaspress.com Astek Inc-custom design and digital print Astek Wallcovering has taken great strides in going "green" by using eco-friendly UVcured inks and the ability to print onto environmentally friendly substrates. No VOCs. www.asktewallcovering.com Benjamin Moore-introduced their line of eco-friendly paint called Natura interior waterborne paints. Beautiful packaging and can color match anything. www.benjaminmoore.com Hope this gives you an idea of what's out there! While strides to going more sustainable and eco-friendly, most of the products were geared to being LEED acceptable..which is GREAT, but still has a way to go. Hey, they're trying... July 5th we talk to Deb Mendez of Calming Collars! This will be a fun interview...