[Greenbuilding] Alternatives to PVC pipe?

Wed May 16 10:36:57 CDT 2007

Sounds great! Can it take pressure (i.e., be the "hardline" to my water
tank)? Are there any west coast distributors?

Mary Bull, Co-director
Greenwood Earth Alliance, Save the Redwoods - Boycott the Gap Campaign
252 Frederick, San Francisco, CA 94117 http://www.gapsucks.org
Chalice Farm and Sustainable Living Center, 748 Montgomery Rd, Sebastopol CA
95472
415-731-7924 - 415-509-1188 chalicenew at earthlink.net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Lent" <tlent at healthybuilding.net>
To: <Greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 7:55 AM
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Alternatives to PVC pipe?

> For the complete (but still not only a 2 page quick read) HBN summary of
the
> USGBC report
> http://www.pharosproject.net/wiki/index.php?title=USGBC_TSAC_PVC
>
> Tom
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org
> [mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of William
Updike
> Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 7:01 AM
> To: Greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Alternatives to PVC pipe? +
> "PlasticOcean"byS.Casey, Best Life Magazine, May 2007
>
> This is the quote from the recent analysis by the U.S.
> Green Building Council on PVC:
>
> "When we add end-of-life with accidental landfill
> fires and backyard burning, the additional risk of
> dioxin emissions puts PVC consistently among the worst
> materials for human health impacts..." USGBC Technical
> Science Advisory Committee (TSAC) final report.
>
> And here's the response to that report by the Healthy
> Building Network:
>
> http://www.healthybuilding.net/news/070309TSACfinal.html
>
> Here's the quote from the recent coverage in
> Environmental Building News:
>
> "The environmental burdens of manufacturing CPVC are
> likely to be greater than those of PVC. Added steps
> require more energy and raw materials, and entail more
> occupational and environmental hazards from the
> production of additional chlorine gas as well as the
> handling of hydrogen chloride and hydrochloric acid.
> According to U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC's)
> PVC report, among other sources, PVC is worse than
> other materials in several environmental and human
> health impact arenas, including cancer risks and
> emissions from end-of-life disposal."
>
> I'd recommend that everyone on this listserv watch the
> film Blue Vinyl sometime.  It's actually an
> entertaining (and of course disturbing) take on the
> vinyl industry.  There is no room in green building
> for any vinyl products in my opinion.
>
> In full disclosure, I work for a green building supply
> company on the East Coast called Nature Neutral
> (www.natureneutral.com) that sells a polypropylene
> piping system made by the German manufacturer
> Aquatherm (www.aquatherm.de).  We believe this pipe
> (though still a petroleum product it is nearly pure
> polypropylene and is thus inert--it is certified to
> NSF 51 standard for food-grade contact and only
> stainless steel can claim that) to be the best
> performing and best environmental pipe on the planet.
> And though we can't really talk about this in the
> U.S., the Aquatherm's Fusiotherm supply pipe is backed
> by the European Greenpeace--and they don't do things
> like that lightly.  It also is sturdier than the other
> pipes out there--it can survive a freeze-thaw cycle
> and isn't as brittle as C-PVC.  We've actually driven
> over it with our truck and it was fine afterwords.
>
> The only dealer of Aquatherm on the West Coast that I
> know of is in the Northwest (Portland, I believe), so
> it might not help you Mary, but perhaps soon a
> supplier in California will pick it up.
>
> If anyone is interested in learning more, drop me an
> e-mail off-list.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Bill Updike
> Regional Sales Representative
> Nature Neutral, Green Building Supply
> www.NatureNeutral.com
> Mobile: 434-284-1946
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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