Orinoco

Info:  Is a charity, based in Oxford, committed to banishing boredom and saving the world. We promote recycling, art and creative play through education and direct action. From our store in Headington, we supply paint, scrap materials and tools that we have sourced from businesses and rescued from the tip. The store is open from 11am to 4pm on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Recycled Materials for Construction

Info:  Materials used for constructing houses frequently cause some environmental pollution during their production. Quarries can damage landscape, wood can come from unsustainable sources, metals use a lot energy in production, PVC production produces atmospheric pollution, etc. Reclaimed materials and products made from recycled material, are likely to cause less environmental damage than new products and can also reduce refuse and land fill.

This site contains guidance on issues ranging from planning, choosing and specifying materials, to case studies of recycled and reclaimed material use. Also on this site there is a searchable database of available products with details of manufacturing processes of products, their compostion, suppliers, etc.

Sustain World

Info:  Raising sustainability awareness by promoting only the very best available sustainable building materials and professional consultancy services

The Green-Wood Company

Info:  Based in the South East of England, it specialises in Laminated Sweet Chestnut and finger jointed products, and in particular laminated sweet chestnut windows and doors. We are working with a number of our suppliers to ensure that the materials we use are obtained from sustainable and managed sources.

One such area is the use of locally grown Sweet Chestnut. Since Roman times, the Sweet Chestnut has been grown in large volumes in Southern England using the coppice method. There are currently around 18,000 ha of sweet chestnut woods in Southern England, which until recently had been used mainly for fencing and hop poles. These markets have declined in recent years but with the technological advances in adhesives and machinery, it is now possible to use this species, dried, laminated and finger jointed to larger sections for joinery production providing attractive, durable and highly sustainable products, such as the orangery featured on this page. Only a small proportion of the annual increment growth is taken from the woods and with coppicing, the tree regrows from the same rootstock and is not 'killed', thus maintaining a highly sustainable historic silvicultural system.

Tower Forge Fires

Info:  Suppliers of quality woodburning and multifuel stoves, fireplaces, fire baskets, fire backs, architectural stonework, reclaimed wood mirrors and a whole lot more.

We are a small but well stocked shop inside the ancient town of Rye, East Sussex. We are located next to the Landgate Arch, which dates back to 1329. As our name suggests, we are situated in the old forge immediatedly on the left as you pass under the arch.

Ty-Mawr Lime Ltd

Info:  Established in 1995, by husband and wife -- Nigel and Joyce Gervis, Tŷ-Mawr Lime Ltd has made an enormous contribution to resurrecting the use of traditional building materials in Wales and has become a market leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of environmentally friendly building materials and systems throughout the UK.

Concern for the environment, particularly with regards to minimising the impact of buildings on the environment, quickly became an important focus for Nigel and Joyce. It remains one of Tŷ-Mawr Lime Ltd’s core business principles today. This philosophy is at the heart of the company’s development of a unique range of environmentally-friendly building materials compatible with ‘breathing building’ principles. The range includes paints and finishes, building boards including woodfibre boards, wood wool boards, reed mats and reed boards, as well as insulation products made from Welsh sheep's wool, hemp and cellulose (recycled newspaper).

This dedication to the environment has earned Tŷ-Mawr several awards for its products, particularly those that present innovative ‘greener’ alternative to mainstream solutions. Examples of this are: glaster® -- a lime plaster made with recycled glass and sand, Lime hemp Plaster -- which uses hemp fibres instead of sand, and Limecrete, an environmentally-friendly alternative to concrete.

Urbane Living

Info:  We recognise that selecting and buying eco-friendly materials is fundamental to eco design. It is also a long-term investment which is why when we source for materials, we consider factors such as quality, performance, affordability, and environmental benefits. Our products must be made from materials that fit seamlessly with our eco-systems and offer quality and protection to our health and well-being.

We promote environmentally sound materials and products made from renewable and abundant sources, using low energy to produce, transport, and use; minimise waste and recyclable and that support fair trade and traditional crafts. We believe it is important for our homes to be harmonious with the natural environment. Designing home interiors with ecology and health in mind, not only protects our planet but we can also benefit ourselves in many ways.