The Green Building Center

Local First Utah

The Green Building Center offers environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional building, home improvement, and garden products. The number of options associated with home building and remodeling can be overwhelming, particularly when consumers would like to choose products that are healthy for the inhabitants and the environment. The Green Building Center (GBC) staff attends workshops, tradeshows, and conferences on sustainable building techniques and products to be able to give consumers honest, relevant information on all of the products available on the market.

If a green product is readily available at large chain stores, it's not likely to be on the shelves at the GBC. The mission of this store is to provide a market for products that don’t easily fit in to the big-box model. Preference is given to local products and local craftspeople. The GBC hopes to see an increase in cottage industries as a result of the awareness created by the vision of the store.

The staff believes in sustainable transportation and the majority of the employees ride bicycles to work each day. The store is home to a one-kilowatt solar electric system that provides approximately 20 percent of the store’s electrical needs in a sustainable manner. All paper consumed is completely tree-free and all cleaning products are naturally derived.

The current priority for the business is to get a fuel-efficient delivery vehicle that can be run on biodiesel fuel. The GBC recently began a pilot project to turn curbside glass into tumbled, recycled “sea glass” for use in landscapes, mosaic tables, countertops, stepping stones, etc. Closing the loop is a top priority.

At the Green Building Center they don’t believe that bigger is better: “In our opinion, small businesses provide superior customer service and product knowledge. We know our local climate, vegetation, yearly precipitation, and so on. We take the time to find out the details of a customer’s project, what the extenuating circumstances might be, and to get a feel for their experience. Only then do we recommend a product for them. At the Green Building Center, we want to get to know our customers and connect with them to foster a sense of community and help make Salt Lake City a better place for everyone.”