"Green" is as much marketing as anything else. Appealing to guilt is as good as appealing to sexiness or practicality.

Have to disagree with that - there are clearly better and worse choices when it comes to the environmental impact of materials. It's also a misconception that environmentally-sensitive products appeal to guilt. For many, they foster a sense of pride for being careful with your decision.

But it can be a complex choice, as you're seeing with Danby vs recycled materials. When you take into account shipping distance, origins of the material, and manufacturing process, it's hard to know how to weigh all those factors. There often is not one clear winner. I think the best an average consumer can do is to research the choices, sort out the winners and losers, then pick from among the winners. Good luck with your decision!

I like the idea of using a local(ish) stone for countertops! I would use marble from Colorado if I could find some since I live in Kansas. Good for you doing your research! I don't have any answers to your questions, sorry.

I agree that it's complex to try to make green choices. I am no expert. I think some things to consider are transportation, durability, and the manufacturing or mining process. A stone countertop has the downside of being mined, but the upside of being durable. A local stone would help with the transportation issues and would have some assurances of being mined at least to US environmental and safety standards.

When we were looking at soapstone I was hoping to get one from alberene, which is not local to me, but is at least in the US. At this point, we are planning on stainless steel (subject to budget). We are headed in that direction for a variety of reasons, but on the environmental front it can be made from a very high percentage of recycled material can be recycled again at the end of its life and it's very durable.

I'm linking an article below on countertops and environmental impact. It's just what I found googling, so judge the source for yourself. There's a lot more out there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Green homes guide to countertops

Pick the one that you believe you will use and ENJOY the longest....so many people seem to redo and spend a lot more getting what they really wanted in the first place on the second time...that is the biggest waste of all.

Yes, something you keep a long time is the greenest choice.

After not remodeling, that is...

Agreed! The big environmental problem with stone on Modern American counters is that it took geological ages to create, and will generally be destroyed after 10-50 years. The industrial processes, and even the shipping, are the least of it.

Another thing to look at with manufactured countertops, including most of the "green" ones, is that they are most often made with resin, and only a few use non-petroleum resins. I used sunflower seed husk board in dry areas (it's not appropriate for wet), which is husks bound with resin. It's green enough to use the husks which would otherwise be fibers for paper or compost or something, but when you add in the resin, energy to make it, etc., it's really no more "green" than any other kind of board. I chose it because it's pretty!

The greenest choice you can make is reuse. Next is upcycle/sidecyle (adapt something already in use, but use new materials (paint, varnish, even electricity for the sander). Recycled is quite a ways down because it uses a lot of resources to make it happen, and it can actually be a bigger charge on the environment than brand new. Sustainable (e.g., quick growth wood) is a greener choice than anything that is cut from the earth or needs a big factory to make.

Building a new kitchen is not a green choice, period. Accept that and take a deep breath. Then eliminate the "brown" choices that are actively bad. I love the whole concept and look of Bioglass, but it is not a green choice by any means, even though it's made of recycled glass. Choose something you like and will continue to like, and make your kitchen well designed and built enough that it won't require being redone during your lifetime.

Just heard that building a Toyota Prius creates more pollution than is saves driving it. So you buy one because you get good gas mileage not because you are saving the environment.

Get the counter that fits your budget, needs, fits your kitchen style, etc.

Debrak, and how does building a Prius compare to building a hummer?

Of course there are varying degrees of environmental damage depending on material. When you're a large corporation peddling products that have some impact, you put as much spin on as possible. A large section of your market may be ex-hippies concerned enough about global warming, but not concerned enough to stop eating meat.

85% of the marble mined in Pakistan is wasted:

Here is a link that might be useful: 85%

Stone countertops can arguably be viewed as a very green choice. Of course the stone has to be quarried but virtually any virgin material countertop is going to have similar raw material proccessing costs.

The various "recycled" products are invariably a recycled material mixed into some type of matrix (typically a petrochemical based resin) in an energy intensive process. The slabs with the recycled content are then usually polished just like a raw stone slab.

Granite shop waste (including removed old tops) is recycled into roadbed and parking lot gravel so it that respect stone countertops are also "green".

The "greenest" project we ever did was repurposing slate chalkboards salvaged from a school demolition into countertops.

Thank you for all your input. I totally agree that renovation is not green at all, unfortunately the back of our house was rotting and the kitchen was not functional. My cabinets and granite are being reused by a friend that has rentals, marmoleum floors, stainless steel on the island, salvaged wood open shelves, etc. one thing at time I'm trying to make the best decision possible to minimize the environmental burden. I believe Eco uses a corn based resin. I'm leaning toward marble....tired of thinking about it!!

I totally agree with PractiGal -- by the way, coolest screen name ever -- in that doing it right ONCE and not updating in 10-15 years because your items have become "outdated" is the most green choice you could possibly make.

Personally, I like the look of recycled glass countertops, but I've heard that they have a limited lifespan.

Another obvious way you can "go green" is to build a modest sized kitchen. Avoid the temptation to build miles and miles of countertop that will just be a junk collector. Not long ago a 10x10 kitchen was considered ideal. How'd we increase our "needs" so significantly in such a short time?

One thing you may want to look into is where the Vermont marble is cut. Danby marble used to be sent in blocks to Italy to be cut into slabs. I believe that there is now a fabrication facility in Vermont that services the Danby quarry, but you should check into this yourself if it is something you care about. In this respect, Italian or Indian marble may have a smaller carbon footprint than US marble that has made a voyage to Europe and back. Other domestic stones you may want to consider are soapstone and Jet Mist/Virginia Mist granite (check to make sure that it actually comes from the Rapidan/Culpepper quarries).

If you really want to reduce your carbon footprint, you should do the following: minimize driving and airline travel/drive an efficient vehicle, improve the energy-efficiency of your home (seal, insulate, install efficient appliances and lights when replacing), keep your thermostat set to 78 or more in the summer, and 68 or less in the winter, eat less meat, and in general reduce consumption, reuse when possible, and recycle.

I too thought eco was a great way to go for counters until i started reading reviews about them scratching and chipping. scratching is one if the reasons i didn't go corian as well ( look at the counters at hd/ lowes to see how scratched it gets)
however marble has its own set of flaws...chipping and etching. i am not a patina kind of person so in the end i went granite.
every material has it's downside. you have to know what you can live with.
soapstone could be another local choice but again it also chips and scratches so you have to be ok with that.
i agree with all the posters that said the way to be green is to pick something you really like so you won't have to rip it out in 10 years.
btw there was a granite at my fabricators shop that was mined in ny. it was dark, gorgeous and around $100 per sq ft and local to New England.

Hey guys, it's getting a little preachy. I am perfectly aware of what it takes to 'go green'. We grow our own food, have one car although we walk mostly, I took out AC and our heating in boston is set at 65 When we're home, compost, reuse, do not have 'miles of countertops'-24 sq.ft., I explicitly told the architect I did not want more square footage.
So back to countertops please! Salvaged wood is another possibility if anyone has experience with that. Thank you.

I bought old chalkboards from a school that was being torn down and will be using those for my countertops. The decision to do so was mostly a frugality issue - all the slate I could possibly use for $50. Reusing is green, it saved me some green, everybody wins.

We actually just used salvaged wood to construct a bar area and countertop in our basement. We used it grooved side up for the bar face, and grooved side down for the countertop. The paneling was 0.75" thickness, so we attached it to a 0.75" piece of plywood to make it standard counter thickness. It had been tongue and groove pine paneling in it's prior life. It has a really nice rustic look, if that is what you are going for. We gave it 3 coats of Waterlox to make it suitable for putting drinks on. I think it would be a good option for a part of the kitchen that doesn't get too much moisture. Not sure how it will hold up around a sink...