Cosentino: ECO™ for NOLA
The line of eco-friendly countertop and surfacing material, composed of 75-percent recycled material, will be used in homes now being built as part of the plan – founded by actor Brad Pitt – to place 150 affordable and green storm-resistant residences New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward.
“We are proud to be collaborating with such an important organization and mission,” says Lorenzo Marquez, VP of Marketing for Cosentino North America. “Make It Right is working hard to help families return to New Orleans post-Katrina.
“More than that, they are building homes of the future with the latest green technology and material innovations. The site is a showcase for sustainable architecture worldwide.”
“On behalf of Brad Pitt and Make It Right, we are thrilled to be a part of ECO by Cosentino’s endeavors,” says Tom Darden, executive director of Make It Right. “We rely on the generous product donations from companies like Cosentino and cannot thank them enough for helping us to rebuild this great city.”
From its inception, the Make It Right project relied on the generosity of acclaimed local, national and international architects who donated their cutting-edge designs for single-family homes and duplexes, including Gehry Partners, GRAFT and William McDonough + Partners.
Product selections for the Make It Right homes are strictly evaluated based on Cradle-to-Cradle(SM) thinking, developed and popularized by architect William McDonough. The William McDonough + Partners team helps guide the design process and materials used in the new Make It Right homes. Both the products and construction methods used must be safe for people and the environment.
The donations from ECO by Cosentino will allow kitchens in the remaining homes of Make It Right to be fitted with state-of-the-art, certified Cradle-to-Cradle kitchen countertops.
ECO by Cosentino is composed of 75-percent post-industrial and post-consumer recycled raw material, including: mirrors salvaged from houses, building and factories; glass from windows and bottles; porcelain from china, tiles, sinks, toilets and decorative elements; industrial furnace residuals from factories in the form of crystallized ashes; stone scrap from mountains, quarries, manufacturing, and fabrication. The raw materials are bonded together with a proprietary eco-friendly resin made in part by corn oil.
“ECO by Cosentino matches the durability of quartz surfaces, exceeds the performance of more conventional materials such as granite and marble, and is dramatically less damaging to the environment,” says Valentin Tijeras Garcia, Cosentino’s Director of Product Innovation. “It is the ideal product for today’s eco-minded consumer who seeks performance and sustainability, without sacrificing design.”
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