April 21st, 2009

Chet Shank, age 38, owner of Thinking Green Systems, LLC, Shippensburg, Penn.

What I do:

I’ve been building houses for 20 years and began Thinking Green Systems a little over a year ago. The company is a dealer and installer of “BioBased 501″, a spray-in soybean oil-based polyurethane foam insulation, which does not contain formaldehyde and does not emit CFCs or HFCs.

How it helps:

This insulation is made without petroleum products which are fossil fuels. BioBased 501 is made from soybeans, an annually renewable resource.

How I got here:

I was not happy with the insulation choices for the homes I was building. Because fiberglass and cellulose-based insulation accumulates outside pollen and dirt, over time it reduces the R-value after 7 to 10 years. Our product, which provides 30-50% more efficiency never loses its energy efficiency.

How I’m doing:

We are seeing a 50% increase in our sales even in this year, with the bad economy. It kept the rest of my business afloat.

Advice

The market for green building products keeps growing so I think it’s a good way to go. However, I would caution that people still need to be more educated on the benefits – particularly the cost-saving benefits – which takes time.

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