The evils of granite: Why going green is important!

We don't believe the problem is this extreme, but this was a fun illustration...

"Granite Study Reveals Radiation risks"

This headline, in the November 2009 edition of Environmental Building News, caught our attention at 'g'. In reading the rest of the article, we tuned into a new study on granite that shows that granite-cutters and those who are involved in the preparation and installation of granite countertops are exposed to extremely high levels of radon. These findings mean that even if your granite countertop isn't emitting radon gas into your home (a claim made last year that has been contested), the workers involved in making your countertops inhale dust and particulates containing hazardous amounts of uranium and radon among other radioactive isotopes, greatly increasing their risks of cancer.

Read the full article on the Building Green website here:

EBN: 18:11 - Granite Study Reveals Radiation Risks for Workers

And, while we're not into being alarmists, we thought that the article shed some light onto another reason to try to steer clear of supporting the granite industry. For what we're concerned with, this is just another drop in the bucket. From the green perspective, granite has never been a popular building material. One of the biggest downfalls in the granite industry is the damage that is done to the earth in the extraction of this natural resource. Disruption is cased on a grand scale; habitats destroyed, storm water runoff carries more particulates and again causes damage...there's really nothing good about it.

(can you tell which one is the granite, which is ECO?)

But, we cannot deny that granite makes a pretty countertop. So, we can hope that you'll turn to some greener and healthier options, that visually are quite similar (though we think are even better!). Over the past couple of weeks we've introduced you to a few of our favorite recycled glass countertops like Icestone and Eco by Cosentino. Often homeowners and clients turn to these as alternatives to marble and granite countertops, and we can only hope to steer more kitchen remodelers and builders in that direction.

Come to our showroom tomorrow (2/27) for a workshop on Green Kitchens and Baths and learn more about our non-granite green countertop options, among other important and interesting information about greening your remodeling project! Check out our website for more information on how to register.