"Green Depot is a leading supplier of environmentally friendly and sustainable building products, services and home solutions. Our primary goal is to facilitate green living and building in communities so that it is easy, affordable and gratifying."
Basically, a fancy way of saying they sell green building materials. The company was founded in 2005 and recently opened a flagship store in Manhattan. They also have locations in several other cities including Brooklyn, Newark, Philadelphia, Boston, Greenport, Chicago, Albany, and Newark, DE. And of course, you can always shop online at greendepot.com.
The Store
Green Depot's flagship store is located in the Bowery in Manhattan, a currently in-flux neighborhood that used to be gritty but is now more gentrified. In fact, the interior of this new store is New York State's very first LEED Platinum retail space.
And it's pretty attractive, too. Forget your typical home improvement warehouse store; this is more like a boutique. The 3,500 square foot ground-floor space was formerly a YMCA, NYC's first in fact. Design firm Mapos was engaged to transform the space, but they were careful to preserve historic elements such as tiling from the pool, as well as original beams and the wood gymnasium floor. They also made it energy efficient by installing a new AC, LED light fixtures and using low VOC finishes (which, of course, are available now for purchase in the store).
Don't expect to find hard-core building materials here, however. It focuses on the "pretty" side of remodeling rather than the gritty-which is fitting for the neighborhood. Expect to find green cleaning products, paint supplies, plumbing fixtures and even a kitchen showroom. You can also purchase eco-friendly baby apparel.
The Website
If you don't live in the Northeast, then you have to shop online for Green Depot's products. They do have a great selection of eco-friendly flooring including FSC wood, caulks and adhesives, drywall, insulation and so forth. The website claims that all products pass through the "Green Filter," so you know they are truly green and you aren't getting greenwashed. "CLEAR icons" displayed on each product page let you know how it affects air quality, where it comes from, and if it will help to conserve energy.
Many products on greendepot.com are listed without a price, and you must contact them with your specific requirements to receive an estimate. On average, Green Depot's prices are higher than national chains like Home Depot or Lowe's. However, if you are in the market for upscale finishes that are also eco-friendly, such as attractive alternatives to ceramic tile, you'll find all kinds of interesting options at Green Depot that aren't available at your local retailer. Keep in mind, though, if the products must be shipped from long distances, it kind of cancels out the fact that they are "green."