The Green 50
- The Eco-Advantage
- The Industrialist
- The Integrators
- The Converts
- The Pioneers
- The Builders
- The Road Crew
- The Futurists
- The Recyclers
- How to Make Your Business Greener
- Slideshow: The Green 50
- Slideshow: 23 Products That Will Save the Planet
(or at least won't hurt it) - Slideshow: 10 Ways Companies Can Save the Environment
- Vote for Your Favorite Green Company
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Sponsored Sections
The Builders
Published November 2006
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BUY A REPRINTDavid M. Knight, CEO and co-founder of Teragren (his wife, Ann, handles the marketing), may not have been the first to recognize the advantages of using bamboo. But Teragren, which is based on Bainbridge Island, Washington, is leading the way in exploiting its economic potential. Floors are just the beginning. Teragren's bamboo is being used for walls, furniture, and retail displays, and the company has begun producing bamboo building materials such as trusses, joists, and decking.
Teragren uses only sustainably grown bamboo--the roots are left behind for regeneration. The adhesives used in production contain close to no formaldehyde. Sales at the 18-person company are growing at 40 percent a year; David Knight expects to reach $14 million this year. "You can't build an environmentally and socially responsible business," he says, "without it being economically responsible as well."
