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Introduction to Glavel Sub-slab insulation and lightweight fill made from recycled glass bottles The state of glass recycling in America is grim. Although post-consumer glass is theoretically very recyclable, our municipal recycling facilities have not been able to make the process work in reality the same way it has in Germany or Ja … read more

A Declaration of Independence from Foam Plastic Insulation When in the course of constructing and renovating buildings, it becomes necessary for architects, consultants and builders to stop using materials and methods which have defined high-performance building in our time, and determine to set a new course separate and free from foam … read more

Asbestos: A Living Lesson In Our Fight With Toxic Spray Foam In our quest to make a less toxic world, 475 often focuses on how, today, too often professionals are insisting on filling buildings with toxic, bioaccumulative, plastic spray foam insulations. It seems obvious enough, that as we seek to limit plastic bag use and use biodegradable … read more

What’s 475 About Reflections for a New Year (2018) This article was first posted January 1, 2017.  With each New Year we'll revisit and update/edit as we see appropriate - keeping our sense of mission and values front and center. When people ask what do we do, one abbreviated response is: “We sell tape.” Though “we sell tape” describes a sim … read more

Reason Foam Fails #8 Hypersensitive On-Site Manufacturing The construction industry has been making more and more building parts in the factory - through panelization, modular construction, and complex component fabrication. Factories are great at providing predictable environments that optimize construction quality while protecting wo … read more

Reason Foam Fails #7: Unhealthy Off-Gassing & Dust credit: uscountryproperties.com Spray foam throws off two forms of toxic poison: off-gassing of the volatileorganic compounds and uncured chemicaldust. Spray foam is a two-component chemical system: Part A andPart B. When the chemicals are properly prepared and precisely mixed … read more