When it comes to being green about the surface where you prepare your greens, there are many options. The market for eco-friendly countertops has expanded during the past decade.

"It's grown substantially," said Marty Moros, owner of Moros Fabrication in Boulder.

When mulling which eco-friendly countertop to use, there are several factors to consider. Among them are the types of materials used to make the counter and the resources consumed during its manufacture.

While pleasing to the eye, the popular granite countertops are problematic when it comes to the environment. The stone can release radon into the home atmosphere, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and harvesting the stone from quarries in other parts of the world can have a negative impact on the environment.

Opting for counters that are made from recycled materials are typically a greener choice. Several manufacturers now make counters from already used products, such as glass bottles and jars. One of the most recent products on the market is countertops made from bio-based materials, like corn, soy or recycled papers. The hardened resin-based counters, though, have their critics among some environmentalists who point out the energy it takes to grow and harvest the natural substances, which are used to make the plastics, can be substantial.

If you prefer a natural counter made from wood or bamboo, look for products that carry the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. The FSC is an organization that promotes sustainable practice of forest management.


Also, make certain your countertop doesn't contain any potentially dangerous glues or sealants. Some glues contain formaldehyde that can off gas into your home over time.

Pete Zoller, who goes by the name "concrete" Pete, has been making custom-designed concrete countertops in Boulder the past six years. For a number of reasons, his concrete counters are friendlier to the environment than many other types, he said. First of all, they're made locally as opposed to shipped from far-flung locales.

"That comes into play when you're looking at a slab of stone that's cut out of a quarry in Brazil or China and then hauled down the hill, put on a boat and then shipped to L.A., then put on a train," Zoller said. "I bypass all that. It's a locally sourced, locally made product. There's a lot less embodied energy in it."

In addition, Zoller doesn't use water to polish his counters, in contrast with the manufacturing of some stone counters, such as granite, where wet polishing is common. He also uses fly ash in the concrete mix. Fly ash is a post-industrial product scraped from the inside of industrial smoke stacks that would otherwise end up in landfills.

"It turns out if you mix it into your concrete