Green Hero of Chicago- Joe Silver: Supplying for the Green Demand

Having grown up in a construction supply family, it was an easy decision for Joe Silver to take on the family business. However, Joe chose not only to uphold the business but more importantly he chose to modify his product to be more applicable to the times—the more environmentally responsible times. Joe Silver is a partner in one of the leading sustainable building supply companies in Chicago, and for this reason he is this week’s GreenWerks Green Hero of Chicago.

After having originally founded GreenMaker Supply Co., Joe recently made the move to merge with Green Depot allowing his business to flourish in not only Chicago but other states as well. Joe’s Green Depot sells sustainable building supplies, whether it’s paints, carpets, cabinets, or any materials needed to build or remodel your space in an environmentally conscious manner. Green Depot prides itself on selling products that fit its green criteria of air quality, conservation, local, energy, and responsibility. These five staples are displayed all throughout their store and website allowing consumers to actually see what makes these green products different from conventional products.

Joe urges consumers to look into using more sustainable products as it is a smart, easy decision, “These materials lead to better indoor health—we take out all the harmful chemicals. Like let’s take our cabinets: there’s no added formaldehydes.” He also points out the better sustainability of his products, “Our flooring is all renewable.”

Despite Joe’s success–his stores are doubling in number every year, he admits that there is somewhat of a green resistance among consumers who have only bought conventional products, “In the beginning, we were working mostly on education.” A major deterrent for Joe’s business is the misconception that the pricing for green products is much higher than conventional products yet he shoots down this theory, “Half of our store right now is down to conventional pricing—there’s little difference anymore.”

As far as the hesitation to build green because it may just be a fad, Joe believes that’s ridiculous. Having grown up seeing the trends of construction and remodeling he is confident that being more environmentally responsible in your home or building is the future, “It’s here to stay—it’s not green, I hate the word green because that sounds like a niche—this way of building should just be the norm.”

What can we, the individual, do to help make sustainable building supplies the “norm”? According to Joe, it’s all about our decisions, “Contractors are afraid of change, it’s the homeowners that are making the demand.” Let’s make the demand, Chicago!

Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:

1. Chicago Green Festival
2. Chicago Green Home Fair- Center for Green Technology
3. GreenMaker is now Green Depot Chicago
4. Green Hero of Chicago-Jen Khatchatrian: Mom on a Mission
5. Green Hero of Chicago-Lisa Elkins: Redesigning Chicago’s Sustainability