It’s not often that I come across a product impresses me as much in person as it does in theory. A few weeks ago as I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Apartment Therapy, I came across an innovative new company called Way Basics. They make a product called zBoard, which essentially is a basic, eco-building block for anything you can imagine. A little vague, I know, but the product is so versatile that its also a bit hard to describe.
zBoards are made of 99% post-consumer waste paper and are 100% recyclable. Intrigued yet? I know I was. Of course, the first question that came to my mind was “how strong can these zBoards really be if they are made of recycled paper.” The simple answer: Strong enough to build bookshelves, tables and even beds, all fully capable of holding the weight that their functions would require.
Despite this promise, I had to try it for myself, so I was thrilled when Way Basics sent me a sample of their Cube², a basic piece made of 2 stacked cubes that is part of their series of pre-designed pieces. It had to be assembled, so I called in my husband for reinforcement. Little did I know how easy the task would be. It took us less than 10 minutes to assemble it…seriously. How often can you say that about furniture? Assembly essentially consists of peeling away adhesive backing and pressing the edges of the pieces together. Despite the humble construction, it is amazingly strong. We have been using it as low bookshelf with a lamp on top, and it shows no signs of buckling.
Way Basics has earned themselves a fan, and I’m more than happy to pass the word on to my loyal readers.
Why It’s Green:
- Made of 99% post-consumer waste paper
- 100% recyclable
Price: Their pieces are remarkably affordable, ranging from $1.75 for a shelf divider, (yes, that’s $1.75) to $62 for a three shelf bookcase.
Want to win one?
The folks at WayBasics have been gracious enough to offer up a Cube² worth $34.75 in green (a fitting color) to one reader of Green Your Decor who can come up with the most innovative use of zBoards. It may seem like a daunting task, but think of them as human-sized Legos. Armed with a stack of zBoards, you can build anything you want, from a side table to a desk, bookshelf, buffet table or even a bed.
To participate, head on over to Way Basics and check out their design gallery for examples of the pieces you can create. Don’t worry about the details, like how many zBoards you’d need or how much the finished piece would cost. Just come back here and leave a comment before 11:59 p.m. August 14, 2008, about what you would use WayBasics zBoards to build. The possibilities are literally endless! You can add doors, dividers, legs and other accessories to make your idea unique, so don’t limit yourself to a simple shelf. The ideas will be reviewed by Way Basics CEO Jimmy Chiang and I, so may the most innovative suggestion win!
You can enter as many times as you’d like. Please leave only one suggestion per comment. The contest is open to U.S. and Canada residents only, and irrelevant comments like “I’d love to win this”, “This is awesome” or “I’m trying to go green” will be deleted. Remember, the entry period ends at 11:59 p.m. August 14, 2008.
SIDE NOTE: If you’re wondering how Way Basics could possibly get any greener, it’s all about the way they do business. When I asked Jimmy Chiang to ship me a Cube² so I could give it away, his response was as green as they get: To save freight and carbon emissions, they would ship to the winner directly. I couldn’t argue with that logic 
Good luck! And while you’re here, if you haven’t already, don’t forget to sign up for Green Your Decor via RSS or via email. Either way, you’ll be sure to receive all the updates on awesome new products from Green Your Decor and more fantastic green giveaways!
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I’m Jennae Petersen, and I’m a lot of things. A mother, a graphic artist, a connosieur of beautiful interiors and a purveyor of all things design. Green Your Decor was borne of frustration in my attempts to find eco-friendly housewares that were also beautiful, and inspiration to do something to reduce my own carbon footprint and help others do the same in a beautiful way.
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I would build some badly needed shelving for my garage.
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I would love to make a brightly colored collage bookcase for my kids rooms to house all of their stuff.
These would make great room dividers. My son shares a large room with a roommate. He can take down the curtain and put up these cubes. He can make it as high or low as he wants. The cubes could hold his T.V., books or just create nooks and crannies. The possibilities are endless.
This is such an awesome concept. I was really surprised to see the bed and think that would definitely be one of my projects for my son’s room. He is needing a new bed and wants something more contemporary and this fits the bill. Thanks for sharing this website with the rest us.
We have some homemade cube boxes in our closet that are great for storing t-shirts and sweaters. But, I would like these pretty “green” ones to line up in front of a sunny window and put liners in them before putting some pretty plants in them.
The first thing I would use them for would be to stack folded sweaters and jeans.
Create a multifunctional piece of furniture that would serve as a platform for our TV, a place for our now far too many cds/books, and have a specially designated section, complete with sign.
I like the bed base best.
I’d use this to encourage my children to keep their schoolthings together. It’s perfect, one for each kid. They are so wicked looking!
I would start by constructing a computer desk. I would build a storage area around it from the floor all the way to the ceiling. There would be two columns on each side plus the area above the computer desk. I would add doors to most of the cubes and add door pulls. All of this would have clear roller wheels added where needed. This would be a dream come true! Thank you for the opportunity to win!
I would use them in my home office, put baskets in them and use it as a recycle center (a basket for office paper to use the backs as scrap paper and another basket for newspapers or a junk mail recycling).
I would design something for my daughter’s room to get everything off her floor and onto shelves…toys, dolls, cds, etc.
I would build a mini castle to go around a little table for an art center
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I would build a platform bed with storage cubes underneath for my 6 year old daughter.
i’d want to make a creative storage cube configuration for my extensive movie and cd collection, this would be really great for that!
I would line the inside of the box in chalkboard paint, and then give the kids tons of little animals, houses, people, sidewalks, etc, and have them draw on the “walls” with chalk and create an ever changing shadow box.
Then they could draw the background, and create tons of cityscapes, farm land, and houses. It would be their own creative area and change it per season/mood!
Cute Cute items!
Suzanne B. (Crunchy Green Mom)s last blog post..WW- My family and friends (Done by Ashlyn)
I would use these to organize my crafts and sewing stuff
I know this isn’t the most original idea but I would use WayBasics zBoards to build a space for storage of DVDs, CDs, Video Games, and tapes. I could really use storage for these things and I could build a nice storage space for them with the WayBasics zBoards. I also would like to build something to store all my mail in it. This is a great giveaway and I really hope I win. Thanks.
I’d love to make a little table for my son
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I love eco-friendly building materials for homes, especially cob and straw bale. You can take these awesome blocks, and inset them in the walls of a cob home for instant built-in storage. With Straw Bale building and cob the walls are relatively thick, allowing for these cubs to fit in nicely and be recessed. It would look lovely! The different colors available would brighten up the space and add a trendy kick to the patinas of the plaster!
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