The Best Eco-Friendly High-Tech Home Products

At the recent International Builders Show, companies from around the world assembled (virtually, of course) to showcase their latest innovations in home products and technology. Many of these products weren't just fancy and fun to look at — they were designed to be environmentally friendly, too. Let's take a look at some of these eco-friendly standout products.

Mighty Buildings 3D-Printed Home

The construction technology firm Mighty Buildings showed how it can fully 3D-print a 350-square-foot house in less than 24 hours. Using its own composite building material and by applying state-of-the-art automation, the firm said it can produce structures twice as fast as conventional builders with 95% fewer labor hours and with 10 times less waste. Company spokesperson Helen Wong highlighted that the system can build everything from small backyard alternative dwelling units to entire subdivisions.

Source: mightybuildings.com

It's also worth mentioning that the company, in conjunction with the Palari development group, also recently announced its first-ever community of 3D-printed houses. The 15 eco-friendly homes are set for a five-acre site in Rancho Mirage, California. "This will be the first on-the-ground actualization of our vision for the future of housing," said CEO Alexey Dubov.

Kohler Smart Faucet

Kitchen appliances and fixtures made strong appearances at this year's show, including Kohler's voice-activated smart faucet. The unit dispenses measured amounts of water at your spoken command; just say the words to turn the water on, fill a container to a preset level or dispense a specific quantity. The faucet also features a motion sensor that can turn the water on and off at the wave of a hand, reducing water waste (and your utility bill!).

Source: us.kohler.com

If commanding water flow isn't just plain spiffy enough, the faucet also connects with the Kohler Konnect app so it can alert you to your water usage and detect if there's any unusual water flow.

(RELATED: How Has COVID-19 Impacted Use of Smart Home Products?)

Beko French Door Refrigerator

Beko, a company consistently awarded for its energy-efficient products, showcased an eco-friendly 36-inch French 3-Door refrigerator. With what it calls its "EverFresh" and "Active Fresh Blue Light technology" for meticulous temperature management and precise humidity control, this refrigerator keeps food fresh up to 30% longer than an average unit – up to 30 days.

Source: beko.com

According to the company's website, this technology simulates natural light conditions, extending the photosynthesis process, and thus maintaining freshness and nutritional value of your food while reducing food waste.

Lasso Loop Recycling Center

Still in prototype, but an eco-friendly problem solver nonetheless (when you consider that a whopping 91% of all plastic is actually not recycled), Lasso Loop's in-home recycling center is a clever, dishwasher-sized appliance that works in tandem with an app to maximize recyclability. While shopping, your app can scan container barcodes to determine if the packaging is recyclable before you buy it. If so, the unit can clean, shred, and compress the metal, glass or plastic materials into an onboard container.

Source: lassoloop.com

According to their website, "Plastic, metals and glass are broken down separately, reducing [them] to a fraction of their size and maintaining valuable purity throughout," making them viable for closed-loop recycling. Once the bin is full, all you have to do is schedule a pickup from your app or a drop-off at an approved facility.

LG Studio WashTower

Another eco-friendly award winner at the show, LG's Studio WashTower makes laundry day easier with a series of sensors that detect fabric texture and load size, and then automatically select the optimum controls, washing and drying temperatures, and speed settings for the most efficient laundry experience on the market.

Source: prnewswire.com

According to LG's website, "The LG STUDIO model offers the platform's largest capacity with a 5.0-cubic- foot ENERGY STAR certified front-load washer – large enough to tackle king size bedding – below a 7.4-cubic-foot ENERGY STAR dryer so you can get more done in fewer loads." Paired with the LG app, you can start or stop the units at will and check for the remaining cycle time.

To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.