Anthony Brozna is a co-owner of ECO Supply Center, Richmond's only green interior retailer.

To a lot people, bamboo furniture means tiki torches and uncomfortable lawn chairs. But for Anthony Brozna, an owner of ECO Supply Center, Richmond's only green interior retailer, bamboo plywood is an ideal building material. "People see it and they can't believe that this is bamboo, and they can't believe that this is 20 percent harder than maple," says Brozna.

Like the other interior building materials offered at ECO Supply, including sorghum plywood, low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) latex paint, PaperStone countertops, water-based finishes, and American Clay natural plaster, bamboo plywood is natural and sustainable. According to bamboo plywood manufacturer Plyboo, it reaches 40 feet tall and more than six inches in diameter in five to six years. And unlike trees, which must be replanted, bamboo regenerates naturally after harvest.

"We pretty much have a green option for every interior application, except for carpet," says Brozna. In keeping with his desire "to be able to reach out further" and to show consumers and contractors alike that sustainable, toxin-free "material could be used in a broader sense," Brozna offers advice and "eco fab" workshops on how to build with these new materials.

Anthony Brozna at work in his furniture studio.

ECO Supply also offers custom-made furniture, cabinetry, and a line of partially handmade heirloom quality furniture called Ecoline. Influenced by mid-century modern Scandinavian design, Brozna focuses his award-winning furniture on "workmanship and timelessness." Unlike his high-end commission work, Brozna designs Ecoline with the "middle tier" customer in mind.

His customers range from retirees to VCU students, from contractors to families with small children, and from Florida to Los Angeles. Brozna, who has a degree in sculpture from VCU, began the business two years ago. He explains that, "Furniture becomes part of the family…you're providing something that's lasting and sustainable for somebody," in contrast with the flimsy furniture that he had become frustrated with before starting ECO Supply.

"You can't afford to buy cheap things," said Brozna. "People have gotten in the habit of having to re-buy and re-buy. So, if they spend maybe just a little bit more" initially, they may actually end up saving money. But for contractors and builders who are purchasing raw materials, the price of buying green is often equal to the price of traditional, unsustainable materials.

According to Brozna, ecofriendly plywood is comparable in price to the plywood that contractors normally use for interior work, while VOC-free paint costs the same as conventional paint. "From the manufacturing all the way to the end result," green materials are about "trying to make sure that [the] entire line of people are safe," said Brozna.

LEFT: These end tables use Kirei Board, a wood substitute made from the stalks of the sorghum plant. They are part of Brozna's Ecoline furniture line. RIGHT: This dining chair, also from the Ecoline collection, is made from solid bamboo hardwood in a choice of fabrics.

Sustainable, natural materials like bamboo plywood have become accessible and affordable only within the last five years. Thanks to increased awareness about global warming and other environmental issues, consumer interest in green materials is growing, and the market is undergoing a period of innovation. For example, Kirei, the manufacturer of the plywood on Brozna's workshop shelves, fabricates its materials from the stalks of sorghum plants, which are normally considered waste. Sorghum farmers in China bring their stalks to Kirei's nearby manufacturers, who then press the stalks into panels. Farmers are paid for the stalks, so there's a little social aspect to the panel as well, says Brozna.

Unlike the environmental movement of the 1970s, Brozna emphasizes that the innovation currently happening in the market is not a passing trend. Rather, green materials are "here to stay, and because of that people are educating themselves more as consumers," he says. The Green Building Retailers Summit, which met for the first time last year, may help ensure that the market continues to expand. The event was attended by green retailers from across the country, who hope to use their influence to standardize the green building label.

Fortunately for suppliers and builders like Brozna, the durability, affordability, and attractive organic look of green materials mean that they tend to sell themselves. "It's not this thing that's unreachable anymore," says Brozna. "Start now — there's no reason not to."

ECO SUPPLY CENTER'S showroom is located at 403 Stockton St. in Old Manchester.
Call 232-8416 for more information.