Meet The Team
About Us
Over 30 years experience in green building
At Green Building Supply our mission is to help people create beautiful, healthier homes by delivering high performance, eco-friendly products we have personally used and field-tested. We specialize in non-toxic and natural building materials that are safe, sustainable, and smart. It's our passion. We are proud of being the first green building supply store in the USA where we have been providing healthier building materials since 1991.
On our website you can quickly and effortlessly browse through hundreds of natural and sustainable products. You will find Safety Data Sheets, product reviews, spec sheets, maintenance and installation guidelines, and third-party certifications on our product pages. We provide all of this information to help you make intelligent and informed decisions. You can also call one of our well-trained eco-advisors who will find answers to your questions and give product recommendations specific to your situation.
The Hirshbergs
Joy Hirshberg
Co-Founder
Joy lives, breathes, and dreams design—whether designing a beautiful new home, restoring a charming old farmhouse, or replicating a stunning Frank Lloyd Wright fireplace. Her love for design and build traces to her teenage years when she was a National 4-H Home Improvement Winner. Prior to founding Green Building Supply, Joy worked 10 years in Michigan government, with six years as Executive Director of the Michigan Consumers Council, the state's consumer advocacy agency. Her slogan, "Good consumer information is good business," inspired the development of GBS's information-dense website and popular eco advisor service. Today, Joy researches and field tests new non-toxic products. She also edits the countless information pages on the GBS website.
Melanny Hirshberg
Happiness Expert
Melanny Hirshberg makes the best pesto on the planet. Hands down. She also loves supplying health-conscious renovators with sustainable solutions for their building projects. On an average day here, you might find her training eco advisors, handling HR projects, or managing the showroom, to name a few responsibilities. On weekends, she’s busy planting things, singing, dancing through wheat fields, and doing CrossFit (so she can lift those flooring boxes easy-peasy). Or listening to Electro Swing, of course.
Joel Hirshberg
Co-founder and President
Joel’s idea of good, green fun is to help people find non-toxic products and to solve their building and home improvement problems. He develops, field tests, and markets new green building products. Joel has authored dozens of articles about green building issues, helped source products for countless new homes and remodels, and consulted with thousands of customers nationwide, many of whom suffer from multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). He also designs beautiful non-toxic kitchens and baths that ship all over the U.S. Joel spends most of his free time gardening and hands-on testing of products in real-life situations. How does he feel about his family-run company? He says, “This business rocks!”
Our Pledge
We pledge that all of our green building materials meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Non-toxic and safe
- Renewable, recycled, or upcycled
- Energy-efficient and Energy Star compliant
- Meet or exceed US or European environmental standards
- Good reputation in the industry
- Personally tested by our company
We pledge to get you the answers you need to questions regarding safety, installation, and maintenance of each product we sell.
We pledge to listen to your stories and offer advice and guidance to better your situation. We love helping people solve their problems. We have been challenged by many unusual situations that our customers have found themselves in as a consequence of using materials that were highly toxic to them and their families or thrust into an awkward situation by purchasing a new home where the previous owner used toxic materials.
Our Vision at Green Building Supply is to be your number one trusted source for eco-friendly building products. Let us help you make your home healthier, greener, and happier.
