This countertop was developed by a entrepreneur from the Northwest as part of her master’s thesis. The basis of the project was to produce a building material made out of locally sourced and recycled materials. After graduation, she continued to work to commercialize the new material. The final result of her work is Squak Mountain Stone, a soapstone or limestone-like countertop material made out of Portland cement, waste flyash, waste glass dust, mixed waste paper, and pigments.

Squak Mountain Stone(TM) Countertop is made from 3% post-consumer and 64% post-industrial recycled content. The post-consumer material is mixed waste paper from AtWork!, a non-profit whose mission is to help people with disabilities become productive and contributory members of their communities. This mixed waste paper can be seen in the finished product.

The post-industrial material includes crushed glass dust from a local company who also sources local post-consumer & and post-industrial glass and class F coal flash from a regional electricity generating plant (mainly of silicon, aluminum, iron and calcium). Portland cement, although not a recycled material, is sourced from a manufacturer in the SODO district of Seattle. Non-toxic iron oxide pigments are mixed in for color.

In keeping with the goal of sourcing locally, all materials in Squak Mountain Stone(TM) are sourced within a 125 mile radius of Seattle, WA. The crushed glass is 100% recycled from mainly local window manufacturers and installers.

In addition, for every pound of portland cement manufactured, one pound of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is released into the atmosphere. In addition to substituting fly-ash for portland cement in the Squak Mountain Stone countertop, the manufacturer makes a pound for pound investment in renewable energy through a program called Green Tags. The manufacturer calculates how many pounds of portland cement (and subsequently, carbon dioxide) is used to make Squak Mountain Stone countertops and then purchases enough Green Tags to offset that amount by 100%. The result is a net zero impact of Squak Mountain Stone’s cement on global warming.

Every Green Tag prevents 1,400 lbs. of greenhouse gas emissions such as CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere. This is approximately equal to the effect of not driving your car for six weeks.

We recommend professional installation of this product.  Material cost is approximately $80 per square foot

Five earthy colors are available: http://www.tmi-online.com/products.html