Our Story

AlterECO was founded in 1997 upon an empowering mission statement that continues to inspire our work today. In those early days, ecological design, green building, and conscious business practices were barely beginning to enter the construction vernacular in progressive locales. It was a fresh new idea to measure business success in terms of the “triple bottom line” of people, planet & profit.

We have since added a fourth measure of success for AlterECO – purpose, which undergirds and emboldens the other three. So, we are guided by a “quadruple bottom line” of people, planet, profit, & purpose.

The purpose – or Why – of AlterECO is because our world needs nurturing and our lives need nourishing.

Though we’ve journeyed through many changes over the years, this adventure is just beginning. At the heart of our work is a sincere desire and commitment to design & create healthy, eco-friendly kitchens that our clients love and that love life!

AlterECO pioneered modern bamboo cabinetry, and bamboo is now an increasingly sought-after material for a wide variety of applications. Nevertheless, AlterECO remains small and nimble by choice: the choice to deliver cabinetry to the local San Francisco Bay Area, to provide ECOdesign services globally, and to be a participant in the burgeoning re-invention of local living economies and the promotion of regenerative living.

I hope we can be of service,

 Thom Harrison

Founder + CEO