going Green and turning Red

I've been struggling with a decision on what material to use on my kitchen counter tops.

It seems every "green" or recycled or environmentally friendly/sustainable product is priced even higher than top-of-the line granite slabs.

These "green" manufacturing companies can't expect people to bypass copious amounts of natural granite for their particulate glass, epoxy, and resin artificial tops when they're 1.5-3 times the price, can they?

Well, I won't.

If I'm going to blow over $6k on counter tops, they had better seal themselves, wipe themselves clean, and give me compliments and cooking advice while I'm in the kitchen.

It's frustrating to try to "go green" when the average consumer can't even afford it as an option.

I've never even really LIKED the look of granite all these years.
Solid surface (like corian) looks good to me, but isn't really affordable either.

Ugh.

I've researched plastic tops, paper tops, pouring my own cement tops, piecing my own reclaimed lumber tops, and tiling my own tops, but nothing seems to be a livable or practical choice.

Now what?

I guess formica atop a particle board backer is the only option left. Too bad they don't make a backer out of bamboo or recycled cardboard yet.
(Well, they might...just at the same price per linear foot as solid gold.)

I wish I had more options. Maybe in 5 years or so, demand for an affordable responsible product will have increased enough to push consumer prices down.

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