Pretty Little Green Things

Archive for the ‘Misc. Thoughts’ Category

Congratulations to the winners of the bkr glass water bottle giveaway!  I wanted to post a few of their comments in case it sparks ideas, comments or discussion.  None of us is perfect, but I’m happy to hear that you’re aware and making better choices.

From Morgan: “I’ll admit that I occasionally still drink from plastic water bottles.  I ALWAYS recycle them after consumption though. I only buy them when I’ve forgotten a re-usable bottle and am thirsty out on the road. I have a few different sizes of Sigg water bottles that I use otherwise and at home of course I drink from glasses.”

From Mika: “My family just built a “green” house and are doing everything we can to live a really sustainable life. I use stainless steel and bpa plastic re-usable bottles for our water. .but none of them are as gorgeous as these glass ones.. I would be proud to tote one of these around!” Check out Mika’s blog to see more of her green house.

From Sare: “I grew up with the outdoorsy type of family, so we always had reusables on hand and never really got into the disposables. I’m still using the (BPA free) nalgene I bought five years ago and it is beat to bits. I love these bottles!”

Thank you to all who entered.  I love reading your comments, so keep ‘em coming, even if it’s not a giveaway.  Congrats to Morgan, Mika & Sare.

Now that I’ve celebrated my one year blogging anniversary, I’m turning the tables on you.  I’ve been writing posts based on what I love and find interesting like green hotels, eco-friendly product round-ups, sustainable vendors and more.  But I’d love to hear back from you.  What would you like to see that you’re not?  Or what would you like to see more of?  And if there’s something you want to know more about, name it and I’ll incorporate it.  I want to hear from you, so comment below or on Facebook and let me know your thoughts.

In other news, there is still time to enter the giveaway for a beautiful bkr glass water bottle.  Click here and comment at the bottom or on Facebook to enter.  Comments will be closed at midnight on Wednesday, so enter now!

It’s that time of year again…Earth Day!  There are tons of great events happening throughout the country so get out there and get involved.  Earth Day Network has put together a Billion Acts of Green website where you can post your green goals as well as search for Earth Day events going on in your neighborhood.

But Earth Day is really all about examining your habits and figuring out ways to make a change for the better.  It’s not just a day, but a commitment to ourselves, our families, our country and our planet.  So what can we do in our own lives to make the world just a little bit greener?  If you’re like me (and you probably are), there’s already a lot that you do in your daily routine that’s eco-friendly.  I recycle, turn off lights, use CFLs and walk to work.  So I started thinking about what I could add to this routine.  I’m sharing a few of my own goals to get the conversation started.

• We already shop at Whole Foods and our local farmer’s market, but this spring and summer I’m going to make more of an effort to buy both locally grown and in-season produce.
• This is one I always forget about: unplug as many appliances and chargers as I can after I’m done using them.
• I’ve been seeing more and more clothing retailers moving to organic fabrics (case in point, H&M has a “Conscious Collection” now), so if I’m not buying vintage, I’m going to try to stick to organic clothing.
• One of the things I’ve found most frustrating about working in New York City, is the lack of recycling programs in office buildings.  If you ask, they say the garbage is sorted, but I don’t believe them.  Not only that, what if someone puts paper or a soda can in a non-clear bag?  How would the sorter ever know?  So my goal is to start a recycling program in my own office and maybe even the whole building.

What are your Earth Day goals?  Leave a comment below and let’s build on each others’ ideas.  Happy Earth Day!

My always lovely Koroseal reps came into my office today for an awesome presentation on the history of wallpaper (so fascinating!) and to show off some of their newest wallpaper products.  After the presentation, we were chatting and they mentioned that their vinyl wallcovering reclamation program isn’t getting back enough material and they’ve been buying plastic products.  What?!  So here’s the deal: After being carefully removed and shipped to Koroseal’s factory, the vinyl material is then recycled into new wallcovering.  It takes a bit of extra time and labor on the contractor’s part but it is so worth it.  And if you’re working on a LEED project, you can earn points for the reclamation in addition to the good feeling in your heart.

So if you are an interior designer or architect with old vinyl wallcovering in your renovation project, pretty please convince your project owners to take part in this amazing program.  And if you’re in a position to make this sort of decision, do the right thing and recycle your old wallpaper.  Why should Koroseal have to resort to buying products to recycle when there is already so much being thrown away?  Don’t let that vinyl sit in landfills for thousands of years.

Alright, that’s my soapbox for the day.  I’m leaving you with some installation shots from Koroseal’s various lines.

Anya Larkin for Koroseal

Arte for Koroseal

Sondra Alexander for Koroseal

Arte for Koroseal

As you can probably guess, I’m a big believer in slower and smaller living.  In recent months, I’ve even been challenging myself to live with less – repair what I can and buy only what we truly need.  I’m not perfect, but I’m getting better.  So when I saw a write-up about Tiny Texas Houses in the latest issue of Country Living, it struck a cord with me.  Not only are these houses incredibly cute (they’re like dollhouses for adults!), they’re also totally environmentally friendly.

Founder Brad Kittel builds tiny custom houses from 99% salvaged materials originally destined for a landfill.  At around 400 square feet, he manages to pack in a full kitchen, bathroom, living area, bedroom and two lofted areas plus an outdoor porch on either end of the house.  I’d say that was expert space planning!  Starting at $32,000, homeowners can design the tiny house of their dreams with styles ranging from rustic to Queen Anne to an gambrel-roofed Dutch Colonial.  Who says bigger is always better in Texas?

While extreme small living may not be for everyone, I’m sure my fellow New Yorkers would agree that living in 400 square feet is totally doable.  My husband and I live in 650 square feet quite comfortably.  And that’s without the benefit of added lofts or porches.

I mean, how cute is this house?  I could totally live here.  What about you?

A view of one of the interiors from the upper loft.

This one is actually a tiny chapel.

Park Lane Guesthouse in Austin was inspired to use a few Tiny Texas Houses as rooms for their guests.  This would be a wonderful and charming place to stay.

Another cottage at Park Lane Guesthouse

A detail of one of the cottages at Park Lane Guesthouse

Photos from Tiny Texas Houses and Park Lane Guesthouse

Plus “What do you mean my flowers aren’t green?”

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

I don’t mean to ruin this romantic holiday, but did you know that not all flowers are eco-friendly?  That’s right, even though your bouquet was grown from the soil, it doesn’t mean it was done in a sustainable way.  Many conventional flowers are not grown using fair-trade practices and are sprayed heavily with toxic pesticides, dyes and other chemicals.  Not very romantic is it?  But guess what, you have so many other options for an eco-friendly Valentine’s that there’s no excuse.  Here are a few:

Buy flowers from your local farmers market ~ Not only will you be getting your blooms from nearby (thus saving on transportation ills), but you can chat with the farmer about how and where they were grown.  As a rule of thumb, it’s always best to buy your fruits and veggies in season and that logic applies to flowers too.  Now, I’ll admit, there isn’t the biggest selection of flowers at winter markets so you might have to get creative.  You might think I’m crazy, but cabbage is a gorgeous plant especially in the winter when it turns all kinds of pretty colors.  No, it’s not a rose, but won’t your valentine be happier with the sentiment that you love them AND the planet?

Buy organic flowers ~ Did you know that roses are dumped in fungicide in order to pass border inspections?  And even if you buy in the US, conventional flowers can contaminate groundwater and streams through fertilizer and pesticide run-off.  Not very pretty is it?  Fortunately you have lots of great options for organic blooms.  Online alternatives include Organic Bouquet, California Organic Flowers, and Organic Style.  In addition, many traditional online retailers have started offering eco-friendly options, although personally I’d rather support the companies that are doing all of it right, rather than a fraction of their merchandise right.  And most likely there are organic flower shops near you so a quick Google search could be helpful for more immediate needs.

Buy fair-trade blooms ~ So remember those conventional flowers doused in toxic chemicals?  Well, they don’t get that way by themselves.  They have to be handled by someone and oftentimes those unlucky people are low-paid workers many of whom are children.  These people suffer problems associated with pesticide exposure, including nausea, conjunctivitis, neurological disease, reproductive problems, and birth defects.  If that isn’t a reason to buy fair trade flowers, I don’t know what is.  Options for this include InBloom Group, One World Flowers, and World Flowers for you Brits.

Find VeriFlora certified flowers ~ You can find these blooms at many larger retailers, including Trader Joes.  The VeriFlora criteria generally isn’t as strict as other certifications, but I really appreciate that they tackle issues applying to everyone in the supply chain: growers, shippers and retailers.  VeriFlora also supports organic growing processes, fair-trade practices and water quality protection.  If you don’t have a Trader Joes in your neighborhood, you can check for local retailers here.  Look for the logo above.

Don’t buy flowers at all ~ I think the best gifts are lovingly made, so be creative this year.  From homemade valentines, experience gifts or breakfast in bed, the possibilities are endless.  This year my husband and I had a wonderful home cooked dinner (that he made from start to finish!  All I contributed was the place setting as you can probably guess) and spent our evening hanging out.  For me, it was perfect.

I’ve had the idea to write this post for a while, but after an especially heated Interior Designer Chat on Twitter last week, I figured it was time to spill my real feelings about Ikea.  If you know me, you’ve probably heard a rant or two about this furniture giant.  But as was so appropriately pointed out to me last week, Ikea is not totally bad.  In fact, they do quite a lot of good.  They have brought good design to the masses in a way that no other furniture manufacturer ever has.  And they definitely try to do their eco part: from energy efficient lighting to low-VOC materials, reduced packaging and other green initiatives within their stores, Ikea definitely has a lot of good going on.

But here’s my real gripe – while I understand that all of Ikea’s pluses are totally valid and very important, I just can’t get over one thing.  Disposable furniture.  And to be absolutely fair, Ikea is not the only culprit.  Target, Walmart and Kmart, to begin with, all make incredibly cheap pieces that are just as disposable.  Most (although not all) of their furniture is so cheaply made, that even if you wanted to keep it forever, you just couldn’t.  I mean, forget about heirloom pieces, you’re lucky if they survive a move.  I understand that no one expects Ikea (or the other retailers’) furniture to last for the ages.  That’s why it’s so inexpensive, right?  But maybe my real gripe is that buying cheap, disposable furniture is our cultural norm.  And that makes me so sad.  Furniture should be treasured, not thrown in a landfill.  I wish people would realize that solving their immediate furniture need creates so many environmental problems later.

So now that we’ve gotten down to the heart of my issue, I’m going to stop scapegoating Ikea.  To their credit, they have quite a few really amazing green initiates, so let me tell you about a few of them (in no particular order):

• Finally recognizing that their furniture often ends up in a landfill, Ikea is working on improving the entire life-cycle of their products.  From using recycled/renewable/reused materials to create them and making it easier to recycle when you’re done, they’re addressing it all.
• Their famous flat packed furniture allows for more boxes to be sent in one shipment, thereby saving transportation energy and CO2 emissions.
• All of their hefty catalogs are made from recycled paper products.
• All of their stores use energy efficient lightbulbs and many of them also run on renewable energy.  Plus Ikea is working hard to get all the stores to run on renewable energy.
• Much of the wood they use in their furniture comes from sustainably managed forests.  None of it comes from illegally felled trees and they’re working with their suppliers to trace the origins of the wood back to the source.  They even send out their own forest specialists to check up on the suppliers.  They’re like tree spies!
• Never. any. child. labor.
• They do more with less.  Many of their products have been specially engineered to use fewer raw materials, not only saving those resources but also making them lighter to transport (less CO2 emissions).
• Fabrics: Ikea no longer uses no chemical brighteners, their cottons are made with less water and fewer pesticides than traditionally grown cotton and they try to use as minimize the use of chemicals in the production process.
• Energy efficient lighting including: LED bulbs, solar powered lamps and tons of CFLs for sale.
• Ikea promotes public transit from providing shuttle bus service to their stores (go Red Hook!) to premium parking for bikes and hybrids.  In Denmark they even loan out bikes with an attached trailer capable of towing about 100 pounds.  I would totally take advantage of that one if I lived in Denmark.

The list definitely goes on, but I think you get the idea.  If you’re interested in reading about all 77 green initiatives on their list, take a look here.  As for me, I’m going to challenge you to stop buying disposable furniture (although since you’re on this blog, that’s probably an easy one).  If you can get away with it, collect your furniture slowly.  Save up for the really beautiful pieces you’ve been keeping your eye on.  And look out for the great Craigslist or vintage store finds.  A well curated collection of furniture gathered over the years is so much more meaningful and interesting than any bedroom set ever could be.

As for me, I might just become an Ikea convert.

I’m going to leave you with a few Ikea installation shots to see what you can put together with their furniture.  Enjoy!  (oh and sorry about the prices and names on the pictures.  I couldn’t avoid it.)

Photos from Ikea

I want to thank each and every one of you who voted for Pretty Little Green for an Apartment Therapy Homie in the green design category.  You’re the best readers a girl could ask for!  The official results came out this morning and I ended with 87 votes for 3rd place!  I want to congratulate the winner, A Way to Garden and the seven other nominees (Frugal Kiwi, The Design Confidential, TukaBear, Baby Green, Good With Style, Petit Eco Kids, and The Interior Revolution).  I’m truly honored to be part of such an amazing group of green bloggers.  If you haven’t already, pop on over to the other blogs and take a look at what they do.  They’re all a bit different and all amazing in their own right.

I want to thank those of you who nominated Pretty Little Green Things for a Green Home Design Homie.  I could not be more excited and honored to be part of such an amazing group of eco bloggers.  But the contest isn’t over yet – now it’s time for the voting round.  Pretty pretty please take a few moments out of your day to head over to re-nest to vote for your favorite green blog (me!). With competition this steep I need ALL your help and votes to win.  This time no comments are necessary, just answer the survey.  Again, if you haven’t registered for any of the Apartment Therapy sites, you’ll have to take a moment to do that.

Voting is now open and will remain open until February 3, 6pm EST.  Click on the image above or here to jump to the Homies survey.  Now go vote!

No, I’m not channelling Coolio.  I’m actually talking about home decor blogs.  For the last few years, Apartment Therapy has sponsored an award competition for the best shelter blogs out there.  As voted by blog readers, the winners in each category receive what they call a Homie.  As Apartment Therapy puts it, “It’s not so much a competition as a celebration of the richness and awesomeness of shelter bloggers around the world.”  So this is my absolutely shameless plug to nominate Pretty Little Green Things in the category of Best Green Home Blog of 2011.

All of the instructions and information are on their site, so I won’t bore you by repeating it all here.  Click on the Homies image above, scroll to the bottom of the page and add a comment with my blog name & url.  Unfortunately if you’re not a registered member of Apartment Therapy, you’ll have to sign up, but it’s super quick (and totally worth it).  For you copy & paste fans out there, I’ll make it easy for you:

Name: Pretty Little Green Things

URL: http://www.prettylittlegreenthings.com

If I do get nominated (fingers crossed), there will be more voting rounds, so expect more pleading from my end before February 4.  I will return to your regularly scheduled blog posts tomorrow.  Thank you all for being the best blog readers out there!