Low Impact Living » 2007

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Hooked on vintage Fashion and the fight to end global warming do mix and the evidence is mounting. Many green fashion boutiques have opened shop online, like The Green Loop, BTC Elements and Kaight. Eco-fashion designers like Linda Loudermilk and Amanda Shi are showing collections in New York and Los Angeles, while online periodicals dedicated to sustainable style like SASS and Style Will Save Us are helping us stay abreast of the latest trends in green fashion.

We didn’t think it appropriate to mention eco-fashion without a nod to vintage, which has never been so “in”. Movie stars and fashionistas are wearing vintage like a badge of honor, because it’s a great way guarantee a truly unique ensemble. Retro 1980’s Gucci bags and 1960’s dresses by Givenchy have a certain something that you just can’t find in a new purchase - and it’s not just the zero impact. Indeed these are high-style-impact/low-environmental-impact masterpieces.

Many of today’s hottest fashion trends are inspired by previous generations, so staying ahead of the latest craze is one of the best ways to score a vintage treasure at your local thrift shop. Mini-dresses, high-waisted pants and short shorts did not originate post-millennium. You can do homework at your local library, where late issue fashion periodicals like Vogue and Harper’s Baazar can be read without adding another mag to your recycling bin.

Man Websites like eBay and Hooked On Vintage make the internet a low-carbon way to find vintage clothing. (How about a gorgeous vintage tux, you green guys?? Hooked on Vintage has lots!) If you prefer to touch, feel and try-on clothing you can visit vintage retail stores like The Paperbag Princess or The Way We Wore. You can also find local thrift stores by going to www.thriftshopper.com.

If you have a favorite store near you, please share it will all of us in the comments section!

Popularity: 1% [?]

October 18th, 2007 in Green Living | permalink | 3 Comments »

October 17th, 2007

Low-Impact Lounging: Green Furniture is So Groovy

by Jessica Jensen

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Cisco Home What is the most popular product category here at Low Impact Living? Okay, no fair, you got a hint from the title of this article. Yes, it’s eco-friendly furniture! We all to look at furniture, don’t we? In this newsletter we want to show you some of the amazing green furniture designs and craftspeople we have come across in the last few months. Take a seat and feast your eyes!

We did a newsletter last year on the environmental impacts of furniture (shocking, really) and on how you should really seek to refurbish and reuse your existing furniture, or buy used furniture whenever possible. So please if you did not see that article, go back and give it a read. But in this article we will be highlighting new, sustainable furniture.

And what exactly do we mean by “sustainable furniture,” pray tell?

Basically we’re looking for furniture made from recycled, reclaimed and/or renewable materials. We also want furniture that does not contain harmful chemicals which off-gas and lower our indoor air quality. So here are the types of factors we look for:

- Woods that are certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or are reclaimed or come from a rapidly-renewable source such as bamboo;
- Metals that are recycled or reclaimed (like recycled steel or copper, or metal fittings that have been reused from other pieces);
- Paints, stains and finishes that contain low or no volatile organic compounds (aka VOCs). Good, VOC-free options include such items as natural shellac, beeswax, and milk paint;
- Reduced use of glues, sealants and no formaldehyde;
- Natural fabrics such as organic cotton and wool, and recycled fabric content and toxin-free upholstery;
- Natural latex foam;
- Use of materials that can be recycled in the future;
- Minimal packaging;
- Local manufacturing, which saves fuel and the associated emissions.

So keeping those factors in mind, we have selected a range of companies that are making some glorious sustainable furniture– from the very modern to the more traditional. They are all eco-friendly, healthy for your home and family, and will bring you years of green enjoyment.

Whyr’hymer Furniture

Whyrhymer Brandon Morrison designs and builds beautiful Whyr’hymer Furniture with absolute comfort in mind. He believes that what is inviting to touch and feel should be inviting to use. And the furniture is absolutely gorgeous– rich, sturdy beds, tables and amazingly creative light fixtures. Morrison uses only certified, reclaimed or plantation-grown hardwoods in all of his work, as well as natural oil and wax finishes.

And if you mention Low Impact Living, Brandon will give you a 15% discount. Quite nice of him, no?

Urban Woods

Urban Woods

Another furniture line we adore is by Urban Woods.They strive to improve the environment not only by creating beautiful, beneficial furniture but by doing so in a manner which actually improves the environment. Their new collection is eco-contemporary and includes timeless designs. The furniture has sleek lines and rich finishes that fit seamlessly into today’s home environment. This collection is made exclusively of reclaimed woods, organic cottons, and water-based finishes.

If you saw the recent episode of Living With Ed titled “Helen Hunt Gets a Green Audit” (aired on October 15), then you couldn’t help but notice the beautiful furniture that Shayna Prunier of Low Impact Living helped the Sharp family pick out for their green bedroom makeover. Well, that furniture came from the workshop of Urban Woods, and there’s plenty more where that came from!

Put Some Cisco Home in Your Home

Cisco 2 We also love the work of Cisco Home.(Also see the photo at the top of this piece.) Cisco Home founder Cisco Pinedo is proud to be a part of a cultural evolution toward a sustainable future by producing custom, fully upholstered, hand-made furniture. Cisco Home has been making furniture in Los Angles since 1990. The company embraces the use of natural, pure materials, such as wool batting, hemp, jute, cotton, and FSC Certified and reclaimed hardwoods. Take a look and we’ll sure you’ll agreen that their furniture is elegant and highly eco-friendly. You can find Cisco Home products in New York at ABC Home and in California at their own line of stores in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Pasadena and Laguna Niguel.

Looking for sustainable home office furniture? Let us tell you what’s Knú

Knu Furniture We recently found Knú at the West Coast Green show, and we Knú we loved them immediately. The fine Midwesterners at Knú Furniture make wonderfully modern, useful desks, bookcases, cabinets and more. Knú is a member of the Sustainable Furniture Council and they use FSC wood.

Organo

Organo You may have heard of Kirei board, but you may not have heard of Organo. Organo is a line of sustainable home furnishings that relies on heavy incorporation of Kirei board– an amazing material made of reclaimed agricultural fibers and compressed into a gorgeous alternative to wood. Organo also uses sustainably harvested woods, recycled steel and non-VOC finishes to create their functional, unique and inviting tables, mirrors, frames and other eco-home accessories.

Kiddies need groovy green furniture, too

Lilypad Studio

Have you seen the adorable furniture from Lilipad Studio? Well if you haven’t it will brighten your day and put a silly smile on your face. This is a line of eco-friendly, hand-crafted, hand-painted furniture for kids. They do little chairs, tables, foot stools and beds. The designs are bright and cheerful and you and your kids will love their designs!

And remember that ,we have many more sustainable furniture selections in the furniture section of our site, so please be sure to take a look!

Popularity: 1% [?]

October 17th, 2007 in Green Living, Interior Design | permalink | Post a Comment »

October 16th, 2007

How To Tuesday: Eco-Smart Stripping and Staining Wood

by Carey Okrand

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old chair Do you have a piece of wood furniture that’s seen better days? Or do you have wood floors that need some new life? Before you chuck that chair or have new flooring installed, please consider stripping and refinishing that valuable wood instead. And fortunately there are a lot more products available today that make it easier than ever to redo old furniture and wood floors in an eco-friendly way.

1. Before you begin your project, it’s important to check for lead in paint. Paint used before 1980 often contains lead. You can find an inexpensive kit here, or pick them up at your local hardware stores.

2. Once you know about the lead status, wash your wood with a mild soap solution.

3. Now it’s time to strip the wood. We have a few eco-smart ways to go.

– The safest, most eco-friendly way to remove paint or finish from furniture is the old-fashioned method of sanding! With a little elbow grease, you can avoid chemical strippers completely. (And please wear a mask and goggles to protect yourself from flying particles.)
– Another alternative to chemical strippers is to remove paint and/or finish with a heat gun, although you should never sand or use a heat gun on lead-based paint because toxic fumes can release from softening paint.
– Annie Berthold-Bond offers a recipe for a natural homemade wood stripper as another safe option in her book, Better Basics For The Home. You just combine 1 cup washing soda with enough water to make a thick paste. Spread the paste on surface and let it damp-set for 6 hrs. Then you scrape off paint and rinse with a 1 cup water : 2 cup vinegar wash.
– Or you can use commercial strippers. Most paint strippers contain chemicals that carry health and environmental risks. Methylene chloride is the most commonly used chemical in paint stripper, but it is linked to cancer and other health / environmental problems. There are non-toxic wood strippers availabe– some of which are biodegradable and made from soy and corn derivatives.

+ SoyClean stripper
+ aMaizing corn-based stripers
+ SoyGreen stripper
+ EcoSolve Home Strip
+Citrus Strip, available at most Home Depot’s

4. When you’re ready to finish your piece, there are eco-friendly options available. Many common paints and stains release low level toxic emissions into the air, called VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds). Fortunately there are a variety of water-based natural paints and stains available that include plant oils extracts and simple minerals instead of harmful chemicals.

+ Remember milk paint? It’s one the safest paints available. And it comes in some great colors and finish types.
+ If you’re looking for a stain, AFM makes stains in their Safecoat DuroStain line.
+ Bioshield also has a line of stains called Aqua Resin.
+ Also check out these made from only pure linseed oil, beeswax and natural tree-sap varnish. Tried and True Wood Finish.

5. When it comes time to dispose of your unused paints or stains, please take care and be responsible. Buy only the paint you need and recycle the empty steel cans. If you have paint left over store unused paint in the can upside, down to create a tight seal around the lid. Or if you don’t want to keep it, take unused paints and stains to a local hazardous waste collection program. The earth thanks you!

Popularity: 3% [?]

October 16th, 2007 in Green Living, Recycling | permalink | 5 Comments »

October 14th, 2007

So you want to install solar panels …

by Dan Sharp

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We’d like to introduce you to Dan Sharp, a new member of our Low Down team. Dan is living proof that you can live a normal, comfortable (and relatively inexpensive) life and still be VERY green. He and his wife have made the easy changes – they’ve curtailed their use of paper towels, buy more local produce, and installed compact fluorescent light bulbs. However, they didn’t stop there - Dan makes his own biodiesel at home, and most recently installed his own solar panels. We thought you’d like to hear about that project, as it shows both the ease of going solar and some of the unexpected bumps along the way!

Oh, one more note about Dan – with the assistance of Low Impact Living Director of Design Shayna Prunier, Dan and his wife Maya recently completed an amazing green remodel of their master bedroom. Dan, Maya and Shayna will be featured on the Living With Ed show on HGTV for this project – make sure to tune in Monday October 15 at 10:30 PM to see Dan,Maya and Shayna’s amazing work! (If you subscribe to satellite TV (DirecTV, etc), check your program guide - the show may be on at 10:30 EDT regardless of where you live in the country).

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We decided to install solar panels a few months ago. It was the natural progression after all of the other green changes that we’ve made in our home and lifestyle. I’m already making biodiesel for all of our transportation needs, so why not electricity too?

We started by minimizing our overall electricity usage before sizing the photovoltaic system. We got rid of our freezer, eliminated the “beer fridge” in the garage, became diligent about turning off electrical devices when not in use and installed compact fluorescent bulbs. These measures alone reduced our monthly electrical usage by over 30%, from 600 to 400 kilowatt hours. And, we got rid of some fossilized items in that freezer as well! It’s much less expensive to reduce your usage first and then install a photovoltaic system sized to meet your reduced needs. These simple changes literally cut thousands off of our solar cost. Low Impact Living advocates for this very strongly – the first step in any solar project should be reducing your energy use as much as you can.

The second step in the process was to identify a solar provider. We were able to locate several in our area using the Low Impact Living website. They came to the house, helped us figure out how many panels we needed and where they should be installed.

The next step was to get all of our paperwork into the “system” to reserve the rebate from our power utility. Our solar provider helped out with technical information and system diagrams. Our city also required a building permit, which we got with a quick trip to the permit office.

So far so good. Now I took a slightly unusual approach - to save some cash (and because I have the required skills), I bought the panels and other equipment from the solar installer but did the work myself. I was amazed at how easily the components hooked together. We just needed to run some conduit, hang the inverter on the wall near the sub-panel, and hook up the wires. We flipped the switch and watched our meter spin backwards…success!

That’s when the hard part started. When the inspector from our City came to check out the panels and sign off on the building permit, he found some minor electrical items he wanted changed, so we fixed them and called him back out the next week. Then he decided we needed an electrical permit, but the guy at the counter only issued a building permit. It would have been nice to know that during his first trip to our house, or better yet at the permit office! We also needed to install a sign warning that the electrical panel was hooked up to a photovoltaic system…again, I’m not sure why he didn’t mention that on the first trip. On his third visit – a week later – he finally approved the system installation.

Digital Electric Meter Once I was in the system as being an official solar customer, our power provider replaced the old meter with a new digital meter. I missed being able to see the meter spin backwards, but the new meter promised to be more accurate and give all the required information for the net metering agreement (which allows you to send power out into the grid when you have excess and get it back later. For more info on net metering, click here). The new meter came with a very detailed description of what the different displays meant and instructions about how to determine your power generation and power use in your home. That raised some red flags for me – very detailed instructions often mean a very complicated system!

So I let the system run for a couple weeks, then set off to confirm that everything was working properly. Armed with the detailed instructions, I expected to see the system roughly offsetting our use, but (according to the meter) my electricity use skyrocketed instead, showing that we were using six times our previous consumption!

It turns out that my panels were working well but the meter wasn’t programmed correctly. Diagnosing the problem took numerous phone calls and hours of testing, but all of five minutes for the tech to reprogram.

Now that the meter is fixed, everything has been working perfectly. My utility has assured me that my experience won’t be repeated with future customers, so at least someone will benefit from my pain!

My experience taught me several lessons that might benefit you if you decide to install solar panels.

– Make sure to find a solar installer that has dealt with both your city and your local utility before. As my experience showed, some of your biggest challenges might be with the paperwork!
– Most of you won’t install your own panels, so get a solar installer who provides a “turnkey” system. Make sure that your contract includes not just the installation itself, but also lays out how they will handle all the rebate paperwork, permitting, and post-installation issues.
– Make sure to watch your system closely for the first few weeks after installation – you never know when something strange is going to turn up, and better to deal with it while you’re still in touch with your solar installer and permitting entities.
– For more guidance on evaluating whether solar makes sense for you, read this previous posting on important things to consider.

As panels get cheaper and rebates get better, I hope more of you will join me in using solar power. It may take some patience, but the energy savings and the satisfaction of using renewable clean power from the sun will make it well worth it in the end!

Popularity: 3% [?]

October 14th, 2007 in Energy use, Solar | permalink | 4 Comments »

October 12th, 2007

Green Scene: Green Events Across the US in Oct. & Nov.

by Monica Schenk