Archive for January, 2008
January 5th, 2008
10 Ways to Green Your Office
Stumble it!
Many people have written to us asking for our advice on how to make an office eco-friendly. We’ve heard your pleas for help and so we have created this list of ten green office tips. Hopefully you can take some of these ideas and lead the green crusade at your office!
1. Make sure you’re recycling paper, bottles, and cans. Have separate bins in the office for recycling. If you office building does not recycle, try speaking with the office manager. Or, you can create a weekly schedule for sharing the work of taking a recycling bin home each week. (It’s sort of a pain, but this is what we do at the Low Impact Living office as our building does not recycle!)
2. Make sure you’re using compact fluorescent or LED lights throughout the office. CFs use ¼ the energy and last up to 10 times as long as standard lights. LEDs are even more energy-efficient. You can find a huge variety of lighting options right here. If your building is in charge of the lighting, talk to your building manager and make sure that they understand the money they can save from buying CF or LED lights– they may not care about the environment, but they do care about cold, hard cash!
3. Get lighting motion sensors for offices, conference rooms and bathrooms. There’s no reason for lights to be one when there’s no one in the room. Find motion sensors here.
4. Just like mom said, turn off the lights when you leave. And shut down your printers, faxes and computers. Some people are under the false impression that it’s more efficient to leave computers on over night. This is not true– shut off all the electronics when you leave the office.
5. If possible, use laptop computers rather than desktop computers. Energy Star models use up to 90% less energy. See energy-efficient laptops here.
6. Ditch the bottled water habit. Americans throw out over 35 BILLION plastic water bottles every year. Offices are major offenders in this area. Just think how many water bottles your office uses in a year! You can sign up for a water delivery service, or get a big Brita filter, and have everyone use a ceramic or glass cup. This is an easy thing to do and has a big impact!
7. On the same theme, stock your office’s kitchen with reusable ceramic plates and mugs rather than paper toss-aways.
8. Use recycled/recyclable office papers and other office products. You can get paper, envelopes, folders, pads, post-it notes– everything comes in a recycled version now. You can find many of these options at the Staples, OfficeMax and Office Depot, and you can also find them online at Green Earth Office Supply or at The Green Office.
9. Get a programmable thermostat. This device will help you keep your building warm/cool when the people there and save power and money when the people are away. Find devices here.
10. Investigate green power options. Many local utilities offer the opportunity for you to pay just a few dollars extra per month to buy “green power” that comes from wind farms and other sustainable sources. Talk to your building manager about this as an option– and you might offer to have your company pay the minimal extra fee.
Do any of you have other suggestions? We’d love to hear them. Please comment below and thank you!
January 3rd, 2008
Cut Bottled Water Use: Filter for Good!
Want to do something great for the environment that’s easy and fun? Why sure you do. Check out Filter for Good, a new initiative from Brita and Nalgene. They are trying to inspire all of us to kick our bottled water habit.
Did you know that Americans send over 35 billion water bottles a year to landfills? And it takes about 1.5 million barrels of oil to make those bottles, so it is an environmental double whammy. (By the way that’s enough oil to fuel 100,000 cars for a year!)
Take the Filter For Good pledge to reduce your use of water bottles and you’ll not only help the planet, but you’ll get coupons for Brita and Nalgene products. Learn more and take the pledge!
January 3rd, 2008
Organic Dining Across America: Seattle
Seattle is a very green city– so much so that it’s even called The Emerald City. And fittingly, the city offers a scrumptious array of organic dining options. We’d like to thank our friend, Jessie Griess, an architect in Seattle, for sharing her outstanding recommendations with us!
The Herbfarm
When I read about The Herbfarm restaurant I almost got in my car and started driving up the coast to make it in time for dinner! The Herbfarm serves seasonally-appropriate menus featuring the foods of the Northwest. They are dedicated to using local ingredients– as they say, “The Herbfarm believes that no dish can be better than its ingredients, and that the best ingredients are usually local.” A dinner is a 9-course affair and each course is paired with exceptional wines. Dinner now features such divine items as Westcott Bay Oysters in a sorrel sauce and Reef-netted Lummi Island Sockeye in a squash blossom with lemon and thyme. The setting and the decor are as artistic as the dishes. Eating at The Herbfarm is truly an experience to be savored!
The Herbfarm is located at 14590 NE 145th Street in Woodinville, WA 98072. Phone is (425) 485.5300.
Marjorie
Another dining experience not to be missed is a meal at Marjorie. Chef Carrie Christensen creates intentionally eclectic menus. She focuses on organically grown produce and buying from small, local purveyors and suppliers whenever possible. Marjorie’s kitchen is full of the best possible raw ingredients which are lovingly combined to create an unforgettable menu. The chef frequently creates amazing tasting menus, and the restaurant often has winemaker dinners as well.
Marjorie is located at 2331 Second Avenue, Seattle, Wa 98121. Phone is (206) 441.9842.
Lark
Let us not neglect to mention Lark,located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill. Lark is a cozy, comfortable restaurant that is perfect for a warm night with friends. Lark’s menu features an assortment of small plates, allowing you to savor courses of cheese, charcuterie, vegetables, grains, fish, and meats. They work with local artisans, farmers, and foragers to create an ever-changing selection that offers the best of each season. Lark encourages communal dining with waves of courses coming to your table. Taste the seasonal bounty and you’re sure to enjoy yourself.
Lark is located at 926 12th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122. Phone is (206) 323-5275.
Other dining establishments that come highly recommended in the Seattle area:
The Harvest Vine
Matt’s in the Market
Coastal Kitchen & other Chow eateries
Crave
Cafe Flora
Serafina
Espresso Vivace
January 1st, 2008
Vintage & Used Furniture: Find Green Gold
One of the most environmentally smart things you can do is reuse, reuse, reuse…and furniture is a great product that can be used by multiple generations. At our house, we are huge fans of used– or as the fashion media likes to call it “vintage”– home furnishings. We bought our dining room set used and always get compliments. We have two used chairs, many lamps, a bench, a desk and some side tables. Used/vintage furniture adds warmth, history and serious eco-savvy to any home. Who knew our grandmothers were eco-pioneers when they used to go antique-ing??
So I thought it a blog piece on where to find used furniture across the country might be useful. If used furniture is just not your thang, please read our earlier post on sustainable new furniture options.
First stop, Craigslist and eBay. You can find A-M-A-Z-I-N-G furniture on both sites. Here at Low Impact Living, we got our office desks, chairs and conference table from Craigslist and a used furniture store here in LA for the whopping sum total of $1500. Is that not such a steal? We felt like eco-bandits.
Used Furniture Outlets in Los Angeles
There is a very well-known and loved company in LA called Wertz Brothers. They have two huge locations– one in Santa Monica and one in West LA. Each building holds more furniture than you can fathom. (That’s a row of chests in the photo.) There are Victorian antiques, mid-century pieces and items from two years ago. I have personally bought many items from this place and the deals are not to be believed. If you have not been, please go. It will convert you to used furniture forever!
Another great place in LA is Casa Victoria. They offer useful and quirky home furnishings at very affordable prices. You’ll find both real quality Deco antiques as well as funky “conversation pieces” from the ’70s. They have two locations– one in Silverlake and one in Little Ethiopia on Fairfax.
If you’re up for funkier finds, go give a look-see at Nick Metropolis on La Brea. Between old store signs and the occasional stuffed life-size Fred Flintstone, you’ll also find very good home furniture. Looking for a leopard-print sofa? This is the place. It’s just a hoot to check it all out– you won’t regret the trip. (There are several other good antique stores on that same stretch of La Brea, so cruise around and see it all.)
San Francisco
Retro@Home is a fabulous resource in the Bay Area. Store owner Val Ibardolasa opened Retro@Home in April of 2000. Her showroom features “mini-vignettes” of furniture coupled with accessories to help customers visualize a mid-century modern environment. Every item at Retro@Home has been personally selected by Val with special attention given to condition and good design. Val also offers interior design services and can help you make custom furniture with sustainable, non-toxic materials if you’re interested. Stop in and see her and the wonderful furniture at Retro@Home!
If you’re looking for a more eclectic mix of furniture and “good ole stuff”, you might try going to Moving Sale in the Soma area. They have “Everything you could possibly need, piled from floor to ceiling– literally!” It sounds like bargain-diggers paradise to me.
New York
One place I am dying to visit is Secondhand Rose in Tribeca. This place looks like a trip– they are brimming over with Asian antique, vintage wallpaper and even a collection of original vintage linoleum! Browse through their intriguing website and you’re sure to want to go check it out in person. (That’s the store pictured at right.)
Las Venus specializes in “20th Century Pop Culture.” They have three locations around New York and they carry a wide selection of mid-century furniture, lighting and accessories. As they say, “Life is short. Good style is forever.” Tres chic, tres sustainable.
If you are looking for any 20th Century modern office furniture (and some of it could be used beyond an office), then you must visit Two Jakes in Brooklyn. They have over 10,000 square feet of inventory and they always have amazing furniture from Steelcase, Herman Miller, Knoll and many other well-known modern design leaders. It’s an excellent outlet, and they won a Best of New York award in 2007 from New York Magazine.
Chicago
In Chicago there are several good outlets for various budget levels. At the high end of the scale there is Modern Times, which features gorgeous vintage modernist furniture, light fixtures, jewelry and more. You’ll find some very unique, artistic pieces here. They are only open on the weekend and by appointment, so be sure to call.
Night and Day Vintageis another wonderful store in Chicago. Whether you are looking for a vintage ball gown or some older furniture, this is the place for you. They have Deco, Mid-Century Modern, Tiki Room (love that!) and other styles of furniture. This store looks like a ton of fun (shown at left)– go in and check it out.
George Lowellis another store you might wish to visit. Designer and owner George Lowell Arduser offers vintage, antique, one-of-a-kind items here at his well-laid-out store. He showcases a mix of eras and styles. Chairs, tables, and chests share the small storefront space, but it is easy and pleasant to browse the assortment.
Do you have a vintage/used furniture store in your town that you love? Please write a note about it in the comments section!
January 1st, 2008
Green Service Providers By Region Across the US
Green Architects
Southern California / Los Angeles
Northern California / Bay Area
Massachusetts / Pennsylvania / Vermont
Green Interior Designers
Los Angeles / Southern California
San Francisco / Bay Area / Northern California
Green Home Builders & Green Remodel Contractors
Northern California / Bay Area
Los Angeles / Southern California
Home Solar Power Installers
Los Angeles / Southern California
San Francisco / Bay Area / Northern California
Green Real Estate Services (EcoBrokers, etc.)
Los Angeles / Southern California
San Francisco /Bay Area/ Northern California
Need more choices, or your region isn’t listed here? For a complete listing of service providers in your region, click here.
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Visit this page for service providers in many other categories.
