Archive for the ‘Interior Design’ Category
February 19th, 2009
Organic Textiles: The Rest of the Story
Stumble it!
Today we’re joined by green interior designer Frith Barbat, of Barbat Design. She shares some important insights on the effects of textile production on the environment and the impacts of chemicals in textiles on human health. Frith shows us how important it is to “dig under the covers” when it comes to textiles!
************
Your organic cotton sheets are kind to your skin and your conscience. And the organic process that grew the cotton was kind to the earth. But have you ever wondered what happened at the textile mill? Was the rest of the story organic? It’s a question few ask.
Textile mills process the cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo or wood fibers into yarn that is woven into fabric. There are over a dozen steps along the way that use copious amounts of water and chemicals. Some of the chemicals are benign, but most are not. There are heavy metals and organochlorines used in dyeing, phthalates used in printing, sulfuric acid used in fiber softening, formaldehyde, and PBDE fire-retardants, and others. Some of these have an immediate effect on the health of people and critters near the mill, but as these chemicals spread through waste water and volatile fumes, the larger ecosystem is affected as well. Once the fabric enters your home, the residual chemicals can abrade off, for you to inhale, ingest or absorb through your skin.
Virtually every human organ system is susceptible to damage by one or other of these chemicals - from benign skin irritation all the way up to cancer, leukemia, heart disease, sterility and miscarriage. Chemicals like PBDEs and phthalates are particularly disturbing. PBDEs accumulate in the environment, concentrating up the food chain in fatty tissue, where they mimic natural hormones in our bodies, causing birth defects, miscarriages, cancers, reproductive abnormalities, low numbers of boy babies being born, and low sperm counts - in humans, not just animals. Phthalates are used in printing inks and to soften plastics (often in toys). They are an animal carcinogen, and cause asthma, allergies and liver damage in humans. And scientists now suspect that low doses of phthalates can be toxic to fetuses, especially to the reproductive systems of male embryos. California has banned them in children’s toys, but they continue to be used to print textiles, including clothing and bed sheets.
Ask yourself - if you don’t want your child chewing on a toxic toy, what about sleeping on those cute printed bed sheets all night?
Cleaning up the milling process is hard both monetarily and mentally, but there are mills that have taken up that challenge. Textile production is the leading industrial polluter of water on the planet (second only to agriculture overall). In India alone, 425,000,000 gallons of untreated water is released from textile mills every day. Treating the water requires removing or neutralizing chemicals, restoring the correct pH, and cooling it, adding to the cost of the finished cloth. Standards that are safe and clean for the environment, mill-workers and you, from growing to processing to your home, are important. We can support these efforts by looking for and purchasing textiles that are third-party certified. GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), Cradle to Cradle and SMART are good certifications to look for.
You’re more likely to find these on fabrics bought through a design professional, but don’t forget your purchasing power. Tell retailers what you want - be ahead of the curve!
Popularity: 3% [?]
February 14th, 2009
GreenPods: Small, Lovely Eco-Homes
If you are interested in green architecture then please spend a moment welcoming GreenPods on to the market. These are wonderful, small, highly eco-smart dwellings.
GreenPod Developmentis based in Washington and they seek to design and construct affordable, sustainable, modular homes. At right you see one of their “SoloPods”, but the also have other designs that are equally compelling. Below you see the model called the “Floating Pod.”
The Pod designs range from 300 to 800 square feet. But if you need additional square footage, the Pods can be joined or stacked. Pod designer Ann Raab uses movable walls, multi-use furnishings, lighting, and windows to visually enlarge the Pod’s living spaces.
The Pods boast many environmentally-savvy features. All Pods utilize passive-solar design principles to cut energy use. Every Pod features low air infiltration design,energy-efficient windows, energy saving appliances, low-flow plumbing and LED lighting. They also make extensive use of daylighting.
The uber-green can go beyond these elements and opt for such additions as greywater recycling, rain water storage, roof gardens or green roofs.
Currently GreenPods is working on projects in Washington and California, and they can also service Oregon. Founder Ann Raab told me that they hope to be able to serve more parts of the country next year. I also asked her about costs and she said that depending on the size and features one selects for the their Pod, the cost would range between $150-$250 per square foot.
In case you are in Washington, you can stop by the GreenPod showroom. It’s at Artisans on Taylor, which is located at 236 Taylor Street, Port Townsend, WA, 98368 (across from the Rose Theater).
Popularity: 18% [?]
February 6th, 2009
Greener Gadgets Design Competition: You Get to Vote
The 2nd Annual Greener Gadgets Design Competition is on, and there are lots of compelling, interesting, and just plain kooky designs in the mix. Core 77 design magazine and Greener Gadgets host this competition to inspire outstanding design innovations for greener electronics. The top 50 entries are published online for voting and commenting. You can vote for your favorites. Voting ends February 20, so get on it!
One cool product is the eMetric. This is a wireless office power management system. Designer Jason Deperro contends that the eMetric “allows teams of conscientious workers to control and learn about their electronics’ energy consumption - saving energy and money.” We like the idea very much that teams of folks could instantly track their usage and then work to lower their power consumption. It’s e-Nifty.
One design we also like is the Indoor Drying Rackby Rob Podell. First of all, it’s not electronic, so that’s cool. Also, we’re big fans of air-drying laundry here at Low Impact Living (remember that your clothes dryer is one of the worst power-sucking, inefficient appliances in your home), so we think this drying rack is pretty nifty. It folds down from the wall and creates an aerated kind of table for drying. Easy, attractive and electricity-free!
We also dig the CompostAll. This kitchen device, designed by frog design, is a replacement for the home in-sink garbage disposal. It allows food waste to be composted instead of sent down the drain. The CompostAll saves mulched food waste in a removable container under the sink. Frog design claims that the devise provides a convenient, discreet, and odor-free location for food waste. What’s also pretty cool is that it comes with an alert light on the sinktop that tells the user the container is full. Then you can just take the container out from under the sink and put the contents into your outdoor compost bin. You already have one of those, yes?
In the kooky column, I’ll add the Guilty Wallet. Ruhel Mohammed has designed a series of wallets aimed at helping people cut our consumer culture (which he spells in ALL CAPS). He makes the interesting argument that we need fewer green gadgets and instead should all buy less. He goes on, “We spend for so many reasons, but it is undeniably true that we spend through one of these vessels: GREED, LUST, PRIDE, ROTH, SLOTH, GLUTTONY and ENVY. Although spending and debt are the foundations of the capitalist society, we should be careful of excessive spending or GREED.” Wow, don’t get Ruhel involved in a debate at a cafe– it will not be a short discussion. His wallets may not have much of an impact, but they do make you think about spending for a brief moment.
Popularity: 5% [?]
February 1st, 2009
Straw Bale House Construction and Natural Building Internship
Written by Brian Liloia, courtesy of Green Building Elements.com
Are you interested in a hands-on straw bale building experience? As you know, there is no better way to learn than by doing. Red Earth Farms is an 80 acre, off-the-grid intentional community based in northeastern Missouri, composed of individual homesteads. Members strive to live ecologically - this means, of course, that members use natural building materials in their homes. Mark Mazzioti is one such individual building a straw bale house, featuring a pasive solar design, post-and-beam framing, and a cement-free rubble trench foundation. Mark, an experienced natural builder, is seeking interns for the upcoming 2009 building season. Here’s his strawbale house and natural building internship information:
Interested in straw bale house construction? Want some hands-on experience with natural building? Want to experience community life on an off-grid homestead? If your answer is “yes” to these questions, then this internship opportunity may be for you.
Red Earth Farms is an intentional community of homesteaders located on 76 acres of pastoral rolling hills in northeastern Missouri. We have in common a commitment to developing sustainable lifestyle skills such as local food production, permaculture and natural building. We’re looking to host interns during the 2009 building season (April-September) to help with our straw bale house.
The house you’ll help build
The building is based on current best practices in natural building and passive solar design. It has round pole post-and-beam framing and a cement-free rubble trench foundation. It features an earthbag stem wall, strawbale walls, and a pallet truss gambrel roof. It will be finished with a poured adobe earthen floor and earthen and lime plasters.
How you’ll be living
Camp style. We have great tent sites and a couple of small cabins that may be available. We eat meals together as a community in our outdoor kitchen. Our meals are mainly vegetarian, and you will be included in the cooking rotation as soon as you feel ready. We have two other intentional communities in our neighborhood. Sandhill Farm is a 30-year-old egalitarian community, and Dancing Rabbit is a 10-year-old ecovillage with forty-plus members. We have a tri-community potluck dinner once a week.
Your qualifications and experience
You need to have a good work ethic and be capable of physical labor. It would be great if you have some building experience but it’s not required. We will choose interns with the best overall fit for the program.
What you’ll get in the bargain
You’ll be working directly with an experienced natural building teacher and learning alternative building techniques. You’ll be eating with our food coop and all of your meals will be covered. You’ll get a place to camp or a cabin to stay in. We have a great swimming pond and a solar shower. You can use our wireless Internet, powered by wind and sun. You’ll get exposure to three intentional communities and access to our collective knowledge in the areas of growing food, permaculture, consensus decision making and community living.
What we’ll expect from you
30-35 hours of work per week, a good attitude and enthusiasm for learning. You’ll also need a way to get here and to wherever you’ll be going when you leave. Transportation from a train bus station in the area can be arranged.
The Bottom Line
This is a unique opportunity to get a bunch of natural building experience without paying for it. If you stick around long enough you could learn everything from earthen floors on up to finish plasters. The list of things you will be exposed to is broad: earthbags, strawbales, pallet trusses, passive solar, off-grid power, permaculture, cooking, and great vegetarian meals. You may even have the opportunity to help teach workshops in natural building. Other programs like this cost thousands of dollars.
How to contact us if you’re interested:
Email: markmazziotti@gmail.com
Or call: 660-883-5330
Popularity: 7% [?]
January 9th, 2009
Get Your Space OrGREENized in ‘09
Today we’re joined by guest blogger Jeff Hobbs of Organize-Design-Live. Jeff specializes in home organization and interior design in Los Angeles and he is going to share some helpful thoughts with us on getting orGREENized in the New Year.
Get orGREENized in ‘09
Are your closets and drawers your worst enemies? Do you constantly misplace files at your office? Well, it’s a new year so that means we have the opportunity to make some changes, let go of the guilt about the things we didn’t do last year, and start fresh. Getting your personal space organized will result in more efficiency in just about every area of your life. . . a great place to start if you’re serious about fulfilling some of this year’s resolutions. And why not roll the resolutions of getting organized and being more environmentally friendly into one? There are so many great products on the market today, along with other creative organizational systems, that won’t break your bank or our environment.
Here are a few ideas, products, and tips to get you started…
Amazon.com is a great resource for many of your organizational needs, especially if you like one-stop shopping and want to keep within a budget. Some of my favorite organizational solutions on Amazon include products made of recycled plastic, bamboo and seagrass, and recycled cardboard.
This colorful, recycled desktop organizing tray is attractive so it doesn’t have to be hidden away in a drawer or closet and it’s made of recycled, non-biodegradable trash. It doesn’t get any greener than that. Just put your pens, papers, business cards and other little items in here and you’re good to go.
Choosing products made of renewable resources like bamboo or seagrass is another environment-conscious option when deciding which organizational products work best for you. And there are so many options on the market, from large and small storage boxes to drawer organizers to bathroom accessories. Not only are both materials naturally beautiful, making them a great option for storage that will be seen out in the open, but they’re strong and will definitely stand the test of time.
For example look at this bamboo media bin at left– wouldn’t that look better than a big ugly stack of magazines and other papers? They also come in different sizes for storing DVDs and Videos.
If bamboo isn’t your style, then how about seagrass? It looks natural and lovely. This seagrass file box would make a great addition to your new organized office. Just think how productive you’ll be when you can actually find what you’re looking for.
For the budget conscious organizer (and who isn’t?), I highly recommend products made of recycled cardboard. They’re inexpensive, stackable, and available in a multitude of colors, sizes, and shapes; the perfect go-to option for just about any space. These document boxes at left are made of recycled cardboard.
My most favorite tip for getting orGREENized is to use what you already have or would otherwise toss. It’s the ultimate in green and cheap! If you’re like me, you probably have some shipment boxes lying around from all the gifts you ordered online. Or, you have boxes that contained your favorite holiday presents. Rather than breaking them down and throwing them away (hopefully in the recycle bin), use them for storage. Obviously, this would not be the best option if you’d prefer your organizational systems to have a more refined look or if your storage will be kept in a visible place. But for storing holiday ornaments in the garage, old magazines and newspapers in your closet, or your kid’s memorabilia in the attic, it’s the perfect green option.
And if the idea of having unattractive storage containers ANYWHERE in your home isn’t appealing, I completely understand, so I have a creative solution for you, too. Used gift wrap, covers of old magazines, newspapers, your kid’s coloring book pages, a pair of scissors, and a jar of Mod Podge (basically, thinned out white glue, available in any craft/art store) is all you need to decorate and cover those less-than-attractive cardboard boxes. It’s a fun project and, I promise, it’ll make you feel like a kid again. Who didn’t love the class projects that included scissors, paper, and lots of glue? Just don’t eat the paste!
Happy New Year and Happy orGREENizing!
Popularity: 2% [?]
