My home is definitely my refuge.
Until recently, I thought I did a pretty nice job of doing my part for the environment when it came to my home: using eco-friendly cleaning supplies, buying CFL’s, setting the timer to regulate heat and air, but the more I read, the more I find that I can do. There are also a ton of companies emerging that are trying to make an impact while reducing their footprint.
Below are a few of my favorite online destinations for cool products and information for the home and home office.
- The Lazy Environmentalist, Josh Dorfman’s company, Vivavi, is a one stop shop for decorating a stylishly modern and eco savvy home. For a more traditional and equally stylish look, check out Brooklyn Farm Table’s reclaimed tables.
- For the home office, check out the Zody by Haworth. This ergonomically designed chair boasts cradle to cradle cert
ification and is made of recycled materials down to the nylon on the seats. Haworth even purchases wind credits to power the manufacturing of the product. While sourcing materials is one of the biggest challenges that they face according to the company’s Sr Design for Environment Engineer, Mark Bonnema, they are getting partners onboard and are creating a sustainable chain reaction. The company itself is pursuing some impressive sustainability objectives: sustainable products and design, energy management, green transportation, zero waste and emissions, green building and site management and social responsibility. - If Vivavi and Haworth are out of your price range, less expensive options for your home and home office are sites like Freecycle or Craigslist. Scour these for hidden gems rather than buying new. You’ll not only save money, but you’ll save these items from hitting a landfill somewhere near you.
- A guilty pleasure of mine is See Jane Work. They have a very stylish eco-friendly line of products to help event the most hopeless writer, um, person get organized. Papergeist is another great line to look into; they use old record album covers and “post, post consumer” paper to fill their eco-chic notebooks.
- To learn more about environmentally sensitive ways to renovate or build your home from floors up, visit Straw, Sticks and Bricks. They offer great information in their “Learn” section and have great products from flooring to tiles and countertops. Several paint companies, like Benjamin Moore’s Aura line and Sherwin Williams, are offering low or zero VOC options to consumers.
While I don’t think that we can purchase our way out of Global Warming, I do believe that we vote with our wallets, and personally, I am going to support companies and products that are making changes, especially when I can reap the health benefits (like fewer toxins) at home.
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
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