Green Washing Guidelines

Day by day I am inundated with new products, weeding through the good, the bad, the seriously oogly, and the uber chic. And amongst all of these I am often searching for a sign of what possibly could make this product 'green.' Of course, I often have to ask myself if what the websites spout as a dedication to the environment is really just a whole bunch of green washing, or if I should have faith and maintain the belief that every little bit counts. (I have to say, in my heart of hearts, I would rather a little than nothing at all, like a company that sources FSC woods even if they're going to use regular chemical based stains, because at least the wood isn't being sourced from companies that ravage forests and leave the flora and fauna without home or recourse.) So I am always happy when I find these helpful shopping tips. It may be easy for me at this point to wade through the mire, but I realize that there are plenty of people out there who know far more than I, and plenty of information I think is necessary to share. Here are some articles I came across that I enjoyed, and wanted to pass on:

Gaiam Life's Guide to Buying Eco-Friendly Furniture - Although you may not be able to incorporate all the ingredients to an eco-friendly sofa, it's a good checklist to have, and something to work from when searching. I also like that the article discusses more than what makes a piece green, but what makes a piece socially conscious, like fair trade, vintage, etc.

So this next site was actually started by a marketing company that is 'science-based marketing' dedicated to helping environmental leaders and stewards get their goods out there. The company focuses solely on sustainable companies and has developed wonderful marketing and positioning strategies for innumerable companies. What they're most known for, however, is their campaign the 'Six Sins of Green Washing' which is now the Seven Sins of Greenwashing.' It is all about a study they did to understand the environmental claims made on products & if they're really true. And luckily for the world - they not only got the down low, but they knew how to sound the horn!

And just in case you're not entirely sure what it means, here's a general definition - Green washing

And a few more sites to check out:

Greenwashing Index

It Ain't Easy Being Green

And I posted this blog earlier - A Little Info Goes a Long Way

It's all in the Gravy...

When you meet someone who has talent, it's always exciting and impressive to learn about their work. But when you can actually own their work, use it, see it, enjoy it - it's a whole other ballgame. That's the way it is with Gravy Service - a one man show that puts together form and function in a beautiful way. And it's not just because I know the man behind the Gravy, but because I actually love his work, and even more so because in a variety of the things he builds, he takes the environment into consideration. For one thing, all the pieces are hand made in his workshop in San Fransisco from locally sourced materials. So when you purchase a piece from Gravy Service, you're helping to support a local craftsman, a community, and someone who is focused on the art and quality of creating one piece at a time. And then there are the materials. In many of the beautiful, funky, geometric pieces you will find reclaimed or FSC certified woods, or rapidly renewable materials like Plyboo. And although I would classify the work as 'green-ish' rather than entirely green, I like the fact that there are options that are more environmentally friendly amongst the inventory, and lucky me - they happen to be some of my favorites! Like the absolutely gorgeous 3 Fold table above. The rich dark grain of the FSC certified walnut shows beautifully on this table for seven, and the simplicity and functionality of the design is absolutely ingenious...cause when you don't the need, just fold it up! And Voila! A console, a laptop station, a low profile surface that doesn't eat up your whole home...until you need it to!

And the simple steel base is perfect - it adds style without taking up space, and the contrast of the rich grey steel compliments the rich chocolaty walnut nicely.

Gravy Service has a lot of options for something I am constantly in need of - storage. And probably like many designers, I don't just want something boring to stick my books in, I want something with interest that allows me to create a story and set a stage. 10-12, the FSC certified walnut shelving unit evokes a certain Mondrian je ne sais quoi and makes quite a statement with its modular and varied shelving and equally spaced steel clips. Head on you really can appreciate the contrast of open space with the rich grain of the wood and matte black of the steel. And all the different boxes make it a perfect place for showing off your decorative options, a few of your favorite books, and may even nothing it all...

Made of Smith & Fong's formaldehyde free Plyboo and Aluminum, Divide is another excellent option for storage and decoration combined. And putting the piece to work as its name suggests, it's an excellent way to delineate a space and create a room without actually putting up walls and closing something off. And what's more, the large expanse of the shelves and lightness of the material finishes allow for a feeling of airiness. You can fill it up or use just a few strategically placed objets d'art to make this somewhat zen like piece the perfect storage solution or artful display.

And of course, there's the Lofty. Made entirely of FSC certified walnut, this falls somewhere between the 10-12 and the divide in scale and purpose. A wonderful and geometric shelving unit that can be against a wall or used as a divider as well, this rich walnut structure is perfect for book storage with pops of a few of your favorite decorative pieces.

Check out the images below that highlight just how perfect this piece is for books and sculptural objects - I love that you can utilize the profile as an additional space for visual interest.

Whether you use it as a bench or a side table, the Lefto has a wonderful simplicity in form that makes it perfect for innumerable spaces. I would love these lined up in a hallway as benches, or sitting alone as a side table in a bright, open loft like space. The contrast of the dark steel and the light grain of salvaged Eucalyptus is fantastic, and helps to add to the easy going, relaxed feel of the piece.

Another gorgeously finished walnut surface, the Proov table is all clean lines with a twist. I love that instead of four regular table legs, you get the fun and funk of angles, but still the lightness of a flat plane of wood.

And last but certainly not least is one of the originals from Gravy Service, the X table, made of Smith & Fong's reclaimed coconut Palmwood and steel. I love the crisp cut of steel going through the wild grain pattern and soft brown of the wood, and the way the edges are angled. And of course, I love the X. Totally hot, and totally perfect for a fun but edgy side table.

Fabulous...and like I said, it's all in the Gravy.

Margarido House

Completed in 2008, the Margarido House is Northern California's 1st LEED-H rated home, and Platinum at that, is clean, cool, and contemporary. The name makes me think of a margarita, and maybe it's because this house could actually be described as delicious. It exudes what you would expect from high-end, high-style California living. Modular, geometric lines of glass, wood, concrete, and steel make up the basis for this home and give it a wonderful style typical to what you imagine of West Coast homes.

The house itself has a wide array of eco-friendly features, from sustainable and engineered exterior and framing products like steel and Timberstrand wood, to smart house automation features for energy savings. The house uses things like solar powered hot water and electricity, in floor hydronic heating, thermally broken doors and windows, and poured concrete floors and walls, all to minimize the energy needed to heat, cool, power and maintain the home. Locally sourced materials, rain water retention, drought-resistant plantings, a roof deck, and recycled materials all help to further this homes small eco-footprint. Not to mention all the appliances, plumbing, lighting, tiles, counters, and even furniture that went into making the interior of the home just as sustainable as the foundation and exterior.

All this was built by McDonald Construction and Development, and done with the help of some very cool companies like Media Plenty (who also collaborated on 131 Hillside), and PlumbBob, an architectural component of a Philadelphia sustainable housing development company, OnionFlats.

Check out some more of the images below:

131 Hillside

Perhaps it's the amazing landscape, the sun, the sea, the hillsides and farmlands - all that nature - that inspires Californians to push the limits of what is common, what is accepted, and maybe even what is possible, when it comes to the environment. But thank goodness they do, because we not only get great ideas from it, but also great results. 131 Hillside is one such thing. Architect Scott Lee of SB Architects has created the 1st LEED-H rated home in Marin County, California, in association with a whole slew of wonderful eco-oriented companies and McDonald Construction and Development who completed Northern California's 1st LEED-H Platinum home.

The house has a wonderful feel to it with the stepped multi-levels, large windows, and various balconies and decks. I can't wait to see the pictures of what it looks like as they begin construction, as well as the interior plans. I imagine a sun soaked space with a zen-like feel, but who knows! What I do know is that it's a project worth following - a home with wonderful features that in and of themselves warrant paying attention. The house will use a combination of solar power for electricity and hot water, as well as hydronic floor heating and a passive solar/geothermal combo for AC. The entire exterior of the home is clad in an exposed reclaimed timber and uses a combination of rapidly renewable Western Red Cedar siding and non Portland Cement based stucco. The interior of the home will have engineered veneer floors, recycled content concrete countertops, sinks & tubs, and zero-VOC paints and finishes. Throughout the home, they will be using only energy star rated appliances and low flow plumbing fixtures. In addition, the house uses a slew of insulation techniques like spray in foam insulation made from beet resin and double paned windows and doors. Other important factors were also taken into consideration, so that the home sources most of its materials locally; all the concrete has 'high fly ash' content; and they'll be recycling the maximum amount of construction debris possible. Even the landscape that was planted is drought tolerant and utilizes native plants. With all these factors put together this is going to be one hell of a house!

Sustaining A Green Environment

Sustaining A Green Environment - better known as SAGE in Design - brings sustainability to the commercial furnishings industry. Focusing on commercial retail and contract furniture, SAGE aims at developing unique, competitive, stylish AND sustainable products for the commercial world. And lucky us, because with the innumerable numbers of hotels, offices, lobbies, hallways, common areas, parks - wherever - the contract furniture industry is a major part of our economy and has a major impact on our environment. If you just think of the sheer quantity of a product that might go into one single hotel, then you can see why it's so important to make sure that one product is made from sustainably harvested woods or non-toxic dyes or uses natural adhesives - and that it actually looks good. Check out the Zoma bench above - I love the simplicity of the base and the weightlessness it gives the upholstered top...though perhaps in a different fabric.

SAGE offers you a product line that has it all - made in the USA, soy based finishes, FSC certified and rapidly renewable woods, recycled plastics and composite materials, eco-friendly concrete and recycled glass, and even recycled steel. They're also a good Samaritan, so to speak. As a member of the US Green Building Council, Sustainable Furnishings Council and Green America (a non-profit dedicated to developing economic justice and sustainability), they not only try and practice what they preach, but work with other organizations that aim to accomplish many of the same goals - and it's a good way to make sure you keep your word, because you're not the only one watching what you do.

Sleek is the perfect word to describe the A Club & Abs Chairs and A Sync bench - the combinations of metal, plastic, leather and wood are perfect for creating an urban chic look that always looks perfect - no need to fluff or polish.

And the same thing applies to much of their upholstery line. The tight back and simply upholstered pieces are perfect for a comfortable and easy look that can be either cosmopolitan or casual with just the right fabric. And the pieces aren't without personality - the beautiful dark wood details on the Metro sofa are a great touch.

And the soft curves of the Deos Lounge and Beverly Sofa embody the idea of relaxation - I'd love to be poolside in one of these.

Flexibility is another wonderful quality to SAGE's product line - check out the FSC Teak table top you can match with the Osa table base - and there are many other mix & match choices to select the perfect thing for your space.

And don't forget about outdoor spaces. These are often just as important as indoor spaces when it comes to design. SAGE offers a ton of outdoor furniture - seating, planters, decorative objects, and benches. Check out this staple of outdoor seating - the Newbury bench. And for a more funky look, the Hom and Mondo Maz benches.

Organic Modern

Organic Modern - and not the type of organic that has to do with farming, ingredients or chemical free - is the description used by Editor At Large of Luxe Magazine Michael Wollaeger about Ironies Furniture at a recent event I attended at the Boston Design Center. Although I can't say Ironies falls within the range of "green" companies, I find this title an apt description for a company that integrates natural materials - in all their beauty and imperfection - into their amazing furniture. Material and form are essential to Ironies, and as such, create intense impact with every piece. Impact for Ironies also goes beyond the design of their pieces - and this is where 'green' comes into play. Many of the materials they use - including Horn, Pen Shell, Bone and Shagreen are sustainably sourced, "remnants" as Ironies itself describes them, that with the skilled hands of local artisans, are crafted into anything from table tops to light fixtures, to chests. And despite all the varied materials, their name isn't for nothing - many of their pieces are a combination of metals - either hand forged or cast or cut with new metal working technologies to create incredible bases, frames, hardware, etc....but there are often applied materials like Shagreen (Ray skin salvaged from the discards of the fishing industry), Bone (remnants from the husbandry industry), and pen shell and horn which are naturally found or shed. Ironies manufactures their pieces in Indonesia and truly believes in their workers - helping to provide them with fair wages, good working conditions, and the opportunity to continue the traditions and skills of Indonesian craftspeople who have been using many of these materials for centuries. Their attention to detail and quality is magnificent, and as one of their marketing team said, they are doing their best to put to good use things that would otherwise end up as trash, unused, and with the knowledge of their workers, they're able to turn it into amazing products...and he also mentioned he hoped they would continue to become more "green." Me too - I love their product and hope that the technology, resources and will to increase their company's role in the stewardship of our environment grows.

Talk about stunning, form, inspiration...basically Wow! These two case pieces below from Ironies are amazing - the Heron Cabinet and Forte Armoire are both sights to behold. The Heron has a funky, abstract, almost deco feel with the pen shell inlay while the Forte reminds me almost of a vortex or spider web with its dark horn doors.

Check out these funky tables below with Shagreen & Bone tops - I love the contrast of the simplicity of the table top colors, but the complexity of the pattern of shagreen or bone inlay.

Below is probably one of my favorite of Ironies' lighting line - the Jaeger Chandelier (also comes in a half round sconce) made either from Horn (naturally discarded) or Agate (abundant natural stone material).

And these agate and onyx sconces - absolutely gorgeous.

Ironies also offers various accessories - some of which are also made from their eco-conscious materials like this reclaimed wood Root Table Lamp, Shagreen Vase, Teak Screen and Kopi Wood Planters, made from Kopi wood which thanks to Surinam's governmental policies is harvested sustainably.

And I'm honestly not sure if there is anything eco-friendly about this Tule Chair & Ottoman below, but it's gorgeous - as is the Tallinn Buffet made with cast resin doors (which as a material does have eco-friendly options). I love the sculptural form of both of these pieces so I just had to include them, at the very least for inspiration - which this company happens to be brimming with.