Dine al fresco this summer and not only will you be able to enjoy the great outdoors, but also you can help lower your carbon footprint a bit. When you’re eating outside, you won’t need to use energy for lighting or air conditioning. Plus, if you cook outside on a grill, you can often get the job done faster and with less of a carbon cost than you could have inside.

So give your backyard space a makeover with eco-friendly furniture. This Tofino Table and Armchair set is made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifed wood. And the wood they chose is an eco-friendly choice too: eucalyptus. The fast-growing tree can be harvested frequently making it a sustainable material. What’s more, eucalyptus is  a hard wood and it’s as durable as the popular patio furniture material teak. The difference?  Click here to read more

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Decorators have long recommended following the ‘Rule of Three’ when accessorizing your home. Grouping items together in threes or odd numbers is an easy, inexpensive way to keep things interesting and polished looking.

The varying heights, rounded shapes, and dimpled texture of VivaTerra’s Recycled Glass Balloon Vases instantly spruces up tabletops, mantles, or windowsills. Plus, you’ll feel a bit better knowing that you’re consuming a product that’s had a past life – you’re supporting sustainability, not disposability.

We think they’d look smashing filled with flowers or something unexpected, like dried branches, pebbles or sand.

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Everyone’s hot and bothered. To be specific, residents across the US are finding themselves facing record heat this year. Southern Californians sweltered through a killer heat wave (literally), New Yorkers were greeted in early June with near-record and record temperatures, and even Washington State flirted with setting some heat records.

With situations like these it’s easy (and sometimes necessary) to want to flip on the AC, but there are several benefits to opting out of it, including lower utility bills, better air quality and lighter environmental impact. Ceiling fans, like the Quorum Estate 52″ Ceiling Fan, are one of the best ways to avoid air conditioning. The Quorum Estate fan costs considerably less than many air conditioner units (often about half the cost) and has less of the drawbacks you find with AC. In addition, it tends to add to your home décor rather than detract from it.

Click here to read more

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Daily Greenz #151

We’ll bet you didn’t know that the air inside the average American home was on average 2 to 5 times more polluted than the air outside. Scary, right? According to the EPA, the things that cause our indoor air quality to suffer the most are simple household products like cleaners, paints, cosmetics, and even carpets and furniture. All of these products emit toxic vapors called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. VOCs continue to be released over time, so even after your freshly painted walls have dried and the bleach scent has faded from the bathroom, toxic gases continue to be released.  So with VOCs present in so many products, how can we improve our indoor air quality without completely revamping our homes? Simple: invest in an air purifier like the NanoBreeze Air Purifier. In addition to reducing indoor air pollutants on a molecular level, the NanoBreeze also gets rid of odors, algae, bacteria, dust mite waste, mold, viruses, pollen, tobacco smoke, and pet dander. All of these offending polluters are oxidized into harmless carbon dioxide and water, allowing you to breathe easier in your own home.  Plus, it doesn’t require cleaning or filter replacement. We think that all of that’s certainly worth a $199 investment. To read more about how NanoBreeze works and where to buy it, take a look here.

Check out our Buyer’s Guides for more advice on how to green your cleaning and your home furnishings.

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Daily Greenz #149

Muji is to Japan what IKEA is to the U.S.  Since they opened their doors 25 years ago, Muji has gone on to establish a worldwide presence with their eco-friendly, innovative products that range from furniture to prefab houses.  Before it was hip to be green, Muji was already implementing sustainable practices and utilizing discarded materials to create practical, stylish goods.  Operating from a “less is more” philosophy, they eliminate cluttered features, over-processing, and over-packaging.  With one store already open in New York’s SoHo and another scheduled to open in the New York Times building in midtown this year, consumers will want to check out what the hype is all about.

Personally, we’re excited to have another option besides home products giant IKEA, who has ruled the market for years.  With products like cardboard speakers and toys made from sustainably harvested wood, we think Muji will give IKEA a run for its money as it opens stores in other major U.S. cities in the next several years.  Their reasonable prices for top-quality furniture, houseware, electronics, and apparel will have consumers wanting more.  Check out their products at www.muji.com.

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