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.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

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

Powered by Bookmarkify™

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.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

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.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Daily Greenz #118

If you’re someone who loves nature and longs to bring it inside the house with you, Show offers you some stylish alternatives.  A natural lifestyle store located in Los Angeles, Show carries an array of international designs in furniture, houseware, and accessories that are slightly off-beat but beautiful.  Their designers hail from all over, but we particularly love Canadian Doha Chebib’s log bowls, which are created from salvaged logs and stained with colorful acrylics on the inside.  They give the feel of a tame Thoreau-esque experience right in your own kitchen.  Available for $50 at www.showlifestyle.com.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Daily Greenz #115

Furniture, we knew, but homes?  IKEA, the international home products giant, has recently announced that it’s now building eco-friendly apartments, replete with flat pack furniture and other economically-priced home accessories.  The concept behind BoKlok (literally, “live smart” in Swedish) was created based on customers’ top priorities: safety, spaciousness, and accessibility to green spaces.  Therefore, all BoKlok homes have been designed with an open layout, high ceilings, and large windows to give homes a modern, spacious look and feel.  Like all things IKEA-efficient, they can be built in 16 weeks and are currently priced at $260,000.  The first block is scheduled to be completed in England very soon.  If they’re a hit, they may very well be the next big export to the U.S.  If you love all things IKEA and dream about buying an eco-friendly house, stay tuned for more BoKlok news.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Daily Greenz #92

For
those of you who love sleep, but can’t seem to get enough of it, it may not
just be your hectic schedules and laundry lists that are keeping you awake at
night. If your mattress was treated with
flame-retardant chemicals called polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), your
body may be reacting to the harmful effects of PBDEs. Health groups have long rallied to have these
chemicals banned from being used on bedding material, which can accumulate in
breast milk and other tissues over a period of time.

While
replacing your mattress might seem like a hefty investment, considering that we
spend one-third of our lives sleeping, it’s an investment that will pay off in
the long
run. Natural latex and organic
cotton mattresses are good alternatives, with latex offering the dual benefit
of protecting you from dust mites, which is the second-leading cause of
allergies after pollen. A good night’s
sleep is just a mattress away at $1,204 and up at www.thecleanbedroom.com

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Daily Greenz #36

Is your mattress giving you guilt-induced nightmares? White Lotus offers natural and organic mattresses that can be custom made in any dimension.

The cotton they use to make their standard mattresses is known as "green" cotton, which means that once it is harvested from the bolls it is unprocessed- no bleaches, dyes or fungicides.

White Lotus also sells its high quality ingredients so you can make your own bedding.

And if that weren’t enough, the company also makes bedroom, dining and office furniture, duvets and pillows. Visit whitelotus.net for more info.

Powered by Bookmarkify™