Green Options

Summer is here! That means cookouts, porch parties, and backyard picnics! You can fancy up your next outdoor shindig with this easy peasy fabric scrap banner. Here’s what you need to make one:

Green building is about healthy settings with visual appeal. The goal is to create rooms for physical, emotional, mental and spiritual benefits. That means avoiding things like airborne allergens, chemicals, and clutter.

Yet the study of indoor air pollution can get complex. Hence, no surprise of this month’s announcement that the LEED accreditation system introduced by the U.S. Green Building Council was revamped.

I am way too young to be a hippy but I have always had that New Age vibe going on, so I am totally digging the candles that Lorain at Lorain’s Touch makes. They are so awesome.

I love that her tag line is that the candles are made with love, “From our hands to your heart”. Another cool thing? The soy candles are made on or close to the full moon so they are infused with positive energy.

As part one of Eco-Guide: How I Turned my Wedding Green illustrated, it is entirely possible to green your wedding while still keeping the green in your pocketbook.  Two mantras are tantamount — Think Household Items, not Wedding Items, and Invest Time, not Money .

In last week’s guide, I brought these two principles to life with examples from my wedding last fall, sharing how I repurposed classy but practical household objects into sophisticated wedding accents. I also discussed minimizing the dreaded DIY look through maintaining subtlety and consistency.

This week, we’ll take a look at more ways to green your wedding and introduce the last three principles: Re-Think the Must-Haves; Borrow, Don’t Buy; and Incorporate Heirlooms.

Are you an interior designer that constantly receives calls for organic home furnishings and decor?

Goldiehome is a collection of eco-conscious homewares “inspired by the geometry and tactility of nature. By fusing sophisticated design with environmentally-responsible practices, Goldiehome strives to set a new standard for organic modern luxury.”

• Each piece is made with careful attention to design and form, comfort and softness
• The home collection is entirely SKAL & GOTS certified organic cotton.
• Fibers are custom spun to achieve fine detail in jacquards and higher thread count sheetings.
• The actual products and the packaging and collateral materials all reflect the best environmental choices within the framework of commercial manufacturing.

If ecouture has its way, your home — and your closet — will soon be a lot greener. The San Francisco-based startup believes that consumers would buy far more eco-friendly clothing, gifts, baby products and décor if they could only find enough stylish and high-quality options.

Last month, we shared with you a folk art eco-friendly lunch pack by Print*Pattern*Paper.  This month, we are featuring a green giveaway of a signed 5″ x 7″ folk art print by Print*Pattern*Paper founder, CEO, artist, and designer Rebecca Peragine.  To enter, simply visit Print*Pattern*Paper’s art page, select your favorite print from the 30 prints featured, and leave a comment to this post with the print’s name.  On Wednesday, March 11, 2009, a random winner will be selected from the comments, and the lucky person will win the print of their choice!  This contest is limited to residents of Canada and the United States.

Last season we gave away an earth friendly yoga mat from Gaiam. Now we are back with a contest to win this recycled plastic, floral patterned, reversible all-weather floor mat.

This truly is a product that gives back:

“Make any room, whether indoors or out, that much more inviting. Our recycled plastic floor mats are handcrafted by Thai artisans who receive a fair wage for their craft. Made entirely from spent soda bottles, the durable multicolored polypropylene strands stand up to foot traffic in mudrooms, kitchens, or anywhere else there are plenty of comings and goings.” Made with love in Thailand.

Win this Free Floral Floor Mat ~

It is always exciting to make a new, fun discovery in the eco world and my latest is Amy Butler Design.  Amy designs fabric, patterns, stationery and other Midwest modern accessories for you and your home.  Actually, she has been doing this for some time and has graced many magazines and websites.  But upon further investigation, you really could get yourself lost in her world.

Can you afford to always buy eco-friendly products?  Really? Let’s face it, buying eco-friendly can be a budget busting experience at the best of times.

Now there’s a new eco-friendly place where you might be able to afford them.  Newly launched, Ecosteal.com sells modern, eco-friendly products featured one-at-a-time at 40-80% off retail price, until they sell out or 9am the next day.

The His and Hers Special Edition Passion Candles by Illume have got to be the most sensual candles I have ever lit. They smell amazing. The Passion Candles combine the His and the Hers scents into one candle with a completely erotic aroma. These candles smell good before you even light them. Spices, woods, vanilla and sugar are the heady aromas that will fill your senses-truly sugar and spice and everything nice but not just for the girls…guys will love them too.