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Casa Shops: Vivavi Eco-Friendly Furniture

CasaSugar — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:30:24 -0700

If you still think eco-friendly furniture is for hippies, you should spend some time browsing the wares at Vivavi. This design emporium is way more hip than hippy, with luxurious finds that would be irresistible even if they weren't earth-friendly. The shop was founded by Josh Dorfman, whose philosophy comes through in the title of his book, The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish Green Living.

That's precisely the feeling you get shopping Vivavi's selection of items made from sustainable wood, recycled materials, organic linens, and other green materials. The store sells everything from mod living-room furniture to stylish stuff for kids rooms. I particularly love the wilderness chic of this Iannone Design Mod Lodge Sideboard ($2,575), made with reclaimed wood and formaldehyde-free adhesive. Check out some of my other picks below by clicking on the photos.

If You're Drinking This Holiday Season, Go Green

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:28:54 -0800

To me, being healthy involves more than exercise and a balanced diet - I also try to live in ways that are eco-conscious and sustainable. I recycle, eat organic and local food, and do my best to cut down on waste. I feel better knowing that I'm helping preserve our planet, and a good state of mind is essential for healthy living!

This philosophy shouldn't stop at cocktail hour. Luckily, there are more choices than ever before when it comes to organic alcohol. Since the holidays often involve parties and grand meals, why not choose responsibly made alcohol if you're imbibing this season?

To see a list of organic spirits, beer, and wine, read more.

Tru Organic Vodka ($20). Tru vodka is made from organic ingredients, and the company plants a tree in Central America for every bottle sold. The company uses less glass to produce its bottles, and the glass that is used is recycled. Top that off with a synthetic cork, soy-based ink, and packaging that converts into a shelf and you've got yourself a carbon negative rating! Aside from its straight vodka offering, choose from lemon or vanilla flavored vodka too.
Casa Noble Tequila ($40-130). Award-winning Casa Noble is made from 100% organically farmed Blue Agave plants and is USDA certified organic. All the tequila is made harvest-to-bottle on the Casa Noble estate where water usage is carefully monitored and organic cleaning products dominate. Choose from silver, resposado, anejo, single barrel resposado, and single barrel anejo.
Juniper Green Gin ($20). Juniper Green has the bragging rights of being the first organic gin ever, and is made using organic ingredients like grain, juniper, and coriander. Besides being USDA certified it also has certification from the British Soil Association for its use of sustainable farming practices.
Papagayo Organic Rum ($28). The organic sugarcane used to make Papagayo single estate rum comes from small family farms in Paraguay, and the rum is distilled using organic practices. Available as a white or spiced rum.
Benromach Organic Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($60). The raw ingredients of Benromach are all organic, and the company is certified by the British Soil Association. Though it's not reclaimed wood, its casks are made from materials that come from sustainably managed forests.
Parducci Wine ($12). Parducci wines are not only affordable they are made using organic grapes from family owned farms and come delivered in eco-friendly packaging. The Parducci estate uses solar and renewable energy to power itself, as well as sustainable farming practices.
Domaine Carneros Sparkling Wine ($30). Made from organic grapes, bubbly from Domaine Carneros is also vegan. (If you didn't already know champagne and sparkling wine has animal products like egg whites in them.) The winery uses solar power and is a big fan of composting.
Wolaver's Organic Ale ($10 for a 6-pack). Wolaver's uses organic ingredients and its sustainable farming practices include the use of bio-diesel fuel, free-air refrigeration and relying on local ingredients. The company also donates profits to research in organic farming. There are eight varieties available that include pale ale, oatmeal stout, and alta gracia coffee porter.

Cameron Diaz's Tip For Finding Eco-Friendly Furniture

CasaSugar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:00:42 -0700

In one of Gwyneth Paltrow's recent GOOP newsletters, Cameron Diaz shared her tip for finding eco-friendly furniture and a favorite resource for upholstery fabrics:

Flea markets, second-hand stores, and yard sales provide beautiful, well-made clothing and furniture, that can be reupholstered, tailored, or recycled into something completely different. I love hunting for treasures and finding beautiful things that seem to tell a whole story. Consider updating an old chair in one of these beautiful, sustainably produced fabrics.

Do you buy second-hand furniture like Cameron?

Fab Gift Guide: The Stylin' Eco Babe

FabSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:00:22 -0800

I used to have a hard time finding cute, eco-friendly holiday gifts for my green friends, but not anymore. This year, the stylin' eco babe will receive a wave of slick and sustainable gifts via bamboo scarves, recycled leather skirts, funky organic frocks, and conflict-free jewels. My planet-friendly BFF would love this Dianne Annelli Butterfly Organic Canvas Tote ($20). But wait, there's more . . .

Be sure to check out all the PopSugar Network's 2009 holiday gift guides!

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Eco-Friendly Um Tote: Love It or Hate It?

FabSugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:00:22 -0800

I'm all for helping the environment but this Eco-Friendly Um Tote by John Jakus ($115) looks more like a magazine rack than a purse. It's made of factory excess industrial wool felt which would otherwise be thrown away. It's a cool concept so maybe instead of a handbag, I'll use it to store my magazines. What do you think?

To post your selections go to the Love It or Hate It? group. And if you want to learn how to do a blog post click here.

Do You Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products?

CasaSugar — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:20:18 -0700

Now that we've wrapped up our method giveaways of eco-friendly and non-toxic cleaning products, I'm wondering how many of you use similar earth-friendly products to keep your house shiny and scrubbed.

Source

Casa Verde: 21 Eco-Friendly Home Improvements

CasaSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:02:22 -0700

I'm always looking for new ways to make my home greener, so thanks to Tdamji for pointing me to this list of 21 eco-friendly home improvements. (By the way, if you haven't checked out Tdamji's Minimal Harm - For the Love of the Planet group, I highly recommend it.)

This 21-green salute will help your conscience and your pocketbook, saving money and increasing your home's value. How many of these tactics do you use in your home? Tell me in the comments section below, or share some of your own ideas.

Consider installing solar panels. If you decide to buy some, consider used ones, as they are quite a bargain and even after as long as twenty years have been known to produce a good percentage of the power that was generated when they were brand new.
Replace all the standard light bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent ones. These energy-smart bulbs use 70 to 75 percent less energy than the incandescent kind and last up to ten times longer!
Roof improvements. Believe it or not, research indicates that roof color and the type of material used can help to lower attic temperatures. Light-colored tile roofs outperform the shingle ones when it comes to decreasing temperatures.
Install a motion detector outside to replace your outdoor lighting. Outdoor lights left on all night waste energy and disturb wildlife.

For the rest of the list, read more

Don't waste water. Check your home carefully for leaky faucets and get them repaired as quickly as possible. Use cold water when laundering clothes and adjust your clean threshold if you possibly can. Those jeans of yours can probably be worn a few more times than usual before washing them, and can't that towel be dried off at least one more time before throwing it in the hamper?
Install low flow showerheads. They are a worthwhile investment (especially if you live in a rented space, because you can take them with you). They cut down on water usage and save energy costs.
Create a compost pile in your backyard. Mix food wastes with dirt and use a shovel to turn the pile over every week or so to give it some air. Turn throwaways like eggshells, coffee grounds and spoiled vegetables into soil and garbage into something useful.
Install an aluminum-clad storm door. This type of door is energy-efficient and will help to insulate the entryway of your home.
Some considerations when heating and cooling our homes: Invest in a high-efficiency HVAC system that is Energy Star certified and install it in your home. This will greatly reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted. It will also shave your utility bill enough to make you smile reasonably broadly.
Clean out your air conditioner filters or replace them regularly. A dirty filter will hamper the airflow, costing you more to run your system.
Consider investing in and installing an automated thermostat. High-tech thermostats are well worth the cost, and what you spend, you will get back over time in lower energy bills.
Install glass doors for your fireplace. Glass doors are safer than fireplace screens. They also reduce the amount of heat that escapes through the chimney from your home.
Use power strips for your home computers. Even after you turn off your computer, power continues to flow to peripherals like printers and scanners.
Install more fans in your home. Ceiling fans can help reduce your family's dependence on air conditioning during the summer, and they are also helpful in the winter as they can push heat down from the ceiling.
Do an "energy audit" in your home and make a list of what needs to be done to get things up to "green par." Take that list to your online supplier or local hardware store and enlist their help in buying needed supplies.
Insulate your home. Doors and windows are two of the most obvious areas of concern when it comes to home energy conservation. Use weather-stripping.
Seal off unexpected trouble spots. Sometimes the less obvious spots in your home can be a source of energy loss and you will need to be thorough in order to seek out and destroy them! Check out the areas around light switches and electrical outlets.
Live by the code of the 3 Rs; Refuse, Reuse and Recycle. Keep these three things in mind whenever you buy, use or discard anything.
Stop a leak. Organize a "stop a leak day" on which everyone in your family tightens, insulates, replaces, caulks or does whatever else is necessary to make your home as "watertight" as possible.
Add insulation to your hot water heater. Don't forget that the standard water heater found in most homes is on all the time. Adding some extra insulation will save more energy than you would think and knock up to 15 percent off the costs of heating water.
Consider window tinting to reduce the glare of the sun. First of all, it will reduce heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. Tinting will also eliminate up to 99 percent of damaging ultraviolet rays and reduce the fading of your fine fabrics and furnishings.

Fab Flash: Designers Use Eco-Friendly Fabrics

FabSugar — Thu, 03 May 2007 17:02:22 -0700

Lately, more and more American and European designers and companies such as A-Style, Moral Fervor, Elisa Jimenez, and Brooklyn Industries have started to use Inego fibers, hailed as the world's first man-made fiber from 100 percent annually renewable resources. Launched in 2003, Inego uses corn as a derivative, and cost is 10 to 15 percent more than standard cotton. The good news is that market research indicates that people are willing to spend a bit more to help the environment.

Emily Santamore, the creator of Moral Fervor and her partner Melissa Sack are one such label who have gone green. The duo moved to New York and created their eco-friendly brand, which for Spring, is selling t-shirts that are made of 100% Indigo fibers, approx. $80.

Seems many people are adapting to the new green lifestyle, so if you haven't already, go go green!

Glitterati: Christine Mighion

FabSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:50:22 -0800

Christine Mighion is taking us to a whole new level with her eco-friendly jewelry line. “The jewelry industry relies heavily upon mining companies to generate raw materials for their products. Unfortunately, the mining process creates significant waste and contaminants, causing harm to the land and its inhabitants,” says Mighion. With that said, she's taken it upon herself to create a beautiful and sustainable collection of fine jewels. Every piece from her line is handmade using recycled gold and conflict-free precious and semi-precious stones - awesome.

Her premier collection, dubbed called Lustre, was inspired by “simplicity in form, timeless design and the dance of light.” I love the combination of colorful sapphires, aquamarines, chocolate diamonds, and garnets. In fact, I can see some of her pieces as unique engagement rings.

To see more from Christine, read more.

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Do You Worry About the Quality of Your Home's Materials?

CasaSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:00:55 -0800

A study by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission has linked Chinese drywall to not only the corrosion of metal and electrical components in US homes and a "rotten egg" odor, but to a whole slew of respiratory problems. Yikes! When I'm shopping for supplies, the last thing that I want to think about is whether materials will cause health problems, so I always try to buy eco-friendly, chemical-free products. But some materials just don't have a non-toxic replacement, and obviously, these homeowners had no clue their homes would be built with faulty materials.

Source: Flickr User retropc