Good with Style

It's Complicated

 

 With about 7 weeks until my due date, I am in full blown nesting mode. I've been sifting, sorting, and getting rid of a ton of stuff--which is actually something I do on a regular basis because I can not stand to live with too much clutter. I can't stand living in a dirty space, and when you have to much stuff you really never can get your home as clean as possible. Which is why I am always trying to get rid of things we don't need. To make things especially complicated, I also have a tendency to hoard things that I think I can make into something interesting--such as CD Jewel Cases. Most of the projects in my last book come from my experiments with designing home accessories using repurposed materials. I'm drawn to things that can't be easily recycled--like most plastics. And things coated with plastic, like wire hangers. Yes, I know that the dry cleaner will reuse hangers you bring back to them. But that's called reusing, not recycling. Which is good of course, but also has it's limitations. Like, what happens if too many hangers are returned, or when the hanger is bent out of shape.  

So, I have a lot things like CD Jewel Cases, of them which I plan to make into things like this bookshelf light, but I have not yet done so. Which is where the sifting and sorting comes into play. Sometimes I feel like I'm just moving the same stuff around all of the time. Kind of oppressive. I guess if I weren't so lazy/tired/pregnant I'd go ahead and make the lights, put them in my Etsy shop and call it a day. But, for now, I'll just tuck them away and wait for inspiration/motivation to strike. Have a great day!

XO Emily 

 P.S. To learn how to make this awesome CD Jewel Case/Box Light, buy my book Eco Chic Home!

All This Happened, More or Less

Source: anneevamargriet.blogspot.com via Sara Kate on Pinterest

 

 

Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from the things she found in gift shops. (Slaughterhouse-Five)

Happy Birthday, Mr. Vonnegut.

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Used Shipping Paletts + Creative Business Ideas

 

Lately, I've noticed a lot of things being made out of shipping paletts...which makes sense. Paletts are made to carry very heavy things, but are usually discarded after whatever they've carried has been delivered. This bed is such a simple, fabulous idea I think I may need to try it. Now, I just need to have something really big and heavy delivered to me ;) Actually, a quick Google search yielded the "Container Exchanger" site. Brilliant. Now for the used paletts...apparently this is a BIG business! Who says American Industry isn't creating ingenuous business ideas every day? Not me.

Northwest Palett

Paletts by IFCO

Millwood Inc

Paletts Unlimited

 *Above image from Pia Jane Bizkirk via Apartment Therapy

Who Made Your Shoes?

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Michelle on Pinterest

 

Here's to knowing more about where our stuff comes from and how it's made.

Yoga, Design and Living Off the Mat

Yoga helps me everyday and it has nothing to do with my yoga mat. While there are so many people in the world who have found and embraced yoga, there is so much misunderstanding about it by people who are not familiarized with what Yoga really is. But, I'm not going to get into that right now. For me, connecting Yoga and Design isn't about burning incense and incorporating an alter to Ganesh into a living room floor plan. It really all comes down to 1. Mindfulness: becoming aware, continuing to live in that awareness. 2. Intention: making a decision about who and how you want to be in the world. 3. Action: the most difficult part--actually getting up and doing it. Anyway, that's what it's all about for me. I make a connection between my Yoga practice and design, and ultimately, consumerism. I've put an excerpt (it's actually the introduction) from my book. Have a lovely evening.

XO

Emily

(Excerpt from my book Eco Chic Home)

No matter how great or how small, all living things are connected to one another. We are all connected. This a beautiful thing to realize. What I find fascinating is how we are able to stop and and acknowledge this connection, but in our day to day living, we forget, or ignore, how our individual actions are impacting our environment. I believe everyone wants to make the world cleaner, but not everyone knows how to get from point a to point b. Before any changes can really take affect, we need to help everyone move along to point b. We must bridge the gap between a few individual voices and the broader population.

Mindfulness is a practice that helps bridge this gap between knowing we are connected, and seeing that connection everyday. You can use mindfulness to live every moment understanding that you are a force in the world, and you make things happen, even with that one small choice, like deciding to put that bottle in recycling instead of in the trash. I began to embrace mindfulness a few years ago through my Yoga Practice.

(Read more here...)

celebrate spring: eco-friendly living in style

Have a wonderful weekend everybody... XO Emily

celebrate earth day: eco-living ideas

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

How will you be celebrating green-living today? Perhaps you might enjoy reading a few new ideas from moi...Two articles I wrote for today with unique ways to make easy eco-friendly changes, and spend some fun earth-friendly time with your kids...XO Emily

galtime.com: Celebrating Earth Day with Your Kids

momifforward.com: Celebrate Earth Day in Eco Fashion

kangaroo plus 5 cargo bike

 I really want a new bike. If only I lived in Amsterdam, where Recycled Bicycle is located, which I learned from Green Goody. We walk everywhere, so at least I don't use a car too often. But riding your bike around town is an especially Earth Day idea, because it's better for everyone, including you.

 So then I got to thinking about bikes, and looking around the web for different models, when I came upon this incredibly great idea from Danish-based Kangaroo Bike.

 I'm not sure how my husband would feel about this, but I am definitely putting this on the list. How about you--do you have--or want--a bike? 

XO

Emily

eco-friendly container and vase inspiration

Source: hutchstudio.blogspot.com via raccoon on Pinterest

I'm seeing a lot of newspaper plant containers, these with chicken wire are especially clever. I love to make designs using wire hangers (which can not be recycled--fyi). Here's my take on the wire container idea, which was inspired by Steaks Frites, which I believe are often wrapped in newspaper in their containers, n'est pas?

Photography Credit: Seth Smoot and Kendra Smoot from Eco Chic Home by Emily Anderson

eco-friendly flowers for mother's day

Lilacs, Roses, Peonies in a simple, natural arrangement. Just as easy to do this yourself, and so much healthier than floral foam, and easier to compost when there's no floral wire to deal with.

xo Emily

(photo: Emily Anderson)

touch wood video brings ryuichi sakamoto + rube goldberg together

It happens so rarely that I am on the cutting-edge. It's just too much pressure to always try to be ahead of the curve, don't you think? But I thought I'd share this...since it's been getting so much traffic here on the GWS blog...the Rube Goldberg inspired instrument I wrote about last week, featuring a silent forest filled with man-made music.

The video is actually an ad for the NTT DOCOMO limited edition Touch Wood mobile phone.

The project is a collaboration between Sharp Corporation, Olympus Corporation and "more trees," a reforestation project founded by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto and others. Sakamoto recently gave a benefit concert here in New York City to benefit Relief for Japan. Here is a quote from him:

NTT DOCOMO says, "The TOUCH WOOD is made from the surplus wood of trees culled during forest-thinning operations. This new commercial use for thinned wood, which traditionally has only limited applications, helps to preserve other wood resources while strengthening the health of overgrown forests."

If you visit the NTT DOCOMO site, and I suggest you do, you will see the Disaster Message Board which the company has created to assist victims and families impacted by the recent Japanese natural disasters.

Go here to read more about the Touch Wood project.

XO

Emily

 

organic cotton's dirty little secret

Unfortunately, at this stage, even the label won't necessarily tell you everything you should know about the item. A label may say "MADE WITH 100% Organic Cotton" vs. "100% Organic Cotton Clothing" which is a distinction nobody probably even pays attention to...Because I have experience writing copy for product and I think this difference makes a difference--for legal reasons, a company may want to be sure they say "contains" because then they can include whatever they want and still keep the Organic Label.

This is why the GOTS--Global Organic Textile Association--label is so important, it does regulate the environmental and ethical standards at every stage of the entire manufacturing process. I only know about GOTS because of my client, BOA Style. All of their Organic items have this label.

If you'd like to see all of the chemicals used after the Organic Cotton is grown, harvested, and turned into fiber then fabric, go straight to the source Textile Manufacturers, Exporters & Suppliers website. Here are a few links for more information and resources about Organic Cotton:

Organic Trade Association

Patagonia: About Organic Cotton

About Organic Cotton

Sustainable Cotton Project

Behind the Label (the very best, most comprehensive source for all things ethical business related.)

I'm also a adding few brands to my recommended list:

NAU

HessNatur

Winter Water Factory*

*I just purchased a few items from this store for my little girl and we love the organic cotton designs! I'll share photos and more next week.

Does all of this information make sense to you? Please let me know if you have any questions or information. Remember, I am learning too!

XO

Emily

 

 

eco-friendly paint is good for you

Even if you aren't doing the actual painting yourself, you still should ask for No-VOC paint. There are fantastic options available, here are a few of my favorites:

Valspar Paint

Green Painting (a painting company)

Ecos Paints

Natura Paint by Benjamin Moore

GreenSure by Sherwin Williams

Freshaire

Environmentally Paint by The Real Milk Paint Co.

Yolo Eco-Friendly Paint

Also, read this round-up from Apartment Therapy's Re-Nest with an eco-paint review...it's from 2009, but still helpful.

 

my hashi reuseable chopsticks via @AplusRdesign

Japan has some other things to contend with at the moment, but one of their biggest eco-issues is the amount of chopsticks made and discarded each year--25 Billion per year, and 200 sets for every person! I love this cheery video about a reuseable alternative--My Hashi from Yuen'to (find other great items like this at A+R Design). Sushi and other Chopstick-worthy food is pretty common all over the world, so maybe we should all get in on this--plus, you'll be supporting a Japanese business which is pretty great too :) Check out how nicely designed this product is with sustainable packaging that is beautiful and functional. The packaging compliments and elevates the aesthetic of the product itself. I think this is what all product design should strive for, especially if it's supposed to be eco-friendly. XO Emily

sustainable design for a crisp white winter day

Since it is a winter wonderland here in New York City, I thought some wintery design inspiration was in order.

1.Cairn Boxes by Constance Guisset

2. Hanging Lamp by Wis Designs

3. Elevation by Arik Levy

4. Bio-Polyester Resin Pieces by Confused-Direction Design Studio

5. Sea Sand Water & Concrete Clock by Johan Forsberg

6. Grandissant Candlestick by Jean-Charles Amey

7. Screen Printed Textiles by Dorte Agergaard

 

The Middle Place: Environmentalism, Labor Rights and a Free Market Society

It's complicated. We want everything to be linear, to sit in neat piles until we have time to sort through them. But that just isn't how things work. I feel like I am in the middle place, maybe you feel the same way too. I believe in capitalism, in a free market society. It is the best system yet for giving human beings liberty to live a free life. I am a proud American. My family has lived the American Dream for as far back as the 1600s. Nobody ever became a scion of society, but we've all gotten by just fine. A few hiccups here and there, but really nothing to complain about. 

Handmade Career and Making Money on Etsy

 

 Maybe you already saw this article in the New York Times when it was published, but I just came across it by way of Hammocks and High Tea. It's a very relevant topic for not just me, but for many people I know who are trying to forge their own career in this time of change. Even though I've published three books, and had a pretty good career before that, I am constantly thinking about how I can earn a living, be a stay at home mom, and be happy all at the same time.

 

Wal-Mart Plans to Green the Supply Chain

 

As they say, where Wal-Mart goes, so goes the world. Currently the world's biggest consumer of organic cotton, Wal-Mart now announces plans to green its supply line. More here...

photo credit: Berdine's America's Oldest Five and Dime Store.

 

Recycled Bijoux: Maria Zureta

Add this to the list of things I'm looking forward to.

Recycled iPod

 

What to do with my broken iPod? I could give it back to Apple to be recycled. Or maybe--remake it into a business card holder....