Eco Friendly Product Guide

Home decor is a reflection of the times, so its no wonder that the latest styles are environmentally friendly and organically inspired.  The “Cove” Pillows by Amenity L.A. are gorgeous accent cushions made from a blend of organic cotton and hemp; non-toxic, water-based inks; and an interior fiber made from recycled bottles.

The design features a modern reed print available in four colors:

Cream + Sienna
Cocoa + Silver
Gray + Espresso
Cream + Moss

These pillows are available in two sizes on the sustainable design website, Branch.com:

18″ x 18″: $89
26″ x 26″: $125

Everything in your home should be a work of art — even your nightlight!  This beautiful, recycled glass nightlight is made from green Perrier and cobalt blue Skyy Vodka bottles.  As the light shines through, it casts shadows and gentle, colored light to the room. This is a great gift idea for any new homeowner!

Each unique nightlight is packaged in an individually stamped box with recycled shredded paper and an original poem by the artist.  You can purchase the Water and Sky nightlight on SweetOrganicsandNaturals.com for $38.

What could be better than a pot of organic grown fair trade tea?  How about serving it in this non-stick ceramic teapot from CleanAirGardning.com?  The pot is glazed with a patented coating which makes it non-reactive and able to retain heat longer.  The tea will remain piping hot and the flavor will remain unaltered.

The Xtrema Teapot is 1.5 quarts, bacteria-resistant and easy to clean; and it is also fireproof–which means if you accidentally leave it on the stove, it will remain intact.  It also comes with a 50-year warranty!

Buy online for $59.99.

One of the problems with the way manufacturing is done in today’s world is the sheer volume of waste that is produced.  Some of it is a byproduct of the process, and some of it is simply a result of mistakes by the workers or machines.  For example, in factories which make cans, tins and other metal containers, there can be hundreds–even thousands–of misprints which must be discarded because they are not able to be sold.

One artist has salvaged this misprinted sheet metal and used it to make stunning Moroccan-inspired themed lanterns that can lend ambience to either an indoor or outdoor space.  These colorful lamps come in two shapes:  round and cylindrical.  They have hundreds of tiny openings which allow a lit tealight candle to illuminate the room with a magical glow.

Imagine your next BBQ or evening party decorated with these festive lanterns.  Each misprint metal lamp is $69 and can be purchased on Viva Terra.

Fire & Light is known for it’s vast array of dinnerware, glassware, and other assorted products geared towards entertaining your guests. Since the start of the company in 1995, Fire and Light has manufactured products with over 91% recycled glass, turning it into raw material.

The glassware made through Fire & Light is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and provides the eco-friendly consumer with a nice piece of mind when entertaining guests. Having unique dinnerware and household accessories is one thing, but serving drinks in an eco-friendly tumbler made of recycled glass is what we like to call entertainment on a clear conscience.

You can buy the glass tumbler set through such retailers as Greenfeet.com, starting at $22.95. You can check out the variety of products available through Fire & Light’s website.

Have you ever looked around at your house and said to yourself, “gee whiz, everything here is plugged into an outlet. Do I even need all of this stuff to be plugged in? In addition, what stuff is taking up the most energy?” Well, the good news is, you are asking all of the right questions. If you answered yourself back, there may be a little bit of a problem, but if you are looking for a solution, the staff over at P3 international has the answer you are looking for.

P3 International has manufactured the Kill A Watt, which monitors how efficient your electronic devices really are. All you have to do is plug your household device in question into the Kill A Watt, and the LCD display measures how much energy is being used by the Killowatt-hour. From there, you can try and figure out how much energy each device uses per day, month, year…you get the idea.

You can purchase this innovative device from Clean Air Gardening for $39.99, a small price to pay for figuring out how much money, energy, and resources you could save with your home energy consumption

The Consumerist is typically a very cool, trendy website. Sometimes there are very informative stories, while other times there are collections of articles by you non-conformists out there who hate everything. However, you should never shy away from checking the site out, it has some really great information available.

One article in particular that sticks out deals with Macy’s using biodegradable packing peanuts when shipping their orders. As more companies jump on the green bandwagon, it is good to see retailers like Macy’s doing their part. With every purchase you order, it is mailed with biodegradable packing peanuts, which you can dissolve in water, and then pour in the garden, yard, neighbors yard, compost heap, or even just throw them away, they will naturally just dissolve.

It’s a good trend and needs to be recognized. Macy’s should be commended for stepping up and doing their part to help the environment.

Your computer, scanner, copier, printer, telephone…you have seen them before, all plugged into the power strip underneath the desk. It’s not uncommon to see a half dozen things plugged into one power strip. While some may not think twice about this sort of thing, the eco-freindly consumer sees it as an enormous waste of energy and resources.

However, there is an answer to the power strip problem. BITS Limited has created a wide variety of Power Strips that are energy saving, and really a cool idea. The strips range in price, from $18-$50, depending on your power needs.

The idea is this: the strip takes energy from one device and stores it, to power your other devices as well. Thus, it’s able to conserve more energy and make it an excellent choice for the energy-concious consumer who is also busy with work and is on the computer frequently. It’s perfect for the busy telecommuter or office woker who spends a lot of time at his/her desk.

You’re going to be working anyway. Might as well save some energy while you’re doing it.

Let’s be honest, when it comes to environmentally friendly products, “bamboo” is a word that shows up quite often. When you think about it, this makes sense…it grows fast, and is easily renewable. It looks nice, and you don’t have to settle for a lackluster product. It’s super strong, and there are lots of stylish things made from bamboo.

Enter the Spring Chair, created by the folks over at Modern Bamboo. This mod chair comes in a cherry, ebony, or natural finish and is available from Vivavi.com for $690 (add $20 if you desire the cherry or ebony finish). It’s sleek, looks really cool, and would be an excellent addition to that home or apartment you have just growing with eco-friendly products.

If you like the style of the Spring Chair, there are many more stylish things to be found on the Modern Bamboo Website. Feel free to stop by and take a look, you might find many other items to your liking.

Recycled bottles are made into a wide array of things. Somehow, it’s consistently amazing how recycled plastic can be turned into everyday household items, or even fashionable decorative pieces. Gaiam has a Turkish Pattern Reversible All-Weather Floor Mat that is made entirely from old soda bottles.

The mat prices out at $89, but what a cool addition to your home. Not only does it look really cool, but you can use it indoors, outdoors, and it’s easy to clean…just spray it with a hose and your rug is back to normal. This would have solved a lot of problems for The Dude.

It’s green. It’s eco-friendly. It can really tie a room together.