Panasonic has introduced electric radiant rugs into the Japanese market. Normally we would say this is just another electricity waster, but we used to have prototypes for a heated carpet that never went into production, and until we gave them up after the rubber backing started drying out they were absolutely wonderful; even if the house was at 55 degrees one could sit on that rug and feel warm as toast. The kids and the cat were glued to it. A 2 tatami mat sized rug is rated at 500 watts, but heats up to 114 degrees, which is way more than you need for comfort. Our old one drew 200 watts and was more than enough.
Why heat the whole house when toasty feet are all you need? Panasonic, bring those rugs to North America.
::Freshome...
Breathe deep: Chances are that air is not as fresh as you would like to think it is.
Indoor Air Quality, which is shown to influence both your
health and your
productivity, is continually affected by airborne pollutants such as smoke, food and cooking smells, ammonia, and other organic odors which can be continually circulated. Well, imagine a carpet that quietly cleans up the air around you. We recently heard about
Puralex, a high-tech odor neutralizer introduced by commercial carpet manufacturer
Beaulieu Commercial. According to Beauilieu, Puralex breaks down and destroys these airborne pollutants. ...
You’ve probably seen
Milliken Carpet on the
Cleaner and Greener certified list and their campaign to
plant trees with a click for the Georgia Arbor Day festivities. Milliken continues with their sustainable practices by carrying out life cycle assessments of their carpet products. Their website says they’ve, “used Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for years to track upstream and downstream impacts along with inputs and outputs in raw materials and energy to make our products and affiliated processes more sustainable.” The company has a No Carpet Landfill Pledge through which they report zero waste to landfill since 1999. They take back your old carpet and evaluate the best options for recycling and recovery: renewal through their product called Earth Square tiles that are 100% post consumer product, donations for charitable reuse, recycling into new products or energy cogeneration of unusable waste components.
Apart from closing the loop at the end-of-life phase they also screen all resources and materials for better alternatives, they operate using Design for the Environment or ecodesign principles, and through their LCA experiences they created their “TractionBack” bio-based, adhesive free installation system. It looks like Milliken is using life cycle assessment to create a better and greener business. You can read more about how they extend their product life cycle
here. More on greener carpets and rugs
here. Image credit:
Milliken Floor Coverings. ...
Deftly combining contemporary symbols (like airplanes, modern architecture, a McDonalds sign and what looks to be a windmill or two) with aging materials, Netherlands-based studio Jo Meesters and vormgevingsbureau take used ceramics and sandblast them to create a new landscape. Meesters aims to combine technology and craftsmanship, with a balance between aesthetics and innovation within his designs, and the results of this hybridization are quite striking. Hit the jump for more pics of "Ornamental Inheritance" (the ceramic project), and for the details on more of Meesters' work on something called "My Secret Garden."
::studio Jo Meesters...
We wish to say congratulations to
Nani Marquina for 20 years (
watch video here) of brilliant work in the world of carpets! We mentioned Nani Marquina’s
carpet collection made from recycled bicycle inner tubes and the
Emiliana felt slippers but it’s time we give you the whole story about this fabulous Barcelonian carpet designer.
For each product, a kind of poetic product life cycle assessment is being done: '
each product always tries to give a synthesis: of who thinks up the product, of who makes it, who looks after it and all those who enjoy it.' What we love about these carpets, apart from the fact that they are simply gorgeous, is that they are almost always made from natural materials such as jute or wool, which makes them 100% biodegradable. The very strong point however lies in the ability to join East and West by carpet. Nani Marquina’s carpets are hand-made in India, Nepal or Pakistan and guarantee that no child labour was involved in producing them. ...
Until you are renovating, floors are not something that one naturally thinks about. But should you start, you will discover that finding eco-friendly and good looking flooring has become a lot easier in the last while.
Stonemats from the west coast of New Zealand are made of flat pebbles found on a beach. The stones are weathered and flattened as they tumble down the many rivers flowing from the Southern Alps to the Tasman Sea. The government allows the harvesting of the pebbles from one beach as long as they are collected manually with no machines involved. The mats are great as bath mats or paths. And they also look good as place mats on a table as well.
If stones aren't the answer, what about coconut or cinnamon bark? Little pieces of coconut shell or cinnamon bark are bonded together to
create tiles with warm tones--and the faintest spice-market aroma. A strong and durable
sisal mat or carpet always looks neutral and stylish. Or recycled
leather floor tiles for a more luxurious look. For the garden, these outdoor rubber tiles, called
Dal-lastic, are manufactured from 100% recycled rubber making them a sustainable alternative to timber decking. They are green (literally), slip-resistant and soft to walk on. ...
As the name suggests, the
Green Fusion Design Center (GFDC) offers a slick combo of green building and design retail, a bookstore, and a showroom for all of their green products. Offering not just the stuff to make your home healthier and more efficient, but also the green knowledge behind the benefits of using bamboo cabinets or no-VOC paint, GFDC aims to bridge the gap between supply and demand for your greener life. The store is located in San Anselmo, California (just north of San Francisco), and recently celebrated the expansion of their showroom into a new, larger gallery space; they now claim to be the largest, most comprehensive green retail store in the Bay Area, with a product list to match. They've got a pretty wide variety of products that reads like a how-to 'hugg your home, from paints and wallcoverings like
AFM Safecoat and
American Clay Plaster to building materials like
kirei board to flooring options including
cork and
marmoleum to kitchen accoutrements like
AlterEco bamboo cabinets and
AZCAST stools and tabletop accessories...whew. ...
GCS Radiant in Amherst New York State, USA, makes radiant floor heat panels that are designed to sharply reduce the cost of heating a home. The patented panels use recycled products, require less construction material to install than typical systems, and go in faster. Cost of installation reported to be under US$6/ft2.
"Radiant heat systems work by running warm water through tubes beneath the floor. Typically the tubes run under a concrete slab which stores heat and then radiates it through the flooring laid on top of it. Makers of the systems market them as a more efficient way to heat a home." The modular panels by GCS consist of a top layer made of concrete, which speeds up the installation process. The bottom of the panels contain grooves for the tubes, protecting them from damage." Decorative flooring goes atop the system. TreeHugger strongly recommends reading the entire article in Buffalo News. Via:
The Buffalo News, Business Today Image credits:: Buffalo News and GCS, respectively....
Anyone who has ever worked in a commercial kitchen or on a sales floor knows how hard it is on the feet to stand up all day, and how nice a soft padded floor is; that is why I have never understood why people would ever put ceramic tiles in a kitchen. Elephant bark is made from recycled tires, which are certainly not a resource in short supply- worldwide, three billion tires are thrown away each year, and eight out of ten end up in landfill or "stockpiled"- waiting for some kind of use while providing a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.
It is easy to clean and can be used indoors or out, is locally made in the US and is cheap at about two bucks per square foot in quantity. Note: UMBRA used to sell placemats made from recycled tires and they really smelled for a couple of days.
::Elephant Bark found by the
::LEED Pro...
TreeHugger really likes modular designs. Their movable, changeable pieces allow for both multiple, easily re-imagined configurations, and quick, easy replacement in case of an accident like a permanent stain. This proves most beneficial in things like
carpet and
cushions, where high traffic and errant red wine spills can damage or blemish your belongings. We really like the looks of the "Imperial" carpet tiles from
contraforma, whose groovy shapes allow for lots of fun and different design possibilities, but their synthetic materials and no sign of lifecycle design or product take-back plan gets the TreeHugger thumbs down. FLOR has pretty much
had the run of
TreeHugger's coverage of modular carpet tiles (and their sustainable offerings definitely deserve the good green press they've received), and they will continue to until contraforma and others get hip to the green game. You can do it!
::contraforma via
::Freshome...
Okay, so TreeHugger generally approves of multi-functional objects and design: why have two when you can use just one, right?
Transforming furniture, like
this bendy chair or
this table and chairs/sofa/bed triple threat, make a lot of sense, but the TreeHugger jury is out on the Spruce lamp/floor sweeper combo.
TreeHugger Lloyd says, "I am not sure if this is the dumbest thing I have ever seen or if it is absolutely brilliant. I think both." and this TreeHugger has to agree: it probably beats having both a lamp
and a floor sweeper, but we can't decide if the combination of the two is smart or just ridiculous. Either way, we're willing to bet that
this guy would probably want one, and it wouldn't be the first
weird combination to be a big hit on TreeHugger. At least you'd have plenty of light to see what you're sweeping...
::Spruce via
::Freshome...
Hardwood floor installation is a skilled job and repairs are difficult; engineered floors are easier, but still require some skill with a saw and are just thin veneers of wood or plastic. We have often said that the greenest flooring around is probably sustainably harvested hardwood but that is not for the do-it-yourselfer, and people often need floating floors when installing over concrete in apartments.
Then there is Puzzlefloor, which takes sustainably harvested hardwoods and makes 5/8" puzzle pieces out of it and finishes it with a 10 layer urethane/ aluminum oxide coating for durability. However what we really like is the process....
There are a dizzying amount of decisions to make when working on a remodel or renovation of your home. Though it's underfoot, flooring is a major consideration, affecting your home's aesthetic and air quality. If you're pondering a renovation or new floor, here are some of our picks for what to put down.
1)
Bamboo is always among TreeHugger's top choices, but, beware:
it isn't always TreeHugger green.
2) Reclaimed wood, like the goods from
Trestewood or
Pioneer Millworks, lends a timeless, well-loved quality to floors.
3) Both
Mioculture's and
Habitus' tiles add cork's sustainable, soft, sound-proofing qualities to your floor.
4)
Linoleum, originally developed in the late 1800's, is a great long-lasting, sustainable alternative to vinyl floors.
5)
Mud floors are attractive, comfortable to walk on, heat-absorbing, and earth-friendly. Really.
...
Doormats are just one of those things that one never thinks about, but always needs. You could say the same for flipflops, those
universal shoes, worn world-wide and perfectly functional. Imagine a meeting of the
two: a doormat made of left over, recycled flip flops. Surplus foam rubber from their production is used to create these colourful, and certainly durable doormats. Made by hand, using galvanized metal wire and less fodder for the landfills.
Or you could have a blue manhole cover (a statement on your apartment?) made from recycled truck tires. If you are more particular, there is one version available with
N.Y.C sewer on it. Variations on the theme include a grey doormat looking like a
barcode ( a statement on modern life?) or one that says " you are here" (an existential statement). ::
re:modern ...
One of the projects I am working on here in Ecuador for the
Kallari Association is the redesign of their café in Quito. Having been very successful in their first year and a half the café’s business has slumped in recent months and the wear and tear on the interior is noticeable. With the increasing popularity of
Kallari's Chocolate, in Ecuador and Internationally, it seems about time to raise the café’s profile to reflect the standard of their world class chocolate. With Kallari producing organic chocolate and fair trade crafts and working for sustainable livelihoods the revamp is of course going to be as eco-friendly as possible. Over the next few weeks I will be writing about how the design work is progressing, the materials we choose, the furniture we design and the challenges, failures and successes we encounter along the way. Today we start with the floor and the prospect of working with
Eco-Madera....
When it comes to greening your home, we much prefer renovating to starting from scratch with new construction, so TreeHugger was happy to help
domino magazine find some great resources for new floors, kitchens and lighting for the
Green List in their March green issue. For many of the items, we were sure to offer regional options, so folks across the country could find sources closer to home, to cut down on shipping. When it came to flooring, we went with reclaimed wood, like
Trestlewood and
Pioneer Millworks, FSC-certified sources, like the wood at
EcoTimber, and mod, green carpet from
Interface. When it comes to the kitchen, green cabinets from
Henrybuilt and countertops from
Richlite were high on the list, and don't forget to recycle with the
EcoPod. Check out more green renovating tips and sources at
dominomag.com, and stay tuned for more from the Green List.
::domino's Green List: Renovating...
The fourth entry profiling the
domino magazine/TreeHugger Green List takes us to the wonderful world of rugs, where innovative materials mingle with old school classics and there isn't a harmful dye or sweatshop to be found. The veggie-dyed rug from Classic Rug Collection (bottom right) is made from hemp and comes in a variety of bright colors; along the same lines is Merida Meridian's tweed-suit-like sisal rug (top row, right-center).
Odegard rugs are headed up by Stephanie Odegard, who is also a founder and director of Rugmark, which works hard to keep sweatshop labor out of rugs everywhere. A portion of the sale of her hemp/wool rug (top left) -- as with all of her sales -- goes to Rugmark. When it comes to rugs, though, wool is still tough to beat, and the remaining three choices are all made from the fluffy white stuff. Zaki's hand-spun wool & vegetable dye beauty (top right) typifies the company's Oriental offerings, while Tufenkian's colorful wool designs (bottom left) are crafted with the help of a purification plant that reuses water for dyeing rugs. Last, but not least, is Barbara Barran's Classic Rug Collection (top row, left-center), bursting with colors and made from alpaca and wool. Flip your magazine to page 42 for more, and stay tuned for an ongoing look at the great green design in
domino's Green List.
::domino's Green List: Rugs...
Last week,
TH Blog Love introduced
Wicanders as ‘the specialist in cork flooring, who have a fantastic range of beautiful cork finishes that have nothing to do with the hippy-dotted floorboards from the 80ies’, as seen on the
R3project. This gorgeous cork flooring deserves some more of our attention as we believe it stands for a great example of how an eco-material can be re-invented as a stylish product.
Cork is one of the ultimate sustainable materials, harvested without having to cut down the trees (only the bark is used), 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable.
Definite benefits that cork can give your floor, is that it reduces sound, works as a thermal insulator (less need for heating and cooling) and is shock absorbent. The elasticity of the material lets it regain its shape time after time so that it’s not just comfortable but also durable to walk on, whether high-heeled or not. The Wicanders cork floors, grown and produced in Portugal, have combined this natural material with a bit of technology and created the
Xtreme WRT varnish to make the floor scratch- and spot-proof as well as easy to look after without loosing its natural feel. The varnish consists of several coatings such as ceramic layers, a sand sealer, genuine cork veneer and a flexible and insulating cork layer, repeated as underlay. The middle bit of the floor boards consist of High Density Fibreboard (made from cardboard) fitted with a click system for easy and fast installation. The click system locks one floorboard to the other and eliminates the need for glues or plastic floor lining. Different types of floors are available for domestic and commercial use. Most characteristically about the Wicanders floors are the collections of different patterns, textures and colours (from white to dark brown or reddish) that suggest an elegant and timeless new aesthetic to cork floors. Via
::R3project ::Wicanders
...
CA Boom 4, the west coast independent design show, is coming to Santa Monica, CA from March 30 to April 1. The show features dozens of both well-known and up-and-coming designers and architects, and, while it isn't focused on sustainability and sustainable design (like last year's
HauteGREEN), there's a good bit of furniture, materials, accessories and prefab designed with sustainability in mind. Over the next week or so, we'll be taking a closer look at some of the green goods and designs you can expect to see at the show. Before we start, if you want to learn more about CA Boom 4, including who's going to be there, what it takes to get there, and info on past shows, check out
their website. Now, on with the show; first on the list is
Kirei USA......
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