Greenwashing

This cartoon by Tom Fishburne was just too funny to pass up - so I had to pass it on. It really highlights the struggle we face as we try to identify which companies are truly "green" and which ones are just trying to jump on the bandwagon.

Fortunately, we have a new resource locally in Scottsdale who is working with designers to provide products which are certified eco-friendly. I look forward to using them often in the coming months - check them out at www.naturalterritory.com.

Have an inspired day!

Nine Ways to have a Healthier Home

This article was in my Inbox yesterday, and it fits so nicely with my focus on healthy environments and creating a beautiful home, I just had to share it. Enjoy- and for more tips on energy saving ideas or sustainable resources, click on the link to my web-site on the right side of the screen - Sesshu Design Associates.

Until next time, be well and happy!

p.s. I am starting a new series on eco-friendly resources for your new home or remodeling project. I will be discussing sustainable and recycled options, chemical free building materials, and many other ideas and products. Look for it here soon.

New eco-tips for Warm Weather

To coincide with Earth Day, independent certifier the Greenguard Environmental Institute, which governs the world's only guide to low-emitting products, has published a series of tips designed for a sustainable and environmentally-friendly welcome to Spring.
This article published in Interior Design magazine has several tips for spring cleaning with safe, friendly cleaners to tips on saving energy and more.
Now that warm weather is here, especially in the desert southwest, we have more need to conserve energy and lessen the strain on our utility companies as well as our pocketbook.

Enjoy the longer daylight and have an eco-friendly day!

Blue Jean Insulation is Green

There is a local Chandler, Arizona company creating insulation for your home that is better than typical fiberglass insulation - better for you, better for your home, better for the planet. It is all-cotton insulation, made from the recycled scraps from blue jeans, among other things. Unusable scraps that end up on the cutting room floor of jeans factories, instead of being sent to a landfill and taking up space there, are scooped up and shipped to the Bonded Logic plant in Chandler to be recycled into insulation batting for your home.
The soft cotton fibers, unlike fiberglass which is made up of shards of glass and formaldehyde (among other things) are safer to install and much healthier for the occupants of the building. Formaldehyde is a known toxin that continues to off-gas for days, weeks and even months after installation. This UltraTouch insulation has no VOC concerns, and its soft fibers are non-irritating or itchy to work with.
The all-cotton batting is also a superior sound insulator and provides maximum thermal performance. This is great news for anyone living near a freeway, or the airport for instance. It is fully ASTM fire rated and fungi resistant.
Ultratouch contributes to several LEED points for qualification as environmentally responsible building. Being made from 85% post-consumer recycled materials which initially come from a rapidly renewable, sustainable source, it is perfect for anyone looking for environmentally friendly options. An additional earth-friendly bonus for local builders is that it is manufactured right here, which also lowers the carbon footprint from shipping.
The "blue-jean insualtion" is available locally from aka Green at 8100 E Indian School, in Scottsdale. Their phone is 480-946-9600. Visit them on the web at www.akagreen.com.
If you are building a new home, or thinking about adding some thermal protection to your existing home, check this product out first.

Earth Day - how did you celebrate?

Last Sunday was Earth Day - how did you celebrate it? Did you even think about it?

Personally, I was just enjoying our beautiful spring weather here in Scottsdale- one of the last good days before summer starts. I was also thinking about how changes in the climate could really impact us here in the desert - making us even drier and hotter. Water is already a precious commodity and it will become even more so if these changes happen as the experts predict.

My resolution, therefore, to do my part to protect our planet is to conserve water - turn off the tap when brushing my teeth, installing low flow shower heads, low flow toilets - both in my home and in my clients homes- catching and storing the little rain we get to water my plants, taking shorter showers, and using front-load washers which use a fraction of the water top-load machines do. If everyone does a tiny bit, it will add up to a huge difference in our future.

I also found my next new car - it's an electric powered sports car, from an entirely new manufacturer, Tesla Motors.

Check it out at www.teslamotors.com

What's your Earth Day resolution?

Have an innovative day!

Array Development to have Solar Power

Modus Development is including solar panels on each of the town homes in their new Array townhouse development in south Scottsdale. The townhouses will meet LEED standards, and be some of the first to meet Scottsdale's new Green Building Standards. It's great to see builders, developers, and architects working to create modern dwellings that are environmentally conscious, offer great amenities and give people the opportunity to lower their carbon footprint in an easy way.
Solar energy needs to be utilized better, especially here in Arizona, where we have 300+ days of sunshine every year. It's really a no-brainer, and I don't know why people haven't jumped on this bandwagon sooner. With the introduction of pre-installed, standard solar panels on homes for the average person, maybe we'll see more and more people taking advantage of clean, cheap energy. I'm personally excited about the possibilities, and hope more builders follow suit in their housing communities.

"The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem it will avail us little to solve all others."
--Theodore Roosevelt

Green is the big Buzz

Green - it's everywhere. Take for instance the latest issue of Vanity Fair - it is their "2nd Annual Green Issue" - and it's packed full of commentary on every aspect of the environment and concerns over how to save it. It highlights dozens of global citizens, crusaders whose weapons are food, fashion, music, fame and movies, as well as science and politics.
Our homes - how we heat and cool them, how we light them, how we build them, and how we beautify them to our unique taste - is one of the biggest areas we can impact, next to the cars we drive. With choices ranging from recycled glass tiles to reclaimed hardwood floors and cabinets, natural clay plasters to low-VOC paint, sustainable growth woods, and energy effiecient appliances and lighting - the possiblities are endless, and easy to implement with a little knowledge.
Building a design team who is knowledgeable and as dedicated to environmentally responsible practices as you are is vital to creating a successful, funtional, earth-friendly home. For a list of questions you should ask your designer, architect and builder before you hire them, and a free report on "10 Easy ways to Go Green", please email info@sesshudesign.com or visit our web-site at www.sesshudesign.com.

Have an inspired day!


">Link
Vanity Fair, May 2007