One of the most important aspects of green design is paint. Think about it: if all of your walls are painted, a change to a more eco-friendly paint can make a substantial movement toward a greener home. It is important and easy to find paints that are low VOC or no-VOC, making for healthier surroundings.
The green movement is taking over the world. Businesses are opting for alternative energy, shoppers are buying organic and people are becoming more aware. Despite this, many college students believe that opting for a sustainable lifestyle is impractical, as they cannot afford to buy local, organic products, or pay a few extra dollars a month for alternative energy sources. For example, when faced with the option of buying a dozen sustainably raised eggs for $5 from the local farmer, or a dozen industrial eggs for $1.50 from the local grocery store, college students will more often than not choose the latter. They also will more likely settle for coal and oil powered electricity, which is cheaper than wind or solar energy. Despite these two examples, there are many other cheap, affordable and eco-friendly changes students can make to go green. Here are 10 easy swaps college students and young adults can make to reduce their ecological footprint:
Dede Tabak | Jul 19, 2010 | Entertainment and Media |
Summer is known for its release of movie blockbusters: big action movies filled with adventure, a villain and a hero to save the day. This year, there is a real tragedy happening in our gulf. On April 20, 2010, a Deepwater Horizon drilling rig by British Petroleum exploded causing an oil gusher to leak oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This oil spill is a heartbreaking tragedy and even though a cap has been placed on the well, which has completely shut off the leaking oil as of July 16, 2010, the ocean and ecosystem won't fully recover for years.
Prior to that, an estimated 1.5 million gallons of oil a day were being released into the gulf and covering about 2500 miles. PBS News reported that as of July 12, an estimated 91,005,735 gallons of oil have leaked, making this the largest oil spill in history. Eco-conscious celebrities are using their fame to give aid to this tragic disaster. They are acting as heroes off-screen to not only save the day, but our planet!
While I write and talk about using sustainable materials in home design quite a bit, it is also important to make sure your house runs efficiently. In every green-conscious home, appliances are eco-friendly, plumbing is water-efficient and light bulbs use as little energy as possible. Here are a few companies that I suggest to design clients for stylish, water-conserving and energy-saving products.
Got a sweet tooth? There’s no need to be ashamed. After all, candy isn’t just for Halloween. Like other products, however, there are some manufacturers that are more responsiblethan others. Considering where your candy comes from and how it’s produced is one step towards being a more responsible consumer.
Working at a restaurant, you witness a lot of waste. In the nearly six years that I’ve been a manager atBonfire restaurant,I’ve used my positionto try andmake its footprint lessnoticeable. Bonfire started as a family-owned business about fifteen years ago before recently evolving into a corporation.Regardless of our new ownership, my superiors are very open and supportive of making our business more environmentally-friendly.
Welcome to my beauty column! We will devote this space to a different product category for the month, be it body wash, nail polish, or bath salts. We’ll let you know which brand outshined the rest in the categories of safety, environmental responsiveness, packaging, practicality, and results so that you can make informed choices about what you slather on, dust on, and lather up with. This month we take on bar soap…
If you could only pick 5 things to cook with and/or eat that weren't local, what would they be? There are way too many things I like to eat that come from more than 100 miles from NYC -- or even Dutchess County. And eating local would get pretty tough/boring come January. That's why I consider myself an accidental locavore. But there's plenty to eat that's great and local, especially in September: corn, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, squash,lots of other good foods!
Dede Tabak | Jun 8, 2010 | Entertainment and Media |
Ed Begley Jr. may have been in the film “Best in Show,” but he’s also the best in being green. Ed is a well-known environmentalist. He’s toured across the country discussing ways to reduce one’s carbon footprint. He even sells his own line of natural cleaning products that you can even drink! Now, Ed Begley Jr. and his family star in their own reality show, “Living with Ed,” on Planet Green. The show is already in its third season and focuses on Ed and his wife, Rachelle, and the struggles of being married to one of the greenest men on the planet.
Hi! I’m very excited about my new column “Designing Green with Robin Baron.” I have been an interior designer with my own firm for 20 years, and I have always been eco-conscious. What is inspiring to me now is that sustainable design has become a high priority of home décor manufacturers and vendors creating the opportunity for green products to have more style than ever before.Style no longer has to be sacrificed when designing an eco-conscious home! From recycled glass tile to no VOC paints and finishes to reclaimed wood and sustainably-harvested wood…there are so many sustainable products available so that style does not have to take a back seat. I’m looking forward to sharing these with you!
