What does green really mean when it comes to home design and décor? Is it only in the ways things are made or also what they’re made of? Is the table made of sustainable bamboo greener than the bookshelf rescued from the landfill and restored with eco-friendly wood stain? What about the stuff you didn’t buy? Can a lack of clutter make a room greener?
My husband, Scott, and I ask ourselves these questions all the time as we strive to keep our green promises and create eco-friendly home décor. We’ve decided that for us, an item is green as long as we’ve made a commitment to protecting the environment in choosing it. It’s all about consciousness. If each piece is chosen with the environment in mind then, in the end, we will have a green room.
Our sustainably-designed, harvested and manufactured items are green because of their natural materials and companies’ commitment to environmental protection. Our locally-crafted items purchased for their proximity are green because we save shipping emissions. Things we’ve refurbished or reused are also green because we’ve kept them out of the landfill.
That said, here is a first look at our green home interior starting with the living room. Enjoy!
- 100% bamboo window shades.
- Solid wood furniture purchased at an estate sale.
- Energy Star florescent lamps from Southern California Edison’s lamp exchange.
- Energy Star rated LG TV.
- VOC-free Harmony brand primer & paint base from Sherwin Williams.
- Linoleum tile–a natural product made from linseed oil.
- 100% jute rug.
- Ikea coffee table & TV stand made in part with FSC certified hardwoods & Ikea’s strict requirements for wood suppliers
About The Guest Contributor
Candice Dickens-Russell is the Youth Program Manager and CREEC Coordinator at TreePeople. She has worked as a Secondary Education Program Coordniator for TreePeople’s Generation Earth program and as a youth program coordinator for the Earth Resource Fund in Costa Mesa. She serves on the South Bay Business Environmental Coalition Board, the Green Advisory Board of the California Conservation Corps and the Los Angeles Environmental Education Fair steering comittee.
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