With so many years of unbridled consumerism behind us, it is nice to realize that there are really companies that are working to change the way we live, and the way we decorate our homes. One of those companies is inhabit, a home decor company that uses sustainable and environmentally friendly materials to make their home decor products.

One of their products, Wall Flats, won Interior Design Magazine's Eco-Friendly Product of the Year.

"Wall Flats are Inhabit's take on a modern, eco-friendly wallpaper. A modern embossed three-dimensional wallcovering that is good for the environment. Does it get any better than that?

Wall Flats are made from 100% bamboo pulp, one of the world’s most renewable resources. No trees were harmed in the making of this product:) They are a sustainable wallcovering that is free of chemicals and will not be a burden to the environment at the end of it's lifecycle, since the tiles are 100% bio-degradable.

Wall Flats are designed to expand in any direction with an automatic pattern repeat and can be painted to coordinate with your decor. You can cover an existing wall with Wall Flats, help disguise a not-so-smooth wall or add a modern, green wallpaper to any room setting through patterning."

Most of inhabit's products are designed with geometric or nature related patterns and motifs.

For more information on inhabit, follow this link.

Eco-Chic Home Decor from inhabit originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 9, 2012.

Did you know that you could purify the air in your home or office just by planting the correct plants?  The book, How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office, based on 25 years of research by NASA, shows how common houseplants can combat sick building syndrome and cleanse the home or office of common pollutants.  This is exciting news for those of us who have allergies, catch colds a lot, or just spend a lot of time indoors due to weather, or work.  It is also a reminder that common household items, like carpets, blankets, and other items can contribute to our allergies and diseases.  Definitely a book to look into, for everyone who breathes.

Review

The book is laid out beautifully. The 50 plants are listed by rank based on removal of chemical vapors, ease of maintenance, resistance to insect infestation, and transpiration rate. Each plant gets a two-page spread; one page discusses the plant's ideal environment, sunlight conditions, care, and general information about the plant along with a full photo of it. The next page has a zoomed-in full-page photo of the leaves and/or flowers so the reader gets a feel for what the plant looks like and how it will fit with their decor.

The book begins by discussing the research about the air purification qualities of houseplants. The initial chapters explain how air contaminates enter our homes, the adverse effects these toxins have on humans, and how plants remove the contaminates from the air.

If you live in the UK, you can order the book here.

Clean the Air in Your Home or Office Naturally originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 8, 2012.

Clean House Clean Planet

"I was thrilled to stumble across Karen Logan's book shortly after my son was born. I started to avoid cleaning because I detested using most household cleaners due to the harsh chemicals. I was also very concerned about my son's second-hand exposure or worse - possible direct contact. Karen's book educated me about the hazards of commericial cleaners and then taught me how to make my own simple and safe cleaners right in my kitchen. This information showed me that harsh cleaners are unnecessary and more important what natural products would produce similar results. Making my own products is also entertaining and educational for my toddler who is now able to "help" clean and I don't waste precious naptime on toilet bowls and bath tubs! Her receipes are very easy to follow and are effective!!! I gave away all my commericial products almost two years ago and have not gone back to one of them. It's so comforting to know that my family is no longer exposed to harmful cleaners and we are doing our part in protecting the environment."

This books is a great resource in combination with How to Grow Fresh Air.

Clean House, Clean Planet: Clean Your House for Pennies a Day, the Safe, Nontoxic Way originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 2, 2012.

I figured that was just up my alley, so here is the list. Let me know if you agree with the order.

Eco-Chic #1: Sustainable Footwear
Eco-Chic #2: Green Beauty
Eco-Chic #3: Baby Goes Green
Eco-Chic #4: Sustainable Home
Eco-Chic #5: Bamboo and Organic Cotton Bed & Bath
To see the products listed under each item, click here.

I think that I would personally change the order to 5, 3, 2, 4, 1, but that is just me.  I really do like these suggested items, though.

3 Piece Super Soft 100% Bamboo Fiber Kitchen Towels - Pine Green

pb Bamboo Travel Blanket

Pinzon by Crypton Hillsboro Armchair

5 Ways to Be Eco-Chic originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 30, 2012.

What APOC is doing is fascinating. They are working with construction and demolition experts in deconstructing buildings in order to recycle the reusable wood, bricks, and metal to make into new furniture, and other custom items.

APOC has been successful selling their custom work as well as a burgeoning retail line. To read more about APOC, click here.

Making New Products from Deconstructed Buildings originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 28, 2012.

We have all heard of the one deal per day concept. Now one deal per day has come to Eco-Chic Shopping with Guffly.

If you go to Guffly's website, you will see featured the deal of the day. Today as I am writing this the deal is a wooden and silver bracelet from Kendyua.

How does Guffly describe themselves?

"Guffly is a one product per day online store and community featuring eco friendly products and fair trade lifestyle goods like home, pet, clothing, office and personal accessories. We've made it our job (literally!) to find only the most stylish eco friendly and fair trade products out there. We happen to think that making purchasing decisions you can feel good about doesn't have to mean committing to a life without style or convenience. We search high and low so that you can bet Guffly’s green products are stylish, fun and attractive – eco stylish if you will."

One Deal Per Day Has Come to Eco-Chic Shopping originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 27, 2012.

Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life

What does Ed Begley have that most of us do not have? Ed Begley has over 30 years of living green under his belt, and he can tell us what works and what doesn't. This is a superb guide to living green because it is written by someone who has been doing it for a very long time.

Here is the product description:
FROM THE PIONEER OF ECO-CONSCIOUS LIVING

A committed environmentalist for more than thirty years, Ed Begley, Jr., has always tried to “live simply so others may simply live.” Now, as more and more of us are looking for ways to reduce our impact on the planet and live a better, greener life, Ed shares his experiences on what works, what doesn't–and what will save you money!

These are tips for environmentally friendly living that anyone–whether you own or rent, live in a private home or a condo–can try to make a positive change for the environment. From quick fixes to bigger commitments and long-term strategies, Ed will help you make changes in every part of your life.

And if you think living green has to mean compromising on aesthetics or comfort, fear not; Ed's wife, Rachelle, insists on style–with a conscience. In Living Like Ed, his environmentalism and her design savvy combine to create a guide to going green that keeps the chic in eco-chic.

From recycling more materials than you ever thought possible to composting without raising a stink to buying an electric car, Living Like Ed is packed with ideas–from obvious to ingenious–that will help you live green, live responsibly, live well. Like Ed.

"Maybe you leave the heat running at your preferred temperature all night long—even though you’re sleeping under a blanket or a comforter—because you want the house to be nice and warm when you get up in the morning. But why spend all that money, and waste all that energy, keeping your house comfortable when you’re not there, or when you can simply add another blanket to your bed at night? If you have central heating or central air-conditioning or both, you can install and use a programmable thermostat instead of an old “set the temperature and it’s either on or off” thermostat. This way, you can save energy and money and have your house at the right temperature when you get home, when you wake up in the morning, and when you’re asleep." (from Living Like Ed)

Living Like Ed: Practical Advice from an American Hero originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 26, 2012.

But how many times a year do we think about the foundation of our bed that we are sleeping on, breathing in every night, and how healthy it is? Usually unless a mattress is brand new or really old, we just don't think about it very much. It is just there waiting for us to sleep on it.

Well, I am inviting you to take a second look at your mattress. If indeed your mattress is no longer the support you need, and it is time to replace it, or if you are suffering from allergies or the common cold, you may want to reconsider the type of mattress you have and whether it is really healthy for you.

Keetsa Eco-Friendly Mattresses is a company that prides itself on leading the industry when it comes to eco-friendly mattresses for your home.

Here is what they say about themselves:

"Keetsa is committed to presenting a line of sleep products that has a minimum impact on your pocketbook and on the environment. We have innovated many changes resulting in a more eco-friendly product line and process. Keetsa continues to seek out new innovations to create sleep products that you and your family can purchase with confidence.

A majority of Keetsa products are made from recycled materials and our company's mission is geared towards making a better environment by cutting carbon footprint.

Because our mattresses are so durable and well designed, we are able to compress them in a box, which accounts for reduced shipping costs, smaller carbon footprint and no delivery trucks. Not just any mattress can be compressed!"

So if you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint, think of Keetsa Eco-Friendly Mattresses when it comes time to replace your old one.

Are You Sleeping on a Healthy Mattress? originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 25, 2012.

In our push to live greener, healthier lives, one of the things we need to do is remind ourselves to buy local and handmade items. Most of us are aware that buying local produce and baked goods means that by doing so our food is fresher because it didn't have to travel as far to get to us, picked when it is ripe, and the baked goods do not have the preservatives that grocery store items often do, because of extending the shelf life. So local foods are healthier and more wholesome that foods that travel. When we buy local, we also help our local economy, because the local vendors will spend the money we pay them locally also. This creates a healthy economic cycle.

What you may not realize that this is true of handmade or artist made items as well. When you buy an item directly from an artist who made it, or from the agent who sells it for them, you are paying the artist directly who will then use the money to pay their vendors to buy more supplies and create more work. The economic cycle is a much shorter one than if you buy a manufactured item. And often the manufactured items are from countries far away from yours, so that your purchase does not even infuse money into your own economy. Think about this when you purchase items this year for the holidays, for birthdays, or for Christmas, because you can support your local economy in several ways while keeping a healthier and greener lifestyle.

Here is an example:
The beautiful pottery above is made by a Cleveland, Ohio area woman, Tracy Shea, who hand makes every piece of pottery she makes. She makes a living from her ceramics work which is how she feeds her family. By buying her work you can own a piece of handmade work or give it as a gift, and she will take the money earned to feed her family locally, as well as use it to buy more supplies to make more pottery. A very economic cycle. The money goes directly from the buyer to the seller and right back to the economy with no middle men. If you would like to learn more about Tracy, you can click on the picture above which will take you to an article about her.

Moving Away from Manufactured and Towards Handmade originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 22, 2012.

I have been spending quite a bit of time lately exploring eBay's World of Good. It is a growing shopping mall for green gifts, and specialty items, and really fun to browse.

I recommend that you browse eBay's World of Good to see what they have to offer and bookmark some items for your friends and relatives. It is always good to know that you are contributing to the health and well being of your friends and family.

Here is one of my personal favorites this week:

Alex and Ani St. Christopher Bracelet
I think that I might have to get one of these for myself.

For my friends, this is a great gift:

Natural Handmade Balm for Dry Skin

To go directly to the World of Good website, click here.

Getting Frustrated Looking for Green Gifts? originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 20, 2012.