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.

Eco-Chic Gifts Under $25: Hand Carved Fair Trade Assorted Gourd Bowl originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on February 5, 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.

Green Nest is a very interesting company that specializes in organic green products for the home with a special emphasis on products to make your home cleaner and pollutant free. Green Nest has an entire line of air purifiers and non-toxic building products as well as home decor, bedding, and other general home products.

Air purifiers are especially helpful for people with allergies, and other immune system compromising disorders but they are also really great for any family. In the winter, when we are cooped up indoors breathing each other's air, it is much easier to catch colds and the flu. With an air purifier you can reduce that likelihood immensely.

Organic Eco-Chic Green Bathrobes originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 19, 2012.

This book is so much fun, even the cover is interesting:

Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin

Here are 40 innovative book-making ideas using recycled and green materials! More than just earth-friendly, they’re also beautiful, clever, and witty, stitched with traditional binding techniques. Egg cartons, wood, beer cans, and cassette tapes morph into covers, while brown bags, coffee filters, and discarded newspapers are transformed into pages. Create a boxed set of cereal box books, an exposed stitch sketchbook out of cardboard and remnants, and even a faux leather journal made from teabags.

In addition to how-to drawings, close-up detail photographs, and simple stitch diagrams, a gallery of eco-books from an international roster of artists provides inspiration.

Re-Bound: Creating Handmade Books from Recycled and Repurposed Materials
Re-Bound is a beautiful book on bookbinding with a fun green twist-all the projects use recycled and upcycled materials. This book shows you how to take everyday materials from around the house, flea markets, thrift stores, and hardware stores and turn them into clever and eye-catching hand-made books.

Rejuvenated Jewels: New Designs from Vintage Treasures
In this book, readers learn where to find fabulous vintage jewelry, beads, and artifacts, and how to create stunning one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces using these amazing finds. Rhinestone beads and clasps, mercury glass beads, oxidized metal chains, rosary beads, tiny book charms and more are retooled into fabulous statement pieces that can be worn every day.

Semiprecious Salvage: Creating Found Art Jewelry
Semiprecious Salvage shows readers how to think beyond the techniques taught in traditional beading and jewelry books in order to create found art jewelry. Mixed-media applications like sewing, plasterwork and altering found objects tie together to create jewelry pieces such as brooches, pendants, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and belts. In addition to thought-provoking stories on the origination of some of the found items, Stephanie provides the reader with practical jewelry-making techniques that they can incorporate into their own inspired pieces. A simple, organic approach gives the reader limitless ideas for crafting their own jewelry as well as ideas for locating found items whether it be on a nature walk, one's travels or in the comforts of home.

Each one of these books would be a terrific gift for someone creative on your list.  And there are more similar books.  If you click through the links for each book you will find more books listed underneath each main title on Amazon.

Eco-Chic Green Gifts for Under $25: How to Recycle Project Books originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 18, 2012.

Swine flu is not quite the epidemic it was last year, but just as an example, one local school shut down just last week because they had 100 cases of swine flu. This will become more of a problem when people are forced inside breathing more of each other's air. Winter forces closer contact with other people, which is one of the reasons we see so many more colds during the winter time.

This is a good time to think about an air purifier for your home. There are many types of air purifiers, some for just a room, and others for the entire home. The need becomes even more critical if you have someone in your home with a compromised immune system from another condition or disease. Or if you have a family member recovering from surgery.

I went looking today, and noticed that eBay has a very good selection of name brand air purifiers. One of the best brands that I have been reading about is BueAir air purifiers. Here are a couple of them that I found on eBay today.

F/S Blueair 250E Digital HEPA Air Purifier 250
Blueair is the system for people living with allergies, asthma, or other respiratory conditions, or for anyone who wants cleaner, more breathable air. The 250 effectively purifies air in rooms as large as 200 square feet. It uses patented three-stage HEPASilent™ technology to capture 99.97% of the tiniest .1 micron particles, including allergy-provoking pollen grains, dust mites, mold spores and pet dander particles.

This same filter technology earned the larger Blueair 501 Best of Class ranking in independent testing of Clean Air Delivery Rates. The 250 provides comparable performance for smaller rooms.

Value-added features include quiet operation, low energy use, steel construction and easy maintenance: simply open the front and slide in replacement every 6 months.

Blueair ECO10 Air Purifier
The ECO10 uses breakthrough technology to create the most eco-friendly air cleaner on the market. Consumes up to 95% less energy than other models in its class, saving you money while saving the environment as well.

The ECO10 is a breakthrough air purifier which produces a crisp and clean indoor environment, in an extremely economical and eco-friendly way. All of Blueair's superior cleaning features are combined with remarkable energy savings over other similar air cleaners.

Environmentally Friendly - The World's First Green Air Purifier

The ECO10 ultra-efficient EC fan motor is the star of this energy-saving design. This innovative motor functions with a CADR-per-watt ratio of 19.5, the highest rating ever recorded by the US Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Program - nearly 28% better than the next best room air cleaner. This energy savings protects the environment, as less energy consumption directly leads to less carbon dioxide emissions. In fact, this unit produces only a fraction of the carbon produced by other air cleaners. In addition, NO ozone by-products are created during operation. Following a long lifecycle, the entire unit, including filters, is recyclable.

Blueair Familiar Features

The ECO10 contains all of the Blueair's award-winning design features:

* Create cleaner, more breathable air with Blueair's state-of-the-art filters that remove 99.97% of the tiniest airborne particles, including allergy-provoking pollen, dust mites, mold and pet dander.
* Patented HEPASilent technology cleans the air using both mechanical and electrostatic filters - creating a system through with air flows freely and whisper-quiet. In fact, on low setting the unit creates no more noise than a desktop computer.
* The SurroundAir system achieves peak performance with no noticeable drafts, all while maintaining an exceptional air exchange rate. Air is drawn in from the sides and bottom and is released through the sides and top.

For more information and specifications on these models and others, follow this link.

Cleaner Air in the Colder Climates originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 17, 2012.

Cariboo's line of furniture is very simple, sleek and modern looking and entirely functional. I would have loved to have had something like this in my home when I had my babies. Not only that, but they are made from sustainable wood.

"Cariboo is a line of children's furniture that showcases elegant design with practical features. Designed and made in New Zealand, the Cariboo line is constructed of sustainable Radiata wood. The coordinating bassinets and changing tables blend easily with the most stylish home decor. Each piece will be a striking addition to any nursery or master bedroom."

Cariboo Classic Changing Table
The timeless beauty of the Cariboo Classic Changing Table adds a touch of class to any nursery. The Classic Changing Table also has long term use as a stand for toys or books when a changing table is no longer needed. The Classic Changing Table is environmentally friendly, made from sustainable New Zealand Radiata wood. Comes complete with a changing table pad and fitted toweling cover.

Specifications:

* Dimensions: 35" H x 32" D x 33" L
* Weight Limit: 45 lbs
Cariboo Folding Bassinet

The Cariboo Folding Bassinet is perfect for parents with little room to spare. Stylish and functional at the same time, this bassinet folds flat for easy storage or travel.

The Folding Bassinet is environmentally friendly, made from sustainable New Zealand Radiata wood. The stain is lead free and all materials are non-toxic and PBDE free.

Available in Teak or Mahogany.

Specifications:

* Dimensions: 36" H x 27.5" D x 34" L
* Weight Limit 22 lbs.

You can purchase these and many other eco-friendly baby items at BabyEarth.

Incoming search terms:

• master bedroom and nursery

Sustainable Cariboo Baby Furniture for Your Nursery originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 16, 2012.

The company is Green Nest, and they specialize in what I would call Eco-Chic Green Feng Shui for home or office. They have mostly home decor items that are eco-friendly and designed to dilute the chemical, and harsh synthetics that bother people who are more sensitive. However, surrounding ourselves with healthy decor does not have to wait for when we are sick.

The Gift of Health

The Gift of Health - $ 89.99
A wonderful gift for anyone! Mom's & dad's, family, friends, housewarming or coworkers will love this gift packed with health. The beautiful basket is conveniently shrink wrapped and ready to give as a gift. The Gift of Health has a potential total value of over $170. Gift of health includes: A.) Learn to Create a Healthy Home! by Ron & Lisa Beres: $19.95 Value Audio CD Could Your Home Be Making You Sick? This is a question millions of Americans are starting to ask themselves in today's toxic world. With so many diseases on the rise, it is not just our diets that we must be concerned with anymore. Our home should be a safe haven where our bodies rest and recuperate, but unfortunately, a myriad of toxins are abundant and most people are unaware of their existence. There IS something you can do about it. Join Ron and Lisa Beres as they take you through a journey of identifying and eliminating these dangerous toxins and learn to create a healthy home for you and your loved ones TODAY!

Gift Boxed Contemporary Tumblers

Gift Boxed Contemporary Tumblers - $ 15.25
Introducing our 100% natural hand-poured Gift Boxed Contemporary Tumblers filled to the brim with aromas of life! Our soy candles contain no petroleum by-products (unlike paraffin), lead, carcinogens. Our soy candles are completely non-toxic and environmentally-friendly. · 100% vegetable, made with Pure Soybean oil. · All NATURAL and biodegradable. · Manufactured meeting FDA and Kosher standards. · Contain NO petroleum, paraffin or beeswax products. · Contain NO pesticides and NO herbicides. · Contain NO toxic materials. · Contain NO Genetically Modified Material. · No Animal Testing.

Another thing that Green Nest specializes in is air and water purification and filtration systems.

Rhino EQ-300 Whole House Water Filtration

Rhino EQ-300 Whole House Water Filtration - $ 799.00
The EQ-300 effectively reduces chlorine, bad taste, and odor in all the municipally treated water or water deemed safe by local health authorities that enter your home. you can rest assured that your family is getting the highest quality drinking, bathing and cleaning water available today.

If you have allergies or react to the environment of your home, you may want to consider purifying your water and air, and looking for other things in your home environment that you are sensitive to. Green Nest has a lot of information on their website and live people to help you answer questions about allergens, and sensitivity.

HealthMate Plus Air Filtration System

HealthMate Plus Air Filtration System - $ 549.99
Healthmate™: Specialty air cleaner with 60 sq. ft. of medical HEPA, certified to remove 99.97% of airborne particles 0.3 microns and larger. Contains 15 pounds of granular carbon and zeolite for the adsorption of odors, gasses and chemicals. Stands 23” tall and 14.5” wide. Effectively cleans an area of 1500 sq. ft. (with normal ceiling heights). The HealthMate Plus includes FREE GROUND SHIPPING for order deliveries in the Continental United States!

For more information, contact Green Nest.

Eco-Chic Green Gift Sets for All Occasions originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 12, 2012.

Black and White Fabric Janine Ebony
Ecologically substainably produced. Cotton/Acrylic/Nylon flocked damask pattern. Heavy duty. Clean code W. 28" up the roll repeat. 54" wide Price Per Yard.

Eco Friendly Fabric Giraffe Espresso
ECO FRIENDLY Poly Cotton washable heavy duty multi purpose textured giraffe velvet fabric . 14" repeat. 54" wide Price Per Yard

Eco Friendly Fabric Frisbee Mink
ECO FRIENDLY Cotton rich washable heavy duty multi purpose fabric with flocked accent. 14" repeat. 54" wide Price Per Yard

Eco-Chic Green Eco-Friendly Fabrics originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 11, 2012.

Socktopus - $ 22.50

One of the best places to shop for green gifts is BuyGreen.com. BuyGreen.com is essentially a Eco-Chic Green Shopping Mall. All of the products on their site are green, eco-friendly and healthy products. They have products in several different types of product lines including skin care, household cleaners, clothing, and accessories. I am just going to highlight a few items here that are under $25 and would make great green gifts, but if you click through the links you will find loads more to explore. I love the Socktopus above. Here are some more:

Affirmatif
With DMAE and pearl powder to tighten, tone and nourish your skin.

This is part of Marie-Veronique's therapeutic line of skin care, designed to care for your skin through all stages of life. These products protect, nourish and repair in an age-appropriate manner. The Therapy line is for everyone who wants healthy and radiant skin. You can also supplement the basic skin care routine with products that address special concerns such as aging and rosacea.

UV Natural Baby Sunscreen

UV Natural has just been ranked #1 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). UV Natural ranked as the safest and most effective sunscreen sold in the US and the World! Beating nearly 800 other brands, UV natural is recognized as offering uncompromising safety and efficacy in sun protection. The entire range of UV Natural sunscreens protect against the full spectrum of UV light - UV A1, A2, B and C.

For the most precious members of your family, UV Natural Baby is gentle in its action so you can reduce the risk of sunburn to your baby's soft and sensitive skin. In addition to its SPF 30 block-out properties, UV Natural Baby formulation strengthens and maintains healthy skin cell growth. Apply UV Natural Baby daily for a skin routine that nurtures healthy glowing skin for life as sun damage is cumulative and must be taken seriously from the earliest age. UV Natural Baby comes in two perfect sizes - small (1.76 oz)- for the diaper bag, purse, handbag or glove box in the car, and the large (5.29 oz) for the home, the diaper bag or to share with friends. UV Natural Baby provides a nourishing, health conscious sunscreen solution.

Sweater Owl

These charming creatures are made from recycled sweaters. They are soft and squeezable, and have child-safe eyes. They are 12" tall. They come in the following colors: Green-Blue, Red-Yellow-Orange, or Pink-Purple.

Solar Hybrid Flashlight

This flashlight offers innovative Hybrid Solar Technology - it generates renewable power from sunlight or room light and stores it for later use. No shaking, no cranking - it's ready to go when you need it! This flashlight can hold a single charge for over 3 years with 1-Watt 2X Super Bright LED.

Comes in three colors: Black, Camouflage and Yellow

Environmentally friendly - Solar technology generates renewable power from sun or room light. 8 hours charge in sunlight or room light will provide up to 16 hours of continuous light - can be charged over and over again. Holds a single charge for over 3 years and comes fully charged.

Does not need to be stored in the sun - throw it in your glove box or drawer and three years later, just turn it on! Back up battery has a 7 year shelf life.

For more green gift ideas under $25, follow this link

Eco-Chic Green Gifts Under $25: Shop Buy Green originally appeared on Eco-Chic Green Fashion on January 8, 2012.