Eco-Friendly Linen

Linen is a durable, long-lasting textile made from the flax plant. Although linen fabric has been used for centuries, consumers have recently become interested in organic linen, because it is made from flax that is grown without toxic herbicides, fertilizer, fungicides or insecticides.

Since flax is grown sustainably it does all the linen products are organic.  It is also well suited to crop rotations ensuring that the earth's resources won't be damaged or depleted.  The result is an industry that is beneficial environmentally, for growers, communities, manufacturers, retailers and the users of organic linen products.

As a fabric organic linen is durable, retains its shape, does not pill, and becomes softer with each laundering. Organic linen is resistant to bacteria, dirt and stains.  To reduce wrinkling organic linen may be dry-cleaned, however, if wrinkles are not a worry it can also be washed at home. The texture of organic linen fabric can vary from smooth and soft to coarse and earthy.  As clothing it is a crisp, cool, lightweight fabric that will wick moisture away from the body, making it perfect for hot summer weather. it is also suitable for bedding and is ideal for all seasons as it is cool and comfortable in warm weather and insulating for winter warmth.

 
Organic linen's elegant, natural appearance that makes it appropriate for a variety of clothing styles.  Organic linen is available in a variety of textures and weights and may be left in its natural state or subtly colored with eco-safe dyes. 

Around the house, organic linen makes attractive tablecloths, comforters, duvets, shower curtains, bath mats, crib blankets, wall hangings and even pet bedding.

GOTS hits 3000+ As Organic Production Increases

Last month GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) released it's 2012 annual report and the great news that over 3000 textile facilities were implementing its standards representing an 11% increase over 2011.  The European market alone grew it's membership by 20%.  GOTS attributes the great strides it is making to eco-conscious consumers.  Herbert Ladwig, GOTS' managing director described the increase in organic textile production as a "pull effect" based on consumer demand for ecologically and socially responsibly processed textiles forcing companies to seek more sustainable supply chains.  To read more on the great work of GOTS read their report at GOTS 2012 Annual Report.  To learn more about other textile and agricultural certifications visit Eco-Living In Style's Environmental Certifications page.

American Made Watches

Shinola Watches....Shining in Detroit!  Made in America.

American Woodworkers

Eco-Living In Style has just found a new site supporting companies that use sustainable wood sources in North America.  We've been all over the site and want to let everyone else know about it. It is called the Sustainable Woods Network and their web address is www.sustainablewoods.com.  Check them out.

What Makes Furniture Green?

Good morning everyone,

I found this article by Pamela Portwood that was republished by the Tuscon Green Times. You can find more great green information at http://tucsongreentimes.com. I know I’ve already posted a blog about what makes furniture green, but this has some good information as well so please read it and enjoy it as I have.

Thank you, and remember we hope to have www.ecolivinginstyle.com operational in April or May of 2010.

‘What Makes Furniture Green?
by Pamela Portwood

Stretching out on a comfy sofa to read a book doesn't feel dangerous. It's not as though the sofa is going to throw you to ground and jump up on its ball-and-claw feet to be transformed into a saber-wielding Ninja. Even so, furniture can be hazardous to your health and the environment's health.

The tip-off is the "new furniture" smell that is strongest with upholstered furniture: sofas, loveseats and chairs.

What's behind the unpleasant aroma? The furniture is off-gassing volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are carbon-based chemicals that evaporate easily into the air. They are the major component of smog. Some VOCs are known carcinogens, and they can cause other health problems, which means you don't want them in your home.

Where do you find the VOCs in furniture with standard construction? Foam seat cushions are petroleum products, so they off-gas the same way gasoline does. The glues and stains on upholstered and wood furniture off-gas VOCs, too. Plywood and pressed board used under furniture veneers can off-gas formaldehyde, a suspected carcinogen, for years.

In upholstery, polyester and many other man-made fabrics are petroleum products that off-gas. From an environmental perspective, they all use oil. Cotton fabric is a natural product, but tons of pesticides and insecticides are used in cotton production.

Yikes. If this sounds like a furniture nightmare, it doesn't have to be.

Four years ago, buying a completely "green" upholstered sofa cost a fortune, and there weren't many to be had. In the last year, green furniture has spread from specialty production to larger manufacturers, and now there are more affordable options.

So what does a green sofa look like? Let's start with something I haven't talked about: the wood. There are several ways to see that your furniture is eco-friendly and doesn't contribute to deforestation.

The wood can come from forests that are sustainably managed so that trees will be preserved for the future. Check to see if the furniture has been certified. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) provides the best certification because it is given by a third-party organization.

Some manufacturers certify their woods using the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), which was created by the American Forest & Paper Association. Many environmentalists have labeled SFI certification as industry greenwashing, but the preliminary report from a study commissioned by the U.S. Green Building Council suggests that the current SFI program addresses most of the issues that the FSC do Furniture made from reclaimed wood is a good choice, but consider the wood's source. If the wood came from Asia, then its level of embodied energy (the energy invested in manufacturing and transportation) is high. Selecting used or antique furniture locally is a great option.

Buying high-quality furniture that lasts a long time is important. Soy-blend or vegetable-blend cushions reduce off-gassing as do water-based glues and stains. Green fabric options include hemp, organic cotton and recycled polyester.’

I hope you find this information as useful as I have and we at Eco-Living In Style look forward to hearing from you!

-Lester at Eco-Living In Style

Upholstered Furniture Cushion Fill

One of the goals of this blog is to provide educational information on the various green aspects of furniture and home accessories available to consumers today. Today's topic is the make-up of the internal components (cushion materials) of upholstered furniture.

In order of least eco-friendly to most eco-friendly, the internal components are polyurethane foam, soy based foam, natural latex foam, and wool. Following are descriptions of these materials:

Polyurethane foam, as an oil based material, is the last cushion material that Eco-Living In Style we would want to use for our furniture cushions. Unfortunately, it is currently the most commonly used material, but on many levels it is not the best. Though polyurethane is very comfortable and resilient it is also highly flammable (after all it is oil based). In order to reduce its flammability, manufacturers of polyurethane cushions have to coat it with large amounts of flame retardants to meet the US government regulations for safe household use. So, if the fact that it’s a flammable oil based material and that it must be soaked and coated with anti-inflammatory chemicals doesn’t turn you off, maybe knowing that these two aspects cause a high level of VOC output will turn you against using polyurethane cushions in your furniture.

While it is not rated for carcinogenicity, and no exposure limits for polyurethane have been established by the US government, polyurethane dust which contains toluene diisicyanate can cause irritation to the eyes and lungs and other as-of-yet unmeasured health problems. The chemicals in polyurethane that contribute to indoor air pollution are known to be possible carcinogens according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Likewise, the flame retardant known as polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) is commonly used in the US, despite bans in Europe starting in 2004. The problem with PBDE flame retardants is that they accumulate in our bodies, get passed on to our children through breast milk, and may cause liver toxicity, thyroid toxicity, and neurodevelopmental toxicity. It is very important for us as consumers to be on the look out for these materials in the products we buy and avoid them whenever possible.

A good substitute to polyurethane foam is to use soy based foam which blends the petrol-derived polyurethane foams with the more natural and healthy soy foam. Although most manufacturers only blend about 20 percent of these cushions with soy this is a step in the right direction. Soy foam also has a strong odor that manufacturers are working to minimize. In addition, since it still contains polyurethane, soy foams require the use of PBDE flame retardants. So, although it is better than polyurethane we can do better in our purchasing decisions.

Another option for cushion fill is natural latex foam. Latex is derived from rubber trees and is, without a doubt, the greenest option for cushion fill. Not only does it come from a renewable resource, but it's inherently resistant to mold, mildew and dust mites, and is available with or without PBDE fire retardants. Although 100% natural latex is the most expensive of the available components, it can be synthetically produced and blended with its natural version to reduce cost, but this is a less than perfect solution, because it off-gases 4-PC that is a mucuous membrane and eye irritant.

In my opinion the best material to use for cushion fill is wool. Wool is 100% natural, sustainable and doesn’t necessitate the usage of any harsh chemicals in its production. It does have some drawbacks like the fact that it isn’t as resilient as the solid foams and will need to be “fluffed up” to maintain its form.

As a consumer, you are now in possession of the information needed to determine which internal components you want in your upholstered furniture. As the end user, I leave it to you to decide.

As always this is an open post blog site and I welcome any further information, comments and questions.

Signing off until the next post,
Lester at Eco-Living In Style

Forestry Stewardship Council

The FSC or Forest Stewardship Council is an international organization promoting responsible stewardship of the world’s forests through certificates for forest management and chain of custody administered by third party auditors. The council was created to change the dialogue about and the practice of sustainable forestry. The FSC establishes principles, criteria, and standards that span economic, social, and environmental concerns. Thus, FSC is not just affect sustainable harvesting techniques to help nature, but the communities within that environment as well. We at Eco-Living In Style applaud them for these efforts.
Our aim at Eco-Living In Style is to offer furniture manufactured by companies that source their wood from FSC certified suppliers. We have rejected requests to carry many product lines because they could not provide us with a chain of custody ensuring that the lumber was sustainably harvested or how it’s harvesting affects the human culture around it. Eco-Living In Style is becoming a member of FSC and invites you to visit their site at www.fsc.org.

Sustainable Furnishings Council

Eco-Living In Style has joined the Sustainable Furnishings Council. The council was formed in 2006 to promote sustainable practices among manufacturers, retailers, and consumers alike. As many of you, by now, know of our goals as a company, Eco-Living In Style was more than eager to join the council. Their goal is to help us all make greener choices in our production methods, sales tactics, and purchasing trends. If you want to learn more about how to make greener purchases as a consumer I encourage you to visit their website and learn about what makes furniture eco-friendly. We will provide links from the SFC as they update the site with new information as well.

Recycled Glass

The production of glass by all accounts is not in the least eco-friendly. The core substance of glass (sand and silica) is by our accountancy a recyclable and sustainable material, but the methods necessary to manufacture new glass uses vast amounts of energy and some of the fuels used to produce this heat emit great quantities of carbon dioxide and other chemicals into our atmosphere. However, the benefits of glass are undeniable and we at Eco-Living In Style consider it a necessary evil in today’s world. After all, who wants to live in a house without windows?

With that having been said, glass is recyclable and there are new less toxic ways to reheat it for reproduction into other useful products. Even if it isn't recycled the pure essence of glass can break down into sand like particles as if it were almost compostable which makes it a better alternative than plastic or aluminum. Yes there are chemicals and additives that can be put in glass to harden it or change its color, but again the core components of glass (inert materials) can erode back to some semblance of their initial state whereas plastics won't.

We at Eco-Living In Style (www.elishome.com) have selected many products made of recycled glass that are produced using new, less environmentally harmful methods in their manufacture. We plan on offering Hurricane lamps, glasses, candle holders (with soy candles of course) and lighting systems to name a few products on the new site. We've enjoyed searching for them and hope you will enjoy viewing them early next year when www.elishome.com is officially opened.

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments about recycling and reusing glass in your home.

-Eco-Living In Style