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
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Sustainable Upholstered Furniture
As we will discuss in many if not all of our posts there are many components of manufacturing sustainable and eco-friendly furniture. The products that will be offered at www.ecolivinginstyle.com will all possess some or all of these components. Again our goal is to offer you high end eco-friendly furniture that adheres to the principles of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Sustainable. Our upholstered furniture lines will be no different, but what is it exactly that makes upholstered furniture green, sustainable and eco-friendly? There are many factors from the wood frame, the cushion fill and backing, to the fabric that finishes off the product that make it green.
Firstly many of our furniture suppliers use 100% FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood. This means that the wood is harvested using practices that ensure its sustainability. Typically, it is sourced from tree farms that continually grow, cut and replant their stands ensuring a continual cycle of forest growth. No clear cutting and leaving the ground barren is allowed.
Secondly the fill can be made of a variety of sustainable and green materials. Wool sheared from sheep stock that is maintained for year over year harvest is often used for cushion and frame fill. The use of Soy-based (not petroleum-based) foam has been a growing eco-friendly and sustainable trend. Lastly, some of our furniture suppliers use organic cotton as a fill product in some of their components.
Lastly, there are the materials used to cover the finished product. www.ecolivinginstyle.com will offer upholstered furniture of all types, leather included. As for the leather; which in the past was not eco-friendly at all, we will only offer leathers that have been developed using plant oils in the tanning process. This is a relatively new manufacturing process and reduces the usage of the heavy metals that were once employed, uses plant based oils, and reduces the more harmful waste products of the tanning process. Although it may not be the greenest upholstery for furniture, science is working on it. I was able to find this link: http://www.blcleathertech.com/Uploads/PDFs/NovDec07-Whatisanecoleather.pdf which gives some detail of the new greener method of tanning leather. The other types of coverings employed are all highly sustainable and consist of hemp, flax, organic cotton and burlap to name a few.
As this is an open forum blog, we invite you to make any comments or suggestions to this interested here about green furniture and how we all can lead a more eco-friendly lifestyle with the products we buy. Our ecommerce store www.ecolivinginstyle.com should be open for business early next year where you will be able to see first hand the eco-friendly furniture and green accessories you can use to make your home fabulously eco-friendly.
-Eco-Living In Style
Firstly many of our furniture suppliers use 100% FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood. This means that the wood is harvested using practices that ensure its sustainability. Typically, it is sourced from tree farms that continually grow, cut and replant their stands ensuring a continual cycle of forest growth. No clear cutting and leaving the ground barren is allowed.
Secondly the fill can be made of a variety of sustainable and green materials. Wool sheared from sheep stock that is maintained for year over year harvest is often used for cushion and frame fill. The use of Soy-based (not petroleum-based) foam has been a growing eco-friendly and sustainable trend. Lastly, some of our furniture suppliers use organic cotton as a fill product in some of their components.
Lastly, there are the materials used to cover the finished product. www.ecolivinginstyle.com will offer upholstered furniture of all types, leather included. As for the leather; which in the past was not eco-friendly at all, we will only offer leathers that have been developed using plant oils in the tanning process. This is a relatively new manufacturing process and reduces the usage of the heavy metals that were once employed, uses plant based oils, and reduces the more harmful waste products of the tanning process. Although it may not be the greenest upholstery for furniture, science is working on it. I was able to find this link: http://www.blcleathertech.com/Uploads/PDFs/NovDec07-Whatisanecoleather.pdf which gives some detail of the new greener method of tanning leather. The other types of coverings employed are all highly sustainable and consist of hemp, flax, organic cotton and burlap to name a few.
As this is an open forum blog, we invite you to make any comments or suggestions to this interested here about green furniture and how we all can lead a more eco-friendly lifestyle with the products we buy. Our ecommerce store www.ecolivinginstyle.com should be open for business early next year where you will be able to see first hand the eco-friendly furniture and green accessories you can use to make your home fabulously eco-friendly.
-Eco-Living In Style
Monday, November 9, 2009
Welcome to Eco-Living In Style
Thank you for visiting our blog about living green with style. In the days, weeks, months and years to come we intend to offer our own knowledge about being green and maintaining a flair for style. It was our own endeavor to find well manufactured good looking furniture and home accessories that lead us to the creating of this blog as well as our ecommerce store www.ecolivinginstyle.com that will be open for business early next year.
On this venue we will discuss exactly what makes something green. Although very few things are "totally" green we believe that there are many companies that have a strong desire to make luxurious products that adhere in as best a way they can to the three R's and the S of manufacturing green (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Sustainable). We will share our own discoveries and interests in stylish green furniture and home accessories and the new trends of being Eco-Friendly In Style.
We have also made this blog an open blog so that you may as well share your own insight into our posts. After all, being green doesn't just pertain to your buying habits, but how you live, educating others on what might or might not be eco-friendly and bettering us all. As a reader of our blog, you may know something we have not discovered and we welcome all of your inputs as such. Thanks again and enjoy our blog!
-Eco-Living In Style
On this venue we will discuss exactly what makes something green. Although very few things are "totally" green we believe that there are many companies that have a strong desire to make luxurious products that adhere in as best a way they can to the three R's and the S of manufacturing green (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Sustainable). We will share our own discoveries and interests in stylish green furniture and home accessories and the new trends of being Eco-Friendly In Style.
We have also made this blog an open blog so that you may as well share your own insight into our posts. After all, being green doesn't just pertain to your buying habits, but how you live, educating others on what might or might not be eco-friendly and bettering us all. As a reader of our blog, you may know something we have not discovered and we welcome all of your inputs as such. Thanks again and enjoy our blog!
-Eco-Living In Style
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