Easy Composting

I have been wanting to compost for a while now.  I add dried and crushed egg shells and coffee grounds to my plants but that is as far as I have gotten.  Now that I have a community garden plot I can get serious about it.  Here is a guide to how to start your own worm composting bin.  I like the idea of re-purposing an old dresser or nightstand that would otherwise go into the landfill.  If you don't have an old piece of furniture, you may consider purchasing a pre-made worm tray such as this one.  It even features a spigot to extract the compost tea which is a great feature.

There are plenty of sources for making your own versions as well.  Click around to find something that fits your needs.
Option 1,
  
Option 2,



 and 3.  


Happy Worming :)

ECO DESIGN RESTAURANT - HERRINGBONE LA JOLLA

This weekend I was lucky enough to dine at this new restaurant in La Jolla - Herringbone. I was thrilled to experience some wonderful unpretentious and delicious food combined with rustic and interesting design.

Here, amongst an energetic din of glamorous la Jollans, our eyes feasted on rustic chandeliers with 'puffin fish' shades and painted corrugated iron pendants. The eclectic design elements were fantastic with 4 olive trees actually growing inside the restaurant, exposed brick and forged iron chairs, tables and rustic bar stools.


I promise this doesn't always happen and that is not the premise of the blogpost but we actually sell these bar stools on designereco.com!

The Interiors were designed by Schoos Design in LA and I think they did a fabulous job of creating a trendy urban yet organic atmosphere that buzzed with the energy of the la Jolla night scene.
 
For those that are interested the risotto balls were delicious and my fish and chips were fantastic. The wine list is sensational and constantly evolving - a thoroughly delicious experience.

War Zone Jewelry

Bringing you the latest in eco-friendly jewelry design….

Raven + Lily makes stunning war zone jewelry from recycled artillery shells. Co-founders Kirsten Dickerson and Sophia Hirokawa have taken to heart a community of women suffering from HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia and empowered them to create eco-friendly, sustainable jewelry. Raven + Lily provides employment for this beautiful group of women and with the profits are able to supply the medical and educational needs for their families.  

In the jewelry making process, local farmers use a cultural technique passed down from many generations that melts artillery shells found on old war sites into beautiful beads. After this stage, the beads are sent to the women where they are transformed into exquisite jewelry.

Raven + Lily provides these once-broken women with purpose and hope. On their website are pictures of the beautiful women who make the jewelry and other goods. Raven + Lily is committed to making products that are sustainable and recycled, which is why we are excited about them. Not only are they making fabulous eco-friendly jewelry but we love their mission to empower women in poverty as well.

Well done Raven + Lily!

One of our favorite pieces is the Sadik: Leather and Charm Necklace (featured above). Check out the jewelry on their website http://www.ravenandlily.com/. 

Reclaimed wood tiles- a family legacy continues

                                                      

Everitt and Schilling Tile company was started by fourth generation sons of immigrants who have put their own spin on their family's trade of woodworking.  Everitt and Schilling create beautiful tile out of scrap wood from cabinets and old barns.  Their great grandfathers may very well have built the barn or cut down the original tree that is now being re-purposed as tile.



The tile is coated with a low VOC water based ceramic finish and their use is determined by your creativity.  Backsplash, artwork, bathroom ceiling?  Add warmth to an industrial loft apartment, or a bit of masculinity to  a master bath.



For those of you living in an apartment, this is a creative way to personalize your space and bring life to beige and white walls.



Click here to be directed to their website and here to see this company featured on the DesignerEco boutique.

RECYLED NEWSPAPER BRICKS

Yes can you believe it! The main advantages of these bricks is that they are lightweight, energy efficient and cost half as much as conventional bricks. Not so suitable for structural purposes but more for wall partitions and for interior design.

Developed by two researchers from the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology in India (VNIT), Professors Rahul Ralegaonkar and Sachin Mandavgane hatched the idea to create these bricks after a trip to local paper mill two years ago. They learned at that 15% of newspaper cannot be recycled and goes to waste. This, combined with the fact that India suffers from a brick shortage of about 30%, inspired them to manufacture bricks from the paper mill waste.

The green building market in India is the second largest after the United States. However, the fact that India has a 30% brick shortage shows that the country's success in green building is despite many challenges.

You can read the full article here.

Eco Friendly Pendant Lamp

The Hudson Double Pendant Lamp from www.inhabitliving.com is a fun, decorative item handmade in the USA.

What’s exciting about this lamp is that although it looks absolutely fabulous in this pattern, it actually comes in 31 more prints! There is even a pattern of a moose, which could certainly be featured in a mountain cabin or a even modern city loft. The prints come in all colors and styles. Such include a retro black and white print and a giraffe infused pattern, putting you right in the African jungle or maybe just the local zoo.

What’s more wonderful though is that the 24” x 14” recyclable lamp was made with environmentally friendly inks and is crafted from 100% certified PET polyester. With this, the lamp is actually a byproduct of pop bottles that have been recycled and turned into the stunning and vibrant pendant lamp featured here.

This lamp would look fantastic hanging above a wood desk hovered over a zebra floor rug.  The black wave of stripes on the lamp would tie in beautifully with the rug while adding glamorous charm to the rustic desk.

Another design idea could entail brightening up a bedroom with the pendant lamp illuminated above Designereco’s Caribou Bed Frame. The walnut wood frame would fashion nicely with the modern style lamp

With these ideas voiced, have fun and let the wheels spin. This pendant lamp certainly unleashes an endless realm of creativity.

Emily

Choosing cleaning products...

When purchasing cleaning products, we apply the same criteria as we do furniture.  We check to see that the overall process is responsible to the earth and that the product lives up to its claims.   As you know, problems with conventional cleaners are that they consist of chemicals that can act as endocrine disruptors, cause damage to aquatic life and contain by-products that don’t biodegrade soon enough to name a few.  While they quickly degrease, shine and dust they slowly damage our bodies and the earth.

So…here are our picks. 

Method- This company is the most design friendly.  Products are designed by Joshua Handy so you don’t need to hide them in a cupboard.  Dr. Michael Braungart, renowned environmental chemist and co-author of Cradle to Cradle, guides product development process.  This company believes, as we do, that business is a powerful agent of change and that you can have good design while being a responsible citizen- environmentally and socially.  We personally love that they offer antibacterial options that are partnered with CleanWell- for those who insist on the antibacterial cleaners. We think they can do without the disposable cleaning cloths but try their Dryer Cloths which are meant to be used twice. 

Seventh Generation- We really appreciate the transparency of this company.  They acknowledge where they need to make improvements and set goals to achieve them.  Favorite products are the Lemongrass and Clementine Dish Soap and Natural 4x Laundry Detergent.  

Ecover- Their factories are in Belgium and France but we are hoping that demand in North America will lead them to build a plant here soon.   Their buildings are covered in succulents and are constructed with renewable materials.  The most easily accessible products here in the states are the dishwashing detergents.  Don’t be fooled by the lack of bubbles.  It gets the job done!

Ecos- This family owned company is another one that does a good job at disclosing its processes and aims to be a responsible company, not just turn out environmentally responsible products.  The Lemongrass Laundry Detergent is perfect for the unisex household. 

Bio-Kleen- Another family owned company,  BioKleen differs from the others in that it does not use Sodium Lauryl Sulfates but does not disclose its sourcing and manufacturing processes.  From experience we can tell you that the laundry detergent and dishwashing liquid work great, but we hope for more transparency in the future. 

Don’t want to have a giant plastic bottle of dish soap sitting on your counter?  Choose your favorite product from above and transfer it into one of these here, or here.  You can even bring it to your local co-op to be weighed and then refilled with your soap of choice.   

Happy chores! ~anneliese