Lori's List » green

An Eco-Friendly Shampoo That Actually Works

Lori — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:52:34 +0000

After searching for over five years and spending upwards of $30 a bottle on recipes that left my hair lifeless, I’ve finally found an eco-friendly shampoo that works.

As if a 92% biodegradable formula containing no silicons, no dye, no parabens and a 50% post consumer recycled plastic bottle weren’t enough, Garnier Fructis’ Pure Clean is infused with antioxidant Acerola Berry.

My hair looks and feels great- no Seinfeld low flow shower hair. To top it off, all 25 ounces sell for under $7.

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Well, West Elm’s Figured it Out

Lori — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:54:30 +0000

In the mid-priced budget, there’s less and less need for a professional designer when retailers like West Elm have nailed a look that reflects a well lived and traveled life.

Have you seen their latest catalogue? It looks like they robbed Nathan Turner’s shop to be able to offer their latest items at such affordable prices. Add that West Elm is at the forefront of pushing retail one step further to help sustainable products go mainstream as a growing number of their items are 100% green and there’s little reason go elsewhere.

For years I’ve been teaching designers and the public about eco-friendly and healthy resources. Lately my push has been for awareness of the people who make the goods we buy. West Elm’s latest partnership is with Aid to Artisans. I’m terribly impressed that a huge retailer has realized a way to profit and create economic opportunities for artisan groups around the world.

This season they are focusing on All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association. The Indian women’s yarn co-op creates one of a kind, hand loomed and hand woven pillow and throws without the use of any electricity. Pieces from Stray Dog Designs can also be found at West Elm. Stray Dog Designs has been an enormous part of pre and post Haitian Earthquake artisan commerce among a lengthy, charitable, corporate agenda .

With Certified 100% Organic Cotton textiles for bedding and bath, FSC certified furniture and accessories that are rapidly renewable, reclaimed or recycled, chic and totally within your budget, West Elm has NAILED IT.

Add the new collaboration with A-List Design partners like Allegra Hicks, Benjamin Moore and David Stark and it’s clear that West Elm has made the taste for champagne on a beer entirely possible.

I’m not saying you’ll be able to pass their furniture on to future generations, but clearly West Elm understands a green, triple bottom line. They’ve got great style and you can feel good (physically, socially, mentally) about what you buy from them.

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Oysters and Gowanus Canal

Lori — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:53:15 +0000

When I think of oysters, glamorous appetizers, champagne and the resulting amorous night ahead flood my mind. When I think of urban canals, especially Gowanus in Brooklyn, I can literally smell the stench of sewage filled waterways. In my experience dilapidated waterways and oysters are no match. Good thing Kate Orff thought otherwise.

Gowanus Canal Brooklyn, New York

America’s leader in upcycling industrial wastelands (think High Line Park), fabulous New York City is the breeding ground for one more brilliant idea. Known as “oyster-tecture”, Kate Orff, founder and partner of Scape/Landscape Architecture , paired oysters and the dirty canal like Felix and Oscar and consequently has one huge hit on her hands. The problem: a polluted bay. The solution: Oyster thrive while simultaneously filtering the dirtiest of waterways. In fact, one oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day. Imagine what an entire farm could do.

When Orff approached the locals and Port Authority with her plan to transform the canal into an oyster nursery, creating a clean and dynamic new form of ecological life, their response was, “why didn’t we think of this sooner?”

It’s the simple things (and solutions) in life that are sometimes the most worthwhile. Savoring oysters from the Gulf Coast to France’s Atlantic, it’s nice to know they satiate my appetite for cleanliness too.

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Eco-Friendly Parking

Lori — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:52:32 +0000

I’ve driven by the Santa Monica Civic Center about a million times on the way to our design studio. This weekend, walking around while waiting for my car to be serviced, I got a closer look at what is arguably the hardest to miss piece of architecture this side of the 405. It will be the country’s first LEED-certified parking structure, a rating based on a green point system given by the US Green Building Council.

You’ve never parked so eco-friendly until now, even in a Prius. If you’re wondering what could make a parking structure “green”, read on. For one, the structure’s roof is clad with Photovoltaic (solar) panels to generate electricity. These panels, in turn, provide shade for the vehicles parked beneath, reducing the amount of air conditioning a driver might use when they leave for their next destination. The steel used to build the structure is made of 68% recycled material. Electrical charging outlets are provided in 14 of the spaces for electric vehicles. The list goes on….

The only thing that could make this structure greener is to require locals to ride their bikes rather than drive to the Civic Center! In fact, the facility actually provides “mini garages” for bicycles to encourage a fuel-free ride to the center.

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Million Trees LA

Lori — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:45:02 +0000

I was excited to read about LA’s latest landscaping partnership. LADWP (LA Department of Water and Power) and Million Trees LA are teaming up this month in an effort to get more water-wise trees into our Angeleno soil. Million Trees LA will donate up to 7 free trees (delivered right to your door) to residents willing to plant the trees themselves. A free online tutorial is available, and it takes less than 30 minutes to learn how.

There are 30 varieties of LA climate-friendly plants and trees to choose from, take your pick. This includes the beautiful Pink Trumpet tree, seen above. The trees, planted thoughtfully, will shade a home and result in lower energy and cooling bills and less use of water. Don’t forget the joy of watching the beauties leaves change colors this fall. Not sure yet? Here are some cool facts about just how much you can benefit by planting:

-AC use and associated costs reduced up to 20%

-Shade outside AC units, helping them to operate 10-15% more efficiently

-Create barriers to the wind to keep winter heating costs down

-Act as a sponge by removing the carbon from CO2 (a greenhouse gas)

-Providing shade to the lawn, whichin turn will require less watering

-Increase property values by 5-20% (compared to non-landscaped homes)

-Add color and character to our community (not to mention the free fruit if you choose a species of fruit tree!)

Though our city is already very abundant with foliage, it never hurts to plant more, especially if it will selfishly lower a personal bill and make the façade more attractive. This sounds like a fun Sunday afternoon project to me! Shovel not included.

http://www.milliontreesla.org
http://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/cms/ladwp009614.pdf

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