Over the last seven years, Finkel has ventured out and collected felled branches from riverbanks, beaches, forests and other similar rural areas. After hauling them home she transforms the bedraggled branches into lamp sculptures like the one pictured. First she strips the bark, then sands the wood before finally adding a layer of oil-based paint for a colorful effect. A light bulb is then attached, followed by a lampshade which completes the process.

If there’s one lesson to be learnt from this environmentally friendly creativity it is that anything can be turned into something else with relatively little cost or indeed difficulty. All that’s needed is a little ingenuity and imagination. In the same way that driftwood found on a beach can be turned into a sculpture for the mantel or coffee table, so can fallen branches, twigs and even thrown-away metal scrap.

Megan Finkel’s storm-fallen branch lamps are available to buy from the TOUCH Concept Store based in New York. Visit their website to find out more information.

Via: Treehugger.

The rocking horse comes equipped with organic light emitting diode (OLED) lights which flash when the rocking motion reaches a certain point. This teaches the child about the possibilities associated with renewable energy and sustainable design. The horse itself is made from a metal framework and solid oak wood which is further enhanced with a herbal oil finish. A fun leather fringe tail completes the look.

Via: Yanko Design.

There are several minor differences you can make with your child’s nursery so that you can turn it into a safer and “greener” atmosphere. Looking for some ideas? Check these out below!

Paint: Although paints these days are made without lead, homes back in the early 70’s or even older can still have this ingredient. Make sure that when you paint your baby’s nursery you’re using a safe and eco-friendly paint. Most paints will even guide you by labeling them as organic or made with “greener” ingredients.

Flooring: Carpets can hold a lot of debris like dander, dust, even mites. If you’re not one to vacuum often, you may want to stick with wood flooring. These don’t cause allergies, are relatively cleaner, and don’t hold all the junk your carpet might.

Crib set: Take a look at your crib set. Is it made with wood that was finished with dangerous products and stains? Try to even go used whenever possible. Borrowing your sister’s crib, dresser, and changing table she used for her children is a great way to save the trees. The fewer trees cut down, the better.

Toys: When picking out toys for your child, make sure they are the safer ones; toys without finishing on the wood, and ones that are BPA free when plastic are the best choices for children.

Diapers: On average, a baby probably goes through about 6-7 diapers every day, times that by their years of wearing diapers, and that equals a lot of diapers in landfills. Use cloth diapers whenever possible, and continue to keep reusing them.

Bathing: When it comes to bathing your baby, try to use gentle products with few, and natural ingredients. You want to avoid products with parabans and phalates, so you can take care of their largest organ.

There are several different ways to make your child’s nursery safer. Between picking out eco-friendly products, and avoiding filler ingredients and chemicals, you can make a difference in your baby’s life and our planet. Think about it, your baby spends more than 15 in their room daily between sleeping at night and with naps combined, so you want to make this area the safest in your home!

This is a guest post written by Lauren Dzuris. Lauren runs FindMyCarSeat, a Baby Blog that helps soon to be parents find the perfect car seat for their child, while giving them tips and advice on everything from pregnancy to caring for their baby.

Bring the Green-ness Down to the Floor

image: greenyourdecor.com

Want a flooring that looks great, but doesn’t destroy the forest? You might want to consider bamboo. Although this is technically a grass, it is also used for flooring. It grows without pesticides, and it grows quickly so to be harvested after only five or six years. It’s very durable, and it looks great. Look for high-quality bamboo that is formaldehyde-free. Also consider purchasing bamboo from forests that are close to your home. In the long run, bamboo floors are better than hardwood floors because they last for a lifetime. If they start looking worn, you can just refinish the flooring.

If bamboo is not your style, then you might want to consider cork. Instead of chopping down a tree, you can just use wood that is harvested from the bark of living trees. These trees respond to the loss of bark by growing new bark. Perfect for decorating, the cork comes in different shapes and sizes ranging from tiles to planks in a multitude of different colors. It also insulates and blocks sound, and it’s naturally cushiony. Be sure to choose options that are durable enough to withstand the weight of your furniture. That way you won’t have to worry about creating dents in the floor.

Non-Toxic and Natural Paint

image: decors-ideas.info

The year 2011 is the year of bold, unique color combinations. Celebrate color and life as you decorate, and stay safe by using non-toxic paints. Doing so will benefit your family and the environment. By using non-toxic paints, you can reduce the risk of asthma developing in the household youth, and you also reduce carcinogens in your living environment. When you look for paints, watch for labels that declare them non-toxic.

You should also look for natural ingredients and oils that don’t have a petrol base. “Natural” actually refers to the paints manufacturing process. Double check to make sure that the volatile organic compounds in the paint are at a zero level, or at least a very minimal level.

Green your Bathroom

image: interiordesignmagz.com

Sensor-equipped faucets are no longer reserved for rest areas and airports. You can get them in your own home. They not only regulate water temperature and pressure, but can also signal when the water is being wasted. For tubs, try decorating with a stone tub that regulates water temperature, or luxuriate in a bathtub with sensors that keep the water temperature consistent so you don’t have to keep adding more water.

You can even use LED lighting in your bathroom to cut down on electricity costs.

Decorating to reflect your love of the environment can create beautiful results- and if you aren’t sure how to go about it, try shadowing someone you know who does interior decorating or even looking into some interior decorating courses. Your home can look inviting without destroying nature. That way you can rest easy with the knowledge that you designed your dream home by using products that are safe for your family and the environment.

1. When replacing doorknobs, framing and moldings you can use salvage materials. There are a lot of vintage looks that add character to the rooms they inhabit. Buying vintage is a way to not only recycle but save cash as well. You can buy vintage pieces that rang from cabinets to toilet fixtures.

2. Add a few solar panels when you are replacing that tired old roof. These can be installed as a part of the roof design and hooked up to provide an alternative source of energy for the home. Another solar product is the solar shingle you can install these alongside the other shingles and make a statement in your neighborhood.

3. Replace the lighting with energy-smart bulbs. If you are installing new fixtures go the extra step and use the light bulbs that cut down on the high waste of energy to brighten the home. A 26watt compact fluorescent light bulb has the candle strength of a 100watt bulb for. They cost a bit more in the beginning but at the end of the year the overall electricity savings is well worth it.

You do not have to let your efforts stop with these three there are hundreds of little ways to make small improvements in your home that will save energy for the future. Buying products in recyclable cans and bottles. Using the wasted food materials in your home to start a composite. A word of warning that family member that came to visit at Thanksgiving and haven’t left yet should not be a part of the compost. Feeloaders make bad fertilizer. Insulate around door and window openings, this will help you to avoid loss of energy. Heating and cooling units work twice as hard when the efforts are being lost to the out of doors.

As you can see there is a lot one person can do. The road to a better tomorrow is paved by the work of each individual. You can do your part.

About the Author:
Amy C. enjoys writing about planet friendly home décor ideas. In addition to being an eco-author, she owns a water fountains business as well. To browse beautiful collection ecological solar fountains, please visit Amy’s indoor fountains outlet.

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From my own personal experience, stackable recycling bins made from plastic are the best types of recycling bins on the market. The very nature of the stacking design means a minimum amount of space is required which is a positive element for small apartments or homes. Many recycling bins are made from translucent plastic which is said to be helpful when discerning which box acts as which recyclable material holder. However, I’ve always found that it’s more aesthetically pleasing and tidier to have the waste hidden completely from view as these particular colorful stackable recycling bins exemplify.

The highly popular part to these stackable recycle bins are the front lids which stay open or closed as so desired. This means the individual boxes do not have to be continuously lifted and reshuffled when a certain waste product is placed in the recycle bin at the bottom, closest to the floor. Their design also allows for their format to be changed. For example, depending on the location where they are placed, the stackable recycling bins can be placed side by side on a utility room shelf. Being of a plastic material, the stackable bins are also extremely easy to clean. Each bin has inbuilt handles as well which allows for easy transportation to the local recycling centers.

These colorful stackable recycling bins are very popular as one will note from the dozens and dozens of reviews that can be read on the product page here: Colorful Stackable Recycling Bins

At the time of writing, this set of 3 bins cost $49.96

The airtight nature of this eco-friendly home which coincidently has a spa, cinema and seven bedrooms, is the most important factor to the success and nature of the residence. The walls, as well as the ceilings and roof, have been hermetically sealed by a polyurethane blanket. This means no air whatsoever can escape or enter. One might think this is a death trap. Well, so did the British planning commission authorities who were eventually persuaded that it was all perfectly safe.

In order to avoid excess heat, stale air and an unbearable stuffiness, the whole interior landscape of the home is fixed up with a sophisticated ventilation system. The result is fresh filtered air that is brought into the house and then later expelled every couple of hours. The designer of the Barnsley Hill Farm eco-friendly home equates the ventilation system to that of a lung.

“Once every two hours the house is completely filled with fresh air. It’s like having the windows open all the time. … People think you need to insulate a house but a fridge only has a tiny bit of insulation. The most important thing is that a house is airtight.”

The airtight nature of the home means traditional heating fixtures such as fireplaces and central heating are redundant. In fact, this is the magic ingredient of this eco-friendly home. Excess engery wastage and pollution, not to mention money, is largely prevented and effectively reduced to a minimum.

“Fireplaces are the worst thing you could ever put in. They draw heat out of the room. Log burners are all right, but not fireplaces.”

The stale air from the home is channelled through a special heat exchange unit which enables the waste air to heat the fresh air as it enters. The fresh air comes through a separate part of the system which means there is no contamination. During the warmer months of the year, the unit uses a bypass system which prevents fresh air from being heated.

In a field nearby, out of view from the house, there is a solar park. Twenty solar panels captures the sun’s rays and then stores the resulting heat in rocks located beneath the ground. This heat is then distributed to the house and swimming pool if and when needed. Heat from the house, during the Summer months, is also stored in the rocks for Winter, in what can only be described as one hell of an ingenious environmentally friendly solution.

“The results are amazing. We are getting so much more energy than we expected.”

There are numerous other eco-friendly instillations in Barnsley Hill Farm. These include a sewage treatment plant which cleanses sewage and reverts it back to clean water. A different water recycling system also collects rain water which is stored for use with washing machines and the toilets.

The property is situated in a popular area with celebrities and even royalty. The English actress Liz Hurley has a house just over the fields from Barnsley Hill Farm. With this in mind, the renovators and owners of the airtight eco-friendly house hoped that it would attract a lot of people to buy the property. This has indeed become a reality with an assortment of politicians, environmentalists and celebs queuing up to be shown around.

All in all, the property uses just 10% of what a regular and similar sized home would use. It is also 100% carbon neutral as well as having a “humidity level of the Sahara desert”. The latter means there are no dust mites, condensation or unpleasant odors. In most other things, the former Cotswolds farmhouse retains much of the original architecture and interior features. These include some beautiful wooden beams which are present in much of the house, including the home cinema room, bathrooms and some bedrooms.

See: StoneBee Developments.

The collection is the creation of the Studio Jo Meesters design bureau based in Holland. Their aim is to explore the boundaries between modern mass production techniques and traditional fabric craftsmanship The bureau is widely considered as a product concept laboratory that deals in innovation and finding news ways of handling and working with materials.

With these qualities in mind, Studio Jo Meesters recently began the experimental project they aptly named TESTLAB. In this, they try out ways to rejuvenate and reuse various materials that have been thrown away or discarded. In many cases, the materials are completely transformed into something else, away from what they were originally used for.

The first results from the TESTLAB experiment was this “Odds & Ends, Bits & Pieces” collection you see here. Made up from 34 discarded wooden beams and 16 thrown-away blankets, the collection focuses on the re-use of everyday materials to form different formats, in this case, furniture and their coverings. The traditional weaving techniques mentioned above have been used to create eco-friendly upholstery that will hopefully inspire anyone and everyone to try out similar creations in their own homes.

Visit Studio Jo Meesters for more details.

I’ve brought together a number of tips that will help you in creating a more eco-friendly bathroom. You’re more than welcome to add your own solutions in the comment section at the bottom.

Minimize Wastage of Water – There are a number of ways to reduce the amount of water you use in the bathroom and none of them in any way impact on cleanliness and personal hygiene. I personally use all of the below solutions I’m about to offer.

1) Install a dual-flush toilet or one that is low-flow. The former means you can regulate with each flush the amount of water being used depending on the waste matter to be removed. By doing this you can reduce water consumption by a whopping 20% or more.

2) There are shower heads and faucets that have more restrictive nozzles and spouts. These reduce the amount of water exiting these devices and so minimizes the wastage of water. Most of us use too much water when a smaller amount would be just as good.

3) This is the most important, easiest and cheapest way to reduce water loss. Turn the faucets off when brushing your teeth, lathering your face and hands or if you have to briefly leave the room. By doing so you will save somewhere between 3 and 5 gallons for every single minute the faucet is turned off.

4) Reduce your time in the shower and turn the water supply off when soaping up.

Conserve Toilet Paper – This can be quite a difficult task depending on your diet. That’s why more improved eating habits including fruit and vegetables will make this task easier and shorter. Purchase recycled toilet paper (recycled from other paper formats not former toilet paper as some people have asked me) that breaks into a single sheet. It’s interesting to note that if all US households did this, there would be over 400,000 less trees being cut doing every year.

Consider investing in a bidet as well which I find a lot more hygienic. It also reduces the amount of toilet paper usage.

Organic Towels – There are a wide variety of eco-friendly bathroom towels and linens available on the market. These include towels made from organic cotton and bamboo which are both environmentally friendly and easy on the eye and skin.

Organic Soaps – Many soaps sold in regular stores contain large amounts of chemicals which can have a negative effect on some people’s skins. If you have sensitive skin and are worried about the effects of non-organic soap on your children, then organic soaps will be a viable alternative. The latter are produced without the use of herbicides, chemical fertilizers, or pesticides.

By going green when buying soap you will be protecting a number of natural facets. This includes the water supply of the area where the non-organic soaps are made which often become polluted due to the waste and fumes given off by the soap making process. On the other hand, organic soaps are made using ingredients that are harvested in a way that is beneficial to our entire ecosystem.

Most importantly, they are not tested on animals.

Eco-Friendly Bathroom Fixtures and Decor – Most fixtures in the bathroom including lights, bar rails, scales, faucets, wall tiles, mirrors and windows can be purchased with environmentally friendly options. For example, when buy a new range of floor tiles, consider those made from eco-friendly and naturally harvested materials including bamboo and wood. You can usually check with the producer and store as to how they have been grown and where.

Recycled glass is perfect for mirrors, window panes and decorative items. The same goes for ceramic tiles that adorn the walls around your bath and sink areas.

When it comes to lighting, try to find energy saving light bulbs which are becoming mandatory in many areas anyway. Switch from incandescent to lower-energy consuming compact fluorescent lights or halogen lights where possible.

These are just a few of the ways you can reduce waste and help protect the environment. Whether you agree that climate change is man made or not, there are many other benefits to going green which are closer to home. As mentioned previously, it is hard to argue that polluted water supplies, the destruction of local habitats and the resulting animal extinctions are not something to be worried about. On top of that, many of these eco-friendly bathroom solutions are in face cheaper than the non-green alternatives.

The lamp shade is held together with a wrought iron frame. Around this are wrapped the vines of the Nito fern also native to the Philippines. This is a fast growing fern which if left unchecked can suffocate trees by blocking out light and other much needed resources. However, instead of merely burning or discarding the vines, artisans in the region have put them to creative use.

This Durian table lamp with its wrought iron and Nite Vine surround is extremely strong and durable. If you need added color in an interior and a touch of exotic natural beauty, then this eco-friendly table lamp is a wonderful idea. You can also get the shade in purple and green.

It’s a table lamp that will provide an excellent focus and is sure to be a talking point amongst guests.

You can buy this Nito Vine lamp from the following location: Red Durian Table Lamp

Price: $88