sustainable style foundation*

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From Sustainable Sean...Being the Lifestyle Ambassador & Co-founder of SSF and all, I thought Josh Dorfman had written the perfect book when he penned his first opus, The Lazy Environmentalist back in 2007. Many authors have attempted to write the next big guide to going green, but none quite compared to Josh's first 'guide to easy, stylish, green living'. As it turns out...Josh himself has written the next big guide to going green...and its AWESOME! Once again, Josh is able to make going green totally down to earth and accessible. When Joe the Plumber decides to go green, I'm pretty sure he'll read The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget. In his new book, Josh once again runs down the list of the best products and resources for green living, but this time he's on an even higher mission...going green while saving both time and money. Clearly, given the economic situation we're all in, his new book is timely but it is also a resource that will serve as a guide in any era as it is essentially a road map for how to make affordable and sustainable lifestyle choices whether you're a college senior living on student loans or a hard-working soccer (or hockey) Mom. Recently laid off or just getting out of school but still want to get your green on? Don't fret, Josh even has a section on the booming green job market. Once you've dog-eared your dozens of pages, hit the computer and surf over to Josh's website The Lazy Environmentalist to get new tidbits and pointers. Even better, tune in to Josh on the Sundance Channel starting in June of 2009.

from haberdash.org...Lauren Spa is a new line or organic bed and bath linens in the Ralph Lauren Home world. Given that many resorts are picking up the line already, it is sure to be around for a long time. Lauren Spa has set a new standard in organic linens in terms of luxury, design, and most importantly - sustainability.

This unique flooring made from discarded belts is simply beautiful. It was a find at the ICFF show, from a co-worker of mine. The luxury leather flooring, is a new re-working of vintage leather belts and no two tiles are alike. It's a glossy and hardwearing surface available by the square meter. It can be used for flooring, table tops, walls and feature areas. Check out the UK company Ting's website for more fashion products that are made from found seatbelts and strapping.

All the designers were in New York this weekend at the Javitz Center for the ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair). The celebrating of design continued on through Tuesday with lots of showroom parties for the creative set too! As usual there were beautiful and inspirational pieces from all over the world at the show. Sustainability was a big provoker of new thoughts about product design. One piece really stood out and it was the OZ Lowchair by Cate&Nelson Design a Swedish and Spanish design team. I just loved it and kept dragging all my colleagues over to see the chair. It’s a chair that you would never need to reupholster, because you can just flip over a piece of the layered felt to change the color. Very clever and with a painted white metal base, it’s a chair that you would never tire of and would always be in style in any setting…a product that’s beyond re-use it’s all about convertibility.

This week I've been focusing on materials research as I've been working in my office to update our NBBJ NY Studio Resource Library with innovative and sustainable materials. One great resource is cradle to cradle materials - which is great! A few of the intriguing ones were: beautifully etched concrete, coated offset paper that's more sustainable, particleboard that's formaldehyde free, beautiful cork disk floor, acoustical wall fabric 100% wool, and drapery with natural fibers. Another great resource was developed by a former colleague of mine at NBBJ, Blaine Brownell. It's called Transmaterials. His second book, Transmaterial 2: A Catalog of Materials That Redefine Our Physical Environment, was just printed at the beginning of this year, and has a greater emphasis on materials with qualities that make them healthier than others. Have fun exploring...

Just when you think green roofs are catching on, an innovative architect gives us green walls. Mass Studies' principle Minsuk Cho recently designed Belgian fashion designer Ann Demeulemeester's new store in Seoul with forests, ferns and lizards in mind. The latest of six projects that incorporate living surfaces, Cho feels this is his best yet.

Are you ready to be a world class eco-designer? Now's your chance to be featured on Treehugger, Inhabitat, Western Interiors, and in a variety of other press outlest. The Sustainable Furniture Council and World Market Center have combined forces to sponsor a design competition "One Good Chair". Designers are invited to contribute their vision for a new kind of eco-chair, one that focuses first and foremost on form, that minimizes resources while maximizing comfort and enjoyment, that truly combines great design with ecology and ergonomics. Designs should demonstrate a new attitude toward an old problem. A cash prize of $4,500 will be awarded to a designer or design team (of 2-5 designers). If all goes well, the award is intended to support the fabrication of a prototype of the winning design. Registration ends May 16, entries are due June 9 and the awards will take place Las Vegas Market, July 30. Check the website for more details.

Simply put, Gorgeously Green is fabulously fun. The book and the accompanying website are packed full of fun and valuable information that prove that the saying is true, it really IS easy being green. I can honestly say I don't think there's a better reference for fulfilling SSF's mantra "look fabulous, live well, do good". In the forward, Julia Roberts calls the book a "bible of hope and help (not to menteion a good cleansing mask andn source for eco-cashmere). Author Sophie Uliano makes making greener personal lifestyle choices fun and accessible to everyone. She makes it irresistable.

Uliano hits all of the big lifestyle categories too: apparel, food, beauty, gardening, travel, weddings, etc. And yoga poses! Yes, sprinkled throughout the book are yoga poses and other activities to invigorate the mind, the body, and the soul. Best of all, her motto, "one change makes a difference", confirms that you don't have to be perfect...one small step here and there can add to a big difference over time, especially if a lot of us make the same small steps. The way she presents her ideas and solutions is what really sets this book apart...its fun, its positive, its interactive, its educational, and I have to admit - its completely girly. But that's OK! Her concept of becoming a 'green goddess' is exactly what the green movement needs. As I said before, she makes going green irresistible. The fact that she provides a definition and discussion of 'gorgeousness' says it all.

On the website you can find some videos as well. After watching them you sense her passion, commitment, and excitement in every page of the book. Don't miss GGTV on the website, and the 'Girls Club' must be a lot of fun too. Probably most important though, is that she takes providing background information and resources on key issues very seriously, toxins in cosmetics for example. I don't think I've come a cross a better treatment of the subject or a better collection of green options to address the issues. There are literally easy to understand definitions and website links everywhere.

Gorgeously Green is a great read, an invaluable resource, and as Julia Roberts put it, a true bible of hope. What other green resource book leaves you with the feeling that you just solved some of the world's problems over a cocktail with a girlfriend? Hmm...none. But that's exactly what Gorgeously Green does. Cheers Sophie, you and your book are fabulous!

Available at your local bookstore and online at: Amazon | Barnes& Noble | Powells

Stopping in Barneys NY on a quest for some new candles I saw a beautiful display of Cire Trudon candles. It wasn’t just that the candles have been being made since 1643 in a shop on Saint-Honore, or that the 100% vegetable wax candles smelled beautiful, or that they had a candle called “Trianon” inspired by my favorite fashion guru, Marie Antoinette; it was the clever display. They had small cloches (bell-shaped glass domes) over each candle to preserve the fragrance. Apparently, just as they did in the original Paris boutique - tres chic! I loved the idea as much as the candles.

On my way to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum with weekend visitors, I found the cloches. What luck! They were in the old Tenement Museum gift shop that’s been repurposed into an Earnest Sewn shop on 90 Orchard. In the back of the store there’s a cool little florist shop called “Flower Girl” that’s run by Denise Porcano. She had several glass cloches protecting tiny gardens and arrangements – beautiful and perfect for a small apartment. I’m not houseplant kind of person, but love this fresh take on an old French starter garden tradition. Plus it’s a great way to connect with nature in a modern way. Now I am totally intrigued with this idea and am going to check out a Paula Hayes exhibit. She’s a Manhattan artist who’s taken this idea of the mini-garden further with her organic shaped cloches and modern terrariums.

For all you Seattle SSF fans, pick up this month's issue of Seattle Magazine and check out Kelly Moore's latest contribution to eco-entertaining. SSF Co-founders Rebecca Luke and Sean Schmidt, along with friends and green gurus Lynne Barker and Megan Griffiths, chat about environmental issues and green giving for Earth Day. You can get a sneak peak online: "Entertaining: green goes glam".

In today’s world, we are hearing the word “green” and “sustainable” alot. We are hearing these words attached mostly to what we can buy to save the world. While this is a terrific start, there is more to be considered. Recently, a client of mine forwarded an email of a video that had been shown in her grade school child’s classroom “The Story of Stuff”. It is a fabulous and entertaining way to check out the production of “stuff” and how it impacts us socially and environmentally.

In 2008, I plan to devote a majority of my blogs to what we can do to save the world and keep it consistent with our personal “style”.

Our fall interns, Anne-Marie and Olivia, worked hard on creating fantastic list of Sustainable Style Living Tips and I am going to put their work to great use. Stand by for a new tip every week.

Also, there are several books out there to check out as well; if you do a quick search for “ways to live green”, a good collection of books and other blogs will come up. For us at SSF, it’s about looking at the big picture, beyond green.

I look forward to your comments and an on-going dialogue about how we can continue to save the world in style.

Gradon over at Design Boston has put together an awesome list of scholarships for interior design students. IFDA, ASID, and IIDA are all there and as Gradon points out, there aren't many folks applying for them. As they say in Vegas...them's good numbers.

Seattle - (Shannon) Have you ever walked or driven through an intersection and wondered just what happens to the traffic light when it has outlived its usefulness? No, neither had I, until recently. Cities all over the world are replacing their old-fashioned incandescent signal lights with more efficient LEDs. This is great in one way, as the LEDs require far less energy and last longer, but it's less great when you take into account that those old light lenses (the red, yellow and green glass) are ending up in landfills by the truckloads. The special glass used for traffic signal lights is complicated and costly to recycle, making dumping them a more "attractive" option. However, an enterprising company known as Greenlight Concepts has found a way to rescue the lenses and turn the situation into a win-win-win. San Francisco designer Daniel Krivens and partner Nicholas Lee had the brilliant idea of turning the discarded lamps into ... well, lamps. Genius.

And they are. Stunning in red, amber and green, these lamps are sustainable and stylish. Pendant lamps of 8" or 12" (there's even a clear version, rescued from train-traffic signals) run between $240 to $299; the 8" or 12" "bucket" versions ($90 to $120) incorporate parchment shades in the design and stand on steel legs (like the one pictured left). All the lamps emit a soft, intimate glow just perfect for creating the right atmosphere that has nothing whatsoever to do with sitting in traffic.

(Pier Paolo - Torino, Italia) - Apologizing for my basic English I am starting blogging today, first post, first pictures, of course from Torino, the city where I live. A special thank to Sean who invited me to join SSF, I am really proud to do this. Why blogging from Torino? First because the city has been changing a lot for 5-6 years, when was appointed to be Winter Olympic Games in 2006. After the Games, the city has continued to enhance its development and now we are approaching the Year of Design. Torino has been changing very rapidly from One company Town (Fiat Group Automobiles) to a city of services, of culture, of creativity, arts and sports. And the city today shows all the signs of this profound transformation.

Now we are awaiting 2011 when we will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy. In the meantime the city will be the first World Design Capital for one year, a leading project of the International Design Alliance (IDA), currently managed by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID). Twelve months of events, exibitions in Torino and in the entire region to offer a clear vision on the design culture in Piedmont. A design approach that sometimes seems bold and multi-faceted, other times hidden, anyway almost always high level projects.

The real commencement of the World Design events was fixed for the New Year’s Eve of Design, December 31, 2007. After that the programme will tie up with the well established calendar of fairs, exhibitions and festivals that take place in the city’s major venues all through the year. For instance in October the main subject will be design and food, to coincide with the Taste Fair and Terra Madre World Food Meeting edited by Slow Food movement. In November the focus will be on the relationship between art, media and industrial design (Torino Art Fair and Torino Film Festival) and before the summer period two important appointments: “Changing the Change: Design Visions, Proposals and Tools”: this is the title of a conference that will be held on July 10-12, 2008 at the Politecnico di Torino in the framework of Torino 2008 World Design Capital. It will highligt new visions in the field of sustainability and outline the state of the art of ecodesign research. The second event is the 23rd International Union of Architects World Congress that will bring to Torino the International community of architects, planners and designers (June 29-July 3). Green will be the colour of the visual communication of the Year of Design. Why green? First because green represents the combination of the two “corporate” colours of Torino: blue and yellow.Second because it occupies a central position on the scale of human visual perception, it is the colour of reason and of course also the one of sustainable design (green design, eco-design, systems design).

Last but not least I want to mention the Luci d’Artista works and installations. It is a real art gallery en plein air set in streets and squares of Torino from November to February. It has become one of the symbols of the city for 10 years. The 2007 edition includes 19 installations with the well known works of Rebecca Horn, Nicola De Maria and Mario Merz (who used the first Fibonacci numbers written with red neon on one side of the Mole Antonelliana four-faced dome).

From time to time, we here at SSF like to do a little web search on our favorite keword term, "sustainable style". Since we coined the term back in 2003 it seems to be popping up all over the place. For our first stop on our round the world tour we highlight one our absolutely favorite sustainable style web spots, the Fliker: sustainable style group page. Really, some of the coolest creations around, from fashion to furniture and more. Best of all, it's a thriving online posse with all sorts of great ideas on how to make more sustainable personal lifestyle choices. Who's behind this sassy cyber community? None other than fiftyrx3's Jill Danyelle. Keep up the good work y'all!