by Collin Dunn

3r Living, a home décor and lifestyle store in Brooklyn, offers innovative and affordable products made from recycled, reused or reduced waste materials -- the 3Rs of environmental living.

Samantha Delman-Caserta and Mark Caserta opened their Park Slope, Brooklyn store in spring 2004. Samantha's retail experience and Mark's background in environmental issues inspired 3r Living, a home and lifestyle store dedicated to "Future Friendly Products".

In the store and online, the products are carefully chosen for their content. Some companies that 3r Living works with reduce the amount of waste generated during the manufacturing process. Some reuse unwanted or discarded items. Some recycle raw materials to form completely new and unique products. 3r Living calls these products "Future Friendly" rather than eco-friendly. Why the unusual moniker? The owners believe that, "unless we, as a society, move towards creating and purchasing products that are sustainably designed and manufactured, there really is no future. If the products in our store could begin to educate the average person on what their consumption means to the future of the planet, then we will have done our job."

When your current gear gets old, wears down, or expires the folks at 3r encourage you to help it along to a better place: the in-store recycling center at 3r Living accepts batteries, cell

Soy candles will help you breathe easy during the holidays.

3r can help make your holidays scentsational, with a wide assortment of fragrant soy candles, with scents that span the olfactory spectrum, from "rain" to "bermuda" to, fittingly, "holiday." Pure soy wax and cotton wicks insure that the planet will benefit from your aromatherapy, too.

Bamboo bowl-a-rama.

This snazzy bamboo bowl has form and function wrapped together in a nice, round package. Bamboo, the ecologically wonderful, rapid-growth grass, won't soak up water like wood will, resists heat, and looks great anywhere in your kitchen. From salad to sushi rice, this bowl will hold it all.

Sweep dreams are made of these: 100% renewable sorghum and bamboo.

The art of broommaking lives in Sweep Dreams' selection of five colorful brooms. Made of 100% renewable sorghum and bamboo with non-toxic colors, these brooms are as beautiful as they are practical. We think the name says it all.

In the kids section, you'll find dozens of ideas for "future-friendly" kids' projects and activities, like doodling on tree-free paper with recycled crayons. There's also a groovy Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit, though parents are strongly encouraged to supervise that activity -- anyone who has ever gotten gum lodged in their hair will know why.

A tree for the future "yule" love for years.

Finally, to help make the future even friendlier, Christmas tree-enthusiasts everywhere should check out the Yule Tree-to-be. It comes complete with everything you could possibly need to grow your own, including noble fir tree seeds, a small seedling pot, stratification bag (with germination medium), growing medium, aluminum tag and a handy reference guide. Just plant it, water it and talk to it, and a home-grown tree is just a Christmas wish away.

Locals in the Brooklyn area can find the store 276 Fifth Avenue between Garfield Place and First Street in Park Slope. 3r Living is always just a click away at 3rliving.com.

Collin Dunn is Editor-in-Chief of SASS Magazine.