Simple Steps to a Greener Home

I'm always looking for good advice on making my home healthier for my family. In that pursuit, I recently purchased and viewed Danny Seo's Simple Steps to a Greener Home. I thought I'd read pretty much everything on the the subject, but was pleasantly surprised at how much interesting and useful information I learned. Following is a review of sorts for those looking for some good advice:

If you’re looking to gain a broad view of green design in a short amount of time, this DVD is perfect for that. If you’re more interested in delving deep into a specific category like how and where to shop for organic bedding, you won’t find all you need here.

This DVD is a small time commitment (a little over an hour) and features a compilation of green living tips that cover five areas:

• Building Green
• Eco Accessories
• A Natural Bedroom for Better Sleep
• Using Sun Power
• Re-use and Re-define

Overviews of each category are pretty general, but also manage to highlight some good specifics and interesting artisans along the way like the men at Scrapile in Brooklyn who use discarded scrap wood from construction projects to make beautiful and unique furniture.

Danny Seo, a lifestyle expert who's made a name for himself as an author and the former host of Simply Green, is an engaging host who has a thorough and fluid understanding of the sustainable market. Rather than appearing scripted, he seems to be chatting off the top of his head about easy ways to make your home a little greener. Like a good friend who you trust for good advice. The host uses simplicity, sustainability and affordability as his touchstones – concepts that are near and dear to the heart of anyone attempting to be a little greener without going broke or crazy.

The DVD effectively uses a text box in the lower right of the screen to highlight technical trivia bits that lend credibility to what the host is saying. For example, in a segment about using plants to clean your indoor air, the screen displays a statistic from NASA comparing indoor air pollution to outdoor air pollution. Very convincing.

The portions I found most useful were:

• · Recommendations on choosing low VOC paint
• · Advice on choosing indoor houseplants that are low maintenance
• · How to choose a natural pillow for your bed

Portions I found interesting, but not as relatable were:

• · A tour of an organic farm that uses sun power
• · A tour of a factory that makes toilet paper from discarded scrap paper

Don’t skip the special features – there are some simple and fun DIY projects that are worth trying.

You’ll come away from this DVD with a superficial understanding of the materials available in the market, the chemicals to avoid, and a list of easy things you can do to make your home a little greener. You’ll also come away from this DVD wanting more information on the portions that piqued your interest. And you’ll wonder if that recycled toilet paper is really a good idea.

Kermit was Wrong by guest blogger Andie Furber

First, I want to say Happy Birthday to my Grandpa Doug. Happy Birthday Grandpa.

My mom has been writing about being green all week, so I thought I would too. Being green is important, and anyone can do it. Even kids. Here are some ways for kids to make their own room green and eco-friendly:

1) Keep a recycling bin in your room. Whenever you're finished with paper, bottles, cans or other recyclables, put them in the bin instead of throwing them away. If possible, try using both sides of the paper.

2) Try organic bedding. It's really comfortable, and comes in all kinds of colors and patterns, and is totally eco-friendly. I like this one from PBTeen


3) Try putting some plants in your room. They clean your air in a Green way. For the best plants to clean your air, see my mom's post entitled, "My Mom was Ahead of Her Time."

4) Try reusing stuff for your room. When your parents decide once again that it's time to purge the house, snag a few things from their pile to add to your room. The best way to be eco-friendly is to reuse things instead of adding new things. My brother is always taking plants, coffee tables, bins, and decorations into his room.

5) When you ask your parents to buy you new things for your room, make sure it's something you will like for a long time and won't want to replace after just a little while. Like I said in number 4, adding new things is not very green.

6) Use CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb) lightbulbs in your lamps, because they use less energy, and always turn off your lights when you leave your room, or during the day when the sun's out.

Being green is important. Saving energy and our resources can help conserve our earth. Anyone can go green, and everyone should. Even kids. So try these tips, and even these small things you do can make a difference in our world.

Organic Bedding Survival Guide

Yesterday's post on the health benefits of houseplants got me thinking about the healthy home in general.

Understanding all the volumes of information available on the different aspects of creating a healthy home for a family is such a challenge. Isn't enough that we've got to learn 4th grade geometry all over again? Must we also be subject matter experts on organic farming, formaldehyde and toxins emitted by our paint and furniture?

An easy place to start is with bedding. Anything that directly touches the skin should be as chemical free as possible and, with the proliferation of organic bedding in the market, any house can be completely outfitted with organic bedding. Most bedding is made from cotton. My friend Pallavi, who knows much more about organic cotton than I ever will, tells me that conventional cotton is one of agriculture's most chemically-dependent crops. It takes about 1/3 of a pound of chemicals to produce enough conventional cotton to make a t-shirt. Organic cotton is the version of its conventional counterpart grown without pesticides or other chemicals, and uses agricultural methods designed to help sustain the land it grows on. The organic cotton supply is estimated at only .1% of the global cotton production. As demand for organic cotton increases, so will the supply. Click this link for more information on organic farming

Organic cotton, both grown in the US and imported into the US, is strictly regulated by the USDA. That means you can reasonably assume that anything labeled and marketed as organic cotton is in fact organic cotton. If you need more assurance, look for SKAL International certification

There are plenty of great looking organic bedding options in the market now, so there's something for everyone. When you're choosing your organic bedding, remember to consider all the same things you've always considered: thread count, cotton quality, cotton fiber (long staple combed is great -- nice and smooth, won't pill).

Here are some of my favorites:

Pottery Barn has a great collection of patterned organics, plenty of choices and some really nice patterns.


Amenity has some beautiful, large scale patterns that are very stylish.


West Elm has some very pretty neutral organics -- lots of style.

Good Night Naturals is a good resource for higher thread count styles.

Convert your beds to organic bedding, and stay in bed a little longer in the morning. It's good for you!