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.

Old is the New New

I seem to be on a green roll, so I think I'll keep going, as I think building a healthy home and doing what we can to preserve the environment for our children is top of mind for many mothers like me.

One of the tenets of building a green home that I relate to the most is reuse. I love to use items for something other than their intended use -- vases for bars of soap, stepstools as side tables, big troughs for photographs -- so I'm always looking for vintage items in flea markets or antique dealers that I can put to use. I also love reclaimed wood furniture. Pieces made from reclaimed wood have a patina that I like because, from the day you introduce them into your home, they look like they've been there for a lifetime. A nice side benefit from reclaimed wood furniture is the wabi-sabi aspect (see post "My House Isn't a Mess, It's Wabi-Sabi" on 6/1/08) -- wear and tear inflicted by my family of five only makes my reclaimed wood pieces look better. I'm very grateful to the green movement for making reclaimed wood furniture much easier to find. Here are some of my favorite resources:

Cliff Spencer makes furniture from reclaimed wine oak that's beautiful. I especially like their Parson's style dining table. It's a bundle, but I think if you're going to make an investment in a piece of furniture, a dining table is a good choice. You'll have it forever, and the story of shared memories around that table will follow it as you hand it down to your children.



Andre Joyau is a designer in Brooklyn who makes beautiful, large scale furniture pieces. For those who have children old enough, and don't have to worry about safety as much (see post "Coffee Tables That Will Save You a Trip to the ER" 5/29/08), the coffee table here is fabulous.

I don't think Andre Joyau has a website, but design blogs like DesignSponge regularly pick up their product, so you can always find an address and phone number.

Alan Vogel Designs is another resource for beautiful tables made from reclaimed barnwood.



Staples Cabinet Makers has such a great story, you'll want to pick up the phone and order something right away after watching this video. You can really feel the artisan's passion as he talks about his craft.


I'll just take a moment here to send a personal message to my Mother-in-Law: Linda, you are right -- everything can be re-used for something. Can I have my old picnic table back? I know I can use that wood for something!