Re-lights

If you’re like me in that you have an unhealthy obsession with home renovation shows and interior design blogs, you may want to get a friend to hide your credit card before you read the rest of this post.

I’m constantly fantasizing about what my “dream home” would look like, and sometimes I get on very specific kicks — like the time I went to IKEA to pick up some wine glasses but got distracted by all the pretty light fixtures and walked out with an entire apartment’s worth of new lighting.

That stuff was a bit of an impulse buy, so I’m afraid I may not have put the environment at number one in my mind that day. I did buy a bunch of eco-friendly light bulbs, but it turns out that there are other ways to practice environmental conservation when shopping for lighting. Here are the four fixtures that will be at the top of my shopping list when I buy that dream home of mine.

1. This upcycled light bulb chandelier is off the hook — and you can even make one yourself! I love how modern and minimalist it looks. (Another candidate for “craziest use of an a household product” is this chandelier made of recycled water bottles. Unfortunately, that one’s not for sale!)
2. Also minimalist and gorgeous (and my favorite color, green) are these incredible Re-Lights made from old wine bottles. These would be stunning over a wet bar, am I right?
3. It was hard to pick just one fixture from Eleek, a company that makes amazing 100% recycled aluminum lighting, but ultimately I decided my fantasy kitchen most needed these sexy red dollop pendants. (A close runner up was the awesomely industrial-looking starlight pendant.)
4. The recycled and ethically sourced fixtures and lampshades created by Biome Lifestyle are also incredible — especially the hand-woven fair trade cotton and bamboo large ball lampshade. So beautiful!

This is, of course, just a small sample of what is available out there in the world of eco-friendly light fixtures, but it’s certainly enough to get my interior design juices flowing. How ’bout you?

One thing I’d do differently than the pool builders of my youth, however, is try to build my pool sustainably as possible. A private pool is a fairly wasteful thing to have (so much water!), so it would make me feel better about building one if I offset the pool’s inherent waste by implementing water reduction strategies and using recycled materials. Here are several eco-friendly (and pretty) options for pool tiles to give you an idea of the direction I’d go in:

• ModWalls: This contemporary tile supplier offers a range of tiles made from 98% pre-consumer recycled glass. This Viridian Brix tile in apple green is suitable for pools, and can you imagine how cool it would look? Want. For a more traditional pool look, this Viridian Pearl tile in Mirage and 100% recycled clear glass pebble tile are also gorgeous.
• Mosaic Glass Tile: MGT also has a wide selection of recycled tile options, including these awesome iridescent tiles and a wide variety of pretty, solid-colored EcoVerde tiles. The turquoise blue color might make you feel like you’re in the Caribbean.
• SwissTrax: For outside the pool, this company offers recycled rubber flooring, which is easier to care for than glass tiles. It would probably be great for families with kids.

Use these recycled pool tile options to get your imagination going. Now if I only had an actual pool…

Salt

Salt is a common product for maintaining clean pool water. A salt filter requires some money upfront, but it can save you money in the long run. The typical salt water processing system costs around $1,000, but only will require you put out $20 per summer. Chlorine will run you about $50 to $70 a month during pool season.

Salt is a safe, reusable alternative to pool chlorination.

The benefits of using a saltwater pool are that the water will feel softer, you don’t taste the salt in the water and you won’t feel it on your body when you get out of the pool. Many people think that having a saltwater pool is like swimming in the ocean, which can leave the skin dry and tight. The level of salt is nowhere near the concentration in the ocean, so no worries in that department. The salt doesn’t evaporate from the water like chlorine, so there’s no need to restock the salt in the pool or use a stabilizing chemical. Your pool will shine with the simplicity of salt and water — basic and earth friendly.

However, consider that salt is much more corrosive than chlorine, so it can eat away and rust metal railings and pool furniture. It can also corrode the bottom of the pool lining, reducing its lifespan. Salt can also produce scaling that requires you to maintain and clean your filter more often.

Baking soda

Baking soda is the identical ingredient used in most pH-balancing products sold in pools stores. Grocery store-bought baking soda is more finely ground compared to that in a pool store, but it works just as effectively. Use baking soda to raise the pH in your pool or simply to help balance it. Besides, it will make the water in your pool much softer and more enjoyable.

Oxygen

Many products are available that use a powdered oxygen. These products can be used in place of chlorine and are considered just as effective at killing and preventing the growth of bacteria in the water. If the saltwater pool doesn’t sound too appealing, an oxygenized pool may be the right approach for you. Using active oxygen in your pool water will not corrode or produce scaling. This method seems to be the most widely accepted eco-friendly approach to maintaining a pool.

Don’t just green up the inside of you house, take this summer to green up your pool cleaning as well. It may cost a little more than using traditional chlorine, but the safety for the earth and your family cannot compare.

A Viking Pools fiberglass pool

With the threat of global warming always looming, it might behoove us all to consider investing in a swimming pool. That’s right: A nice, cool dip will provide a small bit of respite while fending off the dreaded climate change. But, in preparation of such cataclysmic events, let’s learn how to make the pools we have (or are planning to have) more eco-friendly in an attempt to mitigate that pesky global warming thing.

The pool

Previously, we examined the bio-pool, which relies on the natural filtration process of plants and organisms to make your backyard pond a clean and green oasis. However, it seems that there are other options to creating a more sustainable swimming environment while sticking to the more traditional pool setup. Viking Pools is one such company that is taking the traditional idea of the personal pool to a new age, eco-friendly level. This company uses smooth fiberglass construction for its pools, which results in both lower chemical usage and lower energy consumption. Here’s how:

“Fiberglass pools in general act as a natural insulator. Your filter and heater will potentially run dramatically less than equipment on vinyl/gunite pools. Depending on the climate and size of the pool, a homeowner can save up to $225 per month on their pool maintenance with our pools.

“Fiberglass pools do not rely on steel panels or steel mesh/rebar for structure, they do not have the potential to leech chemicals and rust back into the groundwater as a more conventional constructed pool would.

“Due to the non-porous finish of our pools, fewer chemicals are needed because algae is less prone to attach to smoother surfaces. Additionally, less cleaning will have to be performed using automatic pool cleaners saving electricity.”

The chemicals

Other companies are realizing that the traditional chemicals used to keep a pool clean can have some pretty negative effects — not only on the environment, but also on people. A New York Times article outlines a few health hazards of a pool’s regular heavy chemicals like chlorine and bromine. Nature 2 is company that offers a line of natural mineral sanitizers for pools and spas. If you’re tired of getting those red, scratchy eyes after being in a pool too long, or that industrial chemical smell that comes from relaxing in a hot tub, then Nature 2 products might be just what you’re looking for. According to this article, Nature 2 offers the Express, which is “a quick, affordable and eco-friendly sanitizer that uses the mineral elements of silver and copper, with a very small amount of pool chlorine, to inhibit bacteria and eliminate contaminants.” Supposedly, small doses of silver are used to kill bacteria and trace amounts of copper help fight away nasty pool algae.

The shopping

If neither Viking Pools nor Nature 2 offers the nature-saving product you are looking for in your back yard, check out Poolandspa.com’s sustainable section. This is the largest forum to find whatever dusty, squirty or floaty product you might require to keep your pool clean, clear and ready to provide cooling when the ice caps melt.

Trike, 2005, by Chris Gilmour. Photograph by Chris Gilmour

When thinking of green modes of transport, the mind doesn’t immediately turn to motorcycles. Indeed, the essence of power-hungry road hogs couldn’t be much further from the environmentally responsible ideal. However, these nine bikes (and one trike) all have something in common: they’re made from recycled parts!

9. Champion

Champion by Alex Manigod. Photograph by Alex Manigod

Bolted together and with hard disk drives for wheels, the aptly named Champion isn’t likely to speed away from you, whatever it looks like! The bike is actually entirely made from recycled electronic parts, most of which are sourced from computers. Artist Alex Manigold, who describes himself as an “archaeologist of the future,” hopes that his sculptures will spread the message that electronics should be disposed of responsibly or be recycled. Coming in at the smallest bike on the list, you can’t say greener than that!

8. Motorcycle

Motorcycle sculpture art. Photograph by Bruce Gray

With an absolute guarantee of zero emissions and 100% recycled, this motorcycle, made by Bruce Gray, is amongst the greenest bikes that you can buy on this list. However, as a found object metal sculpture, it has a rather unfair advantage; though it incorporates a BMW R75/5 engine, it isn’t going to move an inch under its own steam. The wheels are made from two massive gears, which, with their gigantic teeth, are not going very far even if they were hooked up to an engine. In fact there is an engine, but it isn’t hooked up to anything. It’s a fine looking bike, though!

7. Harley-Davidson Panhead and Trike (top)

Harley Davidson Panhead, 2007, by Chris Gilmour. Photograph by Chris Gilmour

These bad boys aren’t quite as mean as they look — in fact they’re works of art made out of recycled cardboard. Nevertheless, exquisitely realized by sculptor Chris Gilmour, they brilliantly convey the awesome power of the originals. Gilmour is an artist who specializes in making “translations from life” and takes pride in using everyday materials to immortalize the minute details of daily life. In fact, these cardboard road hogs almost look more impressive than the originals!

6. Wooden motorcycle

Wooden bike. Photograph by Buglugs

Next on the list is this oddity, which genuinely is a monster. Can it really be a functioning, roadworthy vehicle? Decked out with a working engine, mirrors and a horn, the answer, alarmingly, seems to be, yes, FrankenBike is capable of hitting the road. Then again, mean machine or not, it’s still a motorcycle made out of reclaimed lumber. If you hit something while riding this thing you should expect some nasty splinters, or failing that, for your bike to split in half. So, the lesson is, don’t go too fast or your bike might begin to break up.

5. The El Ninja

The El Ninja. Photograph by Kyle Dansie

The El Ninja is one wacky racer. Built by Zero Emission Vehicles of Utah, this custom-built bike not only uses recycled parts, but also runs on electricity, producing, you guessed it, zero emissions. The bike can run for 50 miles on a single charge, at speeds of up to 52 mph, and weighs in at 530 pounds. And all this was built on a frame that cost $500 on eBay.

4. Electricle

Electricle. Photograph by Michael Elliott

While it might not be a mean American chopper, this electric-powered bike certainly is a gnarly low rider. In its favor, it is by some considerable way the greenest working bike on this list, running on pedal power, assisted by an electric motor, and hand built with parts from several old bikes. As its maker, Michael Elliott, puts it, “I’ve got a pile of junk and I’m not afraid to use it.” He means it, you know.

3. Siemens Smart Chopper

Siemens Smart Chopper. Photograph by iskir

There are motorcycles and then there are choppers, and here, for the ethical Hell’s Angel (not illustrated), is the electric chopper. Siemens, an electrical engineering giant, isn’t generally in the business of manufacturing motorbikes. However, for the American Chopper show, the firm made an exception, and, with the help of Orange County Choppers, it looks like they’ve made a good job of it. This 650-pound beast can hit 60 mph in six seconds, and has a top speed of 100 mph. What’s more, the entire aluminum shell is recycled. Beat that for environmental responsibility.

2. Brammo Enertia powercycle

Brammo Enertia powercycle. Photograph by Brammo

If you’re looking for an environmentally friendly way to travel, the Brammo Enertia powercycle is a green bike through and through. Made with clean energy and with recycled parts throughout, it’s difficult to get closer to zero emissions while riding on two wheels. Reaching top speeds of 60+ mph, the bike is a nifty urban mover, though the peculiar body shape might take some getting used to. But, if you do decide that you don’t like your Enertia powercycle, you can always recycle it (according to Brammo)!

1. 1994 Customized Harley-Davidson Softail

Re-Cycled “1994 Customized Harley-Davidson Softail. Photograph by Santiago Chopper

From chic to chopper, this recycled 1994 Harley-Davidson Softail is a beast of a bike. With a gas engine, it might not be quite as green as some of the bikes on this list, but, as a gorgeous custom model, built from recycled parts, it definitely gets a look in. Based on no less than a 1994 stock Harley-Davidson engine, and using a Red Neck Engineering frame, this bike, built by Santiago Chopper, really is something of a looker!

LivingHomes got its start when founder Steve Glenn was a child. He built Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired masterpieces out of his Legos. Unfortunately, his talent in Lego architecture didn’t translate into a talent for design, so he partnered with truly accomplished architects to make his visions come to fruition, and that is how LivingHomes was born.

Although LivingHomes isn’t the only prefab homebuilder on the market, the houses built by the company have sleek and modern designs created by award-winning architects and, of course, they are built using very strict environmental guidelines. In fact, LivingHomes created the first LEED Platinum-certified home in the nation. The company strives to achieve a minimum of LEED Silver certification on all homes that it builds.

Photo courtesy of LivingHomes

In order to receive LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, a variety of sustainable design and construction features must be used. To guide them in their design and fabrication process, LivingHomes focuses on what they call the Six Degrees of Sustainability.

The Six Degrees of Sustainability represents LivingHomes’ goal to achieve as close to a zero impact on the environment in six categories: energy, water, waste, emissions, carbon and ignorance.

Yes, ignorance is one of the Six Degrees of Sustainability. LivingHomes and Lucid Design Group have partnered to provide owners with a building dashboard that provides homeowners with instant access to electricity consumption, water use and much more. The company also provides owners with a handbook and training so that the home can be maintained regularly.

The company also goes above and beyond what more mainstream prefab builders do in the waste arena. The company has laid out a four-step process to reduce waste. In fact, these processes allow LivingHomes to achieve about a 2% waste level — in other words, 98% of the construction products are reused, recycled or otherwise diverted from landfills.

Photo courtesy of LivingHomes

Step one of the four-step zero waste goal is the deconstruction process. If the prospective home site has a building currently on it, LivingHomes works with The ReUse People to deconstruct the building and separate the reusable and recyclable goods. The ReUse People is a part of The ReUse Institute, and is dedicated to helping divert demolition and deconstruction materials from local landfills.

The second step is the use of locally sourced, recycled or reclaimed materials. LivingHomes made in the United States are manufactured in California, and regionally sourced materials are used when available.

Step three ensures that the process that goes into making the home can be reversed so that the product can be deconstructed and reused at the end of its life.

The final step in the process is what is called moveable millwork. In other words, you can move the walls around in your home during the design phase without the need for new building materials.

Of course, all of this comes at a bit of a premium. An ultra sustainable, ultra fab LivingHomes house starts at $230 per square foot, excluding the price of land. This translates to around $460,000 for a 2,000-sq.-ft. house.

Another price-contributing factor is the distance that your lot is from the factory. The further the house needs to be transported, the more expensive the process is. However, LivingHomes is just over a year old, and the company does have plans to collaborate with manufacturers in other parts of the country, which will lead to a wider distribution network.

What LivingHomes has done with its award-winning, ultra sustainable, ultra fab homes proves that prefabricated homes can be gorgeous and green while still maintaining the convenience of a factory-built home.

Featuring the attempts of manufacturers to make an affordable, green alternative, it is true that many new features are for sale. A far cry from the old days of few choices, new sustainability-minded options for prefabs include bamboo floors, foam-insulated walls and energy-efficient kitchen appliances, among many other options.

Tempting consumers with choice, when putting features aside, it is helpful to remember some of the most popular selling points. Many are myths, according to Chad Ludeman, President of Philadelphia-based postgreen. Ludeman points out that from affordability to energy and materials conservation, prefab homes are stripped down to their basic components, and their subsequent lack of relevance in the affordable green-building world are revealed.

Myth 1: Prefab homes cost less money

The truth: Unless the building is being done in cities like New York or Los Angeles, a quality prefab home will cost more per square foot. Case in point: The standard price for a good prefab home with desirable features is at least $250 per square foot when all is said and done, according to Ludeman. In Philadelphia, the sixth largest city in the U.S., stick-built prices are only $125 to $150 per square foot, even with the more expensive labor involved. Hidden fees that cause the hike in prefab prices include facility overhead, crane charges, delivery setting and more. For all of the hassle, Ludeman says to build a home on the desired land and leave it there.

Is prefab all it's cracked up to be?

Myth 2: Prefab homes cause less waste because the factory reuses materials

The truth: Reuse and sustainability are not the focus of most companies, according to Ludeman. Compared to stick-house building, prefab homes actually use 20% to 30% more raw materials in order to withstand the transportation to the desired plot of land. There are plenty of programs that will recycle 90% of your construction waste — just ask the Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA), an organization that offers guidelines and suggestions. Representing an extensive group of member companies and agencies, CMRA keeps an eye on the recycling of 325 million tons of recoverable construction and demolition materials that are generated in the United States annually. These materials include aggregates such as concrete, asphalt, asphalt shingles, gypsum wallboard, wood and metals. The figures seem to suggest that if reuse and recycling are concerns, prefab isn’t necessarily the easy answer it appears to be at first glance.

Myth 3: Prefab homes are energy efficient and save money

The truth: While many prefab homes are said to have insulation that is installed to better standards than site-built homes because of factory guidelines, the transportation of the home makes the insulation claims unlikely. According to Ludeman, most prefab companies still use loose batt insulation that falls out of the framing by the time it reaches the site. There is also much more to consider than batt insulation when it comes to energy efficiency. Ludeman put it this way: The more structural framing that connects to both the drywall inside and the exterior sheathing outside, the poorer the total insulation of the home. Most prefab homes boast a wood exterior, a very poor insulator. It seems that there are no shortcuts in the energy-saving efforts of consumers.

While prefab homes are still available, their pitfalls are much more public. Is there a right or wrong choice to be made? The facts seem to suggest that although prefab homes are not the quick, cheap and green answer that they promised to be a few years ago, they are still hanging on. That is, until America moves on.

I grew up in Texas in the ’80s, when “prefab housing” pretty much exclusively referred to unattractive mobile homes. But oh, what a long way things have come! Today, there are plenty of stylish and eco-friendly prefab housing options out there that would look more at home in a hip urban setting than a trailer park.

Take Sustain MiniHome, for example. This Toronto-based architectural design studio embodies the concept of green, stylish modular housing to a T. The structures are made without vinyl, toxic adhesives, formaldehyde or CFCs and boast water- and plant oil-based finishes and certified sustainable woods. They also make it easy to conserve water by including two centrally located downspouts for rainwater collection and treatment and offering the option of composting toilets.

Another sustainability component that you might not automatically think of is durability. Sustain MiniHome claims, “Wherever possible, we have opted for homogenous materials, with little or no requirement for maintenance — in the form of painting, or re-finishing. We have also detailed materials to be mechanically fastened so that they can be easily repaired or replaced, and that are designed to breathe and shed moisture so as to not allow decay in the first place.”

If materials require less upkeep they last longer, and if they last longer, you won’t have to waste any resources replacing them. Pretty smart!

The company offers both home and commercial prefab buildings, and is even working on creating entire Eco Parks — the cool, sustainable response to the trailer park concept. Their first Eco Park project is in development in Brighton, ON, Canada.

Although Sustain MiniHome is based in Canada, the company can ship prefab structures anywhere in North America. You may not know anyone who has a prefab house like this now, but with space only getting harder to come by, you can bet ideas like this will become more popular. So, read more about the structures, and who knows, maybe you or someone you know will start the trend in your community.

Your old jeans could be lining your walls.

You know the stuff. Owens Corning successfully made its version seemingly more consumer friendly by emblazoning the all-too-familiar image of the Pink Panther on the side of the packaging. Cute cartoon characters aside, once you get past the plastic, you are treated to expanding blankets of itch-inducing, finely spun glass fibers that may do wonders for your R-value but also happen to come with a health warning attached.

Fortunately, we rarely make a habit of living in direct contact with exposed fiberglass insulation, and even if we did, the International Agency for Cancer Research claims that the manmade material dissolves in our bodies rather than persisting like other carcinogens — a fact that is oddly not as comforting as they were probably hoping.

In the interest of finding an environmentally sound alternative that doesn’t wreak potential havoc on our body’s systems, there are two eco-friendly alternatives that everyone should seriously consider the next time they decide to revamp the insulation factor of their homes. Even if you’re not planning to replace your itchy cotton candy in the foreseeable future, please read on and spread the word to your family and friends!

Jeans have long been a veritable fashion staple, no matter your budget or style, but now they take center stage between the wooden studs, joists and beams of eco-friendly houses in the form of Bonded Logic’s Ultra Touch 100% recycled denim insulation batts (90% of which is post-consumer).

In addition to shredding and repurposing donated denim duds that have seen better days, the company also converts the cotton fiber waste remaining from the manufacture of new jeans. The resulting product comes in the form of plush blankets that are free from traditional irritants, formaldehyde, airborne particles or other health-compromising compounds. Beyond being sustainable and safe to handle, their denim insulation offers a maximum R-value factor, and now there is even a 30% tax credit available when you install it in your home.

Mushrooms as insulation? Not as far-fetched as you may think.

Those who really want to go green may argue that there’s nothing planet friendly about modern cotton cultivation (think about all of the agricultural chemicals and copious amounts of water, for starters) so they may feel that using recycled denim isn’t the way to go. Ecovative Design and its founders, Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre, have developed a wild solution that makes the most of the simple power of ’shrooms. They’ve figured out how to make vegetative, tube-like mushroom roots thrive in a nutritive medium consisting of various agricultural waste byproducts (such as regionally available seed husks, rice hulls and cotton burrs), flour, water and perlite.

In a few weeks time, the result of their green thumbs is a homegrown, Styrofoam-like rigid panel (on par with the strength of wood) that is entirely biodegradable, free of volatile organic compounds or laboratory chemicals, possesses a class-1 fire rating and can be safely used to insulate homes.

The Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture and the National Science Foundation have all been so enthusiastic about Ecovative’s groundbreaking product that they have awarded the company with several grants to further explore the eco-possibilities. In fact, Bayer and McIntyre have also created an Ecocradle Styrofoam packaging alternative (made of the very same material described above) that will soon be found protecting several consumer goods.

Now, fashionistas and fungus fans alike have every reason to jump on board the eco-insulation train. It’s high time that we kick the pink stuff to the curb and wrap our studs in something that is sustainable, safe and eco-innovative!

Loll Designs

Loll products are a testament that materials that were once decreed to be a waste product can be repurposed into another product that is functional, useful, durable and eco-chic. Previously used HDPE (#2 plastic) is a resource, not waste. For every pound of weight in a Loll chair, there are an estimated eight recycled milk jugs being used, saving natural resources, reducing landfill waste and inevitably reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

All Loll Designs products are designed to be durable; hence, the life cycle of our products is lengthy. However, when a Loll product has reached the end of its useful life, it is 100% recyclable.

As well as creating recycled, sustainable furniture and accessories, Loll Designs participates in 1% for the Planet, purchases blocks of wind power, participates in CarbonFund.org to offset shipping and uses recycled packaging. Additionally, all Loll products are designed and produced in Duluth, MN, in our efficient, AIA-award-winning manufacturing facility, Hawksboots. Annually, employees plant a tree for each order we receive in the previous calendar year.

Sharon Larson is a “lollygagger” at Loll Designs’ Duluth, MN, headquarters.

In the interest of making the process more digestible, here’s a very basic Green Kitchen 101 check list that every one of us can benefit from, even if we begin to incorporate just two or three points into our daily repertoire:

• Adhere to a diet that includes less meat and far more local, organic produce. In addition to being healthier, cooking at home (rather than purchasing convenience or fast food) generates less waste, which is easier on the environment and your wallet.
• Stop using disposable dishware/paper products and instead reacquaint yourself with washable, reusable and far more durable versions.
• Place all of your organic household food scraps in a countertop collection bin and then add them to an outdoor compost pile.
• Commit to using plant-based, biodegradable, chemical-free cleaning agents that contain no phosphates, either by whipping up homemade recipes or purchasing them from green-minded companies.
• Only use your dishwasher when it is filled to capacity, or if you prefer to hand wash, don’t turn the water on until after you have thoroughly scrubbed everything first.
• Recycle, repurpose, donate.
• Use high-quality kitchen tools that are designed to last a long time rather than cheap, poorly made versions that end up in the landfill in record time.
• Break yourself of the bottled water habit by installing a household/faucet-mounted water filtration system, or for a more affordable eco-option, use a BPA-free water-filtering pitcher such as Brita, since their filters are turned into 100% recycled Preserve products at the end of their usable life.
• Purchase household staples in bulk (which eliminates unnecessary packaging) and store them in reusable glass, stainless steel or ceramic containers rather than plastic.
  

  The Flow2 Kitchen design

Doesn’t an all-in-one solution sound mighty good right about now? Two Oregon-based designers, John Arndt and Wonhee Jeong from Studio Gorm, apparently felt sympathetic toward well-intentioned but widespread eco-holdouts because they conjured up a very intriguing solution called the Flow2 Kitchen. Although it’s still just a conceptual design, the team’s portable green workstation features practical elements that would likely recruit perennial wasters to begin batting for team Mother Nature without skipping a beat, including a composting zone that can ultimately be used to nourish the kitchen herbs growing in the center of the counter as well as a built-in plant hydration system that cleverly harvests water draining off of freshly washed dishes.

Their appropriately dubbed “flow kitchen” boasts an almost symbiotic dynamic between its carefully thought-out elements, enabling the user to maximize efficiency while minimizing waste — the ideal hallmarks of a smoothly running, eco-friendly kitchen. Its double-walled, unglazed earthenware countertop containers with sustainable beech wood tops, which generate an evapo-transpiration effect to naturally cool the contents within, give the typical energy-hogging refrigerator a run for its money. Eco-responsible consumers are reminded with this perfectly efficient system that so many of the edibles we automatically refrigerate would be equally as fresh if they were kept in naturally temperature-controlled containers, reducing our energy usage in the process.

Our consumer culture programs us into thinking that we require a ready-made solution to accomplish our needs, but the fact of the matter is that anyone with a little DIY thinking can accomplish a similar Flow2 Kitchen effect with a bit of ingenuity. At the end of the day, bells and whistles do nothing more than create unnecessary distractions and household clutter, whereas with Arndt and Jeong’s strategically distilled concept, going green in the kitchen is within arm’s length. It’s the little things that really do add up over time. So, who’s tempted to rig their own makeshift dish-drying houseplant-watering rack?

I tend to go pretty minimal with my cleaning products and implements, so I don’t buy a lot of Magic Erasers or single-use pet hair picker-uppers or even paper towels. I do this a) because I’m frugal ($7 to take the cat hair off my couch twice? Please.) and b) because it is way better for the environment. I don’t have the slightest idea what is in the majority of bathroom tile cleaners, but I think it is safe to say that if you need to open a window to use a product, it is probably not Mother Nature approved.

The mighty lemon: A natural stain-fighting remedy.

Now, I’m no dirty hippie, either. I like my house clean. In fact, I’m kind of a clean freak. So, instead of all the expensive, toxic cleaning products, I use things you probably have in your home right now. Things like this:

• Newspaper: It seems kind of counter intuitive, but I swear to you that newspaper is the best way to clean windows and mirrors. Seriously, the ink doesn’t smudge, and it leaves the glass cleaner looking than if you used a towel. I don’t understand it. I just know it’s true.
• White vinegar: Your mama probably taught you this, but did you listen? Vinegar cleans darn near everything, from toilets to stove tops to floors. You can also dilute it with water and add a splash of natural dish soap to make a great window spray or throw a little in the washing machine in place of fabric softener. It’s magical stuff.
• Lemon juice: This one is great for the bathtub or shower because it dissolves hard water stains and cleans tile like a champ. (Mix it with a little vinegar and baking soda to make a powerful, soap scum-busting paste.) You can also mix one part lemon juice with two parts olive oil to polish furniture or use it solo to shine brass and copper. And, it has the added benefit of smelling awesome (faux lemon-scented cleaners just can’t compete).
• Baking soda: I mentioned this one above, but there is more it can do, too. Baking soda is a great deodorizer (try sticking an open box in the fridge or next to the litter box) as well as a good stand-in for pretty much any commercial abrasive cleaner. You can use it to scrub counters and other surfaces, and they will look and smell nice and clean.

Do you have any other household products you like to use to clean? Let me know!