Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!!

In honor of Earth Day, which is this Sunday, April 22nd, I thought we should have a post dedicated to Earth friendly items and ways to lessen our carbon footprint. Whether it's re-doing a piece of furniture rather than buying a new one or using natural, non-toxic household cleaners, every little bit helps and each of us can make a difference. HAPPY EARLY EARTH DAY!!

Painting your house is always a big job. Anna Sova created a line of home paints, texture and stucco that are made from 90% food materials! The paints are low VOC (VOC = Volatile Organic Compounds) or no VOC. Your lungs will thank you and so will the atmosphere!

(here's a 2011 Apartment Therapy article covering non-toxic paints)

Homemade household cleaners are so easy to make and MUCH gentler on the environment than most of the stuff you find in stores. A little water and vinegar makes for an EXCELLENT tile floor cleaner!

(photo from Young House Love. plus they have a great post covering homemade cleaners! Or this article from The Daily Green reviewing store bought natural cleaners)

 Eco-friendly furniture, such as our Leblon Coffee Table, uses reclaimed wood, sustainable and/or recycled material to create one of kind pieces. Items made from bamboo are also great to keep an eye open for! 

(here's a great Tree Hugger article regarding going green with furniture)

 Reusable totes are great for ANY kind of shopping. This one is made from a recycled poultry feed bag by Recycled and Resewn. Also, reusing any plastic or paper bags you may already have is still helpful!

As we have covered before, organic cotton anything is much better for the environment than traditional, non-organic cotton items. Silk, hemp, jute and bamboo are more eco-friendly fabric options as well.

(photo from Coyuchi. And, here is a great Natural Environment article covering more eco-friendly fabrics)

Look for items that are upcycled, recycled or repurposed, like this Upcycle Pendant Lamp from CB2!

Need some upcycle inspriation? Check out this article from Top Online Engineering Degree. And, we all know how Real Simple gives us HUNDREDS of ideas for repurposing things!

And, of course driving a Hybrid car, car pooling, riding our bikes and just good old recycling of our paper, plastic and glass items are all great ways to be more green! HAPPY EARTH DAY!!