{ Archive for the ‘Environmentally Friendly’ Category }

wooden bowl artist

laurayeatsbowl1 wooden bowl artistI have this thing for wooden bowls. I have yet to buy one, but I’ve been on the lookout ever since I spotted one at a B&B I stayed at in Ireland and realized how fantastic they are. Since then I’ve searched high and low for the perfect specimen.

I’ve driven my sister Candy nuts during a trip to Italy examining olivewood bowls minutely in every store we came across. Unfortunately, none were exactly what I wanted. This one was too pink, that one had too many brown streaks. The other day, I spent at least an hour staring at bowls in a shop. I think the store owner thought I was nuts, especially when I walked out empty-handed.

The other day I stumbled across Laura Yeats’s website. Yeats is a Seattle artist who started out in urban design and got sidetracked by an interest in woodworking and welding. She now specializes in finding dead, diseased or unwanted wood and works magic with it.

She does make smaller bowls, but I fell in love her large Madrona side bowl. A 20-1/2 by 9-1/2 inch beauty, it’s just what I want and would be perfect on its own or for displaying food or other beautiful collectibles. Alas, the price is just too high for my pocketbook. The search continues…

Available at: www.laurayeats.com

Price: $1,800.00 US

water-saving showerhead

moenshowerhead2 water saving showerhead

Ever wonder what those water-saving showerheads feel like? I did, so I decided to put one to the test and tried out the Moen 6306.

It looks just like any other showerhead, but is touted as saving 30% water over regular models, and press materials say that its designed to concentrate water flow to provide a “satisfying shower experience.”

How was it? Well, to be honest, the water pressure doesn`t feel quite as strong, but the difference was really hardly noticeable enough to make me switch back to my regular model. After all, I am saving 30% more water (and the energy I would have used to heat that water) and come bill day, that would be a HUGE savings in any household.

My showerhead is polished chrome, just like the one in the picture above; other finish options include brushed nickel and oil-rubbed bronze.

Available at: hardware stores via special order; check www.moen.ca for availability

Price: $43.55 (chrome 6306); $67.49 (brushed nickel 6306BN or oil-rubbed bronze 6306ORB)

oh so pretty drawer papers

drawerpaper5 oh so pretty drawer papersEveryone in the office was absolutely drooling over these fabulous retro drawer papers: their rich chocolate colour backgrounds, and, of course, their fabulous scents: verbena, rosewood, green tea, fig, and my personal fave, orange blossom. The sheets (six to a box) are made of recycled paper, as are the boxes, natch!

And if lining drawers isn`t your thing, use them for wrapping paper or other paper projects.

You`re sure to love the company`s matching stationery and other paper goods, too!

Available at: www.soapandpaperfactory.com

Price: $28 US per box

a safe nonstick frying pan

greenpan1 a safe nonstick frying panThere`s been a lot of controversy in recent years about the safety of nonstick pans. Most experts now agree that they`re safe if you observe certain protocols while cooking, like not letting the pans get overly hot, or preheating them to too high a temperature.

Still doubtful? Check out GreenPan products! I absolutely love my frying pan and, in fact, prefer it to other nonstick pans I`ve used in the past. It boasts Thermolon nonstick coating, a new, non-PTFE* form of coating, and you really can use it without oils or butters; just follow the instructions re heating and cleaning and you`re good to go! I just have a frying pan so far, but you can get complete sets of pots and pans if you like.

*polytetrafluoroethylene

Available at: The Bay, www.thebay.com; Home Outfitters, www.hbc.com for stores; Home Hardware, www.homehardware.ca

Price: $30 to $100

good for you bath products

carrots21 good for you bath productsAfter hiring an environmentally friendly cleaning service during a really busy period, I realized, if I`m having environmentally friendly products used on my apartment, what about on me??

So I set out to find more eco-friendly bath products, and Yes To Carrot items caught my eye with their paraben-free* formulations.

My faves? The C How To Shower Carrot Rich Shower Gel, C Through the Dry Spell Deliciously Rich Body Butter, and C Is for Hair Care Hair and Scalp Moisturizing Mud Mask — perfect for colour-treated hair.

Available at: Shopper`s Drug Mart

Price: $9 to $14

*Check back soon for a glossary of terms I’ll be compiling on eco terminology!

the perfect desktop fan

allairedeskfan3 the perfect desktop fanJust in the nick of time! This summer hasn’t been that seriously hot, at least not for days on end, but I really dislike Toronto`s hot, humid summers. So I’ve been intending to buy a little desktop fan for, oh, the past 10 summers, and when I dropped into a Restoration Hardware store and saw a brushed nickel beauty, it felt like karma.

My apartment is already well equipped with two much-appreciated ceiling fans (I refuse to get air conditioning), but when I spied the Allaire fan that day in the store, I knew it was the one I had to have. Am I thrilled with it? You bet! The heat be damned!

The Allaire also comes in a black finish and Restoration Hardware`s very pretty trademark Silver Sage.

Available at: Restoration Hardware, www.restorationhardware.com

Price: $119

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