Eco-Friendly & Green Living Blog

Disposable dinnerware? On an eco blog? Now you’ve seen it all, right?

Previously only available in Asia and Europe, Japan’s WASARA dinnerware is finally available in North America. Strong and sturdier than its paper counterparts (not to mention far more chic), WASARA’s wares are also biodegradable and completely compostable. (That is, if you have a compost heap.) Plus, they’re made with 100% tree-free sustainable materials: sugar cane fibre, bamboo and reed pulp. Order yours in advance of spring and be pret-a-picnic!

Price: Individual pieces, from $9 US (pack of 12 small plates). Sample pack (one each of all 14 pieces) $18 US.

Available at: www.branchhome.com

Pump up the volume on sustainability – Magno’s AM/FM two-tone Wooden Radios are made with love (of the earth!) and a commitment to building sustainable jobs and forestry in Indonesia.

Based out of the small Indonesian village of Kandangan, the man behind Magno, Singgih S. Kartono, builds sustainable industry through carpentry and craft – the radios are made by farm labourers-cum-craftsmen in communities hit hard by declining agriculture.

Kartono fights for forests by raising community awareness (for example, by starting a tree-planting program with the local high school by making his radios with only locally harvested new-growth wood, and replanting every tree used by Magno).

“As a wood consumer, I feel morally responsible for replacing the wood I’ve used,” Kartono says. “Currently, Kandangan has almost no forest land. The population is about 4,000 people. If we were to employ the whole population of Kandangan, we would abolish unemployment but most important, for every [person] we employ, we’d generate more woods through our forest regeneration programs.”

Pairing retro charm with social and environmental sustainability, these radios are playing my tune!

Available at: www.ministryoftheinterior.net

Price: $235 small (5 x 7.5 x 3.75″), $295 medium (7.5 x 7.5 x 4.25″), $352 large (7.5 x 12.25 x 4.25″)

More Information: www.magno-design.com

Crate & Barrel does houseware basics beautifully, and these bamboo salad bowls are no exception.

Made of pressed natural bamboo grown without fertilizer or pesticides, they’re handmade, foodsafe and waterproof!

Available at: www.crateandbarrel.com

Price: $32.95 US (serving), $9.95 US (individual)

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Not eco so to speak, but my pal on Twitter, @meljones77, found this and it made me laugh so much I had to share it with you all. Sometimes, it pretty much sums up the way I feel…

Not available yet in Canada or even North America, so if you want it really, really badly, you’re going to have to order it from the U.K. My twitter friend found it at www.hunkydoryhome.co.uk, but they don’t ship here, so try the site below.

For more on the original motto, check out this article.

Available at: www.pedlars.co.uk

Price: £8.50

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Now that I’ve found an eco-friendly bug repellent that works (see my post from a few days back), entertaining and eating outdoors is no problem, and these attractive solar lanterns from Restoration Hardware light up the night beautifully.

They’re made from weather-resistant cast aluminum and you can either hang them or put them in the ground with the stake that’s provided, plus they come with a switch, unlike many solar lights, so you can turn them on and off as needed. Available in a zinc or rust finish, in a set of six. Shown in rust.

Available at: www.restorationhardware.com

Price: on sale for $183 US

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Looking to save a little money and save the planet while you’re at it?

Karl Lohnes, style at home style editor and eBay design expert, believes that becoming eco-chic starts at home and is easier than you think if you stick to the principles of reducing, reusing, and recycling. He made over this table (see before, inset) with finds from eBay, using the following tips.

• Reduce waste by looking for ways to update or change a look rather than start from scratch. Adding colour to an indoor or outdoor table setting doesn’t mean that you have to throw away all that plain white china. Simply look for ways to add colour with different accessories like coloured drinking glasses or pieces like bowls or salad plates.
• Use cloth napkins instead of paper; patterned ones are a great way to add another splash of colour.
• Unique containers can be an inexpensive and fun way to add a different look to your table; for example, champagne buckets can be used to hold a bouquet of flowers or even serving utensils.
• When shopping for specialty items, look for objects that have multiple functions and reuse them. When not serving brunch, for instance, use small egg cups to hold spreads or fill them with bite-size snacks.

Most important, the key to an eco-chic makeover, according to Karl, is to keep it simple. He recommends using a website like eBay.ca for a one-stop shopping experience. You can browse through different categories – like Antiques and Home & Garden – or search using a specific keyword, and before you know it, you’ll have found a treasure trove of items that match your budget and style!

For similar items, visit ebay.ca

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No doubt you’ve been taking advantage of the weather and entertaining outdoors of late.

Light up the night in a natural way with Rittenhouse’s Aurora Glow Solar String Lights. Each string has six hand-blown glass orbs that you can put up anywhere in your garden, since they’re solar-powered, so no worries about plugging them in! Just plant or mount the solar panel up to 13 feet away from the first light on the string in a place where it will receive direct sunlight, then as night falls a photo-sensor will automatically turn on the lights – magic!

The lights come in three colours: clear with yellow LED (shown) clear with a white LED, and blue-green sea glass with a white LED.

Available at: www.rittenhouse.ca

Price: $49.90

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Is this not one of the most amazing tables you’ve ever seen? Designed by Chris Kabatsi of Los Angeles-based design company Arktura, the Hive table features an algorithmically generated pattern that reminds me of lace or a spider’s web.

Why is the table green? Because it’s constructed of mostly recycled steel and zero-VOC powder-coated finish and is produced in a wind- and solar-powered facility.

The accommodating size – 50″ wide x 16″ deep x 16″ high – means it can be used as a bench or table, and it comes in orange (pictured), black, sea green and white.

Available at: www.vivavi.com

Price: $1,790 (US)

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If you love that whole raw wood thing, check out this stunning ensemble from Restoration Hardware. I’m drooling, simply drooling over the look of this whole room and its Belgian aesthetic.

The Trestle table is made of 2½”-thick pieces of pine salvaged from a distillery in Great Britain, and comes complete with all sorts of character-enhancing dents and dings. The Wine Barrel chandelier is handmade from reclaimed French oak wine barrels hoops and staves. Both are available in limited quantities, since the materials they’re made from are limited, so get them now if you’re interested!

Available at: www.restorationhardware.com

Price: $3,415, table (comes with 2 leaves, seats 8 to 12 people); $2,995, chandelier

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One thing that’s sure to make a winter night feel cosy to me is lighting up a candle, and now all I use are soy or beeswax candles – they don’t have any nasty things like carcinogens.

Dirt Candles are my latest indulgence. Sure, at first glance the name sounds strange, but dirt is, as the website says, “where nature begins and ends,” and Dirt Candles are “formulated from beginning to end with natural things.”

The 10-oz candles made of GMO-free organic soy wax and natural essential oils, are lead- and soot-free and have a natural cotton wick. They come in 25 fun scents like Take It Easy (Bulgarian & English lavenders, Mexican and Madagascar vanillas) and Beach Bum (seawater, kelp, fresh rain, white sand), and the metal lids ensure those scents remain fresh.

I like them because the ones I tried out (including Fountain of Youth, After Hours and Open Arms) are subtle and not overpowering, a big plus in my books. I like some scent, but being knocked over by any too-powerful perfume is not only irritating to me, it’s also potentially harmful since it can trigger a painful migraine. There’s also an unscented version, cheekily called Skinny Dip.

The paper packaging is 100% post-consumer recycled (and recyclable) and printed with soy inks and the labels are made from corn. The recycled-metal lids and glass are all recyclable, but hold onto the glass containers – after you finish burning the candle and wash them out, they make nice tumblers for drinking!

An added bonus: a portion of the money made from each candle sold goes to charity; for a list of the charities funded click here.

Available at: www.dirtcandles.com, as well as Pistachio stores in Toronto (check out www.epistachio.com)

Price: approx. $31.50

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