The green experts, Practically Green, and the fantastic paint company, Mythic Paint, joined forces to host and invited some of the top-notch experts in green decor, design and innovation. In last week’s Green Parenting column we shared the answers to the first two questions we asked during the party:
- Where do you go for information about green decor & home improvement?
- What are your favorite green products to use in your house?
This week we will be covering the last three questions we ask our special guests and experts to share during the conversation. Below are their answers:
What home improvement projects are on your to-do list?
Celebrate Green
- Just moved into a new (old!) house & are (slowly) renovating. Still, lots to do! Low/No-VOC paint to the ENTIRE house! All trim, walls, ceiling, exterior. Mythic Paint, boy do we need you!
Olga Adler Interiors
- Use sisal rugs, bamboo shades, organic fabrics for upholstery and bedding to reduce off-gassing in your home! I’m renovating my house & I’m going for it: efficient windows, reclaimed beams, green insulation, no-voc paint, etc.
Susanna of Green Depot
- Not necessarily decorative – but weatherization is very high on the list right now. Gotta block those drafts! Fresh kitchen flooring, but cork or marmoleum? Hard to choose! Both are beautiful, & durable. I rent – so “Click” is a must.
Alexandra Zissu, author & editor
- Cleaning out closets and papers and sprucing up in preparation for a move. Just finished recaulking/sealing in bathroom and Green Depot was to my rescue when I needed safe product delivered ASAP!
Green Gifts Guide
- I’m almost finished with a green gift-giving station in an unfinished section of our basement; reusing everything we can!
Home Recycler
Huge list: garage door, more efficient water heater, plant new trees. Plus… need to paint the living room and dining room.
- Mae of Here in This House: Replacing all the closet doors and a few interior doors.
- Green with Renvy, renovator & designer: We have ceiling replacment-ug! But lots of Mythic Paint on the agenda.
- Organic Authority: A never-ending list that includes maintaining our wonderful backyard garden! We love fresh food.
- Cathy Hobbs, TV-personality & interior designer: Fave green home decor is soy candles, undyed cotton sheets and towels, and recycled glass counter tops.
- Enviro Jon of Green Lifestyle Consulting: Stone Patio under solar awning http://t.co/gLsuGCun. Switching old carpet to wood floors in bedrooms.
- Mindful Momma: Our biggest green home improvement step? Insulation!!
- Maria, blogger at New York Mom: I am working on painting my dining room and mudroom and redoing the decor in my bedroom and home office.
- Robin Baron, interior designer: I’m renovating a townhouse and first off replaced windows to a more insulating variety. Using engineered flooring!
The hardest part of planning a green home makeover?
- Jane: staying on budget!
- LLLSummer: Finding the best products/items/use of old item. Having an Homeowners Association.
- Robin Baron: Some products still $$!
- Celebrate Green: My husband. Just kidding 😉 Keeping up with all the innovation! There’s so many new fab eco products on the market!
- Kim: The hardest is finding the things available at reasonable prices that are green.
- Mindful Momma: Dealing with the fact that you have to make some compromises!
- Here In This House: Finding reputable and reliable service people who know how to work with green materials. Also knowing how to prioritize where to spend the money to get most green bang for your buck.
- Home Recycler: Finding items available.
- Avital: Commitment. Also money. But tax rebates and lower energy bills help.
- Enviro Jon: Not being able to afford to do everything we want to 🙁
- Lisa Borden: avoiding greenwashing and determining what is really green – they are big, expensive decisions!
- Olga Adler: And veryfing whether or not a product or service is really green.
- Ann: Deciding your tradeoffs – for ex. use bamboo w/ toxic adhesive or wood with nail installation?
- Building Green: Curious as to what makes a product green? Check out this article! It even has subcategories.
- Urban Sherp: Finding local, eco products & installers. Patience was key!
- Practically Green: Parting with nostalgic items that take up too much space (and are ugly!)
- Jane: bamboo floors are popular now as “eco” but usually shipped from china & will warp over time under real heavy things like fridge
- Roux Beee: Bought high energy efficient furnace last year. Got tax rebate but initial cost was huge. Happy with decision though.
What factors into your decision on what to buy for your home?
- Lisa Borden: Green decor is interesting – less is still more, right? Don’t redo for fun, but do best you can to last as long as possible.
- Green Gifts Guide: I always look at thrift, ReStore or Goodwill before buying something new from a decor store.
- Here In This House: Value, eco-value and – call me shallow – looks.
- Kim: The durability of the product…i like to know its worth my money and also the safety of it.
- Jane: Cost is big factor, materials, research & word of mouth.
- Avital: EPA certification like Energy Star and WaterSense. Also full disclosure on labels. Here’s a handy chart I put together about all those eco-certification logos and what they mean.
- Celebrate Green: Healthy family, healthy planet; style, quality & function.
- Mythic Paint: How is it produced, is it natural, is it toxic, will it last and not end up in a landfill.
- Cathy Hobbs: Use natural undyed fibers as much as possible, compost, compact fluorescent bulbs are safe.
- Olga Adler: Always look for green option first, buy locally made goods, things that will last and/or can be recycled, reused or repurposed. A good example of a green product is a high-quality sofa or a chair – a well-built frame can be recovered dozens of times!
- Green Depot: Bottom line is often a challenge – sad though when benefits of going green are so many! (resale value, health). Toxicity matters! Indoor Air Quality is so important.
- Enviro Jon: Do we need it? Can we afford it? How green is it?
- Alexandra Zissu: It has to be safe for my family, the environment, and our neighbors in this shared Planet Home.
- Practically Green: LEDs are getting better and not so expensive as they were.
- Jane: curly light bulbs have mercury in them.. watch out!
- Home Recycler: I factor in that green decor saves money in the long run, but also saves our planet
- Best Mattress Reviews: Ensure that any green bedding you choose for both expectant and new moms, as well as your developing child, provide the best restful sleep for good physical and mental health.
We all learned so much and have our wheels turning. As you know green products are new to us daily. So make sure to let us know any other great info you may have.
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