What does the “green” label on your paint can mean?

A quick reminder: Many of you have sent in answers, but not to all of the questions. You can still catch up.

The more you answer, the better your chances of winning a $600 organic comforter from Vivetique Sleep Systems or a room’s worth of Earthpaint. So don’t delay.

Here is Question No. 4: Of the following the “green” certifications available to test paint, which prohibit any level of an ingredient this is a known carcinogen, mutagen, reproductive toxin, hazardous air pollutant (HAP) or ozone-depleting compound? Continue reading…

Keep the answers coming

Keep racking up your points, or jump into The Natural Housewife contest now for a chance to win a $600 organic comforter or a room’s worth of Earthpaint.

Get full contest and prize details here, and help from the Facebook pages of our hint-droppers – Greener Stock and Brothers Floor Covering.

Here is Question No. 3: The advantages of using PureGrow™ Wool in mattresses and bedding products include: Continue reading…

Better for people? Better for the planet? Let the contest begin!

If you have read the rules and contest details, you know that three winners will receive luxurious organic comforters from Vivetique Sleep Systems and two more will each get a room’s worth of Earthpaint. And you know you will get the weekly, multiple-choice questions quickly if you like us and the hint-droppers on Facebook.

Are you ready? Here is Question No. 1:

CRI Green Label Plus is a certification used for carpet. It means that: Continue reading…

 Contest winners to receive organic comforters from Vivetique or a room of Earthpaint

The theme of this year’s Natural Housewife Contest takes hold during a vacation on the Gulf of Mexico, where The Natural Housewife tells us it’s time to take actions that are better for people or better for the planet. Part of doing that means knowing which products are better for people, better for the planet, both, or none of the above. If it sounds like a multiple-choice quiz, it is. And with the “green” certifications available today, it isn’t difficult. It just takes a little practice, which this contest will give you, along with a chance to win. Get the details here.

Organic bedding from a national, natural leader

There is a sentence I love in a 2007 LA Times article about Vivètique Sleep Systems – the company that will be supplying luxurious organic comforters to three winners in this year’s Natural Housewife Contest:

“There isn’t a speck of polyurethane foam, by far the most common filling for modern mattresses, in Vivètique’s 31,000-square-foot factory across from a rock quarry, thus the man-made lake, in a nondescript industrial park that includes manufacturers, public storage units and a couple of strip clubs.”

LA Times Writer David Colker’s article is among many that highlight Vivètique’s expertise in manufacturing with natural and organic materials. The New York Times, in comparing natural bedding manufacturers, also has put Vivètique in the spotlight. Continue reading…

Greater Cincinnati’s Annual Home & Garden show proves “green” products are here to stay, but knowledge of trends and environmental attributes is still playing catch up

There was a time not too long ago when we had to search to find “green” products and companies at the annual Greater Cincinnati Home & Garden Show.

But these days, you have to search hard to find exhibiting companies that don’t have some claim to being “green.” Even when I was sure I had found one on opening day, I was wrong.

There is nothing, I was sure, of environmental note about the slot machines on display by Gambler’s Oasis. But then I learned that this business buys machines that are about to be discarded, refurbishes them, and sells them for use in home game rooms. Continue reading…

Studies that show what “fringe,” green proponents warned of all along are an overdue validation of the environmental products industry

I distinctly remember a small group of co-workers who voiced concerns that the windows did not open while everyone else was extolling the beauty of the newly constructed newsroom we worked in, complete with new cubicles, new computers, carpeting, paint, ceiling tiles and everything else that makes up a building’s interior.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) had not been created yet. Employees who raised questions about indoor-air quality were “strange,” possibly unbalanced.  You could have heard a pin drop when one of them asked what I now know was a very natural question: “Does the ventilation system bring fresh air into our work area?”

Natural or not, the managers responded as though the question bordered on insubordination. Accordingly, it would have been beyond insane had the employee suggested that toxins in the indoor air be scientifically measured or a control group of employees be selected to have blood tests to determine what chemicals they were being exposed to. Continue reading…

Past and present green building trends mean 2012 will bring increased interest in healthy indoor air quality, reclaimed and recycled products, and smaller homes

Residents on the West Coast have been walking the green building walk longer. But even in the Midwest, which often lags behind, people who build or remodel in the New Year likely will be doing more than talking the talk.

From seeking smaller, more energy-efficient homes to using low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints, finishes and furniture, healthier, planet-conscious trends have a firm foothold that can only grow in the future, experts say.

“Clients are now asking for sustainable strategies in the first meeting,” says Michael Mauch, architect, LEED AP and principal of RWA Architects in Cincinnati, OH. “We do not have to bring it up. They bring it up. What homeowner does not want clean indoor air? Lower energy bills? And smart design? Now they know they can ask for it up front.” Continue reading…

Year in review shows Natural Interiors visitors focus first on style and indoor-air-quality, then concern for planet health

We couldn’t head into a New Year without a baby. Fortunately, the winner of our Natural Housewife Contest – one of our Top 10 traffic generators for 2011 – now has one.

1.  Sara Eickhoff reports that son, Hayden, now two months old, enjoys the sisal-look wool, chemical-free Nature’s Carpet his Mom won by submitting some of the best tips for keeping a natural and healthy home that we received.

“ We converted the large piece into smaller area rugs, which we use throughout the house, including one that Hayden uses daily for tummy time,” Eickhoff says. “It’s so nice to know he’s getting the comfy support he needs for this activity, while at the same time avoiding unnecessary chemical exposure.” Continue reading…

Toledo customer wanted a planet-friendly product that also offered healthier indoor air

Ordering and installing Nature’s Carpet “felt great for a number of reasons,” says Julee, who now has “Clearwater,” part of the “Dark Green” line, in her home in Holland, OH. She found the carpet at Carpets by Otto, which has several locations in the Toledo area.

The “Dark Green” line from Nature’s Carpet is made from New Zealand Wool, with no synthetic materials or chemical additives. Julee wanted a product that was good for the planet and would not emit chemicals in her home.

“After having lots of negative symptoms with new carpeting, I was wonderfully surprised at the lack of odor with Nature’s Carpet, which means, of course, there were no chemicals to off-gas,” she says. “I purchased the wool felt padding as well. For the first time in my life, there literally was no odor from the carpet. With my chemical sensitivities, I had zero problems with the carpet. It was a true God send.” Continue reading…