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.

Gives us food for thought as to natural living in an economic downturn

Okay, this teaser video is an exaggeration of what we meant when we said a trend toward smaller, energy-efficient homes has taken hold. But Christopher Smith’s mission to build his tiny home in Colorado with his own hands gives us reason to pause and ponder. In 2004, the average home was 2,300 square feet — up from about 1,400 square feet in 1970 – though average family size has declined. So there is something naturally logical about Smith’s Tiny: A Story About Living Small, and the Tiny House Movement.

It starts when you find the collector

This video talks about what happens to your old carpet after it is taken by a collector to a recycler. There are now more than 100 carpet collection companies that prepare your old carpet and padding to be sent off to a recycler. Many flooring companies that replace carpeting will take your old carpet to the collector.

Find the collector in your area here.

Some manufacturers are high-tech and chemical-free at the same time

Q: Are wool duvets, pillows and mattresses treated with mothproofing chemicals like wool carpeting is?

A: Not if they are made by a company that specializes in natural and organic materials. This video features Vivetique – a US leader in chemical-free wool, cotton and natural latex mattresses, pillows and bedding. Continue reading…

But a natural oil hardwood finish means that pretty soon you won’t

There is something we like about natural hardwood floor finishes even more than the fact that they are low odor and low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound), says Roy Young, quality control manager for Schumacher & Co Custom Hardwood Floors in Cincinnati, OH.

“It’s the wonderful, natural appearance that accentuates the character of the wood,” he says.

And unlike floors finished with polyurethane, an oil finished floor that gets scratched can be easily repaired – as shown in this video – without refinishing the entire floor. Continue reading…

A style for every room

As Designer Candace Olson shows us in this video, today’s cork floors don’t look like bulletin boards. Rather, the looks range from that of hardwood planks to mosiac tiles. And cork is suitable in almost any room environment. Continue reading…

 Sherwin Williams and Harmony

Ending our series that responds to builders who say low VOC paints don’t perform as well as traditional products, is this video from Sherwin Williams. Harmony, Sherwin Williams’ zero VOC paint, has GREENGUARD Children & Schools indoor air quality certification, which no doubt has some stringent requirements. But this video’s discussion of odor-absorbing and antimicrobial additives might mean the debate over irritating paint ingredients is bound to continue until manufacturers are required to list their ingredients on the can.

AFM Safecoat

Builders who say water-based paints with lower toxicity don’t perform well are perpetuating “a myth,” says Jay Watts, marketing director for AFM Safecoat. AFM is the fifth manufacturer to join our video rebuttal series. See this video to hear his arguments, click here to see Parts I-IV, and here for more information on these manufacturers’ products.

 A Solution Made From “Dirt and Water?”

Like other participants in our rebuttal series, Earthpaint disagrees with builders who say low VOC paints don’t perform well.  While this video won’t give you an Earthpaint demonstration, it will give you something that is equally important. Increasingly, science is telling us that there are limits to the amount of chemicals we can safely be exposed to.  Tom  Rioux  is among a growing number of people who have learned the hard way. Watch this video and learn why he developed Earthpaint. And for more information on paint ingredients, click here.

Mythic Paint

Mythic Paint, which has Green Seal certification, disagrees with builders who say low-and zero-VOC, water-based paints do not perform as well as traditional paint and oil-based products. See Mythic’s video, and look for The Problem With Paint, Part IV later this week in which we will compare Green Seal, GREENGUARD and SCS indoor air quality certifications.