Lifestyle
26 Mar An Outgoing Message
The power of the people must come into play for carpet recycling effort to bump to the next level, outgoing director says
Listen up people: The next time you tear out old carpet, think before you put it out for the trash collector and send it to a landfill where it will pollute the planet until the end of time.
There are now more than 100 carpet recycling collection companies in the United States, and it’s easy to find out if there’s one near you.
Just ask Georgina Sikorski. At the time she took charge of the Carpet America Recycling Effort (CARE) in 2009, CARE had diverted 1 billion pounds of carpet from landfills. Today, that number is more than 2 billion, and although Sikorski is leaving her post in April, she says that number will keep going up – if you do your part.
“People can quickly determine if there is a collector in their region by going to the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) map, which has contact information for the over 100 Certified CARE Collectors,” Sikorski, says.
27 Feb Natural and Not: Everyone’s “Eco”
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.
19 Dec 2011’s Top 10 Topics
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.”
11 Aug A Message for My Vacuum Cleaner
You have served me well for a very long time, but there has to be something that holds dust better
Dust containment. This is the term on my mind this morning as we near completion of our bathroom renovation project. My aging vacuum has done a commendable job, sucking up the sanded drywall compound and other mess that left a trail down the hall. But the unseen microscopic remnants are lingering. I know this every time someone sneezes, including the cat and the dog.
While this website has focused on chemical emissions when discussing Indoor Air Quality, dust, particulates and other allergens deserve equal attention. In keeping with that, I am coming to terms with reality: My vacuum cleaner is no longer the top of the line. It has seen me through every tough job, and it operates with admirable suction power. But too much of what it sucks up comes back out of its filter and it’s polluting my indoor air.
13 Jun Scrutinizing Sunscreens
Environmental Working Group’s fifth annual Sunscreen Guide says U.S. consumers still are being duped about the safety of sunscreen
Three out of five sunscreens made in the U.S.A. are not acceptable in Europe, where manufacturers follow more stringent standards about chemical additives, according to the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) fifth annual Sunscreen Guide.
The good news, EWG says, is that CVS, Neutrogena, Banana Boat, Aveeno and Walgreens now offer sunscreens with titanium and zinc, instead of potentially hormone-disrupting chemicals such as oxybenzone or Vitamin A, which might be carcinogenic on sun-exposed skin. These products also are not powders or sprays, so they do not pose hazards associated with inhaling chemicals.
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