 |
GREEN DESIGN CAN BE TOTALLY GORGEOUS,
and you don’t have to completely raze your place and
rebuild it to make a difference. There are plenty of small,
simple ways to give your home a meaningful eco-makeover.
It’s mostly about practicing conscious consumerism.
 DECORATING
Help reduce overreliance on destructive farming and manufacturing
techniques by choosing only untreated, organic
cotton towels, sheets, and pillowcases. Look for labels
marked GOTS, or Global Organic Textile Standard. Loop has chemical-free, supersoft sateen bedding woven in India
under fair-trade conditions. Available at Wild by Nature, 260
Montauk Highway, Hampton Bays, 723-3071; looporganic.com.
Swap your current mattress for a sleep system that’s more
breathable and hypoallergenic. Vivètique, a 91-year-old
California company, makes natural latex mattresses from
Sri Lankan rubber trees, then encases them in organic
down and wool. Visit vivetique.com.
Soy candles, molded from hydrogenated soybean oil, last
twice as long as paraffin counterparts. Try Anna Sova’s—
they’re hand-poured and infused with subtle fragrances like lime and ylangylang.
Beeswax candles, which are undyed, slightly honey-scented, and
clean-burning, are also a good option. Available at American Yogini, 317 South
Jamesport Avenue, South Jamesport, 722-4771; annasova.com.
The EPA ranks conventional paint among its top five environmental hazards.
That’s because it emits volatile organic compounds (VOCs), even years
after being applied. A safer alternative is Yolo Colorhouse, which produces
low- and zero-VOC flat, eggshell, and semigloss paints in a beachy palette,
and is sold in recycled-plastic quarts and gallons. Visit yolocolorhouse.com.
 CLEANING
Switch to all-natural cleaning products that are free of harsh chemicals like
ammonia, chlorine bleach, and sodium hydroxide, but
can still power through the grime. Seventh Generation offers a complete dirt-busting assortment, including dishwasher
gel and carpet-stain remover that are plantderived
and biodegradable. Available at Second
Nature, 41 Newtown Lane, East Hampton,
324-5257; seventhgeneration.com.
Another high-performing green brand,
Mrs. Meyer’s, uses ingredients like sugarcane
and coconut to create products from
countertop sprays to dryer sheets to pet
wipes. Available at Inside Out, 11 Railroad
Avenue, East Hampton, 329-3600;
mrsmeyers.com.
Your cleaning crew can also mix up
filth-fighting solutions from nontoxic
components like white vinegar, baking
soda, and lemon juice. Visit Greenlivingideas.com for the how-tos.
Interior designer Thom Filicia is creating a green model apartment, featuring everything
from toxin-free ceiling paint to vegetable-dyed rugs, at the Riverhouse, one of the
most energy-efficient condos built on the East Coast. Visit the-riverhouse.com.
| The complete article appears on page 94 in the Spring 2008 issue of Hamptons. SUBSCRIBE NOW and get Hamptons delivered direct. |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
