Monthly Archives: February 2012

Book Club: Won’t You Join Us?

29 Wednesday Feb 2012

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A suggestion came up last year to launch a book club, so we did!  We pick a book, some by a majority vote and some by an individual suggestion; pick a date to get together out of the office, over drink and sometimes food, and talk it up.

The rules are simple, come if you want to whether you have read the book or not.  For me, I do not go unless I have read the book!

We just finished The World Without Us by Alan Weisman.

Have you read it?  What did you think?  I’ll admit, I did not read the book in time, and instead recently picked it up on CD and listened to it, although a little late for the book get-together.  I am glad I gave it a listen.

The World Without UsWeisman challenges us to ponder the thought of this planet with us, all humans gone, just like that, gone. As in here one day, vanished the next.  The thought is pretty radical and the book is to. It covers all aspects of our tangible existence from architecture, cities, farms, birds, toxic waste sites and even the Panama Canal without us around, never to return again.  It is a little sci-fi, a little morbid, and a little encouraging.  I was impressed with the extensive research Weisman conducted and the experts he consulted in his world journey to write the book.

Next up on our list is Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.  And then Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, I can’t wait to read this one!

— Kelley Cleveland

Small Spaces Delight!

27 Monday Feb 2012

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I received an email this morning that reminded me of this transforming Hong Kong apartment where no space is lost and every amenity is accounted for:

 

As precious space within large metropolitan cities becomes scarcer, I imagine we’ll start to see more unique space saving ideas like this one. In fact, last year Treehugger’s founder Graham Hill hosted a design competition, LifeEdited, to gather ideas for living in a small footprint similar to those showcased in the video.

While I love the idea of living in less space, I don’t think it would take long before the constant furniture rearrangement wore me out. I have to wonder – is this a novel, faddish idea or will transforming small designs be a staple in our future? Only time will tell!

— Amy DePierre

Formaldehyde Junkies

22 Wednesday Feb 2012

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Ubiquitous. Omnipresent. Universal.

I’ve heard people use these words to describe how they connect with a spiritual being in the universe or how they view God. However, if I told you that I’m using them to describe the presence of formaldehyde in our world, you might do a double take and raise your eyebrows…..wwwwhat??

Formaldehyde appears to be almost everywhere; it touches our skin – from lotions and cosmetics to toothpaste and bubble bath. It’s in baby wipes and sun block that we buy for our children, which I find to be horrifying. Many cleaning products we use in our homes contain it. In fact, manufacturers of cleaning products are not required to spell out the ingredients used in them, making it all the more tricky to decipher the code on their labels. My question is – are we cleaning and sanitizing or are we creating conditions that make us more at risk to sickness?

Reactions to any and all chemicals are becoming more common. In my research to become better informed, I came across a number of good resources – two of my top choices are shared below. A reaction to formaldehyde may be hard to isolate and so being on the lookout for all chemicals in products can help us move toward a toxic free life. Hope they help inform your journey too.

The US Dept of Health & Human Services lists health and safety information for commonly used products around the home on their website: householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov. Take a BIG gulp of coffee or chai before reading through the ever growing list of chemicals found in and around our homes. After looking it over, I’ve decided to look for “non-toxic to humans and aquatic life”, or “readily biodegradable”, or similar phrases in the descriptions on any new items I purchase from now on!

Green EarthMena Noll’s blog is called Toxic Free Kids (toxicfreekidsblog.org) and her personal story is inspiring. She questions if her clean freak habits actually caused or, if not, contributed greatly to her son’s illness. She has a Top Ten List of how to begin the process of detoxing that is straightforward, do-able and systematically addresses some of the basic areas in our lives and homes. And if you’re experiencing hard-to-pinpoint symptoms it’s a great start to remove toxins from the home environment.

Eliminating formaldehyde is not easy. And when feeling sick from its effects, it’s even tougher to identify what may be causing the problem. Obvious items?  Body products (me? I’d try Cetaphyl and Aveda), clothing (natural organic, or try washing everything you bring home first before wearing), and furniture (most fabrics and even bedding are sprayed with a formaldehyde based product, so washing is definitely helpful) – all require some form of trial and error, as we look to use and surround ourselves with the most inert products possible.

So, open the window or take a walk and get some fresh air, it’ll help clear your mind and hopefully dilute some of the effects of the chemicals we’re exposed to every single day.

For those of you who enjoy the more technical side, here are the chemicals that make up formaldehyde:

  • Imidazolidinyl urea (Germall 115)
  • Diazolidinyl urea (Germall II)
  • Quaternium 15 (Dowicil 200)
  • 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1, 3-diol (Bronopol)
  • DMDM hydantoin
  • Hexamethylenetetramine
  • Formaldehyde is also released from certain other chemicals such as Dowicil75, Tris Nitro, Grotan HD2 or BK, Triadine-10, Onyxide 200, Vancide TH, Myacide BT.

— Debbie Hindman

Downton and Now.

20 Monday Feb 2012

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Since I was pretty confident Adele would sweep all the wins at the Grammys on Sunday, I turned my focus to my new television indulgence …neigh… infatuation, Downton Abbey. The PBS show predominantly takes place in a gorgeous English country manor, named Downton on the show and Highclere Castle in real life. Below I show certain design elements of Downton and how those elements translate in the 21st century.

The Saloon

The gothic inspired saloon has walls covered in leather imported from Cordoba Spain in 1631 and hung in 1862.

Bucherer Store

This extremely sleek Bocherer store in Switzerland has a long expanse of deep chocolate leather walls.

Downton Abbey

Lady Grantham, aka Cora, sits in my favorite room, the library. In real life, The Castle is occupied by the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon whom now use it as a place to congregate before and after lunch and dinner. This makes me wonder if they entertain each other with the pianoforte after dinners. Simply the presence of knowledge surrounding me is comforting and emboldening.

Brooklyn Home

While the average American citizen cannot collect 5,650 books, as seen in Downton, it’s great seeing people collect books as an account of their interests and knowledge. As people shift to using smart tablets and the internet, I hope the library, or at least bookshelves, still remain! This contemporary layout brings so many functions together, saving room and simplifying life.

The Long Room

While we are on the subject of libraries, I thought I’d share one of my favorites, Trinity College Library in Dublin. I think I’d use a safety rope and carabiner when going to the top shelf.

Downton Horse

Lady Mary is in her riding habit in front of Downton. The Crawleys in the movie discuss how they have heard women’s haircuts are changing in Paris. The English aristocracy solidifies its own importance through its relative adherence to tradition. Sticking to a tradition is an indirect way of saying you are above the trends of another society.

English Inspired

A Ralph Lauren Fall 2012 look that clearly evokes a similar vibe (thanks predominantly to the top hat). I love how the color black has such a dignified air about it.

— Agatha Strompolos

Chipotle & Farming

15 Wednesday Feb 2012

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Even though it’s been around since August, Chipotle’s anti-factory farming commercial that aired during the Grammy’s has been a topic in our office the past couple of days and I thought we’d extend our conversation here. As a group, we’re decidedly all very passionate about humanely raised, fresh, organic and (whenever possible) local food.

At my personal household level, we supplement or, depending on the season, replace our store bought daily rations by raising egg laying hens, annually culling a few meat birds for our table, tending a very large (and ever expanding!) vegetable garden and preserving our harvest for the winter months. But all our efforts are on a much, much smaller scale than Chipotle, a large chain fast food provider who generates upwards of $1 billion in sales annually. While I am thrilled by their initiative to increase attention around the issue of CAFOs (Confined or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations), I wonder how their mindfulness surrounding the subject can not just reach a broad audience (the video has upwards of 4 million views), but also how they can potentially influence and perhaps even change the fast food industry’s factory farming ways. Take two minutes to judge for yourself:

So far, there’s been recent commentary about the video in The NY Times and Fox News even claimed it “stole the Grammy spotlight”. While we whole-heartedly agree with Chipotle Chairman Steve Ells’ sentiment that “delicious, affordable food can be produced without exploiting the farmers, the animals or the environment” — we’d like to know what you think!

— Amy DePierre