Comments on: Green home products

Question: Green home products

strangeleftydoublethink — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:37:13 -0800

I'm considering opening a retail sustainable home decor shop in Portland. What are some of your favorite green/sustainable/simple home products and where do you get them?

I would focus primarily on practicle and simple items that most people have in their homes but with a green slant. Organic cotton sheets, plates and bowls made from recycled glass, simple furniture made from recycled or sustainable products, etc.

By: Oobidaius

Oobidaius — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:44:59 -0800

MIO sounds like exactly what you're looking for. Although at the moment I don't think they've got sheets or dishware, they definitely have recycled furniture which is really neat, and lamps etc. I actually know the guys that started it- they work really hard and are incredibly dedicated to sustainable design, so I imagine they'd be good to do business with. Either way, good luck!

By: Ostara

Ostara — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 16:48:34 -0800

You should take a business trip to St. Louis to see the Earthways Home. It's an amazing Victorian-era home that's been retrofitted with sustainable and energy-saving materials. Everything from the furniture to the carpet to the heating and cooling systems is chosen with an eye towards sustainabilty and a low environmental imprint. They only give tours one day of the month, though.

Each room is packed with handouts on sustainable products and where to get them. Some of the cooler things included bathroom tiles made out of recycled automobile windshield glass and carpet made from plastic bottles.

I would also suggest soy candles. Regular old paraffin candles are made of a petroleum by-product and can emit dangerous fumes, according the the EPA .

Bamboo is becoming a popular and more sustainable substitute for wood in applications like flooring, window blinds, even fencing. I'm sure you could track down smaller home accessories using bamboo.

Inc Magazine recently had an interesting article about the "Coolest Little Start Up in America." They make organic plant fertilizer from earthworm droppings and package it in discarded bottles. Supposedly it's just as good as the eerily blue Miracle Gro stuff, but easier on the environment.

Good luck! It sounds like an intriguing store.

By: saladin

saladin — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 06:51:34 -0800

Try to get in touch with Daniel at Goods That Give. He can point you in the right direction.

By: danwalker

danwalker — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 07:15:43 -0800

Compact fluorescent lightbulbs are an obvious choice.

By: look busy

look busy — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 11:49:37 -0800

Sell Milorganite, which has kept Milwaukee's feces out of the landfill since 1925!