Green Living

Top 3 Myths About Sustainable Interior Design, Busted

published on April 15, 2019 by Angela Hamilton
updated on November 1, 2021

For us, green living isn’t just about how to reduce your home’s footprint. It’s about finding ways to live in alignment with our environment in the warmest, most comforting and inspiring ways. Today we’ve got eco-friendly designer Holly of Holly Durocher Design chatting about all things sustainable interior design. Whether you’re a homeowner, renter, renovator, DIYer, or simply interested in the ways we can all add a little more “green” to our living spaces, I think you’ll find these three myths + the rest of Holly’s tips incredibly helpful… And a whole lot easier to consider than you might think!

three myths about sustainable interior design

Myth 1: Eco-friendly design sacrifices style

A common concern my clients have is that eco-friendly interior design won’t match their style. In the past, there were limited options, but these days basically any style you can dream up has a sustainable option. If you find a piece you love, the key is to ask questions before you buy. I recommend my clients get in the habit of asking things like: what materials is it made out of? Where is it made? How is it manufactured? For example, if the dining table you want to buy is constructed of responsibly-sourced solid wood, finished with non-toxic stains, and made in America you are on your way to a great sustainable purchase, my friend!

Myth 2: Sustainable design is too expensive

It’s super sustainable to buy vintage! It’s a great way to stay on budget, add one-of-a-kind character to your home, plus the more stuff we keep out of landfills, the better it is for the environment. If you are ready to invest in high quality furniture, it can be pricey upfront (whether it’s sustainably made or not), but in the long run you will save money by having something that will last for years that you won’t need to replace after only a couple years of use.

Myth 3: Green design is only about the environment

Sustainable interior design is about the environment, but it is also about creating a healthier home and improving your well-being. I ask my clients what their priorities are when it comes to sustainable design. Are you concerned about choosing items that are earth friendly? Do you want to create safer indoor air quality for your family? Both? This helps guide the design process in a way that is most meaningful for them. There are furnishings available that meet both of these concerns, but sometimes for budgetary or other considerations clients choose items that are primarily going to positively impact their wellness at home.

What are some real-life ways your clients have incorporated sustainable practices into their interiors?
Simple ways my clients have become more sustainably-minded include: improving their indoor air quality with the addition of house plants, natural cleaning products, organic bedding, pillows, towels and air purifiers, as well as, buying non-toxic furniture.

What’s the biggest thing a homeowner can do when designing or re-designing their space to be more environmentally friendly?
In general, I recommend choosing things that are made in America with non-toxic materials and finishes to improve your indoor air quality while reducing your carbon footprint. Purchasing a non-toxic mattress is a great place to start. Most people feel good about making an investment in a healthy mattress since it will last for years and can be moved to any new home. We spend one third (!) of our lives smooshed into our mattresses so it makes sense we’d want to sleep on something non-toxic.

Plus, the manufacturing processes for conventional mattresses tends to be far more environmentally harmful than natural mattresses. I’m happy to see that there are several great brands on the market today, but my personal favorite are Savvy Rest natural latex mattresses. I’ve had mine for about 8 years and sleep like a baby. Plus, they are an awesome Certified B-Corporation based in Virginia with great customer service.

Any favorite projects that shed a light on how attainable an eco-friendly home can be?
I truly believe eco-friendly design is easily attainable for anyone. There are more sustainable products being developed everyday giving us practically endless options. One of my clients lived in this beautiful old home and we renovated her guest bathroom. We kept her lovely vintage tub, selected gorgeous recycled Fireclay Tile, non-toxic paints, and a Paperstone countertop which is made out of recycled paper. We were able to choose all sustainable materials without sacrificing her style.

Where do you look for inspiration for your work?
I find inspiration everywhere! I feel like I’m a little design sponge constantly soaking in the world around me and filing away information for later use. Getting out in nature and seeing art are my top two. My clients inspire me as well. I love getting to know people on a personal level and then work with them to create a space that is true to them. One of my goals is to build my client’s design confidence so that they feel empowered to add to their space over time. We don’t live in museums and I think everyone should have the confidence to create a home that speaks to them.

Any tips for renters that want to maintain an eco-friendly home but can’t make major changes?
I have a list of “Intentions” that I use in my approach to every project that are great for renters and homeowners alike. Here are a few ideas:

Choose natural cleaning products and soy-based candles that are scented with essential oils to improve your indoor air quality. Avoid chemicals and synthetics.
Install removable wallpaper. Look for brands that use non-toxic adhesives.
Refresh your space with no-VOC paint.
Buy used furniture (hello Craigslist!). Get upholstered furniture professionally cleaned to remove allergens. Find a local workroom to refinish wood items or reupholster sofas and chairs to give them a new look that suits your style.
Cozy up with certified organic bedding and towels.

Thanks to Holly of Holly Durocher Design for busting these sustainable interior design myths! See her design work and blog at hollydurocher.com.

Eco Friendly Dental Floss Should Be Your Next Zero Waste Purchase

published on April 3, 2019 by Angela Hamilton
updated on November 1, 2021

If you haven’t asked your friends on social media about their own favorite sustainable brands, put it on your to-do for after you read and pin this post. That’s how I found out about natural and organic oral care brand Terra & Co, which is run by two sisters on a mission to create natural, non-toxic and cruelty-free products. Their story is impressive—from their beginnings amidst war in Bosnia to managing beauty startups in LA to building a company while living on opposite coasts (NYC and LA) and now having products sold in coveted stores across the US. If eco friendly dental floss and oral care products (besides the bamboo brush) aren’t already on your zero waste shopping list, we’re pretty confident they will be after hearing Azra’s story.

Tell us a bit about you and Amra…
Amra and I always wanted to start a business that pays it forward. Growing up during the war in Bosnia, we had so many people and organizations help us during those terrible years. Postwar we moved to the US, got an education and both worked in the beauty business for over a decade. We never thought that oral care would be something we’d get into. A few years ago, while Amra was pregnant, she used only natural products and limited products filled with chemicals. That’s how she found activated charcoal powder and saw her teeth whiten, but it was a super messy process. She thought about how there should be toothpaste that contains activated charcoal but has no fluoride and fillers. Just simple organic ingredients like coconut oils and peppermint essential oils. She called me and we started looking for manufacturing here in the USA.

We were not sure how people would react to black toothpaste, but almost three years later, we have a brand that is sitting on shelves at Anthropologie, Saks, Free People, and eco-friendly hotels.

Now that we have created a successful brand and have the power to help others, each month we donate oral products to the Downtown Women’s Shelter in Los Angeles to help low income and homeless women. Amra and I have been personally visiting the center and working with them. One of the wishlist items in almost every shelter is toothpaste. We hope as our business grow to help out more shelters in our communities. Terra & Co plans to start a fund where the percentage of each sale will go towards helping low income and homeless women.

How did your combined experience in the cosmetics industry help set you up for a business in natural oral care?
I’ve lived and worked in NYC as a makeup artist and beauty creative for over a decade. Amra managed few beauty startups in LA so her business side and my creative side were proven to be a good fit to get a business idea to a working business.

What was your biggest challenge in creating all-natural, zero waste oral care products?
We both believe that the future of consumer products have to be created with the least impact on mother earth. The biggest challenge is finding biodegradable packaging and lowering our carbon footprint. After attending a few packaging trade shows I find a limited number of suppliers who focus on eco-friendly and biodegradable packaging, to my surprise. Especially because we want all of our products to be made in USA.

Can you talk about the differences between conventional dental floss and Brilliant Black?
Conventional dental floss is usually made out of strands of nylon or Teflon with added wax and flavors. Neither of these polymers is biodegradable, and not to even talk about plastic packaging that flosses come in. Brilliant Black floss is made with bamboo fiber, activated charcoal (why not whiten between teeth?) coconut oil, candelilla wax (vegan wax) and peppermint and spearmint essential oils. All of these ingredients are biodegradable including our carton box that floss comes in.

Tell us more about the packaging you use for your products.
From day one we have focused to not only make chemical-free products that work but to minimize packaging as much as we can as a small business. Our bamboo toothbrush used to come in a plastic travel case and now we have switched to box made out of the biodegradable carton and printed with eco-friendly ink in California. We have been working and testing new tubes made out of sugar canes that will be a great replacement for recycled plastic.

What are a few of you and Amra’s fave sustainable beauty/skincare brands?
There are so many brands that we both love. Few of the favorites are: Dr. Hauschka, ILIA Beauty, Immunocologie, Noniko Natural Skincare, Jane Iredale…

Thanks to Azra of Terra & Co for sharing their story. Purchase eco friendly dental floss and other oral care products on their website.

Photos by Taylor Lewis

Fashion & Textile Designer Sivan Ilan: What It Means to be a Value-Driven Designer

published on March 18, 2019 by Angela Hamilton

Introducing our new friend, multidisciplinary designer Sivan Ilan based in Philadelphia. Art, fashion, and textile design all intersect in her work, which ranges from weavings made from textile waste to a collection of hand-embroidered fashion made from upcycled designer denim and so much more. As an artist and designer, she’s driven by her values of mindfulness, community, and environmental responsibility, and considers them from beginning to end in her process. If you’re looking for insight on how to incorporate your core values more fluidly into your own work, we think her words will resonate in a big way.—Angela

Before running your own creative studio, you worked with some larger fashion brands. How does your process differ now that you’re running your own business?
Working for big fashion brands has taught me lessons that are so incredibly fundamental about the how-to’s of building and running a successful business. I learned about the things that work, and more importantly about what doesn’t work. It allowed me to fail and make mistakes with multiple safety nets, something that’s not as safe to do when you’re running your own show.

The greatest privilege about being my own boss is that I set and follow my own values: mindfulness, community, environmental responsibility. When designing for a bigger organization, especially in the fashion industry, some personal compromises might have to be made for the greater good of the company. A designer’s job is ultimately to be attuned and adapt to a market and a consumer, and that might not always align with your own creative vision.

Being a value-driven designer is gratifying and gives an immense sense of purpose that may not be easily attainable when working for a brand that’s motivated by sales and numbers more than making a positive impact.

Another big plus about being a small business is how much more personable it gets. Getting to know customers, hearing their stories and understanding their needs and interests. Aside from the fact that it helps me greatly to fine-tune my work, it’s so rewarding to know there’s a real person who I’m creating for, rather than ambiguous data in a chart.

You’ve mentioned “recycling as a last resort”. What role does waste and recycling play in your business?
Problem solving is a fun exercise in creativity. It’s so important to me that I give thought to what materials I’m using and their impact on the user, the work and the environment. Rethinking purpose or end-use is a resourceful tool to optimize those materials and make sure they’re not being mindlessly discarded. It’s also a way to differentiate the product and offer an unusual or surprising element to aspects of design we might take for granted like merchandising, packaging and more. By upcycling and repurposing I’m eliminating the need to use virgin materials, and at the same time extending the lifecycle of the ones that I do choose to reuse.

Eliminating waste is also a key component of staying sustainable, and actually starts at the beginning of the creative process, way before considering to upcycle or repurpose.

Being mindful is huge for me as a designer as well as an individual, and it often means being aware of a project’s needs and sticking to a plan. Upcycling, repurposing and recycling are all symptom-based design tools. They address the issue long after it originated. What we all really should be doing in the first place is act with intention and pay attention to generating any excess we may at later encounter as a by-product of the design process.

How many fashion brands think about the waste issue before they even begin? That’s what we need to be doing. See more of Sivan’s work at sivanilan.com and on Instagram or Etsy.

From Rides to Rehab: The Complicated State of Tourists & the Endangered Asian Elephant

published on March 11, 2019 by Megan Kitt
updated on March 7, 2019

The streets of Thailand are swarmed movement: the three-wheeled tuk-tuks, jam-packed songthaews, and zipping motorbikes cram among cars and buses, a mix that earned the country first place in the world’s most congested roads.

But of all the modes of transportation available in Thailand, the most somber is the elephant. Often adorned with colorful ornaments and fabrics with a haphazard seat tied to its back, the elephants trudge along the sides of roads in tourist cities. I couldn’t help but feel something was off the first time I saw them.

Riding elephants remains a ubiquitous part of travel in Southeast Asia: If you can’t ‘Gram a photo of you atop a massive elephant, did you even go? However, the practice is rooted in cruelty.

Babies are ripped from their mothers and subject to a process called phajaan, or in English, “the crush.” Deprived of food or sleep, the elephants are beaten and stabbed with hooks and sometimes even blinded until they learn to submit to the mahouts who train them. The cruelty rarely ends after training, and elephants comply with their mahout in fear of violent retribution. Not only that, but also, elephants aren’t built to support humans on their backs, causing a painful strain on their spines.

Staying away from elephant rides was an easy choice for me. But as I traveled around Thailand, I learned that the issue of elephants in Southeast Asia is much more complicated than simply abstaining from riding.

Asian Elephants are listed as endangered, and their numbers have decreased by 50% over the last three generations. It’s still in descent today. While reducing the demand for animal tourism in Thailand helps, it ignores one problem: there’s not enough empty land in Thailand, or other Southeast Asian countries, for a robust, wild population. Across Asia, elephants have lost 85% of their original habitat.

I deal with issues of land in developing countries constantly in my work with Tuli. In East Africa, colonizers created wildlife refuges that protect big game species today, but no such refuges were established in Southeast Asia and, as you can imagine in such a densely populated region, there’s simply no room.

A solution many developing countries implements is simply kicking people out. Currently, the Ugandan government is rehabbing former wetlands that currently house a dense residential area on the outskirts of Kampala. To do this, the government canceled the land titles for parcels on this plot, without paying title holders—but only in the slums, not in a nearby, wealthier area that also spans the wetlands. Land is survival, people in the slum tell me, and the rehab is forcing the country’s poorest to start from zero. My hope is that, if Thailand takes a similar approach, the poor are not left vulnerable.

In the meantime, however, Thailand sits with its elephant problem. Many opposed to elephant rides are opposed to domesticating elephants as well, and for good reason, considering the abhorrent process of the phajaan. but if released, where would the endangered species go?

While in Chiang Mai, I visited Elephant Nature Park, a nonprofit organization that buys elephants out of the tourism industry and rescues them from the illegal logging industry. It also teaches local mahouts nonviolent training techniques for their elephants, much like the way I used positive reinforcement to train my dog.

My time at the park was, in my opinion, more fun than any elephant ride could have been. We drove high into the mountains to a Karen village, where the park teaches local mahouts ethical training and rehabilitates its new rescues before integrating them into the herd at Elephant Nature Park’s sanctuary.

We walked newly rescued Kham Moon through the jungle, helping her accustom herself to freedom and watching her trample trees and use her trunk to bring bark and grass to her mouth. We then took her to a swimming hole, where we rubbed mud on her to keep her cool under the hot, Thai sun. Splashing around with her and sliding in the mud, I got to appreciate her size and mourn her past.

It’s important when traveling not to blindly trust any animal tourism attraction that slaps “sanctuary” into its title, because the word alone doesn’t make a place ethical. I did hours of research and interviewed its workers while there, and was impressed with what I found. It also seems, to me, like a good solution to the lack of natural habitat for an IUCN Red-listed animal.

But not everyone agrees. At the park, I spoke with a Finnish elephant rights activist who came to Thailand to scope out elephant sanctuaries, and she told me she thought all elephants should be released to the wild. Curious, I asked if she thought extinction was a better scenario than domestication.

“That would be better for them than a life of captivity,” she said.

Personally, I think that’s a bit extreme. However, there’s a vein of thought that agrees release is the most ethical option, and it deserves a place in this discussion.

Regardless, it’s important for us as travelers to know that when we visit another country, we must assess our actions. Had there been no demand for elephant experiences in the tourism industry, these elephants would not have been so mistreated. Now that the demand is waning, the mistreatment is, too.

A friend who lives in Chiang Mai told me that since my visit there’s been a sharp decrease in ads for rides, as well as fewer sad elephants doing tricks and posing for selfies on roadsides. In a few years, she hopes the rides will be gone for good.

This is great news, not just for elephants, but for travelers in general: It’s easy to feel discouraged at the enormity of problems in the world.

How could my singular choice to abstain from elephant rides change anything? The thing is, it alone can’t. But my choice, and your choice, and everyone’s choices, added together, can.

Why I Chose to Build a Tiny House at 26

published on March 4, 2019 by Kate
updated on November 1, 2021

Yes, a few weeks after my twenty-sixth birthday, I began construction of a tiny home: 196 square feet of house lovingly positioned on a flatbed trailer in the southwest of my home state, Montana.

And yes, I am building it in the dead of winter. (Snow is peaking and flurrying outside in negative temperatures as I write this on a mini-break from sawing and hammering.)

To some, this is the ultimate dream. The tiny house movement has been accelerating in the last few years, with micro-homes spread across all fifty states. The appeal is real: low cost of living, mobility, and reduced carbon footprint (among many, many other benefits).

For others, living tiny is, to put it lightly, a challenge. (Nearly 50% of all Americans would “definitely not” choose to live in a tiny home.)

So why am I doing it? I assure you, this is not the result of a ‘quarter-life crisis,’ and nor am I keen to join the slew of other tiny house builder profiles on the internet merely to gain acclaim.

I am asked this question nearly daily. To most, I simply say: Why not? But there is so much more to it than merely that.

I’ve adored “tiny” for two decades (and counting).

This is a nostalgic point, but I’ve coveted “tiny” since I could speak. More importantly, I’ve been crafting small since I can remember, be it in the form of miniature school books for my dolls or teeny lego houses for my plastic dinosaurs.

Now, I surround myself with itty-bitty succulents, miniature paintings, and ramekins (oh, the ramekins).

I don’t think this is really an obsession. I simply feel that small things have power, and they have truth. (Shakespeare says, of course: “Though she be little, but she be fierce.”) And always, always, less is more—in words and in things.

Big dreams often manifest in “tiny” ways.

I think that it is all too easy to assume that dreams must be grand, sweeping gestures, achieved by big, big, sweaty means. Such thinking pulls our attention away from the present, where delicious and beautiful change is happening all the time.

I’ve dreamed of a tiny house for years, yes, but its manifestation has actually taken a lot of time, a lot of learning, a lot of me figuring things out.

It’s a good reminder that small in itself can be a high point. Oh, and ticking all of the things off of a to-do list isn’t what it’s all about! (And, big secret: I’ve never been able to finish such a list in one day in my life.)

It’s urgent. (No, seriously.)

Our planet needs us. We’re all used to hearing this, but the earth’s situation is very, very grave. Over the past few years, I slowly opened my eyes to what has been happening around us.

I’m building a tiny house because I absolutely must: for the earth, for the rest of human life. It offers me the lightest possible means of living: my footprint will be less than 200 square feet literally, but I will also be living fully zero-waste and plastic-free.

What’s more, this tiny house will not have a black water system (meaning water that has been contaminated by waste or chemicals). Everything we put down its drains will be biodegradable and vegan, and this house will have a composting toilet!

We are also incorporating sustainable building practices and materials as much as possible during construction.

This is the philosophy behind my blog, A Lighter Earth.

I cannot exist as a moral human without making such efforts to live mindfully.

And in living mindfully, I live my best self.

Minimalism enables me to channel my best self.

Speaking of that best self… I am fiercely independent, but I’ve been a bit of a nomad for several years. There was a time when I packed all of my belongings into a Toyota Yaris hatchback and drove across the country—aimlessly, until I found my heart here in Montana.

I loved feeling like a turtle.

I loved the freedom of fewer possessions, of sacred, unfettered space.

I strongly believe that we move freer and better when we veer away from materialism.

Oh, and light. This tiny house will be filled with light, thanks to some salvaged nine-foot windows (repurpose!) and sky lights. That is also the heart of minimalism—moving more towards the sky!

Too much screen time.

As a freelancer and writer, my hands are all too used to crouching over a keyboard. (And in this society, we live in the blue light of our screens far too much.) I’ve found such relief in the physicality of the tiny house construction process, and what beauty there is in using my hands to build something I will inhabit!

Biting winter winds have made this challenging, and there have been multiple learning curves (what with terminology, power tools, and, well, math). Yet I’m acquiring vital skills, and ones that are way too often associated only with men.

Who says women can’t run saws? It’s fun—you should try it!

I enjoy answering the question: “Why would you do that?”

I’ve spent too much of my life in fear. I’ve spent too many years assuming that there were things I simply could not do, for various reasons (societal codes, belief systems, etc., etc.). I’ve spent too long saying: “That would be nice…. but.”

Now, I strive to hear this question almost daily: “Why would you do that?”

(As if living in 200 square feet of space is as surprising as consuming insects, which really isn’t all that surprising!)

Why do I want to hear this question?

Simple.

I love venturing into territory that feels forbidden. Because once you venture, it’s a wild ride, there’s no going back, and “forbidden” really means “possible.”

Thanks for listening, friends. If you’re ever in Bozeman this spring and beyond, drop on by. The Light House will always accommodate fellow tea-drinkers and earth lovers.

8 Simple, Beautiful Zero Waste Starter Kits for the Absolute Beginner

published on March 3, 2019 by Angela Hamilton

I’d definitely consider myself a low-waste advocate—I’ve long boycotted many things single use—but even going mostly zero waste is a whole new level of commitment I can’t say I’ve yet mastered. That’s the thing, you may read an article, hear a story, or see a film that inspires you to jump on the zero waste train, but I think most of us really just do what we can, learn a little more, then do a little more, and so on. Not to mention, what you can feasibly do is largely determined by your location, finances, family you support, and lifestyle in general. Living a low waste lifestyle in Seattle is so much easier for me than it was when I lived in Los Angeles, and LA already has a lot more systems in place and support when it comes to green living than other parts of the US. It’s all relative. But no matter where you or or what your ambitions may be, these zero waste kits should help you ease into a sustainable lifestyle at your own pace.

8 zero waste kits for beginners

Making or purchasing a zero waste starter kit is an important (if symbolic more than anything) first step, but it is only one step. It’s a journey, not a destination, you know? And these simple zero waste starter kits are designed to set you on your way with ease:

Ecozied’s zero waste gift set is an affordable, thorough and practical package for anyone starting on a sustainable living journey. It includes eco dish cloths, wax food wrap, dish sponge, brushes, and toothbrushes and floss!

Package Free has great deals on their kits right now. Shown above are their Laundry Kit (excited to try their stain stick!) and Cleaning Kit. Find more Package Free zero waste kits here.

Tare Market’s Zero waste market kit contains a mesh bag, produce bags, beeswax wraps, straw and utensils, and comes package-free.

Coming from La Pepa Boutique in the UK, this starter kit has different sized bags, an organic cotton bath puff (cute, huh?), organic hemp cotton face pads, and crochet face scrubbies.

This bundle from self proclaimed plastic haters MeMotherEarth hits all the essentials: produce bags, toothbrush, dish sponge, hand brush and more.

16 piece sustainable kitchen starter set by TheJewelryBx21

I love that brands are starting to combine wellness and self care packages with zero waste products! JnLNaturals offers a self care kit with handmade and personal care goodies like aluminum free deodorant, a face mask, konjac sponge and more. Such a good sustainable gift idea!

Lastly, shout out to Eco Collective and Public Goods + Services here in Seattle. And if you’re looking for a bulk refill store in Seattle, The Naked Grocer is in Capitol Hill. These shops don’t have pre-packed kits for sale, but you can check off many of your zero waste necessities within them. Obviously, these are all just ideas and options for going the online route, but if you can get what you need at a local shop, even better!

Who here has a good go-to zero waste or plastic-free shop? Find more eco friendly finds here!

PS This is a 2023 update of a post originally published back in 2019! If you came here from Pinterest you might have seen some different photos. I’ve removed products that are no longer being offered and replaced them with fresh new ones you can find now. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about this update!