The “ghost chair” may become the next step in green living, for those of us looking to fill our homes with reusable and renewable materials. The ghost chair might also fill a niche for apartment dwellers who live in small spaces, as the transparent quality of the ghost chair takes up no visual space.

Design Within Reach describes its version of the ghost chair, the Louis Ghost Chair, as if it were a work of art:

Reinventing the classic Louis XV armchair for Kartell, the playful Louis Ghost Armchair (2002) is a postmodern triumph of technical innovation and historical style. Translating the varied lines and formal geometry of its predecessor into a single form of translucent or opaque black or white injection-molded polycarbonate, it is a robust chair with not a single weak point. A generously sized seat and medallion backrest offer leisurely comfort, as do the subtly curved armrests. Resistant to scratches and weather conditions, it is suitable for indoor and outdoor use.

Green living is the wave of the future and sales of natural flooring materials are booming. Bamboo flooring has become extremely popular. It has a similar look of a traditional wood floor but without it affecting the environment in a harmful way.

Natural bamboo is a member of the grass family which means it grows rapidly and the plant is not killed when cut. It continues to be harvested over and over again, taking only about four years to reach 20 yards or more.

There is nothing to give up with using bamboo versus wood – in fact, there is much to be gained. Not only is it environmentally friendly being a green product, it is also tough and durable. It is 27 % harder than oak and 13 % harder than maple. It is also known to be a healthy alternative because there is not the presence of PVC’s like in wood. With the concerns over allergens and air quality, bamboo is a better choice.

Installation is completed in the same way as other wood flooring. The manufacturing process makes the flooring just as smooth as any other hardwood or laminate. And, because the bamboo is composed of complex fibers, it doesn’t absorb moisture as easily as wood. This makes it a great green product to use in the kitchen where spills often occur.

Retailers offer a wide range of available styles and colors. Some large suppliers offer online ordering. This way you can order samples from them and after matching them up with your decor you simply order right from home.

Some of the large suppliers are: Bamboo Garden, Envirochoice, Far East, Ming Dynasty, Panda Lumber, Premium Green, Preswick, Springwood, Westhollow and Woodstock.

Returning human waste to the land is nothing new, nor is the composting of human waste. Cities across North America have been spreading human waste effluent on farm land for decades, serving the needs of farmers for fertilizer and City administrators for a cost-effective way of disposing of sewage sludge.

However, there are downsides to spreading sewage biosolids onto farmlands, including the fact that sewage treatment plants do not remove heavy metals and industrial chemicals found in abundance in city sewage, prior to spreading the waste.

A composting toilet system, using little or no water, is designed to aerobically treat human excrement by allowing it to decompose naturally. This is typically a faster way to treat human waste when compared to the wastewater methods, such as the septic systems used in most urban areas. The most important attribute, however, may be the saving of thousands of gallons of water annually.

Nutrients salvaged from composted human waste matter are returned to the land in a safe, cost-effective and ‘green’ way. Whereas raw sewage releases chemicals and pathogens onto the farmer’s land, the composted matter is free from industrial chemicals and pathogens have been destroyed through the natural process of aerobic decomposition long before the nutrient-rich material is returned to the land.

How a Composting Toilet Works
While there are many varieties of composting toilets available and they are used all around the world, all composting systems rely on a basic process involving the collection of human excreta into a composter chamber where a bulking agent (such as sawdust or peat moss) is added to create air pockets for maximum aerobic processing and where decomposition will occur as a result of bacteria breaking down the waste into its various components. The bacteria consume some of the waste during breakdown, reducing the volume of the matter and eliminating pathogens in the process. The one essential in all composting systems is proper ventilation.

Source: Green Living with Composting Toilets: Environmentally Friendly Human Waste Management http://water-conservation.suite101.com/article.cfm/green-living-with-composting-toilets#ixzz0iUuEqX3q

Social aspect is maybe one of the matters considered by GRAFT’s Make It Right ( MIR ) Project Designers. It is said that sometimes people have to blend with the society. To have no physical borders dividing them. That is the great philosophy which inspires the ‘Camelback Houses’ development. A realization of what they say as the cradle to cradle philosophy. I myself don’t know what it deeply means. Whatever it is, they are built in a design which has a direct connection between the private interior zone and the shared public space on the street to facilitate a more warm contact with the society.

They are intended to gain a socially better environment amalgamated with the economical aspect. After all, they are constructed in a futuristic green way. Camelback Houses are the realization of Humanitarian living spaces in Modern Architecture Designs.

source: http://www.greatfa.com/modern-architecture-design-called-camelback-houses-by-graft-architects/

Many pride themselves on a spotlessly clean and fresh as a daisy house. Upon closer look, it’s likely that the products commonly used every day are creating a toxic, chemical warfare zone in the home. News reports about contaminated toys and food products cause us to avoid those things for our health and safety. What’s rarely discussed are the thousands of chemicals, many known to be hormone disrupters and cancer-causing agents, that are present in the every day products used, including toothpastes, shampoos, and skin care products.

Bathing in Toxins
What is put on the body is as important as what is put in it. Skin is the body’s largest organ that does much more than just keep our insides from falling out. It breathes and eliminates toxins from the body. It also absorbs nutrients and, unfortunately, toxic chemicals. Studies have shown, in fact, that skin absorbs 60 % of the chemicals in products that it comes into contact with.

Exposure to toxins contained in every day household and personal care products has been linked to cancer and many other diseases, including immune disorders, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, reproductive and endocrine disorders. They have also been linked to physical and mental development issues in children. Those suffering from sinus problems, allergies, asthma, persistent rashes or skin irritations, acne or other incurable, sometimes mysterious health issues, the culprits may just be the toxin-laden household and personal care products.

In an average day, most have absorbed, swallowed, and inhaled, hundreds of chemicals before ever leaving home in the morning. The morning grooming routine involves soap, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, cologne or aftershave. This is often followed with skin creams, nail polish, and make-up. Those dangerous chemicals are absorbed and inhaled.

Natural and Organic Personal Care Products
Many are unaware that there are no FDA requirements or oversight on the ingredients used in personal care products. Manufacturers can put anything they want into soaps, shampoos, skin creams and beauty products. Consumer pressure is the only control.

Think about the products used in the bath or shower when the warm water opens the skin pores wide, inviting the chemicals into the body. There are over 100 known toxic chemicals that are used in shampoos, with most popular brands containing over 20 of them, including Sodium lauryl sulfate ( SLS ) that has been linked to neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, and cellular level changes. It has also been demonstrated to slow hair growth by damaging hair follicles.

Most personal care products contain synthetic chemical fragrances. Over 4,000 different chemicals are used to create fragrances, including those made from petroleum waste products. Synthetic fragrances have been implicated in cancer, birth defects, infertility, and central nervous system degenerative diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, and Alzheimer’s.

Commercial beauty creams and other personal care products contain preservatives and chemicals to increase their shelf life. Among these chemicals are sulfates, ureas, and parabens (methyl, ethyl, butyl, and propyl). Parabens absorbed through the skin from creams, deodorants, antiperspirants, and body sprays have been strongly linked to breast cancer in studies.

Exposure to chemicals found in personal care and household products can result in symptoms including headaches, allergies, chronic fatigue, asthma, dizziness, and nausea. Children can be particularly vulnerable, suffering from learning and behavior problems, attention deficit, and hyperactivity.

Fortunately, consumer support of organic and natural products is increasing, making more of these products available and affordable. Read the labels on all of the personal care products used so you know what you are putting on your skin. Look for organic skincare products. For added assurance that the ingredients used on your skin are toxin free, many products can be made at home with only organic, natural ingredients. Making skin-healthy herbal lotions and organic skin cream is very simple and much less expensive than commercial products.

Safer Alternatives to Live Chemical Free
There are few household or personal care products that can’t make from safe, non-toxic ingredients or replace with natural, organic products that can be purchased now in many stores or online. But do beware that there are many scams popping up due to the increasing demand for organic products. Learn what the organic labeling means and be careful not to pay top dollar for products that claim to be organic but that are, in fact, just more of the same toxic products with a “green” label.

source: http://pollution-control.suite101.com/article.cfm/green-living-in-a-toxin-free-home

Being “green” is the new catch phrase, but for fourth-generation farmer Don Williams, of Croton, it is a way of life. Williams, who farms more than 1,500 acres of corn and soybeans, has been using soy diesel for more than 10 years.

The soybean oil is mixed in a 20 percent ratio with diesel, then used in all the farm tractors, combines and semis. Soybeans not only are a renewable resource, but the soy diesel also lubricates the engine better than regular diesel, thus creating less wear and tear and promoting longer engine life.

But for Williams, the biggest benefit is reduced air pollution.

“I believe it is a good product,” Williams said. “My dad used to tell me, if you don’t leave the land better than you found it, you don’t deserve the farm.”

With the increased interest in being green, new research and new ways to look at products are being developed every day.

Jeremy Smoke, owner of Accent Roofing in Newark, installs 20 percent of his business with metal roofs because of their many advantages, such as longevity, wind resistance and being 100 percent recyclable. One major drawback of asphalt shingles is their recyclability. To recreate them into paving products, all nails and other debris have to be removed, creating a hassle for roofers.

“It is still cheaper to go with shingles,” Smoke said. “But it is not always the more responsible way, and asphalt keeps going up and up in price.”

Utica High School FFA Advisor Steve Priest applied for and received a grant to process biodiesel, not to be confused with soy diesel.

Biodiesel is made by collecting fryer grease from area restaurants, straining it, heating it, then pumping it into the processor. From there, chemicals are added and the fuel is washed.

The machine was up and running, but it is being relocated because of remodeling of the shop at the school. But Priest hopes to be processing more fuel soon that will be available to the public.

source: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20100307/LIFESTYLE/3070341