Ultimate Green Store: Cove, 180 Design, The Baby Shower, Viesso, Method and Mrs. Meyer’s
A home improvement expert—her book Remodel This! A Woman’s Guide to Planning and Surviving the Madness of a Home Renovation
is a must have for any woman contemplating a do-over—Guest Editor Laura Meyer is the founder and CEO of The Ultimate Green Store, a newly launched online green shopping destination that dispels the myth that you have to forego beauty, luxury or color for the sake of being environmentally friendly in your home. We asked for the hows and whys of favorites in her Home + Garden section.
“I only carry organic bedding in the store. Not only does it wear beautifully—getting softer over time, especially when the cotton is 300+ thread count—but you can rest easy knowing that you’re not contributing to the enormous environmental cost of conventional cotton production, which accounts for 10% of the pesticides and 25% of the insecticides used in the world.” Meyer’s faves? Cove Cream & Moss Duvet cover printed with eco-friendly dyes, inspired by the reeds that grow in the foothills surrounding Los Angeles.
“Lighting can be an issue—everyone wants to use environmentally friendly CFLs, but you need some way to filter that light,” Meyer said. She loves The Washer Pendant Light by 180 Design, which comes in black, silver, copper or white. “It’s so modern and unusual, but it also serves to soften the light—the shadows look so pretty on the ceiling and walls! Plus it’s made from reclaimed washers found at junkyards—you can’t get much greener than that. And at $87, it’s a true bargain.”
You can find The Baby Shower in the Home section, but it would be just as relevant in Kids (Meyer has three children, who provide a lot of opportunity for testing). This faucet adapter attaches to the kitchen sink or bath faucet for infant bathing, where it filters out chlorine from the water. “Chlorine is in most public water systems because it kills germs and bacteria,” Meyer explained. “But it also enters human cells through inhalation or contact with the skin, and it can disrupt your body’s life-sustaining functions. Most people think about drinking filtered water to avoid chlorine, but they don’t realize that half of our daily chlorine exposure is from showering. This little gadget eliminates exposure quickly and easily.”
Finally, you can’t go to The Ultimate Green Store without spending some time drooling in the Furniture department. One stand-out is the Gio Cube from Viesso, which would be just as suitable in a bedroom as a living room and is made from sustainable bamboo with eco-friendly stains and water based glues, built to order with very little waste. “From an environmental standpoint, bamboo is a sustainable material because it’s a grass that requires no replanting after harvest, unlike traditional hardwoods,” Meyer said. “It’s also very beautiful and durable. This is a piece that’s built to last for generations.”
To clean it? Try Method’s almond-scented, wax- and petrochemical-free Wood for Good, Meyer suggests. It’s available in the Green Cleaning section, alongside a plethora of Mrs. Meyer’s products.
Coincidence? We think not.
