GREENCulture blog We put the “green” in greenyness!

According to a recent survey, going green may prove to be more difficult for the average consumer as the expense of convenience and comfort is far too great. A third of Americans in the new study shows that they would give up their iPods if they knew it harmed the environment. Although the poll showed 60%  of Americans are looking for greener products, if modern conveniences were no longer convenient or comfortable, roughly 30% of people would not go out of their way for the greener alternative. “Conveniences have become necessities,” says Suzanne Shelton, whose firm conducted the survey. It’s awfully common sense to attribute comfort and convenience as barriers to any alternative lifestyle. It requires a kind of passion to undertake and change the way we live our lives, which is not a simple and easy endeavor. If the average consumer can find green products as easily as they do any other product, whether in a store or online, then perhaps we can bridge the gap and see the trend to go green widen.

Madagascar Bedroom Set Collection

A new bedroom furniture collection coming soon to Eco-Furniture.com is one that is sure to give your bedroom a look of tropic paradise. The Madagascar Bedroom Collection is an exquisitely designed furniture set made from Mozambique and Prima Vera veneers in warm cognac and black smoke finish. The bedroom set includes a platform bed in the Minuet (featuring two puck lights on both ends of the headboard) and Ballad editions (Queen, King, and Cal King sizes), Pier Nightstands, Demi Dresser, and Mirror. The Pier Nightstands feature a touch latch center drawer that holds a charging station and a puck light with touch dimmer switch.

By celebrating Earth Day in a simple way, you might find that the effort can lead to something you can see yourself doing every day, or at least consistently, if you haven’t already. As a starter, here are seven simple things you can do to contribute to the cause:

1. Plant some flowers, or a tree. Get some flower seeds, or a small tree if you prefer, and plant something in your yard. You’d put a great big smile on Earth’s face.

2. Recycle something. Instead of tossing that finished can of soda or bottled water in just any trash bin, take an extra step and find a recycle bin.

3. Let’s face it, there is litter everywhere. If you see an unsightly display of litter on the streets within your reaches, lend a helping hand. You will be amazed how good it feels.

4. Think you want to do more? Interested in furthering the good cause in your home? Look into composting. For the gardening enthusiast, composting is a wonderful way to use your kitchen scraps as nutrient-rich soil for your garden.

5. Want to do a little shopping today? On your short trips to the local supermarket that you normally drive to can be traveled the same on a bike or by foot. Keeping your car off the road for a bit of exercise is a win/win situation. Or, better yet, a greener alternative is to shop online.

6. And greener still as you shop online is to shop green. Our wood, metal, and glass based furniture and lighting products are made with sustainable features such as recycled and recyclable sources. Whether you’re looking for a floor lamp, dining table, coffee table, or wool rugs, GreenCulture carries a diverse selction of eco-friendly home furnishings.

7. Lastly, spread the word. Socially share your green experience with others on your blog or your twitter.

Happy Earth Day!

Green Crawler, founded by Ryan Lewis with co-founder Jacob Morris, both self-professed evolving “greenies,” will be the next big thing to hit eco-friendly merchants and products on the web. Expected to launch April 13th, 2009, the site will be a valuable resource that connects green companies with like-minded consumers searching for green alternatives to the products they already use.

The idea is quite simple. Unlike sites and services such as PriceGrabber.com and Google Products, Green Crawler is a green-only product database that catalogs a host of products supplied by online merchants in an easy to navigate and search, centralized location. Through their database, online shoppers can browse, buy, and compare specific green products of their choice without having to rummage through a more generalized product database. No longer will it require a consumer to search more in order to find what they are looking for. Green Crawler’s service is geared towards shoppers looking specifically for a niche product.

In striving to become the largest search engine for green products, Green Crawler allows any merchant that carries green alternatives to submit products free of charge, via Google Base formatted data feeds in XML and CSV/TSV files. From beauty and personal care products to household, furniture, and apparel, Green Crawler currently features over a thousand products already listed on their database. And the process of adding your products to the database is as simple as sending your formatted data feeds to info@greencrawler.com.

Green Crawler is a great new business opportunity for merchants to market green niche products and for consumers to find the product they want through a simple to use search engine.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the first batch of iPhone bills were sent out last week with most arriving in inch-thick USPS packages -not envelopes - with one girl who famously video blogged her anger over a 300 page, $300 phone bill. Even AT&T, who offers their services to iPhone users, admits that it was their bad. After the apologies come the solutions, to which AT&T offered their users the default option of receiving a summary bill, which is a bill that’s normally about 1-2 pages that explains how much they owe, state taxes and how many minutes they used. For full details the customer can either go online or request the FULL bill for an extra $2. As a non-iPhone user and light green citizen, I admit I’ve had my fair share of $300 phone bills (damn text messaging package!), but Verizon automatically opts me in for the paperless billing system. Contrary to popular belief, it’s actually nice to save trees. For you iPhone users out there, consider doing the right thing and go paperless because treeless is just not as sexy.

Master craftsman, eco-designer, furniture hero - words that Stephen Staples, maker and co-owner of Staples Cabinet Makers, embodies. Allow me to tell you a little bit more about our eco-superhero Mr. Staples. No, he doesn’t wear a red cape with a large S on his chest, nor can you summon him with your magic ring. But this guy really does know how to save the environment - this hardworking artisan makes gorgeous and natural looking furniture from reclaimed wood from old barns and houses found throughout the New England area. Following a Japanese philosophical style known as “wabi sabi,” which roughly translates to “flawed beauty” in the art world, Staples truly believes that the real beauty in his work lies in the natural contours, knots and stains that have naturally formed in the wood throughout time. With his dedication in using reclaimed wood to create unique furniture laced with historical and aesthetic value, Stephen Staples is our green superhero/super-artisan of the year! To learn more about his beautiful furniture pieces and about his inspirations, visit Staples Cabinet Makers.

In the mood for an Italian cooking class? Why not hop on a plane and take one in sunny Tuscany, Italy? Organic Tuscany not only supplies a week of cooking courses on authentic Italian dishes, including vegetarian meals, but this eco-friendly group also centers on responsible tourism. The hot water used is derived from a solar hot water panel and composting and recycling is an essential ingredient for this lodge as well. Also, pool transportation is offered whenever possible.

From the day you arrive, you are greeted with a basket of organic goodies in your room, including fruit, honey, milk, freshly baked bread, fair-trade coffee and tea, and a couple of bottles of biodynamic wine. With cooking courses offered everyday of the week, you can also choose not to attend and instead, go for a dip in the pool or visit neighboring villas and towns. Daytrips to nearby organic and biodynamic farms, where you’ll pick produce for picnics, and visits to Sienna and Florence are also all comprised in this tasty dream vacation. Peaceful strolls around the vine covered hills are also a must, as the tranquil countryside is wrapped in a variety of olive groves, organic farms and vineyards. It’s almost the end of summer; cut yourself some slack and make your next holiday an eco-friendly one (plus, how can you say no to homemade ricotta cheesecake and tiramisu?!).

Just about everyone has seen neurotic hairstylist Jonathan Antin’s show, “Blow Out”, on Bravo. The third season, premiering March 21, 2006, revolved around the launch Jonathan’s 100% Vegan self-titled “Jonathan Product®” hair product line, and his growing popularity in the piranha-like fashion industry. The following he and his products acquired was bigger than anyone had anticipated. The Jonathan Product® Line has items such as a Beauty Water Purification System, Dirt Texturizing Paste, and Create Straight Straightening Serum; but the one product  that has received just as much attention as Dirt, and I happen to adore, is the Create Motion Shaping Crème Gel. The Create Motion Shaping Crème Gel is awesome! It is a 100% vegan, creamy hair gel that won’t leave your hair feeling sticky, crunchy, or stiff; and it washes out with one shampoo. It gives curly hair beautiful, defined curls that look sleek, shiny, and healthy. It’s also great for giving straight hair just a little bit of wave or short hair some texture without having to use a heavy balm or wax that takes forever to wash out. The best part is, since all of the Jonathan Products® are 100% vegan, there is nothing in there to pollute your hair! In fact, the more you use Jonathan Products®, the condition of your hair will improve. So go ahead, blow it out!

It seems that nowadays celebrities can avoid just about anything from jail time, rehab and long term marriages. But aside from the paparazzi, there’s one thing they can’t run from: pollution. Whoda thunk, right? According to this post on Treehugger.com, one of the worst polluted beaches in Italy is located right by George Clooney’s lovely little villa. You wouldn’t think it, but in those shimmering blue waters lie deadly microbes from unsustainable agriculture and toxic runoff. I’d highly advise against swimming in those tempting waters unless you’re looking to bring home salmonella, dermititis and a variety of other skin infections. Gross!

Think you’re a true eco-traveler because you stay at hotels with the greenest amenities and services? Think again: every time you travel via plane, liters upon liters of non-renewable resources, which took millions of years to create, are exhausted. Additionally, planes use tons of aviation fuel, contributing to the production of CO2 we already produce in abundance. Air travel also generates more than just carbon dioxide, as it emits high levels of Nitrogen Oxide as well, (which is the primary culprit for ozone smog, acid rain, and oxygen depletion).

To combat this environmental hazard, treeflights.com plants a tree with each flight you take. Trees use the sun’s energy to absorb CO2 (globally, forests absorb between 1/5 and 1/4 of all human emissions of CO2*), eventually transforming into renewable material such as wood. A wide variety of tree types is planted with treeflights.com, including willows, wild cherries, and alders, with all of the plantings on rough mountain land. If curiosity strikes, you can even make a visit to Wales or Peru and become acquainted with your adoptee.

Order a treeflight, which costs only 10 pounds, and make your contribution to our communal home. Though the process of planting trees doesn’t balance out the amount of CO2 we produce, nor will it conquer global warming, treeflights.com offers an opportunity to at least give back to Mother Nature.

*treeflights.com