Who: EnergyHub – New York, NY

What: The Smart Thermostat

Where: EnergyHub – coming soon!

Why We Love ‘Em: Not sure if any of you have ridden in a Prius, but we got to take a tour of Oregon in a Prius through wine country to the coastal sand dunes and along the Columbia River.  Along the way, it was hard not to get caught up in the game of how high the miles per/gallon was particularly the amount of energy we were gaining on the downhill from Mount Hood. Felt like we were able to get better mileage because we were more aware of the amount of energy we were using at any point in time. So imagine if you could monitor your household energy consumption in the same way… Click to continue »

Who: ECO-heater; Alexandria, VA

What: ECO-heater Electric Panel

Where: Amazon – $120 w/free shipping in the US – Eco-heater 602 High-Efficiency Electric Panel Whole-Room Heater

Why We Love It: So, yes, when January rolls around in New England, we become completely obsessed with island escapes and trying to remember just what it feels like to be warm…

So we were excited to learn about ECO-heater’s slim wall-mounted heater. It is super energy efficient employing a natural convection technology and using 73% less electricity than standard space heaters, about 400 watts, 3.5 cents/hour.

Click to continue »

Who: 3form; Seattle, WA

What: Varia Ecoresin Organics Collection

Where: 3form; contact for pricing (our 4×8 panel was in the ballpark of $900, but if you have a small project or want a more economical option consider purchasing a piece from their reclaimed collection where you can find some great deals.)

Why We Love ‘Em: We have long been fans of this incredibly cool, dynamic and eco-friendly material (still dreaming of a kitchen back splash with the Seaweed panel…). We have seen 3form panels used for doors, hotel reception desks, light fixtures, light walls and all sorts of architectural installations.  This versatile material is completely customizable, you can add color and layers of texture and finishes to come up with a final result that suits your project. Click to continue »

Who: Home Depot/Arnell Group

What: Home Hero Fire Extinguisher

Where: Home Depot, in stores only, $29.97 (call ahead to make sure it is in stock)

Why: Out of an unexpected partnership with the Home Depot and the ever dynamic Arnell Group, comes a revolutionary new (okay, new as of 2007) fire extinguisher, the HomeHero. No longer is the life saving device an eyesore to be hidden in the dark recesses of a closet, now it is truly display worthy! Click to continue »

Who: Arteo Design/Oliver Kessler; Munich, Germany

What: The Modern Punkah

Where: Contact Oliver Kessler for purchasing information

Why: Ahhhh, I can just feel the gentle breeze of the punkah lulling me to sleep as the blades sway silently back and forth transporting me to distant lands…………and if money were no object, I would certainly invest in the new and improved line of Punkahs from Arteo Design. They range in price from 2.000 – 5.200 Euros, which, with a diminishing US dollar, is a tad bit steep. Nonetheless, this reinvention of the ancient cooling system is really quite ingenius.

Punkahs were first introduced in Arabia in the 8th century. They consisted of a series of vertically hanging ‘blades’ manually operated with a cord to generate a slow fanning motion. Later, motorized versions were developed, but the punkah fell out of fashion with the introduction of the mechanized rotating ceiling fan. Click to continue »

For your next DIY painting project try out low-VOC or zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints. Not only will you avoid that initial heavy chemical fresh paint smell, but you will also avoid the harmful emissions release from the paint for years to come. These low level toxic emissions are one of the leader factors of poor indoor air quality, but they also contribute to outdoor air pollution and ozone depletion. The low-VOC and zero-VOC paints and finishes are comparable or superior to standard paints in terms of durability, scrubability and coverage. They are slightly more expensive, but consider that a small price to pay for the quality of your indoor air and, in the long run, for keeping contaminants out of our soil and water. And you don’t have to wait for the hazardous waste day to get rid of your old paint cans! Click to continue »

I saw the most amazing rennovation–a bar had taken the lanes from an old bowling alley and repurposed them into this amazing wood floor, complete with those little arrow markers to keep you from going into the gutters. Really was a stunning piece of work. And got me thinking–could I do the same? Could not think of a better way to honor my grandparents both avid bowlers and owner’s of a great little bowling alley.

Fortunately, more and more salvage yards have found the value in offering reclaimed wood flooring, salvaging perfectly good wood from a landfill. There are a multitude of unique and exotic hard woods available. There are a ton of offerings out there–so the next time you install a wood floor check out reclaimed alternatives.

Check out Restore in Springfield, Ma and Longleaf Lumber in Cambridge, MA or search in your own area for salvage yards.

The Liebherr CS 1350 Refrigerator is just a stunning stunning appliance with a supremely intelligent design. Pure perfection, my needle in a haystack in a sea of stocky oversized fridges. I first ‘met’ the Liebherr in 2006 and just had to have it, despite the $2500 sticker price. It is probably one of the most wise purchases I have ever made. I know, you may say that’s some praise for a fridge, but it is quite deserving. How do I love my Liebherr? Let me count the ways:

1. The slim size (78x 23 ½ x 24 ¾ ) compared with standard US models (69 ¾ x 35 ¾ x 32 ⅞), making the Liebherr the supermodel of refrigerators
2. It is Energy Star Rated
3. Freezer on the bottom allowing the more oft used fridge contents to be located at eye level
4. Individually labeled freezer drawers bringing much needed order to the freezer – no more ice cream containers falling out on your head (this also helps to conserve energy as less cold air escapes when you open the freezer door)
5. A huge vegetable crisper drawer to store all your farmer market finds
6. A gallon jug holder on the door thus utilizing space more efficiently
7. Ice cubes in perfect little cubes as opposed to those insolent half moons
8. An optional wine rack when just one bottle won’t do
9. The handles—very cool
10. Super super quiet
11. All sorts of settings including a vacation mode so you can save even more energy while you are away
12. Liebherr has made a commitment to manufacturing their products from start to finish in the greenest possible way from being the first company to remove harmful CFCs from their products to reusing the energy released during manufacturing to heat their facilities; they are an eco-responsible company.

Scooped again…….for years I have talked about opening up a home improvement store that only sells environmentally friendly products making it easy for the consumer to go green without having to do all of the leg work. Well, the good news is that the Green Depot has done just that providing a one stop home improvement store for all of your green rennovation needs.

One of the hardest parts about doing a green remodel is finding the right products and determining whether they are green or not. To do so you have to consider the entire process by looking at the life cycle of the product-the materials, the manufacturing process, the dyes used, the transportation costs, the sustainability/recyclability of the product at the end of its life…….The Green Depot team weighs all of these factors when designating their stamp of approval on a new product and in turn takes the guess work out of the equation for the buyer. There is no green-washing here.

And with stores located up and down the East Coast from Maine to Virginia, environmentally friendly products finally have a showcase on the East Coast! For locations click here.

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(Updated August 21, 2008)

I had the opportunity to check out the Stoneham location and want to add a disclaimer here-don’t expect to walk into the Green Depot as if you were walking into the Home Depot. The Green Depot is more of a show room, offering displays of bamboo & Breathe Easy Cabinets, marmoleum flooring, FSC Certified wood floors, floating floors, trex decking and so forth. All products can be ordered through Green Depot, but don’t expect to walk away with eco-friendly wall board on the spot. Much more of a showroom than a warehouse. But a great place to start your green renovation.

Paperstone – An excellent “green” option for countertops. Made of recycled compressed paper that does not employ harmful chemicals in the manufacturing process, it is 100% recyclable at the end of it’s life and qualifies as an LEED certified product. As opposed to Richlite countertops, a petroleum-free resin is used in the manufacturing process. The counter is installed as you would install a butcher block counter–it cuts like a wood. Available in a variety of rich saturated colors. The difficulty I found was in sourcing this product. I found a dealer (Bettencourt) in New York, but they would not north to install it, nor did they know of any local installers. Supposedly, it is relatively easy to install yourself if you are handy, but I worried about making a misstep on a relatively expensive material.