What: Nest Learning Thermostat

Where: Nest – $249

Why We Love It: The Nest Learning Thermostat is the iPod of the thermostat world; revolutionizing an oft overlooked object and making it smarter, sleeker, and well pleasing to the eye. And it’s no wonder, the Nest was designed by former Apple engineer, Tony Fadell, who was instrumental in the design of the iPod and iPhone.

But the real beauty of this programmable thermostat–other than it’s sexy design–is that it reacts to your behavior to create an energy efficient plan for your home. Over time, the Nest automatically adjusts the temperature settings based on your daily routine to create a schedule that conserves energy without compromising comfort, and, without you having to lift a finger. Unexpected cold front? Access the Nest on the road with your iPhone or through the Nest website, so you can be sure your house is warm and toasty by the time you reach the front door. When the Nest Leaf icon appears on the dial, it indicates that your current settings are saving energy and consequently money. Quite clever.

What: Wally One – Woolly Pocket

Where: Burke Decor – $39, 10% off with coupon code SPRINGY through April 15.

Why We Love It: So yes, we may have a bit of an obsession with the vertical garden, but they are just so cool. For the most part you would find these attention grabbing gardens in commercial applications, but the Woolly Pocket makes it easy to achieve (and maintain) the wonder of a vertical garden in your own home, inside or out.

Made in the USA from 100% recycled plastic water bottles, the flexible, breathable pockets have the look of a felt bag and can be hung directly on any surface. They have built-in moisture barriers so you don’t have to worry about leakage.

Whether used to add a splash of greenery to your home or to house your very own vegetable garden, the Woolly pockets help maximize green space. We particularly like the idea of growing Pizza Garden, packed with all the ingredients you need to put a healthy spin on your pizza! Now that’s a garden even the guys can get behind.

Woolly Pockets is a family business run in a solar powered, LEED Platinum certified office.

What: Luna Knob (pictured with Metro Privacy Set)

Where: Boston Decorative Hardware – prices vary from $98 – $984 depending on style and finish.

Why We Love It: Ever since we discovered Rocky Mountain Hardware, we have been obsessed with the Luna knob. Such a simple design and about time our old doorknobs got an upgrade. Paired with the Metro Collection Privacy setting this is perfect for the modern home. They come in all sorts of styles so you can customize the knob with the hardware that fits your style. And the variety of finishes range from a dark patina to a rust orange patina.

Rocky Mountain Hardware is a family owned and operated business committed to developing sustainable business practices by continuing to improve their products, facilities and processes and reducing their impact on the environment. All of their products are made in Idaho and contain a minimum of 90% recycled material. They also qualify towards LEED certified credits.

doorknobs

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…

Seth Frader-Thompson was also intrigued by the dashboard energy monitor of the Prius and decided to build a ‘dashboard’ for the home – the Smart Thermostat. It connects wirelesses to your furnace, water heater and other appliances and lets you know how much energy each one is using and how much that energy costs. You can ‘power down’ your house with the click of the button and the system will monitor energy hogs with the ability to turn down appliances that using more than their fair share of energy.

Not yet on the market, but due out soon. You can sign-up to be on their waiting list.

Here are some other energy monitoring models on the market at Unplgged.

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.

Recommended for 10×12 rooms, this perfect for our office. The penal is mounted about 3/4″ from a wall, you won’t have to worry about tripping over the heater or its cords. And it can be painted to blend even more seamlessly in your room.

Who:

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.

The ecoresin is composed of a minimum of 40% pre-consumer recycled content, is PVC-free,  is GreenGuard certified for indoor air quality and qualifies for LEED credits.  The Organics line uses natural materials such as thinly sliced bamboo, banana fibers, bear grass, hand-woven sisal and hand-dyed silk fibers which are then encapsulated in the ecoresin infusing color,  texture. For the Full Circle Collection, 3form collaborated with artisans from Africa to Nepal creating a sustainable market for their traditional  crafts and skills.  One of our favorite patterns, Unravel, was inspired by a crocheted lace handmade by a group of women in West Africa adapted for a modern application.

They continue to push the envelope in use of reclaimed and upcycled materials in their products and with the promotion of the reclaim program. Panels are sent out with a ‘end of life’ kit, so when it comes time to retire your panels, you simply send them back to 3form where they’ll be reused or recycled. 3form has made a incredible commitment to the environment and have pledged to completely ‘green’ their business on their Path to Zero. Their goals?

• We will stop sending manufacturing waste to landfill in 2009.
• We will be carbon neutral by 2017.
• We will continue to increase the recycled content in our products.

Within the first 18 months of their Path to Zero launch, they diverted 90% of their production waste from landfills, they’ve begun recycling 7 new waste materials and have introduced a product 100% post-consumer recycled content product.

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!

Recognizing the danger of tucking clunky red fire extinguishers out of site, the designers at Arnell completely reinvented it. The result; an updated and modern take on an old standby that perfectly melds form and function.

The new design is ergonomic (you can use it with one hand) and effective, with less recoil and an improved spray stream ideal for putting out grease or electrical fires. All in a sleek simple package and, word is that you can buy decorative sleeves to dress your HomeHero up without obscuring the directions on the back. Maybe, they did too good of a job, as your friends and family likely won’t even recognize it.

And is it green? Well, let’s just say burning plastic and styrofoam? Not so green…..

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.

The new and improved punkah, as conceived by Oliver Kessler, may bring it back to the forefront. Kessler saw the beauty of the traditional punkah concept and set out to modernize it. The result gives a nod to the traditional punkah, but is entirely modern in execution with blades of aluminum and plastic and a sleek mounting system, he successfully revolutionized the punkah. The new line maintains the gentle pendular strokes run by a motor that boasts of a power rating of 15w–which is lower than a standard CFL lightbulb and is 80% more efficient than most rotating ceiling fans. It can even be converted to run off of solar power!

The Emerald line is the more economical line, with a slightly louder motor no safety and a higher energy consumption, but does allow for multiple speed settings. Expect to pay 2.000Euros for a 3 Blade Unit. Whereas the higher end, Solitare is silent and also offers varying speed settings. It is highly energy efficient, has a safety stop and may be used in an indoor or outdoor setting. Perfect for outfitting your tropical retreat or modern loft. Expect to pay 1.000Euros/Blade.

Of course, for those of us on a budget, you might want to consider the less pricey line of traditional looking punkahs offered by Fanimation. Unfortunately, no modern blades are available yet.

For the ultimate in zero-VOC paints check out the Old-Fashioned Milk Paint Company. Charles Thibeau, the founder of the company, replicated techniques used by colonial painters to create rich paint colors by mixing milk, lime, clay with earth pigments. He has since developed 20 color varieties best suited for interior applications. These paints are odorless and toxin-free, and, an added bonus—the milk paint is shipped as a powder (read: less energy involved in transporting and less packaging) to which you simply add water and only mix up what you intend to use at the time. This makes for easy and compact storage. One Gallon of the SafePaint line designed specifically for walls is $45.95.

Fortunately, since word of the dangers of the chemicals in our paints has leaked, low-VOC or zero-VOC paints have become more accessible and more affordable. Here are some other low-VOC & zero-VOC alternatives:

Sherwin Williams-GreenSure-offers both low and zero VOC products, incorporates sustainable raw materials like soy and sunflower oil, cut down on amount of solvents used, and are making efforts to reduce the amount waste and energy used in their manufacturing process.

Benjamin Moore-Aura – Greenguard certified, low-voc, durable, scrubbable, intensely saturated color palette

Benjamin Moore – EcoSpec -low odor, low-VOC, washable semi-gloss, 100% acrylic latex,

Dunn Edwards Paint – even offers a paint made of 50% post consumer recycled paint, they have been ahead of the curve on green and health advances in paint, zero-voc, low odor, they recycle 95% of the waste produced during manufacturing, stores in California, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada & Arizona

The Freshaire Choice – Greenguard certified, no VOCs in the base, no VOCs in the colorant, no odor, available at the Home Depot, $36.98/Gallon

Safecoat from AFM-non-polluting paints, stains, wood finishes, and sealers, zero-VOC, reduces indoor and outdoor air pollution, free of heavy metals, chemical residuals and formaldehyde, the safecoat bonds to cut down on off-gassing,

Green Planet Paints-truly zero-VOC (some paints that satisfy the EPA’s zero-VOC standards may still contain harmful chemicals in their colorants), made of clay, marble, titanium dioxide, soy resin, phosphate salt, cellulose, mineral pigments and some dispersing aids and preservatives, company aims to minimize environmental impact, supports community, rich earth tones, $31.12/gallon

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.