(Welcome again to Gina, one of the finalists in our Editor search for the upcoming Green Therapy blog. Here's her "Green Tour". Comment away!)
Name: Bill and Gina
Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Size/Type: 650 square feet
Years lived in: 10 months
The idea of a "green home" can be intimidating. Many think that its a huge effort: that you have to start from scratch and spend a lot of money on something like a Glidehouse. On the other hand, there is the misconception that an environmentally friendly home has to be crunchy and made of hemp. While there is nothing wrong with either of these options, what do you do if you are living in a rented apartment in the city? If you can't build and redesign, if you don't live on acres of land?
I think our place in Brooklyn is a great example of how you can realistically live in a sustainable way. We moved to Brooklyn with green on our brains; the backyard was the key element. Since then, we have slowly but surely made small changes that make a big difference.
WHY IT'S GREEN
Lighting: We have supplied all of our lamps with energy-saving bulbs. The only exception is the Artemide lamp in the living room. Because of its unique design, we have decided to keep the original bulb in. However, we are running on Con Edison's wind energy supply program, so that is a great trade off.
Furniture: Almost every piece of furniture in the house is vintage or found. Our 8-foot long danish modern couch is from craigslist. The patio furniture is an old 50s kitchen set that we refurbished. The shelving unit housing all of the records is an old department store display. We scour antique stores, thrift stores, ebay and even the streets for used items. This way, we can give a home to something that might otherwise go to waste. This also preserves the materials used to build new pieces, even if it were to be made from renewable sources.
Food & Garden: We grow our own tomatoes, peppers and fresh herbs in the backyard. For all other fruits and veggies, we shop at the local farmer's market. We have a compost that provides the soil for everything in our garden but we'll use organic soil when needed. Both of us are vegan, which is actually one of the simplest ways to have a personal impact on the environment. By eating lower on the food chain, we are reducing the amount of resources used to produce our food.
Recycling: Of course we keep two recycling bins, one for paper and one for plastic.
Closets: Our love for all things found is obvious, even in the way we dress. Pretty much everything we wear is vintage, with the occasional new pair of jeans, sneakers, and other stylish must-haves. Most older clothing is made better, lasts longer and is more unique in general. Once again, reusing is one the best ways to be green.
Materials: We have an Ingeo Fiber Natural Living Fiberbed on top of our mattress. Its made out of raw materials and is a renewable resource. Its just as comfortable as a feather bed and is much better for the environment!
Supplies: Everything from our shampoo and deodorant to our glass cleaner and bathtub scrub is made out of natural ingredients.Our favorite brands are Ecover, Nature's Gate and Seventh Generation.Its also important to use recycled toilet paper and paper towels, though we try to use dishcloths in the kitchen.
Transportation: We run our 1984 Mercedes Benz purely on biodiesel. Because its not easy to find in NYC, we store the fuel in our backyard so that we can always get a quick fill-up.
GREEN-STYLE SURVEY
Our style: Smart vintage.
The inspiration for our home: Each room has taken on its own personality because we go through different periods. But in general we are inspired by pieces that have stories.
Favorite element: The backyard! Its allowed us to take our green efforts to a whole other level.
Biggest challenge in designing our home: Being minimalists at heart, but having way too much stuff.
Biggest embarrassment: Our neighbor's unsightly yard.
Proudest DIY: Definitely the yard. When we moved in it was a pile of bricks and weeds. The landlord said he was going to eventually fix it up, but we were immediately excited to take on the challenge. Second runner up is the floor to ceiling headboard for our bed that Bill designed and handmade. There is actually an extra door to the hallway behind it and we needed to cover it up.
Biggest indulgence: The 1,000+ vintage records in Bill's collection. Its ever-growing but that's ok because they add an element of style. And we will never run out of good music to play.
Latest purchases: A Knoll credenza, the Artemide lamp, a vintage silverware set from ebay.
Best advice given or received: Measure twice, cut once.
Our dream source for stuff: Moss. But we will never tire of places like Goodwill because its such a thrill to find an amazing piece.
Please let us know how this home could be more green! Suggestions are welcome.
-Gina
the place looks nice, but we didnt really get to see much! i was looking forward to lots of garden photos...
also, im wondering why you only have two recycling bins and only recycle paper and plastic. what about glass and aluminum?
view my little apartment's profile
this is all really wonderful but i have one problem - and i'm really hoping someone can change my mind with factual information. i am really wigged out about buying shooz from the thrift store.
view elizabeth in AL's profile
What is the paint color of the blue wall which the couch is against? Is it green paint?
Thanks for sharing your home with us!
view jchan's profile
I am sorry there were not more garden pictures...we were limited to 8-10 photos and I really wanted to get as much of a variety as possible. I can link you to some tonight!
view greenlady's profile
I'm really impressed by your personal style and commitment to living green. I wish more photos were allowed because I'd love to see more of the interior. I'm also a big fan of used furniture because they are usually better built then new furniture in my price range and I also love 50s style.
view LaDonnaNichole's profile
Love your place!
One quibble - biodiesel isn't green per-se. It still pollutes, only differently than traditional diesel. Biodiesel is also raising prices of corn and other staple crops to the point where third world countries can't afford them. I think it's a commendable effort but I also think the use of foodstuffs such as corn, soybeans etc as fuel isn't a good thing. I think biodiesel adoption should wait until it can be made fro sources like algae that won't cripple poor countries or cause economic hardships to the poor in this country as food prices are going up significantly due directly to the use of food crops to make diesel.
view boomer's profile
Ok here are all of your answers!
Great comments about biodiesel--completely agree that the biodiesel industry is going through growing pains. There are a lot of suppliers out there who have your same concerns in mind and are looking to improve production standards. We get our biodiesel from a supplier/producer who makes it from reclaimed restaurant grease and not from virgin crops. (Arguably the best source for it at this point) From our point of view biodiesel & other alternative fuels shouldn't be considered the answer to all our problems--it is at best a step along the way--but it does reduce emissions by up to 90%. I share your concerns about harmful effects on poor countries, and the effects on food prices--and I hope more suppliers/producers continue to work towards making biodiesel more sustainable from many angles.
As for the recycling, that is a typo...we have one bin for glass/bottles/cans and one for paper/cardbord.
And regarding the paint, its a lovely light green that the landlord decided on before we moved in.
I have no issues with wearing used shoes...most of them are in near perfect condition anyway when I buy them or else I clean them out. Just think of all the people who try on shoes in the stores!
view greenlady's profile
I'm confused. Is the apartment in Brooklyn or Chicago?
Sounds like these people are making significant efforts at lowering their impact on the planet. GREEN.
view MrGreen's profile
Looks great!
You've probably already checked this out, but just in case: parts of Greenpoint are situated over a major underground oil spill that happened long ago and never got cleaned up. I recommend you make sure you are not near the spill and that your soil is safe for growing food. If it isn't, I guess you could grow your veggies in containers?
view brooklino's profile
Finally comments about living green that I can agree with. 1st:
Re-using resources rather than installing new bamboo (sustainable) somethings. Antique shops, flea markets and 2nd hand stores are SO green when items are chosen judiciously. We don't have to fear home bedbugs or other detritus if reasonable judgment is used. 2nd: Making use of creative re-use when modifying or building to meet our specific needs. 3rd: A well maintained senior auto is a thing of beauty. Granted that 84 Benz my not get 99 mi/gal but then neither do those cute little hybrids. I have a 14 yr.old volvo I still love, its still MY new car.
Finally my soapbox on the state of our society. Our economy is very much based on consumption, this is an experiment as consumerism is less than a century old. Buy the newest, biggest, best, most beautiful whatever to replace your little, old, decrepit whatever is the product of the marketing industry. I see our youth being cultivated as consumers from the earliest age - this is not about living greener. Off the soapbox for now. :)
view Alice's profile
1) It's great to read the point about buying used. We (the collective we - I'm not accusing anyone) start to care about the effects of our actions; the market kicks in and debuts a torrent of "green" stuff; and soon it's about buying, not really changing our lives. And definitely not about politics or holding government/corporations accountable.
2) I'm a hypocrite! I am now somewhat nervous about buying used clothes because of the bedbug issue. How do other people deal with this? Help me stay true to my convictions AND unbitten.
view futureaunt's profile
Just love the color combination of your living room; that green/blue wall, mustard sofa and lovely red decorative pillows that just pop.It is all right out of a DOMINO magazine shoot! Please mention source of those pillows... this is one case in which I hope that they have been bought new so that I can get my hands on them too!
To FUTUREAUNT in above post,
One way to buy and wear used clothes and not worry about the bedbug issue, is to freeze the garment before you (hopefully launder) and later wear it. OR boil the garment on your stove top (fabric permitting).
view Carolyn's Mom's profile