apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

As a designer, I'm getting really annoyed with the "green bandwagon" because many manufacturers are slapping on the "green" tag without any consideration for what is really green. I hope that in the near future, the US Green Building Counsel or LEED will come up with some type of rating system similar to the Energy Star appliances. It will make it easier to identify those products that are really green.

In addition, it's not always the "green" material that makes a product green. The way that it is manufacturered, how far it is shipped, do they recycle, do they donate heavily to research or green charities, how they treat their employees etc.. are all important factors. For example, before the Prius gained such large popularity, Toyota had made huge strides toward reducing their production waste and impact on the surrounding environment and waste water. A car may not be green but a car made in a factory like that is more green than one that is not.

I'm always sceptical of a company that roles out a green line, but makes no changes to other lines. If its doable for one line why are they continuing to make other products from non-'green' ways?

I forget the name, but I applaud the parent company of Flor for looking at their whole operation and how to 'green' themselves. I believe AT linked to it a while back

while it's lame to jump on a bandwagon just to cash in, it's a start - big change happens with little steps in the right direction. and if companies are pressured more from places like AT, they might be impressed upon to go further. i wouldn't buy this line though, knowing that they're "posing," i don't think aware consumers would either...

I think it's probably a great improvement in their bottom line.

As far as being environmentally responsible I think it's a laugh.

It's all marketing the way I see it.

Even Ikea has some rickety stuff that's supposed to be "green." Maybe it could be composted after a year though? I never thought of that.

Words like "organic" and "eco-friendly" are quickly losing their meaning, as they've been co-oped by marketers. The producers of truly green products are going to have to formulate some new terminology soon.

I worry that when retailers like Pottery Barn see that greenwashed products are big money-makers, they won't have any incentive to sell products that are actually green.

yeah, just because you call it green doesn't MAKE it green. sounds like it's as much about marketing as it is anything else. I am not in love with their spring stuff, for the record...

The "greenest" furniture is vintage from Craigslist, yard sales, or the street. Local. Recycled. And cheap too. What's not to like?

If it advertised that it was "eco-friendly" and I looked at the package and it said 5% organic cotton then I wouldn't buy it personally! I wouldn't want the company to think their green-washing worked on me.

i was in PB yesterday and noticed some new products - stylish lunch containers (nylon brown paper bag-style) and reusable glass water bottles in pretty vibrant colors. so it's a step in the right direction as well as a marketing move :)

yeah, I bet a random textile or furniture piece from IKEA is much more 'green' than this 'green line'. just a hunch.

Tack me onto the list of skeptics. You know this is their green line becuase it's in tree colors.... LOL

FLOR's parent company is InterFace - and if you've seen the movie "the corporation" - you'll recognize their CEO Ray Anderson. they started "greening" their operations years ago, and hope to be sustainable in 2020 or something...
from their own website:

"While Interface is noted in its industry for its commitment to high quality design and innovation, the company is recognized as a leader in the green business movement. Inspired chiefly by Paul Hawken's treatise, The Ecology of Commerce, Ray heightened the company's awareness and led changes in technology in an effort to move toward being environmentally sustainable. Admittedly, Interface is not there yet; however, the company is developing processes and technologies to get it there. What this means, primarily, is learning to harness solar, wind, biomass and other forms of green energy and providing raw material needs by harvesting and recycling carpet and other petrochemical products, while eliminating waste and harmful emissions from its operations. Ray believes that if Interface, a petro-intensive company, can get it right, it will never have to take another drop of oil from the earth. The philosophy guiding Ray's passion for this cause is simply that it is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing, too."

oh - and if you HAVEN'T seen the corporation you should rent it.

I think this qualifies as false advertising...

Last night I heard an interview of someone on Design: E2. To paraphrase her, she said,"We can't consume our way out of this (global warming). We have to change our lifestyle, not necessarily lessen our lifestyle, but find ways of enjoying a different lifestyle" (This is very paraphrased)

One of the things I like about AT is that it helps me to think about redesigning my lifestyle. How to have a beautiful home that is smaller, uses less energy, has less useless consumables. To me this is the perfect anecdote to the sentiment that we have to suffer to be less abusive to the planet. I think that that limited mentality is fear based and will get us nowhere.

It reminds me of when I first stopped eating meat. At first I would eat all of these meat substitutes (that sucked). Later, I learned how to cook great meals using only vegetables, and that was actually more satisfying. To me, this PB furniture is meat substitute. I prefer to look for home solutions that are like a delicious vegetarian stew instead.