Harmony Art
In these fabrics, art meets nature in the purest organic cotton fibers and dyes. Patterns have descriptions like these…”Whispering Grass was inspired by the foliage in my backyard. All of the plants in this print are native to the California redwood coast. None of them were planted, they just grow of their own accord…Let it Grow was sparked from a picture of the ends of boards of wood stacked on top of each other. The balance of circles within squares and life within death make this more than a print to me…While having lunch outside one day, I noticed the sun shining through the leaf of a bulb. It created the most beautiful stripe. As soon as I got home, I scanned it in and recreated the rhythm. As with all my work, the credit belongs to nature.”
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Listen to my interview with Harmony Susalla, Founder of Harmony Art Organic Design. |
A Happy Planet
A website devoted to organic, natural fibers, including clothing, bedding, mattresses, bath linens, carpets, table linens, curtains, and more. "Our mission is to improve the quality of life for all creatures (including our customers!), by offering sustainable, quality products which do not compromise labor, animals or the earth in their production, use, or disposal cycles."
Hanna Andersson
A well-established provider of natural fiber clothing for babies and kids, well-loved for more than 20 years for their bright colors, softness, and comfort, inspired by the founders’ Swedish heritage. Now many, but not all, items are made from 100% organically grown cotton–“since 2002 we’ve made over two million hannas in organically grown cotton”–certified in Germany by Oko-Tex to their Standard 100. “In order for a garment to be certified, every fabric, button, thread and zipper is rigorously tested for over 100 potentially harmful substances, and the result is especially easy on children’s skin.”
Habitat for Humanity ReStores
Habitat for Humanity brings families and communities in need together with volunteers and resources to build affordable, healthy, sustainable housing. The program enables families to build their own homes, with assistance and training. "Habitat's Environmental Initiative promotes cost-effective, best-practice construction methods to its U.S. affiliates, raising awareness of the environmental impacts of house building. As a result, partner families may enjoy healthier, more energy-efficient and durable housing at the lowest possible cost. Over time the initiative has been integrated into Habitat's standard education and training activities, so that affiliates are encouraged to be good house builders and good stewards of natural resources."
To finance their work in part, they operate "ReStore" home improvement centers across America that sell high quality used and surplus construction and home improvement products of all types. Indoor and outdoor lighting, home appliances, doors, windows, cabinets, counter tops, tiles, and more are sold at substantial savings. Most are donated by building supply stores, contractors, demolition crews and individuals like you. Proceeds help fund the construction of Habitat houses within the local community. My husband and I went to visit our local ReStore and found a good selection of doors (including a $50 front door exactly the same as one we had purchased at a salvage yard for $100 and was selling for $200 at a home improvement warehouse), marble bathroom tiles, some great salvage windows, and a lot more. It's worth a visit.
See their pages on Materials Conservation and their Energy Bulletins.
Green Sleep
This is the most luxurious latex foam mattress. 100% natural latex, wrapped with an organic cotton velour cover quilted with layers of organic silk and pure wool. Three interchangeable plates of natural rubber can be chosen to select the desired firmness. Two sleeping zones allow sleeping partners to select their own individual firmness. Zippered removable cover. Wood slat foundation is covered with quilted padding.
Greener Printer
Full service printer using recycled paper and soy-based inks. Prints everything from business cards to booklets, posters, and folding cartons. Eco-audit statistics are calculated for each job based on the volume of your project and the recycled content of the paper you've chosen, so you can see exactly how much greenhouse gasses, water, energy, trees, and solid waste you've saved by using recycled paper.
Greenline Paper Company
Specialized in recycled paper products for business, home, and school.
Green Mountain Spinnery
A variety of organic wool and cotton yarns appropriate for hand knitting, weaving, and machine knitting. Their undyed yarns are well suited to home dyeing. Yarns have minimal processing, which “retains life” in the fibers. Their “greenspun” yarns are washed and spun with vegetable-based soaps and oils rather than the petroleum based products standard in the textile industry. No chemicals are used to bleach, mothproof, shrink proof, or remove chaff. “Our Mission is to produce and sell high quality yarns from natural fibers and design classic Vermont patterns. Transforming the many types of raw fibers into luxurious and long lasting yarn. The Green Mountain Spinnery helps to sustain regional sheep farming, and to develop environmentally sound ways to process natural fibers.”
GreenHomeGuide
This site is dedicated to making it easier for consumers to choose green building and remodeling products. Click on "product dirctory" and you'll find essays on choosing green products and lists of links to the most popular green products of that type. The site is targeted for Northern California resources, but is worth visiting regardless of where you live.
GreenSage
A comprehensive resource for energy efficient, non-toxic, recycled, reclaimed, naturally resourced and biodegradable interior decorating products. You'll find artwork, carpet and carpet padding, draperies and curtains, flooring, furniture, home accessories, home office accessories, knobs and pulls, lighting, paints, rugs, shelving, towel racks and hooks, upholstery fabrics, wallpaper, and more. They've been in this business since 1988, so they are well-experienced. The founder started GreenSage after personal experience with MCS. Affiliations include IIDA, AIA, USGBC, and AIA's Committee on the Environment.
