My guest today is Kevin Aylward co-founder and Owner of Prairie Rugs and Yogasana. We’ll be talking about how they produce high quality natural fiber area rugs and yoga mats in a sustainable way, and the trend toward sustainable home furnishings. After graduation from the University of Minnesota, Kevin began a career in sales and marketing in home furnishings. In 1996 he co-founded Prairie Rugs a manufacturer of eco-friendly cotton area rugs hand-made in India. In 2005 he became sole owner of Prairie Rugs, Inc., which was focused on eco-sustainable manufacturing before the ‘green’ movement became fashionable. Prairie Rugs is the only rug company in the U.S. that is a Founding Member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council. Working with his partner in India they used their expertise in cotton weaving to make a mat that is dedicated to the practice of Yoga. This seemed like a natural progression because the region of India where the cotton rugs are made is also the area where yoga originated. A new company named Yogasana began production of cotton yoga mats in December 2010. They have sold their cotton yoga mats to yogi in 30 countries around the world. www.prairierugs.com | www.yogasanamats.com

 

 

My guest is Julian Crawford, CEO of Imperial Paints, which is the US distributor of Ecos Paints, the world’s number one selling organic paint and varnish. We’ll be talking about toxic paints, VOCs, and nontoxic natural paints. Established in the United Kingdom, this proprietary paint technology, is “free from all toxic chemicals, with absolutely zero VOCs and odorless – essentially 7,000 times purer than standard low VOC paints.” Ecos Paint has been used and accredited around the world for over 25 years and has been specified in many prestigious projects including: The Louvre, Googleplex andWestminster Abbey. Not only are their paints nontoxic, they even filter pollutants from the air. www.debralynndadd.com/debras-list/ecos-paints

 

 

My guest today is Heidi Sanner, founder and managing member of Candle Bee Farm. We’ll be talking today about toxic elements in candles and how natural, toxic-free beeswax candles are made. Heidi is an eclectic personality who literally dreamed this venture into bee-ing. Heidi, who formerly worked as a CPA in one of the largest national firms, has turned an 83-acre farm and beekeeping activity into a thriving beeswax candle business. She calls it “Commerce with a Conscience…Candle Bee Farm™ is my opportunity to pull from all areas of my life, my business experience, love of nature and organic lifestyle and create products that are good for people.” She is an organic beekeeper and a chandelier (candle maker) by trade. Her exquisite, hand crafted 100% beeswax candles are sought and used by famous celebrities, exquisite restaurants, high end hotels and others of discerning taste. They have even been in Hollywood movies such Robert Redford’s “The Conspirator.” Heidi is an accomplished herbalist and naturalist, expert beekeeper and crafter of unique beeswax candles utilizing molding and press techniques developed by her ancestors. www.debralynndadd.com/debras-list/candle-bee-farm

 

 

My guest today is Diana Schultz, CEO of Green and Healthy Homes, and a Certified Building Biologist and Bau-Biologie Environmental Consultant in Orlando, Florida. We’ll be talking about the types of toxic exposures she is finding and measuring in living spaces and how she was able to reduce or eliminate these toxic exposures to improve indoor air quality. With a background in Urban Planning with Environmental Studies and personal experience in designing and building her own home, Diana was introduced to the International Institute for Bau-Biologie and EcologyT (Building Biology) and became Certified by the Institute in 2008. Building Biology is the study of healthy buildings and everything that affects the relationship between our bodies and our built environment. In addition to conducting client home assessments, mitigation services and educational workshops at Green and Healthy Homes, Diana serves as a Program Provider for the International Institute for Building Biology and participates in many of the Institute’s on-site 5-day Seminars as Instructor and Student Mentor. Diana is passionate about sharing the holistic message that Mother Nature is our ultimate guide – “We are dedicated to the principles of living in harmony with nature and in creating built environments that naturally support health and well being in homes and work places every day.” www.greenandhealthyhomes.net

My guest Lydia Corser is a green interior designer and the owner of Greenspace, a green remodeling store in Santa Cruz, California. Combining creativity with a focus on green interior design since 1995 has proven to be a fulfilling combination for Lydia. After helping launch greenspace, Lydia purchased that business in 2007. Today, she is as happy to mix paint as design a green kitchen. Lydia received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Wildlife Biology in 1986, and an Advanced Certificate and Associate’s Degree in Science in Interior Design from West Valley College in 1998. We’ll be talking about toxic chemicals in interior decorating products and how to choose safe products for your home. www.ecolydia.com, www.debralynndadd.com/debras-list/greenspace

My guest Andrew Meyer is founder and president of Vermont Natural Coatings, manufacturer of patented PolyWhey® whey-based wood finishes. Developed in collaboration with the University of Vermont, PolyWhey has emerged as new wood coatings science, using whey protein to displace toxic ingredients common to traditional wood finishes. CNN Money named Vermont Natural Coatings one of two leaders in innovation and technology in Vermont; the other being IBM. Andrew is a partner in Vermont Soy, LLC and owner of the Hardwick Enterprise Group, LLC, which provides business resources to innovative value-added companies. He is a founding board member of the Center for an Agricultural Economy and serves as a trustee of Shelburne Farms. He is a partner in North Hardwick Dairy, a family organic dairy farm. Andrew served as Agriculture Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator James Jeffords and operated a congressional legislative consulting firm in Washington, D.C. We’ll talk about toxic chemicals in wood finishes, how he makes wood finish with whey, about creating an innovative nontoxic product, and sustainable businesses in Vermont. www.debralynndadd.com/debras-list/vermont-natural-coatings

 

 

My guest is Patrick Clark from Carolina Morning. Patrick has been researching and writing about design, nutrition, deep ecology, sleep, metabolism, minimalism and somatics for over 20 years. His unconventional approach to increasing wellness and energy through an integrated system uses nature, metabolism, and consciousness as the starting point of design. Patrick got into his eclectic line of work from a personal desire to heal from illness. He ‘brought himself back from the dead’ after experiencing two decades of declining health and trying diets and modalities that failed miserably. He found that diet alone was not the answer. The answer came in multiple parts: environment, nutrition, sleep, and exercise. Now, after ten years of putting together a unique protocol based on cutting edge research, he has invented a line of revolutionary ‘body friendly’ furniture as well as highly effective, nutrient dense, anti-oxidant rich recipes and wellness formulas. Patrick has a certificate in Permaculture Design as well as Outdoor Leadership from the Wilderness Education Association. We’ll talk about Patrick’s cutting edge viewpoint for health and how he translated what he learned into products we use every day. www.paleoalltheway.com/wool-sleeping-bag