Art And Design For Sustainable Living - Video

Rebecca Brayton: Sustainable living is a dream that many people strive for but you shouldn't have to sacrifice style and design to get there. Hi! I am Rebecca Brayton and welcome to watchmojo.com and today we'll be speaking with Sarah Richardson, the brains behind CO. So first tell us about the idea behind CO.

Sarah Richardson: CO has been something I've been thinking about for a number of years now. It comes from my own experience working in trade and sustainability and my travels around the world where I have discovered amazing communities, making incredible things at very little. Two years ago, I was working in South Africa quite a bit and I would say that was really the tipping point for me when I decided that these products really were something that would be interesting to people in the West. They are contemporary, they are cool, they are funky and they are sustainable. That's fit in well with my own personal philosophy that we should be using globalization to enhance sustainability as oppose to allowing it to erode.

Rebecca Brayton: What can we consider sustainable and what is sustainability mean?

Sarah Richardson: There are three aspects: There is Social Equity, Environmental Protection and Economic Well-Being. Here, when we talk to people about sustainability, generally, the environmental issues are at top of their minds. When you go to other countries and talk about sustainability, you'll get quite a different answer. I mean the environmental issues are important but they are not as important as the issues of equity and the guarantee that workers have safe working environment and they are paid at decent wage.

Rebecca Brayton: What qualify something as sustainable?

Sarah Richardson: What we've done is we've developed a list of eight indicators of sustainability that we use here at CO. They range from energy efficiency to organic to recycled. When we consider a piece, we go through our indicators, we see which ones match up, now no one hits all eight indicators, but what we are trying to do is have at least three or four that are relevant for the products that we carry.

Rebecca Brayton: Would you say that sustainability is something that's attainable for everyone?

Sarah Richardson: I think sustainability is attainable to a certain degree in the choices we make. That means the choices we make as people in terms of what we are going to buy and it seems the choices we make in terms of what kind of businesses we're going to support. At the same time, we also think about where the things that we consume come from and who is making them under what conditions they have been made and we're trying to bring in things that will support that angle of sustainability.

As consumers that's interesting, we have a lot of power and often we can move faster than governments in terms of promoting sustainability. And what I am hoping is that this gallery offers people just another choice.

Transcription by: Scribe4you Transcription Services

How To Shop For Green, Eco-Conscious Household Products

No home's interior design is complete without the proper bedding and bath accessories to pull the look together. You can find bed and bathroom products in a number of places and there are many different products available through the sustainable resources found across the Internet.

The following article highlights some places to find bedding and bath products for your home and also exposes a few environmentally-friendly choices you can make.

Bed, Bath and Beyond is a Large Retail Store

Bed, Bath and Beyond is one of the most popular stores that offers a vast selection of items for the home. Although this retail store specializes in bedroom or bathroom products, there are many products hight-lighted for many other areas of your home. You can dress your interior landscape from top to bottom at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Linens and Things is a Well Known Brand

Another fantastic option is a store like Linens and Things. This store is great for finding unique interior design products for bedding and bath. Linens and Things is organized much like Bed, Bath and Beyond and you can find plenty of other things aside from products for the bedroom and bathroom.

Trying Buying Organic, Recycled, or Sustainable Products

If you really want something different that is in line with your environmentally conscious shopping needs, you may want to opt for an organic retailer like Gaiam. This shopping site is pretty good. It offers not so common bedding and bath items manufactured from hemp or recycled materials. I love to browse through these kinds of stores. A person may experience a slightly higher cost for green, Earth-friendly items in the current shopping sites but this little extra cost is worth investment.

Buying Your Household Items on the Cheap

There are some who prefer something thrifty. There are plenty of places to find great deals on bedding and bath products. Outlet stores are ideal stopping points for finding some frugal deals for the home. These retailers often showcase high-end items at a fraction of the price.

Another great place to find a deal on bedding and bath products is the closeout store. Retailers like Big Lots offer discontinued items for the home. There are many great savings offered on odd shaped, or repackaged products as well. Many of the irregularities are not detectable and you can score big with a visit to one of these retailers.

Of course, there are the department store chains that boast everyday low prices and outstanding sales. You can locate many environmentally friendly bedding and bath products at local retail stores. There are more option emerging everyday. You can find just about all of the household items that you may need. One stop shopping is a wonderful option for busy people who want to find affordable products for their home in little time.

Shopping for Bedding and Bath Products is Best Online

My personal favorite place to shop is the Internet. There is a boatload of options related to bedding and bath products that can be sent right to your doorstep. I love that I can shop from the comfort of home with the selection of organic, recycled, or sustainable manufacturing practices that I appreciate.

I find it really useful to lookup items online in one place. A number of Eco-friendly search engine can assist a person in researching many of the sustainable bedding and bath products for your home.

About the Author:
At Solargies, we plan to make the right Eco-friendly, green solutions available to the American homeowners. My role involves the leadership, communication, and the education related to the adoption solar energy system rentals. We provide homeowners the option to rent a solar electric system and avoid the huge, upfront investment in solar technology. Learn more at http://www.Solargies.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - How to Shop for Green, Eco-conscious Household Products