Design 127: Environmental Consciousness

http://www.ahappyplanet.com/

This bedding company, A Happy Planet, offers everything needed in order to sleep “green.” All the bedding is made from organically grown fibers, such as cotton and hemp. The pillows use chemical-free wool from organically raised sheep and organic buckwheat hull which offers gentle head and neck support. This company uses no plastics, oils or flame retardents in their mattresses, and they use only sustainably harvested wood. According to their website, “One set of conventional sheets requires over 1.5 lbs. of toxic chemicals to produce, while organic sheets require none.” Also, their website offers a great learning section that answers questions regarding eco-friendly products.

I found this chair at www.steelcase.com.  The Think chair (http://steelcase.com/na/think_products.aspx?f=11845) is has been certified by MBDC as a Cradle to Cradel Gold product.  The Think chair is highly recyclable and safe for the enviromental health.  Steel case says that this chair is up to 99% recyclable by weight.  44% of the chair is made of recycled content.  This chair is design to be both egronomic and also enviromental.

I found this product on www.betterlivingthroughdesign.com. The product is a chair called the FlexibleLove 16 Chair, and is made entirely of recycled paper and wood. The designers used a honeycomb accordian technique to create this chair so that in its collapsed form it can fit one, but if you stretched it to its full length, it can fit 16 people (4000+ lb). I like this chair because you can easily share this experience with your friends and family. When this chair is produced, it is useful for more than one way and its function is quite flexible. You can pull it out and arrange it into interesting curves so that it’s not just in a bench shape. Even though you can visibly see the wood and paper, its function really shows that it is a high-end product.