To celebrate the publication of their brand new book, “Just Green It!”, healthy living advocates Ron and Lisa Beres have offered me two autographed copies to giveaway to you, dear readers.

Filled with tips on how to save the environment and your wallet at the same time, this book is designed to make it easier to navigate through the sea of conflicting information and green-washing we all run up against on our journey to sustainability.

Ordinarily, I try to stick to books directly related to interior design, but I’m making an exception here, because Lisa Beres’ previous experience as an interior designer means she spends a good bit of the book delving into just that topic.  Besides, it gives me an excuse to meet up with her at Kean Coffee soon, so I can get those signed books for you! Mmmm… Turkish latte…

So, how do you win a copy?  Entering the giveaway is simple:

1.  Leave a comment after this post, saying what item in your home you’ve had the most difficulty finding an affordable green alternative for (dishwashing liquid, light bulbs, bed linens, etc.).

2.  Post a link to this giveaway on your Facebook account, and then come back and leave a comment telling us you’ve done so.

3.  Find @TIRevolution on Twitter, follow us, and say hi!

Each one is a separate entry, so don’t forget to enter them as separate comments!  That way everyone has three different ways to win!

Entries will be taken until midnight PST, Friday, April 9th.  The winners will be chosen via random selection, and announced Monday, April 12th.  Good luck!

The Sustainable Furnishings Council and World Market Center Las Vegas are proud to once again bring you One Good Chair Design Competition.

“Beauty rests on necessities. The line of beauty is the result of perfect economy. The cell of the bee is built at that angle which gives the most strength with the least wax. The bone in the quill of the bird gives the most alar strength with the least weight… There is not a particle to spare in natural structures.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Intro

The world of green design is pulled in two directions, for the aim of sustainability has been described alternately as “doing more with less” and “celebrating abundance.” The third annual One Good Chair competition challenges designers to do both.

This year’s theme, “Minimum/Maximum,” embraces the idea that smart design can both preserve natural resources and amplify human delight. We’re not asking you to “balance” or “compromise” these two apparently different aims—we’re pushing you to go as far as you can in both directions at once. Trade-offs are for sissies. How little material can you use to make the most of a chair? How little packaging can you use to reach the most people? Can you design a chair that is almost nothing and almost everything at the same time?

So here’s what caught our eye this week…

Image via design*sponge

Spied on design*sponge, this set of nesting tables, made of recycled wood and old rebar.  They are really kinda cute, which is not something I usually say about things made of rebar.

Next up, a cozy blanket giveaway and some great sale items seen on Green Your Decor, as well as musings on printed countertops and why existing buildings are greener…

Image via Green Your Decor

I couldn’t resist showing this adorable photo Jennae, of Green Your Decor, took of her daughter snuggled up in a Yumi & Laurie BlanQuette.  Green Your Decor is having a giveaway for three of these cozy 50% organic cotton, 50% bamboo blankets, in the winner’s choice of colors.  Giveaway contest ends March 22nd.

Image via Green Your Decor

Also from Green Your Decor are these great “Green Steal of the Week” items.  A stool woven from water hyacinth, for only $40, and a pair of organic cotton napkins for $5-6.

Image via K=BB Collective

Eric Corey Freed, green architecture advocate and all around nice guy, muses about the future of countertop materials, and if “desktop manufacturing” technologies will change the way we create them.  Imagine using a 3D printer to create your next kitchen!

Image via Treehugger

Treehugger looks at some pretty severe demolition plans the city of Brantford, Ontario is considering, and says perhaps “The Greenest Building is the One Already Standing”.

And speaking of Treehugger, please consider voting for us for Best of Green in the Architecture and Design Blog category.  Thank you!

When I first started to focus strictly on sustainable design five years ago, the pickings were thin when it came to green interior design books..  As in, there were exactly two books, only one of which was really any use.

Even as I watched the list of available books grow, I still considered writing one of my own, because I didn’t find anyone addressing the subject of green residential interior design the way I thought it should be.  Luckily, I never got around to it because Sunset Design Guides has just released the book I probably would have written (if I had the talent!).

Taking full advantage of Sunset Magazine’s wealth of images, author Bridget Biscotti Bradley has created an inspiring collection of sustainable design ideas and arranged them in her easy to understand book, The Green Home.  Assisted by a “design panel” made up of such green design luminaries as Eric Corey Freed, Kelly LaPlante, and Michelle Kaufman, Bradley makes a compelling case for the ease with which green design principles can be woven into any remodeling project.

Photography by Frank Gaglione

“Living green may seem difficult, expensive, and out of reach.  But when you break it down into simple solutions for each room of the house, you’ll see that it’s really not”  – Bridget Biscotti Bradley

One aspect of the book that I find particularly refreshing is the amazing array of styles and materials shown in the images.  Everything from chic and modern…

to rough and rustic.

Using the knowledge she has gained as the owner of Reclaim, an eco-home store in Menlo Park, CA, Bradley guides us through the various pros and cons of different materials and green design solutions.  The book is well organized into sections such as “Getting Started”, “Bedrooms and Nurseries”, and “Light and Comfort”.  Instead of presenting a long to-do list of changes that homeowners need to make right away, Bradley encourages the reader not to rip everything out and start over, but rather to make more conscientious choices going forward.  Almost invariably, the book hits the nail on the head when it comes to why we can, and should, design green.

This isn’t to say I didn’t have my occasional disagreement with her advice, including her recommendation to use “pure cotton” bedding because it’s sustainable, when in fact, unless cotton is organic, the amount of pesticides used to grow it are fundamentally unsustainable.  (Note: It’s been brought to my attention that the reference to “pure cotton” appears in a sidebar, and may not have been written by the author.  Bradley does go on to describe the benefits of organic cotton bedding on page 113). However, these small quibbles rarely came up, and overall the book is by far the best I’ve seen on the market.  In fact, I was GOING to give up my copy to some lucky reader, but I’ve decided to be selfish and keep it for myself.  It’s that good!

Giveaway

So here’s what I’m going to do,… I think this book is such a worthy addition to any designer or homeowner’s library, I’ve procured two additional copies to giveaway to you, dear readers.  The ways to enter are simple:

1.  Leave a comment after this post, saying what your dream green remodeling project would be.

2.  Post a link to this giveaway on your Facebook account, and then come back and leave a comment telling us you’ve done so.

3.  Find @TIRevolution on Twitter, follow us, and say hi!  Then come back and leave a comment telling us you’ve done so.

Each one is a separate entry, so don’t forget to enter them as separate comments!  That way everyone has three different ways to win!

Entries will be taken until midnight PST, Thursday, March 11th, with the winners via random selection, to be announced the following Friday.  Good luck!

Assuage a little of your disappointment with a romantic 100% natural, hand poured soy candle from Green Nest.  They are 7.5 oz each, and come in a gift box as shown.  I have two of these to give away this week.

So, what do you do?

Simple.  Leave a comment after this post, saying why you love candles.

and/or

Visit Green Nest, and then come back and leave a comment about your favorite thing on their site.

That’s it.

Two opportunities to enter.

And since we are a fairly new blog, your chances of winning are pretty darn good!

All entries must be posted before midnight (PST) on Thursday, February 18th.  Two winners will be chosen randomly, and announced the following day. Up to two entries per person. U.S. residents only for this one (but we’re working on it!)

“A double challenge for ONLY FOR WOMEN’s second edition, the International Design Award dedicated exclusively for female designers: searching for new products to enter the contract market and promoting a thinking about sustainability. This is the meaning of the title, which talks green as nature and green as green issue. Area Declic wishes to investigate into these themes all around 2010. With the help of women designers.”

Deadline to enter is March 3, 2010, so get your design engines revved ladies!  For information on rules and how to enter, click here.

image via re-nest

Win a fabulous WoollyPocket from re-nest!  I saw these at Dwell on Design this summer and fell in love.   A garden you can hang anywhere!

image via re-nest

Also from re-nest is the very on trend idea of using burlap for your Christmas decorating needs.  It may be a little late to do it now, but worth thinking about for next year.

image via Green Your Decor

green you decor has a “Dreaming of a Green Christmas” series that is full of sustainable holiday decor ideas.

image via treehugger

Still looking for that perfect green gift?  Peruse treehugger’s extensive “Slow Holiday” list for ideas.

Well folks, that’s it for 2009!  Much, much more to come in the New Year!

via flor.com

This is such a fun idea, it’s a wonder FLOR didn’t think of it sooner.

Now’s your chance to create the FLOR you’ve always dreamed of.

Let your imagination run wild – with FLOR’s design system of 19.7-inch squares the options are limitless. All you have to do is choose your FLOR and let the designing begin. Mix and match colors, patterns and textures to create a rug, runner or wall-to-wall design that fits your décor and your personality. Who knows, you may just get your FLOR design for free or see it on FLOR.com.

The designing on takes place using their online design tools.  Entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CT Monday, December 7, 2009, so you don’t have a lot of time!  Click here for contest details.

And hey – if your design gets picked PLEASE let us know!  We’ll be sure to post all about it here!