ecofabulous

Looking Smart and Sexy, Chicago

We raved about the mkLotus at West Coast Green last September, and now we're going to do the same with the mkSolaire. This fabulous prefab from Michelle Kaufmann Designs just opened its  sustainably-minded doors at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) exhibit, Smart Home: Green + Wired. The fully functioning modular home gives museum-goers the opportunity to learn about the future of green building! With environmental considerations taken through and  through, the mkSolaire showcases the latest and greatest technology. Using smart design, a range of eco materials and striving for the best in energy efficiency and water conservation, this is 2,500 square feet of eco-goodness. For all the juicy details, click here. The mkSolaire is taking the windy city by storm...so brace yourself!

LoVo Launches

It would be a vast understatement to say that there was a lot going on this Earth Day but C2's LoVo launch is worth noting. LoVo stands for low-VOC (volatile organic compounds), which are dangerous additives found in most paints. What sets LoVo apart? A virtually limitless color palate for one, more specifically 496 handcrafted colors (that makes for infinite options!). Gone is the excuse that you couldn't find the perfect color in low-VOC form. And LoVo doesn't want you to waste or regret anything, so they've introduced 16 oz samplers for clients to try out before committing, even in customized colors. What's more, LoVo is a luxurious, boutique paint with depth and luminosity.

Building Bloxes

Get creative with Bloxes. Interlocking pieces of corrugated, recycled (and recyclable!) cardboard, Bloxes are easily pieced together. The folding system provides a strong support system, so they’re sturdy enough to use as a stool or a table. Reminiscent of construction toys we had growing up, Bloxes can connect to other pieces on each of their six sides. Let your imagination run wild and build anything and everything you can think of. Doesn’t work? Simply take it apart and try again. Bonus – Bloxes muffle sound, so feel free to build a wall to separate you and your noisy cubicle mate. Or, your noisy children, though it may end up the cause of new boisterousness.

Photograph: Rachelle Bowden

Insoylation

When you think about the fact that 56% of single-family homes in the U.S. are underinsulated - resulting in 800 trillion BTUs of lost energy - the idea of being well insulated starts to take on a pretty echoing ring. But to achieve energy savings, you aren't relegated to the nasty, conventionally-used, petroleum-based spray foams. Find an air-tight alternative in BioBased Insulation that has 96% bio-based content, derived from domestically-farmed soybean oil (a renewable resource) and is water blown. Why not use an eco-friendly product to do an eco-friendly deed...while also improving your Indoor Air Quality and lowering your utility bills!

I Want Worms in My Apples

Who knew kitchen scraps turned worm fodder turned plant fertilizer could be as physically beautiful as it is beautiful for the planet?  DHLoveLife has the sleekest worm dwelling we have ever seen (though beauty does have a price...about 900 bucks). Made from bamboo on the outside and recycled rubber on the inside, this is an all around sustainable system. Your garbage is digested by your "pet" worms and they in turn transform your trash into a powerful plant supplement in the forms of worm castings and worm tea. Check out the easy spout for collecting the potent tea on Daryl Hannah's "beautious bamboo worm bin." Really, composting never looked so good. With these invertebrates pumping 5 hearts each, there is plenty of love to go around! To read more about worm composting, click here.

Museum of Green

It would be quite the understatement to say that San Francisco's already beloved California Academy of Sciences has undergone an impressive 7-year remodel. If you have missed Golden Gate Park's crown jewel as much as we have, here's some good news! Their staunch ambition will culminate with its reopening in 2008 as the most eco-friendly public building in the world. Just one of the hundreds of visionary collaborators is world-famous architect Renzo Piano, who has unleashed a whirlwind of eco-engineering genius, such as the undulating roof that aids ventilation. Hopefully their efforts will garner this project LEED Platinum certification. At $484 million no stone has been left unturned; from recycling 90% of demolition materials to using reclaimed water in the toilets, and we can't forget to mention the sweeping green roof. The building is almost as impressive as the flora and fauna it will house. This science buff's dream will be filled with a world class collection of marine biology, herpetology, geology and so much more. If you need a break from the splendor, you can still stroll over to the Japanese Tea Gardens for a cup of tea and a little reflection.

Tipi Anyone?

My friend Daryl lives in a tipi. Yes, a tipi. No, they are not merely an historical artifact. In fact, tipis are durable, provide warmth in the winter, keep dry during heavy rains and stay cool in the dead of summer. Not bad when considering HVAC costs (on both your pocket and the environment). And they're relatively mobile, originally intended to aid a nomadic lifestyle on the plains. Plus, they're not as small as you might imagine. Daryl's has a 24' diameter, and of course it's beautifully decorated. And now she's offering you the opportunity to join her through her site dhlovelife, where she sells them for $2,892. As someone who's been perusing the residential market again, I'm almost tempted, though I don't think it will ultimately be the way I will go. Tipis no doubt encapsulate simple living, and may not fall under the banner of what most people consider fabulous. That said, the tipi is weighing in on the eco side with some impressive numbers - as to be worthy of an ecofab shout out, don't you think? And Daryl deserves a little props for truly walking the talk!

An Eco-Home Is Where the Heart Is

First off, we want to thank YOU for reading ecofabulous and for spreading the word. Since today is the day devoted to giving thanks, what better way to do so than by expressing our gratitude towards the people and organizations who are taking strides to create a safer, more beautiful world. While we may appreciate the abundance in our own lives, it is a good time to reflect on the fact that over 1.2 billion people live on less than $1 a day. Supporting organizations that work to create abundance for those that have less than us - by either volunteering our time or sharing financially - is the perfect way to really show thanks for all we have. The ecofab Thanksgiving pick this year is the Architecture For Humanity's (AFH) "Own This Day!" program. AFH is a charitable organization that takes the principles of innovative, sustainable and collaborative design to places where resources and expertise are scarce and instills/implements them to create homes and community buildings. They also engage in reconstruction efforts such as rebuilding a greener New Orleans and post-earthquake housing in Pakistan. In order to provide these pro bono design services, they seriously need our help! You can "Own a Day" of their work by donating one day's worth of your salary. You can also Own the Day on behalf of someone; we're thinking perfect host/hostess gift. Click here to Own the Day of your choice and thank Architecture for Humanity for everything that they do.

Painting A Greener World

When a paint is marketed to pregnant women, parents of small children and people with allergies or asthma, it's pretty safe to say you've struck eco-gold. After all, in considering the health of the planet, we invariably improve upon the health of humanity as well. An Arizona-based boutique color house is churning out handmade clay paints that are safe for everyone and everything at all times (as long as you don't guzzle down a gallon). Using ancient Mayan pigments and a soy resin - among a disclosed  ingredient list that numbers under a dozen - Green Planet Paints provides a soft, silky clay finish in deep, complex colors. You can even create a smooth plaster finish by waxing the surface. Entirely free of Volatile Organic Compounds, these paints will smell only of soy, so you can be sure you aren't degrading your Indoor Air Quality (or outdoor!). I'm breathing easier already.

EcoTop of Its Game

EcoTop may be a brand new product, but it comes from a solid background of and dedication to designing bio-based composites from Klip Bio Technologies. They've been assessing, refining and redefining the eco surface for some ten years now (with it's predecessor being PaperStone), and the culmination is the release of EcoTop. Composed of a 50/50 blend of our rapidly renewable friend, bamboo (FSC-certified), and recycled wood fiber salvaged from demolition sites, the materials are bound to one another with a water-based resin formula that has neither petroleum nor VOCs. A lot of work went into creating a resin system that is extremely durable, available in a color palette that ranges from Snow White to Jet Black (customizable) and is UV stable to prevent any fading. The longer bamboo fibers make EcoTop highly scratch- and stain-resistant with water absorption of less than 1%. Perfect for countertops, tabletops, floors and walls, EcoTop isn't just rivaling other eco-friendly surfacing products, but it's poised to match granite, engineered stone, Corian and the conventional likes in both form and function.