Sustainable Design, Sustainable Living, Sustainable Everything
Yup. We’re talking about underwear. Why? Well, because Of Houses and Trees is about sustainable everything. And your undies – they’re an everything. Now, I’m a huge proponent for buying whatever you can secondhand. I even wrote a whole post about the
I write a lot on Of Houses and Trees about eco-friendly interior design and decor, but those aspects are really only part of the sustainability package. Of course, what comes first is the building itself. I touched on this topic in my post 5 of Canada’s Most Sustainable Buildings, but one of the coolest things about sustainable design (other than it’s planet-saving powers) is that it’s constantly evolving. New technologies plus new ideas meet and mingle and suddenly an ingenious green product or practice is born. And with another year coming to an end, it’s always inspiring to take a look at current and upcoming innovative sustainable architecture trends. From showing off solar to filling walls with straw – here are 5 of the most innovative trends in sustainable design.
Ah, the Christmas stocking. Stocking stuffer gifts are unfortunately one of those holiday traditions that can be… well… really wasteful. Don’t get me wrong, I love stockings and I certainly would not advocate for getting rid of them, but they shouldn’t be an excuse to buy crap. You know what I’m talking about. Cheap trinkets. Chocolates wrapped in plastic in a box wrapped in plastic. Gag gifts that are good for a laugh and then immediately discarded. I’ll admit, I’ve thoughtlessly bought junky stocking stuffer gifts in the past. But this year I vow to do better. Shall we do better together?
Home trends may come and go, but there’s one trend that better not be going anywhere and that’s eco-friendly decor! I truly believe that this is where the design and decor world is headed anyway. Essentially, it has to. Our planet’s population is growing and our resources are depleting. And I strongly believe that NOW, not tomorrow, not next year, is the time to make a change.
Of course, change can be overwhelming. Which is why the best way to do it is in small, easy to manage bits. If you haven’t done so yet, greening your home decor is such a simple (and fun!) way to make a change.
When I was a kid, I loved me a bowl of canned tomato soup. I don’t even think my family bought the “good” stuff – it was strictly no name brands for us back then. But it didn’t matter. Throw a can on the stove, fry up a grilled cheese sandwich (with the no name processed cheese) and I was in little kid heaven.
My tastes may have matured a bit, but I still love tomato soup and a grilled (vegan) cheese sandwich. The problem is, it’s not easy to find canned tomato soup that doesn’t have some kind of milk ingredient in it.
With Halloween fast approaching, and American Thanksgiving on its way, I keep seeing cute DIY pumpkin crafts everywhere. And I’m not talking about construction paper Jack-o-Lanterns. I’m talking about DIY pumpkin crafts for adults. Because adults like crafting too, you know? You can also add this project to the easy pumpkin crafts column. Adults may like to craft, but adults don’t usually got a lot of spare time.
Now, with the exception of Christmas, I’m not usually a seasonal decor kind of person. I tend to keep things the same year-round, because it’s much more eco-friendly than buying a bunch of new stuff every time the weather changes. Plus, it takes a lot of extra time and effort to be constantly updating your decor.
For those of you who do it – and do it in an eco-conscious manner, ie: repurposing old items and materials, buying secondhand items – I salute you! But I’m just going stick to my nature-inspired holiday decor and my latest project – a DIY pumpkin made from old book pages. If this project sounds familiar it’s because I made DIY paper orbs from old book pages a few months ago. Now, I’m simply pilfering my own idea and using the same method to make a pumpkin!
I may cause those of you who love Halloween to scratch your wig-covered heads – because you’re already wearing your costume, obviously – when I tell you that I’m not a fan. Then you ask through your plastic glow-in-the-dark vampire teeth, “What’s not to love?”
Don’t you like costumes? I’m a dancer – of course I like costumes! What about candy? I’ve been known to down an entire bag of sour Skittles in one sitting. A big bag too. And scary stories? I’m not a fan of the super gory stuff, but a tastefully told ghost story? Yeah, you got my attention.
So, why don’t I like Halloween? Well… because it’s wasteful!
Guys, I am obsessed with secondhand shopping. I’ve always loved a good thrift find and grew up on garage sales and antiquing, but only recently have I switched to buying only clothing and household items that are pre-loved. I actually have not bought an item of clothing for myself or my kids since the spring and the last time I bought anything home-related was last year for my nature-inspired holiday decor.
Sure, I still buy new things sometimes. Ballet shoes, craft supplies, gifts. But man do I have really good luck thrifting.
Rooms for kids are the perfect place to go all out with eco-friendly decor. Why? Because so many parents already want their child’s room to be non-toxic and tend to gravitate toward natural materials anyway. (With the exception of all that unnecessary plastic. There are other options – I promise!) Kids’ rooms are also the perfect place to throw in some secondhand furniture and decor – because it means saving money! And, more importantly, it means there’s no need to buy brand new – and no need for all the packaging that comes with new items. Plus, by involving your kids in the decorating process, you can explain to them why you’re choosing green items and start them on the road to living an eco-conscious life. Because teaching the next generation to consider how they impact the environment in everything they do is the key to a sustainable future!
Even if you’re not a student, or don’t have kids in school (or kids at all), back-to-school season is still a great time to re-evaluate your life in terms of healthy eating. I actually find September to be a better time to start “resolutions” as it actually feels like a new beginning. (Unlike January, which here in central Alberta just feels really, really, really cold.)
Summers are so free-spirited – at least for me and my family. Perhaps, a little too free-spirited? Don’t get me wrong. I L-O-V-E summer. I’m totally a walking-around-barefoot-not-knowing-what-day-or-time-it-is kind of person for the entire month of July and about half of August. But then I get the itch. The itch for routine. For wearing shoes. For going to bed on time and eating home-cooked meals more often than takeout.
