What You Need to Know About Asbestos

Fact sheet courtesy of Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance

To learn more about Asbestos and Mesothelioma, check out these resources: http://www.mesothelioma.com/asbestos-exposure/ and http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/

Sponsored Post: Using Natural Materials in Home Décor

source image 

Many people want to be more eco-friendly, but struggle with actually implementing green lifestyle changes. The best place to start is at home, and if you’ve got a renovation project coming up or already have one underway, incorporating natural materials into your home’s new décor is a great way to help the planet. Materials that are sustainably sourced, rapidly renewable or are made from organic fabrics are often free of toxic chemicals. Plus, natural materials look amazing in any home, so your décor will look chic as well.

Reclaimed Wooden Floorboards
There’s no better way to add an element of cozy, rustic charm to your home’s interiors than to work with the flooring you’ve already got. Peel back those carpets and see what condition your home’s existing floorboards are in. You’ll need to be armed with a kit of tools and supplies, including an electric sander and some dye, but if you’re willing to put in the effort the results will look amazing. For a guide to doing it yourself, check out this online tutorial.

Wicker Furniture
Investing in wicker furniture for your garden or conservatory will look lovely as well as being environmentally friendly. It’s a good idea to check with the retailer that the material has been sustainably sourced and is made from rattan or palm vine, so picking a reputable company is incredibly important if you want to be eco-friendly. Give each one a call or visit their website to check where they source their furniture from, a good place to start is Shackletons.

Slate Tiles
Slate tiling looks amazing in kitchens and bathrooms, and as a natural material, it has no harmful manufacturing process attached to it. Even if you don’t want to go the whole hog and re-tile, if you ever come across any scrap slate in your local area, it has a multitude of other uses. Use slabs as place mats or coasters, or even put a wooden frame around it and use it as a rustic notice board in a home office or kitchen.

Something for Everyone
Raw, natural materials will never date, which is why they’re so popular among homeowners that want to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. As we’ve demonstrated, there’s something for budgets both big and small, so everybody can do their bit to help the environment by making a few changes next time they re-decorate.


This post was sponsored by Furniture. Thanks!

Fun Friday: Go Outside!

image courtesy of Crunchy Hippie

Hey you! Its the Friday before the first long weekend of summer...go outside! 

Fun Friday: Recap of Eva & Paul Trunk Show

On Wednesday night I went over to the iLab at Harvard Business school to check out the Eva & Paul Kickstarter. Founder, Julia Kastner, describes her line of jeans as "sustainable and stylish denim with a thoughtful approach to fit." The jeans are made with organic cotton and processed at a mill in India that uses fewer harsh chemicals and less water than typical denim mills. The denim is then sewn into the three styles (skinny, boot cut, and trouser) in New York City's garment district.

After the tragic garment factory collapse in Bangladesh last month and yesterday's deadly shoe factory collapse in Cambodia, it is more important than ever before to be aware of where your clothing comes from and to pay fairly for it. Eva & Paul is not only committed to selling jeans with a minimal environmental impact, but also to pay workers fairly. A friend of Kastner's from business school has direct ties to the Indian mill where the denim is produced. And since the jeans are sewn in the U.S., it is easy for Kastner to ensure the whole supply chain of Eva & Paul is fair. 

So how'd they fit? I tried on the skinnies and the trousers and they both fit really well around my waist. Girls are itching for jeans with a higher waist because, lets be honest,  super-low-rise is only flattering on a tiny percentage of women. The waist of the Eva & Paul jeans were just perfect: high without being "mom jeans." The fabric is super soft and the pockets have the cutest fabric on the interior (which is also made by Indian artisans). I didn't buy a pair, but .... when I need new jeans, Eva & Paul will definitely be at the top of my list!

Learn more about Eva & Paul.

Fun Fact Friday: Brown Students Protest for Responsible Investments

Wonderful inspiring story this morning on WBUR about the power of activism. Brown University students are protesting in hopes that the President and the Trustees will agree to divest coal burning power plants. 

Universities typically invest millions of dollars in all types of companies, but students don't want their university giving monetary power to big coal and oil. Read or hear the full story here. 

To get more info. on how your college's endowment ranks in transparency and sustainability issues, check out the College Sustainability Report Card.

BGB Gets a Content Makeover

image courtesy of lynneknowlton.com

So, up until recently there has been no real rhyme or reason to the content of my posts - but now, to make Boston Green Blog more manageable for all you readers, I am going to post certain types of content on specific days of the week. Hopefully this will make BGB more navigable. I am very excited about this new format, and would love to hear your thoughts!

Mondays - New Perspectives. Each Monday I will feature a post from a guest author.

Tuesdays - Green Tip Tuesdays. Fresh green living ideas coming at ya every Tues.

Wednesdays - Review Wednesdays. Product reviews, business reviews, event reviews and more.

Thursdays - Pencil It In. Notable events happening in greater Boston.

Fridays - Fun Fact Fridays. A mixed bag of informative green topics.