Eco-Friendly Painting

With numerous choices for eco-friendly paints, it makes it difficult to understand the difference. The most common choice for an green paint is a standard latex. There are dozens of decorative paints, stains and sealers but we will talk about that in a future post.

When selecting a green paint look for a third party verification like Green Seal or Green Guard. These two non-profits have much stricter standards than what is required by the federal government. You should ask to see if the paint has formaldehyde and how many VOC’s are in the paint. While many paint bases are traditionally low VOC paint, the tints and colorants that are added to paint are the real cause. Many paint companies are starting to reformulate these colorants by creating color rich organic pigments. Paints that are great are LoVo, Co2, American Pride, Mystic and Yolo to name a few. Green Paint is applied slightly differently but these brands are just as durable and colors just as bold as traditional paints.

Eco-Friendly Kitchen

They have a green alternative option for almost every component of a kitchen. The canister lights can be changes to CFL or LED. LED’s can produce the same amount of light, full dimmable and only consumes 2 watts compared to a standard 75 watt bulb. Cabinets can be produced without any toxins in the wood and non-toxic finishes. Appliances can be converted to high efficiency, an appliance that is 93% or higher efficiency will pay for itself several times over compared to a standard 70 or 80% efficiency appliances. Tile for the backsplash can be made from recycled glass and the floor from recycled ceramic. You can also put in engineered hardwood or bamboo flooring as eco-friendly flooring options. Green Counters can be made from a recycled glass and concrete mixture from local manufacture glassi or ice stone. PaperStone makes a very cool countertop made from recycled paper that is even used in commercial applications. You could also install bigger windows to maximize the light intake. Solartubes can also be a great addition to a kitchen to bring in some natural light. You can change the water fixtures to low flow to conserve water and the list goes on and on.

Spring Clean with Green Cleaners

We collected some of our favorite recipes to create green and natural cleaning products that are simple to make at home.

Green All Purpose Cleaner
1/2 teaspoon washing soda, a dab of liquid soap and 2 cups of hot water
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with sponge or rag.

Natural Wood Furniture Polish
3/4 teaspoon olive or mineral oil, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (optional).
Mix throughly in a squirt bottle. Shake well and squirt on furniture or rag and rub into the wood.

Eco-Friendly Glass Cleaner
1/8 cup Vinegar, 1 cup water.
Mix ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake and apply, wipe clean.

Green Tub and Tile Cleaner Recipe
1 2/3 cup of water, 1/4 cup liquid soap, 1/4 cup baking soda, 2 tablespoons vinegar and a few optional drops of essential oil.
Add soap to water and let dissolve. Stir in baking soda and then add vinegar. Store in a squirt bottle and shake before using. Rinse throughly.

Chicago Green Festival- We have a booth!

GreenWerks will have a booth at the Chicago Green Festival on May 17 and 18th at Navy Pier. The Chicago Green Fest is an excellent event where you can learn, see and can buy green. There are tons of green workshops, eco-friendly vendors and delicious organic food and wine. GreenWerks will be sharing a booth 2 Point Perspective, a green home architect. So come by and check out our booth, we look forward to seeing you at the show.

PS If you stop in our office (9a-4p) we have half off coupons for the Chicago Green Festival while supplies last. If you are on the northside you can stop in GreenMaker Supply on Pulaski, they also have a the coupons to pick up for the Green Fest.

Learn More about the Green Festival with the video!

Chicago Green Festival

The Chicago Green Festival is just over a month away and we are all excited here at the office. This two day event held at Navy Pier is an excellent event to learn about green organizations in Chicago. They have green seminars and workshops from various eco-friendly experts. More than 350 diverse local and national green businesses displaying and selling eco-friendly, fair trade and sustainable products.

You’ll also enjoy great how-to workshops, green films, a fair trade pavilion, yoga and movement classes, kids’ zone, delicious organic beer, wine and cuisine, and live music.

Chicago Green Festival is May 17 & 18, 2008

Show Hours
Saturday 10AM- 8PM
Sunday 11AM- 6PM

Venue and Address
Navy Pier
600 E Grand Avenue, Chicago

PS. You can pick up discount 2 for 1 coupons at GreenMaker Supply in Chicago. (They are located at 2500 N Pulaski) GreenMaker is a green building supply that has just about everything you need to go green. See you there!

Green Home Design Center- Grand Opening!

Come and celebrate the Grand Opening of Green Home Design Center the day after Earth Day (April 23rd). Come and enjoy good company with wine and appetizers. Party begins at 5pm till 8pm, the Green Home Chicago Design center is located at 213 N Morgan, Suite 1D, Chicago, IL and you can call them directly at 312-432-9400, if you have any questions. We hope to see you at this green home party! See you then…

CFL- the better bulb

Compact florescent bulbs (CFLs) are those swirley little guys that look like soft-serve ice cream cones. Actually, they come in a myriad of different shapes, sizes, and colors of light. Economically speaking, they’re a great deal, too. CFLs cost a bit more than an incandescent, but use about a quarter as much energy and last 7 times longer (usually around 10,000 hours). It is estimated that a CFL pays for its higher price after about 500 hours of use. After that, it’s money in your pocket. Also, because CFLs release less heat, not only are they safer, but your cooling load is less in the summer. CFLs aren’t hard to find anymore, and many cities will give them away for free, including Chicago. You can pick them up at most local alderman’s office or at the Center for Green Technology. Call ahead to confirm.

How to green your lighting from treehugger.

Suit made out of pop bottles

The lining and the EcoGir jacket is made from 100% discarded PET bottle. It takes about 30 recycled pop bottles to create this suit. Innovation continues to involve and impress the team here at GreenWerks.

Innovation is driving the new flat world and rethinking methods of reusing materials is key to future success. This suit is an excellent example of recycled products being used for another life cycle instead of going into the landfill. Let us know if you have seen any great ideas of innovation recently…Thanks.

An Entire Apartments Furniture in a Box

This idea may give ikea a run for their money. Casulo has created a box with an armoire, a desk, a height-adjustable stool, two more stools, a six-shelf bookcase, and a bed with a mattress. This simple design assembles in less than 10 minutes with no tools. Talk about making it easy to move. Watch the video and see that no part of the packaging is used again. Check out the youtube video.

Source- Tree Hugger