I don’t write often about my daughter here, mostly because I generally prefer to embrace the normalcy of our lives than to talk about her battle with leukemia. She’s doing well — wonderful in fact, and she hasn’t let any of it slow her down. Not even a little. Doctor’s appointments are a mere blip on our radars now, and in between, she’s just a normal little girl who loves to dance to Just Dance 2 and Michael Jackson The Experience

But I have a favor to ask on her/my own behalf today. I recently entered Ja’Naya into a contest sponsored in part by Kiwi Magazine, a great magazine for green moms. The Small Moments photo contest challenges parents to create a photo book featuring a child (or children) to be entered for a chance to win some amazing prizes:

• Grand Prize Package: $15,000 college scholarship, $5,000 toward a vacation, an article on you and your child in Kiwi Magazine, a feature article on SmallMoments.com, a gift bag from their promotional partners. The winner is selected by judges.
• People’s Choice Prize Package: $5,000 college scholarship, $2,011 in cash, a feature article on SmallMoments.com, a gift bag from their promotional partners. This award is given to the child who has the most votes on their photobook by March 8th, 2011.
• Weekly Winners: $500 in cash, child’s photo featured on Small Moments website, a gift bag from their promotional partners. Every week, the entrant with the most votes that week will win a prize.
• Modeling Contracts: Five entrants will be chosen by Patti Fleischer (Founder and President of Generation Model Management, NYC) for an exclusive contract with her company.

While the final 2 prizes would be nice and I absolutely believe my princess is more than gorgeous enough to be a model, what we really have our eyes on is the college scholarships.

I would love to have you head over to Ja’Naya’s photobook to check out photos I’ve shot of her over the past year and a half or so, read her story and vote for her. To vote, click the cloud button on the top right corner of her entry page. You can vote once a day, and I’d love to have you go back every day and do so! (I’ll owe you one)

And of course, you can create your own photo book and enter your own child for the same prizes if you’re so inclined. Just click here to learn more and submit your entry.

Thanks in advance!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Remember back at the beginning of October when I shared my entry in Ecover’s 30 Under 30 contest? If you don’t remember, Ecover is seeking 30 young people under 30 years old who are actively working to protect the planet. Well, I have great news.

I’m a finalist!

That mean’s I’ve already won Ecover products for a year, but I want to take this all the way. I want to win the grand prize: my choice of a 6’ Santomer dining tableSantomer bed and 2 Paulista benches OR a and 2-drawer end table by Environment Furniture, which are made from pieces of Peroba Rosa wood recovered from an old Brazilian coffee factory.

The entries are up for public voting, and voting is only open for five days, from November 1-5. I need your help. Each person can vote once a day, and anyone can vote. Please vote for me and spread the word on Twitter and Facebook. If you’d like a prewritten post to make this easier, here you go:

For Twitter:

Jennae could really use your vote! @greenyourdecor is finalist in @EcoverUS 30 Under 30 Contest for environmentalists! http://bit.ly/b7tSyS

For Facebook:

Jennae Petersen of GreenYourDecor.com has been selected as a finalist in the Ecover 30 Under 30 Contest for young environmentalists who are making a difference. She could really use your vote! http://bit.ly/b7tSyS

And I’m willing to up the ante…

The Giveaway

Remember those fabulous organic cotton pillows from Areaware that I posted earlier today? Every person who votes for me today and tomorrow will be entered to win 2 Areaware pillows of your choice from Gilt Groupe’s sale! There are several ways to enter:

1. Vote for me, then come back here and leave a comment letting me know that you did! You can vote once a day, and you’ll get an entry for each time you vote and leave a separate comment.
2. Send out a tweet asking your followers to vote for me. Then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.
3. Ask your Facebook friends to vote for me. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Facebook user name.

I really need your support to bring this home, and you can get 2 stylish new pillows out of the deal as well! The Gilt Group sale ends at 9 a.m. EST November 4, so the giveaway entry period ends at 11:59 p.m. November 3, 2010. It also means I’ll need the winner to contact me no later than 7 a.m. EST November 4 to claim their prize so I’ll have time to order the pillows you choose! You have up to 4 chances to enter. Thanks for your support and good luck in the giveaway! U.S. mailing addresses only!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Advocating green living is something I do simply because I believe in the cause, but it’s always good to be recognized for doing what you love, isn’t it? I recently entered Ecover’s 30 Under 30 contest, in which they are seeking 30 young people under 30 years old who are actively working to protect the planet.

Given that the interest I developed in sustainability a few years ago has since snowballed into a driving force in my life and business, and definitely wanted to enter the contest. The prize was an even bigger incentive: my choice of a 6’ Santomer dining table and 2 Paulista benches OR a Santomer bed and 2-drawer end table by Environment Furniture, which are made from pieces of Peroba Rosa wood recovered from an old Brazilian coffee factory. The 30 finalists will win Ecover cleaning products for a year.

My entry has been approved by the contest administrators, but it still must be reviewed by a panel of judges who will choose the entries that move on to the final public vote. I would love to be among those selected for the top 30. Please help me convince the judges that what I’m doing here at Green Your Decor and via my graphic design business, Hibiscus Creative, is worthwhile.

Visit my contest entry and take the time to leave a comment, however brief. I will be forever indebted to you.

Thanks in advance!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

My family recently moved into an apartment in an older building that comes with a lot of quirks. The water running from our faucets turns brown on days with a lot of rain, and no matter what we do to get rid of them, we find at least a few occasional spiders and bugs. We can’t do much about these issues, but there were some changes we knew we wanted to make. Among them: Installing a low-flow, handheld showerhead.

The Earth Massage Handheld Chrome Showerhead by Niagara Conservation operates at just 1.5 gallons per minute, which really adds up when you consider the fact that many showerheads spit out water at 2.5 gallons per minute or more. When they contacted me, I couldn’t wait to review it. We can’t see or feel the difference, which is a good thing. In fact, the water pressure is better than it was with our previous showerhead, and we are showering just as effectively now as we were before we made the switch. Knowing that we’re conserving water without any extra effort is a great feeling, and to maximize those savings, we try to keep our showers as short as possible. One of the upsides of living in an older building is that the water gets hot immediately, so there’s no water waste while we wait for the water to warm up.

My favorite feature, by far, is the 72″, tangle-free hose, which makes bathing my 4-year-old a whole lot easier. As I mentioned, we live in an older building, and the surface of the tub shows its age. I’m not really comfortable letting her sit on the uneven surface for a bath, so I turn on the shower and hand her the showerhead, making the experience much more interactive for her and a heck of a lot easier for me.

I do wish that the showerhead came with a few more spray settings. It comes with just 2 settings, although you can moderate the water pressure one of the two settings by rotating the edge of the head. I use the highest settings when I need a hot, massaging shower, and lower pressure when bathing mini me, as she’s not fond of the sensations of dozens of streams of water pounding her sensitive skin.

Overall, I’m thrilled to know that we have a stylish, quality showerhead that is saving us water and energy, even if we don’t have to pay a separate water bill (it’s included in our rent).

Why It’s Green:

• Uses a low 1.5 gallons per minute, which can save thousands of gallons of water a year compared to traditional shower heads
• Can save up to 40% more energy than traditional shower heads

Price: $29.99

(review)

Want to win?

Three lucky readers will win their own Earth Massage Handheld Chrome Showerhead! So how do you win? Visit Niagara Conservation site, then come back here and leave a comment about something you liked or learned. It could be a product or something you learned about the company. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, October 28, 2009, to enter.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list. Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

1. If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, October 28, 2009. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. After you sign up, FeedBurner will send you a verification email. Please do not ignore it — your entry will be invalid if you do not verify. From now on, subscribers will no longer be entered automatically. This will help me avoid choosing a winner who is a subscriber, but who doesn’t necessarily want a specific prize. If you are an email subscriber and you want to be entered, please leave a comment saying that you are an email subscriber and interested in this giveaway. Subscribers will not be entered automatically. You must leave a comment saying that you are a subscriber in order to enter.
2. If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the GYD feed. Then please leave a comment letting me know that you’ve done so, and be sure to include your email address. RSS subscribers are anonymous otherwise. This will let me know that you want to be entered in this giveaway.
3. Blog about GreenYourDecor.com and post a link to your blog entry here.
4. Stumble or give a thumbs up to any page at GreenYourDecor.com via StumbleUpon and post a link to your SU profile to verify your thumbs up.
5. Fave Green Your Decor on Technorati. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Technorati user name so I can verify it.
6. Follow Green Your Decor on Twitter. Then tweet about GYD or this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.

You have until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, 2009, to enter. U.S. mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I’ve always loved the look and idea of a bamboo rug, but I’ve always been cautious about whether it would be practical in an active home environment and whether it would be comfortable to walk on. I’m not talking about bamboo that has been chemically processed down to a soft, cushy fiber, but rugs made of bamboo slats that are much closer to their natural state. Thanks to BambooandTikis.com, I got a chance to test out whether this type of rug is really practical, and whether it would really work with my decor or make it look like a sad attempt at an Asian theme.

I’m happy to report that I had no problems integrating the rug with the rest of my decor. In fact, it is so neutral that I could literally put it in any room and it would be happily at home there. For now, it resides in my bedroom, partially to add style to our somewhat boring space, but also to hide some stains on the carpet underneath it. That’s what I call working double time While the rug does add a distinctly Asian flair to our room, it does so with subtlety, so it doesn’t reek of a themed design.

And in terms of comfort, I love it. It makes me feel like, just for a few steps, I’m living with a beautiful bamboo floor instead of a dingy old carpet that needs to be torn out. So until we’re able to replace all the carpet with luxurious bamboo or sustainable hardwood flooring, I wouldn’t mind having a couple more of these around to give me the same sense of luxury without the price.

Why It’s Green:

• Made of 100% organic Moso bamboo. (Note: Bamboo naturally grows without pesticides, but as the material becomes more popular, many growers are beginning to use pesticides to increase profitability. These rugs use organic bamboo that is allowed to reach maturity before it is harvested)

Price: $15.99-94.99

(review)

WANT TO WIN?

One reader has a chance to win their own 36″ x 48″ (or 3′ x 4′) bamboo rug. So how do you win? Visit BambooandTikis.com, then come back here and leave a comment about something you liked or learned. It could be a product or something you learned about the company. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, June 5, 2009, to enter.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list. Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

1. If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, June 5, 2009. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. After you sign up, FeedBurner will send you a verification email. Please do not ignore it — your entry will be invalid if you do not verify. From now on, subscribers will no longer be entered automatically. This will help me avoid choosing a winner who is a subscriber, but who doesn’t necessarily want a specific prize. If you are an email subscriber and you want to be entered, please leave a comment saying that you are an email subscriber and interested in this giveaway. Subscribers will not be entered automatically. You must leave a comment saying that you are a subscriber in order to enter.
2. If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the GYD feed. Then please leave a comment letting me know that you’ve done so, and be sure to include your email address. RSS subscribers are anonymous otherwise. This will let me know that you want to be entered in this giveaway.
3. Blog about GreenYourDecor.com and post a link to your blog entry here.
4. Stumble or give a thumbs up to any page at GreenYourDecor.com via StumbleUpon and post a link to your SU profile to verify your thumbs up.
5. Fave Green Your Decor on Technorati. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Technorati user name so I can verify it.
6. Follow Green Your Decor on Twitter. Then tweet about GYD or this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.

You have until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 5, 2009, to enter. U.S. mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I know it’s been a few days since the Spring Clean & Green series ended, but I have a couple of great products from the series to give away to one lucky reader. If you’re itching to get your hands on some truly eco-friendly cleaning products, today is your lucky day.

Better Life is giving away one starter kit that includes:

• (1) what-EVER Clary Sage & Citrus all-purpose cleaner (32 oz)
• (1) I Can See Clearly, WOW! glass cleaner (32 oz)
• (1) Simply Floored! ready-to-use floor cleaner (32 oz)
• (1) Even the Kitchen Sink gentle scrubber (16 oz)
• (1) Collapsible six-compartment cleaning caddy
• (1) Twist Euro Sponge
• (1) Twist Loofah Sponge (2-pack)

That’s $39.99 worth of cleaning products that will have you set for a few months. And if you want to get a starter kit without the wait, Better Life has been generous enough to offer a discount for my readers. Use coupon code “gyd10” to get 10% off the price of the kit.

Kangaroom Storage is also offering up a set of their brand new Recycle Bags, made of 100% recycled polypropylene. They’ve certainly made sorting our recyclables an easier and more stylish task, and the bags are washable, so you won’t have to worry about getting them dirty.

WANT TO WIN?

One lucky reader will take home both prizes. So how do you win? Visit the Better Life and Kangaroom websites, and then come back here and leave a comment about something you liked or learned from BOTH websites. It could be a product or something you learned about the companies. Entries that do no include this information for both websites will be disqualified. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, to enter.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list. Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

1. If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, May 19, 2009. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. After you sign up, FeedBurner will send you a verification email. Please do not ignore it — your entry will be invalid if you do not verify. From now on, subscribers will no longer be entered automatically. This will help me avoid choosing a winner who is a subscriber, but who doesn’t necessarily want a specific prize. If you are an email subscriber and you want to be entered, please leave a comment saying that you are an email subscriber and interested in this giveaway. Subscribers will not be entered automatically. You must leave a comment saying that you are a subscriber in order to enter.
2. If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the GYD feed. Then please leave a comment letting me know that you’ve done so, and be sure to include your email address. RSS subscribers are anonymous otherwise. This will let me know that you want to be entered in this giveaway.
3. Blog about GreenYourDecor.com and post a link to your blog entry here.
4. Stumble or give a thumbs up to any page at GreenYourDecor.com via StumbleUpon and post a link to your SU profile to verify your thumbs up.
5. Fave Green Your Decor on Technorati. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Technorati user name so I can verify it.
6. Follow me on Twitter. Then tweet about Green Your Decor or this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.

You have until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, to enter. U.S. mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I have learned a lot about green living while writing and researching for Green Your Decor. I know where to look when I want a rug that won’t offgas noxious chemicals and why it’s a good idea to pay extra for soy-based cushions in upholstered furniture. But I admit I haven’t learned a whole lot about conservation in other ways. Because let’s face it — an FSC-certified, fair trade sculpture makes me feel good about my purchase, but it won’t reduce my energy use or conserve water. I’m trying to be a lot more diligent about making changes that are bigger than just replacing all my light bulbs with CFLs and using the dishwasher when its full. The kind of changes that make an impact that you can’t necessarily see right away. Replacing our existing shower head with a Waterpik EcoFlow 1.5 low-flow shower head was one of my first steps in this direction.

The EcoFlow is supposed to save up to a gallon of water per minute. This alone peaked my interest. The average shower in our home lasts between 10 and 15 minutes, so that’s a big water savings overall.  We just recently received and installed the EcoFlow, but I am cautiously optimistic that over the next month or two, we’ll see a difference — even if small — in our water bill. According to Waterpik’s water savings calculator, if we take 4 showers per day at an average of 12 minutes each, we can save $217.25 over a year, along with 17,520 gallons of water. Those are some impressive numbers.

Installation was a simple process that took my husband less than 5 minutes. And I love the 5 spray settings that can be adjusted by simply rotating the front edge of the showerhead. I’m a sucker for a relaxing shower, so being able to switch between full body coverage, a concentrated spray, misting and two different massage settings has made it a joy for me already.

Switching to a water-saving, low-flow shower head is one of the more affordable changes anyone can make that will have a positive impact on the Earth. And if you’re wondering what we did with our existing shower head, we’re planning on donating it to the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, so it won’t end up in the landfill. I do, of course, wish that the EcoFlow was made with recycled metal content and that the packaging was recyclable #1, #2 or #5 plastic. It still has a ways to go, but a low-flow faucet is a step in the right direction.

Waterpik offers several EcoFlow models, both faucet-mounted and handheld, so you can find one that fits your budget and your needs.

Why It’s Green:

• A low-flow shower head will help you conserve water

Price: $19.99-49.99. Download this coupon for $5 off your purchase of an EcoFlow showerhead.

(review)

WANT TO WIN?

One reader has a chance to win their own EcoFlow showerhead to help reduce water consumption. So how do you win? Visit the Waterpik EcoFlow website, then come back here and leave a comment about something you liked or learned. It could be a product or something you learned about the company. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, April 28, 2009, to enter.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list. Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

1. If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, April 28, 2009. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. After you sign up, FeedBurner will send you a verification email. Please do not ignore it — your entry will be invalid if you do not verify. From now on, subscribers will no longer be entered automatically. This will help me avoid choosing a winner who is a subscriber, but who doesn’t necessarily want a specific prize. If you are an email subscriber and you want to be entered, please leave a comment saying that you are an email subscriber and interested in this giveaway. Subscribers will not be entered automatically. You must leave a comment saying that you are a subscriber in order to enter.
2. If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the GYD feed. Then please leave a comment letting me know that you’ve done so, and be sure to include your email address. RSS subscribers are anonymous otherwise. This will let me know that you want to be entered in this giveaway.
3. Blog about GreenYourDecor.com and post a link to your blog entry here.
4. Stumble or give a thumbs up to any page at GreenYourDecor.com via StumbleUpon and post a link to your SU profile to verify your thumbs up.
5. Fave Green Your Decor on Technorati. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Technorati user name so I can verify it.
6. Tweet about Green Your Decor or this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.

You have until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, 2009, to enter. U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Since I joined Walmart‘s ElevenMoms waaay back in October, there is no time that I have been prouder of the sustainability efforts the retail giant is making than this month — Earth Month. While many of their previous efforts toward sustainability have been behind the scenes — like switching to hybrid delivery trucks and requiring stricter sustainability standards for their suppliers — the changes are finally starting to show up on store shelves. Starting this month, you can find everything from soy candles to organic cotton bedding, dish cloths and towels made of recycled fibers, and even storage bins made of recycled plastic. Though I have some questions about the manufacturing process of these products, I am hopeful about what this means for Walmart, and I’ve made it clear that I hope these products remain on shelves long after April 30.

We ElevenMoms had the opportunity to try out many of these new sustainable products, and one lucky reader will get to take home a prize package containing several of these products. The prize package will include:

Bissell Little Green: This is a compact, but powerful carpet and upholstery cleaner made with recycled plastic content and featuring minimal, fully recyclable packaging, and PVC-free tanks and hose. If you’re stuck with indoor-air-polluting carpet like we are, you want a machine that will deep clean said carpet when you need to. It did a great job removing stains that had long since set and refreshing entire rooms. It’s not quite as effective as renting a good old-fashioned steam cleaner, but it did its job well. Price: $74.88

Brita Digital Filter Pitcher: If you still need help breaking your addiction to bottled water, this pitcher should do the trick. I stopped drinking bottled water a long time ago, so on the very rare occasion that I do drink it, I can literally taste the plastic. No plastic taste here. Some people will say that a filter made of plastic isn’t exactly dark green, and I tend to agree. However, if it stops one reader from buying bottled water, it will have done it’s job. It also includes a digital indicator that shows when the filter needs to be changes, approximately every 2 months. Price: $34.98

White Cloud Green Earth paper towels and toilet paper: We don’t buy or use paper towels at all, but I realize not everyone is as hardcore green as I force my family to be   I still will first recommend ditching disposables in favor of kitchen towels and cloth napkins, but if you are going to buy paper towels, you should aim to buy it with 100% recycled content. And as for toilet paper? I am adamantly against the clear-cutting of old-growth trees for a purpose as inglorious as toilet paper.  Recycled toilet paper is the old way to go if you’re trying to be green. It has a notorious reputation for being hard and scratchy. I can honestly say that of all the brands of recycled TP I have tried, White Cloud Green Earth is easily the softest.

GreenWorks Cleaners: Over the past year or so, I have tried a variety of methods for chemical-free cleaning, from vinegar, lemon juice and peroxide to eco-friendly cleaning products. This isn’t my first experience with GreenWorks, which made by Clorox and endorsed by the Sierra Club.  This stuff just works. The all-purpose cleaner cuts through soap scum with ease, the dishwashing liquid cleans even the toughest dishes and the biodegradable wipes are the only cleaning wipes I’ll even consider buying. I wish I knew more about all the exact ingredients, but I definitely know these products will work on your tough cleaning jobs.

WANT TO WIN?

I’m going to make it easy on you. Leave a comment telling me which product from the prize package you need most and why, and tell me how you and your family are going green. Comments that do not include both parts will be disqualified. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, April 30, 2009, to enter.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list. Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

1. If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, April 30, 2009. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. After you sign up, FeedBurner will send you a verification email. Please do not ignore it — your entry will be invalid if you do not verify. From now on, subscribers will no longer be entered automatically. This will help me avoid choosing a winner who is a subscriber, but who doesn’t necessarily want a specific prize. If you are an email subscriber and you want to be entered, please leave a comment saying that you are an email subscriber and interested in this giveaway. Subscribers will not be entered automatically. You must leave a comment saying that you are a subscriber in order to enter.
2. If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the GYD feed. Then please leave a comment letting me know that you’ve done so, and be sure to include your email address. RSS subscribers are anonymous otherwise. This will let me know that you want to be entered in this giveaway.
3. Blog about GreenYourDecor.com and post a link to your blog entry here.
4. Stumble or give a thumbs up to any page at GreenYourDecor.com via StumbleUpon and post a link to your SU profile to verify your thumbs up.
5. Fave Green Your Decor on Technorati. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Technorati user name so I can verify it.
6. Tweet about Green Your Decor or this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.

You have until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, 2009, to enter. U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I hope you don’t think less of me when I say that I am drooling right now.  What has me in such a tizzy,you ask? Just the sneak peek of HGTV’s Green Home 2009.

I couldn’t embed the video, but you can see it for yourself here. From top to bottom, it is a marvel of eco-friendly goodness, from the recycled wood flooring to the reclaimed wood dining table, energy efficient appliances and row of shiny solar panels.  This home, located in Port St. Lucie, FL, epitomizes all the things that Green Your Decor stands for: The idea that anyone can have a home that treads lightly on the Earth, yet doesn’t sacrifice style, luxury or beauty. I also love the fact that it is a comfortably sized home, but not a mini-mansion. The home also has achieved the elusive LEED Platinum certification, which is an amazing feat in itself.

It helps my opinion, of course, to know that the home is also the perfect size for my family and that the sophisticated, yet eclectic decor is exactly my style. My can easily visualize my husband and I spending late Saturday mornings curled up in the soothing blue master bedroom while my daughter watches cartoons in the too-cute child’s bedroom. And if all of that weren’t enough, the outdoor spaces are to die for, complete with two cushy lounge areas and an upstairs roof deck overlooking the beautiful back yard.

At the end of the day, I just love the idea of living in a home in which the Earth was considered in every single decision, from textiles to energy efficiency, furniture and more. This is the way I try to approach decorating in my own life, so living in the green home would be like owning a small slice of green heaven.

The entry period doesn’t begin until April 17, but until then, you can do what I’ll be doing — watching the tour video over and over again. I don’t know about you, but I’m prepared to move in. Like now.

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Little by little, my husband and I have been trying to green our sleep. We figure that since our bed is the single place where we, and our daughter, spend most of our time, we want to make sure that it is as free of toxins as possible. It’s not feasible for us to buy a new organic mattress set right now, but we are doing our best to make sure that anything we put on top of our existing mattress is eco-friendly. That wasn’t so hard when it came to sheets, but I admit, I hadn’t thought much about our pillows until I was approached by a representative of Natura, a company that specializes in mattresses, pillows and other bedding made of natural materials like wool and natural latex.

I received the Organic Cloud Pillow and the Lavender Pillow to try. Because I’m a side sleeper who tends to have back pain, Natura recommended the organic pillow for me. It is covered in organic cotton fabric and filled with wool. I tend to prefer firm pillows, and the organic pillow delivered. It was very firm and the fibers very compact when I first received it.  I’ve been using it for about 2 months now, and it is  noticeably softer and more pliable than when I first started using it, which I guess is to be expected with any pillow. I have to say, it did help with my back and shoulder pain. I have a habit of rolling pillows under my neck to make myself comfortable, and I find that I no longer have to do that. The Organic Cloud Pillow firmly cushions my head and neck without being too hard.

My daughter was the recipient of the lavender pillow. The pillow includes a sachet containing fragrant lavender that is sewn inside the pillow. As much as I appreciated the aromatherapy, I do have some eco-issues with this pillow. While the fill and batting are made of wool and natural latex, the outer shell is made of polyester. I would have much preferred to have it be covered in organic cotton. It also would have been nice to know whether the lavender in the sachet was organic. I know I’m being picky, but if I’m going to buy a pillow for more $100, it would be great to know all the details.

The lavender pillow was very firm, and pretty heavy too. My daughter is 3, and it’s pretty tough for her to take it from room to room because it is so hefty. That’s a bit rough for a toddler who likes to take her pillow everywhere, but I viewed it as a bonus side effect and incentive for her to leave the pillow where it belongs — in her bed. As for her sleep, I definitely noticed that she is falling asleep a lot faster.  Typically, she tosses and turns a whole lot before falling asleep. Now, I put her to bed, read her a story, and within a few minutes, she’s snoring. I can’t guarantee that’s because of the pillow, but I noticed a change in her sleep pattern when her pillow changed.

What I love about both wool and natural latex is their antimicrobial properties. They are also breathable and tend to keep moisture away from your body instead of sucking it in. These materials are also much less likely than pillows made of traditional fills to contain mold, bacteria, bed bugs or dust mites.  Overall, I definitely prefer the organic cotton pillow simply because the materials used to make it are more natural, but these are some quality pillows that made a noticeable difference in my sleep and my daughter’s sleep, and good rest is truly invaluable.

Why It’s Green:

• Pillow fills made of wool and natural latex, which are both naturally antimicrobial
• Pillows available with organic cotton covers

Price: $102.50-$175 for organic pillows in a variety of sizes

(review)

WANT TO WIN?

Natura has offered up an pair of Organic Cloud Pillows for one lucky reader of Green Your Decor. So how do you win? Visit the Natura website, then come back here and leave a comment about something you liked or learned. It could be a product or something you learned about the company. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, April 7, 2009, to enter.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list. Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

1. If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, April 7, 2009. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. After you sign up, FeedBurner will send you a verification email. Please do not ignore it — your entry will be invalid if you do not verify. From now on, subscribers will no longer be entered automatically. This will help me avoid choosing a winner who is a subscriber, but who doesn’t necessarily want a specific prize. If you are an email subscriber and you want to be entered, please leave a comment saying that you are an email subscriber and interested in this giveaway. Subscribers will not be entered automatically. You must leave a comment saying that you are a subscriber in order to enter.
2. If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the GYD feed. Then please leave a comment letting me know that you’ve done so, and be sure to include your email address. RSS subscribers are anonymous otherwise. This will let me know that you want to be entered in this giveaway.
3. Blog about GreenYourDecor.com and post a link to your blog entry here.
4. Stumble or give a thumbs up to any page at GreenYourDecor.com via StumbleUpon and post a link to your SU profile to verify your thumbs up.
5. Fave Green Your Decor on Technorati. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Technorati user name so I can verify it.
6. Tweet about Green Your Decor or this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.

You have until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, 2009 to enter. U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I’ve said before that throw pillows are a great, inexpensive way to “redecorate” your home once you’re tired of a certain look. For example, my husband I have a large red sectional sofa in storage that we’ve had for several years. Although the sectional is no longer my taste, with my lofty green ideals, it would be hard to justify replacing it just because I’m tired of the way it looks. We previously used deep browns, blacks and tans around the red sofa that gave our home a warm, Earthy look. As much as I like Earthy, I want something bolder with sharper contrast this time around. Since I can’t replace the sofa, I will certainly add a few pops of interest with some new accent pillows. Fabricadbra will be one of the first stops on my list.

Donna Halloran, the incredible owner of Fabricadabra, sent me one of her beautiful throw pillows to review. Without hesitation, I can honestly say that I absolutely love it. The pillow I received features a bold zebra pattern, and I’m just itching to find a great place to use it. I initially imagined bold, solid color bedding with the zebra pillow on top, but it may be a long while before I have said bedding to pair it with. For now, it resides on our bed with our existing bedding. Not exactly a match made in color heaven, I know, but I couldn’t just leave this beautiful pillow sitting in a box. It was just begging to be displayed, so displayed it is.

It may be hard to tell from the photo, but the “white” parts of the fabric aren’t pure white. They are more what I would call “natural” — a color closer to ivory. This is normal with organic cotton fabrics, as it would take a bleaching process to make them snow white. The black also has a pre-faded sort of look, which I personally think looks more natural and unique than stark black.

What’s also great is that the pillow insert is made of natural kapok fibers and covered in organic cotton as well, so it is literally green inside and out. I took closeup photos of the insert and the placement of the zipper on the back of the pillow. I took the insert out and put it back in, and the zipper placement makes it easy to do so. Organic cotton inserts will be available soon, and the inserts are sold separately from the pillow covers.

Fabricadabra carries a wide assortment of natural pillow covers, from great styles in organic cotton to ikats, suzanis, batiks and wool. The fabrics that are not organic are, in most cases, handmade by artisans throughout the world using traditional techniques. Some of the fabrics are also made from scraps from other textiles. There is no shortage of styles and colors to choose from either. You will almost definitely find something that fits your taste.

I personally love my Fabricadabra pillow, so much that I’m now considering putting it away for safe-keeping until I can find a good place to put it.

Why It’s Green:

• Made of organic cotton or wool
• Non-organic fabrics are handwoven and dyed using traditional techniques
• Inserts made of natural kapok fibers, and organic cotton inserts will be available soon

Price: $19-65

(review)

WANT TO WIN?

Fabricadabra has offered up an organic cotton pillow cover with a kapok insert in the fabric of choice for one lucky reader of Green Your Decor. So how do you win? Visit the Fabricadabra website, then come back here and leave a comment about something you liked or learned. It could be a product or something you learned about the company. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 5, 2009, to enter.

One entry per email address. U.S. mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

In order to make Green Your Decor a great green destination (and hopefully your favorite on the web ), I’d love to learn about you and your likes and dislikes. Green Your Decor is growing every day, and I want to continue to give you awesome, original content and present you with sponsors who are relevant to your needs. This brief survey should only take you a few minutes, and in return, you will be entered to win a Get Clean® Healthy Home Pack from Shaklee.

Our sponsor, Karen Hurd of Go Healthy Go, offered up this awesome prize package to help you green your home cleaning regimen. The pack includes:

• Basic H²™ Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate, 16 oz. (1)
• Basic H²™ Organic Super Cleaning Wipes, 35 Wipes (1)
• Scour Off™ Heavy-Duty Paste, 9 oz. (1)
• Dish Wash Concentrate, 16 oz. (1)
• Fresh Laundry Concentrate Fragrance Free HE Compatible, 32 oz. (Liquid) (1)
• Soft Fabric Concentrate, 32 oz. (1)
• Soft Fabric Dryer Sheets, 80 sheets (1)
• Spray Bottles (3)
  • Windows and Mirrors (1)
  • All-Purpose (1)
  • Degreasing (1) – NEW!
• Laundry Measuring Scoop
• Super Microfiber Window Cloth
• Dropper for measuring Basic H²™ (1)

This should be more than enough to get you started cleaning your home without harsh chemicals and additives. So click here to take the Green Your Decor reader survey and enter for a chance to win! The survey will be open until Wednesday, February 11, 2009.

Thank you!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

If you’re trying to green your home and you want to start by painting, this is your lucky week.

Mythic Paint is offering offering two gallons of their awesome zero-VOC paint in eggshell finish in your color of choice and one gallon of primer to one lucky reader of Green Your Decor. This is a great way to start off your next decorating project on a green foot. So how do you win? Visit the Mythic website, then come back here and leave a comment about something you liked or learned about the company and what color you would choose if you won. Comments that do not answer both of these questions will be deleted. And don’t worry — you can change your mind about the color if you win. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, January 19, 2009, to enter.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list. Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

1. If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, January 19, 2009. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. After you sign up, FeedBurner will send you a verification email. Please do not ignore it — your entry will be invalid if you do not verify. From now on, subscribers will no longer be entered automatically. This will help me avoid choosing a winner who is a subscriber, but who doesn’t necessarily want a specific prize. If you are an email subscriber and you want to be entered, please leave a comment saying that you are an email subscriber and interested in this giveaway.
2. If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the GYD feed. Then please leave a comment letting me know that you’ve done so, and be sure to include your email address. RSS subscribers are anonymous otherwise. This will let me know that you want to be entered in this giveaway.
3. Blog about GreenYourDecor.com and post a link to your blog entry here.
4. Stumble or give a thumbs up to any page at GreenYourDecor.com via StumbleUpon and post a link to your SU profile to verify your thumbs up.
5. Fave Green Your Decor on Technorati. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Technorati user name so I can verify it.

So that means every participant can receive up to 6 entries. You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, January 19, 2009, to enter. U.S. mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

Want more?

• Read my review of Mythic Paint
• Win a gallon of Olympic zero-VOC paint

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I change my sheets fairly frequently. Sometimes it’s because I just want the bed to have a new look, but it’s also because I hate doing laundry for one set of sheets. So I’ll take one set off, put another set on, and then wash them all once I’ve built up a decent-sized load. The key for me now is building up a collection of bedding that is all organic as I replace my old, worn linens. The folks over at GreenNest.com sent me an Organic Jersey Sheet Set by Sage Creek Organics to try out, and I’m happy to have these comfy solids in my linen closet.

The sheet set comes in a reusable drawstring bag made of the same organic cotton, so it will be easy to keep all the pieces together when you’re ready to put them away. The first thing I noticed when I unfolded them is that they are ample in size. This is on purpose so they can fit on pillowtop mattresses easily. We don’t have a pillowtop mattress, so that meant lots of extra fabric around the edges of the fitted sheet. We did our best to tuck it under, but I was a little worried that they would shift a lot without straps. Thankfully, the fitted sheet remained in place throughout the night. In fact, we didn’t have to move it at all until we were ready to take them off.

The quality was great as well. The sheets were soft and supple and didn’t even wrinkle very much in the wash. That surprised me because our washer is pretty small and tends to make large sheets wrinkle like crazy. Because the fit was so large to begin with, it’s tough to say whether there was any real shrinkage, but they definitely still fit with lots of room after they were washed.

Overall, they provided a great comfortable night’s sleep, and I think the quality is worth the price. They are available in mandarin (orange), natural and tea green in twin, full, queen and king.

Why It’s Green:

• Made of 100% organic cotton
• Both Green Nest and Sage Creek Organics are a small companies that are built on sustainable practices. Sage Creek supports the World Wildlife Fund, IFAW and several other environmental organizations and only supports Fair Trade suppliers and producers.

Price: On sale now for $77.18-171.69. Get $5 off any order with coupon code “GRNFV.” Exp. 12/31/09.

WANT TO WIN?

The team at Green Nest has offered up a twin organic jersey sheet set in the color of choice for one lucky reader of Green Your Decor. So how do you win? Visit the GreenNest website, then come back here and leave a comment about something you liked or learned. It could be a product or something you learned about the company. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, to enter.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list. Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

1. Voting is closed in the Apartment Therapy Homies awards. Thanks to everyone who voted! You have been credited your 5 entries.
2. If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, January 13, 2009. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. After you sign up, FeedBurner will send you a verification email. Please do not ignore it — your entry will be invalid if you do not verify. From now on, subscribers will no longer be entered automatically. This will help me avoid choosing a winner who is a subscriber, but who doesn’t necessarily want a specific prize. If you are an email subscriber and you want to be entered, please leave a comment saying that you are an email subscriber and interested in this giveaway.
3. If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the GYD feed. Then please leave a comment letting me know that you’ve done so, and be sure to include your email address. RSS subscribers are anonymous otherwise. This will let me know that you want to be entered in this giveaway.
4. Blog about GreenYourDecor.com and post a link to your blog entry here.
5. Stumble or give a thumbs up to any page at GreenYourDecor.com via StumbleUpon and post a link to your SU profile to verify your thumbs up.
6. Fave Green Your Decor on Technorati. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Technorati user name so I can verify it.

So that means every participant can receive up to 11 entries. Yes, I said 11. You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, to enter. U.S. mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I will readily admit that when I was little, I hated getting practical Christmas gifts. You know the kind: towels, sheets, socks, underwear…Not exactly exciting for a child. But now that I’m an adult (at least I act like one sometimes ) I can appreciate the practicality of those kinds of gifts. When my husband and I moved into our first apartment, we would have been in heaven if someone had given us some beautiful towels or a slipcover for our old, worn sofa.

So I’m really looking forward to giving these away to a lucky reader of Green Your Decor. A.R.E. Naturals has generously offered up a pair of blue Coyuchi organic cotton towels for one winner. If you have never used organic cotton towels, trust me when I tell you there is nothing like them. They are silky soft and as comfortable as can be. And Coyuchi is well known for high-quality organic linens, so they would make a beautiful Christmas gift. Just make sure you’re giving them to someone who can appreciate their value.

Why It’s Green:

• Made of organic cotton

Price: $6-44

Want to win? Visit the A.R.E. naturals website, then come back here and leave a comment about something you liked or learned. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, December 22, 2008 to enter. The winner will be notified after Christmas.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list. It is very important that you leave a separate comment for each entry:

1. If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, December 16, 2008. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. After you sign up, FeedBurner will send you a verification email. Please do not ignore it — your entry will be invalid if you do not verify. From now on, subscribers will no longer be entered automatically. This will help me avoid choosing a winner who is a subscriber, but who doesn’t necessarily want a specific prize. If you are an email subscriber and you want to be entered, please leave a comment saying that you are an email subscriber and interested in this giveaway.
2. If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the GYD feed. Then please leave a comment letting me know that you’ve done so, and be sure to include your email address. RSS subscribers are anonymous otherwise. This will let me know that you want to be entered in this giveaway.
3. Blog about GreenYourDecor.com and post a link to your blog entry here.
4. Stumble or give a thumbs up to any page at GreenYourDecor.com via StumbleUpon and post a link to your SU profile to verify your thumbs up.
5. Fave Green Your Decor on Technorati. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Technorati user name so I can verify it.

So that means every participant can receive up to 6 entries. You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, December 22, 2008, to enter. U.S. mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email after Christmas. Good luck everyone!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.