Green Living
Some moms’ to-do lists these days include buying eco-conscious items for the home and finding ways to live green as a family. Metro-area moms and interior designers offered decor and everyday living tips for an eco-friendly home, whether you’re just moving in, renovating or desire to make some simple changes.
Family Room
Your floors hold some of the most square footage in your home. Hardwood floors with a no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) stain are a first choice. If you can get that right, you’re off to a good start.
-- Jillian Pritchard Cooke, interior designer, owner of Buckhead home furnishings and gift boutique BEE and mom to Caillin, 13
Close your shutters and shades during the day. This will prevent solar gain, aka a hotter house. If you cover a window with opaque roller shades, you block out 80 percent of the heat gain.
-- Naomi Mann, who owns interior design firm Mann-Made, which specializes in nurseries, and has two godchildren
Playroom
Cork is an eco-friendly, soft floor for playrooms or bedrooms. Plus, all the kids think it’s really cool.
-- Melinda Hicks, Dacula resident, owner of Big Organic Garden and mom to Julia, 6
Baskets made with recycled or plastic materials are a way to have something in your home that can hold toys, pretty objects or knitting. It’s sustainable as well.
-- Pritchard Cooke
Kitchen
Keep old glass jars from pasta sauces and jelly to put leftovers in. If you need bigger containers, purchase glass ones rather than plastic.
-- Mann
Create an organic herb garden on your kitchen windowsill. Also, buy a filter pitcher for water instead of using water bottles.
-- Laura Turner Seydel, owner of Buckhead’s EcoManor, the Southeast’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified residence, and mom to teenagers John R, Vasser and Laura Elizabeth.
One of the biggest, most economical changes we made in the kitchen is getting rid of microwave popcorn and buying an air popper for $20. Now we buy organic popcorn in bulk, which is super cheap and lasts forever. We store it in old glass jars and we don’t have to throw out cardboard and plastic every time we want popcorn.
-- Hicks
Master Bedroom
The bedding that can keep you the coolest in the summertime, and is most environmental, is linen. If you’ve never slept on a linen bed, it’s a real treat. Washed linen has a real soft feeling to it that’s not anything like a washed cotton or a washed bamboo.
-- Pritchard Cooke
Buy a natural mattress, which is breathable, hypoallergenic, anti-dust mite and naturally fire retardant. If you are not in a place to replace your mattress, buy organic mattress pads and sheets.
-- Mann
Kids’ Room/Nursery
We purchased recycled sign letters (through Timeless Treasures at www.timelesstreasuressf.com/) to spell out our son’s name on the wall above the crib.
-- Holli Hines Easton, Buckhead resident and mom to 2 ½-year-old daughter Smith, and son Asher, who turns 1 in June
When we made over my 13-year-old Laura Elizabeth’s room, we used an organic mattress and box springs from BEE, carpet out of sheared lambs wool and no-VOC paints. We used beige organic cotton sheets and a new duvet made of vegetable dyes in her room, which also has a big cutout and posters of Justin Bieber.
-- Turner Seydel
Laundry/Utility Room
Use a front-loading washing machine and wait until you have a full load. If you only have a couple of items to wash, give your child a bucket and some detergent and let them “play” in the water.
-- Hicks
You will save 85 percent of the money and energy consumed by a hot-water load if you chose to use cold water to wash your clothes. If you are in the market for a new washer, get a front load washer -- they use 60 percent less energy and 36 percent less water. Front load washers are also gentler on your clothing.
-- Mann
Bathrooms
When cleaning the bathroom, it is crucial to not use toxic chemicals for cleaning, but also important to get rid of any germs, so for sinks, countertops, showers, tubs and tile, you can use baking soda and water. If you need something for a little more scouring, you can add a few drops of Dr. Bronner’s (hemp-formulated liquid soaps).
-- Mann
We used gorgeous hemp fabrics for the shower curtain.
-- Hines Easton
Garden and Outdoors
We have three 50-gallon rain barrels within 10 feet of our garden that capture more than enough water to keep the plants happy.
-- Hicks
We put kitchen scraps, including fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds and eggshells, into a compost barrel in our backyard. You can use it in your flower beds or your garden beds. It makes it nutrient rich without using chemicals. It’s something my grandmother taught me how to do when she raised vegetables and award-winning roses in Birmingham, Ala.
-- Turner Seydel
