Going green…we seem to hear that phrase constantly. Each night on the news there is another story about “going green”, talking about saving on energy requirements and recycling our trash. When it comes to interiors, the green design umbrella, indeed, is quite wide and covers everything that affects the quality of the environment and our health, from air quality to sustainable products, to the methods of manufacturing, which should also be environmentally non-polluting and non-toxic.

Green design, also called “sustainable design”, “eco-design, and “design for the environment”, is responsible design and encompasses the conservation of energy and water, as well as the use of products which will not pollute the environment and which are recyclable and/or bio-degradable (the term in the industry is “cradle to grave”). The goal of green design in interiors is to produce places and products which reduce the use of non-renewable resources, minimizes environmental impact and relates people with the natural environment. It can include the design of small objects for everyday use, to designing buildings and cities in such a way as to lessen adverse effects on the planet and on the health, safety, and welfare of the general public. The “green” design movement, which started several years ago in the commercial arena, has moved into the residential and hospitality sectors, with even hotels “going green”.

To get specific, there are a number of ways to “go green” when it comes to our interiors, and it doesn’t simply mean conserving water, changing to fluorescent lamps, or installing a solar system for cooling your home. There are green products on the market which can not just help the planet, but also improve the overall health of you and your family, without sacrificing style and creativity. When it comes to green products for the home, think surfaces: walls, floors, ceilings, and furniture.

First, let’s take flooring. Hybrid fibers for carpet are now being manufactured with PLA, a corn-based fiber, minimizing the use of petroleum based fibers such as nylon and polyester. Many mills are recycling their yarns and using sustainable carpet backings free of chlorine, formaldehyde, and PVC’s ( poly vinyl chloride), off-gases which are very toxic. Vinyl floor products are being reconstituted with greener resins, also eliminating the VOC’s ( volatile organic compounds), thus improving indoor air quality. Cork, bamboo, and wood flooring made from renewable forests are good products to consider. Linoleum, made from linseed oil, and used extensively in commercial installations, is a wonderful product for residential use. Colors can be mixed together in vivid and organic designs to create fun play areas for childrens’ rooms. And the adhesives for these products have also gone “green”, with water soluble additives, rather than toxic epoxy bases.

Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams have introduced green paint products and wallcoverings, both paper and vinyl, are now manufactured in green plants and have eliminated VOC’s and formaldehydes. They are manufacturerd to be “breathable”, thus reducing the incidence of mold and mildew. Fabrics, also, are being manufactured with recycled yarns, conserving energy and waste. New stain resistant chemicals are available for topical use on fabrics and carpet, eliminating the need to introduce harsh chemicals into the environment.

When it comes to counter tops, the market is now rich with beautiful recycled glass products (Coverings, Inc. has a great product called Bio-glass), quartz products, and Nu-crete, a lightweight concrete product that looks fabulous on kitchen counters.

And lastly, building products, from cinder blocks to wood to drywall are now available as green products, so you can literally “go green” from the outside to the inside. The green trend is so strong, that very shortly, almost all products for both home and office will be green in some way: either in the way they were made, to their content, to their energy efficiency. Bottom line: with so many wonderfully designed green products available, it is almost impossible not to “go green”.

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