Where Are All the Eco Couches?

When Mark and I sold our house last month, the buyers purchased almost all of our furniture, including our sofa. We were thrilled with the transaction because it meant we could finally buy an eco couch.

Or so we thought.

Go to Google.com and do a search for “eco couch” or “organic cotton couch” or “non-toxic couch” or “green couch” or “environmentally friendly couch” and you won’t find very much (and certainly nothing affordable).

We all know that conventional couches aren’t terribly good for our health, what with toxic glues holding the frame together, non-organic fillers, and flame-retardant fabrics. It’s a good thing organic denim jeans and a bamboo tee comes between us and our couch!

Here's the good news: I love a challenge.

Inspired by a search result that revealed Crate&Barrel has made a green commitment, Mark and I headed over to a Crate&Barrel furniture store. I approached a sales woman and she walked us through the store, pointing out the “eco” sofas (read about their “eco-friendly construction”) but when I asked if they had an organic cotton fabric available, she said no. Disappointed, we started to leave . . . and just as we were almost out the door, the sales woman appeared, holding a book of organic cotton fabric swatches.

Yes!

So as I type this blog, I’m sitting on my eco couch. Mission: Accomplished.

Question of the blog: What eco items are you having trouble finding?

Is Your Air Green?

Yesterday, we got an air purifier for our bedroom. When the box arrived, it was an exciting moment. Of course, as with most things in life, the good is balanced with the bad—when we opened the box, the air purifier was dented.

It’s funny, because while I’m a perfectionist in my professional life (and some parts of my personal life, too) I’m much more relaxed about the house. Each room in our home is actually filled with scratched, cracked, dented, and otherwise damaged furniture we got from the Crate&Barrel (www.crateandbarrel.com) outlet that’s just a few minutes away. In other words, we’re not returning the air purifier. It works just fine and I don’t want to use any additional energy to send it back and get a new one.

But let’s get to the point: I could take a deep breath as I was going to sleep last night, knowing the air I was breathing was cleaner than it had been the night before. Dent or not, that felt great.

Question of the blog: What do you think of air purifiers?