Cover Story

Eco-friendly spaces

Infuse your life with green at work, at home or in the garden

By Deborah Elovic

ROCKFORD WOMAN

Apr 25, 2008 @ 12:01 AM

Mother Earth at the office
Some of us are cubicle dwellers, some inhabit swanky offices, while others use their car as a catch all. Here are simple ways to make any office greener:

Buy recycled papers and notebooks at Office Max and Office Depot. Or shop Mead product at mead.com.

Recycle your ink cartridges and toner. Sell your empty cartridges to Cartridge World or get $3 off any purchase at Office Max or Office Depot for empty cartridges. Those same stores also sell recycled cartridges and toners.

Invest in a daily planner of recycled material. What better way to remind you to go green every day!

Green Interior Design
Dream about making your home an eco-friendly space? Then join the growing trend with these tips from Angela Jones, a “green” interior designer, who focuses on using sustainable materials, which don’t deplete precious forests:

Brighten your walls with a new color palette, only skip the paint smell and buy low-VOC paint (Volatile Organic Compound). Most local stores carry some low- or zero-VOC paints; just ask!

Replace the wall-to-wall carpeting with bamboo flooring. Local selections at Menards, Lowe’s and Home Depot are limited, but most stores do carry at least one type of bamboo flooring. Just remember that like hardwoods, bamboo comes in a wide range of qualities and prices.

Invite a taste of the tropics indoors with rattan and wicker furniture, or buy used wood furniture. Update sofas and chairs with organic slipcovers.

Toss the chemical-laden cleaning products and opt for natural alternatives. Check out the selection at World Market.

‘Green’ grass
Now you can make your grass even greener with organic herbicides.

Corn gluten meal is a high protein “natural pre-emergence herbicide.” Applied in the spring and fall, it prevents weeds from sprouting. Rock Valley Greenhouse has been carrying these products for the past three years.

“We have a very loyal following of customers that are devoted to organic gardening,” President David Ott says. “Most consumers still fall back on traditional chemical controls,” but “more education would help organics gain a foothold.”

To learn more, scan organicgardening.com and other online magazines.