Green Talk™

Rent Your Neighbor’s Possessions at Rentalic Instead of Buying. Save and Be Green.

Anna@Green Talk — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:47:54 PDT

I love companies that are formed out of a founder’s own frustration especially when they have a green mission. In the case of Rentalic, founder, Punsir Abeywickrema, borrowed a wheelbarrow one weekend from his neighbor. Unfortunately, he was unable to finish the job and felt guilty to ask the neighbor to borrow it again. Instead he rented it from a rental company.

The green light bulb went off in his entrepreneurial mind. And ta dah! He created Rentalic so others could borrow without feeling guilty. So, how did he absolve the guilt? Money.

So what is Rentalic?

As explained on the website, Rentalic is a

“Person-to-person rental marketplace

Renting as an alternative to buying new products benefits the environment.

Individuals can earn money by renting out items they own to family, friends, & neighbors

Individuals can save money by renting, instead of buying.

Rentalic provides an innovative online rental marketplace that enables person-to-person renting among friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors. Rentalic enables individuals or businesses to rent items, services, and real estate to/from each other. Rentalic’s platform helps the “people who need stuff” connect with the “people who have stuff”. Rentalic’s philosophy of “Rent | Share | Be Green” fosters reuse and sharing of goods, thereby reducing the carbon footprint while enabling people to save money and earn money.”

I have “stuff to lend.”

As I browsed the website, I realized that people listed such items as a camera, floor lamp, microwave, and tent. This site is not just about borrowing tools. You can list anything provided it does not voilate the Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Rental Policy, Prohibited Items, and Pricing Policy.

Check out the listings to see what can be borrowed. In fact, if you don’t see something you need, you can list a request.

How does it work?

You list your item and your terms, which may include a security deposit. Someone contacts you. The borrower then gets a pre-approval via a PayPal site or owner’s approval site that verifies you have the funds to rent. The owner designates which of these two options they wish to use.

How do you know that the person who is picking up the item is the person who contacted you?

“When the borrower meets with the owner to retrieve the item or service, the borrower is given an authentic secret code from Rentalic. The owner will input the secret code on Rentalic to initiate the transaction, which allows the funds to be deposited into his account. This unique code will inform Rentalic that the transaction is taking place.”

So, how do I get paid?

Money is transferred from Paypal once the owner inputs the number on Rentalic or via a cell phone.

Now, I have simplified the concept and urge you to watch the below short video of how everyone is protected and comes out happy. At the end of the transaction, each party rates each other so if you are a bad borrower or bad owner, everyone will know.

Rentalic is a win-win for everyone and especially the environment. The Company is paid 5% of the rental cost.

Start your own Group.

You can create a group. One notable one is an organization that collects school supplies for children in Sri Lanka. If you are a college kid and want to start a group to encourage other college students to borrow and not buy (to help out their poor parents) start a group like the Vanderbilt U group (note it is not sanctioned by the university).

There is more college kids. Want to help your parents? Check out the Company’s blog post on how to make some money on renting out your textbooks or bicycle to other students.

So if you are a weekend warrior, budding photographer, or want to take a trip and need some gear, check out Rentalic. I bet someone has something you need that is collecting dust in a corner. Don’t go out and buy it. Instead, why not borrow it and save some green? Umm and be green as well.

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ElKay’s EZH2O Water Refill Station. The End of Plastic Water Bottles

Anna@Green Talk — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:31:02 PDT

With everyone sporting their own BYOB (bring your own water bottle) wouldn’t it be nice to have a refill water fountain? Just stick your bottle in the slot and water to go. No more plastic water bottles or paper cups at the cooler.

Well, you are in luck since Elkay’s EZH2O fillable water station with or without a water fountain makes the ubiquitous plastic water bottle or paper cup a thing of the past. Many of you might recognize the name, Elkay, as it pertains to high quality kitchen sinks. In fact, I have their sink products as well. So, I can only imagine the quality of their new venture.

Elkay offers a variety of fillable water stations for new construction or retrofit situations. See here for more information on the different types of EZH2O stations available.

Why am I so excited about this water station? Think about how many water bottles are thrown away rather than recycled. Plus, don’t forget the health concerns surrounding plastic water bottles.

According to the website,

“The EZH2O fill rate* is 1.1-1.5 gpm; 3 times faster than a traditional drinking fountain
One-handed operation allows for a quick fill between activities
The electronic sensor provides touchless, sanitary operation; just place and fill
New WaterSentry® Plus 3000 gallon filter is included (NSF approved for taste, odor and lead reduction)
Integrated Silver Ion Anti-microbial protects against mold and mildew growth
Innovative Green Ticker counts the quantity of 16 oz. bottles saved from land fills for non-refrigerated units and 12 oz. bottles saved for refrigerated units
* Fill rate is 1.1 gpm for refrigerated units and 1.5 gpm for non-refrigerated units”

Watch the below video produced by Elkay that shows you just how easy and convenient one of these water fillers could be in your office, gym, school, or healthcare facility.

The unit is easy to install and maintain. The water is filtered so no more excuses to buy that bottle “filtered” water. (You know the cooler that you hang around to talk about True Blood. Oh, come on I know you do.) The External Visual Filter Monitor indicates when the filter needs to be changed.

But speaking of filters…

So, what happens to the filter at the end of its life. The garbage? I wish when companies create greener options that they think the whole life cycle completely through. Kind of like the green products cradled in Styrofoam. I am contacting the Company and will update the post as to what happens with the filter.

So, if you are on your company’s or school’s green team, or the person (like me) who is jumping up and down in the back of the room trying to green the world, share this post with the higher ups. Tell them how much green they will save by replacing the water cooler or hauling the plastic trash to the landfill if your company does not recycle. Saving green always gives you an in.

So, readers, would you like a refillable water station are your neighborhood grocery store, gym, or large department store? Or how about your office?

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Sustainable Cargo Shipping Options Using the EcoLiner

Anna@Green Talk — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:31:41 PDT

When I first watched the below video of the Ecoliner, a hybrid sailboat, I could not imagine why anyone would use a sailboat for cargo shipping. Even to promote a green alternative. Visions of Captain Jack Sparrow and his Black Pearl of the Pirates of the Caribbean being a green beacon danced in my head. Heck, everyone is going some shade of green today. So, why not?

As I dug deeper I realized that Fairtransport Shipbrokers was on to something. Why not ship your cargo in a sustainable manner for those companies wishing to green their transportation footprint? Why not use the old time way with new technology? A hybrid sailboat.

According to the website, Netherlands based Fairtransport Shipbrokers is chartering department of Fairtransport B.V., a shipping company currently has three ships in its fleet: The Tres Hombres (capacity 55 qms, pallet capacity 20-30,) the Bessie Ellen (one of the last West Country trading sailing ketches, capacity 28 pallets and 30 tons), and the Ecoliner.

So, what is this Ecoliner ship?

“The ecoliner is a type of cargo vessel propelled by a combination of high-tech sail and engine power. This hybrid feature, makes it possible to offer you exactly the same service of speed, freightprice and trustworthiness as expected from a traditional motor cargo vessel. While maximizing the sustainable gain, without having to change your logistic systems. Making use of ecoliners, as ocean transport means, does decrease the polluting emissions of ships by 50%.”

Watch the below video about Fairtransport’s ships. For our email readers, you can click the video hyperlink above. I urge everyone to watch this short video especially when the Ecoliner is featured.

Love sailing? The Company offers a trainee program to sail along:

“You might be interested to sail along on a sailing cargo vessel. Most vessels we work with, take (apart from the professional crew) paying trainees along. Traveling as a trainee on a sailing cargo vessel is a different way to discover the world, while traveling sustainable. It can be a great adventure but also a harsh and hard life, for sure an experience you will never forget. Something different than the average trip from a travel brochure.”

So, readers would you consider using anyone of the above ships to send your cargo to different ports in the world in order to green your freight transportation? Would you consider sailing along?

Note: some spelling changes were made in the above quotes.

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Green News 8.23.10 Smart Meters to Wastewater Rocket Science

Anna@Green Talk — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:27:29 PDT

Photo by Fernando de Sousa.

This week we have a large list of green news which is sure to excite and be dazzle you.

Conflict-Free’ Electronics Bundled in Financial Reform Law
Nanotech coatings can enhance electricity output from wastewater
Foursquare Coming to a Search Engine Near You?
GE and 4 VC Partners Offer $200M to Fund Best Smart Grid Ideas
Why You Should Stop Cutting Costs and Focus on Your Best Customers. I know this is not a green article but it struck a cord in me. I am trying to help businesses cut their budgets by being sustainable. However, there is no substitution for customer service.
Happy Cow Compassionate Eating Guide for a list of vegan restaurants all over the world.
FORD, DETROIT EDISON, XTREME POWER TO BUILD ONE OF MICHIGAN’S LARGEST SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM
Stanford’s new wastewater treatment system uses rocket science
Survey: Consumer Interest in Green Homes Declines
Ohio Utility First to Use Ballard’s 1 Megawatt fuel cell unit
Smart gas meters to ride on growth of smart grid infrastructure
Ford Accelerates Electric Vehicle Battery Testing with Wireless Monitoring Systems

So, readers, have any green news to share? Self-promoting is acceptable. Just share!

Which green news article did you like the best?

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How to Remove Gum From the Dryer and Clothes

Anna@Green Talk — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:17:15 PDT

Check out my video below.

The Bubble Gum Story

Sometime I think we glide through life barely noticing the flowers let alone the bees. And because of this someone above thump you on the head like Little Rabbit Foo Foo, and tells you to wake up. In my case, it was the bubble gum in First Son’s pocket that emplodded in the dryer.

My Poor Dryer Didn’t Know What Hit it.

When I say emplodded I mean it. Pink bubble gum all over the dryer caked on like a bad paint job. A mother’s worse nightmare. Wait a second. No a second worse nightmare. Two months ago, it was ball point pen all over the dryer.

Yes. The Almighty is testing me or either that, someone thinks they are pretty funny up there.

Personally, I feel sorry for this dryer. We abuse the heck out of it with everything little thing that is in my kids’ pockets. Now, some of you are thinking, Anna, don’t you check the pockets?

Yes, when I am focusing which most of the time I am just gliding through the day hoping to take a shower. Why? Because there are blog posts to write, gardening to tend to, dishes, laundry, battles to end so my kids don’t either smack the heck out of the drywall or each other’s teeth, and then there is the poor hubby.

(Trust me. Just because boys get older does not mean they get less physical. That punch just hurts more.)

So, back to the poor abused dryer. Gum. Yep. I just stood there trying to hold back the tears. How was I going to get all of that gum out of the dryer? (Take a look) Oh, and did I mention how each piece of clothing sung a bubble gum tune?

Bad. Real bad.

What was First Born Son’s response?

“You should have checked my pockets when you took the clothes off the floor….” For some strange, illogical reason, he was right but still pissed me off.

How about don’t put the gum in your pocket to begin with?

Oh, by the way, Beth of Fake Plastic Fish (you know the one who eschews plastic) tell me that gum is plastic. Really. Read here her article about what gum is really all about. Maybe if you tell them they are chewing Mr Duckie they will stop chewing gum?

Beside Crying, What did I do about the Gum?

I had to time myself out because I felt like a tissie was coming on. Hurricane Anna with gale winds that were imaginable.

What is the best way from freaking out. Walk away. (As the officer says, “step away from the car, ma’am”) The next morning I did what any gum anquisher would do. (No, I did not call in the gum whisperer.) I sought out my BFF, Sir Google. He gets me.

And he said, go to Thrify Fun since they always have do-it-yourself tips. See here for some tips on removing gum from clothes. Suggestions I tried:

Peanut Butter–did not want to deal with the fat stain
Rubbing Alcohol–did not work
Windex–don’t have. Only use vingear and water for the windows.
WD-40. Not doing.
Ironing the gum onto cardboard. You would think that would work but it didn’t for me.
Throwing the garment in the freezer. I had too many clothes plus the dryer would not fit in the freezer… Plus, the gum was like a stain not something I could peel off.
Boiling water. Didn’t work for me.
Gasoline. Don’t go there with me.

Last but not least. The suggestion that worked…Use Dryer sheets. Generally, I don’t use in the laundry because of how toxic they are and it makes my kids’ eczema worse, but to take out gum, it was worth a try.

See my bubble gum removal video below of my results.

I ended up using Downy dryer sheets. Boy, did they smell. Once you go toxic free, everything smells. But, I was desperate. Forgive me, all of you greenies for being so wasteful and using those darn sheets. You know how I feel about toxic products but I was at my wits end. (I also heard that you can use Downy straight from the bottle.)

According to the comments on Thrifty Fun, you are supposed to put the wet sheets over the gum and then turn on the dryer. Well, I did that twice. The gum was lossen by the dryer sheets but you still have to put in some muscle to get off the gum.

As I mentioned before I think I will use Downy straight from the bottle next time. It seemed like it was the Downy that did the trick.

And the Clothes?

The only thing that worked was warm vingegar. I heated up the vinegar and then dipped a used toothbrush in the warm mixture and scrubbed the gum off. Sometimes, the gum would just come off and other times, I would scrub and scrub.

The trick is to keep the vinegar hot. I used the microwave to heat up the vinegar. After a few minutes, I had to run back to the microwave since once it cooled, it no longer worked.

Word of advice, you can only heat the vinegar a few seconds; otherwise, it heat up and goes all over the microwave. Perhaps a small pot would have been better.

In the end, I cleaned the dryer and 90 percent came out of the clothes.

Readers, how do you remove gum from your clothes or dryers? There has to be a better non-toxic way.

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Source4Style, A Much Needed Eco-Fabric B2B Database Website

Anna@Green Talk — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:19:26 PDT

Source4Style is a new sustainable fabric business to business database that brings together interior and clothing designers with sustainable suppliers. The website is currently in beta and will be open to the public sometime in the next couple of months. The impetus behind the creation of this online database, as explained by co-founder Summer Rayne Oakes, is to offer a scalable solution for the industry and relieve the pains of sourcing.

Oakes is a sustainable strategist, eco-activist-model and author of Style Naturally: The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion and Beauty. Through her consultancy work, she found sourcing eco-friendly materials to be very time consuming.

Think Virtual Eco-Friendly Fabric Trade Show

Source4Style is more like a virtual 365 day trade show than just a database website. And its creation could not come at a timelier juncture with the world grasping at the heels of sustainability. When I heard about the site, I jumped at the chance to take a look. Readers, you know how much I love green decor and have a special place in my heart for sustainable fabrics. Believe me. I have spent many an hour looking for sustainable fabrics for my own home. I don’t envy designers. For that matter, I don’t envy my own designer who constantly sees me shake my head when I tell her, not sustainable enough. I want it all. Sustainability and Glam. But did I mention in traditional patterns too?

Before, you go running to the website, hold your horses. It is a beta invitation only site at the moment. I was devastated when I went to click on the site. However, every cloud has a silver lining. Oakes graciously took the time to walk me through the mechanics of the website. See the below video interview as well as the podcast for those wishing to listen to just both Oakes and my beautiful voices. I encourage you to listen to one or the other since Oakes is quite passionate and a wonderful speaker.

A Sustainable Designer’s Dream Website

Was I impressed? You bet.

Will it make a designer’s life easier? Absolutely. You can source the type of material from silk to rayon with each fabric displaying a story about its certifications and origins. In the alternative, you can source the material based upon your end goal as a designer. For example, someone might want to source fabrics that are hand woven to help disenfranchised woman versus someone looking for an organic fabric. As the website evolves to a public beta, Oakes indicates that there will be icons for each fabric indicating whether the fabric is, for example, fair trade, organic, and/or contains recycled content.

What I loved best about the website is that you are able to actually see the material up close and personal due to the website’s zoom capability. I was dazzled by the quality of the photography. You can actually see the weave.

Like what you see, and you want to order samples, no problem. There is an option for this as well.

Who Gets to Flaunt their Green Wares?

One concern I had before interviewing Oakes, is how will the Company determine who gets to play in the sandbox? Which means, how will they determine who is green. Everyone these days seems to claim their product is green in some way.

Oakes explains that all fabrics must contain a verifiable certification. However, fabric suppliers with a social mission who cannot afford certification will be given some leeway. The Company has a four page questionnaire to assist in creating the transparency of the fabric and its orgins. Plus, as Oakes states either co-founding partner, Benita Singh or her have “boots on the ground” to visit the suppliers.

But Oakes and Singh realize that being green is important; however, there are other factors that designers use in order to source the right materials. The site will list among others, lead times, and minimum and maximum orders, flammability, pilling, rubs, weight, and weave.

Why do you want your green fabric on the site?

Oakes views Source4Style as a marketing arm to bring designer and supplier together. There will be a cost to the supplier to display their fabric, but in the end it will be minuscule compared to the exposure a supplier will receive.

What about the designers who can’t reach the usual miniums?

The good news is that many of the suppliers seem amenable to lowering their minimums to help smaller independent designers. In addition, Oakes stated that a designer buddy system similar to a cooperative or designer to designer excess fabric sales are ideas that are being discussed.

Why do I think this Site will succeed?

Oakes and Singh are no stranger to the rigors of sourcing sustainable fabrics. Oakes as a sustainable strategist has worked with many companies in creating sustainable brands such as the likes of Payless ShoeSource’s Zoe&Zac line and Portico Home and Spa’s organic bedding line. In addition, she is the editor at large of Above, a UK avante garde fashion and environmental magazine.

Singh, equally impressive, co-founded Mercado Global, a non-profit which employs more than 300 women artisans to help break the cycle of poverty through the payment of fair trade wages and partners with such retailers as Levi Strauss & Co., Whole Foods Market and ABC Carpet & Home. After three years as Mercado Global’s president, Singh branched out into working on product development, scaling local enterprises to increase production capacity and connecting groups to companies to sell their wares such as Barnes and Noble and GAIAM.

Not only have these powerhouse women combined their talents, they have sought input from the industry during informal focus groups and feedback with one currently held in New York in August. See Source4Style’s blog for current updates on the website.

Can anyone buy from the site?

Yeah, that is me in the back corner with her hand up saying “pick me. Pick me.” This is a business to business site so only the trade can buy. However, I can look and bug my eco-designer with all the fabrics that I think will look good in my home. And then she will shake her head at me and tell me to stick to my day job and let her source the fabric. Her job has now become so much easier because Oakes and Singh had a dream and the vision to make it reality.

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Running Out of Water Reveals Solutions to Water and Wastewater Issues.

Anna@Green Talk — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 23:41:55 PDT

Reducing our carbon footprint have become poster child words for this decade. Most states have rebates and incentives for both homeowners and businesses to curb their energy habits. Heck, the federal government gives investment credits and deductions too. But what about our water consumption? Is water so indispensable that it just isn’t a concern? It would appear that way since less than half of the states provide rebates for water saving devices.

Authors Susan Leal, who has deep experience in managing water at a local level in the United States, and Peter Rogers, one of the world’s foremost global water experts paint a different picture in their new book, Running Out of Water. Instead of painting a doom and gloom, the sky is falling scenario,

“[t]hey offer a comprehensive look at the crisis—from the West Coast, where mighty rivers are being diverted for Californias agriculture—to the Gulf Coast of Florida, where snowbird retreats are straining natural resources—to traditionally thirsty parts of the world, like southern India, where water is available but infrastructure to deliver it is limited or nonexistent. Focusing on solutions, Running Out of Water lays out the political leadership, policy action and technology tools required to sustain our water supplies.”[Source.]

I had the chance to interview Susan via email regarding her book.

What was the impetus in writing this book? What event happened that made you decide this is the time to write a book about our world running out of water?

As the former general manager of a major water utility, I was aware of the chronic problems facing most American cities and what would be required to adequately address those issues. From my experiences in San Francisco, I knew that the solution to the problem was not new technology because the necessary technology is already available. What is most needed is get past the inertia. For utilities and governments that run those utilities to get past that inertia, public support and involvement is critical. This book on water was written as a call to action, to try to engage the public in this effort.

So when I was chosen for the Advanced Leadership Fellows Program at Harvard University, I wanted to draw public attention to the dismal state of water and wastewater infrastructure in the United States. I teamed up with global water expert and Harvard Professor Peter Rogers to write Running Out of Water, since a book is a great vehicle for exploring and clearly explaining the complex issues that together are placing tremendous pressure on our supply of clean water: climate change, population growth, irresponsible use of water in food production, and increasingly polluted public water ways.

What is the book about and is it geared towards ordinary people to change their ways or more towards Corporate America?

Running Out of Water is a forward-thinking book aimed at presenting a wide range of solutions to the world’s most challenging water and wastewater issues. I think the book has a number of audiences, ranging from individuals to corporations that depend on clean water to government agencies responsible for treating and maintaining the public water supply. Anyone who has a vested interest in the future of our available water supply – and really, that should be all of us – should find something of value in the book.

What was your goal in writing this book?

I wrote this book to raise public awareness about the looming global water crisis and what proactive steps can be taken to slow or even stop this crisis from coming to fruition. Many forward-thinking government agencies have already taken steps to protect water security in their areas, and we wanted to show what’s possible with technology that is already known and readily available.

What have governments failed to address with regard to our water usage? If you could write your own legislation, what would it say?

There are two major issues that governments could and should be addressing. The first has to do with water use in food production. Agriculture is a major industry in the United States and one of the biggest users of fresh water (as it is throughout the world). Technologies exist to dramatically reduce the amount of water required to produce food and fiber in this country, and yet many farmers shy away from these resources and stick to business as usual. But the time for business as usual has passed when it comes to water use. Federal and state governments should be willing to engage in both carrot-and-stick strategies to encourage farmers to reduce their water use right away, not at some distant time in the future.

The second major issue I’d like to see addressed legislatively relates to manufacturing. The government should hold manufacturers of all kinds to a higher standard for cleaning their wastewater before sending it into public treatment plants. For instance, the US Geological Survey recently released a survey pointing to significantly higher levels of contaminants showing up in areas where pharmaceuticals are produced. (emphasis added.) The long-term public health consequences of these contaminants in our water supply are unknown at this time, but I know I would rather get my drugs prescribed by a doctor than in my tap water.

How will water shortage in other areas of the world impact people in the US?

As part of global society, the impacts of water shortages from disease, food shortages, lack of economic development to conflicts between countries over international rivers will have a negative impact on our way of life.

What call to action would you like your readers to take away with them after they finish your book?

I hope that readers will realize that if they demand attention to these issues, politicians will listen. The biggest obstacle preventing Americans from taking proactive action to protect our long-term water security is political inertia from politicians who are reluctant to ask for appropriate funding to address our water and wastewater challenges. The good news is that we still have time to act to prevent a full-scale water crisis. The bad news is that very few decision-makers seem to feel the true urgency that exists for addressing these issues.

Running Out of Water is being offered for purchase through my Green Talk store, and thus GT makes a teeny amount of money from the sale.

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Resource Furniture Distributes Greener Lifestyle Space Saving Furniture

Anna@Green Talk — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:24:19 PDT

I looked at my own unused living room and dining room and think I can live with less space. A smaller footprint. How many of you use your dining room a couple times of year? How many use your living room at all?

With less space comes challenges. What do you do when you need the large family dining room table? Or need extra space to sit when you really don’t want to watch Sponge Bob with your kids? I literally tripped over Resource Furniture, the US distributor of the space saving furniture made by Clei as well as a dealer for iMultifunzione, both Italian companies, while “surfing” the web the other day.

A new dawn. Check out their hip and functional spacing saving furniture. See how the table went from coffee table to dining table? This is only the beginning, boys and girls.

Take a look at the below video as the actress unfolds a coffee table to become a large eating table, or when she opens the Murphy bed which is attached to a three person desk.

Each rearrange, pull down, or unfold left me with my mouth wide open with amazement. I needed to know more about this carbon reducing footprint ala space saving furniture.

Can you customize?

How green is the product?

Who thought up this ingenious idea?

And so on and so on. Readers, you know me. Lots of questions.

My emails landed in the hands of Ron Barth of Resource Furniture. Let’s start at the beginning. Think engineer meets furniture designer with furniture. Who else is going to design such practical yet functional and hip space saving furniture?

Rigorous Testing First.

Rigorous testing is done to make sure the furniture is just right. Just to give you an example, Barth explains,

“[t]he bed systems themselves take a year or more of testing and prototyping and manufacturing and remanufacturing. The engineering is done but the hardware then needs to be figured out as well. There is a manufacturing process to the hardware and the cabinetry. It all has to be figured out in concert with one another and all in conjunction with the aesthetics.

It is very, very difficult to appreciate the amount of detail and back to the drawing board there is in making one of these systems. You design it but the hardware won’t make the grade so you redesign it but the bulk is off as the hardware dominates the design, the hardware is redone and the cabinetry and fittings have to be redone and back and forth it goes. Dozens and dozens of samples are required until it is really right.

Then it has to be tested and tested for thousands of repetitions. If it doesn’t work after 2,000 repetitions then that needs to be solved as that is only 6 years of daily use and the life expectancy for the product is much longer than that. It takes different types of analyses and then more prototypes sometimes, etc. etc. there are products that came out this year that were 2 years in prototyping.”

So how does a couch become a bunk bed. Watch and learn. You remember the orange couch above?

To final product. Tada! Bunk Beds! I told you that this furniture was the ultimate in space saving furniture.

What about warranties on the furniture? Barth states, “[t]hey all come with a lifetime warranty on the mechanisms and 15 year warranty on our mattresses.”

Customization

I wondered if you could customize the furniture for your needs. Barth explained that you can customize the closets, the paneling, and shelve size and detail. There are three different wood veneers and twenty five lacquer colors. Got a custom color. No problem. However, you can’t customize a bed’s mechanism.

So, how much is this convenience going to cost me?

I asked prices for some of my favorite pieces. Â Believe me, it was hard to narrow it down to only a few pieces.

Here is the pricing for the Ulisse with desk or dining table or without and with the sofa as well. The Ulisse basic system is $3,250 in white laminate. In wood veneer and/or any of the 25 lacquer colors, the unit is priced at $3,950.

If you wish to add the desk or dining table option to the Ulisse, add $950 to the price.
If you wish to add the sofa option , add an additional $2,250 to the cost provide you choose a category 1 fabric. Note, as you choose different grades of fabric, the price increases.

The headboards costs $550 in any of our fabrics and the mattresses (starting from $1,250 for memory foam) are sold separately.
There are more mattress options such as a Latex mattress for $1,450 as well as a custom innerspring mattress priced at $1,950.

So how green is it?

I peppered Barth with my usual “what about formaldehyde, FSC woods, nontoxic finishes” banter. Â He replied that you can request water based lacquers; however, the chipboard core is E1 not E0, which is contains no added formaldehyde. The wood is farmed, but is not certified. He explained that full certification is an issue with Italian manufacturers.

As for using E1 vs E0, Barth stated,

“E0 material is not readily available in Europe, according to the factory and they were going to have to import it from the US. The cost was prohibitive and impractical and the overall benefit globally was suspect as transporting a container 4,000 miles wasn’t the most ecological thing to do to obtain E0 material.”

As for being green, Barth made one statement that really resonated with me

“Honestly, my knowledge of the real causes of pollution planet-wide gives me the understanding that buildings and not transportation are the principal sources of pollution globally and macro-ecologically. So, utilizing less space would be a priority over anything else.”

Why not be kinder to the Earth with a little less space with fully function and very hip furniture?

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