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Bold growth
A pioneer of green design in
Canada, Vancouver-based interior
design firm Penner & Associates
is now launching Centro, its own
eco furniture line, including a
daybed, TV unit and striking oak-veneered headboard with built-in
night tables. The modern, urban
designs use materials such as FSC
veneers, low-VOC stains and
MDF with no added urea-formaldehyde. Queen headboard,
from $1,400. Through www.
pennerdesign.ca.
BR AND
AWARENESS
As “green” gains ground in interior design, the
furniture industry is stepping up with innovative
products as ecologically sound as they are
seductive. Three of the latest launches reveal the
trend’s increasingly sophisticated, eclectic nature.
All together now
By creating “green galleries” for eco-friendly furniture in select stores,
DeBoer’s hopes to encourage
sustainable practices among
manufacturers while making it easier
for buyers to identify green lines. The
galleries’ suppliers include Vancouver’s
Upholstery Arts, which makes
furnishings from sustainable and/or
recyclable material and offers a unique
cradle-to-cradle initiative. Robson
sofa, from $4,500. DeBoer’s, Toronto
(416) 226-3730, Mississauga, Ont. (905)
828-7950, Ottawa (613) 828-9682.
Clean lines
Paris design house Roche Bobois
made only 250 of each piece in its
new Legend collection, adding to
the line’s cachet as a hot eco find.
Designed by Christophe Delcourt
as an homage to nature, the
furniture features organic
silhouettes, is made from
sustainable Burgundy oak and is
assembled without hardware, glue
or toxins. Console table, $8,900.
Through Roche Bobois, Toronto
(416) 366-3273, Ottawa (613) 860-
3273, Montreal (514) 350-9070 or
www.rochebobois.com.
AP Grimreeern
Unable to determine your “ecological
footprint” because you don’t understand
the lingo? Here’s a brief guide to some of
the most common terms that define
what it means to be green.
LEED (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental
Design): A voluntary
certification system
managed by the Canada
Green Building Council that
aims to define green building
by establishing a common
standard of measurement.
Building projects earn points
for meeting sustainable
standards in areas such as
water efficiency, materials
used and indoor
environmental quality. The
more points a project earns,
the higher its certification
level — and the more green
the building.
CRADLE-TO-CRADLE:
The process of designing
and manufacturing a product
so that it either biodegrades
harmlessly into the soil
(once it’s discarded) or can
be fully recycled and reused
to create new products with
no loss of material quality.
Also called a closed-loop
system, the aim is to
completely eliminate waste.
GLOSSARY
VOCs (volatile organic
compounds): Toxic carbon-based chemicals that
evaporate easily at room
temperature and often have
a sharp smell. They are a
by-product of the
manufacturing process and
are found in products such
as adhesives, carpeting,
upholstery, paints, solvents
and cleaning products. Some
VOCs are thought to be
carcinogenic and can emit
ozone, an air pollutant.
OFF-GASSING: The
release of volatile,
sometimes toxic vapours
(such as VOCs) by furniture,
shower curtains and other
household products.
CHAIN OF CUSTODY:
The tracing of a product’s
life from its origins to the
store shelf to determine
whether it has been
produced and handled in an
ecologically responsible
manner at every stage.
FSC (Forest Stewardship
Council): Founded in 1993,
the FSC is an international
organization that certifies
wood harvested from well-managed forests and
products made with FSC
wood. The FSC label is
granted based on 10
principles that consider the
environmental, social and
economic impact of the
harvesting and
manufacturing processes.
ECOLOGICAL
FOOTPRINT: The total
measure of natural
resources an individual,
community or business
consumes and its impact on
the planet. Purchasing
organic, locally made
products or having a solar-powered home, for
example, would reduce a
person’s ecological
footprint. Measure yours at
Web sites such as www.
myfootprint.org.
LOW-IMPACT DYES:
Dyes engineered to absorb
into fabric better than
conventional dyes. They
produce less toxic runoff
and, therefore, less water
pollution.
FAIR TRADE: Products
with this label are made by
artisans and workers who
are ensured fair wages, safe,
healthy working conditions
and good employment
opportunities. — L.B.
