Colorado Wildfires

Colorado Wildfires - photo credit:   http://blognewsonline.net/?p=1437

By Dan Michels, Boulder, Colorado

The past few months, wildfires have plagued many western states. Colorado was by the worst hit. Wildfires have burned well over 692,515 acres and have cost at least $222.38 million. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and families have been displaced.

There are a few reasons these wildfires were so prevalent this summer. Climate change is the elephant in the room. It never seems to be at the top of the discussion but nonetheless is foundational. Climate change does four things to increase the potential for wildfires. First, it adds heat. July was the hottest month on record in Colorado. Second, it adds drought. The dustbowl conditions of the 1930s are said to be coming back. Third, climate change causes lower percentages of snowpack. As of June 1st, Colorado snowpack was 2% of its average. And finally, thanks to pine beetles - insects that are especially thriving in the West due to warmer winters than ever before - the number of dead trees (kindling for the raging wildfires) is on the rise. Pine beetles can destroy up to 90% of forests!

There are currently wildfires still raging across Colorado. Firefighters from across the country have been coming in to protect our homes, communities and of course, our forests, trees, and our natural areas.

Colorado Wildfires

Advertise Your Sustainability

Advertise Your Sustainability

Advertise your Sustainability - Photo credit:  Charles Moore

By Dan Michels, Boulder, Colorado

There a number of American companies that specialize in custom made woodwork and furniture. Many also claim to use sustainable and eco-friendly production practices. Businesses that actually do operate sustainably and use only local American materials should advertise this fact openly and proudly, but they should also supply evidence on their websites and in their literature. For example, a Vermont-based woodworking company explicitly states its social and environmental missions such as its “Plant a Billion Trees” and “Save the Tiger” campaigns, as well as its support of other environmentally oriented companies and causes such as the Rainforest Alliance, The Ocean Conservancy, and the Nature Conservancy. Their furniture is 100% American made and they pride themselves in the environmentally sensitive way they practice their business. The information and details are easy to find on their website.

In a time of economic uncertainty and recession, supporting local, American businesses has become all the more important. Outsourcing has understandably become a divisive and important political hot button. Opportunities to implement local labor and materials in order to create jobs and lower transportation costs are as important to the timber and furniture industries as any others. According to the the Vermont-based company, “Sourcing hardwoods locally grown and harvested provides incomes to tree farmers, loggers, sawmill operators, transportation companies, and numerous other regional service industries. In a time where many products’ sources are unknown or imported, it is nice to know we all have the option to support small domestic economies.”

A woodworking company in Minnesota who claims to make “fine custom wood products,” professes to be an “eco-friendly business”. However, they have no information on their website supporting this claim, not once revealing the source of their wood. If this company is indeed eco-friendly, highlighting the claim should be a top priority for their marketing and advertising departments. Information supporting this claim should be readily available to every customer.
Transparency is becoming more and more important with the environmentally-minded community. Providing this sort of information will only help a business and is becoming highly sought after by consumers. Diane Sawyer of ABC World News recently produced a series called “Made in America – Where Do Your Goods Come From?” where she explores this issue. You might just be surprised, many of the products you think are American-made, are not.
Companies should overtly state the benefits of buying locally American made products and must reinforce this message with cold, hard facts about their production practices. Robin Wade Furniture does just this. They pride themselves in custom woodwork and place sustainability and eco-friendly business practices as a foundation for their mission. All this information is proudly made readily available and is easy for consumers to access - the way it should be.

Advertise Your Sustainability

A Slab of Time - a timber slab dining table

A Slab of Time - a timber slab dining table

lisa martin, Greenville Texas

One day a squall
With vengeance blew
Swift carnival
Within his view
With mythic strength
Toppled an oak
And dropped its length
As rumbling broke
The anxious skies
Eight years the tree
Napped on its flank
Eternity
And sun it drank
Its marbled grains
And girdled rings
Were magically stained
Recording things
For mankind’s eyes
Recalling the storms
With primitive tools
The artisan performs
The golden rule
To honor the tree
As he desires
His own life to be
When he expires
One day resurrected
Through love reborn
Through Carpenter’s toil
Reclaimed, not forlorn,
Anointed with oil
Not fuel for fire
Not pulp for man’s fables
But splendor inspired
An exceptional table
A slab now perfected

A Slab of Time - a timber slab dining table

Inside scoop on Panera Bread's famous Chocolate Walnut Cookie

This morning, during our Saturday farmer's market and Panera Bread stopover, we visited with one of the four chef's that make their wonderfully fresh products each morning.  Zoe shared a bit more about their oh so awesome Chocolate Duet with Walnuts Cookie.  I'm uploading the short video interview with Zoe as I type.  Should be available soon.

things looking UP at the Las Vegas Market

things looking UP at the Las Vegas Market

Although clearly not a record setter, yesterday was an amazingly good first day of the show.  The summer market is never up to par with the Vegas winter market.  But, we had a seemingly continual stream of traffic throughout the day.  And more than a few new friends and fans.  Great beginning to the Las Vegas summer market. 

I really love this super cool World Market Center.  Feel's like I'm walking into a canyon in the middle of this Las Vegas desert.  We are located on the fifth floor of building B (above).

Las Vegas Market building B

The Trash Bag Epiphany

The Trash Bag Epiphany

by Susan Joyner, Gainesville Florida

On Tuesday, I was standing in an aisle at the grocery store, looking at all the choices for trash bags.  I don't like the smelly ones.  I guess the correct term would be "scented," but to me they are just smelly.  I looked up and noticed a box of trash bags made from 65% recycled plastic.  What an excellent idea! I often wonder what happens to all of the items put in recycling bins.  Then I checked out the price.  There were considerably fewer bags in the box, and they cost 10 cents more per bag.  Sadly, I proceeded to buy my usual bags.  But on the drive home, I started thinking more about trash bags and the reasoning that led to my decision.

I am concerned about the environment.  I sort my trash and recycle what I can.  I carry reusable bags when I go shopping.  I avoid using those flimsy plastic bags for fresh fruit or vegetables.  On the broad continuum of environmentally-friendly behavior, I like to think that I am somewhere in the middle.  Obviously I can't even come close to the Johnson family whose solid trash for a year fits inside of a 1-liter mason jar. Honestly, I am still quite stunned that a family of four could even accomplish that feat.  But I do what I can to make an effort to help the environment on a daily basis.

And yet, the other day at the grocery store, I bought the trash bags that were less expensive.  Does that mean that I am failing my environmental responsibilities?  While some of you are nodding yes, I am hoping that others are realizing that I am on a journey and have not yet arrived at my destination.
Since this trash bag-purchasing episode, I have begun to realize that every single thing I choose to buy with my money and my reasons for choosing it speak volumes about my real priorities in life.  I have also realized that even though I don't see all of the trash that is generated by our society, the environmental impact is a concern of mine.  Great enough for me to spend a little extra money next time and buy the bags that are made from recycled plastic.  And so I take another step forward.

My epiphany regarding trash bags has made me look more closely at my reasons for purchasing items, and I have, therefore, become more aware of using my money as a vote of support.  What do your purchases say about you?  There's no judgment here.  Journey on.

The Trash Bag Epiphany

Wild Handmade Soap

Wild Handmade Soap

Wild Handmade Soap

by Eunice Lim, Singapore

When was the last time you considered the ingredients of the soap you use every day?

The skin is the largest organ in our body and it’s permeable, so, the substances we apply to our skin are absorbed into our bloodstreams. With that in mind, being conscious of the quality and origin of your soap is important.

WILD sells handmade soap made of all natural herbs, grains, honey, goat milk and essential oils. On top of health benefits and healing properties, WILD is against animal testing and minimizes packaging, using biodegradable and recyclable materials whenever possible. The minimization of packaging also allows WILD to continue selling their body products at affordable prices. Instead of mass production, WILD sells their soaps online and from place to place. The quantity WILD manufactures depends on demand, so no compromise on quality is ever made.

I interviewed Rohana from WILD to find out more about her work with WILD.
EL: Rohana, why is selling natural, healthy soap your passion? And what does your work with WILD entail?
R: I've always been health conscious and interested in natural products. I love natural soaps and have been using natural products myself - so in a way, this is an extension of my passion and what I love. We sell online and at various fairs, and my work involves research, preparation of product information and the sales and marketing of our products.

EL: Where are your handmade soaps made, by whom and how? Where do the natural ingredients come from?
R: Our handmade soaps are made by someone we know who started doing this because she has sensitive skin and can only use gentle products. Some of the base oils are from Malaysia, while the rest of the ingredients including essential oils come from all over the world.


EL: Does WILD do international shipping? I am sure our readers overseas are interested in getting their own fantastic bar of handmade soap.
R:Yes we do, customers can order online and we could organize the delivery and shipping for them. Some of the favorites include Geranium with Goat Milk, Lavender and Geranium with Red Rice. My personal favorite is the Geranium with Goat Milk.

You can find out more about WILD at their website and make purchases. WILD ships internationally. Products are suitable for sensitive skin and have been known to relieve eczema. The natural ingredients come from sustainable sources, so you can use your soap with complete ease of mind.
WILD's Facebook Page

Wild Handmade Soap

Art Nouveau Architecture in Brussels

Architecture in Brussels

Art Nouveau Architecture in Brussels

Saving the Artist and Creating a Feast for the Senses
by Richard Harris, Brussels                

What do wild curves, crazy shapes, eye-popping mosaics, colorful Sgraffiti, stupendous wrought ironwork, intricate brickwork, and gorgeous stained glass all have in common? They are the striking elements of the Art Nouveau style of architecture which capture people’s imagination in an unforgettable way. They are also the product of a brilliantly successful campaign to save ancient arts and crafts from the onslaught of industrial assembly line efficiency.

Despite the fact that many of Brussels’ Art Nouveau buildings were destroyed between the mid-fifties and the mid-seventies, the city is still a treasure trove with entire blocks built in the style. Instead of being torn down, they are being lovingly restored—reinvigorating the various artists and craftsmen trades. In fact, some of them are Unesco World Heritage Sites.
A reaction to Academic Art of the nineteenth century—the recycling of old styles—the Art Nouveau movement was inspired by the natural forms and structures of flowers, plants, and curved lines. Art Nouveau architects tried to harmonize their works with the environment. Art Nouveau furniture was designed to be in concert with the design of the whole building.

That industrialization was especially acute in Belgium is illustrated by the fact that in the second half of the nineteenth century, Belgium—the size of the state of Maryland—was the third industrial power in the world. The artists and architects of the Art Nouveau movement feared industrialization would lead to the extinction of  the age-old crafts that had been the pride of the country. In resistance to mass production, Art Nouveau designers insisted on using artisan-produced wrought iron, tiles, mosaics, paintings, Sgraffiti—a technique of wall decor, produced by applying layers of tinted plaster to a moistened surface—and lavish stained glass in and outside a building. Art Nouveau buildings, furniture, and furnishings, including the silverware, were handmade. The result is a feast of the senses, a voyage of discovery in which each house façade holds a myriad of carefully executed details, from the front door’s lowly boot scraper to the magnificent bay window filled with stained glass.

Every two years the Art Nouveau Biennial—the next in 2013—attracts thousands of tourists with special tours and exhibits. However, one need not wait for that! Many visitors come year-round to wander the Art Nouveau neighborhoods and visit the various houses that are now museums or everyday businesses such as cafés, floral shops, restaurants, government buildings, and even swimming pools.

Art Nouveau Architecture in Brussels

New Website is Live this morning!

After a few weeks of mostly concentrated effort, the new site is live as of around 9:00 am cst this morning.  Hope you enjoy the experience as much as we are. 

There's still plenty more work to do to do in this garden of silicon.  Lots of pages to add.  Lots of blog posts to add back in.  But for now, should you run into any glitches, please let me know - either through email;  robinwadefurniture@mac.com or through the CONTACT link (below right).