It’s getting cold outside and we’ve been discovering some interesting cold weather tech accessories, like touch screen winter gloves by MUJI. Another new product has also caught our eye is Nest – a very pretty thermostat that has garnered a lot of attention in the press. A thermostat is a great way to keep your energy consumption down – always a tricky balancing act when you work from home.
Lloyd Alter has taken a rather circutious route to his current job as design editor of Treehugger (which has just undergone a wonderful redesign). He is trained as an architect, worked as a real estate developer, became disillusioned with that process and began promoting green prefab housing in 2001. He was one of the first bloggers to write about modern prefab. The home above is an award winning modular design that Alter was key in commissioning (you can read more about it here). He joined Treehugger in 2004 and today covers issues around land use, urban planning, design and architecture. Where does this busy man work? When I skyped recently with Lloyd I got a peek at his office. Here it is in a bit more detail.
“OK here it is, I cleaned it up and cannot believe I left a beer bottle on the counter…Oh well, it is craft beer. I have a Herman Miller Executive Series desk that I use as a side table, because I really work at my old drafting table, set level as a standing desk. At 42″ it is just a bit narrow for my Macbook and 24 inch monitor, along with Joey Roth’s ceramic speakers (below left). On the side is my beloved 1968 Contempra phone in bright orange, designed by John Tyson and a Canadian classic (below right). On the shelf to the side is part of my camera collection; I tried to sell my six polaroids on eBay and couldn’t get fifty bucks. The Nelson perch chair in front is really for show; when I have to sit I use the hard metal drafting chair to the right, it is more comfortable.
Next time: no beer, and some wire management work.”
Credit: Portrait of Lloyd Alter Chris Young for The New York Times
This week’s green theme on Lifework wouldn’t be complete without a nod to our favorite environmental lifestyle expert, Danny Seo. His new book Upcycling has inspired our creative sides, his eco-friendly Danny Seo home collection (found nationally at stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods) is currently inspiring our every day, and now his Playlist is inspiring a much-needed dance break between work projects. Take a listen.
What do you listen to while you work? It depends. If I’m working away on something that’s totally work-related (we’re talking lengthy emails, reviewing contracts, doing selects from photo shoots) it needs to be dead quiet. But if I’m writing my syndicated column Do Just One Thing or the manuscript for a new book, I have to have music on. It drains out any distractions and lets me focus on the creative writing at hand.
We attended the April EcoFocus event in New York where various companies display their new green technology. Here is roundup of eight pieces that caught out eye.
1. Samsung Replenish: At the Sprint table several devices were displayed showing off the new Green ID pack including the new Samsung Replenish.
2. SodaStream: We enjoyed sipping some delicious pear soda from the new Fizz machine from SodaStream. How is SodaStream green? All SodaStream soda makers come with reusable bottles that last up to 3 years! Great for staying hydrated at your desk.
3. HP EliteBook Notebook Computers: These unibody aluminum laptops with built in energy monitoring software cut a sharp figure and reminded us of a more boxy MacBook Pro.
4. The 4th Bin: We’re not going to lie, it was the vintage mobile phone that brought us to The 4th Bin table to learn about their electronic recycling services they offer in NYC.
5. Philips LED Lighting: At Philips we checked out the Imageo CandleLights and the new color changing lights.
6. ThinkEco Modlet: The Modlet by ThinkEco helps you to be aware of your energy consumption by simply plugging your electronics into the Modlet device and using the PC software to track and monitor (Mac software is coming soon).
7. Camileo BW10: In addition to showing off their laptops and mobile monitor, Toshiba also had the new Camileo BW10 on display, a tiny waterproof HD camcorder that records in full 1080p.
8. Pixi Lighting: These LED lights offered quite a soft glow which reminded us of the warm glow of incandescent bulbs.
By Joelle Alcaidinho.
This story appears in partnership with Unplggd, a site for people who embrace technology and design in their home.
1. Quartz No. 2, $360.00 Artist Matthew Cleland crafts his glass and lead-free soldered pieces by hand. Get it: Score and Solder
2. “Take a Dip,” $125.00 Each terrarium from Brooklyn-based Twig contains a spirited scene using miniature figurines—like this swimmer from the 1920s sporting a smart striped bathing suit. Get it: Twig
3. Three Itty Bitty Terrariums, $16.20 Perk up any corner of your workspace with one of these easy-to-maintain picks, each of which includes a small succulent. Get it: Tortoise Loves Donkey
With this post from Lloyd Alter we welcome leading green site Treehugger to Lifework. We’re excited to share Lifework stories on Treehugger and their stories here. At Herman Miller we share Treehugger’s wish to drive sustainability mainstream. In fact ,you can read about our commitment to the environment here. It’s at the core of what we do at Herman Miller and it’s what drives Treehugger in everything they do from their green buying guides to posts on green house design and the joys of cycling around New York City. We start with Lloyd Alter’s favorite lamp from ICFF.
A few years ago, looking for new markets for its sustainably harvested wood, the Swedish forestry company Södra developed Durapulp, a mix of wood pulp and polylactide, or PLA, the thermoplastic made from corn or sugarcane. They consulted with the architectural firm Claesson Koivisto Rune, who developed a prize-winning chair out of the stuff, and who then approached a sceptical Magnus Wästberg, who wondered about the virtues of mixing paper and electrical wiring. But with modern low-voltage LEDs, the old preconceptions no longer apply, and the result is the DuraPulp lamp,(formally the Claesson Koivisto Rune w101, nice that he names it after the designers!) which combines the strength of the material with a folded origami-like form that gives it rigidity.
Above: Magnus Wästberg holds the durapulp material that is pressed and cut into the lamps. There are 4 thin uninsulated copper wires laid in between the layers; a heavy power supply base makes it stable and supplies power to the LED lamps in the head. Rip those two things out and you can toss the thing on a compost heap.
There are so many things to love about this kind of thinking. LEDs reduce the voltage and amperage of the light to the point that the wires are barely there, and can be safely embedded in paper. A lumber company finds another use for the pulp that is often a byproduct of softwood lumber production. A designer figures out how to shape it for strength and form. The result is an attractive, effective and affordable product that at the end of its life is compostable. It’s the best example of sustainable design that I saw at this year’s ICFF.
Sweden is really far north, and the winters are long and dark. It’s not surprising that Swedes get philosophical about light; one sees it in their architecture, in the colours they use in interior design. In 2008 Wästberg even wrote a manifesto for his new company, titled Lamps for A Neanderthal Man, (pdf download here), in which he quotes the famous Swedish author and playwright August Strindberg: “The electric light will make people work themselves to death.”
He had a point; I wonder what he would have thought about computers. But now that we can work anywhere at any time, we need greener, healthier and more efficient tools that have a lower impact on our environment. The Durapulp lamp is a good example.
More at Wästberg
This story appears in partnership with treehugger, a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information
Although there’s all sorts of products intended to monitor your energy uses around the home, there are simple things you can do without the help of additional electronics to curb your usage. Although they’re nothing new, they could very easily be things you’ve been forgetting to do!
1. Turn off The Lights: When leaving the room, turn off the light. We know, simple right? It’s even better if you can keep the overhead off and use a small low light task lamp by your desk instead. It will ease eye strain without heating up your space which might require fans to help regulate temperature.
2. Power Down: My laptop goes to sleep when I tell it to turn off. It isn’t really off unless I get into the start menu and then an additional sub menu to tell it to power down completely. Yes, it will take a few seconds longer to start back up, but really, what in life is so pressing that 20 extra seconds is so important? It will also help you remember to install regular updates and let scans run upon closing or starting.
3. Unplug: Don’t need it? Then don’t plug it in! Sure there’s devices that kill all power to things, but really, why bother with a whole new device when you can just unplug the ones you have. Props to those who have their power bars near the top of the table to make this act easy!
4. Do Long Downloads, Updates, Backups & Housekeeping Overnight: Often when our computers are on for a long while (say a marathon of WoW) things can get a little toasty. Try doing most of your long maintenance work overnight when no one has to be in the room (which means no extra fans or AC). The lights can be off to keep things cool and the screen can even go to sleep, far more earth friendly than finding random chat partners while you do a little disc cleanup!
5. Multi-Task: Doing more in less time is the ultimate way to accomplish the most amount of work in the smallest time possible. Try working on your paper for school while you’re burning the latest season of True Blood to DVD. Synch your iPod for the latest update while checking your email… you get the idea. If we could, we’d multi-task our entire day into a few small minutes. Our new found free time would be spent in a hammock with a drink involving an umbrella!
Do yo have another simple way to save some energy and a little green in the process? Share your tips in the comments below!
Image: Flickr member Faster Panda Kill Kill licensed for use by Creative Commons
This story appears in partnership with Unplggd, a site for people who embrace technology and design in their home.
We’ve written in the past about Herman Miller’s strong commitment to the environment. The aim is to have a zero operational footprint by the end of the next decade. But the amazing news is that part of that goal has already been met – 10 years ahead of schedule! As of May 1 Herman Miller is utilizing 100 percent green electrical energy.
How do we do it? Lots of ways. First, we are an EPA Green Power Partner which means we primarily utilize Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), followed by Power Purchase Agreements (PPA), to achieve the 100 percent green energy goal. Simply put, we now use energy harnessed from sunlight, wind or water. We also generate power from our own waste-burning Energy Center near the Herman Miller headquarters in Zeeland, Michigan.
But it’s not just using green energy. We are also trying to use less energy. We’ve got a great team of employees who are brimming with ideas on how to conserve. John Kim blogged about some of their smart plans and how Herman Miller is making them a reality on Discover.
We’d love to hear from you about how you conserve energy at home. Any tips for the home office?
(And if you want to read more about Herman Miller going green check out the press release here.)
“While living digitally has made us greener in some aspects it also has its eco drawbacks. From the amount of waste created to make all our digital doodads to the amount of power it takes to power them, a home office can easily become an epicenter of waste. So, how do you make your workspace green?
While we’re sure there are tons of ways you can optimize your home office to be environmentally friendly (share yours in the comments) here are a few tips.
1. Power down at the end of the day. Turning off a 75-watt desktop monitor can save up to 750 pounds of carbon emissions a year. We recommend plugging all your equipment into a single power strip and simply flipping the power switch on the strip when you’re done. A tip from the folks at Wired‘s How-To Wiki page, power down a printer before flipping the switch “as printers need to seal their cartridges before shutting off.”
2. Opt for eco-friendly electronics. The Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool offers listings (similar to LEED for architecture) on the greenest computer equipment. There’s a EPEAT Quick Search Tool on their main page that lets you look at which products fit within what level of greeness — bronze, silver, or gold. You can then look at each product’s point spread from how they rated in the reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive materials to energy conservation to packaging. Lenovo’s ThinkVision L2251x computer monitor has the highest EPEAT rating, 21/25.
3. If you have to print, use recycled paper. Ideally, you should be doing all your work electronically, but for those times when you need to print something out use recycled paper, which saves thousands of trees a year. Wausau PaperExact Eco uses 100 percent post-consumer recycled content.
4. Buy used. Before you go buying new printers, keyboards, monitors, desks, chairs, and shelving for your home office, look through craigslist. You may find gently used items of what you were going to pay premium price for a fraction of the price. Plus, by buying something used you’ll be helping the environment by not having one more thing produced or put in the trash.
5. Install Deep Sleep This Mac OSX (does anyone know of a PC version?) widget puts your computer into hibernate mode, totally switching your system off, so that no power is being used. When you turn your computer back on, it won’t have to do a total restart, but rather it will be in the exact same state — same apps open, same tabs open in your browser window — as when it entered hibernation. You should eject all external devices before entering hibernation mode so they aren’t improperly ejected.
By Sonia Zjawinski”
This story appears in partnership with Unplggd, a site for people who embrace technology and design in their home.
Josh Leo sent this photo of his home office to Lifework last week and I am thrilled to share it with you. I’d love to see more colorful home workspaces. You can leave them in the comments section or email me directly at cerentha_harris@hermanmiller.com.
Josh, who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, says: “I saw your blog post about the use of color in offices and thought I would share mine! When my wife and I bought our house 2 years ago, this room used to have clouds painted on the a wall and the other walls were mint green. I needed an office (I do freelance video and design work) so I decided to go with a bit of a bold color. I already had a number of wood pieces and a white iMac so I decided to continue that color scheme with the addition of a moss green. The Eames circles on the wall added a bit of visual interest and the contrast between the white and green really makes it a fun room to work in. I updated the desk and storage units just two months ago when I got a new computer. I must be honest, when looking for desks I dreamed of having an Airia Desk or Enchord Desk (both fit the color scheme perfectly) but alas, my budget isn’t quite big enough for those purchases…yet.” You can see more images of the office in Josh’s flickr page.