Between 1975 and 2005, the average American family got smaller—but their house got bigger. Then came the housing crash that almost wiped out the American economy, and in its aftermath, many people began to wonder how much space we really need to live well. The result: a much-publicized return to simpler living in 1,000 square […]
More From Less: A Beginner’s Guide to the Minimalist Movement
10 Ways to Green Your School
A Guide for Students and Parents Twenty percent of Americans go to school every day. That’s 60 million students, teachers, faculty, and staff who work and learn on our nation’s campuses. And while many schools struggle with funding, standards, and behavior, the issues of the environment and good health sometimes fall through the cracks. That’s […]
Light Bulb Moment
An Energy-Efficient Lighting Guide In 2014, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to a Japanese-American team of scientists who had achieved a milestone. What was their momentous creation? The humble LED light. “Incandescent light bulbs lit the 20th century; the 21st century will be lit by LED lamps.” —Nobel Foundation Though tiny—the standard size […]
Multi-Functional Furniture
Save Space and Kill Two Birds with One Stone When is a chair not a chair? When it’s a bookshelf, or a table, or a wall panel, or a phone charger! The multifunctional furniture renaissance is here, and it brings seemingly endless ways to reimagine not only furniture’s function, but its form as well. Multifunctional […]
DIY Desk
Do Away with the Chair and Get Standing “I get satisfaction of three kinds. One is creating something, one is being paid for it, and one is the feeling that I haven’t just been sitting on my ass all afternoon.”—William F. Buckley, Jr. Want to reinvent your workspace with something greener, more ergonomic, and better […]
Shopping for Change: A New Generation of Shoppers Helps to Bring Social Responsibility Home
In a groundbreaking finding, Nielsen recently reported that the majority of the world’s consumers now prefer to buy products that are socially and environmentally responsible. Will this trend last? That depends on the individual consumer. Who’s Buying? Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is no longer a new or vague concept in the minds of global consumers. […]
Reclaim, Reverse, Resurrect: What it really takes to create upcycled work
Everything you throw away has value, however small. Whether it’s a garment that has outlived its stitching, a broken chair, a bicycle wheel or a lowly plastic bag, it is still something that’s made from a refined material and designed for a purpose. But what if it’s broken, bent, torn or rusted? Is it trash? […]