Greenthoughts 17

Mentally Spent

I’m as distracted as anyone from green issues right now. With lower gas prices (anything less than $2.50 a gallon is pretty sweet), the bailout, its aftermath and just an awful economy right now, who can blame you and I?

That’s why it’s good to have developed some green habits this year. I’m still carpooling with Tom Russell, an editor here, still trying to get away from the grocery store without any plastic bags and recycling any and everything I can.

I’m still loyally using my Sigg drinking container instead of carrying around bottled water and I’ve still got a half-gallon milk jug filled with water tucked into the back of my toilet so I use less water with each flush.

And I’m still turning off the faucet when I brush my teeth. I don’t always do as well with the one-minute showers.

Still, I’m feeling a little complacent on the green front.

My hope is that when the economy recovers, the legacy for 2008 will be a broader market for green goods and awareness of certifications.

This has been a pretty historic year, with the election, high gas prices, the Olympics, the financial crisis and green awareness.

As an industry, we’ve got our four markets behind us. Financially this was not a great year for the furniture industry, but I believe on other fronts like green issues, the industry has shown more solidarity. Looking through a special Sunday New York Times home supplement, I was struck by how many large furnishings chains were touting themselves with green messages in full page ads.

This year wasn’t a wash.

GIFFT Off

The Green Initiative for Furniture and Textiles, the program initiated by SWIFT, the Sample Waste Initiative for Furniture and Textiles has begun distributing blankets made with furniture industry discards.

The program was created this year by SWIFT and by Houston-based recycling company Avangard Innovative and Yardley, Pa.-based charity Quilts for Kids. The group distributes blankets to children in hospitals who can’t bring stuffed animals with them.
Their biggest furniture industry partner right now is Rooms to Go. Case goods source Gat Creek is donating 5% of sales from its blanket chest sales to Quilts for Kids.

The group has quilting chapters set up across the country. It mostly needs lightweight cotton fabrics in bright colors, that are about the weight of a chintz, or a calico cloth. Heavier weight fabrics are used to make saddle bags that hang over wheelchairs, tote bags and beds for animal shelters.

This is a program that’s made a lot of progress this year and now has an arm in the furniture industry. While there are many who find a use for discarded fabrics, there’s still so much that won’t get used and will end up in landfills. This is a good partnership for our industry.

Are you going?

I am going to attend the American Home Furnishings Alliance’s Sustainability Summit. The attendance to the furniture industry trade association’s event was very good last year.

I’m looking forward to seeing Dennis Quaintance, CEO and chief design officer for Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels, which owns the Proximity Hotel, where the two-day event is being held. The Proximity Hotel attained the USGBC’s highest rating, LEED Platinum.

On Thursday the AHFA and Cargill’s BiOH Polyols will give the first Sage Award  recognizing environmental accomplishment.  From 15 entries, case goods producer Cisco Bros., upholstery and case goods producer Hickory Chair and textile maker Valley Forge were selected as finalists.