Home Products

Canon Stumbles in Green Product Campaign in Asia

Greenwashing apparently knows no boundaries, either geographically or by industry. For example, Korean supermarket aisles boast products touting their "well-being" attributes, without explaining how they could possibly make anyone well. The Shanghai Expo touts its green activities, as if all that frenzied construction could somehow be offset or mitigated. The electronics manufacturer Canon has launched an ambitious green marketing program in Asia, which is smart marketing because consumers in the Pacific Rim region are becoming more aware of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues.

How to Green Your Home Entertainment With the Roku Box

Think gadgetry can’t be “green”? My family’s favorite home-entertainment gadget turns this stereotype on its head! In my household, the hardest working gadget is our Roku Box — or as we often call it, the Netflix box. Despite our nickname for it, we love it just as much for watching new releases, listening to music and viewing photos, too. This lightweight, compact little black box is Wi-Fi ready and streams content from the Web onto our TV with ease, entertaining my kids for hours, without DVDs, Netflix mailers or any other excess clutter.

The Uboat is a Self-Sustaining Floating Home

Most large urban areas are located next to a large body of water – whether it is a canal, river, lake or ocean. As a way to combat commuter and residential pollution, parts of these waterways can be utilized as ‘off the grid’ marina-style living spaces. Created by Heck Yes Design, the Uboat is a floating, green urban living space that comes well-equipped with self-sustaining technologies.

Vibrant Folding Chairs Upcycled from Old Shipping Pallets!

These colorful Fold-out Pallet Chairs from Gas & Air Studios combine strength-of-form with environmentally-aware design. Each chair is hand made from a single recycled wooden pallet – thousands of which continue to fill landfills across the UK each year. No extra treatment is used on the wood during the production process, and the paint used is solvent-free.

Brazilian House on Stilts is a Beautiful Low-Impact Retreat

Perched on the foothills near Camos do Jordão in Sao Palo, Brazil, the House For A Couple is a thoughtful residence made from low-impact materials that minimizes any disturbance of its site. The architect André Eisenlohr built the home as a bridge projecting out to the forest below it.

U.S. Lawns Getting an Eco-Makeover

From coast to coast, eco-concerned homeowners are ripping out their manicured, chemically-treated lawns and replacing them with organic food gardens, native flowers and sometimes, just rocks. "It's a growing endeavour. It gets bigger and bigger every year," said Steven Saffier, coordinator of the Audubon Society's At Home programme, which encourages people to let their lawns go wild to support birds and other wildlife.

Jennifer Schwab: The Black and White on Going Green

I try lots of green products. Here is an overview of what has worked well -- and what hasn't.

Needless to say, I try lots of green products. Since we are still in the second inning of America going green, new products are just now entering the marketplace in slightly increasing numbers. I do my quarterly big box runs to examine just how close we are getting to green alternatives of everyday products. Fortunately or unfortunately, I have had the opportunity to test drive many new products and quite frankly the results are mixed.