eco-friendly news you can use

SEEING RED
Change the look of a room and get extra storage space with this free-standing wall unit from Copenhagen Imports. The streamlined piece is manufactured in Italy, and its  veneers come from trees in government-regulated forests. Water-based, low-VOC paints lend eco-friendly
pops of color; interior components come in more than 20 hues and in high-gloss or matte finishes. Multiple configurations are available.
  
For further details, contact Copenhagen Imports at (602) 264-7258, or log on to copenhagenimports.com.

SHADES OF GREEN Lamps offer an ideal way to dress up a bedside table or reading nook, and Alluminare’s Fairchild Table Lamp—with lampshades customizable in myriad designer patterns and colors—fits the bill. The lighting has the added benefit of being environmentally friendly, as it is wired for CFL bulbs. The 30"-high bases come in two colors—brown or pale turquoise. The lamps are handmade and assembled in the U.S., reducing their carbon footprint. According to the company, they are shipped using appropriate-size boxes to eliminate excess materials. Purchase the product through alluminare.com.

TABLE TALK Christopher McGean handcrafts furniture that has a rustic feel and offers the look of an age gone by. The Phoenix-based craftsman apprenticed with an Old World master furniture maker and uses European techniques. His creations are produced from barn wood reclaimed from structures throughout the U.S., and the nails are salvaged when possible to be reused in the new pieces. Shown here is a plantation table, which measures 11' by 40" and can seat up to 14 people. View more of the artisan’s furnishings at christophermcgeandesigns.com, or call (602) 369-8795.

Words of Wisdom Living Homes: Sustainable Architecture and Design (Chronicle Books) by Colorado resident Suzi Moore McGregor and Arizonan Nora Burba Trulsson profiles 22 homes across the Western U.S. built with efficient design and the environment in mind. These energy-conscious homes—five of them in Arizona—are made from adobe, rammed earth, straw bale and recycled materials, and prove that there can be harmony between style and substance, the authors note.   The beginning of each chapter explains the origins of a home’s materials and their use throughout history. Interestingly, around the year 1540 the Hohokam tribe of southern Arizona was using hand-formed, sun-dried adobe bricks to build multilevel pueblos, according to McGregor and Trulsson. Today, natural materials and building techniques are once again becoming popular, they report, both for their environmental benefits and their practicality. An example: One homeowner, who built on the tip of a mesa, used 20-inch-thick adobe walls for insulation against the desert heat.   From traditional Pueblo Revival styles to Contemporary homes to small pueblos and sprawling mansions, there seems to be no limit to what can be created with efficient design principles, these writers observe.