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Green Building Challenge |
| 1 | Created from the flared bases of cedar logs discarded by B.C. forestry companies, Brent Comber floor lamps capture the beauty of a West Coast rainforest. Funky yet functional, the handcrafted, one-of-a-kind objets d’art put a whole new spin on the concept of natural light. brentcomber.com |  |
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2 | Old paint cans find new purpose in the hands of artist Susan Schroeder. The co-owner of Wanted, a Gastown home decor and plant care store, cleans the tins and covers them with such fanciful fare as pages torn from a 1908 French dictionary to create—voila—planters. Suddenly terra cotta seems downright blah. wantedvancouver.com |
| 3 | Straight Line Designs salvages trees devastated by the mountain pine beetle and transforms them into clever cabinetry. The unique blue grain—a hallmark of the reclaimed wood—is highlighted in designer Judson Beaumont’s hand-shaped, tumbled “river rocks” that adorn the drawers.straightlinedesigns.com |  |
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4 | For hip eco-babies, Contexture Design presents a mobile crafted from recycled black paper and salvaged, outdated road maps that portrays crows returning to a rookery. OK, crows may not be your first choice of feathered friend to hang above a crib, but Contexture’s Trevor Coghill and Nathan Lee assure us they are family-oriented birds that mate for life. contexture.ca |
| 5 | Cut from a single slab of reclaimed maple, Live Edge Design’s river rock dining table proves there’s new life for dead trees. The natural cracks, crevices, stripes, and burls are left intact to honour the natural appearance of leaf-bearers knocked down by storms or discarded by forestry companies. liveedgedesign.com |  |
Writer Erica Gehrke is proud to say she’s recently transformed a tea canister into a pencil holder, a deep-dish serving platter into a moss garden, and a candelabra into a coat rack.
Do It Yourself
Thrift-store lovers, back-lane shoppers, and dumpster divers have long known that one person’s garbage is another person’s gold. And now websites like craigslist.org, kijiji.ca, and freecycle.org make it easy for DIY diehards to find their own fabulous fodder online and unleash their inner artiste.
For step-by-step how-to projects on turning junk into gems, visit readymademag.com or find the book ReadyMade: How to Make (Almost) Everything by Shoshana Berger and Grace Hawthorne.
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Top Houseplants for clean air.
Everyone knows that a house full of lush green plants looks homey, but what about a space station full of ferns and palms? NASA tested popular plants for their ability to create oxygen and filter common toxins like trichloroethylene (found in varnishes, paints, and adhesives), formaldehyde (present in carpets, furniture, and foam insulation), and benzene (found in plastics, synthetic fibres, and detergents) to purify the air astronauts breathe. Here on Earth, we like to breathe purified air, too. As we begin shutting our windows in earnest against the autumn chill, we plan to invite some special green friends into our homes to help us breathe easier. Here’s our list of the top air scrubbers:
Top row, from left
1. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
2. English Ivy (Hedera helix)
3. Nephytis
Second row
4. Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata)
5. Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
6. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
7. Janet Craig Dracaena (Dracaena deremensis)
8. Chinese Evergreen (Aglaaonema modestum)
Third row
9. Variegated Corn Plant (Dracaena fragrans “Massangeana”)
10. Dracaena Warneckii (Dracaena deremensis “Warneckii”)
11. Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)
12. Potted Mum (Chrysanthemum)
13. Corn Plant (Dracaena fragrans “Massangeana”)
More Fresh Air Options
Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)
Umbrella plant (Schefflera arboricola)
Heart-leaf Philodendron (Philodendron scandens)
Tree Philodendron (Philodendron selloum)
Elephant Ear Philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)
Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)
Pothos Vine (Epipremnum aureus)
Aloe Vera
• The NASA studies recommend having 15 to 18 good-sized houseplants in an 1,800-square-foot home (or space station).
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One mom’s venture into the world of greener diapers
My foray into cloth diapering came about more from necessity than a heightened sense of environmental duty. My 14-month-old daughter had been suffering from severe diaper rashes for two months, and I’d tried everything—except cloth diapers.
I decided that cloth would allow her skin to breathe more, so I rushed to discover what cloth diapering entailed. In the back of my mind were vague notions of sharp pins and buckets full of smelly, poopy diapers.
I quickly found that the large department stores still had pretty old-fashioned ideas, too. From cotton folding diapers (with those sharp pins) to Kushies (Velcro-tabbed fitted cloth diapers), the choices were limited.
Hoping there was more out there, I went to a smaller store. The staff spent what seemed like hours (especially to my three-year-old son, who was so bored he started trying to feed the dolls in the shop) patiently explaining the diapers and covers they had available. I left the store with several options to try: rectangular cloths to fold and stuff inside a waterproof cover, paper liners, and two diapers made of bamboo (which is more absorbent than cotton, so better for nighttime use).
I also felt an increased confidence in my ability to “do” cloth diapers. The kind lady in the store had explained that as long as I was going to wash them at least every two days, I didn’t need a “wet pail,” and I could tumble-dry diapers and covers. The last benefit is incredibly important for a working mom of two.
My next task was breaking the news to my daycare. I spent a sleepless night imagining the horrified looks on the teachers’ faces and the increased fees I would face for making their jobs harder. In the morning, I dressed Baby G in her new diaper and then discovered cloth’s first drawback—skinny jeans (gleefully purchased a few weeks earlier) do not fit over a big cloth diaper. So, after a quick rummage in her closet, off we went to the daycare with Baby G dressed in stretchy leggings, to face the music. To my surprise, I was told that not only did the daycare staff not mind cloth diapers, they actually preferred them.
Keen on finding more diaper options, I did a Google search. That’s when the environmental impact of disposables hit me. I discovered that just one disposable diaper takes up to 500 years to break down in a landfill, and one baby in disposables generates one ton of garbage every year they use them. Disposables have also been linked to asthma and other respiratory problems, and are full of chemicals that I would never expose my baby to in any other circumstance.
The good news? I found some great options. First, I discovered the gDiaper, a cloth/disposable hybrid. It consists of a washable outer pant and a flushable/compostable refill. Diapers are not much bulkier than regular disposable diapers. The disposable portion breaks down within 90 days, and contains no elemental chlorine, perfumes, plastic layer, inks, dyes, or latex.
Although I really liked these, I quickly discovered that unless you are Julia Roberts (she uses them for her kids), these are pricey for everyday use: one pack of 32 refills costs $20. However, there is definitely a place for these in my diaper bag to use on shopping trips or when visiting friends.
There are also numerous options for cloth diapers online. You can buy standard folding diapers as well as fitted diapers (which require a diaper cover as they’re not waterproof), “pocket” diapers, or “all-in-ones” (AIOs). All are easy to use; they are shaped like disposable diapers, with Velcro or snap fastenings, and the parent can control absorbency by adding or removing specially made liners. The ones I liked best were the pocket diapers and the AIOs.
Pocket diapers are basically cloth diapers made of cotton, hemp, fleece, or bamboo, that have a pocket into which you stuff a flushable paper liner (or two), which absorbs the wet stuff.
As for AIOs, you don’t need to add an insert: they have the absorbent liners built in. As with pocket diapers, there is no need for a diaper cover, as they’re waterproof. The ones I tried were also leak proof.
One other important aspect to consider about cloth diapers is cost. Up front, they’re expensive—anywhere from $12 to $30 per diaper—but when you consider that they last for a long time, they actually end up being considerably cheaper than disposables. Experts recommend you buy the following quantities if you’re intending to cloth-diaper your little one:
Newborn to five months: 24-36 diapers and inserts
Six months to one year: 18-24 diapers and inserts
One year till potty-trained: 12-18 diapers and inserts
After using cloth diapers for more than three months, I’m convinced I’ll continue using them, even though we’ve since discovered that Baby G’s rashes are caused by a digestion issue. (In general, rashes are much less of a problem with cloth diapers; in fact, it’s been noted that the rate of diaper rash has increased from under 10 per cent in the 1950s to almost 80 per cent in recent times.)
As far as I can tell, there’s no reason not to use cloth diapers. If you really can’t face the washing, you can always use a diaper service. Personally, I think the extra effort involved in washing and drying the diapers is a great trade-off when you consider the alternatives and their effect on the environment.
Before taking up the cloth…
Zoë Burton is a local mom of two busy pre-schoolers, and is just starting to realize that two tiny people can have a very big impact on the environment.
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A sneak peek at the ‘09 stars of fuel efficiency
With the price of fuel skyrocketing and the environment top of mind, the race is on for auto manufacturers to switch gears and come up with better alternatives to polluting combustion engines. As oil-thirsty horsepower falls out of fashion, SharedVISION presents you with an exclusive preview of the 2009 lineup of Earth-friendlier cars.
Dynasty IT (electric)
This aluminum eclectic-electric is very utilitarian, but nerd-cool. With three models to choose from in 2009, the standout is a tiny two-seater pickup truck that’s just big enough for your gear, but too small to help your friends move house. The four-door sedan is classified as an LSV (low speed vehicle) with a top speed of 40 km/h. For city commuters who have little opportunity to even reach speed limits, this funky little car might be ideal, except for one problem: these cars are currently not allowed in areas where the posted speed limit is over 40 km/h. If you live on Bowen Island, or in a municipality where the speed limit is capped at 40, you’re in luck. For the rest of us, it’s a wait-and-see game. After a six-hour charge in the garage, IT’s got a driving range of 50 km. Pound for pound, electricity from your wall socket is a much cheaper way of getting energy than burning gasoline (especially if your landlord is paying the bills). Colours to choose from include bright lime, in case you really want to drive the “green living” point home. The B.C. car maker was recently purchased by a Pakistani company, and production has moved overseas. ($14,000)
Smart Car (ye old combustion engine)
Available as a Coupe or Cabriolet, the Smart Car Fortwo is one of the best runabout cars on the block, with a hard-to-beat fuel economy rating of 5.4L/100 km. Surprisingly, I’ve spotted this Euro-ride just about everywhere outside the city limits—sporting mountain bikes in the summer and skis in the winter. By no means is the Smart a performance vehicle, but it will get you safely from A to B. Although you wouldn’t think so by the size of its body, the interior cabin nicely accommodates taller drivers. Smart is very manoeuverable, slipping into parking spots too tight for other cars. Fifteen-inch steel wheels, keyless entry, leather steering wheel, and electric rear window defroster come standard. ($14,990)
Mercedes-Benz ML 450 (hybrid)
Attention lovers of German automobiles: here’s a four-wheel drive hybrid SUV coming to a dealer near you. Mercedes claims it will be the most fuel-efficient hybrid sports-ute in the world. Featuring an electric-only driving mode, the fuel economy projections are fairly impressive at 7.7L per 100 km. This is by no means a zero-emissions ride, and if you really want to leave a lesser footprint, cross this one off the list; however, the ML 450 can drive solely on electric power for short distances before the engine kicks back in. Like other hybrids on the market, the technology employs a coaxial electric motor to assist the gasoline engine, and features a stop/restart feature that shuts down the engine at red lights. With 321 hp of combined power when both the electric motor and the 4.5L V6 gasoline engine are working together, these wheels are for the Whistler cabin set. (est. $70,000)
Honda FCX Clarity (hydrogen fuel cell)
The debut of the Clarity sedan is the most exciting auto news of the year. The car runs on electricity quietly generated from hydrogen gas, and emits only water vapour. With a shape similar to Honda’s popular Civic, it’s refuelled using a high-pressure connector on the rear fender. The slow growth of a hydrogen fuelling infrastructure might just speed up if consumers line up for the Clarity. Vancouver actually has some hydrogen fuelling stations—put in place for the feds’ “Hydrogen Highway” program—to showcase a number of hydrogen vehicles in time for the 2010 Olympics. Although the fuelling stations are not open to the public right now, they are an important step for this emerging technology. California will receive the Clarity first, and Vancouver actress Laura Harris (24, Dead Like Me), who now lives in L.A., has scored one. The FCX motor produces 134 horsepower and 189 pound-feet of torque. Light ’em up, Laura! ($600 per month lease including insurance)
ZENN (electric)
This modern-looking three-door hatchback hails from Ontario and has a top speed of 40 km/h. While you won’t win any races, you’ll be laughing your way past the gas pumps. Plug it in to any standard outlet and it’s good to go, fully charged in the morning. ZENN = Zero Emission, No Noise. If your idea of car maintenance is topping up the washer fluid, these might be the wheels for you, as long as the government green-lights the use of electric vehicles in your community. ($14,000)
Lexus LS 600h L (hybrid)
Aha, do I smell the fresh scent of greenwashing? Here’s one to satisfy the power-loving driver. A 288-volt DC nickel-metal-hydride battery is matched to a whopping 483 hp, 5L combustion engine. Huh? Kind of defeats the purpose of the whole hybrid thing, as one would suspect a big engine like this is working most of the time? Turns out the LS 600h produces just 20 per cent of the emissions of a conventional 5.0L V8. But does a V8 have any right to be included in a list of eco-friendly cars? Probably not. The argument is that if you’re going to drive a V8, this is your best option. Peter Partridge at Toyota told me he gets a startling 9.0L per 100 km on average. Not Smart Car economy, but still impressive for that kind of horsepower. Last year I was very skeptical of this new kind of hybrid—one that marries a powerful engine to a battery—when I took the junior version (GS Hybrid 3.5L V6) up to my cabin for a test drive. Great handling on dirt roads. And talk about luxury! Every mod-con imaginable was beautifully installed in the gorgeous cabin: air-cooled leather seats for summer, GPS, and an audio system that sounded like the symphony was riding shotgun. In lake country, driving at speeds less than about 35 km/h, I quietly sneaked up on wildlife with the car running on the battery alone. Environmentally friendly? You decide. ($119,400)
Fisker Karma (hybrid)
This sexy two-door luxury sports sedan, designed by Henrik Fisker (who styled Aston Martin’s legendary DB9 and BMW’s drool-worthy Z8 roadster), will be the first vehicle released by the Fisker Automotive Company. A plug-in hybrid gasoline/electric motor combo consists of a gasoline engine that turns a generator, which charges a lithium ion battery, powering the electric motor and turning the rear wheels. Still with us? What separates this design from other hybrids (like the Prius) is that you can drive the car emissions-free for up to 80 km a day as long as you plug it in to recharge the battery each night. Fisker claims that if you follow this pattern, you will only need to fill up the gas tank once a year. A full-length solar roof powers cooling for the interior cabin when the car is parked. With serious torque, a 0 to 100 km/h time of six seconds, and top speed of 200 km/h+, you won’t miss a revving engine. Great eco-chic looks, high-speed performance, and zero emissions. I’ll take mine in navy, please. ($80,000)
Toyota Prius (hybrid)
The most recognizable hybrid, beloved by Vancouver taxi drivers (there’s a wait list, apparently) will be back for ’09. Toyota recently announced that it plans to install solar panels on the next generation of Prius. The Prius’s award-winning gasoline-electric system has been named Best in Class by Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency every year since 2004. (The same technology is found in Ford’s Escape Hybrid, a compact SUV that’s worth a look if you require more cargo space.) Prius achieves 4.1L per 100 km as long as you’re not a lead foot. It easily cruises on the battery alone under speeds of about 40 km/h. Just imagine how much more clean and quiet city intersections would be, if all vehicles sported an engine shut-off feature like Prius while we waited at red lights. There are whispers that Toyota is coming out with a brand new hybrid model in ’09, but at the time of writing, the mystery machine is still under wraps. ($27,600)
Chevy Silv
erado (hybrid)
New for ’09, the revamped Silverado hybrid is a big deal for GM, which is producing hybrid versions of its fleet in an attempt to win back consumers to the brand. If you can’t live without a pickup, or you require towing power, this could be your next truck. A 300-volt nickel-metal-hydride battery is matched to a fuel-slurping 6.0L V8 gasoline engine. So, what’s the good news? Ladies, you may plug a hair dryer into a number of electrical outlets on board (or a blender or power drill). More importantly, at speeds under 45 km/h, even when actively towing, the Silverado Hybrid drives on electricity alone. Another clever technology called “cylinder deactivation” is also included, which means that if you’re not towing a boat or burying the gas pedal for extra power, the engine will run on just four cylinders to conserve energy. That’s great for the city slicker, but good luck finding a parking spot. Carbon credits not included. (est. $35,000)
If You Must Combust...
These cars enjoy fewer trips to the pump:
Toyota Yaris
6.3 L/100 km (available in a five-door hatch for ‘09)
$13,945
Honda Fit
6.5 L/100 km
$14,980
Mini Cooper*
6.3 L/100 km
$24,800
*Lisa’s pick: most fun to drive
and best bang for your buck.
Writer Lisa MacFarlane may likely be the only Vancouver-based auto reviewer who cycles to work. Catch Lisa’s reviews in the Province newspaper.
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Vedic design brings positive energy home
Rushing to an afternoon appointment, you hurry down the bustling sidewalk with a mind awash in the banal concerns, lists, and plans that make up your day. Paying minimal attention to your surroundings, you almost miss the simple, elegant doorway sandwiched between busy coffee shops. But something about this place catches your eye, and you step inside. Immediately you feel at ease, your mind begins to clear, and you realize you’ve ventured into a home design showroom. What is it about this place that feels so tranquil and agreeable?
It could be a latent desire to renovate your house—or it could be that the principles of vastu, the ancient Indian precursor to feng shui, are working their invisible magic.
“You can’t quantify it,” says John Wiggers, an Ontario-based furniture designer. “It resonates with you on some level, but for no particular reason.”
Over the years, Wiggers Custom Furniture Ltd. has incorporated the principles of both vastu (sometimes spelled “vaastu”) and feng shui into many of its award-winning designs. Wiggers notes that pieces with proportions more in line with these principles are better received than those without.
“You come across iconic pieces by renowned designers, and certain proportions consistently come to the surface, too frequently to be a fluke,” says Wiggers. “People are not conscious of it, but they respond to it unconsciously.”
Wiggers has noticed a similar phenomenon with buildings. He started applying vastu and feng shui principles to his own shop, and has seen a surprising correlation between areas that have been “harmonized,” and their subsequent improvement in production.
While many Canadians have heard of the ancient Chinese design philosophy feng shui, vastu—or Vedic design—is still relatively new to most of us. While conceptually similar, vastu and feng shui differ considerably in the details, such as the exact directions in which various objects, rooms, and materials should be oriented.
Vastu aims to harmonize the flow of energy, called prana (similar to feng shui’s chi), throughout a building. Vastu combines five elements—earth, ether (Earth’s magnetic energy), air, fire, and water—with several overarching principles to address everything from site selection and building orientation to the character of a home and furniture arrangement. It also promotes the use of natural and environmentally friendly materials, says Salt Spring Island’s Ruth Anne Taves, a coordinator of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda design—considered by its followers to be the purest form of vastu.
“While you don’t read about this in the Vedic texts—because natural materials were all that was available at the time—both for the health and well-being of the individual and the environment, Maharishi Sthapatya Veda encourages and promotes natural products and toxin-free materials.”
The implementation of vastu can vary considerably from one consultant to another. While several experts, including Taves, feel that it’s not typically feasible to apply vastu to an existing building, others believe that even simple changes, such as furniture arrangement and colour selection, can make a positive impact. Here are a few tips to help you foster more harmonious spaces in your home:
Interestingly, Taves says that although many Indian families in Toronto inquire about vastu when looking for a home, it’s Salt Spring Island that currently has the highest concentration of vastu dwellings in Canada. In addition to having several areas that have the proper slope and orientation required by vastu, Taves says, Salt Spring Island is considered one of the five most sattvic (pure) places on Earth, as deemed by the founder of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda design, the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. As a result, many practitioners of Transcendental Meditation build their vastu homes there.
Kim Davis is a freelance researcher, writer, and designer who has a whole new appreciation for her home’s east-facing entrance.
Vastu to You
Vastu is a complex philosophy; if you’re interested in building a vastu home, consider enlisting the services of an experienced consultant:
Maharishi Sthapatya, Veda in Canada, vastu.ca
Ruth Anne Taves, Vastu Coordinator, Western Canada, 250-537-9235
Books
Space Matters: Use the Wisdom of Vastu to Create a Healthy Home—11 Top Designers Show You How by Kathleen Cox
Vastu Living: Creating a Home for the Soul by Kathleen Cox
The Vaastu Workbook: Using the Subtle Energies of the Indian Art of Placement by Talavane Krishna
The Vastu Vidya Handbook: The Indian Feng Shui—Using Vastu Vidya to Bring Harmony and Prosperity into Your Home or Office by Juliet Pegrum
Vastu: Transcendental Home Design in Harmony with Nature by Sherri Silverman
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Balancing Act 
Finding Zen
Centering 101 
Need to retreat? 
How many times have you said to yourself, “I really have to get organized one of these days”? According to the National Association for Professional Organizers (NAPO), only one-quarter of us are organized. The rest of us struggle to some degree with disorganization and clutter in our homes. In fact, it has been said that the majority of us spend at least one hour a day looking for the things we need and 20 per cent of our annual budget replacing things we’ve lost! 
The Chinese proverb “A cluttered space equals a cluttered mind” also rings true for many of us: a reluctance to part with certain items and holding onto things as mementos of past experiences and relationships can prevent us from growing emotionally and spiritually. By clearing the clutter, both physical and emotional, we bring order into our lives, gain energy and clarity to be more creative and productive, and come away with a sense of calmness and serenity.
Give It Away