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daiINNOVATIVE GREEN DESIGN AWARDSSM

THE WINNERS

By Category:

Bedding The Terra OrganicPedic Organic Mattresses, Inc. omifactory.com

Flooring/Floor Coverings ReFresh Fiber Universal Fibers, Inc.universalfi bers.com

Furniture/Kitchen Gaia Kitchen Bazzeo by NY Loft; bazzeo.com

Furniture/OutdoorOutdoor Furniture Loll Designs; lolldesigns.com

Furniture/Hard GoodsBamboo Credenza with Doors and Drawers Stylo Furniture & Design; stylo-fd.com

Furniture/Soft GoodsLulan Artisans Manufacturing Program Lulan Artisans; lulan.com

Household Appliances Hybrid Water Heater GE Consumer & Industrialgeconsumerandindustrial.com

Kitchen Appliances CS 2062, 36” Refrigerator Liebherrliebherr-appliances.com

Lighting Meteor Lighting ILOS Corporationmeteor-lighting.com

Window Treatments Duette Architella Honeycomb ShadesHunter Douglas, Inc.; hunterdouglas.com

Special Mentions:

Major American Furniture ManufacturerThe EcoComfort Collection La-Z-Boyla-z-boy.com

“Coolest” ProductQ fireplace Ecosmart Fire; ecosmartfi re.com

Philanthropic MissionK-Light Solar Lantern PiSAT Solar; pisatsolar.com

Among kitchen cabinet or “furniture” entries, Bazzeo by NY Loft’s Gaia kitchen was the clear winner, singled out for being completely made of recycled and recyclable materials, and non-toxic resins and laminates in a “zero-waste” factory in New Jersey. Th e product can contribute LEED points to a project. Th e “clean, sleek” designs caught judge Kate Dayton’s eye, while fellow panelist Jorge S. Arango said, “For me, it’s about the

reuse of materials. And I think aesthetically it’s a beautiful, beautiful kitchen.”

FURNITURE/KITCHEN Gaia Kitchen Bazzeo by NY Loft

Saluting Sustainability

The judges have cast their votes and the results are here. New York House salutes the winners of its inaugural Innovative Green Design AwardsSM competition, intended to showcase the best Earth-friendly, beautiful home furnishings products.

Winners represent the greenest materials, most sustainable methods of manufacturing, highest energy effi ciency, greatest innovation, smallest carbon footprint, and best looking design in each category.

Submissions poured in from around the world and varied widely, from artisans and craftspeople in the Hudson Valley to major American manufacturers, an Australian fi replace maker, Southeast Asian weavers, and European appliance companies.

Esteemed judges debated the sustainability of importing and shipping very large pieces of furniture or appliances, but weighed those aspects against the environmental impact of the materials and manufacturing processes.

Th e variety of entries proved challenging for the judges. “While all of the categories showed impressive and innovative talent, the furniture category was particularly

diffi cult to judge due to the abundance of submissions,” judge Chris Madden says, adding, “It was inspiring to see how far we have advanced in green design and to see the growing number of participants in the fi eld.”

Th e solution was to create separate furniture categories: hard goods, soft goods, outdoor, and kitchen “furniture.”

New York House celebrates the winners of its fi rst-ever Innovative Green Design AwardsSM.BY NANCY MEYER, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM GINA MARINELLI AND LINDSAY SUCHOW; PHOTOS PROVIDED

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Continued on Page 28

THE JUDGES

FURNITURE/OUTDOOR Outdoor Furniture Loll Designs

In outdoor furniture, entries varied from upstate New York craftspeople with an innovative lounge chair made from local wood, to several high-end design fi rms with imported Asian wood pieces and luxury quarried stone benches, to the category winner, Loll Designs. Loll Designs’ modern Adirondack chairs, rockers, and swings are crafted from 100-percent recycled plastic made in Georgia, primarily from recycled milk jugs. Loll was founded by a desire to utilize unused scrap from a sister company that made skate parks, but its eco initiatives include recycled packaging, recycling manufacturing and offi ce waste, working in a

green building, and participating in 1% For the Planet (an alliance of companies that donate at least one percent of annual revenues to environmental causes) by returning one percent of its gross sales to local environmental groups. Th e judges felt the repurposing of materials and the “fun, family-friendly designs” helped Loll win them over.

By segmenting the furniture category so much, the judges narrowed the fi eld in hard goods, thus giving Stylo Furniture & Design, a Hudson Valley custom design fi rm, an edge for its innovative

use of sustainable materials, low-impact manufacturing, and minimal waste production. Th e panel appreciated that Stylo’s bamboo credenza, designed by company owner Randy Hornman and architect Richard Librizzi, is a versatile and functional, stylish piece whose bamboo carries two LEED credits and also contributes to LEED EQ Credit 4: Low-emitting materials. “It’s a really good execution,” Dayton remarked.

FURNITURE/HARD GOODS Bamboo Credenza with Doors and Drawers Stylo Furniture & Design

Th e Terra OrganicPedic mattress took top honors because it embodies all aspects of innovative green design, the judges noted. Th e 12-inch mattress has a removable sculpted-surface pillow top, a 3-inch fi rm, 100-percent natural rubber latex core with 2-inch layers of softer latex on top and bottom, joined to the core using a vegetable-based adhesive. Th e mattress cores are made in the U.S. from sustainably

harvested rubber-tree sap; the latex is naturally anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and biodegradable, and is certifi ed to contain no harmful substances, while domestic Eco-Wool and certifi ed organic cotton are used in the quilting. OMI’s mattresses are eligible for LEED credits and the judges found the designs appealing.

BEDDING

The Terra OrganicPedic Organic Mattresses, Inc.

CRITERIA

JORGE S. ARANGO has nearly 20 years of publishing experience as a design writer, editor, and producer, having appeared in such publications as Metropolitan Home, House & Garden, Time Out New York, and Elle

Décor. He has also co-authored two books: Harlem Style: Designing for the New Urban Aesthetic and Ex Arte. Arango’s work includes residential design photography as well as commercial projects like the Four Seasons Hotels in Washington, D.C., Liberia, and Costa Rica.

KATE DAYTON is the founder of Green Courage, LLC., in New Paltz, which provides environmentally safe and healthy finish materials for remodeling and renovation projects. She

founded the company in 2004. Green Courage LLC is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), and Sustainable Hudson Valley (SHV).

CAROL J.W. KURTH, AIA, LEED AP, is principal of Carol J.W. Kurth AIA Architects and founder of OOCK green design boutique in Bedford. Kurth, a graduate of the City

College of New York, is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. She is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, as well as the founder of the American Institute of Architects’ Women in Architecture Committee, Westchester Mid-Hudson chapter.

CHRIS MADDEN founded her multimillion-dollar company, Chris Madden, Inc., in 1977 and has since produced 16 books, Your Good House magazine, and a home furnishings

partnership with JC Penney. She was the first design correspondent for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Showhouse magazine. Madden just signed on to publish her 17th book and continues her partnership with JC Penney as well as her philanthropic ventures like Project Katrina, furnishing homes on the devastated Gulf Coast since 2007.

ENTRIES WERE EVALUATED ON THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:To be eligible, the product must:• Have a defining green or sustainable attribute (in design, material, increased energy efficiency, reduced embodied energy, etc.)• Be made in a sustainable way• Be new, but available, to consumers (on the market less than two years)

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SPECIAL MENTIONSPRODUCTS TOO SPECIAL AND TOO GREEN NOT TO BE SINGLED OUT

Among major American manufacturers, LA-Z-BOY earned praise for using

its huge presence in the industry to offer the ECOCOMFORT COLLECTION, a line using ecofriendly

fabrics. While it’s hard for such a large, established company to convert to green

standards, La-Z-Boy is “raising the

consciousness on a wide scale, on a national scale,” says Arango.

Another special mention goes to a very hot product the judges named the “coolest.” While they admit this may not be the greenest product, they agreed the Q BY ECOSMART FIRE is worth noting for its innovation and design. This free-standing fireplace, situated in a round-shaped dome and free to move to any room, is 90 percent thermal efficient and perfect for small living spaces.

Finally, the judges stripped away all the remarkably green features of the K-LIGHT SOLAR LANTERN BY PISAT SOLAR, like the 16 energy-efficient LEDs and 1.5-watt solar panel, and praised a company whose mission statement outshines its product. PiSat Solar donates a portion of its sales proceeds to its own Light for Africa program, which supports the not-for-profit Koinonia Foundation to provide start-up grants for local women in business who sell the K-Light.

Because there were so many varied appliance entries that didn’t fi t into the kitchen category, judges created the household appliance category and grouped non-kitchen items in it. Within this household appliance group, panelists judged not only

the products, but considered some heavy issues, including GE’s past pollution of the Hudson River and its current corporate-wide, innovative Ecomagination eff orts.

“It does beg the issue of: in order to make the change, don’t you need a major company to do some major work, to have the most impact in the movement forward?” Dayton asked. In the end, judges found GE’s Hybrid Electric Water Heater stood out from competing appliances because it uses less than half the energy of similar products, thanks to its hybrid technology that absorbs heat in ambient air and transfers it into the water. Th is Energy Star-rated water heater is designed to fi t the same electrical and water connections and occupy the same footprint of a traditional water heater, thereby making upgrades and replacements seamless.

HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES Hybrid Water Heater GE Consumer & Industrial

When it comes to window treatments, the panelists considered entries with organic fi bers and ecofriendly processes, but ultimately concluded that Hunter Douglas’ new double-honeycomb Duette Architella shades stood out for their innovation and superior insulating capacity, which translates to energy effi ciency. Th e honeycomb-in-a-honeycomb construction dramatically increases R-values in colder months and signifi cantly reduces solar heat gain to save consumers energy. Off ered in a wide color palette, they’re visually appealing as well, the judges found.

“I think this product is great,” Arango said. “I think this company is amazing. And their product is excellent; their quality is excellent.”

Related Dayton: “I’ll never forget the fi rst time I experienced that. Th e heat from the sun will come through the window and you’re feeling it when it’s open. You close that thing and it’s gone. And now this is double-honeycomb.” Added Arango: “It’s really amazing technology.”

WINDOW TREATMENTSDuette Architella Honeycomb Shades

Hunter Douglas, Inc.

Continued from Page 27

LIGHTINGMeteor LightingILOS Corporation

While there were numerous fl uorescent and LED lighting entries, many of them quite innovative or aesthetically pleasing, the judges found ILOS

Corporation’s Meteor solar ground and paver lights to combine cutting-edge technology with functionality

and design aesthetics. Th e lights use the latest in solar cell, LED lighting, and EDLC ultracapacitor technology (which gives them a seven- to 10-year lifespan) to be as sturdy and reliant as conventionally powered equivalents, the company says. Because they’re self-contained, they require no external power and no wiring, thereby reducing environmental impact. “For driveways and building lighting, it really solves a lot of problems,” judge Carol Kurth said. “With digging, you’re disrupting trees and shrubs and grass or habitat. I think this is just a great solution.”

“[The K-light Solar Lantern is] a versatile design, it’s green all the way, and it’s a philanthropic company. I think it’s terrifi c.” —Jorge S. Arango

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Universal Fibers has made reuse and recycling an art form in its innovative ReFresh Fiber carpet fi ber, the winner in the fl ooring/fl oor coverings category. Universal diverts literally tons of post-consumer Nylon-66 carpet from landfi lls, separates the face fi ber and conducts multi-step cleaning processes, making the fl uff suitable for making

more than 70 designer shades of carpet yarn. No toxic or heavy metals are involved; no effl uent streams are created from traditional dyeing; all polymeric manufacturing waste is recovered and reused. Th is domestically-made product reduces oil consumption, clearly saves energy, and won over the panel of judges for its solving of a real environmental problem.

FLOORING/FLOOR COVERINGS

ReFresh Fiber Universal Fibers, Inc.

In the soft goods category, including upholstery, the judges eliminated companies whose ecofriendly cushions were optional, because they felt this didn’t demonstrate a true commitment to green. Aesthetics were discussed, as were various materials and manufacturing processes, including preserving ancient techniques. All this led the panel to select Lulan Artisans, a partnership between architect/designer Eve Blossom, consulting designers Laura Guido-Clark and Michael Koch, and a group of gifted artisans in fi ve Southeast Asian countries. More than 650 spinners, twisters, dyers, weavers, and fi nishers produce high-end fabrics, decorative accents, and other soft goods in a holistic design approach using only natural materials. But Lulan’s sustainability also encompasses the local communities, as it celebrates the villages’ centuries-old weaving techniques, opens new markets, and enhances free trade.

FURNITURE/SOFT GOODS Lulan Artisans Manufacturing Program Lulan Artisans

When it came to kitchen appliances, it was Liebherr, the judges’ pick for best-in-class, which did the ultimate job of combining all aspects of sustainable, innovative, beautiful

design. After some debate over domestic versus imported products, the judges even felt Liebherr’s ecofriendly product features and sustainable manufacturing processes far outweigh the carbon footprint of importing

from Germany. Th is new 36-inch refrigerator, introduced after four years of research and development, consumes just 452 kWh per year (far less than others in its class); maximizes space and food preservation; and incorporates smart features such as LED lighting and improved water fi ltration. Th e panel loved its functionality and design and was impressed by Liebherr’s long list of responsible manufacturing practices.

Liebherr says it is the only manufacturer whose line is 100-percent Energy Star rated; the only manufacturer to be RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) compliant worldwide; and the only company to make LED lighting standard, even though that has no bearing on the Energy Star rating. Among other things, Liebherr recovers and reuses energy released in production to heat its facilities, and uses recyclable packaging materials and ecofriendly, solvent-free coatings on it sheet metals.

KITCHEN APPLIANCES

CS 2062, 36” RefrigeratorLiebherr

“I have been informed and aware of sustainable practices in design, but to see such a

collection of thoughtful and inventive entries certainly made an incredible impact.” —Chris Madden

“In the LEED for homes, you have to meet an Energy Star threshold fi rst. So Liebherr at least gives you high design to meet that threshold.” —Carol J.W. Kurth

“I love the fact that [Lulan Artisans] is preserving ancient craftsmen, enhancing them. I love the fair trade aspects of it. Again, it’s also not bringing a new manufacturing process in, and new materials.” —Jorge S. Arango

COMMENTARY BY THE JUDGES

Relocate to our Web site to watch the panelists debate the issues associated with sustainable design.

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