Allison Verdoorn

Every year, 4 billion pounds of carpet are discarded in the United States. I know that the knee jerk reaction for many of us when we move into a new place is to rip out the carpet and put in a more sustainable floor like wood or cork. While that might be a great long term goal, a better choice is to keep that carpet looking good as long as possible before discarding it. A carpet rake is just the tool to help you do that!

I know, I know, moving your furniture around in a space a few times a year sounds like an enormous amount of work but it’s worth it. After the jump find 5 reasons that moving your furniture can help you live more simply and efficiently.1. Save your flooring. By moving your furniture around periodically it saves your flooring from wear and traffic patterns therefore extending its life.2. Take advantage of changing light conditions.

I’m sure you are all aware of the Great Dishwasher Debate, always a delightful topic after a dinner party. Many would contend that a well loaded, eco-friendly dishwasher saves water over doing your dishes by hand. But this creates a problem for our 2 person household: by the time our dishwasher is well loaded with rinsed dishes it STINKS. We just don’t make enough dishes to run it often enough to avoid the smell. So, how often do you run your dishwasher?

Last week I wrote about 10 Tiny Kitchens We Love and many of you remarked that one of the reasons that they were so great was the natural light they had. Well, living green often means living small. And living small means we don’t always get a window in our kitchen. So, here are 10 great kitchens that are windowless and fantastic at the same time.1 Check this great space out over at the Kitchn, using reflective surfaces and high ceilings you almost forget there is no natural light.

Beautifully organized spaces are very inspirational for me. Often, I think, if I only had more space, but these rooms make it clear that space is not the issue. In fact, we know that it’s more environmentally-friendly to live small; you just need to know the secrets to making a small space work. Creative solutions, lovely placement, and only having what you use and love make a room clean and simple.

A great media cabinet can set the tone for your entire living room. Using one that not only has great style but also features sustainable design elements can make a well designed statement.