It’s (Sometimes) Easy Being Green: An April Letter from the Editor

When I started at Apartment Therapy in 2019,Green Weekwas something of a tradition. Even though we wrote about sustainability and eco-friendly home habits year-round, once a year, we’d dedicate a week to going deep on topics like eco-friendly real estate companies and fast decor. Inevitably, we’d realize that we hadwaytoo many ideas for just one week — and besides, such an important, complex topic deserved even more attention.

So this year, we’re amping it up. The entire month of April is now Green Month! And in what should come as no surprise, it already feels like a month isn’t enough to do the subject justice. The past year has turned my concept of being green at home on its head. Even as I substituted bees wrap for plastic wrap and dutifully washed my reusable water bottle, I was creating a whole new kind of waste with disposable face masks. I was drying my hands on paper towels more than ever because I wanted to use them instead of towels after washing my hands. My use of Clorox wipes went up tenfold, and getting groceries delivered meant that my reusable bags were collecting dust in my kitchen cabinet. When it comes to preventing viral spread at home, sustainability seems to take a back seat.

But we’re here to help you make eco-friendly choices even though the pandemic is still going on, and answer some questions you might’ve been wondering over the past year (or longer!). In addition to a ton of stories, we’ll be decoding some common “eco-friendly” buzzwords on cleaning products, sharing great BIPOC-owned companies that focus on sustainability, learning about the rise in no-buy groups on Facebook, and investigating a fascinating question: Can home renovation ever truly be sustainable?

Throughout all of this, you’ll also be able to vote on your favorite homes inour annual Small/Cool contest. This year, we received more than 500 submissions of fabulous spaces under 1,000 feet with genius storage and design solutions. And like last year, the winner of each bracket — small (751-1,000 square feet), smaller (501-750 square feet), tiny (251-500 square feet), and teeny tiny (250 square feet or less) — will be determined by YOU. The first bracketopens for voting at 9 a.m. on April 5, and I really can’t wait for you to see all of the amazing homes people shared.

I also want to direct you to some of our recent coverage related to the recent racist, anti-Asian violence. It’s more important than ever to take the time to educate ourselves on the history and context, support AAPI friends, family, and community, and take action against racist violence. Here are someways to support the AAPI community.

I hope you all are staying safe, healthy, and dry from all of those April showers!

Terri