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Gently green conversations with Trudy Dujardin, FASID, LEED AP

Don’t Just Sit There

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Whenever we sit down, to work, to eat, to meet with others, or to relax, we don’t tend to think much about what we’re sitting on. A sofa or a chair or an ottoman all have been engineered for our comfort over the years, with fabric, foam filling, and a sturdy structure to support our bodies as we rest. And since 1975, according to the Green Science Policy Institute, upholstered furniture has been designed for our (supposed) safety as well, with the introduction of flame retardant chemicals.

The chemicals intended to keep our homes from going up in flames have been linked to cancer, neurological defects, developmental problems, and impaired fertility. Manufacturers first began adding fire retardants to furniture due to a California law that required foam cushions to withstand a candlelike flame for 12 seconds. A now defunct group known as Citizens for Fire Safety, led by chemical manufacturers, was instrumental in getting the law passed, according to a Chicago Tribune article. (Read it here.)

In 2004, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) warned of high levels of toxic fire retardants found in house dust, in every single home sampled. The average level of brominated fire retardants measured in dust was more than 4,600 parts per billion (ppb). Like PCBS, the fire retardants known as PBDEs (polybrominated biphenyl ethers) are persistent in the environment and build up in people’s bodies over a lifetime. In minute doses they impair attention, learning, memory and behavior in animals.

Recently the EWG released a new study done with Duke University, where they found evidence of exposure to a cancer-causing fire retardant, TDCIPP, in the bodies of all 22 mothers and 26 children tested. The children had an average of nearly five times as much as the mothers of a chemical formed when TDCIPP breaks down in the body.

I’ve shared my concerns about chemically laden upholstered furniture before. In addition to PBDEs, your furniture likely contains formaldehyde, polyurethane and dioxins. All of these toxins infiltrate your home and the air you breathe through “offgassing,” the release of chemicals into the air through evaporation.

Today, we can choose soy-based versus foam cushions, recycled filling for pillows, water based stains and organic upholstery fabric.

In addition, the EWG shares these tips:

Do your homework before buying baby products. Many kinds of baby products still use harmful chemicals. Find out before you buy.
When buying a new sofa, choose one made without fire retardants. New regulations make it much easier for furniture manufacturers to sell products that have not been saturated with chemicals. Contact the manufacturer to ask if fire retardants are in its furniture.
Want to reupholster your sofa? Replace the foam, too. The old foam likely contains fire retardants. Ask your upholstery shop to find retardant free foam, or choose an organic filling.
Inspect foam cushioning for damage. Exposed foam can cause fire retardant chemicals to leach out more quickly. Items such as car seats and mattress pads should always be completely encased in protective fabric.
Use a vacuum fitted with a HEPA filter. These vacuums will remove more contaminants and allergens from your home.
Be careful when removing old carpeting. The padding is typically made of scrap foam that contains fire retardants. Old carpet padding can become somewhat pulverized by the time it is exposed for replacement. Isolate the work area from the rest of your home.

There’s a petition to the Consumer Product Safety Commission asking for national furniture flammability standards that do not encourage or require fire retardants. Find it here, and get toxic chemicals out of our couches!

Walking the Labyrinth

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Labyrinths have been used for hundreds of years as a means of meditation, introspection and spiritual guidance. First appearing in mythology, in the story of Daedalus and the Minotaur, today you will find labyrinths in church and school yards, gardens, and in both public and private buildings. They are a means of finding balance in life, providing stress relief as well as a link to the past. In gardens, they are a beautiful, geometric arrangement that is soothing to both the mind and the senses.

Part of living a healthy, holistic life is self-care on an emotional and spiritual level. If you live in a healthy home built on the latest sustainable principles, choose organic foods and exercise, yet don’t have a way to de-stress on a regular basis, you may find yourself still struggling to find balance. I have a busy, active life that demands I take good care of myself to maintain the energy to meet the demands of my daily schedule. When I had my garden designed, I added a labyrinth in the back yard. Whether walking its circuitous path or simply catching a glimpse of it from my kitchen window, I am soothed by its graceful spirals etched in the lawn, similar to the labyrinth shown below.

Research by Dr. Herbert Benson of the Mind/Body Institute at Harvard University has found that walking meditations are highly effective at reducing anxiety, blood pressure, and insomnia, invoking what he called the “relaxation response.” Labyrinth walking is a highly focused form of walking meditation. and is thought to enhance creativity by enhancing right brain activity.

A labyrinth is simply a formalized spiral, evoked as a sacred form throughout the ages, and found in nature repeatedly through the Fibonacci sequence. I’ve written about the Golden Mean and the prevalence of spirals in nature and art before; you can read more about it here. One of the many natural spirals in my personal collection is the ammonite fossil, itself a labyrinth.

Interior design incorporates the idea of the labyrinth in patterns, particularly one known as the Greek Key. The Greek Key is an endlessly running “meander,” a decorative border formed by one continuous line.

You can lay a path for walking a labyrinth in your own garden, if you have the space and if the idea appeals to you. There are companies that provide templates or even weed and grass smothering cloth to help you in the task. One is The Labyrinth Company, which provides pre-shaped landscape fabric that you cover with stone, river rock, gravel or pavers.

Once you begin exploring the mystery of spirals in nature, you’ll find that you see labyrinths everywhere you turn. The curves in the petals of a rose, the roll of the surf and the spiny center of a coneflower are all labyrinths leading you deep into the heart of life. A walk through a man-made labyrinth is simply another way to experience it.

To read further, a book you may enjoy is Labyrinths: The Art of the Maze.

How to Clean Green

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Winter has at long last drawn to a close, and Spring is on our doorstep! It’s time to clean house, literally, ridding our homes of odors, fumes and dust that have built up since we shut the doors and windows last fall. Spring cleaning has been a tradition for hundreds of years. It dates back to the time before central heating, when people threw open their windows to rid their homes of smoke, ash and coal dust, generated by their efforts to keep warm. March was the preferred month for spring cleaning, as it was warm enough to open the windows, but still too cool for insects.

It’s not as crucial for us to thoroughly clean only once a year, but spring is a wonderful time to make a fresh start, and rid our homes of harsh chemicals and toxic ingredients, some of which may be damaging to our health. Here are some tips on how to “clean green” this year, and enjoy a safe, healthy home that’s good for both you and the earth.

Step Number One: Look in the Pantry

Your new best friends can all be found in your kitchen. Baking soda does a fabulous job on countertops and getting rid of odors. Add some club soda (great for your glass surfaces), olive oil, vinegar, kosher salt, and lemons. Now you’ve got almost everything you need to clean mindfully, reducing your negative impact on the earth.

Step Number Two: Get Rid of Your Commercial Cleaners

Here’s what you’ll be saying goodbye to: alkyl phenol ethoxylates, ammonia, chlorine, lye, formaldehyde, petroleum solvents, and synthetic fragrances. Those are the ingredients in most conventional cleaning products. They actually pollute your home with a toxic mixture of petrochemicals.

Step Number Three: Be Kind to Yourself and the Environment

It’s not always “Better Living through Chemistry.” After filling our homes with synthetic chemicals, many of which are stored in the body, and polluting our streams and rivers with the residue rinsed down sinks and toilet bowls, it’s time to take back our homes and our health. You don’t have to make your own cleaners from scratch, as homeowners routinely did until after World War II. There are now a number of safe, environmentally friendly products available on your grocery shelves. One of my favorites is Seventh Generation.

In case you do feel up to the task, however, here are a few tips for cleaning green:

Kitchen: Try baking soda sprinkled on counters, tabletops, sinks, refrigerators and cutting boards, use a damp sponge to scrub lightly and rinse. if you need more abrasive action, add a little kosher salt. For stains and greasy spills, you can add lemon juice or vinegar. Vinegar kills most mold, bacteria and germs, and lemon juice has antibacterial and antiseptic qualities, plus it is a natural bleach.

Bathroom: Baking soda and vinegar will clean your sinks, showers, tubs and tile. If you like, add a little lemon juice for a fresh scent.

To clean grout, mix half a cup of hydrogen peroxide with one cup of water. Spray it on the grout, let it sit for one hour, then rinse.

To clean the toliet, use one quarter cup of baking soda with one cup of vinegar. Pour it into the bowl, let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub and flush.

Wood Furniture Cleaner: Make a natural furniture polish from one quarter cup white vinegar with one tablespoon of olive oil. Or you can mix two parts olive oil with one part lemon juice.

Glass Cleaner: Mix one quarter cup white vinegar or one tablespoon lemon juice with two cups water. You can add three to four drops of liquid soap, but it’s not necessary. Spray on glass and mirrors, then wipe off using old newspapers for a fabulous shine.

Floor Cleaner: Mix one half cup Borax with one gallon hot water. For hardwood floors, try a gentler mix of one quarter cup white vinegar and 30 ounces of warm water. Put it in a recycled spray bottle, then spray on a cotton rag until lightly damp. Use the rag to wipe your floors clean.

Carpet Cleaner: Sprinkle your carpets with baking soda before vacuuming to deodorize; to clean stains, mix equal parts Borax or baking soda with salt and white vinegar. Apply the paste to the rug, let dry, then vacuum.

Sterling Silver: The fumes from commercial silver cleaner can be very strong. Instead, try making a paste of baking soda and water, and polishing with a soft cloth.

Shifting Sands

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

The sea level is rising. That’s an indisputable fact, along with the increasingly dramatic storm forces that are part of climate change. The next century will certainly bring more significant erosion to coastal areas, particularly in New England.

Scientists have a wealth of information about the ocean and the tides, primarily because sailors and fishermen have kept weather logs and sailing records for more than two hundred years. We know for a fact that the average sea level has risen a little over 8 inches since 1880. That doesn’t sound like a lot, perhaps, but it contributes greatly to beach erosion during calm weather, and damaging higher tidal surges during storms.

It’s the emission of large amounts of greenhouse gases that’s driving the change. The difficulty for coastal towns on the East Coast is that even while sea levels are rising, the land mass is actually sinking. All the way from southern Maine to northern Florida, and fastest in the Chesapeake Bay region, coastal flooding is getting worse, in part because of the lower land levels.

The New York Times published an excellent article, The Flood Next Time, identifying average sea level increases along the East Coast. In Norfolk, Virginia, as an example, neighborhoods are flooding even without storm surges. You can read the Times article here.

When I attended Greenbuild in Philadelphia in November 2013, architect and environmental expert Ed Mazria said that 2013 was the hottest year on record. His organization, 2030 Architecture, was established in 2002 in response to climate change, with a mission of changing the way the built environment and communities are planned, designed and constructed. Environmentalists first thought they could turn things around by 2030, but now they know that climate change is accelerating at a faster pace than thought. Read his thought-provoking Special Bulletin here.

Top climate scientist James Hansen, retired from the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City (1981-2013) and a spokesperson for the dangers of climate change, continues to warn us about the dangers of ignoring what’s taking place. You can watch his informative and persuasive TED talk here. He tells us we’ve passed the tipping pout of CO2 levels able 400ppm, but we must carry on and do the best we can.

The question is: what is our best? Attempts to mitigate the beach erosion and save homes on Nantucket aren’t always successful, or popular. In an article written for Treehugger.com, Sarah Oktay, the vice-chairman of the Nantucket Conservation Commission, explains the problem with “beach nourishment,” which is the dumping of tons of sand on eroded beaches to slow their disappearance, as well as putting up retaining walls.

The attempts to slow erosion, she says, cause harm to someone else. “If you take beach bluffs or dunes and you cover them in rocks so it can’t go anywhere, then it no longer provides that feeder material to downdrift beaches, so you’ll lose the beach in front of those rocks, and you’ll lose the beach downdrifts. It’s basically telling your neighbors, ‘Well, I want my home more than you want your beach.’ That doesn’t mean it’s not sad.”

This photograph of the beach in Madaket on Nantucket Island shows the way the rising tides come in, and when they recede, drag sand back out to sea. There used to be a home on the site shown below.

A clear view of beach erosion. Baxter Road on Sconset Bluff has been hardest hit.

There are a number of homes that have been moved to higher ground, or farther inland, including some that have been island landmarks for generations.

The home below is jacked up on steel beams.

Here’s another home getting ready to be moved farther inland.

We’re facing the limits of human intervention in combating a situation we created. We’ve lost time arguing over whether or not global warming and climate change are real concerns. Rather than feeling helpless, however, we need to take what action we can to support a healthy earth, and protect our coasts. There are so many good people doing good work for the environment. I urge you to support the environmental groups of your choice. I believe in The Power of One. You and I together can make a difference for the generations yet to be born.

Naturally Romantic Bedrooms

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Union Street Inn Nantucket; Photo Credit Jeff Allen

If you’re half of a couple, your bedroom is more than just your sanctuary. It’s an intimate, shared space where romance takes center stage. Your bedroom should be not only your passionate playground, but also the healthiest room in your house. That’s why recreating bedrooms is one of my favorite design projects.

A Dujardin-designed bedroom includes custom bedding and headboard. Photo credit Michael Partenio

Why is a healthy room important? As you sleep, your liver works to detox the body from all the pollutants and toxins you were exposed to during the day. A clean night’s rest helps to promote health, energy and happiness, and that may be the most loving thing you can do for your life partner. I’ve studied to become a LEED Accredited Professional with a specialty in Interior Design and Construction (LEED AP + ID + C) so that I can create healthy sanctuaries for my clients.

Here’s how I design a pristine retreat:

Choose No VOC paints for walls and wood trim

Paints can emit VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) over a long period of time, so just airing out the room may not be sufficient. That “just-painted” smell is actually the off-gassing of chemicals. The VOCs last far longer than the odor, however. The air you breathe while you rest is so important.

Another custom Dujardin Design Associates bedroom, with one-of-a-kind bedding and headboard especially created for this client. Photo credit Marco Ricco

Low or No-VOC products use water as a carrier instead of petroleum-based solvents, reducing the levels of heavy metals and formaldehyde. Even low VOC paints can contain fungicides and biocides, used to prevent mildew growth and extend shelf life. Working with a LEED-accredited interior designer can make choosing paints and finishes easier–there’s so much to learn!

Choose the natural beauty of hardwood, tile or stone floors.

I choose non-toxic floor finishes for my clients’ bedrooms, so they can rest easy at night. All upholstery and bedding custom-designed and fabricated in DDA’s workroom. Photo credit Terry Pommett

Finish your floors with a water-based sealant, then add softness underfoot with organic cotton or wool rugs. As luxurious as it seems, carpet can harbor mold, dander and allergens. Chemicals used in the manufacturing process can be hazardous to both humans and pets.

Sleep on an organic mattress.

All bedding custom-designed and fabricated by DDA’s workroom. Photo credit Terry Pommett

Your healthiest option is an organic mattress, made with natural latex, wool or organic cotton. Be sure your pillows are all natural as well. Make your home a holistic house!

Mix old materials with new: antiques are the ultimate in renewing resources.

Dujardin-designed custom bedding and window treatments, fabricated and installed by DDA’s workroom. Photo credit Jeff Allen

Antique wooden furniture was created from old-growth forests long ago. No new resources are used in its construction, making its restoration and re-use a loving part of caring for the earth. Manufacturing plants, even the very greenest, distribute impurities into our air, waste systems and water.

At Dujardin Design Associates, creating custom looks with beautiful fabrics is only part of the wide array of services we offer. Photo credit Jeff Allen

Even in a contemporary home, the gentle lines of antique furniture can add eye-catching details to your bedroom. I love to find the perfect antique pieces that will become family heirlooms, and blend beautifully with a modern lifestyle.

Make Your Bed with Natural, Organic Textiles

Choosing Dujardin Design Associates for your custom bedding, throw pillows, and window treatments allows you to have a wider range of choices in colors, fabrics, and textures. Photo credit Terry Pommett

You can find organic cotton sheets, blankets, pillows, duvet covers, shams and more, all made with natural fibers and produced using a nontoxic process. Or ask Dujardin Design Associates to create them for you!

There’s nothing restful or romantic about clutter. If your bedroom is to be a true sanctuary, it needs to be a sacred space for you, where you find tranquility, not a stack of things you need to deal with. It should also be the cleanest room in your house, since you spend 1/3 of your life breathing its air.

A signature of my work is to include a pair of chairs where a couple can begin their day together with a cup of coffee or end it with a glass of wine. Photo credit Thibeaut Jensen

This is your private place where you go to get away from the world for awhile. A signature of my design work is to add the things that will help to recharge your soul by satisfying your senses. A comfortable chair where you can sit and read a well-loved book is a wonderful comfort-touch.

I love adding final touches! All custom-designed and installed by DDA. Photo credit Terry Pommett

Part of the mystery of keeping love alive is providing a space where you can truly spend time together.

Union Street Inn, Nantucket; Photo Credit Jeff Allen

Valentine’s Day is a great time to create the bedroom of your dreams together. Choosing new furnishings, bedding, colors, and textiles can be a challenge for a couple with dissimilar tastes, however. Over the course of my career, I’ve helped many couples reach agreement on the perfect bedroom for them.

I’d love to help you!

Call me for a consultation in Connecticut at 201-855-8100,

or on Nantucket at 508-228-1120.

A Tree for Autism Speaks

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

If you’ve read what I’ve written before about the wonderful work done by Autism Speaks, you know it’s an organization that’s close to my heart. Autism is a general term for a group of complex disorders of brain development. One in 88 children per year are diagnosed with disorders on the Autism spectrum today, a forty fold increase in the last ten years. I’ve supported this organization through Light It Up Blue, have walked on Nantucket to raise money and awareness, and this year, have created a holiday tree to honor the families who struggle with this disorder, and to help bring attention to their search for a cure.

The tree is my contribution this year at The Nantucket Historical Association’s Whaling Museum Festival of Trees; I’ve participated in this event for years, and each holiday look forward to creating a new and original testament to the holiday.

The Autism Speaks tree is made from two interlocking puzzle pieces, the highly recognizable Autism Speaks logo, painted their signature blue. The tree inside the puzzle boasts 500 silver balls, a sparkling reminder of the children and families who deserve our support.

My “elves” this year were my husband, Frank Fasanella, my dad, Bob, and my good friend Russ Valentine, visiting from Florence, Italy. We spent hours putting the tree together and getting every detail just right. I am so grateful for their help!

I hope if you’re on the island you stop by the museum and see all the beautiful trees. It’s such a special time of year on Nantucket!

A Special Thought for Christmas

Taking care of others at the holidays is something we all try to do. I’ve recently been inspired by a person I admire greatly. He and his wife recently re-evaluated their donations to charitable organizations, and decided to add to those contributions something more direct and personal. I was able to witness their new plan in action when we went out to dinner in Atlanta this fall. After leaving a generous tip on the bill, he called over the waitress, a single mom of two children, and gave her another twenty, just for her.

Their new way of giving includes overtipping cab drivers, porters, the room service people, on TOP of the service charge on the tab. Everyone who performs a personal service for them, everyone who crosses their path in a day.

I followed in this dear man’s footsteps this year, and have continued throughout the holiday season. If you have the means, and sometimes even when it’s a challenge, bumping up the amount you tip can make someone’s day. The smiles and appreciation are truly contagious.

Try it! The ten or twenty dollars doesn’t seem like much. But it makes a difference.

With Gratitude for Our Animal Companions

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” –Anatole France

My love and passion for the earth extends to all her creatures, especially our beloved animal companions! I am a decidedly better person for having dogs in my life. Loving and living with dogs (first Labrador Retrievers, now Bichon Frises G.G., Tuffy and Ellie) has taught me so many things. One thing I’m sure of is that they deserve the best care we can provide, throughout their too-short lives. The photo above is me with my beloved Bichon B.B., who passed in November several years ago, and who is always in my heart. In this month of gratitude, I am so grateful for the unconditional love and companionship our pets give to us so freely.

There are good people doing important work in caring better for our companion animals. One of my favorites is Ted Kerasote, author of the book Merle’s Door, Pukka, and Pukka’s Promise. In Pukka’s Promise: The Quest for Longer-Lived Dogs, he tackles the way we feed, vaccinate, train and live with our dogs. How many vaccines are too many? Should we rethink spaying and neutering? Is raw food really healthier than kibble? He interviewed hundreds of breeders, veterinarians and animal welfare experts to help us rethink the everyday choices we make for our companion animals.

Ted believes, as I do, that the best place to begin is with nutrition. One of the most commonly used pet food ingredients is corn. Not only is corn rich in carbohydrates, raising blood sugar levels in dogs quickly, it’s also one of the most heavily sprayed crops, receiving 30% of all agricultural herbicides used in the U.S. We’ve seen massive pet food recalls for products containing tainted rice and wheat proteins from China. Dogs and cats have suffered kidney and liver failure after eating food from China contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical used to make plastics and fertilizers.

We must be informed about what we give to our pets. They depend on us to safeguard their health, and their small bodies are quickly impacted by poisons. Like children, they are more sensitive to environmental pollutants because of their small size. It’s important to avoid carpets finished with formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Use glass or stainless steel bowls for feeding, instead of plastic, which may contain endocrine disrupting phthalates. Pukka’s Promise is filled with the latest research and best choices. Learn more about Ted Kerasote here.

I’ve written before about alternatives to toxic flea and tick remedies: read more here. Our dogs certainly shouldn’t be exposed to environmental pollutants, especially the herbicides and pesticides that many people unthinkingly apply to lawns. Too many people have lost pets at a young age to cancer. One of my favorite holistic pet stores is Earth Animal, in Westport, Connecticut. Founded by Dr. Bob Goldstein, and his wife, Susan, the stores carries products as green, natural and pure as possible.

I encourage everyone who is concerned with the health of their animals to visit Dr. Bob and Susan Goldstein’s Healing Center for Animals online. Founded in 1995, their focus integrates science, nutrition, emotional support and your own involvement in helping your companion animals recover from illness, or remain healthy as long as possible. They work with you and your own vet by phone, email or fax, conferring about the benefits of integrative medicine.

November is the National Humane Society’s Adopt a Senior Pet Month. Older animals are often calmer, already trained, and happy to spend time on the couch with you. Puppies are adorable, but they’re also a ton of work. At shelters, older dogs are the last to be adopted and the first to be euthanized. And, as you can see in the photo below, they’re beautiful!

Finally, when it is time to say goodbye to our beloved companions, it is natural to mourn them, and to seek comfort. Here are some books that I’ve found helpful for myself, and for friends when their dogs have passed away.

When Your Pet Dies, by Alan Wolfelt, PhD

Dog Heaven, by Cynthia Rylant

Good Dog. Stay., by Anna Quindlen

“We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. For the animal shall not be measured by man. They are not brethren. They are not underlings. They are other nations, caught with ourselves in a net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of earth.”–Henry Beston

A Window to Our Future

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Earlier this month, I participated in the Leadership Summit for Sustainable Design, hosted by the Design Futures Council, as a member of the Delegation of 100. The Summit was an amazing gathering of leaders in the sustainable design movement, who share a belief in our ability to shift the relationship between humans and the environment, and to create systems that are truly sustainable.

My involvement with the Design Futures Council is one of several commitments I have in place to work toward a more sustainable earth. It encompasses both my “green” design work and my dedication to educating my clients and readers, as well as a personal passion for protecting the environment.

Held this year in Minneapolis (guess whose statue this is!), the participants and speakers inspired me to believe in a future for our children and grandchildren that can support both the growing numbers of humans on the planet as well as the fragile environment we live in.

I’ve heard the term “a conga line of geniuses and scientists” applied to the Ted Conferences before; it certainly applied to the Summit as well. It was hard to choose what is most important to share from such a list of exemplary individuals, all who exhibit such “intellectual rigor” (one of the bywords of the conference!). I finally chose architect and author Ed Mazria, for his work with his organization Architecture 2030. It’s so important for all of us to understand what’s at stake in the world, and what we can do to help!

I am greatly concerned, along with leading environmental scientists, about climate change and global warming. The risk to us all, and to future generations, is in doing business as usual. We need to make changes to bring the world’s temperatures back to where they were in the pre-industrial era; at the very least we must keep our global warming to under a 2 degree increase.

The architecture and design community must take the lead in transforming the way we live, work, and utilize the eco-system. Our built environments must reflect a genuine concern for the next generations, and a willingness to engage with government, business leaders and public policy to find the right balance.

Mr. Mazria has reshaped the international dialogue on energy and climate change to incorporate building design through his organization Architecture 2030.

Architecture 2030 recognizes that buildings are the major source of global demand for energy and materials that produce by-product greenhouse gases. Mr. Mazria’s impassioned support for innovative sustainable design strategies is leading a new generation of concerned industry leaders to embrace his vision for the future.

Specifically, Mr. Mazria has emphasized the need to keep the global temperature increase below the two degree centigrade threshold. Entire species disappear when the temperature changes only a fraction of a degree. The recently released Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPPCC) Fifth Assessment Report concludes that to keep the increase below two degrees, global greenhouse emissions must peak by 2020, and then begin a rapid decline.

Mr. Mazria has focused on China, currently urbanizing at a rate unmatched in human history, as an opportunity to create healthy, resilient and integrated regional infrastructures, cities, towns and buildings that are models of economic and urban sustainability. Projections indicate that within 20 years, China’s urban population will grow by 350 million people, creating 221 cities with more than one million inhabitants. In order to take advantage of the opportunity to plan and design sustainable, carbon neutral built environments that protect and enhance natural resources, Mr. Mazria and Architecture 2030 are working toward a carbon neutral China Accord.

The China Accord urges that cities, towns, urban developments, new buildings and major renovations in China be designed to be carbon neutral, meaning they use no more energy over the course of a year than they produce or import from renewable energy sources. If reaching carbon neutral is not practical, then they urge developments to be designed to be highly efficient with the capability to use renewable energy sources in the future.

Architecture 2030 is organizing signatures from all those who have offices in China, or current or future plans for projects in China, to add their signatures and pledges to the Accord, to influence urban development in China and throughout the world. More information is available at architecture2030.org.

Architecture 2030 isn’t just concerned with China, however. Mr. Mazria’s 2030 Challenge is about reducing the carbon footprint of architecture everywhere, first by eliminating the use of fossil fuels in new construction, and then by cutting the use of fossil fuels in existing buildings by 50% by 2030. He plans to hit those targets through a new initiative called the 2030 PALETTE: an online design tool to help produce low impact, people friendly projects.

For instance, this “green” school utilizes daylighting from multiple sides to cut energy consumption. It provides more even lighting, and reduces glare, often created when light comes primarily from one side. The online tool gives advice on how to properly daylight a building, from providing windows on opposite walls, to incorporating high ceilings and walls with light shelves to direct sunlight deeper into a space.

The online tool provides information ranging from the micro–daylighting in buildings–to the macro–defining growth boundaries to limit urban sprawl. The work of Architecture 2030 is critical to our future, and will help to determine whether climate change is manageable or catastrophic.

Important work is being done by other concerned groups as well. In late September, I attended the annual conference of The Nantucket Project, an organization that hosts a gathering of some of the world’s leading thinkers and visionaries to help shape the dialogue on the most important issues we face. I was gratified to attend this year along with Senator John McCain, Chris Matthews, Greg LeMond, Michael Pollan, Louis Schwartzberg, and many others for presentations, discussions and education from experts in a variety of fields.

Here I am with John McCain at The Nantucket Project

I learned so much at both of The Nantucket Project and the Leadership Summit; there’s so much more I wish I could share with you. Here are three more inspirations:

Check out Jim Harris, the author of A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste. The book presents hundred of case studies showing how environmental leadership can drive profitability and improve the bottom line.

And available through Netflix, there is a must-see documentary film called Chasing Ice. It’s environmental photographer James Balog’s record of the world’s changing glaciers, captured through time-lapse photography. He compresses years into seconds to show how these ice mountains are disappearing at an alarming rate.

Last, please watch the film Nature’s Beauty Inspires Gratitude , a short film by award-winning cinematographer Louie Schwartzberg shown at a TEDx talk. His time lapse photography captures breathtaking images through, as he says, “beauty and seduction–nature’s tools for survival.” I was so moved by his film treatise on water, “One Drop.” I hope it becomes widely available for viewing soon.

Our world is vast and fragile, and climate change is real and deadly. I”ll continue to share my thoughts on how we can take action together. I’d love to hear your thoughts, too.

It’s Time for Plan Bee

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

The humming that you hear when you step into the garden in summer is the song of hundreds of bees, honey and bumble, moving pollen from one flower to another as they feed. Not only a charming aspect of the garden, bees are responsible for the successful pollination of fruits, nuts and many vegetables, including many of the plants you grow in your backyard. Honeybees are critical to agriculture. Best-selling food author Michael Pollan has estimated that they pollinate thirty to forty percent of the food we consume.

With so much at stake, the health of our honeybees has to be a primary environmental concern. For the past few years, though, bees have been dying off from what was, at first, an unknown cause. Labeled “Colony Collapse Disorder,” the die off began to get the attention it deserved from scientists worldwide. Several theories were proposed, including mites, viruses or other pathogens, or a decline in natural habitat. Increasingly, however, scientists began to identify two main sources of concern: farming monoculture, where bees suffer a dietary imbalance from feeding on only one kind of pollen, and a new class of neurotoxin pesticides, called neonicotinoids.

(I first wrote about the danger to bees in April 2013; you can read that post here. )

Although nicotine has been used as an insecticide since colonial times, today’s nicotinoids are different. Based on nicotine, they also include clothianidin, thiametoxam and imadacloprid, among other chemicals. They’re used to coat plant seeds, and are released as a lymph inside the plant as a permanent insecticide. Bees who have sucked dew from maize leaves that absorbed neonicotinoids becojme disoriented, get lost on their way back to the hive, and die.

Nantucket beekeeper David Berry, owner of the Nantucket HoneyBee Company, says, “(The nicotinoids) are literally part of the tissue of the plant itself. It seems to be collectively lethal to bees. The wax in a beehive is like a sponge. Over time these chemicals collect in the wax and seem to become much more damaging to the bees.”

There is some good news, though! Greenpeace reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is introducing new labels for neonicotinoid pesticides that will prohibit the use of those pesticides when bees are present. The labels will include information to reduce spray drift, and in red letters, they will read “this product can kill bees and other insect pollinators.”

Europe has already gone one step further, and has banned the use of neonicotinoids entirely, due to their fatal impact on European bee colonies. A bill was just introduced in Congress to impose a ban on neonics until a scientific study can prove no harm will come to bee colonies from its use. Greenpeace has a three step plan that includes:

Banning the seven most dangerous pesticides
Preserving wild habitat
Restoring ecological agriculture

Ultimately, there must be a ban similar to Europe’s in order to protect our vital bee population. Labeling is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t go far enough.

Here’s How You Can Help

You can sign the petition asking Congress and the EPA for the ban on neonicotinoids, support local, organic farms in your region, and plant a bee-friendly garden of your own.

Your choices do make a difference in keeping the earth around you a healthy home for bees and other wildlife. Here’s a step by step plan to help you create a bee-haven, with some added tips from beekeeper David Berry:

Step One: Do not use fungicides, herbicides or pesticides in your garden, relying instead on natural controls for insects and other gardening problems. Read my tips on organic gardening here.

Step Two: Plan your garden to include pollen and nectar sources as close to all year round as possible. On a warm winter day, honeybees may be out foraging for food for their young.

Step Three: Start with the earliest bloomers, including witchhazels, willows and Acer maples. David Berry adds that letting part of your property go back to its wild state helps to feed bees and other beneficial insects. He stresses that urban areas can be wonderful places for bees to collect nectar, too, where people plant gardens and water them. The next most important time is the middle of the summer, when the heat builds and not much is in bloom. That’s when plants such as Russian Sage and Lavender can be helpful. Clethera, sometimes called Sweet Pepper Bush, blooms on Nantucket in mid-summer, produces a beautiful fragrance and makes great honey. Luckily for Nantucket beekeepers, much of Nantucket’s open space has clethera growing on it, says Berry.

Step Four: Plant masses of flowers, as single plants may not attract bees. Another tip from David Berry: look for older cultivars. The older variety of plants are better for bees, including clover as part of the lawn. It wasn’t until the fertilizer companies convinced people that clover was a weed that it began to disappear. Clover makes some of the best bee nectar!

Step Five: Plant with the bees’ favorite colors: purple and blue, followed by yellow and orange.

I would add my own petition, that if we are to protect the earth and all the living things in it, that we must first remember to see beauty in the smallest forms of life, and then share that beauty with a child. Here are wise words from one of my favorite naturalists and authors, Rachel Carson, from her book The Sense of Wonder:

“And then there is the world of little things, seen all too seldom. Many children, perhaps because they themselves are small and closer to the ground than we, notice and delight in the small and inconspicuous. With this beginning, it is easy to share with them the beauties we usually miss because we look too hastily, seeing the whole and not its parts. Some of nature’s most exquisite handiwork is on a miniature scale, as anyone knows who has applied a magnifying glass to a snowflake.”

Learn more about Rachel Carson and her work here.

For a humorous look at the life of bees, watch Bee Movie, written by Jerry Seinfeld! The cartoon does point out that without bees pollinating our flowers and crops, plant life and our food chain would be in serious danger. Watch a short clip here.

For more information on bees, visit HoneybeeLives.org.

Fabulous Foyers

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Penthouse in New York showcases a view toward the Steinway satinwood piano in the living room. The piece on the right is a fine example of Faux Bois; the wallpaper is silk string. Photographer: Durstan Saylor

What makes a foyer fabulous? A foyer is the first glimpse of your home for your guests, and as such, it should provide a gracious welcome. A beautifully designed entry way is a breath of rest and calm after travel and time spent on the road, for you and your family as well as your guests. More a throughway than a living space, it should be clean and uncluttered. Even a small entry should feel spacious.

Nantucket House opens to a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean. Next stop: Portugal! On the left is a 18th Century French Provincial painted bureau and an 18th Century barometer; floors are reclaimed chestnut. Photographer: Terry Pommett

In American Colonial style homes, the straightaway hall often separates the house into two distinct halves. The entry hall opens to doors at each end, affording a view through the house, with the staircase to the side. A table, lamps and framed pictures creates a room-like vignette, where family and visitors pause for a moment before proceeding into the home.

The Beach Nest features two custom designed pieces in rattan, a red coral mirror in the style of an 18th century Chippendale mirror, a handpainted harlequin wood floor and an umbrella stand featuring a collection of canes. Photographer: Terry Pommett

In modern American and English houses, and in many vacation homes, the entry hall and the living room are combined, and there is no separate room designated as a foyer. There should still be an area clearly defined as an entrance, with at least a small table and a vase of fresh flowers to set a welcoming tone. A mirror is often included, where guests and family members can make a quick check of their appearance.

Nantucket Traditional greets guests with an eighteenth century painted bench. Photographer: Terry Pommett

Adding unique and personal artwork, such as this Christian Thee custom mural above, serves as an ice-breaker and conversation starter. We had this mural designed to celebrate the best-loved places in this St. Louis-based couple’s lives, so although the largest portion of the map is dedicated to Nantucket, it includes the Texas flag, the Arch of St. Louis, and other items close to the their hearts.

Greenwich Elegance features two antique Chinese windows framed as pieces of art and a custom-made bench with an antique Aubusson pillow on top. Photographer: Erik Rank

Foyers can be the most formal part of the house, with a reserved tone. It is, after all, the public area of the home, where not only friends and family but strangers step inside. A formal feeling can be achieved with symmetry and balance, where paired wall art, lamps or potted plants delineate the boundaries.

Captain’s Quarters celebrates its seaside setting with a custom star rug, and a Dujardin-custom staircase with recessed paneling created by Senior Designer Price Connor. Photographer: Durstan Saylor

If there is space, it’s nice to add chairs or a bench to the entry. It adds to the warmth of your welcome.

Connecticut Green is sustainable design at its best, with an interior window for lighting. The newel post, bringing a bit of Nantucket to Connecticut, resembles a lighthouse with lights that change color. Photographer Durstan Saylor;

Soothing neutral shades and consistency in design are important when the entry has a view into other rooms of the home. My collection of walking sticks add punch to the foyer in my home in Connecticut, above. Each is unique, and the stand gives guests a fun look at one of my unusual collections.

Briar Patch dazzles with an unusual mirror created from a zinc architectural element from France above an 18th century French candle cupboard. Photographer: Terry Pommett

An antique spinning wheel and a set of nesting baskets are conversation starters in this entry way. An ivy plant is lovely here, instead of flowers, and serves to bring life to the space.

Captain George Parker House

In an historic home, such as the sea captain’s house I renovated years ago on Nantucket, period furniture in the entry way is part of the careful attention to authentic details carried throughout the rest of the house.

Harbor House promises delightful surprises ahead when guests arrive at a half-moon garden gate. Photographer Terry Pommett

Finally, remember that the entrance to your home begins outside. A charming gate, beautiful plantings or comfortable seating on a covered porch offer a tantalizing hint of what’s behind the front door.