Interior Designers and Architects Specializing In Green Design & Saving Clients Money Are Sought Out For Their Unique Expertise.  We’ll Shortcut Your Learning Curve In 2 Days With An All-Star Line-Up Of 13 Green Experts, Authors & Green Design Celebrities, Free Resources & A 30-Day, Step-by-Step Marketing Plan So You Too Can Get Clients Now…

Ed Begley, Jr. “Living Green With Ed” Actor and Environmental Activist

Graham Hill “Greenovate” Founder of TreeHugger.com & Vice President, Interactive Media, Planet Green

Penny Bonda, FASID & LEED AP “The New LEED Requirements - What You Need To Know” Green Blogger for Interior Design Magazine	Tom Hamilton “Designing Energy Efficient Lighting & Maintaining Aesthetics” Senior Product Marketing Manager for Phillips Color Kinetics	Bob Dixson “The Story of Greensburg & How Building Green Has Transformed the City” Mayor of Greensburg, the city that was 95% destroyed by a tornado	Joshua Foss, LEED AP “How to Build Your Practice Around Sustainable Design” Season 2 HGTV Design Star Contestant & Metro Hippie Blogger
Libby Langdon “Design Ideas for Smaller Space Clients” HGTV Star of Small Space, Big Style & author of Design in Small Spaces	Michael Port “The Think Big Manifesto – Think you can’t change your life (and the world)? Think again.” New York Times Best Selling Author & Top Business Coach	Sarah Susanka, FAIA “Not So Big Remodeling” Author of 8 books selling over 1 million copies, Architect & Interior Designer Photo By Cheryl Muhr	Cassie Walker “How to Green Your Office & Help Your Clients Green Their Spaces” Author of The Green Office Handbook and Founder of The Sustainable Office

Lisa Foster “What Is Your Carbon Footprint & What You Can Do To Reduce It” Founder of 1 Bag at a Time

Leslie Carothers “How To Specify Green Furnishings” The Kaleidoscope Partnership

Robin Wilson “Eco-friendly Design fromThe Foundation to the Furniture” New York Interior Designer for President Clinton’s Harlem office & Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. & Mary Richardson LEED residence

You might be thinking…

• I don’t know anything about green design and I’m not really interested.  What it means is this: your competitors may be getting the jobs because they’re satisfying your prospect’s desire to save money and live and work in a healthier home or office.
  
• I don’t have time to study for the LEED AP exam, and besides, it costs money.  Well, as a matter of fact, you don’t have to be a LEED AP to be a green design expert.  We can help you increase your knowledge in 2 days and provide the tools and resources to save you time.
• Truthfully, business is slow and I don’t want to spend money. What if you could get clients within 30 days with a step-by-step marketing plan and expert coaching by top media experts to celebrity designers and architects for the price of a few billable hours?  Can you afford not to invest in yourself?
• I’m feeling frustrated and overwhelmed with business…there just isn’t enough time to do it all, much less learn something new that I don’t know anything about.  Think about this:  we’ll give you green resources, a step-by-step marketing plan, checklists and tools to help you get educated quickly and easily.
  
• The phones aren’t ringing and I’m nervous about the future. Let us help you and give you concrete strategies and tools to save you time and thousands of dollars.  The bottom line is that we want to help you be competitive and successful especially during these difficult economic times.
  
• If you’re doing things the way you’ve always done them, is it really working for you now?  Consider this fact: more millionaires are made during the recessions than any other time, and that means they’re doing something counter-intuitive…they’re finding an underserved niche and serving it.  You may not want to be a millionaire, but you do want to stay in business and be profitable, don’t you?  And there’s more… Read more…

Post by Kristin Drohan, Boulevard Interior Design – www.boulevardinteriordesign.com

As an interior designer, I’ve found it difficult to acquire eco-friendly upholstery that isn’t 30-50% more expensive and sometimes more “green-washed” than green.  I decided to take matters into my own hands.  For the past several years, I’ve had a small company fabricating my upholstery pieces in Hickory, NC.  Most have been my personal custom designs.  This small family business has quietly been making sustainable decisions for the past couple years.  It is not only important for their business but also in their personal lives. Together, we have collaborated to produce a new, sustainable product line.  Kristin Drohan Upholstery will launch in August and initially feature six pieces:

• a sofa/sectional group that can be configured into numerous combinations
• a host dining chair that is a modern take on a Wing Back chair with a lower arm to fit under the dining table apron
• a chaise
• an upholstered headboard
• a fully upholstered bed
• a modern Klismos barstool
• a funky ottoman

Sensuede

We have taken deliberate steps to create a line that is durable, incredibly comfortable, sustainable, and most importantly, not any more costly than a non-green counterpart.  We are using sustainable American hardwoods derived from managed forests in the U.S. for the frames.  The cushions are soy based and the cotton batting is from 100% recycled material.  The metal components are from 75% recycled steel including the 8-way hand tied coils.  We are also offering water-based stain finishes with low VOCs.  The most exciting aspect is the upholstery fabrics.  I’ve searched for durable, washable fabrics and have found some really great options.  The first is Sensuede.  As you can see from the picture, it comes in a myriad of colors.  This is the only luxury faux suede made entirely from high-purity recycled polyester in the world’s first commercial chemical-recycling process.  It is not made with harmful solvents.  Sensuede is spill proof, and can be machine washed.  Most spills bead up and can be blotted away.  Lastly, it exceeds 100,000 double rubs in the Cotton Duck Method abrasion test.  This is the most expensive of the upholstery options, but it isn’t anymore than a quality leather.

Linen

I’ve found another company that produces a heavy-duty linen with  20,000 Wyzenbeck double rubs.  Linen, shown to the left, is both an environmentally friendly and economical choice.

Finally, I found an interesting material option for bed and headboards that I originally pursued using for barstools and dining chairs.  The material is called Silverado, treated with Agion.  It is a fabric that looks remarkably like leather but is PVC free polyurethane treated with the patented technology, Agion.  Agion is an antimicrobial that actively targets microbes and bacteria on the protected surface of the upholstery and is Cradle to Cradle certified.  I originally had children in mind, but found the material is very versatile and would be an excellent option to use on the beds in additional to the barstool and dining chair. It exceeds 400,000 Wyzenbeck double rubs and can be washed with a mild soap solution. The prototypes are currently in production and should be ready for sale in August on my website www.boulevardinteriordesign.com.  Pricing to the trade will be available.  Included in this post are pictures of the first generation Anne Marie Chaise and Charles Head Board.  The Charles Head Board prototype will be done with tufting as an additional option. The Andrew sectional is shown in the theater grouping.  I can’t wait to share this complete high style collection with you in August.

Silverado

Charles Head Board

Anne Marie Chaise

Post by João Paulo Simões

Allow me to share the following with you:
The feature-length documentary ‘Beyond Climate Change’ is set to enter pre-production, after a long period of development. Based on a study with the same title by William Riedel D.Sc., this is a British/Australian co-production being delivered by Frontier Media, with Portuguese filmmaker João Paulo Simões at the helm.

The film, which will outline aspects that have yet to be fully expressed in any other Climate Change documentary, is still in early stages but an online presence has already been created following the notion that interest should be gathered as a means to secure further support – financial or otherwise.

Please visit the link below, where a lot more information can be found and requested. The production is also accepting online donations, via Paypal to go towards initial costs: http://beyondclimatechangedocumentary.blogspot.com/

Feel free to forward this info to your contacts.
This is a very important project, which will bring to light a lot of issues to do with our place in the world.

Last week Linnore Gonzales of the Decor & You Radio Show interviewed Gail Doby about the Green Design Summit.

Check it out here!

Leveraging Social Media is vital to your business success strategy as an interior designer or architect. The challenge is to understand what to do first, and how to use it to promote your business effectively.

Let us help you get “wired” with this complimentary white paper that explains the quickest and easiest way to get Web 2.0 savvy.

You’ll learn shortcuts and tips to help you today. Just fill out the information below and we’ll send it right away.

Post by Cathy Lee Visit Cathy’s Website Here

Clients are looking for easy to implement and cost efficient ways to live GREEN.

Change Your Light Bulbs
Reduce emissions and save energy by changing to Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

Unplug and Turn Off
Unplugging appliances you seldom use could save up to $10 on your monthly utility bill.

Recycle
Recycling saves energy in addition to keeping waste out of our land fills.

Stop Junk Mail
Save 100 million trees a year by signing up with the New American Dream
www.newdream.org to be removed from junk mailers lists today.

Green Paints, Materials, Accessories
Choose low or zero VOC paints, solvent free adhesives, toxin free products, furniture, flooring and carpeting made from recycled products to improve indoor air quality, health and improve our Planet.
www.sherwin-williams.com
www.benjaminmoore.com
www.modacarpets.com
www.nathananthonydesigns.com

Wood Flooring

All reclaimed wood from barns-just gorgeous and so green!

www.restorationtimber.com
Live Green, Live Well, Go Green Power! ~Cathy Lee

Ed Begley, Jr. endorses the Green Design Summit and shares his 39 years of green living experience in a fun and informative session.  He shares stories about his celebrity friends competition to be green including Jay Leno and many others.

He and his wife Rachelle, co-hosts of “Living With Ed” on Planet Green, are finishing an eco-friendly remodel of their home.  Ed spills the beans about the products they are using and how they are minimizing the costs of building the project with solar power.  He’s also carbon negative and he’ll share how he did that.

Don’t miss Ed Begley Jr.’s new book is coming out September 8, 2009! Click here to read an excerpt from the first chapter.

We’re excited to announce that Ed Begley, Jr. is speaking for the Green Design Summit on June 29 & 30.  Ed is the poster boy for everything green, and if you haven’t seen his show, Living with Ed on HGTV, you’ll want to catch a few episodes as he shares his environmental message in an entertaining way.

Ed became interested in green around 1970 when he was a young actor in Hollywood.  He, like many actors, was looking for ways to live inexpensively.  As his knowledge grew, he became more and more passionate about the environment and how we can impact it with our individual choices.

Ed acknowledges that not everyone can afford to put solar panels on their roofs, but there are many things we can each do individually to reduce our energy and water consumption very inexpensively with a quick payback for the investment.

Ed is just one of our amazing speakers for this event.  His passion for the environment is legendary, and you’ll love to hear what he has to say about simple things you can incorporate in your own life to make a difference.

You might not be that interested in green, but as it becomes even more mainstream, you won’t want to be left behind as your competitors develop knowledge that helps them get business.  The green designers we’ve talked to shared that they are busy and that clients, architects, builders and contractors are hiring them for their expertise.

The more you learn about sustainable design, the more you can set yourself apart as a leader, and attract clients more easily.   Today’s clients want to save money, and they are becoming more interested in the health benefits of less toxic chemicals in their homes and offices.  Are you knowledgeable about green?

There are energy tax credits available for homeowners and businesses today.  They will help to offset some of the expenses, and many people aren’t aware of them.  Learning about these tax credits can and sharing that information with your clients and prospects can help them save money.

Green can also help your clients live a healthier life.  Products such as carpeting, paint, cabinets and other materials affect indoor air quality with the Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs that off-gas.  Your clients do care about their family’s health and you can help them make the best decisions based on your knowledge.

Green practices can also help you cut your business costs and your commercial clients to cut theirs.  Today, everyone is looking for ways to save money, and if you can help your clients do this, they will appreciate your interest in their bottom line.  This can lead to more business because you can be seen as an expert who has their best interests at heart.

We hope you’ve started incorporating these ideas into your practice.  We’re here to help you learn more about sustainable design and living with the Green Design Summit.  For a few billable hours, you’ll learn many great ideas that you can use to grow your business and be more profitable.

We’re offering a special bonus that will help you make more money with your knowledge.  We’ve engaged one of the top media coaches in the country to do a group coaching call to help you craft your message.  We’re also including a press release template, a marketing plan and talking points to share with your clients.  This value alone is worth over $1,000.

Click here now…Save $50 with this code GDS2009!

Denver Business Journal – by Birmingham (Ala.) Business Journal

Study: More Americans downsizing as they move

Post by Faith Sheridan Visit Faith’s Blog

In this green design business profile, I salute Carol Sorensen-Baumgartel of American Clay.  I met Carol in early 2006 in Seattle at the Home Show. Carol is the VP of Marketing/Co-founder of American Clay Enterprises, Inc.  Carol studied painting and ceramics, earning a BFA in Ceramics from the University of Denver. In 1980, she entered the world of Interior Design and was President of the ASID New Mexico chapter (1991-93). Specializing in interior finishes for commercial builders, residential builders and architects, putting elements together to highlight the physical aspects of a building – and won some interior awards for model homes in the process.

The impetus to the creation of American Clay arose from the health issues which plagued her son, Croft Elsaesser (now CEO and president) as he practiced his profession of Faux Finisher. The physical illnesses –headaches, skin rashes, breathing difficulties–created by the materials he had been using to create magnificent surfaces for his customers were worrisome. Finding natural alternatives to the paints, sealers and acrylic/gypsum wall finishes became paramount to continuing in his profession.

American Clay Natural Earth Plasters bring the appealing finishes of Nature to your Home, Office, School, Business, anywhere you want to add healthful beauty to your interior walls and ceilings. Manufactured in and using materials from the United States, American Clay uses natural clays, recycled and reclaimed aggregates, and vibrant natural pigments in each of  three beautiful finishes.

Ecohaus in Seattle shares details about American Clay. My project, Casa Montecito, utilized American Clay entirely for the nearly 7,000 square feet.