EKLA HOME

Sitting Room Only: 10 Best Eco Sectionals | EcoSalon | Conscious Culture and Fashion

2010-12-03T12:19:00.000-08:00

Is the Sustainable Forest Initiative an Industry Sponsored Scam?

2010-11-30T17:40:00.001-08:00

Fast Company

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is the world's largest forest certification standard and the fastest growing organization for chain of custody certifications. More than 181 million acres of land are certified by the nonprofit, which supposedly takes into account qualities like protection of biodiversity, wildlife habitat, sustainable harvest levels, and protection of water quality when awarding certification. But according to a recently released report from Forest Ethics, the whole thing is an industry-sponsored scam.

The report (PDF), entitled SFI: Certified Greenwash, offers up a number of troubling claims: Nearly all of SFI’s funding is from the paper and timber industries; the Fiber Sourcing Label (SFI's most popular label) doesn't require chain-of-custody tracking of a product’s origins or content; and perhaps most disturbingly, audits of 543 SFI-certified companies since 2004 failed to report any noncompliance issues related to soil erosion,water quality, clearcutting, and chemical usage.

According to Forest Ethics, the SFI audit team at one point spent five days evaluating a logging area larger than Pennsylvania--and came back with zero violations and no recommendations for improvement.

SFI's questionable ties extend to the non-profit's board. Members include Marvin Brown, a former Oregon state forester who resigned because of accusations that his department was involved in environmentally harmful forestry practices, and Mike Zagata, a controversial former NY State environmental commissioner who resigned, according to the New York Times, because of a series of actions favoring industry over environment.

This doesn't mean that every SFI-certified logging operation is a mess. Todd Paglia, Executive Director of Forest Ethics, explains in the Huffington Post:

Some logging companies, even those that are part of SFI, are beginning to clean up their act. They are adopting higher standards in some cases and seeking truly independent certification through the far more rigorous and not industry controlled Forest Stewardship Council eco-label. This is important progress and these companies should be encouraged to continue down that path. Using SFI to greenwash business-as-usual logging is a distraction to the more laudable work that some environmentally responsible companies are doing.
The problem is, of course, that SFI remains a giant in the certification standard world. So in addition to persuading companies to stick with the Forest Stewardship Council, we hope that organizations like Forest Ethics will force SFI to clean up its act--sooner rather than later.

EKLA HOME noted in The 10 Best Green Upholstered Furniture Companies Shopper's Guide

2010-08-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

Apartment Therapy Re-Nest

2 Ekla Home:Ekla home furnishings adhere to strict environmental standards. Asmembers of the Organic Trade Association, Sustainable Furniture Counciland Co-Op America and certified by FSC, Oeko-tex, KRAV, SCS Gold, andGREENGUARD, all materials are organic, non-toxic, and fireretardant-free, and pieces are made with low-VOC finishes, reclaimed orFSC-certified wood.

EcoFabulous Prefab House Up For Auction Today : TreeHugger

2010-07-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

Reclaimed Furniture « HAUTE NATURE

2010-07-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

Sustainable furnishings by Emily Kroll of Ekla Home are made with reclaimed wood and without harmful finishes. Ekla strives to make a difference with how furniture is made.

Green Building Elements says...EKLA HOME Offers Sustainable and Eco Furniture Option

2010-06-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

Green Business: From Niche to Mainstream - Mainstream Green Businesses - Entrepreneur.com

2010-06-21T23:44:00.000-07:00

Green Business: From Niche to Mainstream - Mainstream Green Businesses - Entrepreneur.com

excerpt taken from Green Business article:

Funding a Startup
Prior to 2000, there weren't many tax incentives for entrepreneurs to green their ventures. Now, Matt Becker, the head of BDO's Green Energy Tax Practice, says President Obama's budget proposal for 2011 includes about $40 billion in loan guarantees for innovative clean-energy programs. Funding for solar and wind development has increased 22 percent and 53 percent, respectively. New Energy Finance estimates that clean-energy companies took advantage of $96 billion in venture and private equity funding from 2002 through 2008.
But before this rush of media attention and dollars to clean tech, small-business owners like Emily Kroll were bootstrapping to produce eco-friendly goods under the radar. Kroll started making sustainable furniture in the 90s, but incentives weren't available in her industry then.
Trying to raise capital for EKLA (eklahome.com) four years ago, Kroll was turned away by several venture capitalists who said hers was a vanity project because it wasn't part of the green energy movement. Yet with home furnishings among the top grossing industries in the U.S. economy from the 90s on, Kroll was determined to continue her eco-conscious manufacturing processes. She finally found a Swedish angel investor and got a first installment of funds just as the market was sliding. "I ended up having to launch my company on a quarter of my original angel funds and $25,000 in SBA guaranteed loans."
Undaunted, Kroll supplemented her initial funding with credit cards. Now, she says, "We are the cleanest sustainable furniture manufacturer in the United States, and my business grew by 200 percent in 2009. I feel that if people are going to buy new furniture, they buy sustainable if the price is right."

best practices in: sustainable product development

2010-05-31T13:07:00.000-07:00

The Top Things to Avoid When Furniture Shopping

2010-05-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

Home, Unsafe, Home
The Top Things to Avoid When Furniture Shopping

You are what you lounge on.
By now, it should come as no surprise that there are just as many chemicals, pesticides and harmful pollutants in your furniture as there are in your food. Emily Kroll knows a thing or two about the matter. As the CEO and founder of EKLA Home, Emily has been manufacturing and designing furniture for interior designers, celebs and corporations for nearly two decades.
But, this gal is doing things a bit differently than your average neighborhood Ikea.
Emily was sick and tired of seeing furniture companies waste materials, upholster fabrics in toxic materials, and package and deliver nasty chemicals destined for our homes and clean air. So she decided it was time to change the way the furniture biz works and provide a safer environment for her employees and clients. Born in 2005, EKLA is a product of Emily’s determination, holding the environment and our health at its core.
Her designs use organic cotton and sustainable materials with no VOCs, chemical retardants or toxic dyes. As a testament to her vision, Emily lent her expertise to give HBD a few tips on what to look for next time you go furniture shopping.
#1: Polyurethane Foam.It is best to avoid any upholstered furniture that contains polyurethane foam, which is likely to contain flame retardants. The two major flame retardants used in furniture foam at high levels are chlorinated Tris (hydrocarbons) − the same chemical that was removed from children’s pajamas in the 70s for causing cancer −and Firemaster 550, a proprietary mixture of toxic and untested flame retardants.
Another reason polyurethane is a Debbie Downer? It is also a petroleum product. EKLA Home avoids it to reduce their carbon footprint and oil dependency.
#2: Pesticides. Pesticides are used in the growing of conventional textiles such as cotton. While pesticides are more closely regulated in the U.S., much of the cotton used in the textile industry is grown and milled offshore where regulatory practice is far less stringent. Textiles that are not certified organic, not only use pesticides in the growth cycle, but also dump back those chemicals into the water table during processing. As if we don’t have a clean water problem already …Look for certified-organic cotton to ensure your health is in the clear.
#3: Conventional Dyes. Dyes are not only toxic, but they are dangerous to the people working with them. It is estimated that less than 10-percent of the chemicals and dyes applied to cotton are accomplishing their tasks, the rest are absorbed into the plant, air, soil, water, and eventually, our bodies.
#4: VOCs and Formaldehyde. Plywood, glue and other fabric finishes used in conventional furnishings actually emit gases (VOCs) into the air of our homes. Formaldehyde is another dirty bird found in most foams, glues and fabric finishes. Now banned in California, it has been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a source of bronchitis, skin rashes, headaches, general fatigue, and a suspected human carcinogen.
#5: Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Many companies that tout eco-practices are obtaining their materials from Asia, South America or other locations outside the U.S. and then shipping to yet another location outside the country (i.e. wood from South America shipped to Asia for production and then shipped back to the U.S. for sale). So while they may be sustainable woods, the process-to-product is most definitely not. Then you have companies like Ikea who break all the rules, procuring conventional wood from Russia, shipping to China to produce, and then sending back to the U.S. for sale.
Making Your Home a Safe Haven
So what’s a bitch to do? Minimize furnishings that contain flame retardants, formaldehyde and synthetics. Also skip anything that can collect dust, such as drapes, carpets and rugs. Hemp fabric is generally more durable, and less environmentally taxing than conventional cotton or synthetics. You can also promote a more sustainable future by purchasing furnishings with organic and local ingredients that are made in the Red, White and Blue.
Any questions? There really is no place like home.
EKLA Home closely follows the work of the Green Science Policy Institute. For more information about the company and what they are doing to change the future for our planet, home and health, visit www.eklahome.com
– Jen Sall

Pesticides tied to ADHD in children in U.S. study

2010-05-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

New York
Mon May 17, 2010 7:35pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Children exposed to pesticides known as organophosphates could have a higher risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a U.S. study that urges parents to always wash produce thoroughly.

Researchers tracked the pesticides' breakdown products in children' urine and found those with high levels were almost twice as likely to develop ADHD as those with undetectable levels.
The findings are based on data from the general U.S. population, meaning that exposure to the pesticides could be harmful even at levels commonly found in children's environment.
"There is growing concern that these pesticides may be related to ADHD," said researcher Marc Weisskopf of the Harvard School of Public Health, who worked on the study.
"What this paper specifically highlights is that this may be true even at low concentrations."
Organophosphates were originally developed for chemical warfare, and they are known to be toxic to the nervous system.
There are about 40 organophosphate pesticides such as malathion registered in the United States, the researchers wrote in the journal Pediatrics.
Weisskopf said the compounds have been linked to behavioral symptoms common to ADHD -- for instance, impulsivity and attention problems -- but exactly how is not fully understood.
Although the researchers had no way to determine the source of the breakdown products they found, Weisskopf said the most likely culprits were pesticides and insecticides used on produce and indoors.
Garry Hamlin of Dow AgroSciences, which manufactures an organophosphate known as chlorpyrifos, said he had not had time to read the report closely.
But, he added" "the results reported in the paper don't establish any association specific to our product chlorpyrifos."
Weisskopf and colleagues' sample included 1,139 children between 8 and 15 years. They interviewed the children's mothers, or another caretaker, and found that about one in 10 met the criteria for ADHD, which jibes with estimates for the general population.
After accounting for factors such as gender, age and race, they found the odds of having ADHD rose with the level of pesticide breakdown products.
For a 10-fold increase in one class of those compounds, the odds of ADHD increased by more than half. And for the most common breakdown product, called dimethyl triophosphate, the odds of ADHD almost doubled in kids with above-average levels compared to those without detectable levels.
"That's a very strong association that, if true, is of very serious concern," said Weisskopf. "These are widely used pesticides."
He emphasized that more studies are needed, especially following exposure levels over time, before contemplating a ban on the pesticides. Still, he urged parents to be aware of what insecticides they were using around the house and to wash produce.
"A good washing of fruits and vegetables before one eats them would definitely help a lot," he said.
(Reporting by Reuters Health, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)