Smarter choices, closer to home

My quest for Kirei Board and other, sustainable products that I am committed to using in my projects has led me to another supplier of green products and this one's even closer to home. Eco-Smart is a Sarasota-based resource and supplier that's turning into a real find. I am increasingly impressed by their commitment to the guiding principles of sustainability and they beat a price quote on Kirei that I got from another supplier. I am impressed. Here's how they describe themselves on their website:

Eco-$mart, Inc. was founded in 1993, in Sarasota, Florida, inspired by the creation of the Florida House Learning Center, a green living demonstration project jointly developed by Sarasota County Cooperative Extension service and the nonprofit Florida House Institute for Sustainable Development (I4SD). Eco-$mart's mission is to bridge the gap between understanding and applying sustainable development principals.

Eco-$mart, Inc. provides a number of services to facilitate sustainable living. We act as a distribution source for "green" construction materials, and offer free consultations to home owners, building owners, architects, developers and contractors. The nonprofit I4SD provides guidance regarding selection of these sustainable construction systems.

Eco-$mart, Inc. assists contractors and developers to take advantage of the free public relations and marketing power provided by programs such as EPA ENERGY STAR, SunBuilt and Engineered for Life, as well as promoting those businesses on Eco-$mart's affiliated media resources such as Earthzone TV and the Environmental News Network.

Eco-$mart, Inc. has also created ways for individuals and organizations to get personally involved and benefit from helping to spread the word, through our Agent and Referring Partner programs, as well as our Green Investment opportunities.

Our goal at Eco-$mart, Inc. is to help people to live and work in buildings that are healthy, efficient and cost effective. We firmly believe that once people understand what choices are really available and the impact of those choices, they will likely choose to design a better future for themselves, and for the planet.

If you are in the market for building supplies or if you are considering building a new home, please take that short drive across the Skyway Bridge and talk to my new pals at Eco-Smart.

Neat stuff from old stuff, capitulo dos

Here's some more stuff from the artist I profiled yesterday, Rodney Allen Trice. He has a really admirable philosophy behind the things he's doing and I think he deserves some attention and praise for it. Here's his website again.

From his website:

Ultimately, his work is about ordinary objects – and people, and places — that really aren’t so ordinary when you look at them the right way. His embrace-and-celebrate attitude is in part a reaction to his fear of ordinariness as a youth (“a fate worse than death”). Now he’s learned to celebrate it. “In the ‘fabulous, kiss, kiss, darling, love that dress ... Versace?’ world of art and design,” says Trice, “I hope my work emits a ‘get down off your high horse and sit a while’ feel.” From a focus on furniture and lighting, his work has recently expanded into hats and accessories, which are more about wearable hardware than anything else. His awareness of our need to conserve the Earth’s resources has grown significantly since this endeavor began about 12 years ago.

A ceiling fixture made from a toaster

Oil lamps made from light bulbs and some wire

A ceiling fixture made from a fan cage

A lamp made from a measuring cup and a kitchen timer

A ceiling fixture that was once a punch bowl.

And my favorite, a wall sconce made from a rat trap and some copper screen.

This seals it, all hail Rodney Allen Trice!

Oh and by the way

Don't forget that it's election day today in Florida.

Neat stuff from old stuff

On Monday, the kids over at Apartment Therapy ran a quickie story about a New York based artist, lighting designer and furniture maker named Rodney Allen Trice. Trice owns and operates a studio called T.O.M.T. and T.O.M.T. devotes itself to finding new household uses for discarded household items. Here are some highlights:

A ceiling light made from paper cocktail umbrellas.

A chandelier made from glass punch cups and the copper tubing from an old refrigerator.

A ceiling fixture made from old kitchen canisters

A table made from crutches and steel wire

This is a riot! A cocktail cart made from a walker the artist dubs "The Johnny Walker."

End tables made from old luggage

This stuff's clever and attractive. It's a great combination. Check out the rest of his collection at his website here.

Here we go again

My weekend idyll is supposed to take place directly above the "AM" in "8 AM Fri" on the National Hurricane Center's map. Argh. I'm flying in and out of Exuma which is underneath the "8." This is going to be an interesting week.