New PVC liners and shower curtains have a strong odor from outgassing toxins. Many shower curtains are treated with harmful chemicals to create mildew resistance. Cotton duck cloth shower curtains are naturally water repellent, wrinkle resistant, and attractive but they take a long time to dry and must be treated to resist mildew growth. They can be machine washed and dried. They are available through several mail order companies including Gaiam and Heart of Vermont. Natural hemp curtains are now available through Real Goods. A glass shower enclosure, although more expensive to install, will be a permanent, low-maintenance, and healthy solution.
The most important furniture decision with regard to health is the choice of beds and bedding. We spend approximately a third of our lives in bed. Infants and children spend even more time there. While we sleep, our noses are in close contact with our bedding.
Standard mattresses are made of synthetic fabrics and padding and treated with petrochemical fire retardants. A bed that promotes health should have many of the same characteristics as a home that promotes health. The bed should be:
• nontoxic
design and green and healthy practices. This was a natural progression for Cisco Brothers, a company that has always been socially responsible, providing employment through apprenticeship programs to underdeveloped communities in South Los Angeles since the early 1990s.
Simultaneously, I set about trying to find suitable fabrics produced without the chemicals used in standard agriculture. Cotton is the world’s most importantfibercropand one of its most important cash crops. It is also one of the most intensively sprayed field crops. In the United States, according to the US Department of Agriculture, more than 53 million pounds of pesticides and 1.6 billion pounds of synthetic fertilizers were applied to cotton fields in 1996. In California, cotton production ranks second for the total amount of pesticides used.
Organic farmers practice soil building with cover crops and composting, crop rotation, and safe and effective pest and disease control. Weed management means hoeing by hand, and instead of using defoliants organic farmers rely on a hard freeze to defoliate the cotton.
Eco-terric’s exclusive collection of organic Ka — lamkari fabrics comes from a small fair-trade village operation in the southwest of India. This is an ongoing endeavor in conjunction with the artisans, and features organic cotton dyed with 100 percent natural dyes. All solids are hand-woven, and all prints are block-printed by hand. The natural beauty of these fabrics, combined with the timeless art and craftsmanship of the Kalamkari tradition, has made this collection the perfect complement to our mission of bringing natural beauty with color to the home.
• able to absorb and dispel moisture without supporting mold or mildew growth
• easy to clean and sanitize
• nonconductive of electricity (free of metal)
• highly insulative
The following futon bedding system fulfills these characteristics. The mattress is made of layers. One or more 1- to 4-inch-thick untreated organic cotton futons are topped with a 1- to 3-inch wool futon. The layers rest on a slatted frame raised above the floor to a comfortable seating height. The cotton futon provides firm back support, while the wool futon adds resilience. Varying the thickness and the number of layers will accommodate different firmness preferences.
To properly maintain a futon, it should be
aired weekly in sunlight to sanitize it and then fluffed and replaced in a rotated position so it will wear evenly. A bed made of thin futons has an advantage over a single thicker mattress because the layers can be easily lifted and carried. It is important that air be allowed to circulate under the futon to facilitate evaporation of moisture, thereby preventing mold or mildew growth. A slatted platform will hold the futon firmly in place and permit air circulation around it.
Since the first edition of this book was published, many organic, metal-free mattress options have become available. These mattresses often are made of a combination of natural latex, wool, and organic cotton. This combination system conforms to the body shape and comes in a variety of firmnesses offering
I have been saddened on many occasions by stories of cotton farmers in India whose lives are made virtually unbearable by health problems resulting from constant contact with pesticides and by huge debts owed to the giant chemical companies. It was tremendously exciting to receive the news that Srinivas Pitchuka, owner of Bundar Ka — lamkari House and Syamala Arts and Crafts, with whom I have worked on our collection over these past years, was the recipient of an award for being the first company in his province to produce organic textiles.
I will continue to search for ways to produce furnishings and textiles that not only enrich our health and our homes but also care for our planet and those who work on it.
Rowena Finegan, BBEC, owner and founder of Eco-terric, strives to create beautiful, colorful, and environmentally friendly living spaces using healthy materials that are also socially responsible. After studying Bau-Biologie, Rowena was inspired to open her first Eco-terric store in Bozeman, Montana, in 2005. The newest location is at The Green Home Center on Polk Street in San Francisco. She collaborated with Cisco Brothers of Los Angeles to create the Inside Green furniture collection. She is also creating a line of organic textiles suitable for use in home decor. Rowena is a contributing writer to Green*Light magazine and has been featured in the Son Francisco Chronicle, Furniture Today and Helena Lifestyles. See eco-terric. com.
CASE STUDY 12.1
