Painting (without the high)

Painting in your home is often a hassle. Harmful VOCs make it impossible to paint indoors without a mask, hiring a professional or leaving every possible window open for ventilation. But with Yolo Paint, all of the aforementioned requirements are unnecessary. Yolo Colorhouse makes a variety of Green-Seal Certified paint for any and all of your coloring needs. Besides exterior and interior paint, they also provide a line entitled "Little Yolo" as an interior paint for younger children. Yolo paint comes in 3 different sheens: Eggshell, Flat, and Semi-Gloss. There are no VOCs in Yolo Colorhouse products. While sampling this product in a friend's living room, it was very easy to immediately use the benefits of such paint. The paint we used barely had an odor, did not cause any unnecessary side effects like lightheadedness, and once it came time to clean up, the paint came swiftly and easily off your skin with just a touch of hot water and soap. The paint was easy to apply, went on evenly, and didn't need a 2nd coat because of the richness of it's color. Yolo Paint is 100% acrylic. For more information, visit: http://www.yolocolorhouse.com/products_interior.php

Squawk Mountain

Finding alternatives to stone and tile is a difficult process. But Squawk Mountain Stone has made it much easier, at least for the consumer. Squawk Mountain stone is fashioned from recycled paper, recycled glass, coal fly-ash and cement. Their material is produced in slabs so as to reduce wear on natural or quarried stone. Their tiles can be used almost anywhere, from bathrooms to kitchens. Their company follows a "binder-less" policy, so as to reduce the amount of paper they consume for product literature. Their stone line comes in 5 colors: Thunder, Latte, Quinault, Otter, and Natural. For more information, visit: http://www.squakmountainstone.com/index.html

Green Suede

Despite the ever-popular presence of suede in the fashion and design world, the production of suede causes many strains on our environment. The demand for leather is so great, that it depletes many animal populations. Why harm other inhabitants of this planet when there are other conscientious approaches? For example, Innovations Textiles, has created a line of wall coverings that are environmentally sustainable entitled "Innovations". Their eco-suede comes in a variety of colors and is a member of the US Green Building Council. Their eco-suede is considered Class A and is made of recycled cardboard. For further information visit their website at: http://www.innovationsusa.com/fabrics.php?subcat=3&catName=Innvironments

Healthy Insulation/Made With Your Old Jeans

With consumer awareness on the rise, it is difficult to find building materials that will complement the eco-friendly surfaces you would like to include in your home. Eco-friendly carpets do little for indoor pollution if there are pollutants involved in the installation process. Bonded Logic, Inc. has created a solution to at least one of the building materials involved in the installation of carpet. Bonded Logic has been producing acoustic and thermal insulation, in a variety of options, for over 30 years. All of their products are eco-friendly and do not contain harmful VOCs or chemicals. Their padding products are made from 85% recycled denim and cotton. What a great way to use your old jeans right? They also carry Natural Cotton Radiant Barriers, as well as, a Cellulose product. All of their building materials are anti-fungi and LEED certified.

Je Taime Kirei

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Despite having a broad array of bamboo products as it is, as relayed in our last post, Live Green Malibu has added another species to it's selection. Kirei Bamboo. Kirei strives to promote sustainability in their particular industry. Their name, which is derived from the Japanese word for "clean" or "beautiful", projects the validity of their mission. Kirei Bamboo has been actively serving the flooring and building materials industry since 2003. Their company promotes the profitability of the source regions of their products, and hopes to provide jobs for many in that area at a decent wage. Kirei distributes 4 types of materials: Kirei Board, Kirei Bamboo, Coco, and Wheatboard. Kirei Board is an efficient substitute for hardwood, it can be used for a variety of purposes. It contains no formaldehyde and is fully sustainable. Their bamboo is eco-friendly as well, and meets leed-certified requirements. Wheatboard is an environmentally friendly material used underneath flooring and other projects that is formaldehyde free. Their Coco tiles are made out of coconut shells and low-formaldehyde resin. Their designs are beautiful, and the general look of the materials whisks you away to a tropical retreat upon meeting your eyes. For more information, visit: http://www.kireiusa.com/

New Products @ Live Green Malibu!

The last couple weeks have been very busy here at Live Green. While re-modeling our showroom, we have been simultaneously been ordering new, sustainable products to be featured for our customers. We have acquired quite a few lines lately, and our very excited for our transition into a fully sustainable showroom. We recently included Ultra Touch insulation to our product list, it is the first insulation that we have included in our inventory. Ultra Touch insulation is made of 85% post-industrial recycled natural fiber, is fire, smoke, fungi, and corrosive resistant, does not contain any VOCs, and is effective in sound absorption and thermal performance. We have also gotten a hold of a line of eco-friendly wall-coverings offered by Innovations, titled Innvironments. Kirei Board and Bamboo, are included amongst the new products, as well as Squawkbox recycled tile, stone, and concrete.

Eco-Friendly Pioneers

Floor Covering Weekly, a publication distributed to various members of the flooring industry, has incorporated a new event into their annual schedule. Starting in 2009, Floor Coverings Weekly will hand out awards to the companies that are actively participating in sustainable and environmentally friendly activities in an admirable fashion. There are 4 categories in which awards are given: Product, Practice/Process, Promotion/Communication, and Pinnacle. The Product Award will be given to the best green product in the current market. The Practice/Process awards will be distributed to those who reduced the negative impacts their production and operation processes have on the environment. Promotion/Communication will be determined by those who are actively participating in instructing others about green practices and initiatives. The Pinnacle award is given to those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in promoting and enforcing eco-friendly practices and knowledge. The main aspects to be considered will be sustainability, recognition, and leadership. The Pinnacle nominees consist of: Bentley Prince Street, Mirage, Crossville, and Shaw. The Process nominees are Baker's Creek Wood Floors, Beaulieu Bliss Healthy Home Carpet, Beaulieu Commercial, Gerflor, Centiva- the Green Way, Interface, J+J/Invision, Laticrete, Mannington Commercial Drywall to flooring, Mohawk, Orian Rugs, Quick Step, Shaw, USFloors, and Wicanders Cork. The Promotion Nominess include Anderson Surfaces, Armstrong, Bostik, Ceramic Tiles of Italy, EcoTimber, Johnsonite, Kirby Davis of Laticrete, Leggett & Platt, Mohawk, Mullican, Shaw, and Zeftron. Congratulations to all of this years' nominees, and thank you for what you are doing for this planet! To check out the original articles, pick up a Floor Coverings Weekly near you!

Join Us!

Live Green Malibu employees will be at the Malibu Colony on Thursday, May 7th for an informational display pertaining to our eco-friendly products and services.
10 AM-2PM
We will be holding a raffle for one lucky individual to receive 100 square feet of Eco-friendly bamboo flooring.

Hope to see you there!

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