Welcome

The subject of green design has been of great importance to Sources+Design since the magazine's inception in 1995. In fact, not long after we started publishing, we began dedicating one issue a year to the subject; more recently, we've added the "Green Scene" column, which appears in each issue.

Back in the 1990s, green projects and products were admittedly scarce, but as the years progressed we've found more and more design professionals who've gone green, as well as an ever-increasing number of green products from which to choose. Just check this issue's green projects and "Market Watch" for proof.

While commercial projects have gone green in a big way during the last few years under the auspices of the LEED program, the next wave will surely be one of sustainable residential design, particularly when it comes to interiors. We saw two important signs of this trend recently.

In May, while I was at the Rocky Mountain Designers' Market (by the way, a fabulous event cosponsored by Sources+Design—make plans to attend next year), I had the privilege of meeting Annette Stelmack, ASID; Debbie Hindman and Kari Foster of the Denver interior design firm Associates III. The three recently authored Sustainable Residential Interiors (Wiley, 2007; www.wiley.com), a professional guidebook to doing green interiors. The book is even being used as a textbook for university-level design classes.

Formed in 1970, Associates III went green in 1998 first in their own LoDo office space, with simple things such as using biodegradable soap and cleaning products and replacing old bulbs with fluorescents. They've moved up the green chart now, and try to get their residential clients to incorporate energy-efficient, recycled, low-VOC and other sustainable products and strategies.

Another sign of the greening of residential interiors was the Arizona North Chapter ASID's Education Day event, held in April in Scottsdale. With an ecofriendly theme (centerpieces were cleverly made of low-VOC paint cans filled with a bouquet of energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs), the event's luncheon speaker was none other than actor/activist Ed Begley, Jr., who appears in a documentary-style show about his own earthy environmentalism called "Living With Ed" on HGTV. Begley regaled the audience with tales of his own eco-extremism (the man pedals a stationary bike to power up his toaster, much to his wife's chagrin), but also urged everyone to make small changes in their daily lives (and those of their clients), such as buying products made of recycled content.

"You don't have to change everything all at once," he said during his speech. "Pick the low-hanging fruit first—make the easy changes to help the environment."

Here's an easy way to help the environment right now: Recycle this issue of Sources+Design by sharing it with colleagues or friends.

Photograph by Elliot Lincis