KPLR TV Channel 11 interviewer John Fuller sits down with John Alipertz of Harris House St. Louis and Craig Jung of St. Louis Green to talk about the Precious Earth: Green Furniture and Metal To Food Program.

(This interview has been transcribed.)

John Fuller: First of all Craig what is this furniture and metal to food program?
 
Craig: There is a program that Operation Food Search started about four years ago. What they do is take all of the old furniture and all of the old metal that comes from all of the corporations that partner with their programs. Well the program got a little large for them to manage. So they came to us St. Louis Green and said hey would you be willing to take this program over. We acquired it in October. Since October we have worked in all the programs that we’ve done with all the people and diverted 300,000 pounds of furniture in something like 60 days so it’s been fabulous. A group like Johns is one of the groups that we’ll send the furniture to if it’s still useable.
 
John Fuller: A beneficiary?

Craig: A beneficiary.

John Fuller: Well then how can a company help as long as we’re talking about the program.

Craig: A beneficiary. Well the biggest thing is to get a hold of us if you’re planning on moving anything let us decide if it’s of value or not for us to come in and say yes we can get someone to use it here or we can use it there that the best way for us. Just call us if you would.
 
John Fuller: Now the beneficiary or the group the Harris House tell us about the Harris House John

John Alipertz: Harris House is a not for profit United Way agency located in south St Louis we provide residential treatment services for men and women suffering from alcoholism chemical dependency and mental health issues. We have 99 beds. Being a not for profit we have a relatively limit budget so; the furniture and various items that we have gotten from St Louis Green. It’s just been like Christmas for us.

John Fuller: How big of a problem is substance abuse and alcoholism you say you have 99 beds how many people do you provide services too.

John Alipertz: Close to five hundred a year

John Fuller: Wow.

John Alipertz: The impact of Harris House goes well beyond that five hundred people leave the Harris House and they return to the work place. We help people get jobs. Provide employment skills. A lot of the women come to Harris House in an effort to regain custody of their children they lost due to their addiction. So it’s a tremendous impact on their community.
 

John Fuller: What would be some of the items that you would reuse from Craig’s group?

John Alipertz: We got some beautiful furniture and it’s gonna be the first time in our 50 years history that we have matching furniture in our living room. (Everyone Laughing) We’re pretty excited about that!

Craig: Washington University redid their library last week the nineteenth. We went in there with five agencies and took four floors of old furniture from Wash U. and they were one of the agencies that got some of that furniture. It’s just fabulous.

John Fuller: Wow and it’s keeping it out of the landfills as a waste
Craig: Yeah everybody wins.

John Fuller: Thank you John and Craig also for joining us today about how about precious earth segment can help other by repurposing furniture for those who need it.

See the video interview from KPLR 11 Precious Earth: Green Furniture and Metal To Food Program

GREENleaders Certified Training Receives Coveted LEED Curriculum Approval

CHAPEL HILL, NC – The Sustainable Furnishings Council GREENleaders course has been approved for credit in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Continuing Education, the world-renowned certification system. The 6-ceu GREENleaders exam course, the first and most comprehensive certified sustainability training in the home furnishings industry, was created in 2009 by a LEED-AP and SFC founding member, and vetted by the Sustainable Furnishings Council board including ranking staff of World Wildlife Fund, Rainforest Alliance, and Founder of USGBC/LEED.

“LEED started the ball rolling by setting the standard for commercial buildings and sustainability education. GREENleaders represents a tremendous effort put into initiating, developing and delivering equally valuable education for the home furnishings industry that didn’t exist before,” says Mike Italiano, Founder of USGBC/LEED and CEO of Market Transformation to Sustainability.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, promotes sustainable building and development practices with strict rating systems and a curriculum. These courses offer credit toward the credential maintenance requirements of the LEED Green Associate and LEED Accredited Professional, with specialty professional credentials. The Sustainable Furnishings Council’s GREENleaders contributes an essential piece within the Education Review Body-approved continuing education courses. While most of the LEED programs focus on the building shell itself, GREENleaders is unique in exclusively focusing on furnishing the interior.  It is also distinguished by the practical business-building recommendations it provides.

“It has been wonderful to see how the SFC has developed in such a short time, from setting standards and sharing best practices to providing first class education, particularly in sensitizing the industry to the importance of verified legal wood sourcing,” adds Mark Comolli, Director of Markets in the Forestry Division for Rainforest Alliance.

To date, over 600 home furnishing professionals have been certified by GREENleaders as Accredited Professionals in green residential furnishings, with many more on the way. The six-unit program is worth 6 continuing education credit hours for ASID and LEED, covering a wide-range of topics including the factual basis for environmental issues affecting our industry, consumer awareness and behavior, sourcing products and components, design issues and showroom operations.

“The response to the program has been terrific from the start,” says Jeff Hiller, current SFC President and chief developer of GREENleaders, “We have graduates from leading raw materials suppliers, manufacturers, importers, retailers, product and interior designers, literally every point in the supply chain. This is a major part of our plan to keep the industry growing through greening.”

The Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) just celebrated its 5th anniversary as a professional, non-profit coalition of suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and designers formed to promote sustainable practices within the industry. The SFC is considered the leading organization in green home furnishings with the best opportunities for education and networking.

For those interested in GREENleaders certified training, the course is offered online as well as live in various locations throughout the US. To register, please contact admin@sustainablefurnishings.org or 919-967-1137.

There is a  bedroom and furniture store in the area offering green furnishings and they have been busy making countless strides to be more earth friendly. STL Beds we believe is the the first Green Mattress Store in St. Louis This blog is our promised update to assure its customers of their dedication to sustainability.

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Are you considering an Environmentally Safe Mattress? What does it really mean if we say environmentally friendly mattress?

These terms can mean many different things and quite frankly they all seem to get lumped together under one big umbrella term which is referred to as green mattresses.

Mattresses are but one part of the home furnishings industry and they have been making great strides to offer the consumer a product that is easier on the environment both outside and inside the home.

Define an Environmentally Safe Mattress?

The mattress market encompasses many different kinds of mattresses that range in selection that includes a coil spring mattress and box spring, memory foam, or natural latex mattress. It can be defined as a bed that requires less energy to build and is easy on the environment both inside and outside your home. Such mattresses may use all or some of the following:

• Organic textiles: These are fabrics and goods that are made from organically grown plants such as cotton or organically raised sheep for their wool.
• Bio-hybrid cushioning: Foams that are constructed with plant base substitutes. They make up a percentage of the oils that are obtained from the plant making at least of portion of the petroleum needed sustainable and eco-friendly.
• Made from rapid renewals: Plants or trees that can grow to maturity and can be harvested for their wood, sap, or anything else very quickly.
• Certified wood: Wood that has been certified or independently verified by a third party as being responsibly harvested in order to maximize industry, wildlife, and nature in a sustainable manner.
• Plantation grown: Artificially established forest, farm where various types of trees or crops are grown for sale. It is rare to see local on-site consumption most of the raw goods are sent to distant markets. Some plantations are certified as organic.
• Contain recycled content: A product that contains materials that have been used before and now given new life within a new product. This often reduces energy cost and the need for more raw materials.
• Consider the transportation and shipping: Look for companies that reduce waste of fuel by figuring out better more efficient shipping methods like sourcing from local suppliers instead of suppliers located thousands of miles away.
• Reduced or Zero Off gassing from potentially toxic or harmful chemicals: Various chemicals that exist in the form of synthetic foams, flame retardants, and bleaches and dyes used in fabrics give off potentially harmful gasses called Volatile Organic Compounds or VOC’s. The list is numerous of harmful effects that VOC’s are attributed too.

One mattress company refers to their mattress selection in shades of green. Depending on your budget, your concern for the environment both inside and outside your home, the extreme you choose to go to is your own. Air quality, sustaining our precious natural resources like wood, and safe drinking water can be affected by the choices we make when we purchase a new bed. The shade of green you choose to buy is up to you. Environmentally Safe and Friendly Mattresses can be found to fit most any budget.

Will buying an Environmentally Safe Mattress make me healthier, wealthier, and wiser? Yes.

1. Investing in naturally built mattresses is an investment in your health that could save you money in medical expenses including respiratory issues.
2. You’ll be rich in spirit and mind knowing that your mattress is chemical free, and reduces the burden on the environment through sustainability.
3. It’s smart to think about the future of friends, family, and the planet.

Free Ticket Promotion To Healthy Planet Magazine Green Event

STL Beds is giving away a limited supply of Free Admission Tickets Valued at $8.00 a piece for the Healthy Planet Natural Living Expo 2011. (Limit 5 Tickets Per Family Please!) That saves you up to $40.00. Simply drop by our STL Beds location or send us a self-addressed stamped envelope and mention this blog or print it out too redeem your free money saving tickets. Hurry because when they are gone they are gone!

Information about Green Event:

Healthy Planet Natural Living Expo
When: Sunday, February. 27, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Where: Webster Groves Recreation Complex Located at I-44 at Elm Avenue.
33. East. Glendale Road. Zip Code 63119

This is one of the best St Louis green events of the entire year you won’t want to miss it. Healthy Planet Magazine who sponsors and puts on this home show does it right. It is located in Webster Groves, Missouri. This rare STL Green Event is meant to educate the consumers with an wealth of information for living healthier lives and saving the environment through sustainable and green daily living. Whether people choose to do nothing at all, just 1 thing, or completely change the way they buy, use, and dispose of products people will be shocked and surprised how easy, cheap, and healthy green living can be.  Healthy Planet Magazine and their expo always manage to gather a large diversity of green goods and services under one roof and 2011 will be no different. This show will include everything from health screenings to energy saving tips and products for the home but that is not all.

What’s going on at the Expo?

• Healthy eats include Free Organic and Natural food sample.
• Would you like to learn how to make your work or living space more energy efficient?
• Look for chemical free or low or no VOC household goods?
• Every considered environmentally friendly cosmetics as an alternative?
• How start or own your very own “green” business, there will be plenty of businesses there to share ideas.
• Spinal screening
• Free chair massage
• Organic, Natural, and Eco Friendly Mattresses and Bedding
• 1^st 300 guests will receive a free reusable tote bag
• Wine and beer samples
• Live Music
• Free Giveaways
• Someones going to win a weekend vacation to the YMCA Trout Lodge worth $600.00
• Did we mention FOOD?

There will be live music, wine and beer tasting, and tons of give-a-ways. According to Healthy Planet Magazine, “the first 300 guests will receive a free reusable tote bag.” There will be an Amtrak Ticket Giveaway and a weekend vacation at the YMCA Trout Lodge in the Lake of the Ozarks that is worth $600.

Day of the event

Cost: $8.00 for adults

Cost: Kids under 16 FREE!

Who’s going to be exhibiting at the expo?

Wildlife Center of Missouri

Vitality Unlimited Spa

True-Dose Pets

Treats Unleashed

Thomas Construction

The School of Metaphysics

The Healing Center

St. Louis Vegetarian Society

STL Beds

Soul Esteem Center

Sierra Club

Shining Rivers Waldorf School

Schnucks Market

Schalafly Beer

Sappington Farmers Market

Renewal By Anderson

Pure Power

PB Design

New Life Solutions

Neel’s Pharmacy

Missouri Coalition for the Environment / Earth Designs

Midtown Home Improvement

Juice Plus

Inmotion Health Center

Holistic Fitness

Healing Arts Center

Elements of Wellness

Eckankar – Spiritual Literature

Dancing Spirit Healing & Arts Center

Culver Way Ecovillage

Crown Valley Winery

Complete Wellness Center

Community Acupuncture of St. Louis

Committed to Health Chiropractic

Chipolte Mexican Grill

Butterfly Energy Works

Build St. Louis

Body & Mind / Healthy Harvest Gardens

Blueshadow Photography

Berhanu Organic

Bellaspark Productions

Bath Fitter

Bales Junk Removal

Arbonne International

Animal Health & Healing

Amtrak

Alternative Hospice

Alpha-Health Solutions

Advanced Energy Solutions

You can find more information about the Healthy Planet Green Expo by calling 314-962-7748 or go to www.thehealthyplanet.com