EcoSelect and Larry David: We Respect Wood

One of the top-repeated bits in the Larry David pantheon of comedy is his earnestly posed question, “Do you respect wood?” Brought on by an incident where a wet-bottomed glass left a ring on an antique table, Larry went on a quest to uncover the guilty party and determine if others in his circle respected the beauty and importance of wood -- regardless of high or low origin.

Too bad Larry never got to meet J. Sterling Morton, the founder and innovator behind National Arbor Day.

Morton moved to the territory of Nebraska in 1854. There, while editing the Nebraska City News, he promoted the planting of trees. Morton emphasized both their value in industry, as well as their importance in the larger ecosystem. He understood that trees could provide relief from the heat and protect the topsoil of the plains, which was at risk of being displaced by gusty winds.

Using his position as secretary of the Nebraska Territory, Morton introduced the concept of a tree planting commemorative day, which he named Arbor Day. He proclaimed, “Each generation takes the earth as trustees.” His state planted over one million trees on that first holiday. When Morton served as Secretary of Agriculture under President Grover Cleveland (1893-1896), he was active in setting up America’s “national forest reservations.”

The holiday is usually celebrated the last Friday in April, although some localities pick dates within the month that are more conducive to planting saplings in their specific area.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has stated, “The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating twenty hours a day. One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people.”

Just like Morton, EcoSelect understands that trees help to clean the air, produce oxygen, serve as a home to birds and other animals, and yields innumerable paper and wood products.
Deforestation is a primary contributor to CO2 additions to global warming. It is responsible for about 24 percent of the CO2 additions. This is especially apparent in areas including Southern Asia and China.

The good news for the United States is that our forests are growing, and expected to jump another 15 to 20 percent by 2050. This is important because over the past half century, there has been a 39 percent increase in the volume of wood and paper products produced per cubic foot of wood input.
The lumber for all of our furniture is completely sourced in Western North Carolina and Tennessee -- not from national forests. The mills we use are certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and follow their guidelines for forest management. The local sourcing also means that there is smaller carbon footprint, since transportation costs are low.

Maple or Poplar is the genus of wood that we use. Both are plentiful and fast-growing, which makes it a sustainable species. Additionally, they are moderately dense and straight grained, which allows for good screw- holding ability and reduces warping or twisting.

Our frame construction utilizes smaller dimension stock and short lengths to maximize the yield from any single tree, and because we use only hardwood lumber (no plywood), absolutely no formaldehyde adhesives are used.

So, yes Mr. Larry David, EcoSelect respects wood!

Ken’s Tips for Spring Cleaning

It’s March, and we’re sure Spring cleaning is on your to-do list.

When you throw open your windows to bring fresh air into your home one thing you will never have to worry about is off-gassing from EcoSelect furniture contributing to indoor pollution concerns.

There are no fire-retardant chemicals in our components, and our wood is certified lumber. Also, absolutely no formaldehyde from glues that are used to form particle boards.  Our foam meets the “Certipur” standards for the absence of heavy metals and other toxins.

With climate change hastening an earlier and longer occurrence of the pollen season as well as increased carbon dioxide levels from man-made emissions those with allergies are looking for any remedies that will minimize their exposure to irritants.

We have one! Indoor pollution is as concerning as what is transpiring outside, so we have recently implemented a new option in response to customer demand. We are offering dust mite proof fabric for application to the bottoms of our sofas and chairs. The weave of this white material is “extra tight.”

General furniture upkeep is simple. As part of your daily routine, hemp coverings should be vacuumed frequently with an upholstery brush. Lift up cushions to check for accumulation of pet hair or crumbs! Spot cleaning can be accomplished with mild soap and water. Leather should be regularly dusted. Spills can be cleaned up by a sponge dampened with water.

Some advice from my wife, Ann: “Skip the heavy duty cleaners from the supermarket.” Her favorite remedy is a combo mixture of hot water, baking soda, and vinegar. Sometimes she adds a few drops of lavender oil for a calming scent.

We have lots of plants in our home to counteract any lurking toxins. English ivy and the durable snake plant are two of our favorites!

Don’t forget to recycle those old newspapers and magazines you didn’t trash all winter. We just dropped off a box of home electronics to a local store that has a twice a year program disposal program.

Happy cleaning!

President George Washington and the Hemp Plant

Most of our customers are well aware of our use of hemp fabrics, which we offer in six colors (Expresso, Bamboo, Loden, Natural, Taupe, and Toffee). What they may not know is that George Washington grew hemp at his Mount Vernon plantation estate, and fostered its development.

Washington believed in the commercial value of hemp for its wide range of uses. He saw that at a time when ships predominated, it could be used to make rope, sails, and fishing nets. Additionally, he envisioned hemp fibers being turned into the threads that would create clothing, possibly rivaling cotton.

A “gentleman farmer,” Washington was interested in experimenting with agricultural methods in order to establish new practices that could create superior products. He was a sharp business man, and understood that the hemp plant could be cultivated even on land that was not terribly productive in yielding other crops.

In his diaries, Washington wrote about hemp over ninety times  including his objective of finding the best types of seeds. He was knowledgeable about the varieties that were grown in East India and New Zealand. He understood the importance of the fact that all parts of the industrial hemp plant could be monetized. Beyond using the fibers for paper (what the Declaration of Independence was drafted on), rope, and cloth, he had the seeds pressed to extract their oil.

In 1791, Washington wrote to the Secretary of Finance, Alexander Hamilton (the letter is in the Library of Congress), suggesting that growing hemp could help the average citizen. He added that it merited “the serious attention of Congress.”

EcoSelect has chosen hemp rather than cotton for its furniture for numerous reasons. We love that it has greater mildew resistance than cotton. The plant grows easily in a range of temperatures and soils, and the resulting fibers are stronger than cotton. It doesn’t need herbicides or pesticides, unlike cotton, which is the recipient of half the world’s pesticide usage.
We always send out samples of our hemp fabrics so customers can get an accurate impression of the color. In order to make certain that sofas and chairs match perfectly, we make sure that a complete order come from one dye-lot.

So, on this President’s Day, I would like to personally thank George Washington for being an early supporter and promoter of hemp!

Fighting to Protect Our Children’s Health

EcoSelect Furniture - Malibu collection

Creating furniture without toxins, and utilizing traditional craftsmanship using natural, sustainable products and process is key to the EcoSelect philosophy. We know the chemicals that can be found in flame retardants and formaldehyde glues have been linked to a spectrum of health conditions — including those particularly dangerous to young children.

Neurodevelopmental issues leading to learning deficits and impacted IQs are the last things we would want to expose our growing youngsters to.Parents consistently seek us out as an option for furniture that does not contain organohalogens, a type of chemical widely used in flame retardant mixtures.

A petition, which was open to pubic comments, was filed with the Consumer Product Safety Commission with the goal of banning consumer products in four areas from containing organohalogens. Mattresses and furniture comprised two of these categories. Dr. Sandra G. Hassink, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, one of many organizations which signed on to the action wrote, “In order to grow and thrive, every child needs a safe and healthy environment.”

Two grassroots entities that are mobilized by mothers have been at the forefront of this concern. Moms Clean Air Force and Moms Rising have both made the safety of furniture in the home a priority. They are our allies in this fight for the future of our kids and their well-being.

As the new year progresses, we will keep you informed of actions geared to fighting to protect our children’s health from harmful chemicals in our lives. We are all in this together and make up part of a bigger picture.

EcoSelect Furniture: A Custom Design Company

At EcoSelect, our goal is to have customers be an integral part of their sofa design and purchase experience. That is why we discuss with individual buyers exactly what their needs are.

Often, I ask a series of questions to determine if any of the people who will regularly be using the sofa is above average height or on the shorter side. Why? So that our craftsman can change the seating height of the piece by simply adjusting the size of the feet. An inch modification higher or lower will make a great difference in the comfort of the sofa. It will give taller folks more thigh support, and give shorter folks the ability to have their feet flat on the floor. It will facilitate sitting down and getting up.

All of our “styles,” with the exception of the Georgetown line, offer four different choices for the supporting “feet” of the sofa. They are the square, bun, turned, and tapered options. As you go deeper into the style line on the website, you will see a window that opens showing the possibilities. While we have selected the foot style that we believe most strongly complements the style of the piece itself, there is no hard and fast rule. We look at the bigger picture. This means discussing changing the standard foot to be more of a match to your pre-existing decorating style, or other pieces in your space.

One of our most popular items, particularly for those city dwellers that live in apartments, is the sleep-sofa. The majority of our designs can be converted, and they come with an eco-friendly coil spring mattress and a recycled steel frame. There is an additional

charge, but it provides the “extra room” capability that most of our urban customers need so desperately!

Our chairs can be ordered as full recliners. They come with a “push-back” mechanism (which means no handle is required), or chairs can be ordered with a swivel base so everyone can participate in a conversation  and also see the TV more comfortably.

Another way to alter the upholstery is to change the cushion construction. Our standard seat cushion has a center coil spring unit covered in foam on both sides, then wrapped in pillow fiber and put in a cotton bag. That entire cushion core is inserted into the fabric or leather cover, which has zippers so the cover can be removed for cleaning or replacement. However, if you want an ultra-soft, plushier feel we offer a cushion that has 50 percent down/ feathers and 50 percent fiber—without the coil spring interior. This creates the feeling of sinking down into the cushion. Periodic “fluffing” to maintain the cushion’s shape is required, and there is an additional fee based on the materials.

We also do pure custom work, so if you have a photo of your dream sofa and would like us to give you a quote on it, you can send it in and we will take a look!

In addition to sofas, chairs, and loveseats, we have added items based on popular demand. Our ottomans come either as a storage-formulated piece, or a simply shaped square or rectangle. They are great for putting your feet up—or as an additional seating unit when you have extra guests. Several clients have asked for matching pillows, so that is now a regularly offered item.

The most important fact about our lines is that they have no toxic chemicals or fire retardants. So while you may consider making changes to our set styles, sizes, and furniture feet, you will never have to worry about your family’s safety!

Making Commitments to Our Future

As the year comes to a close, I am excited about what EcoSelect has achieved in 2015 and where we are going in 2016. We are happy to invest in delivering eco-conscious products to a growing community of consumers are on the same page about our future – there is a nexus between sustainable business practices that are based on delivering products free of materials that add to environmental problems.

I have been watching and reading the news from the COP21 conference at Paris. I am hopeful that world leaders will agree to the strict standards needed to limit global warming to under 2 degrees Celsius.

In line with the COP21 call to companies to get involved with the fight to keep the safety of future generation on course, we will do our part communicating how to take a stance on climate change. We agree with the 97-percent of climate scientists who believe that “climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities.”

We strive to be part of the solution. EcoSelect is a certified member of GreenPlus, as well as the Sustainable Furnishings Council. We subscribe to the Council’s hierarchy of “people, planet, and profits” and follow their outlined goals of:

• Raising awareness of the sustainability issue
• Assisting companies in adopting good practices
• Serving as an information and opinion source 
• Providing a symbol of assurance for consumers

Families with young children, after a long search for non-toxic, eco-friendly furniture are relieved to find our products. In turn, I will always be happy to discuss all aspects of how we create our sofas and chairs, the materials we use and how they are sourced. Give me a call, and if I don’t answer, leave a message and I’ll call you back. Also email me your questions and I'll get back to you with an answer. 

The EcoSelect team wishes you a wonderful holiday season and have a happy and healthy new year.

We leave you with this video about COP21!

Featured in Dr. Oz's segment on Toxins in Our Furniture

We are honored to write that EcoSelect Furniture has been featured by Dr. Oz's as a source of toxin-free, non-flame retardant furniture in the US.

In conjunction with Dr. Oz’s television segment about furniture in the home, there was a page where we were included in a list of green furniture makers committed to using only non-toxic elements in production.

You can read the article here: How to Avoid Toxic Flame Retardants in Your Furniture