Follow up to previous post, 'Going Green' vs. 'Green Washing'

In light of our recent post ‘Going Green’ vs. ‘Green Washing’, a good friend of ours and social media expert Scott Allen (socialmediaismymiddlename.com) was nice enough to forward us a link to an article posted on TrendWatching.com regarding the blatant misuse of 'Going Green' messages from primarily big businesses trying to ride the coat-tails of the trend rather then sincerely taking action to fulfill the promise of being 'green'.

This article touches on so many topics close to home for LOFT that we thought it would be worthwhile to clarify what we are doing as a business to support the cause in case any of you were wondering if we were just another one of those businesses riding coat-tails. 

We will be the first to tell you that we are not the poster child for sustainable business practices however; we take a considerable amount of time and effort in making everyday decisions that support sustainability and an eco-conscious existence.

These are just a few of the areas that LOFT has been working towards making an impact on both our business and our environment;

• Sustainable Goods
1. Over 85% of our products are sourced from only 3 major furniture manufacturers. These manufacturers adhere to standards of sustainable practices such as the use of reclaimed woods in construction, water soluble and non toxic adhesive construction as well as socially responsible manufacturing practices in 3^rd world countries.
• Reducing Carbon Footprint
1. LOFT strictly procures its products through means that minimize carbon footprint. Over 50% of the goods in our store are shipped via Ocean Liner and/or Rail, substantially reducing the carbon footprint per item compared to that of shipping with traditional methods such as trucks.  
• Energy Saving Infrastructure
1. In building our store infrastructure, a conscious decision was made to procure energy saving lighting systems that emit substantially greater outputs with minimal power consumption. On average we get 400watts of output per 75 watt bulb. This leads both to a great looking store and a really low electric bill compared to our neighbors.

Of course there is always more that we can do, we pride ourselves on our accomplishments thus far and continue to work towards becoming the leader in eco-conscious lifestyle stores. 

For the rest of those businesses out there there is The Greenwashing Index which offers consumers a chance to highlight cases of ‘greenwashing’, whereby a company spends more money and effort on marketing themselves as ‘green’ than they spend taking effective measures to fulfill this promise.(source http://trendwatching.com/trends/ecobounty/)

Staff Pick of the Month, Graphic Lumbar Pillows by Grace Linens.

April's staff pick of the month is brought to you by Mary Ferris. Mary Ferris joined the LOFT team May of ’08 and currently is the lead staff Designer here at LOFT. With a degree in Interior Design from Texas State University San Marcos, Mary’s past experience as a designer stems from work with IDR Studio, a local commercial Interior Design firm in Austin TX. Our customers love Mary’s sense of style and ability to listen to their needs while crafting creative design solutions to meet her client individual needs Enjoy! 

My staff pick of the month is Graphic Lumbar Pillows. They are a quick and easy way to add style, color, and texture to any room in your home. Accent a sofa, chair or bed with one of these eye-catching pillows to totally transform your look from blah to Bold!