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conscious living: green furnishings

I was impressed that Cebu’s furniture industry is actively developing materials, processes and designs that are sustainable. Most of their furniture pieces and accessories now rely on the use of indigenous materials. Because indigenous materials like buri, rattan, abaca, and coconut shells are locally available, more abundant, easily harvested and processed with less energy, they are much more sustainable than wood.

[Photo above, from left: Mantid Bench in rattan, leather and metal from Obra Cebuana. Sunny Day Cocktail Table in rattan, leather & metal from Obra Cebuana. Palwa Occasional Chair in palwa (cocnut fronds) & rattan from APY Cane. Floor lamps and pendant lamps in curled/bent rattan & metal from Accessoria Inc.]

Now, Cebu designers are already exploring the use of forest wastes such as twigs and branches as materials for furniture production. Two examples are Kenneth Cobonpue’s Kris Kros screen (also used for the interiors of Z Bar, to be featured later this week) that uses small bamboo twigs on metal frame, and Naturescast’s furniture and accessories (above) that use cast pulp made of recycled paper and forest wastes (branches and leaves).

[Photo above, from left: Loom Floor Lamp using recycled foil textile (for the shade) from Hacienda Crafts Company. Chaise Lounge in rattan, steel & reused textiles from Pacific Traders. Floor & Table Lamps using camera film on metal frame from Detalia Aurora.]

The industry is also looking into developing recycled materials for furniture and accessories. Hacienda Crafts Company is making woven textiles using shredded foil wrappers and bags of potato chips and other snacks. Such fabrics can be used for lighting (above) and accessories .

These efforts do not only make Cebu’s furniture industry a model of a green and sustainable industry, but they also contribute in making their designs stand out internationally. This just proves that it is possible to be green without sacrificing on beauty and quality.

cebu weekend

Hello everyone!

Ana and I just got back yesterday morning from our weekend in Cebu. It was tiring but every minute was well worth it. While we’re still working on the photos and the articles, we’ll give you first a preview of our trip. Too bad Lilli Beth and Green Guide were not able to join us because of work and their theses.

Our two-day trip started with a very early 4:15am flight to the Cebu. Good thing our hotel had vacant rooms and checked us in immediately when we arrived. We were still able to grab a good three hours of sleep before we hit the furniture show.

Day 1, Friday, was spent going around the CebuNext Furniture Show at the Waterfront Hotel. We ooohed and aaahed over the impressive furnishings from Cebu’s top furniture and lighting companies. We even got to meet some famous designers like Kenneth Cobonpue, Vito Selma and Clayton Tugonon. Talk about being star struck! Read all about our feature on the CebuNext show tomorrow.

We spent Friday night with two friends, photographer Ian Santos and architect Chito Basit, who both happened to be in Cebu as well. After dinner in Ayala Terraces (which very much resembles Greenbelt 3) we went to the highly recommended Z Bar at The Tinder Box along Archbishop Reyes Ave. in Banilad. The bar’s interiors were designed by Kenneth Cobonpue. To call it beautiful or interesting would be an understatement. Again, special thanks to Ian and Chito for being our photographer and “sponsors” that night, hehe!

Day 2 started early with a cab drive to Mactan Island to visit BE Resort (formerly known as Microtel, Mactan). Maybe because of her lack of sleep, Ana almost forgot her camera! Along the way, we got a glimpse of Sharngri-la Mactan’s lush driveway and uber private Abaca Boutique Resort’s gated front.

It was like a breath of fresh air when we finally arrived at the white, bright, and colorful place of BE Resort. Unfortunately our tight schedule only allowed us to stay around two hours to shoot a couple of the resort’s areas.

In the afternoon, we made a quick visit to Kenneth Cobonpue’s inspiring showroom. We almost missed the place because we were looking for a showroom with a ”Cobonpue” or a “Hive” signage. We didn’t expect that the site was actually an unassuming place which also includes the designer’s workshop/factory. 

Our last stop, but definitely not the least, was the house of Ted Gonzales, uncle of Zina, a good friend of mine from UP Interior Design. His passion for architecture, interior design and art produced a lovely place which he and his parents call home.

This week is not enough to feature everything about our trip. So, we will be dedicating the next two weeks for all the design goodness that we have encountered in Cebu starting tomorrow with our feature on the 2010 CebuNext Furniture Show.

conscious living: the lighter light

Halogen and incandescent lamps are probably the most flattering to use for interior spaces. They’re also equally flattering for people because they complement most skin tones. The problem is that they consume a lot of energy (30-50W per bulb). Although there are already warm white (yellowish) CFLs, they don’t have the same kind of “light quality”. The light coming from CFLs still looks “flat”. Probably it has something to do with differences in their light spectrum and light intensity. Not sure. On top of that, halogen lamps are just too hot (because of the high wattage) and they don’t last long.

Late last year, I was so happy to find out that Luxen, one of my favorite lamp stores in Ortigas Home Depot, started to carry LED lamps (LEDO brand from Australia) that were meant to replace the conventional halogen lamps and other accent lighting fixtures.

For 3W directional lamp, it produces light equal to a 30W halogen minus the high temperature. They are also dimmable and come in different types for different applications. Plus, they are projected to last for 25 years! They just come with a hefty price tag: P3,000 per 3W LED directional. However, in the long run it will save you more money compared to the cheaper halogen lamps that consume more energy and has a shorter lifespan.

I already tried the LED directional lamps in one project, and personally, I’m pleased with the results:

Now, here’s a better news. There’s a new LED bulb from Pharox that is designed to replace our conventional CFL bulbs for general lighting. Take note, CFLs are supposed to be phased out in 10 years. Although CFLs are relatively lower in energy consumption, the mercury content in the bulbs makes them hazardous to people and to the environment especially during their disposal.

Unfortunately, the Pharox LED bulbs are only available in 110V (so it will still require a ballast), can only fit an E26 base (we typically use an E27 base) and cost $49.95 for the 6W bulb (roughly P2,300.00). Hopefully they’ll come up with bulbs that can fit our local specs.

To know more about Pharox and the advantages of LED bulbs visit www.mypharox.com.

conscious living: how green is green? (part two)

Everyone is talking green and selling green–green fashion, green furnishings, green houseware, green building materials. But are we sure they are ”green” enough?

One of the related concepts of carbon footprint is embodied energy. Another way to determine the greenness of a specific building material or product is to look at its embodied energy index.

Embodied energy is the sum of all the item’s/material’s energies used in processing (from extraction/harvesting of raw materials to manufacturing), packaging, transportation to the site, construction and eventual use, and finally its disposal. Put simply, embodied energy looks at the entire lifecycle of the material and computes how much energy is consumed.

Embodied energy is also called by different terms: cumulative energy demand, embedded energy, virtual energy or hidden energy. The relation of embodied energy to carbon footprint is through the CO² byproducts of the energy consumed by the material. Meaning, the more energy used to harvest, manufacture, transport, use, and dispose a product, the  more CO² is being produced.

Therefore, the smaller the embodied energy of the product is, the “greener” it becomes.

Bangui Windmills in Ilocos Norte, Philippines. Photo by Sir Mervs

SOURCES OF ENERGY

The embodied energy of materials is mostly similar from region to region, regardless of where it was manufactured. Although most material production processes are universal, the type of energy utilized may not be the same. A country whose power plants are mostly coal-fueled will have its products having a higher carbon footprint than a country which relies on geothermal or wind power (for example Iceland, which uses mostly geothermal and hydroelectric power) .

IMPORTED VS. LOCAL

Be careful on buying imported products and building materials. Even if the product from another country is green, it may not be the greenest decision to purchase it. Transportation costs will add a significant amount to its embodied energy. Plus, the energy used to process the product may not be from renewable sources. Of course, recycled materials and handmade products have a lower embodied energy. Therefore, make sure that the other stages in the product’s lifecycle saved/will save on energy to compensate for its international shipping. Otherwise, love your own and buy local products! You do not only help the environment, you also help the local economy.

EMBODIED ENERGY INDEX

Most computations for the embodied energy only consider the manufacturing process (starting from the acquisition of raw materials to the finished product ready for shipping).

At the bottom are some values from the Center for Building Performance Research, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand to give you a comparison of the commonly used building materials today. (Unfortunately, we don’t have values yet for our country.)

Hope this will help you make greener choices and purchases next time. -green guide