Woman of the Year

Going Green

By Rowena Kelley
Going Green

While working on this issue, I decided to assess the green efforts in my own household. I’m proud to say we bring groceries home in reusable canvas bags from Whole Foods. Rather than drive, we often walk to our local coffee shops, farmers’ market and parks. We’ve replaced incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent ones. Our recycle bin is always filled well before pickup day. And even our 17-month-old knows where to put recyclables (unfortunately, we often find her toys in there, too).

Yet all this pales in comparison to the efforts of folks like interior designer Laura Birns, who not only researches sustainable, recyclable and reusable materials, she tests new products and reports back to manufacturers to request improvements. As you’ll see inside this issue, her projects are eye-opening. She’s the first, however, to tell you green doesn’t drive the designs. In fact, oftentimes she won’t inform her cli ents they have zero-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint on the walls or recycled Snapple bottles in their countertop until they ask. Green is simply a method of meeting her design needs, and like brushing her teeth in the morning, it’s a way of being that comes so naturally Birns no longer makes a deliberate effort of it. It’s the only way she knows to live.

If hearing her accomplishments inspires you, then we’ve done our job well. But if they also overwhelm you, I understand. I, too, feel a sense of urgency to do more. There’s the issue of the car I drive, the appliances I should unplug, the lawn that requires too much water to stay green.

Perhaps I should aim high, as former pilot Steve Springer did when seeking out an urban abode. The views from his Harbor Club penthouse are breathtaking. Picture-perfect, they are also a reminder that maintaining the beauty and longevity of this Earth is worth every effort.