Bringing Nature In

       Are you familiar with that invigorating feeling of taking a brisk walk on a cool fall morning? Or maybe you feel better when you are hiking and doing anything outside. There is a reason why so many of us just feel GOOD when we are outside. It is because being outside in nature is good for us! Studies done for the Journal of Environment Psychology show that people who are outside in nature tend to have more vitality and feel more alive. After tracking college students for a period of time, the studies found that individuals who were in natural settings or outside felt more energy in general. Also, just 20 minutes of time outside every day significantly boosted vitality levels. Richard Ryan, the lead author of an article we read and a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester stated that, “Nature is fuel for the soul.” Green Park Store couldn’t agree more!

         If you can’t always be outside on the trails or away from the desk, another alternative is to bring nature to you. This is not a new idea but it is on that is always evolving and is very popular in our part of the country in SW Colorado. We are fortunate enough to live in an area with mountains, blue sky and even red rock desert so it is easy to bring the outdoors right to our backyards. Something as simple as adding some simple landscaping, while using accents like wood and stone can address our need for the natural environment. Creating a fire pit out of sandstone is just one easy idea to design a living space that meets your desire and need for nature around you. 

    So, why not create a space where you can thrive and enjoy the aspects of the outdoors when you just can’t make it to the trail everyday? Here are a few ideas and photos that you might want to put on your wish list for your new home or remodeling project:

A modern exterior with a tree trunk support

A great blend of indoor/outdoor living with a focus on the outdoors

A modern pool room that is open and airy

A great backyard patio area

These photos are all featured on our Houzz.com profile. There is a link to the "ideabook" under each photo. Feel free to contact GreenParkStore and Fusion Interiors with any ideas you might have for your own nature space. Check out our next blog, that will also be focusing on bringing nature into our homes through design.

Understanding the Role of Plastic: Part Three of Three

For the past few weeks, our Green Park Store blog has been focusing on the role of plastic in the United States. The goal has been to promote finding ways to use recycled plastics and develop a system where plastics can be used over and over again for many uses. Plastic should have a “cradle to cradle” process, not a production to landfill result. When plastics end up in a landfill, they are not able to be used again, which means we must go in search of the raw materials that plastic is derived from—petroleum and natural gas. Both petroleum and natural gas are finite resources that do not renew themselves within even 10 human generations. By using these resources to produce plastics and then throwing them away we are wasting precious resources that could be put to higher valued uses.

We are responsible for the resources we produce, consume, and dispose of...let's take care of ourselves and Earth by starting to find renewable resources to meet our plastic demands.

Instead of searching for these finite resources to extract from the Earth, many companies are instead seeking out alternative ways to produce plastic and different products that work even better as plastic. Natureworks, a company that produces a bio plastic called Ingeo, has been working on developing a plant-based plastic since 2003. This plastic, Ingeo, can be composted in 60 days, and if it is separated properly it can be melted to its virgin form and re-processed as an almost perfect new plastic material! Once bio plastics reach the end of their life, they can be turned into nearly any product that is derived from plastic: baby wipes, snack packaging, laptops and even T-shirts (Tolve 40).

While there are so many benefits to bio plastics, there is still criticism of the bio plastic process. Some critics feel that bio plastic being made from corn and sugar cane is taking away from agriculture for food consumption. However, to counteract the “stress” the corn market may be facing, Natureworks has starting developing technologies that allow them to use agriculture waste products!

Natureworks was one of the first companies to enter the bio plastics market, but there are companies following in their footsteps. One of those companies is Metabolix, a firm based in Massachusetts. Metabolix is developing a plastic derived from microbial fermentation! After the plastic is used, the plastic biodegrades in fresh or salt water, soil, and compost. This a great step because not only is Metabolix finding a plastic that is not produced from petroleum based products but they are creating a plastic that will be less harmful to the environment and the many ecosystems on Earth.

Green Park Store is also passionate about reusing plastics and putting them to higher valued uses. Here is a sample of what recycled plastic can be turned into. 

Polywood Long Island Rocker (Made from recycled plastic in the USA)

These companies and the information in this article is just the tip of the iceberg for the future of plastics in our world. You can do your part in creating a better planet where plastics are seen as helpful rather than destructive. As mentioned in our previous articles, recycle plastics whether you are at home or on the go. Find an incentive program that will give you points for recycling if that helps you stay on the recycling wagon! Also, feel free to look at our other article about upcycling to learn about some crafty ways to re-use plastic and other waste in your own home! 

Resource: Tolve, Andrew. “Plastic Fantastic.” Ode Magazine. Spring 2011: 37-40. Print.