Bring in Some Wood Element into Your Holistic Space

 

This weekend I attended the Architectural Digest Home Show.  There were hundreds of exhibitors at Pier 94 in New York City. 

The most exciting thing I saw was the vertical landscapes in the Miele exhibit by EcoWalls.  I immediately gravitated toward this exhibit.  Imean Miele is wonderful, they have the best appliances.  I even splurged on my own Miele dishwasher.  But the vertical landscapes were just beautiful.  My client and I walked over and I gently touched the plants to see if they were real.  And they were!  I went straight for the rosemary, one of my absolute favorite herbs.  It can be a challenge to grow.  The scent is so earthy, and said to help with stress.  If I ever see fresh rosemary, nothing can stop me from rubbing the leaves.  It would be amazing to have a herb garden like this in my home!

I'm thrilled to start using some of these Green walls on my projects, both residential and commercial.  In Feng Shui, plants can be used to balance the five elements (adding more Wood) and also bring more life energy into your space.  I can't wait to learn more about EcoWalls!

by Anjie Cho

5 Ways To Kick Off Your Green Spring Cleaning With Feng Shui Principles

featured today on inhabitat.com

Photo credit: Shutterstock via inhabitat.com

Photo credit: Shutterstock via inhabitat.com

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING! I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for winter to come to an end. Adios thermal underwear, hello shorts! Happily, the spring equinox occurs on March 20th this year, which is today! The equinox marks the two times each year at which day and night are equally balanced. In Feng Shui philosophy, the vernal equinox indicates the moment at which the excess of dark, cold, passive yin energy shifts into balance with the bright, hot, active yang energy. We move away from the extended hours of darkness and move into the longer daylight hours. Most importantly, it symbolizes a time for a new cycle of growth and expansion. We spent the last few months hibernating in winter, and now is the time when the energy of spring sprouts and pushes through the dormant earth. Feng Shui principles encourage us to peek into those dark closets, open up all the windows, and really start shifting the energy in our spaces. In Feng Shui, we seek to release stale stuck energy and welcome in new vibrant life energy. Appropriately enough, according to the Chinese Almanac, this year’s spring equinox falls on a day that’s not much good for anything but substantial cleaning and repairs to your home or workspace. So what better way to observe the vernal equinox than to start some eco-spring cleaning with the help of a little Feng Shui?...

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by Anjie Cho

Third Semiannual EcoBizNYC Grant Awards Ceremony

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The small business sustainability program that I run for the Lower East Side Ecology Center is awarding grants to 11 businesses on Thursday, April 26th at Lina Frey at 201 East Houston Street,  New York, NY.

Thursday, April 26, 2012
3:30-5pm

The Lower East Side Ecology Center’s EcoBizNYC program will award grants to eleven Lower East Side businesses to help make their daily operations more sustainable. Businesses were chosen to receive the
grants based on specific goals of furthering their sustainable business practices and grants will be used toward awnings and window treatments, insulated storefront windows, a tree guard, energy efficient water heaters, LED lighting, an energy efficient air conditioner, and plants for indoor and outdoor spaces.

EcoBizNYC will award sustainability grants to Arena Salon, Brown Café, East Yoga, Gaia, Grey Era Vintage, Home Espresso Bar, Lina Frey, Participant Inc, The Source Unltd, Studio Mohair, and Sugar Sweet Sunshine. In 2011, eighteen other businesses were awarded grants.

EcoBizNYC, a program of the Lower East Side Ecology Center, provides small businesses with lighting and water assessments, sustainability recommendations, and grants to improve energy efficiency, reduce
emissions, and lower operating costs. On average, businesses enrolled in the program have saved $1,170 on their energy bills. These improvements to small businesses not only save business owners money
but eliminate 231,000 pounds of CO2 annually (the equivalent of taking 20 cars off of the road).

"The EcoBizNYC program is making amazing strides with small businesses, whether those changes are small or large," said Program Manager Anjie Cho.  "Each shift creates awareness and a real connection between the environment and our day to day actions, bringing us closer to a sustainable NYC."

“It is inspiring to see the changes happening as more businesses join the program,” said Program Manager Rebecca Krauss. “Whether the changes are made to their energy, waste, water, or cleaning practices, these business owners are more conscious about their environmental impact.”

EcoBizNYC currently includes over 125 businesses and is free for businesses in Community Board 3, including the East Village and Lower East Side. To find out more about EcoBizNYC or to enroll your business, go to www.ecobiznyc.org.

Funding for the EcoBizNYC program is generously provided by Community Board 3, Con Edison, and HSBC Bank.

by Anjie Cho