Since January 1, I have taken two enormous steps along the road to responsible adulthood: First, I launched a new business and, while some of my loved ones questioned the responsible nature of that decision, it felt like progress. Not long after that, I procured and installed a mini-bar for my apartment. Slowly, but surely, it seemed, I was on my way to becoming a lady boss.

As my business grows and I continue to expand my team, I realize that my beloved, 200-square-foot shared office will no longer do. In the course of seeking larger space, I’ve also begun to consider what additions might be necessary. With the final season of “Mad Men” upon us, it’s occurred to me: Every lady boss needs a mini bar for her office.

Not just any mini bar, though: A conscious, eco-friendly one, which is easier to assemble than it might sound. These four, fundamental bar staples will have lady bosses everywhere making responsible decisions: For business, and the environment.

1. Eco-chic bar cart. I’ll admit: After years of writing about organic products, sustainability and environmental responsibility, it’s never actually occurred to me that an eco-chic bar cart is something that might exist. Duh: It’s such a real thing, in fact, that EcoSalon ran this article last year profiling nine different eco-friendly bar carts. It doesn’t end there, however: Check out this more affordable Rattan Wicker Furniture serving cart.

2. BPA-free glassware. This should be old news, by now. BarLuxe, a producer of several drinking containers, boasts an entirely BPA-free selection, from its sleek carafes to its Vintage collection of wine glasses. This option might be particularly favorable for the lady boss who frequently hosts events; BarLuxe cases typically contain a minimum of 24 glasses.

3. Biodynamic wine. There remains a great deal of confusion around sustainable winemaking. My favorite method du jour is, without a doubt, the biodynamic practice. To clear up any misunderstanding (which this Food & Wine article does quite nicely), biodynamic winemaking views all the various organisms involved in the cultivation of wine’s final product as, if you will, an ecological supply chain. These organisms range from those in the soil used to grow grapes, to any other life around it, including plants, for potential integrated pest management, and cows for fertilization benefits. Want to further reduce your carbon footprint? Use this Fork & Bottle guide to find a biodynamic wine that’s made nearby.

4. Organic whiskey. Cue the “Hallelujah” chorus: Organic whiskey does exist. Koval offers no less than six variations, including the eerily clear white rye whiskey, as well as its ancient-grain-friendly spelt whiskey. Cheers!

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Image of cool businesswoman relaxing via Shutterstock

The post The Eco-Chic Lady Boss: 4 Office Bar Must-Haves appeared first on EcoSalon.

Walk into a typical office supply store and you’ll be greeted with a depressing array of cheap, generic-looking plastic products emitting the oh-so-tantalizing scent of off-gassing carcinogens. But there’s a magical happy place at the intersection of sustainability and design, where eco friendly products for the office can be super useful and even decorative, and it can be found on the Internet.  Here are 8 items for both home workstations and the office, from cradle-to-cradle desk chairs to sculptural air purifiers.

Chikuno Cube Charcoal Air Purifier

Plants are one of the best, easiest and cheapest ways to purify the air in your workspace, but what about smells? You can’t control whether your colleague microwaves horrific-smelling foods for lunch or wears too much perfume, but you can control the odors in your own little work area with a small desktop purifier like the Chikuno Cube. This odorless cube is made from ultra-fine activated bamboo charcoal and clay minerals to absorb smells, and it has the look of a modern sculpture.

Atmos Geodesic ‘Cubicle’ for Desk Privacy

Cubicles are rarely pleasant places to work, but sometimes, you just need a little bit of privacy. The Atmos by Olero is a light, airy modular enclosure for any desk. Inspired by Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic structures and the triangle-frame sculptures of Do Ho Suh, it sections off your workspace while still letting in light, and it looks nice, too.

IKEA Sunnan Solar-Powered Desk Lamp

Need an eco friendly desk lamp? Look no further than your nearest IKEA. Inexpensive and frill-free, this LED lamp gets its power from the sun, even though it’s designed for indoor use. It recharges in about 9-12 hours in sunlight, emits about the same amount of light as a 15-watt incandescent bulb, and will light at full power for three hours once charged. For each Sunnan lamp purchased, IKEA and UNICEF will give one to a child in a refugee camp or village with no electricity.

Pulpop Recycled MP3 Speaker

Plug your mp3 player into a USB-rechargeable speaker made of recycled pulp that doubles as desk decor. The Pulpop speaker has a ring-shaped chamber that amplifies sound way better than you’d expect from cardboard.

Desktop Bamboo Dry-Erase Board

If you’re still in the habit of writing down quick notes instead of using your tablet or phone, you can save a whole lot of paper with a desktop dry-erase board. This one at Uncommon Goods is one example of a bamboo dry-erase board ideal for your to-do lists and random scribblings, and you can also turn any bamboo surface (or virtually any smooth surface at all) by coating it with a little bit of dry-erase sealant. Get the tutorial at Imulus.

Bamboo Plywood Workstation by El Dot Designs

Minimalist hairpin legs and a smooth surface make this desk by El Dot Designs a beautiful addition to the office, but it’s more than just a good-looking modern desk. It’s made of bamboo ply with a  non-toxic, water-based finish and features a movable power supply with three outlets and two USB ports. It’s also got a magnetic dry-erase board and a bamboo bag hook on the underside.

Cobi Office Chair

Few things are more important in an office than the chair you’re sitting in all day long, day after day. There are lots of desk chairs out there that provide comfort and support for long work hours, but few of them are on their way to Cradle-to-Cradle certification. The Cobi Chair by Steelcase features a weight-activated adjustment mechanism that naturally puts you in the best position of comfort for your body, sensing your center of gravity. It’s a low-emitting product and has a sustainable lifecycle – the Steelcase Environmental Partnership program will help you responsibly resell, refurbish, donate or recycle the chair when it’s no longer useful to you.

Bamboo Zen Stand for Tablets and Smart Phones

Support your tablet or smart phone with the Lexon Zen Stand, a simple bamboo accessory with rubber stabilizers that will hold onto your gadget safely. It’s also super useful for reading recipes when you’re cooking, or using your phone like an alarm clock next to the bed.

All images courtesy manufacturers. 

Related on Ecosalon: 

 How to Declutter Your Office in 5 Easy Steps

5 Green Office Products We Love

The post Eco Friendly Products for the Office: 8 Stylish & Functional Objects appeared first on EcoSalon.

You’ve dug a compost pit, replaced all your light bulbs with the energy-efficient kind, and given up bottled water for good. What about your home office? These five cool office supplies are guaranteed to help keep you productive and planet-friendly all at once.

Sticky Notes – Good things come in small packages, like this pack of 100 percent recycled sticky-notepads. If you use notes all over the place like I do (which is to say, every exposed surface in my home office), then it’s great to be able to feed your craving for stickies without wandering far afield of your desire to be good to the planet.

Handmade Journals – Lots of us use journals to track ideas, plan projects, and collect notes throughout the work day. These beautiful handmade journals are made from 100 percent recycled paper and feature plantable paper covers pre-seeded with poppies, snap dragons, bird’s eye, etc. So when you’ve filled the notebook, just rip the cover off and drop it in your garden or a pot of soil. The annuals and perennials will give you something to look at when you’re on your next boring conference call.

Biodegradable Ballpoint Pens – I’m crazy about these! I have a metric ton of plastic-barreled pens all over my office that seem to materialize from nowhere and never write well. I need to have pens around but I’m not crazy about bringing yet more plastic junk into my house. Paper Mate comes to the rescue with a biodegradable pen that will disintegrate in your backyard compost bin when it outlives its usefulness. Brilliant!

Looseleaf Binders – Whether you use them for work, school, home, or office organization, looseleaf three-ring binders are super handy to have around. The downside is all the cardboard and vinyl components used to assemble them. Earth Binder makes standard and custom looseleaf binders made almost completely from post-consumer material. You can buy ready-made binders direct from the company, or ask them to help you design a custom project at no charge.

Colored Folders – You can’t manage an effective workspace without an efficient filing system. These colored hanging folders from Earthwise are made from 50 percent post-consumer materials and are perfect for getting a mountain of paperwork under control quickly.

Image: Risager

The post 5 Green Home Office Supplies We Love appeared first on EcoSalon.

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Sticky Notes – Good things come in small packages, like this pack of 100 percent recycled sticky-notepads. If you use notes all over the place like I do (which is to say, every exposed surface in my home office), then it’s great to be able to feed your craving for stickies without wandering far afield of your desire to be good to the planet.

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• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
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Handmade Journals – Lots of us use journals to track ideas, plan projects, and collect notes throughout the work day. These beautiful handmade journals are made from 100 percent recycled paper and feature plantable paper covers pre-seeded with poppies, snap dragons, bird’s eye, etc. So when you’ve filled the notebook, just rip the cover off and drop it in your garden or a pot of soil. The annuals and perennials will give you something to look at when you’re on your next boring conference call.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• »

Biodegradable Ballpoint Pens – I’m crazy about these! I have a metric ton of plastic-barreled pens all over my office that seem to materialize from nowhere and never write well. I need to have pens around but I’m not crazy about bringing yet more plastic junk into my house. Paper Mate comes to the rescue with a biodegradable pen that will disintegrate in your backyard compost bin when it outlives its usefulness. Brilliant!

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• »

Looseleaf Binders – Whether you use them for work, school, home, or office organization, looseleaf three-ring binders are super handy to have around. The downside is all the cardboard and vinyl components used to assemble them. Earth Binder makes standard and custom looseleaf binders made almost completely from post-consumer material. You can buy ready-made binders direct from the company, or ask them to help you design a custom project at no charge.

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• »

Colored Folders – You can’t manage an effective workspace without an efficient filing system. These colored hanging folders from Earthwise are made from 50 percent post-consumer materials and are perfect for getting a mountain of paperwork under control quickly.

Image: Risager

The post 5 Green Home Office Supplies We Love appeared first on EcoSalon.