Westchester County Business Journal Article - Oct.17, 2008

Check out Kelly Liyakasa's article in the Westchester County Business Journal entitled:

"How green is my store: Sustainable interior design in Bedford"

www.wcbizj.biz/archive/101308/news10130808.php

Spotlight::

Green Materials:: Pandan, Mendong and Palm Wood

In today's green market there are a wide variety of available green resources that have been popping up and replacing the otherwise antiquated, non renewable and toxic materials we have been accustomed to living with until now. Three materials that have been growing rapidly in both popularity and in nature are Pandan, Mendong and Palmwood. Products made from these materials preserve an internal commitment to reduce environmental impact as well as maintain a sustainable rural ecosystem.


Pandan

A beautiful fruit plant native to Indonesia. The production of woven Pandan is renewable because of the way in which it is produced. Local craftspeople remove only young leaves from the wild plant in order to allow for regeneration. The leaves are sliced and woven into beautiful patterns which can either be dyed (with safe dyes) or left in their natural color.

Mendong

Mendong is a harvested grass that grows in fields and provides purification for ground water. Each harvest can be cut six times prior to replanting. The fiber then can be dyed and hand loomed with mono-filament to create a polished weave

Palm Wood

Traditionally, the Palm Wood (of which there are several different varieties) was harvested for about 70 years, at which point the tree would stop producing fruit. Farmers would then timber these plants, discard the remains and replant. Recently these otherwise discarded trees have been salvaged and recycled into everything from flooring to furniture.

**The items featured are manufactured by Via Motif. OOCK is a registered Via Motif dealer.
For more information call: (914) 234-6426 or visit our shop: M-F 9am to 5pm, The Arcade Building, Rt.22 Bedford, NY 10506.

Launch!

Bedford, NY – OOCK, a design resource for sustainable living and the first green design boutique in the region, is opening it’s doors next week at The Arcade Building in Bedford Village, NY.

OOCK, is an acronym for Office Of Carol Kurth, an award winning Architectural firm based in Westchester, NY that has created the sustainable design store.

OOCK will be the first physical retail presence in the area that is completely dedicated to green products for the home. While many existing stores feature green merchandise, OOCK’s entire product offering is devoted to the ideal of sustainablility. Further, OOCK offers a comprehensive retail experience to help educate customers about eco-design. OOCK is also launching a weblog, which will offer tips on sustainable living for the home.

Created to showcase exciting possiblities for green home décor and environmental concepts, the OOCK philosophy is that responsible living can be luxurious and in harmony with one’s lifestyle.

Visit OOCK Monday thru Friday 9AM to 5PM or by appointment.

China's Green City

It's exciting to see China seems to be taking environmental issues more seriously- their abysmal environmental policies around their population centers have led to some serious problems and tragic losses.

While China's new green city, Dongtan.

According to Business Week,

"About the size of Manhattan, Dongtan aims to be energy self-sufficient using a combination of wind, solar power, and biofuels. The brainchild of Arup Group, a London-based design and engineering firm, the multibillion-dollar project consists of three "villages" juxtaposed to create a central civic area. The plan dictates that no dwelling be more than a seven-minute walk from fuel-cell-powered public transport. Organic farms surrounding the development will supply residents with fresh produce and buffer the island's delicate wetland ecosystem. In 2010, apartments will become available to about 5,000 residents. By 2050, the planners predict, the headcount will hit 500,000."

While our first reaction was that it was just a public relations ploy by China, especially after all the negative press about air quality in Beijing for the Olympics, but after reading the specifics of the plan (and that they were produced by an independent British contractor), it seems to be an impressive display of China's power for positive change. We hope there's more to come, both in China and here, in this same vein.

OOCK emerging....

The Office of Carol JW Kurth,AIA Architect,pc is is about to launch OOCK, a sustainable "green" design boutique in Bedford, NY, near the Bedford Village Green in the Arcade Building.

In these pre-opening days we are getting our displays organized, testing our eco-friendly products as they arrive each day, and are generally just excited to be able to offer sustainable design options. We look forward to customer suggestions as we add to our growing collection of susatinable design products, from recycled plastics made into magnificent textiles to organic cotton bedding and natural soaps and lotions.

Part of our mission is to help educate the public about the myriad types of "green" and to help take some of the confusion about all these terms and clarify it in some simple and manageable terms...which, by the way, new ones seem to be added all the time!

Look for our OOCK bookmarks, hangtags and posters - the OOCK dictionary of green terminology - to help categorize and understand the many ways that all of us can be environmentally responsible!