R3project round-up 3: the Living Room

After the general eco installations around the home, and, how to green your kitchen, this week we will concentrate on our living room, a place for resting, eating, and sharing with guests.

Walk on it
The first thing most people notice when stepping into our living room is the rather unusual cork floor. We have had it now for almost 3 years and are still very pleased with it. The first meter in front of the entrance door is a coconut fibre carpet to wipe shoes of when entering. It’s fully biodegradable and made from a renewable material. Shoes go into the TRONES shoe cupboard units by IKEA, made from Polypropylene, a 100% easily recyclable and very durable plastic. In winter, we then slip into some snugly felt slippers made from 100% wool, available at Matteria. Our feet also like the Nani Marquina rug in front of the sofa, made from 100% renewable and biodegradable materials. These beautiful rugs are ethically produced in Nepal, Pakistan or India.

Have a seat
For the R3project, we like to use reclaimed objects, as long as they look good, and we like it recycled as long as the quality is up for it. So in our living room you can have a seat in one of the second hand armchairs, or get really comfortable in the WASTE pouf, made from recycled textile from the car industry. The latter is also locally produced, giving work to women in social reintegration centres.

Second time around
Seats are not the only objects that had another life before entering the R3project. From our glass dinner table, to mirrors and ceiling lamps, we managed to hunt down quite a few cool second hand products. There is also an old car tire mould that had been transformed into a curious looking flowerpot, and not to forget the Bidon Lamp, made from a used jerry can (and easy to make yourself).

Better storage is more space
To make use of a space right in front of the kitchen, we built the ‘Never-Empty Shelf’ out of FSC-certified MDF (although later we got hold of some OSB which we prefer to MDF because it contains less resin).

All in all, we like objects made from few and easily identifiable materials, to ensure that they can either be industrially recycled or returned to the earth at the end of their lives. We also care about choosing products that last longer, both technically and emotionally, and it is important to us to know where they come from and who made them. Last but not least, we love stuff made from a recycled material, as long as the design, the quality or the cost have not been compromised.

R3project round-up 2: the Kitchen

Our kitchen is an open one, and forms part of the living room, because we like to cook with our friends around.

KITCHEN FLOOR
The kitchen area is defined by a change of flooring. The cork floor of the rest of the apartment gives way to funky green and white tiles. We tried hard to find some local tiles made from recycled TV screens, but because the company went bust, we decided on some local colourful tiles by TAU Ceramics, whose effort towards sustainability we appreciate.

FURNITURE & STORAGE
The kitchen cupboards are made from recycled wooden wine boxes, carefully assembled by our amazing carpenter Rodrigo Diaz. The countertop is solid FSC-certified, untreated wood from IKEA. The same goes for the central piece of furniture called FÖRHÖJA that serves as storage and extra work surface. As a storage solution for the upper parts, we chose GRUNDTAL, fully recyclable stainless steel shelves from which you can also hang things like pots and pans. We prefer this system to cupboards for both aesthetic and practical reason, plus they are made from a minimum amount of materials.

WATER USAGE
As far as saving water is concerned, we installed a very special low-flow tab by Tehsa. We are still trying to fit in a dishwasher, as “the dishwasher uses only half the energy, one-sixth of the water, and less soap, to boot”, according to one study at the University of Bonn in Germany. However, as you can read in 'dishwasher versus hand washing' on TreeHugger, the situation is not as black and white. We are also looking for a water filter to drink the currently not very nice tasting water from the tab and stop buying plastic bottles. This has turned out to be a difficult mission, any tips are appreciated!

ELECTRICITY USAGE
We also try to use as less energy as possible. CFL lights illuminate our kitchen, and all the necessary electric appliances such as the fridge, oven and cooking surface, are A+ energy efficient.

THE FOOD
Of course you can’t have a kitchen without the food. Our fresh produce comes in a box every 2 weeks: 10 kg of locally grown, non-chemically treated vegetables and fruit from Recapte. All leftovers are fed to the worms in our compost bin on the balcony. To serve ourselves meals, we use fully recyclable glass plates.

CLEANING PRODUCTS
Last but not least, we like to clean green. Most of our eco cleaning products are mixed together in the kitchen, or at least stored under the sink.

More:
R3project round-up 1: General Installations at Home
R3project round-up 2: the Kitchen

R3project round-up 1: General Installations Around the House.

The R3project is almost complete; the renovation of the apartment is finished and we are living in it with our worms on the balcony, recycling and saving on energy and water wherever we can, without loosing comfort or style. In the following months we will finish this blog with a few round-up posts to give a better overview of the sustainable design solutions we applied to our apartment. This article is about the general installations around the house. The next ones will include the kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, office and balcony. We hope you enjoy it.

MOVING HOUSE
The general stuff around the house are mostly things you cannot see any more, but that play an important role when it comes to sustainable living. We started the R3project off with an eco-move, where we brought our stuff into the new apartment without emitting CO2. How? With a bicycle and a little help from our friends, watch the video here.

GETTING AN ETHICAL MORTGAGE
The month before the move, we were shopping for mortgages, and managed to get a loan with the ethical banc Triodos Bank. They guarantee that they only give money to ecological, social or ethical projects. We like that!

RECYCLING DEBRIS
Next we had to get rid of a few sacks of debris, and found out that Sacos Marones recycle the debris. It’s a great service widely available in Spain.

WATER INSTALLATION
In order to avoid PVC in our home, we had to look harder to find recyclable plastic pipes for the grey water installation. In the end we used the tubing system by AquaTherm, which is easy to install with ordinary tools, and, copper pipes for the fresh water and heating installation. The Jaga radiators we chose are ‘low H2O’, which means they also need less energy to run (because there is less water to heat). To heat our water we use a condensation gas boiler. What we really recommend, even without undergoing a full renovation, are low-flow faucet aerator. They cost around 3€ and save you up to 50% water. Depending on what flushing system your toilet has, you can also save a lot of water. We opted for a ‘Stop Flush system’.

ELECTRIC INSTALLATION
Just like for the water pipes, we managed to find PVC-free plastic tubes for the electricity. We used recyclable corrugated polypropylene tubes that are also organochloride and halogen free. Connected to the end of those are of course CLF lightbulbs and A-efficient electric appliances. We even managed to find eco-friendly plugs made form recyclable plastic, and light switches, made in Spain from certified wood.

PAINTS AND WOOD FINISHES
Our walls are painted with zero-VOC paint, and the wooden beams and balcony doors are treated with ecological and natural oils.

INSULATION
In order to keep heating costs down and keep the apartment cool without installing air conditioning, we made sure the place is completely insulated. Double-glazing was a must, and the cork floor an extra bonus to both thermally and acoustically insulate the apartment.

More:
R3project round-up 1: General Installations at Home
R3project round-up 2: the Kitchen

Green Cleaning for a Healthier Home and Planet

We don’t like cleaning, but we like it when it’s clean; healthy clean that is. So at the R3project, we clean with as little toxins as possible. Here is how and what with:

Floor Cleaning

We vacuum the rug and hard floor if necessary, and then swipe the cork floor with a slightly moist mop. If you have serious stains, add some vinegar or eucalyptus oil, which disinfects and leaves a nice smell behind.

To get the smell out of a carpet, sprinkle it with baking soda, let sit 30 minutes and vacuum.

Windows and Mirrors

Vinegar does the trick! Fill half a spray bottle with distilled white vinegar and fill up with water. Spray onto the glass and mirrors and wipe off with old newspaper; it works!

All-Purpose-Cleaner

A good all-purpose-cleaner is 45 ml of baking soda and 1 litre of warm water mixed in a spray bottle or bucket.

Alternatively, if you prefer to buy green cleaning products, there are more and more brands on the markets, although not many are available in Spain yet. However, Veritas sells a few brands amongst which Ecover.

For greasy surfaces, try the local product, KH-7, the first grease remover in Europe to bear the European Union Eco-label. It is available in most mainstream supermarkets. Check out the EU eco-label web site to find more products near you.

To wipe surfaces, use old cloth rags instead of kitchen paper; it saves trees and money! Servei Estació has a whole range of eco cleaning products (mops, wiping rags, etc.) with microfibres so you don’t need to add any soap to get the dirt of the surfaces.

Washing Dishes

Due to lack of space we don’t have a dishwasher, which would save us plenty of work, energy, water and soap. The University of Bonn in Germany compared dishwashing with handwashing:

“The Bonn study proves that the dishwasher uses only half the energy and one-sixth of the water, less soap too. Even the most sparing and careful washers could not beat the modern dishwasher.” [via TreeHugger]

So until we figure out where to put a dishwasher, we try to use as less water as possible when washing-up, filling the sink rather than washing under the running tap, and we use a biodegradable soap available at Veritas.

Clothes Washing

Our A+ efficient washing machine already saves on water, and until recently we used Ecover washing powder to clean our clothes. A few weeks ago though, we bought an Robby Wash Laundry Ball at Veritas (25€), an alternative to using washing powder. The ball, which you simply place with the clothes in the washing machine, contains activated macromolecules that are gradually released through the wash, dissolving dried-in stains by generating ions, which activate the water molecules.

Drying is done on a washing line of course, a right people in Spain still have, unlike in the US! Watch the video Drying for Freedom.

Indoor air

We don’t really like fragrant air, but instead prefer to ventilate the house well. For those of you who like friendly aromas in your home, try boiling cinnamon, cloves, lavender or any other herbs you like, instead of air fresheners. Indoor plants (such as Peace Lilies or any other green leaved plants) also help to purify the air, without giving off a smell.


If you are confused about ingredients of the detergents available in your supermarket, use Green Generation’s Label Reading Guide, which you can download onto your computer or iPhone. Simply type in an ingredient and it helps you to understand its potential risk to the environment if there is one.

For more recipes about how to mix your own cleaners, visit Planet Green, Assemble a Green Cleaning Kit.

Recyclable Glass Dinner Plates

We needed new dinner plates and asked ourselves which ones are the most eco-friendly; Ceramic long-lasting ones? Bamboo ones? Biodegradable throw-away ones that need no water or detergent during their use? Edible plates? Recyclable metal ones? Organic fibre ones? Second hand plates? Of course the aesthetics also play an important role at the R3project, and so in the end we decided to look for glass plates: practical, easy to clean, durable, aesthetically pleasing, and fully recyclable.

Or are they? In theory yes, but as the Catalan Government’s Recycling Agency explained to us, the only glass that is properly recycled through the green glass containers are bottles and jars, in order to make new ones. Because at the moment the quality of glass coming from plates or drinking glasses cannot be guaranteed to be perfect for recycling, the government recommends giving broken glass objects to the special recycling facilities around town, where it can be recycled correctly.



La Mediterranea, a local glass and ceramic factory, even do recycled glass objects under the brand VIDRECO. We preferred however the more simple design, and lower prices of IKEA’s glass plates. MOTTO GLASS plates are 24cm in diameter, made form 100% recyclable virgin glass and microwave as well as dishwasher-safe, and only cost 0,60€ each. They come in different colours and with an extra benefit: For those of us who like working and eating at our desk, you can read your notes through the plates as you work on the next article!

Also see glass in the shower.