M Stetson blog features several products from Terra Furnishings

When you get a chance, mosey on over to the M Steston blog. They have an excellent site dedicated to "just plain good ideas". In browsing their blog recently, we've seen discussions on topics ranging from interior design to travel and from fabric to books. They also seem to have a pretty good eye for eco-friendly home furnishings. Have a look!

Terra Furnishings now a proud member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council

We are proud to announce that Terra Furnishings has been accepted as a member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC). The SFC currently has over 250 members and is growing strong with a presence at all major furniture trade shows throughout the country. SFC members lead the industry in developing awareness of best practices throughout their supply chains. This goal is accomplished by increasing purchases from suppliers that show continual improvement toward meeting the organization's high standards.

The SFC website describes the organization as follows:

"The Sustainable Furnishings Council is a non-profit balanced coalition of industry players founded at High Point, NC in October 2006 to promote sustainable practices among manufacturers, retailers, and consumers alike. The SFC recognizes the overwhelming scientific consensus that our world is experiencing dangerous global climate change. SFC members acknowledge the tremendous urgency, and will take immediate steps to minimize carbon emissions, waste stream pollutants, un-recyclable content and primary materials from unsustainable sources from any product platform under our control."

The goals of the SFC are:

• To raise awareness of the sustainability issue
• To assist companies in adopting good practices
• To serve as an information clearing house
• To create a symbol of assurance for consumers

You can do your part by supporting organizations that are SFC members!

Candy Colored Buddha features Terra Furnishings!

If you get a minute, check out Candy Colored Buddha, an excellent design blog that recently featured several Terra Furnishings products. Ursula, the blog's author describes herself as "an interior design addict, lover of all things colorful, fun, beautiful and glamourous". She does a wonderful job with the blog and we are excited that she took the time to have a look at our site.

Another great blog to check out.....

Terra Furnishings has had the good fortune of being featured on The Lacquered Peacock. Please take a few minutes and check out this excellent collection of e-commerce website reviews with a great eye toward interior design! It will be well worth your time.

Terra Furnishings products featured on Material Girls....

The Terra Furnishings collection of twist stools and end tables was recently featured on the Material Girls blog. The girls do a great job discussing all facets of interior design and have a wonderful blog. Please take a look if you get a chance!

Introducing our newest products.... eco-friendly jewelry!

Terra Furnishings is proud to announce that we have recently launched a line of eco-friendly jewelry from Naturaleza Jewelry in Louisville, Kentucky. This collection incorporates all-natural materials to produce stunning creations for both every-day wear and that special occasion.

The craftsman behind these one-of-a-kind items is Marlon Obando Solano. Marlon was born in rural San Lorenzo, Nicaragua. He spent his formative years exploring the surrounding forests and mountains, learning about seeds, nuts and different types of wood.

His artistic process begins by collecting seeds and fallen wood from the forest floor. He then dries, cleans and cures his materials before carving, sanding and inlaying them to create his unique necklaces, earrings and rings. Marlon's work reflects his cultural heritage and nature and he is always experimenting with new design elments and innovative uses of natural materials.

Please have a look at Marlon's work at the Terra Furnishings website. Check back often for new jewelry from this amazing artist.

And the winners are...................

We've had a really fun couple of weeks with our first giveaway and received a lot of entries. In addition to all the entries, the contest generated some really good ideas on how to make your household more eco-friendly. Thanks to everybody that participated!

Without further delay, the winners are:

Pottery Bowl - Keckie83
Wine Angle - Rachel Ann
Wine Angle - Windy Cindy

Congrats to the winners! We will be contacting you to get shipping details. Keep checking back for future giveaways and thanks again.

Only FIVE days left in our eco-friendly giveaway!

We've had a great response to our giveaway and there are only five days left to enter. The drawing will be on Halloween night, October 31 at 10:00pm EST. So far, we've had more than 130 total entries and some really great ideas for making households more eco-friendly.

Get your entries in by Friday for a chance to win the serving bowl or one of the wine angles!

Enter our Eco-Friendly GIVEAWAY for a chance to win some great prizes!

Here is your chance to win some cool home furnishing items. Terra Furnishings is giving away the following items from our website collection:

• First prize (1 winner) - Handmade pottery Serving Bowl
• Second prizes (2 winners) - Wine Angle

The lovely serving bowl is from our newly released line of pottery made by Mike Kuhn at Barefoot Pottery. The Wine Angle is a creative design from Mark Elliot at Elliot Woodworking and has been recently featured on Green Your Decor and Shak In Style.

To enter, post a comment in this blog thread telling us about something you've purchased or done in the last six months to make your household more eco-friendly. You can receive extra entries for any of the following for a maximum total of five entries per person:

• Blog about this contest or our website, http://www.terrafurnishings.com/
• Make our blog a favorite on Technorati
• Become a "follower" of our blog
• Add our logo button or link to your sidebar

Please leave your email address in your comment or have it public on your blog so that we can contact you. Entries with no contact information will be disqualified. Limited to one prize per person. Can only ship to U.S. addresses.

The drawing will be held at 10 pm EST on Halloween night, October 31st and the winners will be announced here. The winners will be chosen by Random.org.

Good luck from Terra Furnishings!

Introducing our new eco-friendly line of pottery....

Terra Furnishings is happy to announce that we have launched an exclusive line of handmade, eco-friendly pottery. These beautiful pieces are the work of Mike Kuhn from Barefoot Pottery in Livonia, Michigan. We will have more info about Mike in the near future including videos of him in action!

Terra Furnishings Press Release:

http://www.prlog.org/10139878-terra-furnishings-announces-the-launch-of-wwwterrafurnishingscom.html

Auto racing challenges manufacturers to go green...

The "green" movement in motorsports gains significant momentum this weekend at Road Atlanta as one of endurance racing's crown jewels, Petit Le Mans kicks off for the 11th time. This race will be the first to use the Green Racing Protocols as developed by SAE International, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).

This "race within a race" will be contested as part of the 10-hour, 1000 mile event on October 4th. A special trophy will be given to the manufacturer that, based on specified criteria, best represents sustainability. The factors that will be used to deterimine the winner of the Green Challenge include:

• Weight
• Vehicle speed
• Distance travelled
• Exhaust emissions
• Environmental footprint of fuel used

One of the favorites in the Green Challenge is Corvette Racing (above). The team switched to e85 cellulosic ethanol at the beginning of this season. Cellulosic ethanol and grain-based ethanol produce the same end product from different feedstocks. Conventional ethanol is derived from grains such as corn, wheat or soybeans. There are many questions regarding the impact of conventional ethanol production on the food chain. By contrast, cellulosic ethanol is produced from a variety of biomass including agricultural plant wastes, sawdust and paper pulp.

Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing's Program Manager discussed the Green Challenge on SPEED TV's Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain last night (below). The Petit Le Mans race will be shown live on SPEED TV.

What is a sustainable forest?

Many people and companies claim that their wood products are sustainable, but what does that really mean? There is a plethora of information and misinformation regarding forest sustainability.

The generally accepted definition of a sustainable forest, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) goes something like this:

• the stewardship and use of forests and forest lands in a way, and at a rate, that maintains their biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality and their potential to fulfill, now and in the future, relevant ecological, economic and social functions, at local, national, and global levels, and that does not cause damage to other ecosystems.

There are more than 50 organizations worldwide that certify that these forest management practices are met. Some of the more common certification standards include:

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
• Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
• Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC)

The twist stools, end tables, wall panels and accessories sold by Terra Furnishings are hand carved in Thailand and are certified by the Royal Forestry Department. Thailand has promoted sustainable wood growth and harvesting practices dating back to the 1950s. Their guidelines insure that land is reclaimed for reforestation and controlled harvesting while allowing the country's active woodcarving industry to thrive.

1% For The Planet.... making a difference

We are proud to announce that Terra Furnishings has joined 1% For The Planet and will be contributing 1% of our sales to environmental groups around the world.

Since 2002, 1% For The Planet has accepted members who understand that industry and ecology are inherently connected. Now with over 700 members, each donating to their choice of over 1500 environmental organizations, 1% For The Planet has become a recognized force for change. In 2006, the organization was featured on the NBC Nightly News segment "Making a Difference" in which Rehema Ellis profiled founders Yvon Chouinard and Craig Matthews. Video of that segment is available HERE.

We hope that other companies will join us in making a commitment to our planet.

Unlimited energy? Are the oceans the answer?

People have talked for decades about harnessing the tides to create electricity. Unlike solar and wind power, the tides produce a steady and predictable source of energy. So, what is being done to utilize this virtually limitless resource?

A company by the name of Ocean Renewable Power Company has been working in Maine to make this dream a reality. A recent MSNBC article details their attempts to power homes using nothing but the twice-a-day tidal changes.

Is this the future of power generation? The cure for our dependence on foreign oil? Tell us what you think!

Some more info about our products.....

Here is a really cool PowerPoint presentation about how our products are made. Just click on the link below to download and enjoy! (Note: this file is about 25mb and may take a few minutes to save. You must have PowerPoint installed to view this file)

From tree limb to art....

About our wood products.....

Most of our furniture is made from the wood of the Monkey Pod (Samanea saman) tree. Also known as the Rain Tree, it is a stunning, fast-growing tree that can reach up to 80 feet tall with a 5 foot diameter trunk.

Thai craftsmen use the branches of the Monkey Pod tree for most of their carving work, thus allowing the tree to live on. Our stools, tables and wall panels are hand-crafted works of art and each is one-of-a-kind.

Welcome to Terra Furnishings!

Terra Furnishings is here!

Who are we? Well, we are a retailer of eco-friendly home furnishings. Our products include stools, tables, spa essentials, wall panels, pottery and other household items. We are dedicated to bringing you products from around the world that are made from eco-sensitive materials and processes.

Visit us at www.terrafurnishings.com to see our complete line of products.