Green is the Way to Go
At SF Mart Green Show, Design Leaders and Visionary Thinkers
Inspire Designers, Retailers
SAN FRANCISCO, California, September 27, 2007 /San Francisco
Mart/ -- How does an entrepreneur, capitalist and
self-described industrialist become a pioneer of corporate
responsibility? Ray Anderson, chairman and founder of
Interface, recounted his company’s profitable sustainable
journey during closing remarks of the San Francisco Mart’s
Live Green, Live Well sustainable furnishings + design show
last week.
The “recovering plunderer” inspired attendees with his story
of “doing well by doing good”, and thus was the intention of
several hundred sustainable designers, educators and
manufacturers as they converged upon Live Green, Live Well,
the industry’s first trade fair solely dedicated to
eco-friendly furnishings and design.
Attendees immersed themselves in educational sessions and
availed themselves of the expertise of the presenters as well
as of the exhibitors. Bio-mimicry, bau-biologie,
cradle-to-cradle, indoor air quality, life-cycle assessment,
rapidly renewable, triple bottom line and volatile organic
compounds were just some of the lexicon explained by experts
in the field. Attendees asked insightful questions as they
learned about green certifications, processes and products. In
essence, they discovered innovative and practical ways to
incorporate sustainability into their design projects and
retail showrooms.
“At the San Francisco Mart, we want to encourage designers and
retailers to enrich their own eco-consciousness, and that of
their clients and customers, by familiarizing them with green
products and practices,” says Roseann Carini, the SF Mart’s
general manager. “Compared with related industries, such as
architecture and building products, the home furnishings
component is in its infancy, yet demand is reaching an
extraordinary level, especially in Northern California.”
In keeping with the eco-conscious nature of the show, the San
Francisco Mart availed itself of the wealth of local expertise
More than half of the presenters were from California, while
75 percent of exhibitors derived from California, thus
reducing the show’s carbon imprint.
Ten highly informative educational sessions were co-sponsored
by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Speakers
included:
- Ray Anderson – Chairman & Founder of Interface, Inc.
- David Bergman – LEED-AP; principal, David Bergman
Architects/Fire & Water Lighting; Instructor, Parsons School
of Design
- Gerry Cooklin - CEO & Chairman, South Cone; Founder &
Chairman, Sustainable Furniture Council
- Lydia Corser – USGBC, ADPSR, NKBA, CKD; Principal, Eco
Interiors
- Deborah Dunning – founder & CEO, The Green Standard.org
- Rowena Finnegan - Certified Bau Biologist, Building Biology
Environmental Consultant (BBEC); Owner, Eco-terric
- Eric Corey Freed – LEED-AP, USGBC, ADPSR; Principal,
organicARCHITECT
- Nicholas Greene - BBP, LEED-AP, CGBP; Design Consultant,
Eco-terric
- Jennifer Roberts – LEED-AP; Author of Good Green Kitchens
- Victoria Schomer – ASID, AIA, LEED-AP; Principal, Green
Built Environments
- Annette Stelmack – Allied ASID, USGBC; Proprietor, INSPIRIT;
Former Design Director, Associates III
The exhibitors at Live Green, Live Well had the extraordinary
opportunity to connect with sustainability-minded
professionals who drive the market for products. Nearly 40
exhibitors proudly displayed their high-quality, beautiful and
environmentally-friendly products, which included organically
constructed furniture and upholstery, natural & organic
bedding, hand-made Tibetan wool carpets, recycled and
refurbished lighting, hardwood flooring and carpet made from
rapidly renewable and recyclable materials, and home accents
made from post-consumer glass.
Exhibitors included Beronio Lumber, Blue Plum Designs, Books
Inc., Brand Kitchens & Design, Ceramic Tile Design, Danmer
Custom Shutters, Decima Island Designs, EA Designs, Eco-terric,
eGO Vehicles, Falcon Waterfree, Fire & Light, FLOR,
Foamorder.com, French Brothers, Go Green Candles, Green Home
Center, Green Light, Gustave Carlson Design, Kaaya, Knu,
Liberty Valley Doors, Magnolia Lane, New Pacific Direct,
NextEnergy, NOOD Flooring, Pacific Gas & Electric, Padma’s
Plantation, Palacek, PermLight, Peti Antik, Pixel Organics, SF
Department of Environment, S-D-H, Sherwin-Williams, South
Cone, Sustainable Furniture Council, Sustainable Spaces and
Zipcar San Francisco.
Plans for next year’s show are already in the works. Dates are
set for September 17 & 18, 2008. “We intend to deliver an even
bigger and better show in 2008,” says Carini. “We want to be a
catalyst in green design by bringing eco-minded manufacturers
and customers together, providing a dedicated forum for
socially responsible commerce to flourish.”
The San Francisco Mart is one of Northern California's premier
wholesale design centers. Built in 1937 as the home of the
Western Merchandise Exchange, the historic art-deco building
continues to serve as a home furnishings and home accents
center open to the trade only. Conveniently located in San
Francisco’s Civic Center area, the SF Mart is situated close
to freeways, public transit, major hotels, restaurants and
other attractions. For information, visit
www.sfmart.com
or call 415-552-2311.
Source: San Francisco Mart
CONTACT: Ellen Hall
Website:
www.sfmart.com
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