Madonna Plants a Moringa Tree at Her Girls School in Malawi

Who would have ever thought that a crazy singer who rolled all over the stage in '84 at the MTV Music Awards in a wedding dress would have opened a school for orphaned girls in South Africa years later. But, Madonna has done just that.

According to Ecorazzi.com, she has been talking about it since May of last year. She planted a tree at the construction site of the new academy for girls at Chinkhota village, the tree is called a Moringa tree known as the "miracle tree" for its cure of many diseases. Hundreds of kids will be helped from various orphanages. Way to go Madonna!

Rebecca

*Photo by MTV

Ten Easy Every Day Ways to Save the Planet From an Eco Dummie

Okay guys, I am not what you would call a "Greenie", but I would like to be! Now working with Peggy from Vermont Woods Studios, it has made me more aware of my responsibility to the planet. I have just always felt a little overwhelmed by all the ways to "save the planet". I know that I cannot be the only ECO DUMMY out there. ( At least I hope not). So, here are ten EASY every day ways to save the planet, that even us eco dummies can do.

Deforestation Up Close | 250 Year Old Tree Cut Down Illegally

They say that pictures speak louder than words. This tree was cut down illegally in Brazil and was left where it fell. The chestnut tree will now be at an environmental exhibit in the country's capital in November. Weighing 15 tons and being 40 meters tall (about 122 feet) this 250 year old tree is on the country's endangered plants list and it's forbidden to cut them down.

Great Holiday Gift Idea | Modern Equinox Table

This Modern Equinox Table is just gorgeous and one of my favorite pieces that we sell. With a clean, modern, chic look this would make a wonderful addition to your contemporary home. This table is handmade in Vermont and done in maple with an espresso stain but can be custom made in natural cherry, walnut or oak. Go to Vermont Woods Studios for more information on this beautiful table and to order in time for the holidays.

Rebecca

Fall Foliage From Vernon, Vermont

Hey guys, take a look at the pics that Peggy took from the neighborhood! Really great fall foliage pictures! Here is one and the rest are on our Flickr.com photostream.

Check it out!  We have to find the other ones on her computer. She lost them.  Shhhhh...dont tell her I told you.

Rebecca :)

Why is Walnut Furniture More Expensive?

Since starting with Vermont Woods Studios, I had been asking Peggy, "why do we have an increase in prices for the walnut furniture?" So Peggy sent me on a mission. Find out why walnut wood is more expensive than other woods for furniture. This is what I found out.

1. Walnut wood often has a curved curly grain that most people find more desirable in furniture then a straight grain.
2. Walnut is so hard, strong and durable that furniture makers find it more desirable for their furniture. It can also be easily carved making it a great choice for ornate furniture that requires intricate woodworking.
3. In pre-colonial days the walnut tree was plentiful, but specimans were used recklessly for solid walnut furniture and exported to Europe. The wood was also used for railroad ties, and fence rails because of it's durability when in contact with soil. This started the depletion of good walnut tree specimans. Northernwoodlands.org speaks about this more.
4. In the mid-1700's black walnut was used and favored for gunstocks in the Connecticut River valley so much that the high-quality black walnut tree population was wiped out by 1795. It is no longer found in New England. (Too bad they didn't have sustainable forestry practices back then.)
5. Gun manufacturers had to start getting their hardwood walnut from as far away as the Ohio Valley, west of the Alleghenies. Making good specimans of walnut rather rare.
6. The rare good specimans of walnut are so desirable that they are used as a veneer for furniture. The process brings out the best of the grain and allows for more to be used. Using the veneer also makes the furniture more affordable.

Those are the reasons why walnut is a premium priced wood for furniture. We have depleted the good speciman trees in our past and they have not ever recovered. When I first started this post, I never knew that I would also be talking about a reason for good forestry and sustainable practices for trees. This definitely shows a good reason for us to make sure these practices are followed in the future.

Rebecca

PS. The walnut slabs pictured here are from one of our Vermont artisans. For more, take a look at this artisans Large Live Edge Table.  To view more of our talented furniture makers, visit our Custom Walnut Furniture section.

Treehugger.com | Send Them Your Fall Foliage Pics!

To all you Leaf Peepers out there! You know who you are. Treehugger.com is asking their readers to send it some great fall foliage pics. Since this is my first foliage in 9 years I have been enjoying the scenery immensly. So I asked Peggy to take some pics and send them in to see if they will get on the Treehugger website. They have some really great foliage pictures on the site already. So we will see if Peggy's pictures get to be published and I will blog about it to let you know how she does. We love trees here at Vermont Woods Studios....we need to change our motto to "Trees Are Us". What do you think? :)

Have Eco Fun!

Rebecca

What is Sustainable Wood Furniture?

Since we are in the furniture business "sustainable wood" is a very important term for us. Vermont Woods Studios was created under the premis that we wanted to make an eco friendly difference, but we wanted to make it locally too. According to Peggy Farabaugh...

"Together we have created a community of eco friendly luxury furniture makers and environmentalists dedicated not only to beauty and quality in our craft, but also to the preservation of our natural environment."

So, with this in mind we only use wood that are from forests that use management principles supported and regulated by the FSC, the Forest Stewardship Council. Sustainable wood is wood that is harvested from carefull managed forests or reclaimed from old buildings or furniture. We also have furniture makers that use reclaimed wood or barnwood for their furniture pieces. One of them is pictured above. These are beautiful high-end furniture pieces where the attention to detail is amazing. If you want to see more of these types of furniture visit our Barnwood Furniture section on our website. You will not be disappointed.

Have eco fun!

Rebecca

PS. For more great eco friendly information and advice...check out Peggy's Blog.

Brad Pitt Unveils a Floating House | Make It Right Foundation

Yes, I know, I am blogging about Brad Pitt again but you have GOT to read this story. Brad Pitt's Make is Right Foundation has built a floating house, YES, you heard me right, a floating house in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. This is all according to a great blog about it on Inhabitat.com. The house will float on two posts up to 12 feet to ensure it doesnt get flooded. The floating house also has a battery supply that will help the family within to survive for up to three days. It really is a cool idea. I went through Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma while living in South Florida and was wondering what would happen if the storm surge ever reached the status of what happened in New Orleans. This is a great answer to the issue in New Orleans. Good job again Brad! Hey, now how about using sustainable furniture from Vermont Woods Studio (shamless plug, yes, I know) inside these houses? I really need Brads phone number to have a talk with him about this. :)

Have Eco Fun!

Rebecca

Great Holiday Gift Idea | Drip Groove Cutting Board

I have been wondering what to send my parents for a Christmas gift and here it is. They are not computer people so I am safe blogging about this. Both of my parents are "cooks" and this makes it a great gift for both of them. Vermont Woods Studios has gorgeous cutting boards that are handmade from sustainably harvested wood...so I am doing something good for the environment too. They will both use it too! A perfect idea! Vermont Woods Studios has great wooden kitchen accessories that would also make great gifts for that kitchen connoisseur. So if you have a cook on your holiday list, (or someone who thinks they are a cook), get them one of these gorgeous colorful cutting boards.

Have Eco fun!

Rebecca

Blog Pick | Brad Pitt Receives Honor from US Green Council

Now a lot of us love Brad Pitt for other reasons other than his charitable work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Lucky Angie! But, he really does seem like the "nice" guy! You hear of other celebrities who sound like they are doing the "right" thing but you can just tell that it is a PR stunt and you never hear from them again. Not so with Brad.  According to Ecorazzi.com Brad received an honor at the Clinton's Global Initiative for his work with his Make It Right foundation. This foundation centers around sustainable building -  and improving the lives of people in New Orleans. 15 out of 150 homes have already been built and one of the homes only used $35 a month in electricity! The sustainable homes also must be storm resilient and have safety in mind for the families that live there.  Way to go Brad! Now how about adding sustainable furniture to those homes....just another thing to add to your list! :)

Have Eco fun!

Rebecca

PS - Hey they are talking about making him Mayor down there....He has our vote!

BLOG PICK | Natural Furniture and America's Best Idea

I found a great blog about a special I saw on tv about Americas National Parks. Peggy from Vermont Woods Studios blogged about it and I thought her blog was very cool and informative. She talks about 3,000 year old trees in the Sequoia National Forest (WOW!) and tells you how you can help protect the forests at Save America's Forests. Take a look for yourself!

Rebecca