One giant step for eco-friendly back to school gear
So you've got a kid, and you want to be "green," but let's face it, this is easier said than done. You have plastic this-and-that, one-use items, all of those school supplies, disposable lunch bags... etc., etc., etc. Sourcing environmentally responsible children's products is a royal pain! What if one day your kid's tree-hugging school requires that you send waste-free lunches?! This is what happened to Renata Bodon who found it challenging to find safe and high-quality reusable lunch ware. Fortunately for you, Renata decided not only to solve her problem, but yours as well.
Meet One Small Step--your one stop shop offering a bevy of waste-free, lead-free, BPA-free, Phthalate-free, and PVC-free lunch and school supplies as well as items for babies and toddlers. And to top it off, One Small Step not only selects items with an eye for design, but also donates 10% of their gross returns to non-profits and partnering schools... you can even register your fave.
Link: One Small Step
There are some kickin summer sales going on out there.
Do you eBay?
As long as we're on the 
Mixture is a modern and contemporary furnishings store located in San Diego, California. Carrying furniture, lighting, artwork as well as accessories, they feature many hard to find lines that are, occasionally, exclusive to Mixture.
notNeutral is... well... not neutral. And not ashamed of it. A division of Los Angeles multi-disciplinary design firm 
Elsewares is a new breed of design catalog based in New York that features the works of independent designers. We like their product assortment in a ReadyMade/Dwell sort of way. Also, when you go through their checkout process, you are able to vote for a non-profit group that you would like Elsewares to contribute to. At the end of each quarter, the group with the most votes will receive a portion of Elsewares' profits. Nice.
"EQ3 is affordable self-expression for the style-conscious. Home furnishing choices are telling exposés of not only who we are, but also who we want to be. EQ3 offers modern, sophisticated design that finds favor with discerning consumers of any age. The store concept is nothing short of an inspirational gallery of style. EQ3 customers will feel that they can create a room or a lifestyle out of what they see, rather than just find a single piece of furniture.
An an interview with Michael Graves by Linda Tishler in Fast Company about his 
Space is a contemporary lifestyle store and interior design studio in Atlanta, Georgia.
The other day, we received a Chiasso catalog in the mail. We hadn't heard of them before so we must've received their catalog through one of our design magazine subscriptions. Some of their product looks pretty good. We're guessing it's all private label merchandise similar to IKEA since we didn't see or notice any "designer brands" in their catalog or on their website. Not that there's anything wrong with that.