inspiration : an eco education
An Eco Education
BY SOPHIA BENNETT As a child, Sheree Vincent’s family moved a lot. “What it did for me is it gave me a sense of what the word ‘home’ means,” she says. “It gave me a sense of space and place and taught me how important it is that no matter where you’re living, it feels like home and it suits you.”
health and welfare. But we can’t do it if they don’t know what we’re bringing into their homes,” Vincent says. Curtains, blinds, furniture, paint, flooring and most other home products can contain toxins that are detrimental to human health.
A growing number of people see their home as a place that should reflect their values around health, wellness, connecting to nature and treading lightly on the planet. The good news is that meshes perfectly with Vincent’s ethos. The Minneapolis-area designer and owner of Fusion Designed has been focused on green design since she discovered the concept more than 12 years ago. Since then, she has chaired the green committee for her local ASID chapter, completed the Sustainable Furnishings Council’s GREENleaders program, trained as a feng shui practitioner and instituted a sustainable design course at Century College, where she’s been an adjunct instructor for the past 13 years.
Home products may also be manufactured in conditions where workers aren’t being treated with respect, or in places that create lots of wasted materials and energy. “People are more aware and asking more questions about what things are made of,” Vincent says. “Climate change is no longer just a question—it is happening. People are more conscious of what’s happening in the world and what’s coming into their homes.”
“Green design became a passion of mine because we as designers want to do everything for our clients that promotes clean living,
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How can designers do a better job of serving that growing part of the population? Vincent has several suggestions, including several goto products and companies whose products can help contribute to a healthy, green home.
