So now that you’ve designed and built your dream home, what’s next?

Why not take care of yourself and your home with healthy, environmentally-friendly cleaning products from Branch Basics, available at New Living.

This non-toxic cleaning line is made from all-natural ingredients, and it works wonders without unhealthy and unpleasant fumes. We sell Branch Basics All-Purpose cleaner and a Window and Glass cleaner. The former even comes in a concentrate to save you time and money!

There is a growing awareness that chemical-laden cleaning products may do harm to you, your family, and even your pets. From skin and eye irritation to chronic diseases relating to long-term chemical exposure, the EPA attributes many health and environmental problems to these common household items.

Why expose yourself and your family to harmful chemicals when you could choose Branch Basics?

PHOTO: Courtesy Threebrancheshealth.com

We at New Living (and our friends at The Green Painter) are looking forward to the opportunities of the coming year, and have made the following New Year’s Resolutions.

1. We will continue to connect discerning customers with the best, healthiest, and greenest home and building products on the market. As part of this, we will continue to hold all suppliers responsible for having a positive social and environmental impact, and keep an eye out for new companies and products that do the same. We will continue to believe that business can be better, and that we are all interdependent, as promised in the B Corporation “Declaration of Interdependence.”

2. We will work harder to share our mission with the world. Our raison d’être is to educate consumers about the health, environmental, and social aspects of home and building products, and to help grow the market for quality and holistically responsible products. We will also work with painters, builders, designers, realtors, manufacturers — and anyone else who shares our goals — to create good, green jobs through education and professional development.

3. We want to be a louder and better voice for changing the ways businesses operate. We are for incentivizing responsibility in all industries, and hope there will be a day when all businesses look at their triple bottom line — people, planet, profit.

4. We will take a step back and look at our own operations, and critically assess whether our businesses are run in a way that is good for the community, the economy, and the environment. We believe that small changes can make a big difference, and that this is the aspect of our lives that should “never stop improving.”

5. Finally, we will turn to the large and growing community that works to improve Houston’s health, environment, and community. We will reconnect with old friends and make new ones, collaborating to make next year Houston’s best year ever.

Happy New Year from your friends at New Living!

A Benefit Corporation – or B Corporation for short – is a new type of business charter that allows businesses to prioritize having a positive social and environmental impact. Traditional corporations are legally bound to serve the short-term interests of their shareholders, often making this difficult. While many large corporations in America and around the world have entire departments dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility and giving back to the community, B Corporations actually use their business model to achieve these goals. This idea is clearly catching on across America, with 476 B Corps in 60 industries grossing over 2 Billion dollars a year!

B Corporations are assessed and certified by a non-profit called B Lab, which looks into the business’ operations, products and/or services, and — very importantly — mission. Certified businesses are audited regularly to make sure that compliance is taking place, and that the B Corporation brand is protected. Business owners sign the B Corporation “Declaration of Interdependence”, promising that the business ”is purpose-driven and creates benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders.” Several states have recognized the uniqueness and potential in the B Corporation model, and have passed legislation to support businesses making these efforts.

As you may know, New Living is proudly a B Corporation. We were certified in January 2010 and have been working hard to do justice to the certification ever since. We start by offering green, healthy products and services — from our organic mattresses and furniture, to our sustainable and recycled building materials, to our relationships with quality designers, architects, and installers. The Green Painter, a more recent New Living spin off sells non-toxic paints and coatings and houses a Certified Green Painting service. We diligently screen our suppliers and subcontractors to make sure that your projects are as healthy and green as they can possibly be! In our day to day operations, we are also very careful to be socially and environmentally responsible. We recycle nearly everything, support small, local businesses when possible, and have transparent and equitable business practice policies.

Education is also an important part of our mission – and an important part of being a B Corp. We have programs training Certified Green Painters, and we would love to expand this type of training program to other professions. We also regularly hold environmental and health education events for the general public. We are always planning and expanding our educational programming, and have made it a priority to make Houston the most informed population as relates to healthy, green living.

For more information on B Corporations, please see B Lab’s website or just stop by either store. We’d love to talk to you about it!

These services are available at a comparable price to the leading paint and painting companies in Houston. You can call or stop by to discuss your upcoming projects.

Got a painting job? Call us first! You’ll be surprised how affordable green can be!

In honor of this great mention, OMI and New Living are teaming up to offer up to $500 in free bedding accessories when you purchase a King Size Organicpedic mattress set when you mention “Oprah.” Hurry! Offer ends November 27!

You can read the full article from “O” magazine here.

Image by Holly Lindem of “O” magazine.

My triplets (2 boys, 1 girl) are closing in on 5 years old, and both of the boys have Autism.  Most people do not realize that Autism is not just a neurological disorder, but it also affects multiple systems within the body, including the body’s ability to detox chemicals and metals.  Once I found this out, I have made it my mission to rid my children’s environment of as many toxins as humanly possible thus lowering their body’s total toxic burden.  It has been a process for sure, but I am a determined mother who wants to provide every opportunity for their little bodies to heal and grow.
We have been on this journey for just over 2 years now, and were ready for the next step in cleaning up their environment.  I came across the New Living and Green Painter stores upon an internet search for toxin free paints and mattresses.  I called and was lucky enough that Adam was willing to meet my husband and I on July 4th to discuss the products both stores had to offer.

Adam was very knowledgable, and extremely accomodating and sensitive to our needs.  Going green doesn’t come without a higher price-tag, yet Adam did his best to work with our family to make our mission a reality. We are TRULY thankful to him for all of his efforts and are humbled by his sensitivity to our mission and circumstance!!!  Thank you Adam, thank you New Living!

Since purchasing the mattresses, we have also decided to paint the kid’s rooms.  We were extremely nervous to use paint from our local hardware stores due to the many allergies that our children have, but after doing our research, we were so happy that we trusted our instincts!  We found that New Living’s NOVOC paint offered so many more greener options than what I had found in our previous research.  After painting both rooms with NOVOC paint, we did not notice reactions from any of the children–so we were obviously thrilled!

Thank you!!
Regards–
The Toll Patrol
Amber, Dale, Cooper, Carson, and Camryn

This year, New Living is proudly participating in the American Cancer Society’s Holiday Shopping Card Program. Proceeds from the sale of this $70 shopping card go to the American Cancer Society which funds cancer treatment, research, and education in America and around the world. Those who buy this card can save big on their holiday shopping while contributing to this most important cause. New Living, the Green Painter, and many other local merchants will be giving a 20% discount to card holders on select items during the 10-day event. This is a great time to purchase one of New Living’s non-toxic, organic mattresses or some non-toxic paint from The Green Painter.

New Living and The Green Painter have chosen to support this cause not only because we support and admire the work of the American Cancer Society, but also because of our shared mission to increase public awareness of the links between environmental and public health. We hope that together, our support of this program can lead to a better, healthier future in Houston and beyond!

Details:

- Purchase the Holiday Shopping Card at New Living or any other participating merchant.

- The card-holder will receive 20% off of mattresses at New Living and paint at The Green Painter during the week of October 27 and November 6.

- Proceeds from the sale of the card will go to The American Cancer Society. New Living will keep none of the proceeds.

- For more information, please check out the program’s website.

Working as a house painter for the past 30 years, Nemicio always used regular paints containing toxic VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) until a friend suggested that he visit New Living and try some of our non-toxic NOVOC paints. “With regular paint,” he says, “you have to get used to the smell, and wear a mask so you don’t inhale the fumes. But with the paint from New Living there is no smell and you can use it without wearing a mask and not get a headache.” He even suggests New Living’s paints to other builders and contractors, telling them that they are much better than traditional toxic paints. The EPA states that exposure to VOCs can lead to adverse health effects such as damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system, as well as cause cancer . The risk is especially high for house painters due to the prolonged exposure to these chemicals. By switching to New Living’s non-toxic paints, not only is there no smell, but also no exposure to toxic VOCs, creating a much healthier environment for the painters and the residents. We are very glad to have Nemicio and many other Houston painters using our product, and especially glad when they love it!

***This and other testimonials compiled by Whitney Moore***

The 1 day workshop covers:

Registration fee: $250
Tuition scholarships are available for painters that meet certain qualifications.

See recent article in Houston Chronicle: Working: Painters find green approach agreeable

For more info please visit:
www.greenpainters.us

6111 Kirby
Houston TX 77005
713.521.1921