The Design District

Posted By Rachel DeSchepper on 03/05/2008

You know how I love a good Q&A with a designer. Today, I’m pretty thrilled to share a quick conversation I had with Danny Seo, perhaps today’s biggest media darling of the green lifestyle movement. He’s a designer, author, blogger and media contributer (for the now-defunct print version of Organic Style and Country Home, among others). He and I worked together in a past life, and now that we’re on opposite coasts, I love keeping up with his new projects and home renovation on his blog, Daily Danny.

He’s a busy guy, but we’re lucky that he took a few minutes to share some of his easiest eco-friendly tips and give us a heads up on his new projects.

You’re always so busy! Tell me about the new stuff you’re working on.

I’ve been hard at work at a number of fun projects. One is the Simmons Natural Care by Danny Seo mattress. It’s an eco-friendly, healthy mattress made from a proprietary blend of natural latex (tapped from the rubber tree) which makes it a renewable resource. Latex is inherently dust mite, mold and mildew resistant, so it’s a healthier sleep, too. And the base foam is made from soy, which is also renewable. It’ll be available in JCPenney stores and online at jcp.com in April.

I’ve also partnered with JCPenney as their Green Living Partner on their big and wonderful Simply Green product designation campaign. Come this spring, you can find eco-friendly clothes and home products in JCPenney stores just by looking for the Simply Green logo.

And I’m filming my new show Red, Hot and Green for HGTV right now. It debuts in August and will feature the very best in eco-friendly ideas and products for your home.

I’m also having a great time working with Method cleaning products as their Healthy Home Partner. We’re launching a new baby line that’s beautifully packaged and truly one of the most non-toxic, healthiest products you can use on your little ones. We also have something called an O-Mop that you can use on your floors; it’s packaged in a biodegradable bamboo fiber and recycled paper packaging. No more plastic!

And I love my work with the nonprofit Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. I am still trying to get people to recycle their old rechargeable batteries and cell phones!

Ever been to Portland? What do you think of our fair city?

I love Portland. On all of my book tours, I always pop into the city and stay at the Heathman Hotel. They always buy copies of books from authors who stay there and stock them in their library! How fun is that? I think the food is so fresh and delicious in Portland, too. It’s fun to leave the city too and see the gorgeous countryside.

Aside from greening in the inside of our homes, what can cities as a whole do to become more sustainable?

My biggest gripe right now is that trash removal for homes throughout the US is too easy and too cheap. I recently bought a house in Pennsylvania and signed up for weekly trash removal at a paltry $30 a month for unlimited trash. That’s $1 a day to throw away bags and bags of trash if I wanted to. I think we should pay for what we throw out. That would encourage people to really think twice before throwing so much away!

Honestly, people in Portland are very in tune to the environmental movement; it’s not trendy here. Do you think it is trendy elsewhere in the country, or do you think it’s truly a lifestyle shift?

We’re not talking about UGG boots, so I don’t think it’s a trend. It’s a cultural shift and people are beginning to adapt and change. Going green is, fortunately, becoming easier than ever before. You can go to Lowe’s and find Green Seal certified latex paint for your house at very low prices. You can opt out of junk mail lists. You can also just check a box on your electric bill to opt for wind energy for a few cents more per kilowatt. Little steps, but real ones.

Do you think it’s more difficult to live a truly sustainable life in other parts of the country? For instance, as you know, I’m from the Midwest – it certainly isn’t a given that people and businesses recycle, bike to work or take public transportation. Here it is. Are we living in a green fairy land?

The funny thing is that New Yorkers, you would think, are not the greenest. But because they live in such small apartments, rarely drive or have cars, use public transportation and also walk everywhere, their overall carbon footprint is one of the smallest in the country. Sometimes people are super green without even knowing it.

I’ve read that you’re not really afraid of greenwashing. Still feel that way?

I’m not, because I know what I believe in and I have a very specific point-of-view of what “green” means. You can either subscribe to it or not, and I’m fine with that.

In terms of businesses “greenwashing” their practices, I’m not concerned. There’s nothing worse than being caught being untruthful about your intentions, and companies today are doing their due diligence to create products and services that are as green as possible.

What keeps you getting up and working for your cause every morning?

I think the diversity of the projects I’m working on keeps it fresh and exciting. People need simple how-to information on green living, and that’s my job and what I’m here to do. So, I’ll run to a photo shoot one day, then I’m off to a product development meeting for a new organic skin care line I’m working on, then I’ll be at my new house overseeing green renovations. Everyday is just different… and I like the craziness of it all.

Do you see yourself as a decorator?

Absolutely. I get just as fixated on finding the right light switch covers as I do finding the greenest solution for a leaky roof.

When you started working for the environment, did you ever think you’d become a “green lifestyle” adviser?

Not at all. It was a Washington Post reporter who came over to my house for lunch who thought my decorating style, way of cooking and general lifestyle was unique. Her cover story launched my “career” and now I feel really lucky that I can share ideas, tips and solutions with so many people. I’m just curious about this idea of style and sustainability marrying together, and I do believe it’s possible.

I love keeping up on your home remodels via your blog. How do you have time to have such a well designed home seeing as you’re so busy?

It’s all part of my learning process. I make mistakes and learn from my day-to-day life and share it with readers and viewers. I’m trying to help them avoid the same costly mistakes…

What truly means “home” to you?

That’s a good question. I would say a comfortable place with good food, friends and family. I was thinking the other day how nice it was to share a bottle of organic wine with friends on a snowy day at home. Then I got the fireplace going by using dryer lint as a fire starter. How resourceful, right?

If you want people to remember you and your lessons in just one statement, what would that be?

Be the difference that makes the difference.