Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly

Living Room Changes

Insulation
To make their house more energy-efficient, Pelletier and Jensen insulated the attic with GreenFiber Cocoon (from 25 cents a square foot, greenfiber.com for dealers), a product created mostly from shredded recycled newspaper that has been treated with borate, a natural fire retardant. Because it can be blown through small holes that are drilled into walls, GreenFiber Cocoon "is a great choice for reinsulating an existing house," says Jason Pelletier.

Sofa and Bench
The couple prefer gently used furniture, but they're also fond of new pieces from Cisco Home (prices vary, ciscobrothers.com for locations). All Cisco Home products utilize nontoxic natural glues, organic fabrics, latex foam, wool batting, and renewable woods certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an international agency that creates forest-management guidelines. "My big beef with green furniture makers," says Jessica Jensen, "is that their stuff is über-modern―you have to settle for a plain-looking plank most of the time. I love the fact that Cisco Home spans both modern and traditional."

Rug
Woven from all-natural, sustainable jute fibers, this Merida Meridian floor covering [boardwalk braid] is free of synthetic dyes, recyclable, and biodegradable (approximately $1800 for 8 by 10 feet, meridameridian.com for stores).

Fireplace Logs
Made from recycled coffee grounds, Java-Logs (from $2 a log, java-log.com) "burn cleaner than wood, producing less creosote (tar) and carbon monoxide," says Pelletier. "It's a good, crackly flame, and it lasts for three hours," adds Jensen.