WAKEFIELD, R.I. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- When you think of a greenhouse, images of plants and flowers come into mind. But nowadays, a greenhouse also means eco-friendly.

Blankets sewn from your favorite sweaters, energy from the sun, and planters crafted out of old china all add up to a greenhouse.

Lynne Bryan Phipps and Nancy McKenzie Reynolds are eco-friendly design professionals and say locally manufactured products cut down on transportation cost and energy.

“The most important thing is to start noticing what things are made of and where they come from,” Phipps told Ivanhoe.

The women say hemp is great eco-friendly wall covering and bamboo is a sustainable wood that works well as flooring.

“When I think about sustainability, I really think about conservation and reuse and then reduction of the material," Phipps said.

When it comes to paint, light colors fare better when relying on natural lighting. “If you are using dark colors, you are absorbing light which isn’t as helpful as if you are using light colors they reflect the light," said Phipps.

When it comes to window treatments, polyesters made out of recycled material work well. When you’re ready for a change, you can recycle the fabric and make chair covers. That holds true for old jeans that can transform into place mats. Even an old teacup has new purposes, as a bird feeder. These little tips can make it easy being green.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Lynne Bryan Phipps
Design One Consortium
lbphipps@designoneconsortium.com