Earth Day Awareness

Keeping in mind that today is Earth Day, we thought we'd take a moment to highlight some of the best green products out there and our philosophy on doing good for the environment.

At NWOI, we strive to provide our clients with interesting, unique spaces come project completion and try to keep in mind the idea of "being green" during the process. We also find it important to get behind companies and manufacturers who feel the same way. One of our major allies in the business, HON, feels strongly about their green practices and we're happy to support that. Check out their philosophy on the issue:

"At HON, we take pride in helping our customers create productive environments that leave a lasting impression. But often, the best impressions are the ones never seen. Our greatest impact is our ability to change the business world without changing the environment. By making a commitment to responsibly design and manufacture quality products, we exceed our customers’ expectations while being good stewards of the earth. We work diligently to build a culture that encourages excellence, involvement, ongoing education, diversity and responsibility. We continually challenge ourselves to always do more. “HON Thinks Green” is more than a slogan, it's a promise."

All HON products are designed from materials that have been carefully chosen to reduce environmental impacts and manufactured using methods that allow for proper recycling at the end of their usage. HON's "Lean Manufacturing" system maximizes the use of raw materials and is efficient in its use of natural resources to reduce the company's environmental footprint. Their facilities also utilize strict conservation and efficiency programs to help save natural resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and major energy consumption. 

As a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), HON is continually innovative in their quest to be truly green and they use a variety of new technologies to help create products that are really sustainable. For example, material innovations like Comold^® and Nature Core^® put HON right in the front of the line by diverting 10,000 tons from landfills each year. Soy-based foam, paint reclamation, fabric recycling, and packaging innovations are among the things that help set HON apart.

Here's a look at some of their best green products, the Initiate workstations.

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

Get Your Office on Board...Literally.

Clever puns aside, we're seeing more and more collaborative designs pop up all over the interior design community. The classic white board may be old news, but how about entire walls dedicated to note taking? Interactive work places are proven to be more productive work places. By getting your office on board with things like the Smart Board technology and truly interactive walls, you can boost both your collaboration and creative idea potential - then turn those bright ideas into sales. Think brainstorming and mind mapping on a giant scale.

Along with providing private meeting areas for collaboration, Workspace Design Magazine encourages writable wall surfaces in centralized spaces to provide a more informal spot for employees to come together and express new thoughts. tvsdesign’s Don Ricker says “Our most successful office designs feature writable walls in large open spaces where multiple people from diverse teams gather to exchange ideas and feedback. This fosters genuine collaboration along with a sense of play and fun, which in turn, opens the floodgates of creativity while serving as a potent morale booster.”

According to MMQB, one of the oldest building materials - glass - is gaining popularity in the office world yet again and a Texas based company, Clarus Glassboards, is first in line with the newest innovation in wet and dry erase technology. Clarus boards are made in a variety of sizes from 2'x3' to 4'x10' and may be fully customized to fit specific project dimensions if necessary. They're compatible with any dry erase pens, permanent markers, grease pens, etc. The glassboards easily wipe clean and are also made with eco-friendly and recyclable materials. Clarus even provides magnetic options, calendar grids, and customizable colors, logos or branding of your choice. Our showroom utilizes both the Smart Board technologies and Clarus Glassboards, shown below. Both of which we can help you get for your own office!

Come visit us for a look at some interactive options!