Maku Site back up and running!

Sorry for the problems today, it looks like Media Temple was able to get the Maku Website back up and running!

Houston we have a problem

Technical difficulties with the Maku website and email right now, our service provider media temple is working to get everything restored and I'll post up again when the site is up and running...

Greensburg Kansas - the Greening of Middle America

2 years ago today the little town of Greensburg Kansas was devastated and totally destroyed by tornadoes. Virtually every building in the town was leveled. Those that weren't leveled sustained some serious damage...





The next thing that happened is nothing short of SPECTACULAR! The towns goverment decided this was the perfect opportunity to build the countries first green town. A showcase for eco friendly and sustainable building. Very cool indeed! From a wind farm to Silo Eco building, and even a TV show on Planet Green, Greensburg and it's fine citizens are truly eco heroes!

Kudos and congratulations to each and every member of Greensburg Kansas, I'm for sure stopping by and throwing out high fives the next time I happen to be in Kansas. And if anybody in Greensburg Kansas wants some Maku pcs for their outdoor space just let us know and we'll hook you up!

The Past and the Future...

I found these 2 very interesting articles this evening while perusing the world wide web.

The first asks the question: "Was George Washington Green?" and the second explores the ideals of "The Green House of the Future"

From yesteryear the use of native plants and landscaping, efficient use of space dependent upon season, and lightweight / movable furniture to the philosophies of the next generation of green homes that interestingly enough have a keen throwback to the early days of our country.



George Washington's "Woodlawn Plantation" (pictured above)


(BRANCHING OUT William McDonough + Partners envisions its house like a tree. The "bark" of the house is made up of thin, insulating films that would self-clean and self-heal if damaged. A curved roof with large eaves provides shade, which lowers the heat load in summer. The "trunk," or the frame of the home, consists of carbon tubes, while the "roots" are a heat-pump system buried in the yard.)

Is this a case of history repeating itself? Getting back to basics? or as the age old proverb goes "if it ain't broke don't fix it..."

Check them out and decide for yourself!

Article 1 - Was George Washington Green

Article 2 - The Green House of the Future

I wonder if our esteemed First President would have appreciated our designs?

What a way to end the week...

We have the first solid south swell of the spring and summer season filling into the local southern California beaches yesterday and today. So we loaded up the boards and headed to Trestles this early this morning. No pictures to post as we were all too busy surfing. A nice long session of almost 4 hours in 6-10 ft surf with a few Double Overhead sets felt great!

I took out my trusty 6'4" shaped by Cole Simler and had a blast! Too tired to work the rest of the day so I think we'll just start the weekend early with a nice cold one from our favorite local brewery and Maku Furniture supporter.

Have a great weekend! We'll be at the beach making the most of this swell!

Kini Beach

Check out these killer beach bags that are made from 100% re-purposed (trash) left on the beaches of Waikiki by inconsiderate visitors.

Designed and developed by fellow surfers David “Kawika” Watt, Kealii Mamala, and Dale Geldum, whom all saw an unfortunate abundance of "trash being left behind on island beaches and in hotels each year. These include recreational items such as “boogie boards,” straw and inflatable plastic mats, and literally any other floating device found on the sand and in the water by day’s end."

So they approached the hotels about helping them take care of this problem and here you have it - Kini Beach Tote Bags.

A pretty rad idea and everybody here at Maku are going to pick up a few of these totes on our next trip to the islands!

Mahalo to the crew of Kini Beach nice job keeping the beaches clean!

Huffington Post - I SPI top 10 Great Green Designs

A Big high 5 to Sarah and Alison from SPI Design for calling out the Maku Chaise Lounge as on of their top 10 picks of Great Green Design in their Earth Day article in the Huffington Post.

Check it out here.

And definitely check out the SPI Design Portfolio, Sarah and Alison do some amazing work!

Happy Earth Day 2009!

Happy Earth Day 2009 to All. We're taking the day off to go surf and then clean up the beaches as well as cruise around to the local earth day celebrations.

In honor of Earth Day, here are 5 things you can do to lessen your impact on Mother Earth (courtesy of our friends at the Surfrider Foundation)

Vivavi sale this weekend!

We have been getting a lot of web traffic from the NYC area, not to mention some good orders (Thanks to all in NYC who have ordered some Maku Furniture for your Penthouse, Terrace, or outdoor space so far this year!)

This weekend is a great opportunity in NYC to get some really cool furniture at a great price.

The Lazy E himself will be having a clearance sale at the downtown Vivavi showroom located in the Riverhouse.

Stop by throw some high 5's and check out the latest and greatest in Eco friendly living. Vivavi has it all!

Dates: Friday, Saturday & Sunday (April 24, 25 & 26)
Hours: 10am to 6pm

Location: Vivavi at The Riverhouse (in Battery Park City)
Suite 11N
2 River Terrace
New York, NY

(Cick Here for Directions)

Sustainable Furniture Council - SFC

Maku Furniture is now a proud member of the Sustainable Furniture Council (SFC for short)

In SFC's own words - "The Sustainable Furnishings Council is a non-profit balanced coalition of industry players created to promote sustainable practices among manufacturers, retailers, and consumers alike with a public tagging program to identify good choices. We are over two hundred and fifty members strong and growing fast. The solution starts with you."

I have been closely watching SFC develop over the past 18 months before joining because I wanted to see if there were any "teeth" in the projects and movement of the group. Certainly any group of manufacturers that are as passionate about Sustainable Practices as we are is a good thing. And to take it a step further the SFC really helps bring truths and realities to those brands which are doing a good job in creating sustainable products vs. those that are "Greenwashing".

Jeff Hiller and the B.O.D. are doing a great job and I think the future is very bright for the SFC and it's members! Maku Furniture is stoked to be a part of this great group!

Welcome Bambeco.com

A quick high five to the crew at Bambeco.com! Check out the site and products, they are just starting to ramp up for the spring / summer months and will be adding new products weekly.

Of course they have a bunch of Maku Furniture ready to go!! Check out the Maku Coffee Table, Maku Side Table, and Maku Chaise Lounge that are featured front and center!

Jake Shimabukuro - This Saturday Night!

If you happen to be in the North San Diego County area this weekend check out Jake Shimabukuro on Saturday night at the Grace Theater in O'side. All proceeds from the concert go to the California Surf Museum.

This guy kills it on the Ukulele!

Not The Answer

So Check it out, as you know I am an avid (perhaps addicted is better) surfer and my life and everyday activities are tied very very close to the ocean. There is just something very special about spending time in the water almost daily. Some call it a greater spirit connection, Ijust love being outdoors...



But I am also a realist and understand the needs of the "greater good" in an effort to maintain commerce and all things that go with living in this greatest country in the world. As such I always try to look at the most viewpoints possible and asses alternatives. In short there are always 2 ways to the same answer...

So when the offshore drilling ban was lifted, I became very concerned (and still am) that we will see the beautiful coastline covered in offshore oil rigs. Not only detracting from the natural beauty of the ocean and those terrific So.Cal sunsets but more importantly adversely affecting the eco system from fish kill to pollution to sea bed damage the list goes on.

Sure Fossil Fuels are the easy answer and the technology to drill for them is readily available. I hope we can all agree that fossil fuels are also not the answer to a longer term problem.

With the advent of Bio Fuels, Natural Gas, Electric, and even Hydrogen engine vehicles (that run on water!) it seems silly to want to continue to exploit our coastlines in hopes of greater corporate profits for companies such as Exxon.

Check out Surfrider Foundations blog on off-shore drilling and decide for yourself and if you want take action and let you congress person, Secretary Salazar, and the president know what you think!

Spring Break!

Our kids are off from School this week and we have been chilling at the beach, perfect weather, the water is starting to warm up and we have a nice little swell scheduled to fill in on Tuesday...!

I'll have some green wisdom later in the week. Until then make sure you live everyday to the fullest!

Here's a shot from our local beach earlier this afternoon. Sorry for poor quality, shot it with my Iphone.

The Lazy Environmentalist - "on a budget"

Our good buddy Josh Dorfman aka The Lazy Environmentalist just came out with a new book that is focused around going green on a budget. As the title on the book says - "save money, save time, save the planet".

Aside from being a world renowned expert on green living, Josh also runs the Vivavi showroom in NYC which of course offers all kinds of great Maku Furniture!

You can buy the book here and here is a link to all the eco goodness relating to the launch party a couple of days ago.

Congrats Josh, we'll keep an eye out in the mail for our signed copy... :)

Check out the vid below for all the happening highlights from the launch party.