Realtor Beach House Sense, Cents, and Scents on the Maku EcoShop

Check it, a friend of Maku EcoShop is a Realtor here in North County San Diego and loves the Eco Candle Company Beach House soy candles. So much in-fact that she bought our entire stock of Beach House candles to give to her clients for the holidays and to use during open houses to add a little something special to the ambiance of the homes she is selling. (But don't worry we have more coming before the end of the week!)

Soy candles by Eco-Candle Co. are cool and clean burning and will enhance your home or make the perfect gift for environmentally conscious friends. Burn time for a 16 oz. Eco-Candle is an amazing 90-100 hours.

Aside from saving some Cent's, have great Sense to give an Eco Friendly Gift, and the amazing Scent of these candles here are Six great reasons why to buy an Eco-Candle Co. soy wax candle:

1. Eco-Candles are cleaner burning – no toxins, carcinogens or pollutants which means they are less likely to trigger allergies and unlike petroleum-based paraffin candles they give off no petrol-carbon soot.
2. Eco-Candles last longer – soy wax burns cooler which means in general they will last 30-50% longer than a paraffin candle.
3. Eco-Candle Co. soy wax is certified kosher and contains no herbicides or pesticides.
4. Eco-Candle Co. uses only the highest quality scents and dyes.
5. Eco-Candle Co. uses only cotton, paper or hemp wicks.
6. Best of all — These soy candles are made in the USA.

A day without a bag

Got this email today from the crew at the Surfrider Foundation. What a great idea, especially during the holidays with all the shopping going on!

A Day Without a Bag is an education and grassroots event started by Heal the Bay in LA that involves businesses and individuals throughout Southern California and beyond. On this day we ask holiday shoppers and retailers to forgo single-use, plastic shopping bags in favor of reusable bags. In addition, Surfrider will be handing out reusable bags in conjunction with the Cities of Encinitas and Oceanside.

DID YOU KNOW:
- Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute.
- Californians throw away 294,000,000 pounds of plastic bags every year, or 147,000 tons.
- 600 plastic bags are thrown away every second in California.
- Most of the bags we use are NOT recycled! They are littering our oceans, beaches, landfills and killing animals & birds.

On Thursday December 17th, please tell your friends and family to forget the single-use bag at the store and get hip with a reusable bag. Here are a few tips on remembering your reusable bags for the next trip....

Keep your bags in your car, Write "REMEMBER BAGS" at the top of your grocery list each week, Hang a bag on the door knob to your garage or someplace near by, Keep a reusable bag or two in your purse or backpack, Ask the kids to remind you to bring your bags as part of earning their allowance.

By the way, we will be adding these to the Maku Ecoshop in the next couple of days

The Sunday Paper

Quick Eco Fact - If every one of us in the USA recycled a Sunday Newspaper over 550,000 trees would be saved every week!

In fact - In 2000, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) said that pulp, paper, and paperboard mills account for 12 percent of total manufacturing energy use in the U.S.

I continue to say that print media is dead (perhaps dying is a better assessment) and can't remember the last time I picked up a newspaper other than being bored in the airport and perusing the bookstore. Otherwise I prefer to get my info online...

By the way, a quick plug for the Maku Ecoshop, we have lots of cool recycled items like Bucky and Fred that come shipped in recycled packaging!

The 12 Days of Christmas by Carlsbadistan.com

The Crew over at Carlsbadistan.com choose the Maku Carved Candle holder as one of their favorite gifts of the season. We are stoked to come in at #9 on their annual Christmas list!

You can get the Maku Carved Candle Holder and lots of other eco-friendly gifts for the holidays on the Maku EcoShop!

The ultimate accessory to your organic living space: Dinner by candlelight, aromatherapy indoor or out.

A handsome accent to any environment with the natural elegance of the Maku candle block. Made of 100% repurposed teak from Indonesian architecture of yesteryear, the Maku candle block is available with the Frangipani carving in the following sizes:

Maku Teak Candle Blocks:
3″ × 8″ – holds 3 candles
3″ × 16″ – holds 5 candles
3″ × 30″ – holds 10 candles

And don't forget to use soy candles!

Recycled Bike parts = Cool Chrismas Gift for your Favorite Cyclist

Check it, being a cyclist and budding triathlete (in training for a couple of Ironman races this spring) @ashwest thought these clocks, bowls, bracelets, and bottle openers would be perfect for the EcoShop.

The newest item today on Maku Furniture EcoShop is a brand called Resource Revival out of PDX. These guys take old bike parts and make some bitchen things!




Bike Chain Bowl Recycled Revivial’s artists created this gorgeous bowl from the most unlikely medium, recycled bike chain. With a great weight and classic shape they are perfect on an entry table for your keys etc. the end of the day. 10" diameter x 2" deep





Hybrid Wall Clock Recycled Revival made this wall clock from a recycled bicycle sprocket and recycled computer hard drive. A great gift for computer or bike lovers, or both! AA battery included. 7″ × 7″



Bicycle Chain Frames he ultimate gift for the cycle lover! Recycled Revivals classic frames have been praised by critics from coast to coast. Made from recycled bicycle chain with an easel back/stand. Stands or hangs vertically or horizontally.

Available in 2 size 4×6 inches or 5×7 inches

Rainy Night in Carlsbad = Earthopoly on the Maku EcoShop

There are not many nights living in Carlsbad that could be considered blustery and on the chilly side. But as the first solid storm of the season rolls through, not only are we on Storm Watch 2009 (LOL!) but we decided to break out the newest addition to the Maku Furniture EcoShop - Earthopoly.

Earthopoly is a game celebrating Earth, one turn at a time! Players become the caretakers of wondrous locations around the planet, then increase their property value by collecting Carbon Credits and trading them in for Clean Air. AAHHHH!

It’s all fun and games until someone gets sent to the Dump! So choose your token, (all made by nature of course!), and advance to Go Green.

EARTHOPOLY ROCKS!

Measuring the growth of your Keiki

"Keiki" in Hawaiian means child and the Ecotots Surfboard growth Chart on the Maku EcoShop is a super cool accessory for any growing Keiki.

Measure your Keiki's growth by recording his or her height within the two stripes (which are intentionally left unfinished) for easy marking.

Like all ecotots products, the growth chart is made from 100% formaldehyde-free, FSC Certified real wood and has a non-toxic, water-based finish.

This eco-friendly longboard hangs on the wall and also doubles as a coat hook when rotated 180 degrees. It’s certain to become a cool keepsake when your ecotot becomes an ecoteen.

Available and in stock at the Maku EcoShop in 4 different colors and is a great way to bring a little beach lifestyle to any room during a long winter!

Meet "Fred" from the Maku Ecoshop

Check it out, one of the coolest new products we have on the EcoShop is "Fred" by Cardboard Safari. Fred comes in 3 great colors including "Camo Fred" so he can hide on your walls...

Cardboard Safari’s Moose Trophy “Fred” is laser-cut for precision fit and easy assembly using slotted construction. Fred is available in native brown, bright white or camouflage and can be decorated with paint, glitter or other craft material.

Fred is a fun accent for home, office or kid’s room and makes a great gift for dad.

Each trophy is made in the USA from non-toxic, environmentally friendly recycled cardboard. Fred measures 24" wide by 20" high by 19" deep.

Check out Fred and all of his Friends on the Maku Furniture EcoShop and get something cool for the holidays!

The Maku EcoShop is now OPEN!!

Check it out, The Maku EcoShop is now open. Featuring the finest in sustainable and eco friendly products for your household, pets, and lifestyle!

EcoShop represents the next level of our commitment to living a sustainable lifestyle. The products represented within EcoShop not only follow the same mantra and philosophies of Maku Furniture but more importantly are products we believe in and use.

Keep checking the site as we are adding new products daily. And if you have any product suggestions let us know by emailing to - info@makufurniture.com

http://ecoshop.makufurniture.com/

WOW, it's been a while...

Yikes, I can't believe it's been since July 30th that I posted anything. Where has the time gone...? While I'd like to think it was spent surfing, that's definitely not the case as you my have read in the last post in July I separated my shoulder while training for a triathlon.

Fortunately my shoulder is getting much better and I am back in the water within the last week surfing, we even had a great swell so it was good timing for a comeback and I have started training again. Who knows there may be an Ironman race in my future...

So what have we been up to in the last 4 months. Well I guess like a lot of companies out there we have been just trying to survive and I happy to report that we are still here, in business and have actually exceeded our numbers from last year with a few month yet to go in 2009. So things in Maku Land are not too bad all things considered. On the unfortunate side a number of our retailers have had to close their doors and we hope and wish that they land on their feet as the economy recovers!

We have some pretty cool things in the works for Maku including and Eco Shop that we will be launching in time for the holidays as 2 very cool new collections that we will launch at the first of the year. One of which is a completely different direction for us and might be the first of it's kind in terms of recycled material usage for outdoor furniture.

Stay tuned, lots is happening and we'll be posting much more in the coming days, weeks, and months!

Thanks to everybody for their support and remember to do something everyday that puts a smile on your face and helps mother nature!

Mega Swell Mega Bummer...

The first solid swell of the summer 2009 and I missed it... Been training for a triathlon the last 4-5 months and 1 week before the event I crash during a cycling training ride. Grade 3-4 AC separation of my right shoulder.

Not only do I miss the best swell in the last 6 months but I also missed the Solana Beach Tri and the Mission Bay Tri in 2 months. But Hopefully I'll be ready to go for the O'Side 70.3 half Ironman!

In the meantime, enjoy the pics of this latest swell. and by the way, sorry for the lack of updates. Kind of tough typing with one hand...

Summer time summer time sum sum summer time...

sorry for the lack of quality updates, summer time is go time for Maku furniture and there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the days lately. An NO we are not surfing the summer away, if there were waves we probably would be but it looks like the worst winter for waves on record could turn into the worst summer. The water is a chilly 58 degrees and blown out... BRRRR!

So I'm on my way to NYC for some east coast luv and meetings on various projects. And as I sit in the red carpet club at SFO waiting for my red eye to take off I found some interesting facts regarding purchasing habits and eco friendly product that I thought I would share with you.

- 28% of Sports participants say they would be more likely to buy a product if it "Stated" it was sustainble... (sounds like a greenwashing opportunity)

- 27% women vs 21% men say they would buy a garment that is made of sustainable fabrics. Come on guys get with it! One of my favorite pairs of shoes is the Grun by Adidas that is 100% recycled materials.

47% of the population said they would buy a green product if they also liked the style and function of that product.

Off to NYC I go, more to come from the road and don't forget to check out Maku Furniture on Twitter.

Maku Planter Box!

Here's a sneek preview of a new piece that will be debuting soon. The Maku Planter Box made of 100% Reclaimed Teak just like the rest of our collection!

Get yer Tweet on...

That's right we've officially jumped on the Twitter bandwagon with the countless millions of other social mediates and it sure is tweet....

You can find us on twitter now at - http://twitter.com/makufurniture

and just in case you didn't check our favorite Bali Surfing website here's what you missed today at Padang Padang. That wave is so good you gotta say it twice!

Oh how we love flat and blown out California surf...

Sherman Poppen, The Snurfer, and the History of Snowboarding

let me introduce you to the Grandfather (or maybe Godfather) of Snowboarding Mr. Sherman Poppen.

In 1965 Sherman invented the Snurfer for his daughters to go out in the backwoods of their Muskegon Michigan home. As we all know from there on out the rest is snow sliding history with the likes of Tom Sims, Jake Burton Carpenter, Dimitjrtie Milovich, Chuck Barfoot, Mike Olson, the list goes on as the founding fathers of snowboarding.

I had the distinct pleasure to meet Sherman in the early / mid 90's in Banff Canada during a Transworld Snowboarding Industry "Conference". (Which was basically a big excuse for key snowboard industry "execs' to get together and get our shred-on.)

Since then I have ridden with Sherman a few times in Whistler BC and his home mountain of Steamboat. Believe it or not, Sherman did not start "Officially" snowboarding until his late 60's and I can't think of a person that exuded more stoke and excitement to slide sideways than Sherman.

To this day after 25 years of snowboarding, countless EPIC powder days at some of the best resorts and backcountry around the world, the times I was able to ride with Sherman are at the tops of the list. (Right along with teaching my son and daughter to snowboard and watching them link up their first turns. Then a first decent of an amazing chute in AK that myself, Billy Anderson and Wooly from Volcom all enjoyed and aptly named Lil' Bitch afterward)

So sit back and check out this killer little video and here is a link to Sherman's Snurfer induction to the Smithsonian Museum in DC.