Junk

I came across this blog a couple of weeks back and have been meaning to post it for all to see. http://junkraft.blogspot.com/

This is the trials and tribulations of 2 guys whom are "Sailing" from So.Cal to Hawaii on a boat made entirely of JUNK! More specifically -

"Sailing to Hawaii on 15,000 plastic bottles and a Cessna 310, to raise awareness about plastic fouling our oceans."

They are currently 180 miles from Hilo HI and have transversed the North Pacific Gyre a couple of times along the way. As you may have read in the past, The North Pacific Gyre is essentially a huge blob of floating plastic in the middle of the pacific where 2 currents terminate and millions of tons of plastic congregate and photo degrade. The environmental impacts of this pollution are affecting everything in the area and making it's way back to us through the food chain.

Here is a link to more info about the crew behind this amazing voyage!

Best day of Surf ever!

The waves today were 2 ft, crumbly, and an on shore wind but I had the best session of my life and didn't even catch a wave.

Today my 9 yr old son Mason paddled outside and in to the lineup and caught his own waves! He has been surfing for 2 years but until today stayed in the safety of the shore break where he could "hop" onto the whitewash after the wave broke. Well my boy can finally say he is a surfer since he paddled out with me and caught his own waves. I'm one proud dad for sure!!

Here is a pic of him with his new "used" board that we picked up from the crew @ K5 a few months ago. (sorry for the poor quality I took it with my cell phone...)

New Vivavi showroom!

Our Buddy Josh Dorfman aka the Lazy Environmentalist has opened a new Vivavi showroom in the exclusive and super eco friendly Riverhouse overlooking the Hudson.



Check out the maku lounge chair on the inside corner of the photo above. Thanks Josh and Jodi!!

Date my Ex: Jo & Slade

Looks like Jo and Slade from the Real Housewives of Orange County are back at it again with the ever riveting and always intriguing "Date My Ex" on Bravo TV.

At least they had the good sense to feature the Maku Dining Collection on the show!

Who would have ever guessed that Slade was so environmentally conscious all the while driving that big ole Hummer... :) Good on you Slade for taking the initiative to outfit your styling pad with some stylie and eco friendly furniture!

Here's a vid snipet from the show titled "The Threatening Breakfast!" Wow the tension in the air is so thick you could cut it with a knife. LOL! Anyway, check out this vid with about 30 seconds left and you'll see a great shot of the Maku dining Collection! Thanks Slade you big eco friendly Stud! Oh and tell Jo to call us, she's hot!

http://video.bravotv.com/player/?id=277325

Mod Livin - New Store!

Our Good friends at Mod Livin in Denver have opened up another location. We're talking Mod Livin x's 2! Check out the Mod Livin blog for all the great happenings in the Denver area.
And oh yeah, don't forget to stop in and check out some of the great Maku Furniture pcs they have on display.

R.I.P. Ray...

A bit of a somber post today to celebrate the life of my Friend Ray Lang. Ray passed away yesterday while racing motocross at the Loretta Lynn races in Tennessee. The LL races are the top amateur races for every level of MX.

Ray and I worked together with a number of Snowboard and Action Sports companies and he was not only a friend and incredible person but lived life the way he rode. Hard, Fast, and to Win.

While some might not agree, I would say we can all be so lucky to go out doing something we love!

R.I.P. Ray, you vibrancy, energy, and verve for living will be missed!

Arbus Magazine

The Maku LE Lounge Chair is Featured in the newest issue of Arbus Magazine. Many thanks to Shaan @ Nest Living for getting some Maku love in this killer zine!

Pics from Nest Living

Check out these shots of the Maku Lounge Chair and the Maku Side Table that Shaan from Nest Living in Jacksonville Fl sent in of his new store. Looks great and we are stoked to be represented in such a great space!! If anybody is in the Jacksonville area be sure to stop by and say hello to the Nest Living crew.

Reclaimed Wood production...

As you know at Maku Furniture we use only 100% reclaimed woods throughout our entire collection. Here are a couple of pics of the raw reclaimed wood before and during processing. It's hard to imagine that this these old beams will turn into beautiful outdoor furniture!

By the way, we have put a full analysis on the benefits of using reclaimed woods and as soon as we put a few finishing touches to it we'll post it up for all to see. Pretty much it boils down to this -
For every production run of 100 pcs in the maku collection using Reclaimed wood, Maku preserves 14.72 acres of plantation grown trees absorbing over 36,800 lbs of CO2 and toxins from the air! pretty cool eh!?!

These Beams were taken from a building that was torn down in favor of more modern construction materials.


This is the wood after it has gone through first processing and has been cut down into workable pieces to build Maku furniture.


These are slats for the Maku lounge chair and Maku chaise lounge!

Men's Health Best Life Magazine

Check out this little bit of radness! The ever sophisticated mag of all things healthy and cool - Men's Health Best Life features none other than yours truly in it's latest issue! 2 great pages with the heartwarming story of how a snowboard executive branches out and starts a contemporary outdoor furniture brand with sustainability at the heart of the DNA. Ala Maku Furniture! And how about the nice product shots of the Maku Chaise, Maku Lounge Chair, and Maku Bench.

Many thanks to my good friend Bill Bryne of BBPR for the tremendous job in helping put this story together! Here is a link to the story in HI RES from the BBPR blog

Baja bbq firepack

Check this sweet little bbq kit from my friends Mike and Maaike! This would be the perfect compliment to a night chilling on the beach in a Maku Lounge Chair...

eco-friendly instant charcoal packaging designed by Mike and Maaike for Design Annex/ Lazzari

The Baja BBQ Firepack is charcoal packaging that lights instantly and burns away in the grille, making the barbeque experience simple, clean and chemical free. Made from 100% recycled biodegradable paper pulp, the package contains 2 lbs of natural lump charcoal and features an integrated chimney that creates perfect hot coals in 15-20 minutes without the aid of chemicals or lighter fluid. Available at gourmet supermarkets. Manufactured by Lazzari/ Design Annex - patent pending

to see how it works, visit mikeandmaaike.com

Yikes, 1 month!

WOW, sorry for the lack of updates! I can't believe it has been 1 month since I last posted. I guess a week in Europe (Great beers in Belgium..!) and the daily daily that needs to get done with a quickly growing business has kept me from updating the blog regularly.

The good news - We're here and we are rocking! Warehouse went from overflowing with product to dang near empty in less than a month. Don't worry, production is in full swing and the product pipeline is filling the warehouse back up so keep on ordering the best 100% sustainable furniture.

I've got lots of good stuff to update including some very cool pictures from this current round of production plus a cool analysis I did on Maku Sustainability and how reclaimed wood compares to plantation grown...

More to come in the next few days and thanks for checking it!

Stuctured Green

Mike from Structured Green in Savannah GA sent us these killer pics of their new store. If you are in or around the Savannah area you definitely have to go by and check them out. For all their info click on the "Where to buy" page on the Maku website. And if you want to buy some Maku pieces from Strutured Green they have the Maku Lounge Chair, Maku Side Table and Maku Chaise in stock!

Going Solar for under a G!

I found this cool little article courtesy of the Sierra Club. It talks about how you can go solar for under a $1000 and start down the path to low cost eco friendly living! I'm digging on the Solar Ipod Charger!

Solar Projects for Under $1000

While installing enough solar panels to power your home might not be affordable in the short term for many, there are several less expensive solar projects that most home owners can handle.

Some utilities offer incentives and rebates for installing solar panels on your home. Contact your local utility to find out if they offer such incentives. (Here's an example of an incentive program in California.) Lastly, the government will pay you back 30 percent of the cost of your solar installations, up to a maximum of $2000.

Here are a few examples of what you can do for about $1000 or less:

• Outdoor solar lighting for decks, walkways, gardens, porches, and garages: $75 per lamp. These are probably the easiest and cheapest solar additions to your home.
• Complete solar cabin kits to power an outdoor shed, or remote cabin: Starts at $975 for 80 watt output, $1610 for 165 watt output. After government tax breaks, that's $683 and $1127 respectively.
• Even a solar iPod charger! Works with other MP3 players and PDAs also. Only $44.

Here's an excellent, comprehensive guide on solar installation (pdf) from the California Energy Commission. You can also purchase a wide array of installation guides from book sellers. Here's one example.

Maku makes #6 on the Chicago Tribune Eco List!

Check it out, the Chicago Tribune lists Maku Furniture as #6 out of 20 ways to live green. Even our friends over at Carlsbadistan picked up on the story!

If you are in the Chicago area be sure to stop by Orange Skin and say hello and find out the latest and greatest in the world of modern design.