Happy Earth Day everyone! What will you do for the planet today? What better time than the present to change a habit or two? Here are some suggestions that are really easy to incorporate, and over time, they make a big difference.

1. Don’t run the dishwasher or washing machine until it’s chock full. Try to avoid rinsing your dishes with running water before loading them up; whether or not you want Fido to take care of business is up to you!

2. Reuse your water. Whether it’s a pet bowl you’re cleaning out, an ice cube you dropped on the floor or that stagnant half-glass from next to the bed, always think before pouring water down the drain. Use it on a plant indoors or out. Same goes for shower water that’s heating up – collect it with a bucket.

3. Cut the paper towel and napkin habit. Use old t-shirts and other rags for cleaning, and cloth napkins for dining.

4. Beware the energy vampires. Your computer does not need to run 24/7 and your phone doesn’t need to be charging for 12 hours straight. The coffee pot clock is sucking energy; after you’re done with your brew, unplug the coffee machine.

5. Speaking of coffee, banish the paper and styrofoam cups. Get a reusable cup that you can take to the coffee shop for refilling (most of these joints are actually shilling them right in their impulse buy area for convenience).

6. Before you put anything in the trash, think about  how else it could be reused, donated or recycled. Check your local recycling information web page. You may find there are many more items you could be recycling that you’re not, special days for bulk item and yard clipping pick ups and drop offs for electronics. They may also be offering up larger bins. Check Earth911 for more ways to recycle, upcycle and reuse.

7. Bring your own bags!!! If you are not doing this yet, you have no excuse. I’ve wound up with so many different giveaway bags I have started giving them back. Do make sure to keep the bag clean when you use it for food; I recommend a bag that is coated or machine washable as you will want to wash bags you use for food regularly.

8. Banish things with “disposable” on the label. Whether it’s a pen, a cleaning wipe, batteries or an eraser, buy things that are refillable and can be used for decades to reduce waste.

9. Stop the flow of junk mail. Go to the Federal Trade Commission’s site to find out how.

10. Shop for sustainable products. Whether it’s wood that’s rapidly renewable or sustainably harvested for construction, items that flat ship, produce that’s harvested locally, there are ways to rethink the way you shop. If you want to get started here, here’s our selection of sustainable goods.

What are you doing to celebrate Earth today? Let us know in the comments section!

I love seeing my favorite products in places around the web, movies, TV, museums and around town. Today I got an almost simultaneously double dose. First I flicked on The Rachel Zoe Project and spied her entire accessories team seated on Magis Chairs while analyzing handbag prototypes, and I was all “those chairs look bananas in that room – THEY ARE KILLING IT! I DIE!”

photo via bravotv.com

The Magis_One Stacking Chair is a super-sleek  – our own Ali has deemed it’s clever geometry fit for Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. In addition to black, white, gray and red, it’s available in my new favorite, polished aluminum …

Speaking of metallic finishes, New York Magazine’s Jessica Silvester singled out Blu Dot’s Real Good Chair in it’s shiny new copper plated finish her New Stuff selections.

As you can see from the places on the new chairs pictured above where hands have touched them, the chair will patina naturally over time giving each one a unique finish. It’s a modern take on today’s hot patina style, which until now was pretty limited to antiques.

Photo by Johnny Valiant for Coastal Living magazine

I loved seeing DwellStudio founder Christiane Lemiuex’s Amagansett beach home in the April issue of Cottage Living, and I have serious surf shack and furniture envy. It’s been such a joy to watch Christiane build her business and firmly establish herself as a tastemaker.

photo by Johnny Valiant for Coastal Living magazine

I’ll let you in on a secret. I have a serious online book binge spending problem. My throw pillow and shoe impulse buys don’t hold a candle to a gorgeous hardcover book about architecture, landscape architecture or interiors. To try and find some balance, I hoard my spare change and then take it to one of those Coinstar machines so that I can get Amazon gift certificates. Here’s what me and my coffee table are currently literally saving our pennies for.

Designers at Home: Personal Reflections on Stylish Living by Ronda Rice Carman. We love designers. We love peeking into their homes. And most of all, we love the author Ronda and her blog, All the Best.

Kengo Kuma: Complete Works by Kenneth Frampton. This monograph is full of breathtaking ethereal designs by the Japanese architect, and organized by materials – water and glass, wood, grass and bamboo and stone, earth and ceramics. If you have a loved one graduating from architecture school this spring, this is a perfect gift, trust me!

Conde Nast Traveler Photographs: 25th Anniversary Collection. This beautiful compilation of photos from the pages of Conde Nast Traveler will have you thinking “I want to go to there!” every time you turn the page. Plus, on a shallower note, the taxicab yellow cover with its and graphic punch of type makes it a great design accessory that will draw the eye no matter where you stash it.

Speaking shallowly of eye-catching covers, this one caught my eye. Living Modern: California Design 1930-1965, edited by Wendy Kaplan, celebrates the unique way California architects interpreted mid-century modern style during the height of the movement. The book accompanied last year’s exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

The 50 Best Plants on the Planet: The Most Nutritient-Dense Fruits and Vegetables, in 150 Delicious Recipes by Cathy Thomas. OK, so not technically a design book, this book can help you plan out your spring garden for some yard-to-table treats, and is perfect for foodies, budding chefs and green thumbs alike.

Which design books do you have your eye on this spring? Let us know in the Comments section!

The butt of a Portlandia joke: Yup, after the whole bird flu thing and  their proliferation on everything from coffee mugs to living walls, birds have been dissed lately, but you know what? We still love them and think they are cool. In fact, we’ve had one on our logo since the beginning of Design Public.

If you do do, we say go for it and put birds on whatever things you want. Whether it’s a Charley Harper cardinal on your house or a folk art Eames bird on your shelf, birds that are done right will never go out of style. Here’s a few different bird styles:

Hippie Bird: The white dove, long a symbol of peace became a symbol of Woodstock where it became a free bird. By the way, you can scoop up a poster on Etsy.

Mid-century modern: This little bird was inspired by an original piece of Adirondack folk art that Charles and Ray Eames picked up an honored with a space in their home for many years. They used it in some of their great photo styling, and when their fans inquired about where they could get one, reproductions were created based on 3D models of the original. They are manufactured by Vitra.

Finnish: Over the last 40 years,artist Oiva Toikka has designed over 400 beautiful and unique mouth blown glass birds for iitalia; each one is a work of art. The only problem I have with them is that I cannot seem to choose one; I have several favorites and the first place slot changes daily. Shop a wide selection of them here.

Chinoiserie: This proud peacock adds Asian-inspired flair to the bedroom.

Post-Modern: Kontexture’s take on the rubber ducky gives a nostalgic familiar form an edge.

So peeps, how are you feeling about birds these days? Would you let a heron print in the house but kick out a tote bag with a robin on it? Let us know in the Comments section.

I am so excited for Museum of Design Atlanta’s upcoming Eero Saarinen exhibit – it starts this Sunday April 14th and will run through June 30, 2013. For those of you who won’t be in Atlanta during that time, I thought we could do a post on Saarinen here to let you enjoy his work too. Here’s a quick peek at a fe of his greatest hits:

The Miller House, Columbus, Indiana 1957: Now owned and maintained by The Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Miller House is open for tours. If you visit, be sure to pay attention the landscape by Daniel Urban Kiley; it’s one of the most spectacular modern gardens in the U.S. and the interior fun provided by Alexander Girard. Tickets sell out fast, so be sure to plan ahead if you’re planning a trip to the modern-architecture rich Columbus! You can buy them here.

photos via The Indianapolis Museum of Art

The TWA Terminal at JFK 1962: The last time I was in this building, it was leaky and there was a bird flying around, but this architecture was all about the Jet Age, back when flying was glamorous and exciting:

photo by Ezra Stoller

John Deere Headquarters, Moline, Illinois 1964: After catching the eye of John Deere’s president, William Hewitt with his designs, Saarinen designed the striking headquarters for the company. The project is a wonderful example of modern architecture living in harmony with its surroundings:

photo via johndeere.com

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis 1965: One of the most iconic structures (at 630 feet high, it’s also the tallest monument) in the U.S. is also by Saarinen. Again, he teamed up with Dan Kiley to complete the landscape. Isn’t this picture crazy? It gives me vertico just thinking about it, and it also makes me miss my erector set!

Saarinen’s furniture designs continue to be some of the most popular examples of mid-century modern style today.

He designed the Womb Chair (1964) at the behest of his good pal Florence Knoll, who wanted a chair she could curl up in. If one wants to stretch out in it, the matching ottoman is a great addition.

Of course, his tulip table, a.k.a. Knoll Saarinen Table (1956), is one of the most iconic pieces of furniture from the mid-century modern period. Saarinen was not fond of legs and wanted a cleaner look when it came to kitchen and dining areas. “The undercarriage of chairs and tables in a typical interior makes an ugly, confusing, unrestful world,” he said. “I wanted to clear up the slum of legs. I wanted to make the chair all one thing again.”

For a typical kitchen table with four legs plus four chairs, Saarinen decreased “the slum of legs” from 20 legs to 5 pedestals. Not too shabby!

For those of you in Atlanta during the next few months, be sure to check out MODA’s Eero Saarinen exhibit!