Going Green: Danny Seo

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GREEN-LIVING GURU Danny Seo shares a birthday with Earth Day and was touting sustainable practices before anyone drove a Prius or boycotted Chilean sea bass. He shares his tips in books, magazines and TV shows, and at Dannyseo.typepad.com. Now he's ventured into a neglected area of the green home-decor market: mattresses.

» EXPRESS: How did the Danny Seo mattress come about?
» SEO: A lot of organic mattresses you can only order online or through a catalog and are hard to return if you don't like them. The mattress is made from a natural latex material, there's a soy-based foam underneath, and the wood frame comes from managed and certified forests. Even the metal used is 80 percent recycled. The fabric covering the whole mattress is biodegradable Tencel. And you can test-drive it at any JCPenney.

» EXPRESS: Your blog chronicles your recent move to a house in Bucks County, Pa. What sort of renovations have you been up to?
» SEO: It's a glass house in the woods, built 40 years ago. I installed energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, low-flow shower heads, and dual-flush toilets. I used wood floors with recycled content.

» EXPRESS: How did you do it up?
» SEO: I'd describe my decorating style as "curated." I like a look that cannot be duplicated in a catalog, that can only be created over time. I'll shop lots of junk stores, antique shops and flea markets. It's sort of the oldest way of going green.

» EXPRESS: Any favorite sources for green furniture or clothes?
» SEO: Goodwill stores are great. In D.C., I used to shop at Secondi in Dupont Circle. With furniture, think locally. Buying an antique dresser online and having it shipped across the country isn't very green.

» EXPRESS: Any other areas of the home-decor market that could use greening?
» SEO: Packaging. I understand that products need to be wrapped to protect them. But I bought new pendant lights, and they came packaged in an unbelievable amount of Styrofoam, cardboard and plastic.

» EXPRESS: What's your non-green weakness?
» SEO: I rent SUVs all the time to move props, boxes and furniture around for photo shoots. A lot of times I have to overnight-ship a lot of heavy packages. To offset, I'll plant an orchard or something like that.

» EXPRESS: Any tips for greening that backyard barbecue party?
» SEO: Use dryer lint as a fire starter. To skewer corn on the cob, use twigs from the yard. Fill a birdbath with ice and cool the wine, beer and water there. I like to use things that are already outside, so nothing has to be transferred in and out. And try to serve just enough food, since food waste is an enormous problem with picnics.

» EXPRESS: You used to live in D.C., and your family still lives in the area. Any spots dear to your heart?
» SEO: My brother-in-law owns several Five Guys burger restaurants, so I go there a lot. But I'm a vegetarian, so I have fries and a veggie grilled cheese with all the fixings. Good Wood on U Street is a really great store for vintage wood furniture. I still have pieces in my house that I bought there 10 years ago, like a church podium.

Written by Express contributor Amy Alipio
Photo courtesy Danny Seo