Ami McKay

What was your inspiration for PURE?

My career path initially began in the healing arts before I became an interior designer. Based on a program I studied in England about healthy homes, I knew I wanted to create interiors that were beautiful without being harmful to people or the environment. This was a practice not as widely known in Canada or the US as it was in England back then.

When did you become aware of environmental issues and start to incorporate greener habits into your life?

About 12 years ago, when I was studying in England, I learned that we can do something about the simple things we live with, the paint we put on our walls, for example. As an interior designer, I became concerned about what I was putting in my clients' homes, and around the same time I became a mom and was concerned for my children's environment.

What was your most memorable eco-challenge with your company?

Keeping costs down. I don't use traditional non-biodegradable upholstery fill, and natural latex rubber is more expensive. Same thing with finding certified green fabric at the market that is not cost prohibitive. And sourcing the wood, too. We're Canadian, and there's a lot of wood here, but it's a challenge to find FSC-certified wood here at a fair price point to pass along to our customers.

Did you meet anyone memorable along the way?

Yes! We launched PURE in the States at a March 2008 trade show in Atlanta, and I was on a panel with Heather Gadonniex of Green It Group, www.greenitgroup.com, based in San Francisco CA, who became a friend. She helps businesses go green on every level and what she has done is amazing. She also is a fabulous and beautiful person, dresses to kill and is very inspiring. Everybody should check out her site!

What does "green" mean to you?

It's about making smart decisions, thinking about things, not being wasteful, trying to learn more, implementing things in your life that are small steps. If you can't go out and spend five grand on an eco-sofa, start with easy things, like don't buy bottled water. Recycle your paper. Drive less. I've become more conscious of how I spend my time driving now. I've stared combining all my meetings and errands into the same days so I don't need to get in the car everyday. I work out of my home part-time too.

These days there's a lot of trendiness involved in going green. What do you make of that?

It's funny, I've had conversations with Europeans and they laugh at us that it's so "American" and trendy to be green. They don't have the green movement because they don't need it. They are already green. They don't spray their animals with hormones and antibiotics, and don't eat genetically modified food. They have strict regulations on everything. We can learn a lot from them. They don't use formaldehyde in composite boards like we do here, either. They are already green on the subject of fire retardants, too: They don't use them. I've heard that Americans have four times more fire retardant chemicals in our bodies than Europeans do. Incidentally, natural latex rubber is naturally fire-resistant. But I'm happy that it's trendy because it's bringing people to it. Yet it's really not trendy, it's a movement. Things have to change. I'm glad that Mr. Suzuki and Al Gore has brought this to the surface so that the average person thinks about it. And I love that we have stars dressing in eco-couture and driving Priuses and eco-ing their homes. People need style mavens to follow.

What is one recent green obsession that you just can't live without?

I love my Crème de Anise Toothpaste by Nature's Gate. I even send it home to my Dad, the most un-green person alive. He loves it.

What is the most recent green habit that you have adopted in your own life?

Not buying bottled water and carrying a reusable, portable container. I use a glass bottle for water and an aluminum one for coffee now. I'm also really trying to buy as much local food as possible. We have a great market in Vancouver every Sunday where they sell produce, wine, herbs, meat, fresh bread, soaps, everything.

Is there a product or service that you wish was green but isn't?

Dry cleaning. We used to have an eco-dry cleaner but they went out of business, unfortunately. I think they were a little before their time. They should come back to Vancouver! I also am trying to find a good, all-natural hair-dye that won’t affect the kidneys but I haven't been successful at that yet.

What green thing do you do that sometimes feels absurd?

I pick up litter and put it in my pocket to throw out. My son even does it now. He hates litter!

When was the last time you experienced an eco-conflict, and had to weigh a choice between, say, an organic vs. local item; a vintage find from faraway vs. a local new purchase; a vegan yet PVC accessory vs. vegetable tanned leather?

With my outdoor furniture: That vinyl material they use on the seating bothers me but it really is so comfortable to sit on and okay to leave outdoors

Do you have any eco-sins—a guilty pleasure or enjoyable indulgence that isn't green but you must have in your life?

We travel a lot. Last year: Europe, Turkey, Greece, Italy and England, and six months before that, Thailand. Come November, we're doing Thailand again and Malaysia. My favorite place right now is Koh Muk island in Thailand. There are no cars there and we even inadvertently went to a rubber plantation there, so it turns out that it's an eco sort of place. I think it's great for our kids to learn about other cultures, developing countries. Seeing poor children inspires them not to take things for granted and keeps them grounded and hopefully inspires them to make change from now on into their adulthood.

Would you date or be with someone who isn't green?

Yes, I'm married to one.

Have you and your partner ever had an eco-fight?

Well, he just got a Mini Cooper, which is known for its unbelievably great gas mileage. But he got the Mini Cooper S, which has a turbo engine, so that's not so great!

What are three things that you recommend to people who would like to do their part for the environment but don't know where to begin?

Shop at fun little salvage shops for furniture. I love the idea of finding a great mid-century modern tulip chair, for instance, and reupholstering it in a fun floral. I love reusing the old and giving it a new life while making a new design statement with it. For new furniture, buy the best you can afford for durability, so you'll hang on to it longer, and source furniture that is free of fire retardants, a practice that I believe is one of the most harmful in the furniture business. It is highly toxic for air quality, and the chemicals are even passed to children through breast milk. I believe it is an unnecessary process in furniture-making. David Suzuki, www.davidsuzuki.org, is trying to have it outlawed in Canada, and I hope the US will follow suit. Also, invest in your health by addressing your own indoor air quality. For instance, I highly recommend using demand switches in your home. (Ami suggests this one to order.) Turning off the demand switch deadens all EMF electro-magnetic frequencies, so the air quality is equivalent to sleeping in a forest in a natural air environment. Everybody should get one. You can put them throughout your house, but I like them especially for the bedroom, to use before you go to sleep. Another easy thing is never use paint that off-gasses. Low or zero-VOC paint, even clay-based paint, is readily available everywhere by so many companies. In general, I just think people should ask questions about what's being used in the materials they buy for their homes. Be aware of the eco-choices out there.