Get Lazy with Josh Dorfman's New Book (and TV Show on Sundance!)

Watch a clip from Josh’ new show above!

Josh Dorfman’s on a roll! He just released a follow-up book to his first, called “The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget”, AND he has a new show (also called “The Lazy Environmentalist” which just premiered on the Sundance Channel last night, but you can watch episodes here.

Josh has been involved with ecofriendly living for years now and is definitely a fun, friendly and accessible expert in the field. Besides writing books and starring in his own TV show he also runs Vivavi, a furniture showroom (and online store) that features sustainably-made, modern furniture. I talked with Josh a couple months back about all his projects; check it out!

Eco Chick: Tell me about Vivavi and The Lazy Environmentalist- How did the store inspire the original book and vice versa?

Josh: Vivavi centers around the idea of combining modern design with environmentally responsible materials to offer consumers a choice that signifies the possibilities for living gorgeous lifestyles in balance with nature. The Lazy Environmentalist is a broader expansion of that philosophy and aims to demonstrate how cutting-edge environmental solutions can fit every aspect of an individual’s lifestyle and hopefully improve it.

EC: Why furniture? What was it about the particular environmental problems inherent in furniture production made you want to tackle it?

I chose furniture because much of many of today’s top contemporary furniture designers work with sustainable materials. You can’t really make that same claim yet in other product categories. The idea isn’t just to run a green company, it’s to run a super successful company because the more we succeed the more benefit we create for the planet and the green economy.

EC: What parts of your business are significantly different from a ‘conventional biz’?

The only part that is significantly different is the sourcing because we will only work with designers and manufacturers who can demonstrate that they are taking substantive steps to green their operations and their products. Otherwise, green business is essentially the same as conventional business. We just adhere to different guiding principles.

EC: How’s it going? Are you being positively or negatively affected by economic conditions?

There’s no question that Vivavi is being adversely affected by current economic conditions. On the other hand, The Lazy Environmentalist is taking off!

EC: What’s next for The Lazy Environmentalist now that you’re the King of Green Media?

I’m currently the spokesperson for Brita’s Filterforgood.com campaign which encourages people to reduce their disposable plastic bottle waste. I’m also a spokesperson for Green Works natural cleaning products. I really enjoy working companies to help inform consumers about substantively green solutions. I hope to do more of this kind of work because I think it’s vital that corporate America actively participate in the transformation to a sustainable economy for that transformation to succeed.

Josh Dorfman is the Author and Host of The Lazy Environmentalist and Founder and CEO of Vivavi.