about the founder

Coming from a career in healthcare education, marketing and advocacy that spanned pregnancy through geriatric care, I was all too familiar with the impact of toxic indoor environments on health. But, it wasn’t until I started eco-friendly renovations on my own home that I realized how many finishings, furnishings and accessories negatively affect indoor air quality.

workingwonders arose as a natural by-product of my personal commitment to public health and a lifelong love of clean, timeless design.

If you’re reading this letter, you’re likely among the rapidly growing group of people who want to create green interiors that support both personal health and the health of our planet. Actually accomplishing this, however, can be quite a challenge.

Based on the obstacles I faced during my home “eco-renovation,” I started workingwonders to make it easy for you to act on your personal and environmental values as you create healthy living and working spaces.

And of course, I wanted quality products that were beautiful and inviting, not just non-toxic. So, our collections have been chosen for their clean and timeless design, to delight your senses while they promote your health and well-being.

Like me, you might find that “going green” all at once is just too overwhelming. You may want start with a room or by replacing your sofa (or bed or desk) – or even by sending someone special a green gift. However you start, workingwonders has created the green guide™ to empower you to quickly and easily identify the specific green attributes of each of our products.

You can think of workingwonders as your “one-stop shop” for green products and information.

Finally, workingwonders is thrilled to be receiving “wish lists” of green products and materials that build and design professionals and end-users want but don’t yet exist. Through our online community, NextinLime, we are linking trade professionals, consumers, manufacturers and investors in the hopes of speeding new green products and materials to the marketplace, and ultimately to you.

Be well,

BethAnn Lederer
Founder and CEO

All of us face a variety of risks to our health as we go about our day-to-day lives. Driving in cars, flying in planes, engaging in recreational activities, and being exposed to environmental pollutants all pose varying degrees of risk. Some risks are simply unavoidable. Some we choose to accept because to do otherwise would restrict our ability to lead our lives the way we want. And some are risks we might decide to avoid if we had the opportunity to make informed choices. Indoor air pollution is one risk that you can do something about.

In the last several years, a growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities. Other research indicates that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. Thus, for many people, the risks to health may be greater due to exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors.  VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Examples include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, and photographic solutions.

Organic chemicals are widely used as ingredients in household products. Paints, varnishes, and wax all contain organic solvents, as do many cleaning, disinfecting, cosmetic, degreasing, and hobby products. Fuels are made up of organic chemicals. All of these products can release organic compounds while you are using them, and, to some degree, when they are stored.