Consider the alternatives

A lot of what's new in eco-friendly homes has been around awhile: milk-based paints, sunflower-oil sealers and natural stones. The products are just more accessible now. A non-methylene paint stripper that smells like oranges is on the shelves at Home Depot, lumber cut from managed forests is sold at Lowe's Home Improvement stores and more electricians are installing residential-size solar panels, especially those that produce surplus energy to sell.

When Alison Pollack started Earth Friendly Interior Design in West Hills a decade ago, clients had to be persuaded to go green. Now, she says, "They know what we're talking about, they know they have choices and they want to learn more."

Pollack says it costs more to install some environmentally sound products, but they pay off over time. Natural, untreated wool carpet has a price tag that's double that of synthetic nylon but it lasts more than twice as long and doesn't contain polluting adhesives.

"Think long-term," counsels Pollack, who designed an Earth-kind nursery on display through Nov. 2 at the Assistance League of Southern California's Design House in Hancock Park. Hand-painted silk panels drape the nursery's windows; fast-growing alder wood was carved into cornice boxes; and nontoxic, baby-safe finishes were brushed onto furniture. The crib has a hemp fleece blanket that's as soft as cashmere and a mattress filled with organic cotton and wool clipped from free-range sheep.

"Decorating this way is a prescription for health but it doesn't have to look like a hospital," says Pollack. "A lot of people are surprised that a room can be natural and have high-end design elements."

Here's a rundown of some of the products being used by people concerned about toxins, man-made chemicals and the Earth's depleting resources:

* Solar energy: It didn't take a blackout in the East to remind people that depending on the utility grid is not only costly but sometimes unreliable. Californians have been drawn to solar power since the 1970s, long before the digital traffic boom raised demand. But electrician Max Balchowsky of Solar Electric Energy Systems in sun-baked Palm Springs still sees a surge in serious callers whenever there's an energy crisis.