Laura and Will Wear are longtime environmentalists whose Nest children's products combine contemporary simplicity with the whimsy of Pixar animation and a color range that wouldn't look out of place in the Playskool showroom. The couple-Will was a successful industrial designer whose line of children's products for Target won a BusinessWeek IDEA award; Laura worked in marketing-went into business together in 2003 as the parents of an infant and of a preschooler who would wear only purple. They spoke with Blue Egg by phone from their Massachusetts home about what fuels their green agenda.

How did you get started in the world of eco-friendly children's furniture?
Will: The initial thought was that there were no modern kids' furnishings out there. We had become parents and wanted simple furniture that didn't have Donald Duck all over it. During the launch process, we realized that we wouldn't be true to ourselves if we didn't look at our materials, the manufacturing processes we were using, how far we were shipping. I had been working as an industrial designer, designing a lot of things like cell phones that it occurred to me were useful but not sustainable.

Laura: Will would come home from work and say, "I'm so frustrated, because all this is just going to end up in a landfill." With Nest, he decided that everything designed for children needs to be mindful of the planet.

A lot of people go green when they have kids, but it sounds like you were already there. When did the green lightbulb first go on for you?
Will: It was long before we were parents. When I was in graduate design school, 12 years ago, I did my thesis on solar power and the use of it to charge vehicles. So our interest in environmentalism has been lifelong-or at least for our adult lives.

What's the greenest thing about Nest?
Laura: Our intentions. One criticism we have of the modern-day environmental movement is they want it to be absolute, rather than trying to do better and questioning things.

You use more cotton than wood in your furnishings. Is this part of your eco-agenda?
Will: Throughout my career, I've tried to minimize on materials. Our signature product is a toy box-a frame that has cotton stretched on it. It has lots of storage but uses a fraction of the wood. And the cotton is organic.

Laura: In fact, the green lightbulb really went on when we started sourcing cotton. We were designing for a minimal use of materials, but it's when we started looking at how cotton is produced that we realized we had to look at the whole process. Conventional cotton is second only to tobacco in the use of pesticides.

What environmental trend do you find particularly alarming?
Will: The fact that India and China's consumption of petroleum beats even ours. It's frightening, the acceleration in the consumption of petroleum. It's something we look at as we ship from India, which is where we source our cotton and have some of the products made. We're rethinking that. But it's a moving target-everything's a compromise.

What's the biggest compromise you find yourselves making?
Laura: Right now, it's just that-the shipping of products from a distant country. We're starting to feel that what's true of locally grown food-that it's not just healthier for you but also for the planet-is good to consider with any product. At the same time, by going domestic, our prices become higher, which is like shooting ourselves in the foot.

You use water-based finishes, which have zero volatile organic compounds [VOCs]. How do you weigh that benefit against the possibility that because this finish isn't as strong as oil-based, the products might end up in a landfill sooner?
Will: Oil is more durable, but water-based has gotten much better in the past five years. Low-VOC paint still has VOCs that offgas. When you have to make a trade-off, you always wish there was a win-win. How we decide changes day to day-it's a continuing dialogue.

Any other big trade-offs?
Laura: We've made sacrifices to stay green. For instance, we discontinued our bent-plywood step stool, which was our most popular item. We can't find a manufacturer domestically who can do it for the price. And we can't do it in China, which is beginning to monopolize bent-plywood manufacture, because we can't be sure their labor practices are fair.

Will: Bent plywood is a great technology and uses far less wood, so it's unfortunate.

You emphasize fair labor practices. How does that fit into your environmental mission?
Laura: We see being sustainable as part of a broader effort to promote responsible business practices. How can we sell children's furniture and not think about whether children are making it?

As a business, have your green practices ended up costing you money or saving it in the long run?
Will: In some areas, yes, they've saved us; in some, no. We currently have our offices and warehouse in an old mill building by a canal in Holyoke, MA. The mill still uses hydropower, which works for us in terms of our environmentalism, and is also cheaper.

On a scale of light apple green to dark forest green, how green is Nest?
Will: I'd say we are a verdant spring green. And I think we're at a stage where we're turning from that bright spring green to a more mature, rich summer green. I don't think we have any illusions or pretensions that we've yet reached deep forest.

What's darkening your green?
Laura: Will's designing a new line of toys that'll be produced domestically. So we feel better about our shipping. And our packaging will be made from waste sugar cane. We'll use the new packaging for the toys-because of their scale, it's a good place to start.

As parents, can you give your kids an environmental education through products? And how do you deal with their desire for Dora bed sheets?
Will: Not always successfully!

Laura: It's hard. I know my children would be so happy to go to Target and buy little plastic toys. But we don't have to give in to them. And they understand when we say, "You don't need more junk," which is our mantra. They don't understand the whole landfill issue yet, but they're getting interested in recycling and doing what they can to help.

What eco-accomplishment are you most proud of?
Laura: When Will came back from his whirlwind trip to India during the early days of Nest, he told a story that was a pat on the back. One of the workers at the factory where we had introduced a waterborne finish came over and thanked him, and said his breathing was noticeably better. That's very rewarding for us.

Will: They didn't have any waterborne finishes prior to that. After we introduced it, the factory owner told us that many of his workers who had asthma from breathing in the VOCs from oil-based finishes were feeling better. It's interesting to see those little lightbulbs go on.

What eco-sin are you least proud of?
Laura: My every-day Diet Coke consumption!

Will: Our need for a van for the business and the crazy amount of gas that the vehicle uses.

What magic power over the environment would you most like to have?
Laura: If I had a magic power, I'd like to make people think, What size car do I really need? And I would love to be able to make people carpool more.

Will: If I could magically change something, I would magically create a hydrogen infrastructure.

Any last feel-good or feel-bad thoughts?
Laura: It's very exciting to see how things are progressing, whether it's Al Gore, or us in our own little way. It's exciting to be part of it and to feel good about it, although the reasons to be involved are scarily real and very serious.

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