The Eye bench, handmade from bamboo

BraveSpace is a Brooklyn-based company founded by three young designers. One of its more clever and useful items is The Tetris Flat, a line of modular, changeable shelving based on images from the popular '90s video game of the same name. The shelves offer maximum flexibility: a base unit with unlimited opportunities to add, subtract, and redesign the blocks within it. A variety of colors and shapes allow each owner to play his or her own large-scale version of the game. (Prices start at $120 per block.)

Portland, Oregon–based designer Christopher Douglas of Material Furniture has made an entire line of furnishings that are easily collapsible and lie flat in transit. This space-saving innovation is a dream for tiny urban apartments and can also dramatically cut overall costs for transportation (smaller boxes means more room on trucks, which means fewer trucks). It also resonates with Americans' increasingly nomadic lifestyles. (A queen-sized "Knock-down/Drag-out" bed in Forest Stewardship Council–approved sustainable wood costs $1,850.) 

Dorfman takes exception to the criticism that because many of these products are expensive, they are only "status symbols" and luxury items for wealthy people looking to feel better about themselves. "That is so short-sighted," he says, arguing that the items he sells are prototypes of future mainstream product designs. "You have to look at it like new technology: As manufacturing improves, the prices will go down. Really, [by offering these products] we are helping to build that modern green economy."

The Tetris Flat shelves, made with FSC-certified birch

This modern green economy seems well on its way. Publications such as the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Wired, among many others, have dedicated a great deal of ink to highlighting green products and practices.

None of this surprises Dorfman. "Green design is just blowing up," he explains. And he would know. Dorfman is also involved in a consultancy group called ici that helps companies merge their business identities with an environmental mission. And his occasional soiree attracts both eco-minded urban hipsters and movers and shakers from the fashion and entertainment world.

The future looks bright: As sustainable building materials and methods become more accessible, their use and familiarity will grow exponentially. With increased demand, large-scale manufacturers will pay more attention to sustainability. This is the way forward, in Dorfman's eyes. After all, "This is not a fad," he states. "This is a trend."

As a famous frog once sang, it's not easy being green. But even for "lazy" environmentalists, it's getting a lot easier, and much more enjoyable.