Add Style to Your Living Room with Eco-friendly Furniture

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Joyce Benson    |    Add a Comment
Tag(s): Green Furnishings, Greening the Home

Spending a lot of time indoors this winter?  You may be realizing that some of your furnishings need replacing.  For those on a tight budget, there are several ways to spruce up your living room:  cover existing upholstered furniture with organic cotton slip covers; sand and re-paint or stain existing wood pieces (with natural and non-toxic products); or shop at consignment or thrift stores.  But for those who are seeking new furnishings, there’s still plenty of environmentally-friendly options.

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Eco-friendly Interior Doors, Part II

Posted on February 5, 2010 by Joyce Benson    |    Add a Comment
Tag(s): Greening the Home, Greening the Office, Recycling

As I’ve previously mentioned in Part I of this series of posts, there are many options for the environmentally-conscious shopper, even when it comes to buying interior doors.  I had focused on beautiful, reclaimed wood doors that add instant character and richness to any home.  Here, I’ll highlight residential and commercial doors made with recycled content.

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Increase Comfort and Reduce Energy Bills This Winter

Posted on January 24, 2010 by Joyce Benson    |    Add a Comment
Tag(s): Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions / Global Warming, Greening the Home, The Great Green Outdoors

Windows and exterior doors are, of course, necessary elements of any home, but if they are old and drafty, you may wonder about how to make them more energy efficient.  Whether you live in an historic home, or a home that has only single-pane windows, there are some relatively inexpensive and easy fixes you can do to reduce your heating bills this winter, reduce cooling bills in the summer, and make your home feel more comfortable year-round.  These steps will also reduce your carbon footprint by reducing greenhouse gases and pollution from burning fossil fuels to generate energy.  Plus, tax incentives are available for some measures.

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Affordable Solar Tube Skylights Brighten Up Interior Spaces

Posted on January 17, 2010 by Joyce Benson    |    2 Comments
Tag(s): Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions / Global Warming, Greening the Home, Greening the Office, Money Saving

Want to shed some light on that dark area of your home or commercial building without turning on the lights and driving up your electric bill?  A great solution is to install solar tubes, aka sun tunnels, which are easily retrofitted into existing buildings.  In fact, depending on the Energy Star rated system you choose, it may qualify for a federal tax incentive up to 30% of the cost!  Local and state incentives may also apply!

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Save Trees and Stop Junk Mail

Posted on January 15, 2010 by Joyce Benson    |    Add a Comment
Tag(s): Conserving Resources, Going Green, Greenhouse Gas Emissions / Global Warming

It has been said by some scientists that the simple deed of planting trees (many, many trees) would significantly reduce the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, that we spew into the air at an alarming rate on a daily basis.  The least we can do is try to save the trees already in existence.

The good news is that there are some simple actions that anyone can do to make a difference…stopping junk mail is just one of them, but an important step, since here in the U.S. alone, junk mail is responsible for the destruction of 100 million trees every year.

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Go Green Expo Heads to LA

Posted on January 14, 2010 by Joyce Benson    |    Add a Comment
Tag(s): Events, For Kids, Going Green

GO GREEN EXPO, the nation’s premier green business and sustainable lifestyle show known for its innovative and interactive programming, returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center on January 22-24, 2010 for the second year in a row as the first stop on a nationwide tour that also includes New York City, Philadelphia and Atlanta. Following last year’s show that reached more than 10,000 attendees, Go Green Expo 2010 will focus on the next steps in environmental responsibility and the growing green revolution.

Go Green Expo invites all business leaders, eco-minded consumers and
their families to explore the latest innovations in energy-efficient and
environmentally-friendly products and services and participate in
interactive seminars featuring leaders in the green industry, local
politicians and community organizations.

Joining the lineup this year are keynote speeches by actress and holistic living author Mariel Hemingway, award-winning actor and director Ed Begley Jr., industry adored eco futurist John Picard, son of famed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Paul Pelosi, Jr., eco-fashion icon Linda Loudermilk and Sarah Backhouse, host of The Planet 100 on Discovery’s Planet Green.

Highlights to include:

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Green Kitchen and Bath Makeovers, Part V

Posted on January 9, 2010 by Joyce Benson    |    Add a Comment
Tag(s): Green Furnishings, Greening the Home, Kitchens And Baths

This part of my series on eco-friendly makeovers, I’ll focus on another substantial element in any kitchen or bathroom:  cabinetry.  Whether you’re looking for something sleek and streamlined, or cabinets with a traditional flair, the green options available today will modernize and beautify these much-used rooms.

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Recycle Non-Wearable Clothing and Shoes

Posted on January 6, 2010 by Joyce Benson    |    1 Comment
Tag(s): Going Green, Green Cleaning, Greening the Home, Recycling

To start off the new year right, you may be cleaning out your closets to make room for new holiday gifts of clothing and shoes.  Likely, you have a pile of old pieces that are still useable, but some are probably not wearable any longer.  It’s easy to donate your wearable clothing to local thrift stores, consignment shops and bins put out by non-profit organizations in shopping center parking lots.  But, what do you do with the worn out items?  By donating, you’ll help divert the billions of pounds of textiles clogging our landfills.

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Eco-friendly Interior Doors, Part I

Posted on January 4, 2010 by Joyce Benson    |    Add a Comment
Tag(s): Greening the Home, Reclaimed Materials

Whether you’re building new, or simply replacing common, cheap and, likely, damaged hollow-core doors in your existing home, there are green options to consider.  Whether your home’s style is contemporary or traditional, you can add instant character by adding solid-wood interior doors made from reclaimed wood, FSC-certified wood, recycled content or rapidly renewable resources.   A great resource for antique/old doors in need of restoration is architectural salvage yards, where refinishing is sometimes an option.

Here’s more about reclaimed wood doors:

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High Cost Heating Bills Make Renewable Energy More Attractive

Posted on December 30, 2009 by Joyce Benson    |    1 Comment
Tag(s): Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions / Global Warming, Greening the Home

If high-cost heating and electric bills are making this winter unbearable for you this winter, perhaps it’s time to consider clean, renewable energy options.  It’s a perfect time, since generous state and federal tax credits, rebates, grants, and loan programs are available for those who install solar energy systems, small wind systems, geothermal heat pumps, and residential fuel cell and microturbine systems.

These systems significantly reduce your fuel and electricity bills, as well as the amount of air pollution and greenhouse gases that result from your use of fossil fuels (oil, propane and natural gas), or from generating electricity.  (Half of the electricity generated in the USA is by burning dirty coal).

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