Add a Touch of Wine Country to your Home

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Joyce Benson    |    Add a Comment
Tag(s): Green Furnishings, Greening the Home, Reclaimed Materials

Love the feeling of warmth and sunshine that emanates from the Napa Valley and other wine-producing regions?  One way to bring that sensation home is to incorporate furniture made from reclaimed wine barrels.  The barrels are typically made from the finest oak trees and are free from knots and defects.  During the course of many years in the wine-making process, the oak barrels absorb the deep, rich color of the wine.  The end product is perfectly-aged wood that beautifully accents kitchens, wine cellars and even outdoor spaces.

Read More >>

Green Home Tour Seattle Style

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Joyce Benson    |    Add a Comment
Tag(s): Events, Green Building, Greening the Home, Money Saving

Looking for a new love nest?  This Saturday, you and your special someone can take a tour of the Beau Developments new urban lofts project in Seattle’s Judkins Park Neighborhood.  What could be more romantic than saving money on energy bills in your new pad?  These homes are estimated to have 40% lower energy bills than homes built to 2004 International Energy Codes.  You’ll see first-hand how green building methods and materials accomplish this feat.

Your eco-friendly experience will begin at the green building supply store ecoHAUS, with an introduction to earth-friendly elements for the home such as flooring, kitchen cabinetry, paint, solar tubes and insulation.

Learn more and pre-register here.

Straw Building Products are Really Strong!

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Joyce Benson    |    2 Comments
Tag(s): Green Building, Green Furnishings, Reclaimed Materials

Straw, a waste by-product of, most notably, the wheat industry has been gaining in popularity for use in the green building industry, and for good reason.   It’s long been an environmental issue to dispose of straw, the remaining by-product of wheat grain after it is harvested.  Typically, it has been burned which causes serious air pollution problems.

Here’s where eco-friendly strawboard panels come in. They can replace gypsum drywall which consumes much more energy to produce.  The studs aren’t even needed in some interior partition walls with these highly compressed straw panels!   Other applications include:  interior and exterior walls, load and non-bearing ceilings, roofing, doors, and flooring.  Also, since wheat is grown in the U.S. and around the world every year for food, it is a rapidly renewable resource.

Key features of strawboard panels include:

Read More >>

Add Style to Your Living Room with Eco-friendly Furniture

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Joyce Benson    |    2 Comments
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.

Read More >>

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.

Read More >>

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.

Read More >>

Affordable Solar Tube Skylights Brighten Up Interior Spaces

Posted on January 17, 2010 by Joyce Benson    |    3 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!

Read More >>

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.

Read More >>

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:

Read More >>

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.

Read More >>