Green Home Tour Seattle Style

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 [...]

Add Style to Your Living Room with Eco-friendly Furniture

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 [...]

Eco-friendly Interior Doors, Part II

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 [...]

Increase Comfort and Reduce Energy Bills This Winter

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 [...]

Affordable Solar Tube Skylights Brighten Up Interior Spaces

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, [...]

Green Kitchen and Bath Makeovers, Part V

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.

Recycle Non-Wearable Clothing and Shoes

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 [...]

Eco-friendly Interior Doors, Part I

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 [...]

High Cost Heating Bills Make Renewable Energy More Attractive

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, [...]

Green Kitchen and Bath Makeovers, Part IV

So far, I’ve written about easy green makeover ideas, energy- and water-saving tips, and eco-friendly countertop options. In this post, we’ll explore the ever-growing choices for stylish and functional flooring in the kitchen and/or bathroom.  Can you guess which type of flooring is shown here?  Wood?  Cork?  Linoleum?  Tile?

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