We Americans are spoiled compared to our ancestors. No matter what season it is, we expect meat, grain and produce to be readily available to us - and prepackaged so we don’t have to work too hard to turn it into edible cuisine.
Many of the fruits and veggies we consume, have an “off” season, and therefore do not grow year around. Unless you are cautious, the produce in your fridge right now has traveled hundreds or thousands of miles to arrive in your kitchen. This increases your carbon footprint, consumes fossil fuels, and increases the profit dollars of the large conglomerates– instead of our own local farmers.
In Miami, we are lucky - we don’t have snow or frozen soil in the winter that would prevent our farmers from growing food. In fact, Florida soil is great for growing a large variety of produce. Purchasing local not only decreases your carbon footprint, but supports our small, local farmers. You know- those guys that actually are…
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Are you working on being a socially conscious homeowner who goes beyond simply using rags instead of paper towels and calling it a day? A great way of going green while actually increasing the comfort and convenience of your home is to get rid of your old dinosaur of a water heater and opt for a new, tankless one. Not only does it provide the convenience of giving you hot water instantly, whenever you want it - which means you don’t have to worry about taking a cold shower anymore after your teen is done - it also uses much less energy.
Tankless means exactly what it says: no tank attached, so you don’t have to wait for gallons of water to heat up AND you don’t suffer the energy-wasting heat losses associated with the old style water heaters. A heating unit, either gas or electric, is located close to where the water is used and the water is only heated when it is needed. You can install multiple smaller tankless heaters where water is used (near the bathroom or laundry…
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Home designers and builders speaking at the recent International Builders Show in Las Vegas say that buyers are seeking cost-effective features and rejecting things that don’t have lasting value.
“It’s all about family togetherness – casual living, entertaining and flexible spaces,” says Carol Lavender, president of the Lavender Design Group in San Antonio.
Paul Cardis, CEO of Avid Ratings, which conducts an annual survey of buyer preferences, identified these must-haves in new homes:
1. Large kitchens with islands
2. Energy efficiency, including energy-efficient appliances, super insulation, and high-efficiency windows.
3. Home offices
4. Main-floor master suite
5. Outdoor living space
6. Ceiling fans
7. Soaking tub in the master suite and/or an oversize shower with a seating area
8. Stone and brick exteriors rather than stucco or vinyl
9. Community walking paths and playgrounds
10. Two-car garages, but three-car garages are even more desirable
Republished with permission...
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Green remodeling and building practices don’t stop with energy efficiency - there are many different ways to go green from the basement to the roof of your home.
A wide variety of green flooring choices now exist - no more high pile, dirt collecting, VoC emitting carpeting! One great green choice that is becoming trendy is cork flooring. Cork can be harvested every nine years from the same tree, which makes it a renewable resource. It is a good choice for a kitchen area, or anywhere you plan on spending a lot of time on your feet because it is cushy and comfortable. You can now get cork in a wide variety of colors - and also in tile form so you can create custom patterns and designs.
Cork Floor Tile
Another idea for green flooring also simplifies the construction process - just refinish the concrete slab into a nicely colored and textured surface. This also helps with energy efficiency as concrete absorbs heat during the day, and releases it during the night.
Bamboo…
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While we know the building industry had a rough year in 2009, not all of the industry has been in the doldrums. Green building has been a bright spot in an otherwise lackluster year, and the Northwest design and building communities have been at the forefront.
Consider the collaboration on the Oregon Sustainability Center, which may be one of the first “living” office buildings. On the residential side, according to Multiple Listing Service data, the market share for certified sustainable new homes has actually risen this past year in greater Portland and Seattle.
So what can we expect to see in the coming year in green building? Here are our picks for emerging trends of 2010, in no particular order.
1.The smart grid and connected home. While utilities will continue to make upgrades to the grid for more effective generation, storage and distribution of power, the big news is in the home. The development of custom and web-based display panels that show real-time home energy…
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FREE e-WASTE RECYCLING Address the Mess & The South Beach Comedy Festival help Floridians Go Green!
Bring all that electronic waste, working or not, that you did not know what to do with to the venues below and you may win some cool prizes!
Saturday, Jan. 16 Whole Foods Coral Gables 10am to 4pm
Jan. 17 - 31st Staples, South Beach Weekdays 8am-9pm; Sat 9am-9pm; Sun 10am-6pm
Comedy Central and the South Beach Comedy Festival want to help you AddressTheMess by recycling your old electronics (mobile phones, computer monitors, computers, printers fax machines, keyboards, TV, VCRs, stereos, home & office phones, cell phones, and consumer electronics)-so Scrap Your Crap for FREE this January.
We’ll kick off the fun at the Whole Foods in Coral Gables where everyone is invited to drop off their unwanted electronics on Saturday, January 16th from 10am to 4pm. WBGG 105.9 & WMIA 93.9 will be on hand from 12-4 to thank e-scrappers for doing the right thing with big prize giveaways…
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If your coming to Miami to check out some of our fabulous homes at fabulous prices, look no further that Hybrid Auto Rentals for all your rental car needs.
This local rental car company can have you in one of their hybrid rentals in no time– they even have airport pick up.
Existing home sales surged in November, as buyers rushed in to close purchases ahead of what was thought to be the end of the first-time home buyers’ tax credit. Sales rose 7.4 percent to a 6.54 million unit annual rate.
Sales of existing homes surged 7.4 percent in November to a 6.54 million7.5 unit annual rate. The increase was widely expected, as the pending home sales data and anecdotal reports from realtors suggested that a substantial7.0 number of buyers rushed into the market to buy homes ahead of what was6.5 thought to be the end of the first-time home buyers’ tax credit. The tax credit was subsequently extended through April 2010 and expanded to 6.0 bring in more trade-up buyers.Early reports for December suggest the 5.5 extension will have little immediate effect. Transactions were pulled forward into November which will likely lead to a payback in December and5.0 January before another…
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If you get a chance, drive by 1450 Brickell in Miami; it is a standing testimonial to our city’s committment to being GREEN! Pre-certified to the Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system, it is destined to become a Miami landmark. LEED certification is not easy to get, and has four levels; certified, silver, gold, and platinum. Credits are given in five areas: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. These credits are tallied, and used to determine the building’s rating. It goes without saying that gold is hard to get!
Rising 35 stories above the Brickell business district, the sleek design of this new class A corporate tower is already adding sophistication to the already upscale surrounding area. In fact, it looks a bit like San Francisco’s Transamerica building from the front- if not quite as tall. Safety and security have been built into every square inch…
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If you or your clients needed a motivator to do some home winterizing projects, the IRS recently sweetened the deal.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act), enacted earlier this year, expanded two home energy tax credits: the non-business energy property credit and the residential energy efficient property credit.
That means you can perform energy-saving home improvements and reduce your 2009 tax hit. The credit equals 30 percent of what you spend on eligible energy-saving improvements, up to a maximum tax credit of $1,500 for the combined 2009 and 2010 tax years. The IRS says that by spending as little as $5,000 before the end of this year on eligible upgrades, taxpayers can save as much as $1,500 on their federal tax return.
What included? The cost of certain high-efficiency heating and air conditioning systems, water heaters and stoves that burn biomass all qualify, along with labor costs for installing these items.
The cost of energy-efficient windows and…
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