Tuesday, November 21, 2006

UNHEALTHY home or office?

Are you concerned that your home or office is causing harm to you? Do you even care if the products in your home or office are full of chemicals? Did you know that some carpet manufacturers do not recommend putting your baby on the new carpet for months after installation? Do you believe that consumers are educated on these scary facts? Do they even care? Please respond if you have insights.

For more information: http://www.healthyhousing.org/clearinghouse/index.cfm

Friday, November 17, 2006

GREENGUARD & LEATHER


GARRETT LEATHER
Garrett Leather Receives GREENGUARD Certification!
Garrett Leather has received GREENGUARD certification for 15 different product lines, including Garrett’s popular Woven Collection. Following strict chemical emissions testing, all products (totaling more than 360 leather colors) have been certified by GREENGUARD Environmental Institute™ (GEI).

Please visit their website at: http://www.garrettleather.com.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

RECYCLED GLASS FOR FLOORING & COUNTERTOPS





Fact: 50% of paper and nearly 38% of metal is recycled but over 75% of glass still goes to landfills(EPA report: http://epa.gov/msw/msw99.htm)

Tim Whaley met a challenge to make something of the incredible amount of glass being dumped into landfills in Texas. His solution~EnviroGLAS products. The reclaimed glass from windshields, plate glass windows, consumer bottles and now toilets & porcelain sinks is chipped into aggregate and then mixed with epoxy to form terrazzo flooring, countertops, plank flooring and landscaping aggregate. The look is unique. Please check it out at:
http://www.enviroglasproducts.com

Consider this unique, beautiful product for your home or office today. Consider EnviroGLAS! Go GREEN!

Sunday, February 19, 2006

The Rudolph Bathroom

Rudolph bathroom staring Emily & Chloe!

Ohio Tax Credits for Sustainable Homes

To keep you all current on sustainable design for residences in Ohio, please know that Ohio is providing tax benefits for certain remodeling projects due to Bush signing the Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2005. You may be able to use some of these benefits if you are considering doing ANY remodeling this year. A business contact that is a local accountant, Marie Cutlip, provided the following information. If you have any questions regarding how this can help you with your taxes, I would be happy to pass your name along to Marie. Please read on:

What the New Energy Bill Means for You

PRESIDENT BUSH signed the Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2005. While the law was described by some in the media as a giveaway to huge energy companies, it also contains some generous new tax incentives for consumers.
The best part: They all come in the form of tax credits, the very best kind of tax break. A credit lowers your federal income tax bill dollar for dollar. In contrast, a deduction lowers only the amount on which you're taxed, so your bill is reduced only by a percentage of the write-off.
Here's what the 2005 Energy Act has in store for you.



New Tax Credit for Residential Energy ImprovementsThis personal tax credit has a $500 lifetime limit, but it's broad enough that many folks will benefit even though the numbers won't be very big. The credit applies only to energy-saving items you put to use in your main residence after 2005 and before 2008 (vacation homes don't count). The credit amount equals the sum of 10% of your expenditures for a qualified energy efficiency improvements to an existing home plus 100% of your expenditures for qualified residential energy property.
The 10% part of the credit for qualified energy efficiency improvements covers outlays for the following items:
Metal roofs coated with heat-reduction pigments.
Exterior doors.
Exterior windows including skylights (the lifetime credit for windows is limited to $200).
Insulation materials designed to reduce heat loss or gain.

The 100% part of the credit for qualified residential energy property covers money spent on these things:
Qualified electric heat pumps, electric heat pump water heaters, geothermal heat pumps,andcentral air conditioners. The credit for these can't exceed $300.

Qualified natural gas, propane and oil furnaces, and qualified hot-water boilers. The credit for these can't exceed $150.
Advanced main air circulating fans. The credit for these can't exceed $50.


Please use this information wisely!