Most great homes today make use of the fireplace to get a relaxing feel as well as warmth when it comes to homes located in cold climate regions. However, the problem of some homes is the matter of pollution produced by burning wood and of course the supply of wood, a resource that is undoubtedly dilapidating by the day.

Fire crystals have been introduced these days as a better alternative. They make use of natural gas and are a lot less polluting substance.

FireCrystals(R) fireplace glass is a more healthful, environmentally friendly alternative to wood for fireplaces and fire pits, according to a recent rating by Degree Of Green(TM), a program that helps consumers determine the green and healthy aspects of home and building products.

(Source) The Earth Times

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Everyone is telling home owners to go green. But the thing is, outside that of using alternative energy, conservation and segregation of waste, what else is there to do?

Well you just have to look around, read magazines such as Good Housekeeping Magazine to know how to go green. It is not mainly focused on the things you can do but on the things you can use and buy. Green living is not only about performing duties that pertain towards saving the environment. Products and materials alike of a greener nature have been introduced in the market and the consumer just needs guidance on where to find them.

Just take a look at this house and how it was christened to be eco-friendly and green. You are bound to discover a lot of new things from it.

The house’s designer, Robin Wilson, says going green couldn’t be easier: “It’s really exciting, because the price points have come down … from the organic towels, sheets, plates that are vintage, and also, you’ll find vintage pieces (furniture) that have been … reclaimed by re-staining them.”

“It doesn’t matter where you are,” Ellis observes. “You can make your house greener, you can make your life greener; just look at the green choices and try to make a more energy-efficient, smarter, greener choice.”

(Source) CBS News

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It was a dream of the Prime Minister Gordon Brown to develop eco towns in the UK; this would have been the first major building projects in the country since the 1960’s. However, these plans have been put into limbo simply because it is believed that many of these developments were not green enough.

Originally there were to be around ten of these eco towns, but this has been cut down to around two and even those may not get the go ahead either. This is a significant blow not only for the building of eco friendly projects, but for the UK housing market too.

Nevertheless, thinking up an eco town is one thing, putting it into practice is another with transport, utilities and the established local area. However, there is still a need for new homes and surely, the best way is to build eco friendly new homes rather than the alternative.

Source [Telegraph]

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One thing that is for sure, eco-friendly practices and ideas will have their way as far as enhancing the normal homes we live in today. We often look at the contemporary and modern designs today and aspire to have them as part of our dream homes later one. But while we are pondering on that fact, it would be great to consider as well that eco-friendly standards are also in play.

What’s lighting’s hottest trend? LED, baby. As every new Dallas restaurant seems to have discovered, the versatile light-emitting diode is cool-burning, green-friendly (lasting up to 50,000 hours) and available in more colors than a box of Skittles. We even found LED “tape” that can be trimmed to fit. Compact fluorescents and halogens round out the offerings.

As for fixtures, Rutledge says we’ve been “bronzed to death” and that aged brass with its “rich, deep patina” is coming next; he also sees us swapping out our satin nickel for shiny chrome.

(Source) Dallas News

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If you take the definition of carpets literally, it would normally point towards fabric or something soft. But in countries like Israel, there are ways to make the carpet definition broader with the use of natural wood.

By using a fast-growing timber planted specifically for harvesting, Kakadu has come up with hand-painted designs for wooden carpets made from selected raw materials that use non-toxic and recycled materials.

Price: $159.00

A carpet made out of wood? Who would’ve thought? Kakadu, a company located in the heart of a nature preserve in Israel, did.

Brightly coloured and suitable for heavy-traffic areas such as kitchens, hand-painted wooden carpets are environmentally friendly and durable.

The “functional floor art” is created using fast-growing timber that has been planted specifically for harvesting, rather than timber from the rain forest or from old-growth forests. Raw materials are selected using non-toxic and recycled materials whenever possible, according to the company.

(Source) Calgary Head

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These days, whether you are in the office or at home you want to have something to do when it comes to contributing towards the eco-friendly ideas to make your work place as green as possible. You can perhaps do it with the use of eco-friendly computers or materials but why not transform everything into a natural home office collection?

Out with the old and in with the green. You can work in the same capacity with natural home office needs. Anyway, your workstation may be due for an upgrade so why not do it the eco-friendly and natural way for only $717.00.

This beautiful furniture offers the perfect solution for smaller size home office workspaces. Both the Desk and Bookcase feature adjustable shelving with clever cable management and full-size privacy panels. The Straight Desk comes with three 12″ shelves but can hold up to 6 shelves. The 60″ Straight Desk is the largest straight desk and provides plenty of work surface. The desk dimensions are 60″W x 25.5″D x 32″H. The Accessory Shelf provides a convenient storage spot for small items like PDAs, phones and other gadgets that typically clutter your desktop.

(Source) Best Priced Office Furniture

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Thinking eco-friendly is easy but hard if you don’t have the proper guidance on how to go about it. But with this book, The Eco-friendly Garden by Patricia Pennell, you can do the step by step instructions on how to transform that bare backyard into one of the great eco-friendly ones we are hearing today.

For the price of $18, you can get all the great ideas on how to be eco-friendly and do you own part in making the world a greener place to live in.

In easy-to-grasp terms, easy-to-implement action plans, and gradual steps, learn how to transform your backyard, lawn, and whole landscape into a natural oasis. In the process, save time, money, and labor while making a contribution to protecting the planet

(Source)

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These nano vent-skins could change the way buildings are built.

read more via zedomax

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It’s clever how some people have vision and the skill to create large pieces of art, which have people thinking about recycling. These structures have been made from old coke cans as part a new promotion for Recycle Week here in the UK.

These sculptures have been made entirely from old coke cans; this means that someone must drunk quite a bit of coke in order to get their hands on so many empties! Well actually it is debatable as to whether these are old coke cans or just empty new cans. As this entire collection of replica structures have been ordered by Coke Cola as a promotion.

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Wow, check out this media wall that is solar powered!

New York based architecture & media company Simone Giostra & Partners, have been designing curtain walls for over 12 years and in association with Arup, the support of German manufacturers Schueco and SunWays, and the assistance of Chinese solar company Suntech, have developed a new technology for laminating photovoltaic cells in a glass curtain wall. Architect, Simone Giostra says he was inspired by the ‘everchanging experience’ of the seascape, and that he wanted to replicate it in some way.

via zedomax

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We have heard of various ways to promote green using tourism and hotels, but this new eco-friendly themed hotel called the Reefworld is sure to get its share of petty questions surrounding its real intent. It has been hailed as the future fully eco-friendly floating hotel that can accommodate underwater guestrooms. But while it can provide us a better picture of what to seen underneath the corals and reefs, there is one thing in mind; will the reefs be there for long for them to stand on?

They’re saying that Reefworld will be the world’s first “fully eco-friendly floating hotel” and includes eight underwater guestrooms. The bathrooms will have glass walls so all the fish will be able to see what you’re up to in there! The plan is to combine it with a research facility, and also power the whole thing using solar panels and its own turbines and “underwater trickle-charge generators”.

It sounds a bit science fiction-like and reactions have been mixed. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority have apparently given it their support, but local dive operators are more skeptical. And while in theory we love the idea of an underwater bedroom, we’d rather make sure the reef was still there for future generations to enjoy.

(Source) Hotel Chatter

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There are a lot of things left unanswered as far as our future is concerned and a lot of it has to do with where we will find ourselves in the course of time. One thing we have to note is that global warming and eco-friendly issues will be beside us all the way and with that in mind, we cannot help but think what companies such as Sony will have for us by that time.

Sony can help us get a glimpse of things to come and they are showing this to us with this video that gives us highlights of the future. Take a look at this video so that you will have an idea on whether to look forward to the future or simply keep on wondering what we have in a couple of years ahead of us.

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Apparently, we are all caught in a world where our current situations are hard to cope up with. We have been advised to consider an eco-friendly lifestyle but apparently most of us are not well-versed on how to go about it. We know of a few but the real problem here lies in the fact that we have to approach eco-friendliness as a whole.

Here are some eco-friendly home tips you can follow:

1. Schedule an annual routine checkup for your heating and cooling equipment to keep the system running as efficiently as possible, and check the air filter each month to see if it needs to be replaced.
2. Seal cracks around windows and doors with caulk or weather stripping to prevent conditioned air from escaping.
3. Install a programmable thermostat to adjust the temperature at certain times of the day, automatically regulating the temperature when you’re away.
4. Consider replacing an air conditioner that is more than 15 years old with a newer, more efficient model, such as the Dave Lennox Signature® Collection XC21 Air Conditioner, which is ENERGY STAR® qualified and may reduce annual energy bills by hundreds of dollars, compared to a standard air conditioner.
5. Add extra insulation to the attic, which will help prevent your home’s heating and cooling system from having to work harder to regulate the indoor temperature.
6. Request an independent indoor air quality test for your home from a qualified home heating and cooling professional to identify potential sources of indoor pollution and other contaminants, such as chemical vapors, and airborne particles like pollen, dust and pet dander.
7. Store common household chemicals and cleaning supplies in a tightly sealed container or outside of the home to reduce harmful vapors from spreading into the air you breathe.
8. Avoid burning incense and candles with lead-core wicks, which can release contaminants and potentially harmful chemicals into the air.
9. Decrease dust and dirt in the home by cleaning with nontoxic, natural household cleaners, such as baking soda, cornstarch or white vinegar, and using a vacuum cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, which will trap small particles like dust that others recirculate back into the air.
10. Consider using a whole-home air purification system, such as the Lennox PureAir system or Healthy Climate 16 media filter, which is installed into your home’s heating and cooling ductwork. These systems are much more effective at eliminating airborne contaminants than portable room air cleaners and don’t produce ozone, which is a known lung irritant.

(Source) Hints for Home Owners

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Taking her cue from other actresses such as Julia Roberts on how to live green, Jennifer Anniston has taken a giant step towards living green. Aniston has reportedly had an eco-friendly home built in Malibu, California and from all indications she will be Roberts’ neighbor.

Her new home will boast a solar heating system, drought-resistant plants and organically-made building materials in addition to its ocean view.
A source tells U.S. magazine Star, “Jen (Aniston) wants to help the environment and she has the money.”

(Source) PR-Inside

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In our homes, we rarely even give room dividers much importance. They can become useful at times especially if you need to talk to someone in private or get some privacy to thing or get some work done at times.

But while there are many room dividers in the world today, there are eco-friendly room dividers such as this one made via bamboo screens.

Regardless of the size of your living space, privacy and separation can be hard to come by. Most of us need to utilize every inch of our home, but dividing it into workable rooms without adding walls can be overwhelming.

(Source) Pure Contemporary

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