pinspiration…
keeping track of what you love

Go ahead, create an outdoor “room” to enjoy the beautiful weather! Don’t forget to light it up for parties that go on into the night.

Source: indulgy.com via Bambeco on Pinterest

 

 

Inspiration! It’s the heart of any decorating project, whether you’re just updating your space, doing a complete overhaul or starting from scratch. That vision you have of your dream home, the picture of your perfect room, they keep us focused and help guide our decisions in the design and décor process. In years past, getting inspiring images meant clipping out magazine pages, and later, saving digital images into a file on your computer. Now, you can easily collect, save and access your inspirational images from any digital device. Oh yes, we love Pinterest!

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10 tips to reduce waste…
throwing less away

reduce Waste

Our landfills are filling at rates faster than any of us care to think, and sadly, trash floating in the oceans and waterways is becoming an even bigger problem. Reducing waste is high on everyone’s priority list, and we’re all familiar with giving up our plastic grocery bags in favor of reusable ones. Continue reading

it’s fiesta time…
stir up the best margaritas ever

Margaritas

It’s fiesta time! Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner and with it comes the celebration of all things Mexican. It’s a perfect kick off to the grilling season and a way to welcome in sunnier, warmer days and longer nights. Fire up the grill and stir up a pitcher of these perfect margaritas – they’re so good you’ll never go back to those frozen things again and they’re as easy as three-two-one! Choose locally produced, organic ingredients for the greenest drink possible. Continue reading

clean oceans…
one step at a time

Save Oceans

Our oceans are a vital part of a healthy eco-system, and every little step we take towards a greener lifestyle is a step toward cleaner oceans. We’ve put together a top-ten list of things you can do to help keep our oceans cleaner and our earth greener.

  1. Vote
    Contact your representatives from local to national levels and let them know how important good ocean policy is to you. Exercise your right to vote and stay involved all year long.
  2. Eat sustainable seafood
    Keep up to date on sustainable seafood (there’s an app for that!) and ask questions at restaurants and the fish market. Look for terms like “line caught”, “diver caught”, “sustainably caught” or “sustainably harvested”.
  3. Reduce plastic throw-aways
    Plastic debris in the ocean degrades marine habitats, and because floating debris often resembles food, it can cause choking or malnutrition in marine birds, sea turtles and marine mammals. Switch to reusable plastics, give up the plastic grocery bags and keep plastics out of the waste stream.
  4. Pick up trash
    That plastic debris comes from somewhere, and most of it washes into the ocean as litter from beaches or upstream in rivers. If you spend a day at the shore, or along the banks, bring along a trash bag and contribute to the clean-up efforts.
  5. Reduce energy use
    Carbon dioxide has a negative impact on our oceans, making them more acidic, reducing coral growth and more. Take steps to reduce your carbon footprint.
  6. Handle with care
    Don’t toss hazardous materials into the trash. Things like motor oil, batteries and other hazardous waste need to be disposed of properly to avoid polluting the waterways.
  7. Fertilize less
    Fertilizers are picked up by rain water and carried downstream, eventually finding their way into the ocean, resulting in areas of low oxygen levels in the water. Reduce your fertilizer use, and switch to more environmentally friendly fertilizer choices (like compost).
  8. Buy ocean friendly
    Choose sustainable products – they’re good for the entire eco-system, including our oceans. Using your consumer power is one sure way to have big impact on global practices.
  9. Tell a friend
    Spread the word, the more people who are doing the same things, the greater the positive impact will be.
  10. Join an ocean-focused organization
    Oceana is the largest international organization focused 100% on ocean conservation. Also look to local groups like the Waterkeeper Alliance.

every day is Earth Day!

Earth Day

It’s Earth Day! And we’re celebrating!

Earth Day is extra special to us because it’s our anniversary! To celebrate, we gave away a pair Adirondack Chairs and matching Ottomans, it’s on our Facebook page, check it out! Then go take a look at what else is new and cool around here.

Since the first Earth Day was held in 1970, it’s gone from a nationwide petition to put environmental issues on the political agenda into a globally celebrated annual event to raise awareness and participation in environmental causes. How can you be part of the Billion Acts of Green? We’ve got some ideas, and they’re simple!

  • Plant a tree – in your yard, or as part of a community restoration project. It’s fun and good for the planet!
  • Attract wildlife – plant flowers that attract butterflies and birds, use beneficial bugs instead of pesticides to make a healthier garden and put out hummingbird feeders and seed feeders.
  • Step up your recycling – visit a local recycling center and find out what you can do to improve your recycling prowess.
  • Switch to CFL bulbs, and if you’ve already done that, consider LED bulbs. Both burn cooloer, longer and with less energy use than incandescents.
  • Plant a veggie garden – it’s the perfect time to get growing. Consider raised beds, containers or even a rooftop garden if you lack yard space.
  • Compost – if you’ve got any yard at all, you’ll cherish the end result, and even if you don’t, many community garden centers will happily take it off your hands. And it keeps food scraps out of the landfills!
  • Carry a trash bag – any time you go to a local park, beach or outdoor space, bring along a small trash bag and pick up whatever you can. Litter detracts from the natural beauty and it’s bad for the environment and wildlife.
  • Lend a hand – look around for a local group that’s doing something positive and get involved. Help clean up a stream, plant some trees, work in a garden center, volunteer at a shelter, whatever sounds awesome to you.
  • Go meatless – take the Meatless Monday challenge, and take steps to transform the rest of your week into healthy, organic, locally-grown meals as much as possible. You’ll be surprised at how much better seasonal tastes!

 

 

 

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