Archive for recycled glass
Highlights of a Bridgid Coulter Green Home
Posted by: | CommentsThere are many celebrity projects that highlight green issues, including actress and interior designer Bridgid Coulter, longtime girlfriend of actor and environmental activist Don Cheadle. Coulter was recently featured on E! News for the Venice California green home she redesigned into an eco-friendly bungalow with many green living features and recycled materials. Bridgid Coulter is also known for her work on stage and screen, her credits include Rosewood, Class of ‘96 and Family Matters.
(Image Credit: bridgidcoulterdesign.com)
Coulter is a house flipper and also runs a boutique design studio, which is adjacent to her retail storefront. In her Santa Monica store, Bridgid Coulter Design, she features her signature line of textiles, pillows, eco candles and custom furniture; as well as other home accessories. Her longtime beau, Don Cheadle, is an UNEP Ambassador for the Environment, so being eco-friendly is something close to the couple’s heart.
The bungalow, originally built in 1953, was brought down to stud, and the debris was handled in a responsible and earth friendly manner. The eco design elements are evident in the great room (a combined living and dining room space) where all the light fixtures are made from recycled glass. The lights are also on dimmers, which not only allows you to add atmosphere to the room, but also helps control the heat in the room as well. The room also boasts an eco-designed fireplace, which runs on ethanol fuel. Ethanol is a clean burning fuel and the fireplace does not need ventilation to run. The fireplace is portable, so you could conceivably decide to move it into one of the bedroom easily.
The kitchen is outfitted with stainless steel Energy Star appliances. All the countertops are made of recycled glass, and the cabinets were made from FSC certified wood using green glue. Another feature of the house is that there is a water filtration system in the kitchen which eliminates the need for bottled water, a simple glass or reusable bottle can be filled from the tap.
The home office is filled with antique items. When you don’t buy brand new, you are reducing waste and decreasing the carbon cost of the items in your home. The new window shades were made locally in Los Angeles of all natural fiber. Coulter suggests buying local as it cuts down on shipping which further reduces the carbon footprint of the home.
The bedrooms are filled with repurposed furniture including an upcycled end table made of out old rubber tires. It’s unique pieces like this that add visual interest to a room while embracing green living ideals. The bathrooms tiles and sinks are made from recycled materials. The toilet has a fun eco feature because it’s dual flush, which means you choose from option one or two to use less water as the situation requires. Outside they planted greenery native to dessert temperatures, which means less watering. In LA, you would have to water frequently to keep greenery alive given the heat, so this is also a cost saving measure. Another great feature that the outside of the house boasts is the raised garden platforms, which were made out of the pallets that the siding was delivered in.
This million-dollar home is a shining example of a green home where a family can create many treasured memories. Kudos to Bridgid Coulter for green living designs at their best.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
The Patrón Spirits Company CSR Gives Back
Posted by: | CommentsMany companies have corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs; however, few have as many projects that help a wide range of charities as The Patrón Spirits Company does. Yes the makers of premium alcoholic beverages such as Patrón Tequila, Pyrat Rum, and Ultimat Vodka, are reaching out to the community and trying to make the world a better place.
At their core the company “believes in giving back and being sustainable. This is exemplified by only making Patrón bottles out of recycled glass and being involved in charities such as St. Bernard Project, Action Against Hunger, and Water Keeper Alliance.” The St. Bernard Project is a program that Patrón assists to help raise funds for the heavily affected area of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. This area has been deeply affected by the hurricanes that have ravaged the Golf Coast in recent years.
In addition to funding “teams of Patrón Spirits employees regularly donate their time to help rebuild homes in this community.” The fact that they also they also get their employees to volunteer demonstrates the strong corporate environment they are fostering. Patrón also assists the “Hand in Hand for Haiti project. The project’s goal is to build a hurricane-proof, anti-seismic, sustainable school complex that will offer accessible education from pre-school to secondary school, in Saint-Marc, Haiti, an area of great need.”
Patrón is doing more than just helping areas affected by natural disasters. “Through their global fundraising efforts on behalf of The Smile Train, they have enabled over a thousand cleft lip and palate surgeries for children across the world — giving them the opportunity for a new life.” “Ultimat, the ultra-premium vodka produced by Patrón Spirits, proudly supports the efforts of Action Against Hunger, a global humanitarian organization committed to ending world hunger. Through fundraising events and the sale of custom-created “I’m Tired of Hunger” bracelets and t-shirts, Ultimat vodka is deeply committed to raising awareness and funding for this very important cause.” Additionally, The Patrón Spirits Company also supports the Waterkeeper Alliance and Malaria No More, Miles To End Malaria.
On their webpage patronspirits.com you can watch videos and find out more about each program. There are links if you are interested in making a personal donation to any of these important causes. The Patrón Spirits Company recognizes that they provide a luxury product, and in these tough economic times, those who are able to afford these products may not be willing to pay such high prices. What makes the Patrón Spirits Company stand apart from their competitors is their commitment to making the world, and the environment a better place through extensive corporate social responsibility initiatives. We like to believe that in the age of the conscious consumer, people want to support companies that make a difference and stand for something. As you can see The Patrón Spirits Company has certainly exemplified being a socially responsible company.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
Yosemite National Park adds green store and hotel rooms
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Yosemite Falls
Sometimes we go about our daily business in such a routine manner that we forget to take the opportunity to see the beauty of nature that is all a around us. We commute, we work, we shop, we cook, we plan time with family and friends and we manage the endless list of tasks that life presents each of us with. We reward ourselves with a hobby or two and we hopefully we have time left over to support causes that we are passionate about. But do we take time to occasionally escape routines and the cities and towns that most of us live in and escape to somewhere we can just bask in nature? Whether you like the ocean, mountains, lakes, forests or prairie I think it can really recharge you to get away from the routines of work and responsibilities and be somewhere where you can marvel at the beauty of our planet. It also reiterates the importance of environmental issues, taking nature for granted is foolhardy in the extreme. We now see that the by product of the industrial revolution coupled with our continued quest for convenience and consumption has left wastage and pollution while destroying resources that took thousands of years to form in the first place. Writing this in the wake of events surrounding the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico makes me even more frustrated.
It is however gratifying that the last 40 years have showed an increased awareness unlike anything we’ve witnessed before in terms of environmental issues and the endorsement of ideas that can make a difference. These changes have snowballed in recent years with actions being taken by individuals, businesses and governments. The potential for real and lasting change has been realised and the continued efforts of so many at least offer cause for optimism in preserving the environment and our natural resources.
One of the most beautiful places I’ve seen in terms of (relatively) unspoiled nature is Yosemite National Park in California. The famed park covers some 750,000+ acres and while the vast majority of the land is designated as wilderness (over 95%) we still have to be concerned with the popularity of the park itself as some 3.7 million visitors visited in 2009. Its a truly majestic place with vistas that are just breathtaking and a sense of space and wild land that has to be experienced first hand. When I was there I noted that the park management were making a strong effort to preserve what makes it so special as recycling, general cleanliness and a committed diligence to keeping visitors in designated areas was noticed. Thus I was excited to read about some recent upgrades that further signal a commitment to keeping Yosemite green.
Ahwahnee Hotel
Yosemite Village is the key starting point when visiting the park and a new new, eco-friendly store called ‘Habitat’ has opened in the village. The 1,000-square-foot shop is a model design for creative green interior design and retail expertise combined. The entire store is unique, every display fixture is created out of recycled items used in the park. Instead of racks and legs, the shop displays are supported upon tall bales of recycled cardboard; the counter tops and display tables are made of recycled tires topped with recycled glass and reused shelving from the original Ahwahnee hotel kitchen; plus wood from a bar top was used to make the cash register counter. Its an ideal place to purchase eco-friendly products too as items on offer include; glassware from recycled bottles of wine, jewelry constructed from recycled metals or paper, and eco-designed purses that formerly lived as computer keyboards, tires or soda-can pop-tops.
Nearby an ideal place to stay is the Yosemite Lodge at The Falls, which has just opened two brand new guest rooms that feature eco-friendly design ideas. If a success the rooms are a model for conversion at the rest of the resort. Featuring automatically controlled energy-saving cooling/ heating systems, insulation made from 85% recycled newspaper, toilets limited to just over 1 gallon per flush, and 100% organic-cotton sheets produced in a solar-powered factory.The management will be monitoring guest feedback to gauge the potential for making the other rooms incorporate the same changes. Keith Erikson, hotel general manager adds:
“A great deal of research and technology is integrated in these rooms, most of it working quietly just beneath the surface. Our guests won’t notice many of these elements, but when they cross the threshold and drop their bags, their rooms will be welcoming, comfortable, affordable and, we hope, inspiring”
If you ever have the opportunity I can’t recommend Yosemite highly enough, going back to everyday living afterward can be quite difficult after seeing such a lovely place but it can really remind you just why making an effort matters.
Tags: conservation, Eco Friendly, environmental issues, green building, green concerns, green hotel, green movement, habitat, national parks, organic cotton, planet forward, recycled glass, Recycling, water conservation, yosemite, Yosemite national park, yosemite village
