Rich's for the Home

Meet the Founder of Lopi Stoves at Rich’s This Weekend

Thirty-one years ago, a young rock ‘n roll drummer named Kurt Rumens began selling wood stoves so he could pay for gas to drive his band to gigs.

Kurt examined the stoves he was selling and thought, “These stoves need heavier steel. They need to burn more efficiently. And they need to be prettier.”

He decided to do something about it. Kurt and his friend, Dick Miller founded their own stove company, Lopi Stoves, in the garage of Kurt’s Bellevue home.

Today, as president of Travis Industries, Kurt is still actively involved in the design and production of every Lopi Stove. Along with the Lopi brand, Travis Industries manufactures three additional brands: Avalon, Fireplace Xtrordinair,  and Tempest Torch Gas Lamps.

   

This coming weekend, you have the opportunity to meet this vibrant man who truly loves creating wood, pellet, and gas stoves, fireplaces, and fireplace inserts. Kurt will be at Rich’s Lynnwood store Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October 23 from noon to 3 PM. He’ll be talking about breakthrough technologies in stoves and sharing other interesting and fun facts about stoves.

Factory Direct Sale

Rich’s is also hosting a factory direct sale this week, featuring products manufactured at Travis Industries. Contact a sales associate at any of Rich's 5 Puget Sound showrooms in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Tacoma, Southcenter, and Silverdale for details about the sale.

Travis House of Fire Tour

In addition to meeting Kurt Rumens at Rich’s, you can tour the Travis Industries factory, a sprawling 11-acre facility in Mukilteo. The House of Fire Factory Tour is free and open to everyone who’s interested (Note: Please no children under the age of 8 years old). Registration is required for tour entry – just ask any Rich’s sales associate to help you register for a tour.

More About Kurt Rumens and Travis Industries

The following posts from our blog will help you get to know Kurt Rumens better, and will give you a preview of what you’ll experience during your tour of Travis Industries.

1. A Man Who Loves Fire: Kurt Rumens, Founder of Lopi Stoves
2. Take This Hot Factory Tour – You Won’t Regret It
3. Travis House of Fire Factory Tour Gets Rave Reviews from Rich's Customers

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Visit  Rich's

For more details about our products and for directions to our five Puget Sound showrooms, visit Rich's website, richshome.com

3 Important Factors to Consider When Choosing a Wood Stove for your Home

Shopping for a wood stove can be mind-boggling, especially since there are so many styles to choose from. With assistance from our friends at Morso, we’ve prepared a checklist to help you shop for the stove that best meets your needs.

1.  How do you plan to use your stove?

Wood stoves are typically used for zone heating – that is, for heating a particular area or “zone” of your home. Stoves are excellent for supplementing your existing heating system, and may help you cut back on oil, gas, or electric energy consumption.

And here in the Puget Sound area, where our weather is mild year-round, you can often use a wood stove as the sole source of heat for your home.

2.  What is your inside temperature preference?

If your home is well-insulated and your windows and doors are weatherproofed and have good seals, a wood stove that cranks out less heat may be just the ticket.

This may vary depending on how well insulated your home is and the quantity and quality of windows and doors, affect the inside temperature in your home and energy consumption. 

3.  How much area do you want to heat?

1000-1200 sq. ft.

A small stove is ideal for heating smaller areas such as living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, and seasonal cabins or cottages.

Larger homes with central heating can also benefit from a small wood stove for zone heating purposes. 

1200-2000 sq. ft.

A medium stove is ideal for heating older small homes and medium-sized energy-efficient homes. They also work well in 4-season cottages and cabins.

2000+ sq. ft.

A large wood stove is ideal for heating large, open plan homes or older, drafty, medium-sized houses in colder climates.

Our friends at Morso (renowned for their high-performance, Scandinavian designed cast-iron stoves), shared a YouTube video that walks you through the ins and outs of choosing a wood stove:

Related articles:

• Morso European-style wood stoves: Where "green" is a way of life 
• The Advantages of Zone Heating Over Central Heating

Visit Rich's

Stop by any of Rich's 5 Puget Sound showrooms in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Tacoma, Southcenter, and Silverdale and ask to see our full line of wood, pellet, and gas stoves.

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How to Make Your Own Soda from Home

I’m always on the hunt for unique, affordable gifts for graduations, weddings, Father’s Day, and birthdays. I recently discovered the SodaStream at Rich’s. These sleek, stylish machines turn tap water into sparkling water or soda in seconds.

Here’s what sold me on the SodaStream: Once you make the initial investment of $99 for the Genesis Bundle Kit, plus purchase syrup flavors (each concentrated bottle makes the equivalent of 33 cans of soda), you’re set. This baby doesn’t even use electricity!

If you drink a lot of sparkling water or soda, you’ll definitely save a ton of money over the long haul; the folks at SodaStream estimate their concoctions cost 25 cents per 12-ounce can of soda or 25 cents per liter of sparkling water.

How it Works

Fill SodaStream’s carbonating bottle with tap water. Secure it to your soda maker. Then press the carbonating button a few times to add the fizz. Presto! Sparkling water.

If you want soda, add a capful of the concentrated sodamix to the carbonating bottle and shake gently.

30+ Flavors

SodaStream offers more than 30 soda flavors. Each 16.9 ounce bottle of concentrated sodamix syrup costs about $4.99 at Rich’s. 

Here are a few flavors that caught my eye:

• Regular Soda – 16 flavors, including Cola, Cherry Cola, Lemon Lime, Root Beer, Dr. Pete, Cream Soda…
• Diet Soda – 16 flavors, including Diet Caffeine-Free Cola, Cola Free, Diet Orange, Diet Pink Grapefruit…
• Energy Drink – Regular and Diet
• MyWater – Unsweetened, all-natural flavor essences, including Lemon-Lime, Orange, Raspberry, and Mint
• Sparkling Naturals – 9 flavors, including Apple Mango, Black Currant and Pear, Green Tea, Orange Pineapple
• Sparkling Water – Basic soda water, club soda, or seltzer.
• Sparkling Teas – 8 flavors, including Mixed Berry, Pomegranate Peach, Lemon, and two diet flavors

Carbonating Bottles

These specially designed, high pressure-resistant bottles are BPA-free and may be reused for up to two years. The glass carafes included with the Penguin soda maker may be used indefinitely, with proper care. Every SodaStream bottle and carafe comes with a fizz-preserving cap that helps to keep drinks fresh and fizzy longer than store-bought bottles.

Speaking of Fizz…


SodaStream Carbonators are made of lightweight aluminum and come in two sizes, to make up to 60 or 130 liters of soda or sparkling water per carbonator. A full, licensed CO2 carbonator is included with the purchase of every SodaStream soda maker kit. I recommend investing in a spare CO2, which costs $24.99 at Rich’s.

SodaStream takes back the empty cylinders to be cleaned, inspected, refilled and reused. Carbonators may be exchanged online, or at select SodaStream authorized retailers.

Raves about SodaStream

Rich’s customer, Brenna Douglas, posted this on our Facebook page:

"We just love our SodaStream that we got at Rich's. Thank you for having all the refills and flavors. We now have so much less recycling and save money!!"

  Share Your SodaStream Thoughts on Facebook

Do you have a SodaStream? What do you think of it? Tell us about it at Rich's Facebook page. Hope you’ll “like” us, and encourage your Facebook friends to join us, too.

Visit Rich's

Stop by one of our five Puget Sound showrooms and ask to see the SodaStream. Rich's is located in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Tacoma, Southcenter, and Silverdale.

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Hardwood Furniture from Jensen Leisure: Perfect Indoors and Outdoors (Slideshow)

I love furniture that functions equally well in my living room and on my patio. So it’s no surprise that I’m enthralled with Jensen Leisure furniture. Not only is their furniture sturdy and finely crafted, it’s beautiful to look at and it’s comfortable!

Furniture from Jensen Leisure is constructed from a fine-grained, buttery-smooth hardwood called Ipé (EE-pay), from the tropical forests of Bolivia.

Here’s a slideshow I created, which includes images from the Jensen Leisure catalog as well as several I snapped with my camera as I strolled around the Rich’s showroom. (My pictures aren’t nearly as pretty as the ones from the catalog, but they will give you an idea of some of the displays in Rich’s showrooms.)

Environmentally-Friendly Furnishings

There’s a “green” story behind this incredibly strong, durable wood. Ipé timber comes from the Chiquitania forest reserve in Eastern Bolivia. Because of the nature of tropical dry forest, trees there grow very slowly. Consequently, some of the world's strongest and most durable woods come from the Chiquitania forest.

From an environmental standpoint, no product is more environmentally conscious than Ipé timber. All wood used in the manufacturing of Jensen Leisure Furniture is Forest Stewardship Council-certified, which means that the FSC can track a piece of furniture all the way back to the original tree it was cut from. A hectare of forest is divided into 25 sections and trees that heave reached 85-99% of their natural lifetime are selectively cut from one section.

Jensen uses the heart wood from Ipé trees (also known as Tajibo in Bolivia) in their furniture; other parts of the tree are used for flooring and plywood.

Ipé is chocolate-brown when new, and the sun transforms it to a silver patina. Because it is so dense, Ipé naturally resists splintering as well as rot, decay, insects, carpenter ants, mold, and even fire. Weather has little to no negative effect on Ipé, making it an ideal choice for Pacific Northwest outdoor rooms

See For Yourself

We’re devoting a huge amount of showroom floor space to Jensen Leisure furnishings this year so you can get ideas for how to pair seating, dining, and chat groups and see how they look with different fabrics.

New this year: The Opal Collection (pictured: Opal Lounge Group at Rich's), which can include the following pieces (mix-and-match!):

• Love Seat 
• Ottoman
• Lounge Chair
• Chat table
• Coffee table
• End table
• Oval extension dining table
• 7 ft. Dining table
• 6 ft. bench with armrests

Rich’s for the Home has been selling Jensen Leisure furniture for 20 years and is the exclusive dealer of Jensen Leisure’s Ipé furniture in the Greater Seattle area. Stop by any of Rich's five Puget Sound showrooms in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Southcenter, Tacoma, or Silverdale and say, "Show me the Ipé!"

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Avalon Cypress Gets New Bronze Finish

I’m having a hot flash!

Well, not a physical hot flash, but a metaphysical one. 

That’s because one of my favorite gas stoves, the Avalon Cypress, is going to the prom, all decked out in classy bronze.

The bronze high-temperature powder-coat finish is a new direction for Avalon, but one I’m predicting will be a “hot” improvement for the popular brand.

Last month on my blog, I showed you some videos of the Cypress -- a freestanding gas stove with a three-sided view of the fire. My favorite feature of the Cypress is its flexibility (who knew a stove could be flexible?).

Customize It!

You can customize the Cypress by choosing from three interior log and stone looks:

1. Detailed six-piece log set
2. Driftwood fire with glass floor media (Glass media comes with your choice of reflective Platinum, Bronze or Cobalt Blue colors)
3. River stones with glass floor media (pictured below). Glass media comes with your choice of reflective Platinum, Bronze or Cobalt Blue colors.

You can also customize the following elements:

1. A plain firebox or a reflective black enamel liner
2. Top vent or rear vent
3. Black metallic paint or the new bronze finish pictured above.

The GreenSmart operating system makes operating the Cypress easy and energy-efficient.

All About The Cypress

Read all about the Avalon Cypress in my blog post, "View the Fire in Your Stove from Anywhere in the Room."

See the Cypress in Action

To test-drive the Cypress gas freestanding stove, stop by any of Rich's Puget Sound showrooms in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Southcenter, Tacoma, or Silverdale.

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The Best Blog Posts About Fireplaces, Hot Tubs, Grills and Outdoor Furniture

We’re so grateful that you’ve chosen to spend time reading Rich’s blog; our goal is to provide you with the best information about stoves and fireplaces, hot tubs and spas, outdoor grills and patio furniture.

Here’s a look back at some of our most popular articles during 2010, organized by category:

Stoves, Fireplaces, and Inserts

The Advantages of Zone Heating Over Central Heating

How to Choose the Correct Wood Stove Size for Your Home

Morso European-Style Wood Stoves: Where “Green” is a Way of Life

Heritage Pellet Stove: The Prettiest Pellet Stove in Town

A Greener Way to Heat Your Home

Illuminations: The Most Romantic Fireplace Ever

Hot Tubs/Spas

Hot Tub and Spa Safety Tips

How to Shop for a Hot Tub or Spa Cover

How to Turn Your Hot Tub into a Salt Water Spa

Clearwater Spas: Committed to Energy-Efficiency


Outdoor Grills

How to Clean Your Outdoor Grill

Pellet Grills: Sophisticated, Energy-Efficient, and Easy to Use

Lump Charcoal vs. Briquettes: Which is Better for Grilling?

Consumer Reports Gives Weber Genesis Grill Top Marks

Recipes for the Grill 

Delicious Grilling Recipes from Traeger

Beer Butt Chicken Recipe for the Big Green Egg

Molten Chocolate Cake Recipe for the Big Green Egg

Outdoor Furniture

How to Choose Outdoor Furniture that’s Best for the Northwest

Ipé: Truly Sustainable Furniture

Stay Toasty Year-Round with an Outdoor Heater

Contemporary Wicker Furniture from Ebel

The Latest Wrought Iron Furniture from O.W. Lee

Join Us in 2011

You won’t want to miss a single blog post in 2011. Subscribe to our blog via your feed reader or receive our latest posts in your e-mail Inbox. Simply click “Subscribe to this blog’s feed” or fill out the form located in the righthand sidebar of our blog.

We also provide daily tips and Internet-only specials on our Facebook page. Hope you’ll “like” us, and encourage your Facebook friends to join us, too.

Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2011, from all of us at Rich's!

Rich’s for the Home has five giant showrooms in Bellevue, Tacoma, Silverdale, Lynnwood, and Southcenter. Our displays are designed to give you ideas, inspiration, and to open your eyes to possibilities for your home. Come see us!

$1500 Wood Stove Tax Credit Good Through End of 2010

I’ve been hearing Christmas carols on the radio and TV for the past week. Although it irritates me that they’re playing them before Thanksgiving, those jingle bells remind me that it’s time to begin making my list and checking it twice.

If you’re looking for a big ticket item  (for yourself or a loved one), consider an energy-efficient wood burning or pellet stove, fireplace, or fireplace insert.

Here’s the good news: you can claim a tax credit of up to $1500 on your 2010 federal income taxes on a 75 percent-efficient biomass stove purchased by December 31, 2010.

The tax credit can be used for the purchase and installation of the stove, venting, and hearthpads, and is good on all stove and fireplace brands Rich’s for the Home carries, including Lopi, Hearthstone, Avalon, Morso, and Harman.

Here’s how the tax credit works:

1. When you purchase an energy-efficient stove, fireplace, or fireplace insert, you’ll receive certification that the product qualifies for the tax credit.
2. You can claim a 30 percent tax credit on your federal income tax return. The credit either increases your tax refund or decreases your tax bill, dollar-for-dollar.

There are two fantastic benefits of heating with biomass:

1. Lower heating costs – Wood and pellet prices fluctuate less than propane, oil, and natural gas.
2. ‘Green’ heating – Wood and pellet fuel is a carbon-neutral, renewable resource. Today’s stoves  produce more heat with less wood and are clean-burning, with less ash and minimal outside air emissions. They eliminate 75 percent of the carbon emissions associated with fossil fuel burning.

Be sure to stop by any of Rich’s 5 Puget Sound showrooms TODAY – you can save up to half off the Northwest's largest selection of name brand fireplaces, stoves, and inserts (including Lopi) during our Factory Direct blowout sale (ends 11-8-10).

Plus, when you buy any fireplace or stove at Rich’s, we’ll send you $250 in bonus gift cards as our thank-you (available to followers of Rich's blog, Facebook, and Twitter).  

For complete details about the tax credit:

• IRS Notice 2009-53, Non-business Energy Property
• Hearth, Patio & Barbeque Association (HPBA)

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How to Have an Eco-Friendly 4th of July

This 4th of July, why not go "green" with your celebration? Here's how:

1.  Get crafty.

Ask your guests to bring a box of stuff they'd normally throw away. You supply hammers, nails, glue etc. Set everything out on a table and have everyone craft their own wind-chime or garden sign.

2.  Choose local, organic foods whenever possible.

Turn a visit to an organic farm into a party. Don't be shy about asking the farmer for ideas and recipes.

3.  Focus on no-cost fun, including old-fashioned games.

Set up an obstacle course or relay races that you adapt according to participants' ages. More games.

4.  If you're seriously into eco-friendly, ditch the personal fireworks as they are anything but.

Also, it is more environmentally friendly for thousands of people to attend a big display versus setting off your own fireworks.

5.  Don’t waste food.

If you have leftovers, send them with people who will eat them. Put them in containers with lids versus plastic baggies. If you don’t want to send your good leftover dishes, buy disposable that can be washed and re-used.

6.  Recycle any waste that is left over.

Put veggie and fruit scraps in the compost bin. Recycle aluminum cans and anything plastic or glass.

7.  Walk to your local parade and fireworks instead of using your car.

That will make even parking a breeze. Or ride your bikes and get good exercise too.

8.  Proudly wear a green tee shirt to any gatherings.

How about “I’m celebrating with Red, White and Green?”

Thanks to CelebrateGreen for a couple of the above ideas.

How to Plan an Earth-friendly Summer Celebration

For most Americans, July 4th marks the official start of summer and that means family and friends gathering together enjoying each other at picnics and barbecues. But all this celebrating can take a toll on the Earth (and cost a lot of green as well), so why not consider some alternatives to the ways we've traditionally celebrated summer? Here are just a few ideas:

Serve filtered tap water. It's so easy to hit one of the big box stores and pick up cartons of water if you're hosting a picnic or barbecue, but you can save money and the planet when you choose to drink and serve filtered tap water instead.

Knowing that bottled water (even by the case), is 240 to 10,000 times more expensive than tap water and that 40% of bottled water should be labeled tap water because that's what it is, you may decide that the "convenience" is simply not worth the cost. Instead, set out pitchers of iced tap water and ask a willing helper to keep the pitchers full.

Substitute reusables for disposables when possible. Picnics and barbecues have become synonymous with throw aways--plates, cups, napkins, tablecloths and decor. While there are more choices for disposables made from recycled and biodegradable materials, using what you already own and remains a more earth-friendly (and budget-conscious) choice.

If you don't own enough plates and glasses, why not:

1. Borrow. Friends and neighbors are usually happy to contribute
2. Ask everyone to bring their own place settings. That's what people used to do B.P.P. (before paper plates).
3. Hit your local thrift store. You'll likely be able to pick up dozens of plates very inexpensively and when you're done, you can donate them back.

When it comes to napkins, tablecloths and decor, think outside the paper box by decorating with items you already own, like sheets. Supply guests with red, white and blue fabric markers and set them loose. You'll end up with a unique table covering that you can use over and over again. Also, washcloths make great napkins and if they're stained with barbecue sauce, use them for rags.

--
Guest posters Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family. 

GreenSmart Lopi Stove

The Lopi website tells us that The Berkshire™ GreenSmart (GS) is the newest cast iron gas stove, and features the revolutionary GreenSmart system.

What is GreenSmart?

GreenSmart is a gas technology that is energy-efficient and saves on the usage of energy. In other words, it will reduce your energy bill but still keep you warm. I know that we can all use a little (or a lot) of that.

"The real power of GreenSmart system is the entire collection of components, controls and technology features like: accent lights, flame adjustments, blower control and a choice of pilot ignition modes, a collection of features only available on GreenSmart models."

GreenSmart models even have a remote control with a "Smart Mode". It has the ability to adjust the flame height based on the temperature setting. Instead of turning the flame on or off, as many models do, the flame can modulate up/down slightly as needed. It prevents it from having to restart when it gets colder in the room so it both conserves fuel and increases the heating ability of the stove. 

Lopi reports that the GreenSmart Stove has a realistic wood-like flame. And "with the combination of convective heat, radiant heat and 31,000 maximum Btu heat output, this stove is ideal for mid-sized homes and for zonal heating large areas of your home."

Rich's for the Home cares about our environment just like you. We realize not only the importance of saving energy but also feel responsible to offer consumers choices that are eco-friendly, safe and smart.

Get smart. Get GreenSmart.

Backyard Halloween Activities

Here are some fun, backyard Halloween activities courtesy of Green Halloween.

• Dunk for apples or try to bite apples hanging from strings.
  
• Make recycled paper hats. Get patterns and add decorations as wanted.
  
• Put on a Halloween themed puppet show
  The kids can do the entire thing themselves including making the puppets and creating the story or you can read a book as they act out the story.
  
• Make a mural.
  Use a long sheet of tree-free or recycled paper and tape it to the floor or wall. Give kids some crayons and ask them all to draw some Halloween scenes. Then ask them about what they’ve drawn. Older kids enjoy this too. They can vote on the scene they like best and the winner can be given a prize. Check here for healthy art supplies.
  
• Build A Scarecrow
  Form groups and have a variety of old clothes, pillowcases for heads, markers and recycled newspaper. Groups have 20 minutes to create. Give prizes to the scariest or funniest, then place outside.
  
• Guess The Ghost - Great for Young Children
  Have one child leave the area. Then take a large sheet and have a different (child) stand and hide under the sheet. Mix up the remaining children in the room and then allow the child who left the room to come back inside. That child has to guess who's the ghost, by process of elimination they need to figure out which child is hiding under the sheet. Then that "Ghost" goes out of the room and a different child becomes the new ghost, mix up the remaining children and repeat until all of the children have had a turn being the ghost.

Tax Stove Credit Information

The Stove Tax Credit put into place by the Obama administration has been finalized and although there are some stipulations, it means that you can get up to 30% of your qualifying stove/fireplace purchase as a tax credit, up to $1,500.00.

What are you waiting for? It's an ideal time.

All the products from Lopi meet the qualifications. Here is a handy-dandy list of models just for you:

Lopi Wood Stoves:

Leyden

Answer

Republic 1250

Republic 1750

Endeavor

Liberty

Lopi Wood Stove Inserts:

Answer

Declaration

Revere

Freedom

Freedom Bay

Walden

Lopi Pellet Stoves:

Leyden

Pioneer

Yankee

Lopi Pellet Stove Inserts:

Pioneer Bay

Yankee Bay

Which grill is the best for the environment?

When it comes to being environmentally friendly, which grill is the best? There are so many options and you may be surprised as I was to learn that electric grills actually are the worst on our environment. According to US News and Oak Ridge National Laboratory: "A liquefied petroleum gas grill

operated for an hour would emit 5.6 pounds of carbon dioxide while a charcoal grill would emit about 11 pounds. An electric grill would account for about 15 pounds of carbon dioxide."

So that means that by using a gas grill, you can actually cut that carbon monoxide in half. That's a pretty good amount.

Rich's for the Home features a variety of gas grills for your choosing. Here are some of your options:

Lynx- Lynx professional grills are the best when it comes to presentation and built-in varieties. If you like to spend a lot of your time cooking outdoors and/or have regular get-together's than this is likely the best option for you.

Vermont Casting- Vermont Casting are cast iron and classic, although not classic-looking. Their durability is unmatched and works well especially for our NW weather.

DCS- DCS Grills offer a lot of variety in cooking styles from searing to smoking. Their stainless steel look blends in beautifully with most decor.

Broilmaster- The Broilmaster P3 was named the "Best All-Purpose" Grill by Money Magazine. They even have an online Build-a-Grill option where you can add all the features that you want.

Weber- The Weber EP-310 comes in three colors! They are green, black and copper--if you can call black a color. And of course, Weber is known for it's long-term committment to their customers and good, economical grills.

If you just have to grill, know that you are doing the best for your environment by using a gas grill.

Let's go shopping!

Gifts for the Mom who has everything

My parents announced a couple of years ago that they don't want anymore "stuff". I have tried to honor that, although it's hard at times. It's not that they already have everything-but they do feel that they have everything that they need-and I suppose as you age you think more about that phrase "you can't take it with you".

But with that announcement came a few healthy changes in our family. My mom loves to grow so for the past few Mother's Days I have either bought her a hanging flower basket or planted flowers for her. It's the perfect gift for her. Of course, I choose her favorite flowers, colors, etc.

Here are some hints to help you think of gifts this Mothers Day 09 for the mom who doesn't want more "stuff":

1. THINK DISPOSABLE- Don't think paper plates. But plants and flower are a great way to not accumulate more things. Flowers die off and only the vase or planter is left. A plant can be enjoyed and easily passed on.
2. THINK NATURAL- How about planting a flower bed or garden for your mom? And keep it cared for too. That is something that she will enjoy for months to come. Why not have her over for dinner and grill up her fave food? Or bake her fave dessert?
3. THINK ACTIVITY- Consider a gift certificate or gift card to a fave restaurant. We all need to eat. How about movie passes or admission to a fun museum, zoo, botanical garden or other destination? Maybe she would prefer a weekend away, or a night at that hotel she always talks about.
4. THINK ONLINE- There is so much available online that won't add to a collection of "stuff". There are memberships to cool organizations and causes. You can also register for many classes online, whether they are held online or off. Does she have an interest in finding old friends? Offer to help her set up a Facebook page. Does she care about certain charities? Donate some money to one of them in her name.

There are many creative options that won't add to "stuff". So make this Mother's Day the most creative one yet and give her something that she really wants. And feel good about it. She'll be happy and it will be a gift that won't add to our landfills someday.

Dressing up a flower box

A planter box of flowers can give your outdoor room the sprucing up that it needs for a spot of color or a whole new look. It refreshes the soul and is also good for nature. You can do it on a budget with a little bit of work.

The picture shown is an old grey wooden planter box that was falling apart in my storage shed. Once an item that I would have tossed, this year I looked at it with whole new eyes. With three nails and some leftover wood stain that I used last year for a coffee table, I spruced it back up.

Then I chose some fresh flowers (English Daisy) that I had never seen before that I found at my local nursery. I loved the colors and thought that they complimented the darker stain. I stuck with two colors of flowers, although a garden designer I know recommends three colors to a pot, and I love the resulting look. The pot matches my furniture and although I did not go as far as matching the flowers with the furniture cushions, they certainly compliment the full picture.

You can spruce up pots easily. Although wood is the easiest to do this with, you can also spruce up plastic pots with paint made to adhere to plastics. Krylon and Delta both make a paint for plastic and you can find them at most hardware-type stores.

Don't have a pot? Hit the garage and yard sales this season. Also try second-hand stores. It's both eco-friendly and budget-friendly to buy something that has already been used to fix up yourself.

Sustainable Furniture from Jensen Jarrah

According to Rain-Tree.com, the last of the remaining rainforests could be gone in less than 40 years.

By choosing outdoor furniture that is sustainable, you help prevent the loss of the shrinking rainforest. According to Low Impact Living, furniture-grade wood is often sourced from tropical rainforests. In addition, the energy needed to manufacture and transport non-sustainable furniture is great.

Rich’s for the Home offers Jensen Jarrah outdoor furniture, made from Jarrah timber, which is a durable and beautiful hardwood. Jarrah timber is sustainable and hails from southern Western Australia where less than 1 percent of the more than 6.25 million acres is currently being logged. Additionally, no timber is logged from old growth forests.

Since the timber is supplied from regrowth forests only, this means that it is more sustainable because harvesting will never exceed the regrowth. The harvesting of the Jarrah timber is regulated by the Western Australian government as well so many people are keeping an eye out for the impact.

Better Living Show

I just returned from the Better Living Show in Portland, OR and I am glad I went. I learned so much! The show was well-attended and the speakers and vendors were knowledgeable about sustainability and green issues.

A wonderful feature was a Good Energy House developed by Energy Trust of Oregon. I mean, WOW, it was cool. Each room was made to be energy smart and included assistance by many manufacturers to make that happen.

The home was very effective in showing people just how a whole home can be built or outfitted with our environment in mind. The comments of people around me were awe-inspiring as they discussed how they could make changes in their own homes.

The windows were Energy Star from Empire Pacific and faucets were Kohler Karbon ones from Keller Supply. Overall, over 100 vendors with energy-efficient and/or earth-friendly operations participated.

The office (at right) included:

1. Accessories from Mirador Community Store including a picture frame made from bike chain, recycled glass pen holder and more.
2. Kill a Watt Energy Computer Monitor from P3 International.
3. Energy Star Desk Lamp from Rejuvenation.
4. Energy Star Laptop, computer monitor and printer.
5. Bamboo Flooring from Interstate Flooring.
6. Furniture including Modern Cantilever Desk, Partitian  7.Shelves and more from The Joinery.
8. Paint from Benjamin Moore.
9. Power Strip Surge Protector from Smart Home USA.
10. Inner Asia Tibetan Wool Rug from Eclectic Home.
11. Recycled Wall Clock from Mirador Community Store.

The house also included a kitchen, living room, laundry room (with Energy Star appliances, tankless hot water heater and ventilation) and a porch and greenhouse.

It did not include a wood or pellet stove but as we all know, those can also be eco-friendly. In addition, I think that it could have really used an eco-friendly hot-tub from Clearwater Spas. Yes, I put a bug in their ears. Hopefully, they will listen.

Green Heat

Did you know that there are several organizations that have rating systems in place for green heating? Yes, it can get a bit confusing. I was happy to receive an article in my in-box that defined the differences between them. Here’s a recap for you:

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program was created by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which is committed to expanding sustainable building practices. Hearth products must not adversely affect indoor air quality to be approved for a LEED green building.

The REGREEN Residential Remodeling Guidelines were created by a partnership with the American Society of Interior Designers’ Foundation and the USGBC to develop best practice guidelines. REGREEN’s heat distribution option calls for space heaters, including hearth products, to heat additions, as opposed to running additional duct from a central heating system, which if run, could affect indoor air quality.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Cleaner Burning Wood Stoves and Fireplaces is the joint effort of the U.S. EPA and the hearth industry to educate consumers on clean burning gas, wood and pellet hearth appliances to heat their homes. The modern EPA-certified wood stoves, fireplaces and pellet stoves greatly reduce indoor and outdoor emissions.

The Energy Star program. ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that verifies and designates which products meet their strict energy efficient guidelines. Many hearth products meet these guidelines. 

The article goes on to note that a hearth appliance that burns without impacting indoor air quality and is vented to the outside will keep the “green” label on a green-built home. “In addition to meeting LEED and REGREEN Indoor Environmental Quality standards, today’s hearth appliances also burn more efficiently, reducing the toll on natural fuel sources, heating budgets and the outdoor environments.”

Rich’s for the Home believes like you do. Making a greener world is important and they have been involved since the beginning to help us all burn cleaner and better. Learn more about Rich’s today.

Portland Go Green Conference

On October 1, 2008 in Portland, there is a "Go Green" conference to assist businesses in becoming green. GoGreen’08 will be held at the Gerding Theater at The Armory in The Pearl District from 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Seattle does have a Green Festival each year. Last year’s was in April.

Here are the topics for Portland "Go Green":

• KEYNOTE by Sam Adams, Portland's New Mayor

• Portland's Best Sustainable Businesses Showcase: Live Case Studies; Learn from Portland's BEST Business Award Winners

• Special Lunch Session: Green Giant Award Presentation AND Speed Networking with Local Sustainable Business Resource Groups

• Green Marketing & Branding: How to Incorporate Sustainability Into Your Core Brand Values and Differentiate by Showcasing Sustainable Initiatives

• Sourcing and Manufacturing: Explore the Balance Between Sourcing Sustainably and Cost-Effectively

• Green Your Workplace: Implement Strategies to Create a More Sustainable and Efficient Workplace

• Employee Focus: Drive Green Brand Values Through Your Organization; Leverage For Recruiting and Retention

• Green ROI: Evaluate the Cost and Benefits of Your Green Initiatives with Focus on Cost Savings, Environmental Benefits and Brand Loyalty

• HOT Trends: The Latest Developments in Sustainable Ideas, Products and Services

• Consumer Insight and Behavior: Where Does the Sustainable Movement and the Consumer Really Intersect?

• Green Incentives: Discover Which Tax Credits, Discounts and Incentives are Available to Your Business

• Green Ink: Telling Your Sustainable Story to Reporters and Editors

• Funding & Expansion: Financial Options for Sustainable Local Business

Making a Home Environmentally Stable

Recently I met with Charlie Szoradi of Green and Save. He has been showcased on the cover of Inventor’s Digest for a heating and cooling system that is one of the most innovative "integrated" solar and dual fuel system available (SSI). He and his wife, Cynthia, have positively impacted our environment with an incredible project—they transformed a 1950’s 2-bedroom home into a 4-bedroom, environmentally stable home. It is powered completely with solar energy and has state-of-the-art recycled and energy-efficient appliances.

They incorporated material from the home that was already there. "We used old doors to make the cubbies in the mud room," Charlie says. "We used the old patio concrete pad as the backfill for landscape retaining walls and we cut down broken flagstone to use as new stepping stones and parts of the old wall as new landscaping borders."

They also incorporated recycled material. The Crown molding trim is from recycled composite plastic and saw dust, the ship’s ladder to the home office loft is from recycled aluminum and the carpet is from recycled fiber. "Overall," he adds. "By re-using and re-cycling you create less of a burden to use up the natural resources."

Setting out to change the mind-frame that "green" has to be expensive, Charlie and Cynthia discovered 60 ways to both implement environmentally friendly features and save money. In fact, they saved over $100,000.00 so far! Wow! Their goals were to:

1. Save Money – Reduced Electric and Gas Bills

2. Save Health – Less toxic environment

3. Save the Planet – Less wasted resources

For their outdoor rooms, the couple salvaged and restored furniture. They also purchased (and recommend) a stainless steel grill as it is the most durable and will last the longest. See Rich’s grills available.

Check out before and after photos and read about the green AND money-saving features that Charlie and Cynthia implemented. The house is completely gorgeous-inside and out. Enjoy!