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Bamboo Flooring: Top 20 things homeowners should know before purchasing

October 7, 2008

For a long time now, I’ve been in love with the beauty of bamboo flooring.  The fact that it is considered “green” is another bonus.  Yet, I’ve heard many negative things about bamboo floors as well.  Hopefully the items listed below will help answer questions you may have and rectify any possible bamboo misconceptions as well.

  • Though bamboo flooring is categorized with wood floors, it is actually a grass.
  • Bamboo flooring is considered ’green’ because of its ability to rapidly regenerate.
  • Just because bamboo itself is ‘green’ doesn’t mean that your floor is green.  Has a forest disappeared because it was cleared for the growing of bamboo?  Have panda bears relocated because of the harvesting of the manufacturer’s bamboo?
  • Ask yourself how ‘green’ you and your pocketbook are willing to go.  Check with a manufacturer and do your homework to make sure you’re getting the “green grade” you desire.  Make sure you know what you’re getting before you pay a “great deal” for it.

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Written by Katrina Berg · Filed Under Featured Articles, Flooring, Kitchens · 3 Comments 



Brilliant recycled glass tile from modwalls

September 28, 2008

We had the pleasure of meeting with Sarah Graves from modwalls at the West Coast Green show this week.  Modwalls is a a manufacturer of recycled glass tile, located in Scott’s Valley, CA.

modwalls just announced the availability of their Viridian recycled glass mosaic tile modwall glass tile.  The Viridian line is SCS Certified for a minimum of 98% pre-consumer recycled content.  Contents include old windows and windshields.  The Viridian recycled glass tile series comes in two lines: Viridian Pearl & Viridian Industrial.

Viridian Pearl Viridian Pearl Series recycled glass tile consists of 1″ tiles that carry an iridescent sheen.  The display at the show was beautiful.  The tiles are attached to mesh, and carry a price tag of Read more

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Written by David Putnam · Filed Under Bathrooms, Featured Articles, Flooring · Leave a Comment 

Dimmable Flourescent bulbs from Lithonia Lighting and Lighting Concepts

September 26, 2008

light color flourescent

At West Coast Green this week, Light Concepts is showcasing the L7XFD: a dimmable, 6″ fluorescent recessed downlighting fixture. The latest innovation in recessed downlighting offers the energy savings and lamp life of a fluorescent fixture, and delivering that in a dimmable fixture.  We are told this product is now available and retailing for <$100 per can.

According to the company, the L7XF dimmable is compatible with almost any dimmer switch and boasts a wide selection of trims. ENERGY STAR qualified and Title 24 compliant, Lighting Concepts says homeowners can save $100 against its incandescent counterpart, based on operating three hours per day at $0.10 per KwH over the life of the fluorescent versus incandescent bulb.

The company is also showing seven other fixtures for the decorative fluorescent market, including award-winning Elliptis and Izoro winners of the ALA Lighting for Tomorrow award in 2007 and 2008, respectively.  The products can be purchased on Read more

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Written by GetGreen · Filed Under Featured Articles, Kitchens, Lighting · Leave a Comment 



Are you taking advantage of refrigerator & freezer recycle rebates?

September 18, 2008

As you are demo’ing your house in preparation for your remodel, stop before you take that used refrigerator or freezer to the dump! There are organizations that will haul away your refrigerator or freezer, pay you a rebate, and then recycle it!

Southern California Edison (SCE) is one such organization. They will pay you to recycle your old refrigerator or freezer. You will receive a $50 check for that working refrigerator or freezer. And, by swapping your old appliances with new, energy-efficient ones or disposing of a spare unit, you can save up to $292 per year on your energy bill says SCE (savings based on 2006, assuming average use and conditions. Actual savings may vary according to SCE).

To be eligible, you must be an SCE customer. The appliance must be picked up at your SCE service address. The appliance must be in working condition at the time of pick up. The size of the appliance must be between 10-27 cubic feet.

Check your local utility for similar rebate and recycle programs for appliances, such as refrigerators and freezers!

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Written by David Putnam · Filed Under Appliances, Featured Articles, Rebates · 1 Comment 

Green flooring options, watch and learn about eco-friendly products

September 17, 2008

Looking for eco-friendly flooring options for your home?  We’ve talked carpet, Marmoleum, bamboo, concrete and more here on GetWithGreen.com.  The team at Designing Spaces produced this nice nine minute video on options that you can consider for your remodel.  Watch and learn about lifespan, recycling, and installation.

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Written by GetGreen · Filed Under Featured Articles, Flooring · Leave a Comment 

Tankless water heater for your remodel? 7 things to consider.

August 31, 2008

So you say you want to go “tankless” for your water heating needs?  Let’s get started!  There are at least 7 different well marketed tankless water heater manufacturers on the market to choose from, and many more lesser known.

You will quickly find that each manufacturer has at least 7 models (often double that).  Tankless water heaters for indoor installation…tankless water heaters for outdoor installation…tankless water heaters for commercial use…tankless water heaters for residential…gas…electric…   Before your head explodes while doing research, it is not really that hard.   Gary Gudbranson from Cottage on the Edge breaks down 6 Criteria for Selecting a Tankless Water Heater, and we’ve added one more here at GetWithGreen:

7 Criteria for Selecting a Tankless Water Heater

  1. Determine your Hot Water Requirement (flow rate and simultaneous users)
  2. Single Application, or supply for the Entire house.
  3. Powered by Electricity or Gas
  4. If Gas, Propane or Natural
  5. Indoor or Outdoor Installation Location (Venting Configuration)
  6. Venting Location
  7. Read more about Tankless on GetWithGreen (see links below)

Gary goes into details for all of the above in his article.  It’s a quick read that will help you during your investigation.  Take a look.

More on Tankless Water Heaters from GetWithGreen.com:

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Written by GetGreen · Filed Under Featured Articles, Water & Heaters · 1 Comment 

Your home network will need a Wireless Router, Linksys gets eco-friendly

August 26, 2008

linksys green router eco-friendly energy starToday Linksys (a division of Cisco) announced that they are jumping on the greener bandwagon with the delivery of eco-friendly packaging around their home networking gear, as well as ENERGY STAR compliance for some of their router products. 

Just about every one of us homeowners will put in a new network during our remodel.  On the list will likely be a wireless router.  As you are looking, look harder at those manufacturers who are doing just a bit more like this.  

So what is so “green” about the Linksys packaging:

  1. Linksys has removed the “sleeve” (outer packaging that contains all the printing and information about the product).  Instead of having a “sleeve,” Linksys plans to print all the information on the box itself, eliminating the Read more
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    Written by GetGreen · Filed Under Audio / Visual, Featured Articles · 1 Comment 

    Is it real green grass, or NewGrass? Consider a synthetic lawn.

    August 24, 2008

    newgrass artificial fake grassSeveral weeks ago, I was walking Magneson Loop (neighborhood street near my home), and the green grass of a charming little bungalow caught my eye. The lawn was perfectly groomed as if cut by artists with scissors.

    After further close inspection, I determined that the lawn was actually synthetic grass! While GetWithGreen hears of these products often from manufacturers, this was my first real life experience with this type of eco-friendly product, and from a distance greater than two feet I could not tell the difference between this artificial sod and traditional sod.

    According to the Association of Artificial & Synthetic Grass Installers, homeowners installing artificial lawns reap the following benefits: