I’ve always coveted a modern, stainless steel fireplace. Not that traditional brick and stacked stone fireplaces aren’t beautiful. They’re just not me. So if and when I ever decide to get one, I’m happy to hear from the team over at Alternative Consumer that EcoSmart fireplaces now qualify for federal tax credits for energy efficiency. Any consumer in the U.S. who purchases (or has purchased) an EcoSmart fireplace between 1/1/2009 and 12/31/2010 can receive a tax credit of 30% of the purchase price up to $1500. Sounds like a win/win situation to me! You get a beautiful, energy-efficient, clean-burning fireplace, and you get a decent chunk of your money back. Learn more about the tax credit here.
by jennae on April 27, 2009
Spring is a rough season for me. In addition to the annual spring cleaning (which is actually the easy part), I get the unshakable desire to change everything around me. I want to strip the beds and replace the linens with something fresh and lively and slap a new coat of paint on the walls. But because our budget and our living situation don’t warrant any major changes, I have had to be creative about finding ways to refresh our space without spending much money. A simple solution: Find an inexpensive vase, or make one from an empty glass bottle, and add flowers.
by jennae on March 9, 2009
Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about simple ways to help my readers save money, and I started by thinking about the things we’ve implemented to save energy and other resources. One of the things we do is very simple. There are 2 light fixtures in the kitchen: a single-bulb fixture and a five-arm chandelier over the dining table.
We rarely, if ever, use the chandelier, because it takes a lot more electricity to power five chandelier bulbs than it takes to power one compact fluorescent lightbulb. So that got me thinking. Why not just replace the chandelier with a more modern, updated fixture that requires only one bulb, preferably a CFL?
by jennae on September 26, 2008
As the green culture grows and becomes more desirable, more retailers and manufacturers are adding eco-friendly products to their offerings. However, there are a few companies that stand out from the crowd — some because they started with a green foundation, and others because they offer sustainable products with the same zest and prominence as their more traditional offerings. Here are my picks for the top 10 online retailers for eco-friendly home decor:
by jennae on August 5, 2008
Today, Green Your Decor has a guest post from a woman who I consider to be one of my eco-design heroes (or heroines), Kelly LaPlante. She is a leading eco-designer who has been demonstrating for nearly 10 years that “green” can be the rule, rather than the exception. Her showroom in Venice Beach, CA features vintage, antique and sustainable-new furnishings including LaPlante’s line of soy candles and her new studio collection, jak. She is currently appearing as an expert on TV shows including Discovery Home Channel’s “Greenovate” and Sundance Channel’s “Big Ideas for a Small Planet.” LaPlante’s first book, écologique, was released on July 1st to amazing reviews, and a giveaway of the book is included below, so keep reading!
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I’m Jennae Petersen, and I’m a lot of things. A mother, a graphic artist, a connosieur of beautiful interiors and a purveyor of all things design. Green Your Decor was borne of frustration in my attempts to find eco-friendly housewares that were also beautiful, and inspiration to do something to reduce my own carbon footprint and help others do the same in a beautiful way.
