Category Archives: Home Improvement & Decor

Suniva Powers Largest Utility Scale Solar Installation in Tennessee

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 16, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

NORCROSS, Ga.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Suniva, Inc., a U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells and modules, today announced that the 5 MW West Tennessee Solar Farm in Haywood County is Powered by Suniva™. Designed and built by Signal Energy, and managed by the University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF), the West Tennessee Solar Farm is the largest utility scale solar installation in Tennessee and one of the largest installations in the Southeast United States. Signal Energy and UTRF will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil the project on Thursday, April 12 at the West Tennessee Solar Farm.

“Signal Energy is pleased to be working with Suniva and the University of Tennessee, and the Department of Economic and Community Development to move Tennessee’s clean energy industry forward”

“We’re proud that Suniva’s high quality solar modules are being used to power one of the largest solar installations in the Southeast,” said John Baumstark, chairman and CEO of Suniva. “The West Tennessee Solar Farm project has created numerous jobs for the Tennessee economy while securing a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.” Continue reading →

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Posted in Alternative Energy, Business, BusinessWire, Energy, Energy Management, Green Business, Green Living, Home Energy, Home Improvement & Decor, Press Companies, Solar, Sustainability News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lime Energy Partners with Figtree to Provide Pace Financing for California Customers

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on April 13, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Lime Energy Co. (NASDAQ: LIME) announced today a partnership with Figtree Energy Resource Company through which Lime’s Customers will benefit from the most flexible PACE financing options available in the State of California. Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is a Government initiative that allows property owners to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for their homes and commercial buildings. The addition of PACE will enable Lime’s California customers defray the costs of energy improvements that can be made to their facilities. This financing vehicle through Figtree can be used for energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation upgrades to commercial properties.

“Partnering with clean energy firms like Lime Energy integrates the financial and technical components of energy projects and offers building owners immediate cash flow benefits while eliminating lengthy payback periods.”

“California is one of the leaders among states adopting aggressive energy reduction targets,” said Adam Procell, Lime’s Executive Vice President. “Projects that previously lacked funding now have the ability to move forward and contribute to state energy reduction goals. Our award winning team in California has worked with hundreds of customers to deliver energy saving solutions and our partnership with Figtree enables us to continue to bring high value to this market through our clean energy solutions.” Continue reading →

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Posted in Alternative Energy, Business, BusinessWire, Energy, Energy Management, Goods, Services & Product Design, Green Business, Green Facilities, Green Living, Home Improvement & Decor, Press Companies, Renovations & Construction, Solar, Sustainability News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Owens Corning Introduces Shingle Recycling Program

by 3BL Media Press Release
Posted on March 27, 2012 by 3BL Media Press Release

TOLEDO, Ohio, March 27, 2012 /3BL Media /PRNewswire/ – Beginning today, Owens Corning (NYSE: OC), through its Roofing and Asphalt business, invites homeowners to take the Shingle Recycling Pledge as a way to show their commitment to keep old roofs  out of landfills by working with roofing contractors who practice sustainable building practices.

“According to the Northeast Recycling Center, up to 10 million tons of recyclable shingles are removed from the roofs of U.S. homes and buildings annually,” said Barry Hornbacher, Owens Corning Roofing and Asphalt Shingle Recycling program manager. “By pledging to work with professionals committed to recycling torn-off shingles into pavement, homeowners are helping to ensure their roofing renovation will have less of an environmental impact.”

To take the pledge in markets where recycling is available, homeowners simply visitwww.roofing.owenscorning.com and select “Recycle Now.” In addition to connecting with local contractors committed to shingle recycling, everyone who takes the pledge will also receive a free reusable tote bag while supplies last.  Homeowners who do not currently have shingle recycling available in their area can show their interest in shingle recycling by filling out a form on the website, which will help Owens Corning Roofing & Asphalt rally support from contractors in their local community. To learn more, simply visit the Sustainable Roofing page on the site. Continue reading →

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Posted in 3BL Media, Business, Goods, Services & Product Design, Green Business, Green Facilities, Green Living, Home Improvement & Decor, Lawn & Garden, Pollution, Recycling, Recycling & Waste, Sustainability News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cree Expands Industry’s Most Versatile Family of Mid-Power Lighting-Class LEDs

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on March 20, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

DURHAM, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE) introduces new mid-power XLamp® ML-C and ML-E LEDs, bringing increased versatility and flexibility to a wide spectrum of lighting applications. Designed to accelerate the adoption of LED lighting, the expanded XLamp ML family now offers red, green and blue color options, high-voltage and three different price-performance options in the proven and reliable ML package. The ML LED high-voltage options can enable the use of more efficient, smaller drivers to lower cost for applications such as LED replacement lamps.

“From a full white color temperature spectrum and different power ratings to the offer of color LEDs, the family of ML products gives us the capacity to offer our customers a full range of lighting options.”

XLamp ML LEDs deliver the flexibility and optimization needed to quickly design a portfolio of products for multiple lighting applications, including architectural, hospitality, emergency vehicle, decorative lighting, and linear florescent LED replacements. With a shared 3.5mm x 3.45mm footprint, customers can quickly and easily expand or update their product portfolio by leveraging a common ML package. Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, BusinessWire, Electronics, Energy, Energy Management, Furnishings, Goods, Services & Product Design, Green Business, Green Facilities, Green Living, Home Energy, Home Improvement & Decor, Lighting, Office Management, Sustainability News, Sustainability Practices | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

5 Tips to Green your Baby’s Nursery

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on February 27, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

Making sure your nursery is a nontoxic environment is especially important because newborns spend most of their life in the nursery—an average of 16 to 17 hours a day.

The following in an excerpt from the book “The Ultimate Guide to Greening your Home”.

By following the tips below, you can help ensure a safe, eco-friendly environment for your nursery.

✔ Paint with low- or no-VOC latex paint – Painting with low- or no-VOC paint may cost more than conventional paint but it will release fewer or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into your home.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids including paints. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. 

As with other pollutants, the extent and nature of the health effect from VOCs depend on many factors including level of exposure and length of time exposed. These may be more severe in infants. Continue reading →

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Posted in Green Living, Home Improvement & Decor, Housekeeping, Tips to Green Your Home | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

7 Tips How to Green Your Home with Houseplants

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on February 6, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

Houseplants, besides being a relaxing hobby and providing beautiful aesthetics to your home, can also help reduce indoor air-pollution, which is ranked as one of the top five health threats in America.

The following in an excerpt from the book “The Ultimate Guide to Greening your Home”.

By following the tips below, you cannot only make a beautiful addition to your home, but you can also make your home a healthier place to live.

✔ Choose low-water, low-light houseplants – By choosing low-water, low-light houseplants, you will not only save water, but you will increase the likelihood your plants will live longer.

One of the most common reasons that houseplants die is because people forget to water them. Some of the most common low-water plants include the ponytail palm, china aster, potted marigold, globe thistle, ivy-leaved geranium, natal palm and the blue marguerite daisy. Continue reading →

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Posted in Green Living, Home Improvement & Decor, Housekeeping, Lawn & Garden, Tips to Green Your Home | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

4 Tips How to Green your Sinks

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on January 31, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

Sinks offer many different ways to green your home.  By making sure that they are free of leaks, made from eco-friendly materials and you avoid using toxic drain cleaners, you can help save water and reduce the amount of toxins used in your home and released into the environment.

The following in an excerpt from the book “The Ultimate Guide to Greening your Home”.

By following the tips below, you can begin to reduce your water consumption and the effects your sinks are having on the environment.

✔ Fix leaky faucets – A simple bathroom faucet repair can save you money and benefit the environment as well. Since a leaking faucet wastes more water than you realize, a quick repair is important.

Faucet leaks are usually caused by a worn out washer. Unfortunately, you need to disassemble the faucet to fix this. There are four main types of faucets, based on their internal mechanisms: compression, disc, cartridge, and ball.  Your first step in fixing a faucet is to determine what type it is. If the faucet has a single handle that controls both hot and cold, it is either a ball, disc, or cartridge faucet. If it has two controls, one each for hot and cold, it is probably a compression faucet, though some types of compression faucets have disc mechanisms. The best way to tell which kind of faucet you have is to disassemble it.  For step-by-step instructions on how to repair your leaky faucet, we suggest this site: http://www.hometips.com/repair-fix/faucet-dripping.html. Continue reading →

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Posted in Environment, Green Business, Green Facilities, Green Living, Home Improvement & Decor, Kitchen, Food & Catering, Sustainability News, Sustainability Practices, Tips to Green Your Home, Water Usage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Top 5 Tips to Green your Carpet and Rugs

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on January 30, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

Approximately five billion pounds of carpet are replaced each year in the U.S. Much of the old carpet, along with plastic soda bottles and textiles can be woven into new carpet fibers.

The following in an excerpt from the book “The Ultimate Guide to Greening your Home”.

By following the tips below, you can make more eco-friendly choices when buying and disposing of carpets and rugs.

✔ Choose natural fiber carpets and rugs - The vast majority of all carpet and rugs are made of petroleum-based synthetic fibers.  These fibers are not biodegradable and come from a nonrenewable source.  By choosing natural fiber carpets and rugs, you are not only reducing the amount of petrochemical based products you will have in your home, but you will also be able to avoid the trip to the landfill at your carpets end-of-life.  Natural fiber carpets can be shredded and used as mulch because it is biodegradable. Continue reading →

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Posted in Environment, Furnishings, Goods, Services & Product Design, Green Business, Green Facilities, Green Living, Health, Home Improvement & Decor, Office Management, Renovations & Construction, Sustainability News, Sustainability Practices, Sustainable Farming, Tips to Green Your Business, Tips to Green Your Home | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
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