Monthly Archives: July 2009

Changing out the fixtures such as faucets or kitchen sinks is a fast and eco-friendly way to update the design of the kitchen.  You do not need to remove everything from a kitchen to give it a totally modern and updated design.  Instead, focus on the overall look and change out only a few select features.

The kitchen sink can be easily removed and recycled by giving it to a foundation such as Habitat for Humanity or ReStore.  These foundations either re-use the items that are donated or sell them and use the monies towards their causes.  Don’t just throw things away.  Think about whether or not it’s usable by someone else.  Or if you’re feeling creative, try to re-purpose the item.  A kitchen sink could make an interesting planter in the garden or could be used as a laundry sink in another room perhaps.

Consider updating your sink to an undermount design such as the one shown here.  It will give you a sleek, modern look to the space for less of a financial and time investment.  The entire kitchen can be done in this manner by repainting the cupboards, replacing the handles, replacing fixtures and even painting older appliances to give them a fresh look.

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On occassion, health and legal issues can combine to make a patient in need feel completely alone.  There are specialty lawyers such as Mesothelioma lawyers who can help to ensure that the patients rights and needs are taken care of when they are sick.  They can also ensure that your family is taken care of if your mesothelioma progresses to it’s unfortunate end.

Mesothelioma is one of those diseases that does not need to exist.  It is caused by asbestos exposure.  This exposure is unnecessary and negligent on the part of employers.  When employers see that their employees are standing up for themselves and their rights to have a safe workplace, everyone benefits.  The employees will have a healthier working environment, be more productive and know that their employers are responsible for their safety.  Employees are not just workers.  They are moms, dads, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, sons and daughters.  They are people and deserve to be treated as such.  If you feel that your health situation warrants legal representation, do not hesitate to seek counsel.

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Kitchen cupboards make a huge impact on the style and design of the room.  With some creativity and elbow grease, they can be given a make over on a small budget.  Cupboards can be refinished to change the look.

Remove all of the doors from the cupboards and take off the knobs and hinges.  Sand the doors and cupboard boxes down a little bit so that the new finish will stick well.  Choose a paint that is recycled or low VOC to reduce the environmental impact.  Once everything is completely dry, remount the doors and change the handles.

Now you will have a “new” kitchen to enjoy without the cost to your wallet or to the environment that buying new cabinets would require!  Reusing what you already have is the best way to reduce your impact on the planet.  When you cannot re-make something to fulfill your needs, consider buying used or pre-owned goods.  The earth and your bank account will both thank you!

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No, this watch isn’t made of bamboo or hemp.  The pieces of it don’t come from dismantled jets or disposable plastic cups.  In fact, this eco-friendly watch is actually a Rolex!!!  What’s eco-friendly about this watch?  It’s used!  Pre-owned goods, such as watches, are one of the easiest and cost effective ways to make environmentally friendly shopping choices.  Instead of all the raw resources, shipping costs and environmental effects of various polluting production techniques being used to make an entirely new product, try buying a pre-existing product.

This website, www.bestoftime.com, has a ton of high end luxury Rolex watches that have a 3 year warranty.  They have all been inspected and serviced.  Unlike many other “Rolex” watches, these ones are 100% guaranteed to be authentic.

Besides the various environmental benefits of buying a used item, the financial benefits are a huge attraction as well.  For example, the watch pictured here can be bought for approximately 30% of it’s retail price when purchased pre-owned!  That can definitely make a big difference in these times of economic uncertainty.  Go green, buy used, save green!

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

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This barbecue is definitely worth taking a look at if you’re looking for “green” grilling ideas this summer.  It’s got a reflective parabolic dish mounted on the side that gathers the sun’s rays and send them to a solar receptor.  This receptor then converts the sunshine into a more usable form of energy.  This energy is then directed to the grill where you can cook all kinds of organic, free range meats and vegetables.  Not that veggies are “free range” but you know what I mean!  It’s called the Helios Grill and it’s been designed by Sean McGreevy.  A true genius.  I bow down to you Mr. McGreevy!

Having a neighborhood barbecue on a cloudy day?  No problem!  This grill also has an electrical cord for just that sort of emergency.  I know that it always (and I do mean always!) starts to rain when we plan a barbecue.  You’ll be the envy of the entire street as you stand there in your “Kiss the Cook” apron, Swedish chef hat and boxer shorts over top of this eco-friendly grill.  It looks more like it may be something that flew down to your deck to abduct you and leave crop circles in your back yard than a grill!  All the guys will be asking where you got it while your wife yells at you to go put on some pants.  But I digress…

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Addiction is a huge problem in our society.  Everything from drugs, alcohol, gambling and many other things seem to draw people into their lure and trap them.  Recovery is definitely a hard path to go down but it’s also one of only two ways out of addiction.  My cousin is in the hospital right now battling for her life as she tragically follows the only other road out of addiction.

Meetings and support groups have been proven to provide the support and aide to addicts that they require.  Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous all have 12 step programs that can help addicts to follow the other path out of addiction.  Addicts and their families need to remember that there is hope.  There can be a brighter future.

Support groups are fantastic, however they are not available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  To have someone to talk to when you really need it, I’d highly recommend InTheRooms Meetings.

This is a social networking site where members can come together to talk about their addictions, their paths to recovery and to serve as a huge support network in between regular meetings.  It is one of the top recovery sites on the web today and is only growing in size.  There are over 75,000 different discussions occurring right now on the site and the members have over 100,000 years of recovery time!  Imagine all of the experiences, knowledge and information could be gleened by checking out this social networking site.

InTheRooms could help you or your loved one find your way to a healthy and sober future.  This is a sponsored post but also an idea that I believe strongly in.  So many people seem to be falling through the cracks in our society.  These people may be addicts but they are first and foremost people.  They can and do make a brighter future for themselves and others.

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There’s a brand new reality show out starting that takes a group of atheists and tries to convert them.  The prize?  What else besides eternal salvation!!  Oh, and you have a chance to win a trip to a religion’s place of pilgrammage.  That in itself might be worth converting for some people.  Travel is an eye opening, although expensive, adventure.  I’d love to visit Mecca, the Vatican, Tibet, Jerusalem or Ephesus.  How could you not convert with a trip and eternal salvation on the line???

It’s based out of Turkey and features a group of tried and true non-believers who will be confronted by a Muslim Imam, a Catholic priest, a Buddhist monk and a Jewish rabbi.  Maybe confronted is not the word they promote.  I’m sure they say persuasion.  But you say persuasion, I say coercion.  Whatever.  Hilarity is sure to ensue.

Although a non-believe myself (obviously), I think this is actually a pretty cool idea.  It would definitely give you exposure to different ideas, theologies, and beliefs which only the closed minded would not be interested in.  You’d get a chance to meet new people and hear about their religions.  There’s some controversy over having non-Muslim religions promoted in Turkey.  I can’t even imagine the controversy that would emerge if this show was tried in the U.S.

People tend to stick to their belief systems unquestioningly.  Maybe this show could open people’s eyes to religions, different religions or maybe the atheists could get a couple of converts!!  Absolutely a great idea for a television show.  Oh reality tv, what would I do with you?

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Ceiling fans can really help to save energy, especially in the summer months.  They can make a room feel up to 8 degrees cooler just by circulating the air!  The feeling of the breeze hitting your skin is unbeatable on hot summer nights and can help you to use your air conditioning system much less.  I’ve got a ceiling fan mounted above my bed and it is amazing what a difference it makes.

Studies have shown that a home’s energy bill can be decreased by as much as 40% in the summer by adjusting your thermostat up two degrees and turning on a ceiling fan.  A home’s heating bill can be decreased by as much as 10% in the winter by reversing the direction of the blades from the summer setting.  To be more precise, set your ceiling fans to spin clock wise in the winter to push the warm air to the center of the room.  Set your ceiling fans to spin counter clock wise in the summer to create a wind chill effect.

You can save even more energy (and money!) by switching from incandescent light buls to compact fluorescents or LED light bulbs.  Dimming switches can also help to save power by having the light bulb only light up as much as it’s needed.  This saves both light bulb use and energy use.  The Premier Lighting store can help you to find even more power saving techniques such as motion sensitive lighting and adding layers of light where needed to keep your home from feeling dark.  Only turn on the lights when they’re being used, of course and train your children to do the same.  Every little step towards environmental responsibility really can and does make a difference.

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

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Online dating is definitely not what it used to be.  People used to think that personal ads, whether in the paper or online, were relegated to those desperate for love.  Saturday Night Live had an ongoing segment about dating companies called “Lowered Expectations”.  I think that the complete opposite is now true.  Dating companies are now about specific groups of people looking for love in all the right places.

It seems like there is every possible segment of the population represented by one site or another.  There are sites based on sexuality, age, race and religion for starters.  There are sites based on different  philosophies such as vegetarianism, environmentalism, philanthropy, etc.  There are sites for people looking for married people to hook up with, short or tall people to fall in love with and even a site dedicated to people who love horses — equestrian cupid.

While this may seem ridiculous at first glance, once you really think about it, it makes a lot of sense.  Equestrian cupid can help you find other people with a great love of animals, horses in particular.  This group of people would have many things in common besides horses.  They would all love nature and the outdoors.  They would all be interested in being physically fit.  Perhaps these people would be more rural as opposed to urban which can make a huge difference in one’s lifestyle choices.  A love of animals usually also entails a kinder, gentler personality of people.  People with a soft side who care about animal rights and cruelty against animals.  These are all great qualities for a mate, even a spouse, to possess.

One of the best parts about this site is that it enables members to have a FREE sign-up.  This means that you’ve got nothing to lose!  If you’re a horse lover, a friend of horses or even just someone who’d like to be, check out the site today!

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

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