Surprise Me Green!: 2008

Monday, September 15, 2008

Center City Green Market ~ Charlotte, NC

Center City Green Market

You don’t want to miss the last two Saturday’s of the Center City Green Market on 7^th Street in Uptown Charlotte. All that is left is August 30^th and September 6^th for the 2008 season that started, this year, on May 10^th~ from 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM.

The Center City Green Market was started nine years ago, as an effort to draw people back into the Center City on the weekends, and expose people to the museums and restaurants in Uptown Charlotte. It is estimated that over 1,000 shop the market each Saturday.

The market offers a selection of fresh local produce from Creekside Farms, Unity Farms, and Greeneman Farms; fresh fish from the Carolina coast and beyond from Michael LaVecchia’s Seafoods, fresh-cut flowers from Jefferson Herr, plus an array of local artists who offer handmade crafts like jewelry, stained glass, and more. Interactive events, demonstrations, and entertainment are also taking place as you shop.

On some Saturday’s the market also offers FREE special theme activities for children of all ages. This year there has been an emphasis on food-related themes.

Center City Green Market

Charlotte Center City Partners

704-332-9591

Image courtesy of Center City Green Market

About the author:

Teresa Harris is a Lake Norman Residential Real Estate Broker who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of real estate in Lake Norman and surrounding counties. Please visit http://www.teresamharris.com/ for your relocation and/or your local needs.

Teresa Harris - Holbrooks Real Estate, Inc. - 704-458-1807 - Teresa@TeresaMHarris.com

Kudo's To Lowes' . . . Going GREENER

Kudo’s To Lowes’ . . . Going GREENER

Okay, I’m excited! Most will think I have totally flipped to be excited about this, but I am. This weekend I was in Lowes Home Improvement and saw that they are trying to go GREENER. They now offer reusable shopping bags and they are quality ones at that.

Lowes originally was started in North Wilkesboro, NC but has since moved to Mooresville, NC. It is really nice to see companies seeing the importance of trying to get away from the use of plastic shopping bags.

Seeing turtles dying from mistakenly eating plastic bags is all it took for me. Since then 95% of the time we take our own reusable shopping bags when we shop. The other 5% we mistakenly forget them and either purchase more bags or carry the items out to the car.

About the author:

Teresa Harris - Holbrooks Real Estate, Inc. - 704-458-1807 - Teresa@TeresaMHarris.com

Green Your Litter

Did you know that an estimated 2 million tons of clay cat litter ends up in Landfills each year throughout the United States? According to TREEHUGGER.COM the clay used in cat litter is strip-mined and is a nonrenewable resource. They also claim that some clumping clay cat litters also contain crystalline silica, which is a known carcinogen. I don't know about you but I personally wouldn't want to add anything more in my home that is known as a carcinogen. I have new granite counter tops that I have to worry about now! But it really makes you wonder with all the cancers and other things our pets are getting these days. Surely, we wouldn't want to be using something that exposes them to an increased risk of having to suffer unnecessary illnesses and diseases.
I had no idea that some kitty litter has gone Eco-Friendly. Now there is biodegradable litter made from renewable plant resources such as pine, wheat, recycled newspaper, and corn. Biodegradable litter is flushable and has deodorizing properties, too. Here are a few on the market now, what their main ingredient is, and the places that carry them.

World's Best Cat Litter
Main Ingredient: non-food grade corn
Price: $8.29 for 7 lbs.
PetSmart

Swheat Scoop
Main Ingredient: non-food grade wheat
Price: $9.69 for 10 lbs.
Target

Feline Pine
Main Ingredient: pine
Price: $45.99 for 7 lbs.
PetCo

About the author:

Teresa Harris - Holbrooks Real Estate, Inc. - 704-458-1807 - Teresa@TeresaMHarris.com

Green Wear ~ ECO-Friendly Fashions!

In Search of GREEN WEAR?

There are three notable stores in Charlotte that carry eco-friendly fashions!

Coco Fleur
8145 Ardrey Kell Road
(704)321-2626

Coco Fleur offers more than eight exclusive eco lines, i.e.: Eco-Centric, Sworn Virgins, and Boy Meets Girl. They also carry enviro-savvy jewels from Love Heals. For each Love Heal items you purchase the company pledges to plant ten trees. Staffers have created their own line of bamboo T-shirts that are soft tissue. For the month of August, each time you bring your own reusable shopping bag Coco Fleur will discount one of your items by 10 percent!

Poole Shop
6800 Phillips Place Court
(704)553-8868

Poole Shop offers basic tanks, linen dresses, and tees from ORGANIC by John Patrick. You will find high waist trousers and Loomstate Jeans' traditional boot cut denim made with organic cotton and grown without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. They also carry an ORGANIC curve-hugging pencil skirt that seems to be popular for its versatility to be able to transition from office to weekend with ease.

Black & Blue
720 Governor Morrison Street
(704)366-9339

Black & Blue offers Aristocrat jeans in a variety of cuts and washes. Each pair is designed by Bob Bak; fashion veteran formerly of Chanel and Diesel. All fabrics and dyes are chemical free, which makes these jeans 100 percent biodegradable! They also carry Windsor boot-cut jeans in th super-dark, Normandy wash. These have a lightweight texture and create a slim fit. Perfect for casual wear.

About the author:

Teresa Harris - Holbrooks Real Estate, Inc. - 704-458-1807 - Teresa@TeresaMHarris.com

What About Those Funky Beach Towels??

What About Those Funky Beach Towels?

Not the design, the smell . . .

Did you know that the perfect breeding ground for fungus can be your own washing machine? Experts say that while leaving the washer door open when not in use and decreasing the amount of detergent and fabric softeners, are good things to do, they won't get to the root of the problem ~ mold and mildew! So an appliance repairman developed an easy product, completely organic powder, called Smelly Washer.

They claim it works by disallowing cohesive properties between organic and synthetic compounds. Correcting this problem could help people who suffer from allergies and asthma. I'm not a scientist by any means, nor are any of my family members but my Mother always advised me to add white vinegar every so often to clean out my washer and it seemed to do okay with what I could see..... but then yet it's not quite possible to see everything, is it?

About the author:

Teresa Harris - Holbrooks Real Estate, Inc. - 704-458-1807 - Teresa@TeresaMHarris.com

SPIDERWEBS....

Spiderwebs

Every spring I clean my windows using the Windex Outdoor window cleaner that you attach to your yard hose. This spring I purchased two bottles of the stuff and I did use the one on the front side already (back in the spring). I am getting ready to do the backside but I was really wanting to find out if anyone knows of something else that works just as good or better and possibly something ECO Friendly??

About the author:

Teresa Harris - Holbrooks Real Estate, Inc. - 704-458-1807 - Teresa@TeresaMHarris.com

I HAVE USED MY LAST BALLOON!

I have used my last balloon!

Okay, I for one love seeing balloons, they make me feel happy and my heart lighter when I see them. I love the different colors they come in and they do get my attention. But I have used my last balloon, on real estate signage that is. So I am calling all Active Rainer's; I need your help! I need a replacement. What is a good replacement for balloons on real estate signage, or is there any??

After having several open houses in June I decided that I was not going to use balloons again. Why? Because when I would go back to pick up the signs most, if not all, balloons were popped, so then your wondering how long has it been that way; five minutes, ten minutes, or even one minute after I urned my back, got into the car, and drove off to my open house? Not to mention that while I am putting those out some would just get away from me... and we all know that this cannot be ECO friendly! So, please share your ideas and what you are using to get peoples attention on your open house signs, or maybe your open house signs are unique and creative.... PLEASE HELP ME!

About the author:

Teresa Harris - Holbrooks Real Estate, Inc. - 704-458-1807 - Teresa@TeresaMHarris.com

TREND CHANGING... RASING THE ROOF? NOT ANYMORE!

TREND CHANGING... RASING THE ROOF? NOT ANYMORE

Due to the expensive cost of heating and cooling the once popular vaulted ceilings is seeing its popularity fall. As if costs alone are not a major concern owners are also saying rooms can be drafty and reverberate noise. Cobwebs are hard to reach, painting requires long ladders, and washing the second-story windows can be a nightmare. Also, a growing amount of home buyers think high ceiling rooms is a waste of space.

So as most housing lots have shrunk in the past years most builders have built taller homes with an airy, light interior to give a perceived impression of more space. But a growing number of new home buyers think these soaring rooms is a waste of space and are opting for a more timeless form of architecture. More are looking for the maximum number of rooms and square footage for their money, so they are opting to have a loft, bedroom, or playroom built in the air space where the plans call for a double-height ceiling.

Meantime, due to the mortgage mess a lot of people can't afford to trade up, so some people who already own houses with the extra air space are seeking new uses for the air space. Because the walls and roof are already there filling such space is about half the cost of what an addition would cost. Typically all a contractor needs to add are joists, flooring, and doors.

According to the U.S. Census data expenditures on interior restructuring of homes rose about 40 percent to $13 billion from 2005 to 2007, which seem to affirm the trend. I guess that the new trend would be considered green, correct??

About the author:

Teresa Harris - Holbrooks Real Estate, Inc. - 704-458-1807 - Teresa@TeresaMHarris.com

Sherrills Ford (Lake Norman) "GREEN HOME TOUR" Jennifer Pippin

Don't miss the GREEN HOME TOUR

To benefit Our Towns Habitat for Humanity

When: July 11-13 and July 18-20

Time: 10:00 AM-6:00 PM

Where: 7390 Gabriel Street, Sherrills Ford, NC

"Award-Winning Green Home Turns Renovation into Innovation for Habitat"

As the concept of Green Building sweeping the Southeast, one local residential design specialist ~ Jennifer Pippin has been inspiring Green throughout her career and decided to create her own Green home renovation. Her goal was to create the ultimate example of what Green could mean in comfort, style, efficiency, and for the environment.

Groundbreaking began in July 2006 using a 1,200 sf lake cottage. By January 2008 the home was completed. The lake cottage has been transformed into a 4,459 sf Green showplace in Sherrills Ford, NC on Lake Norman. On April 16, 2008, it was recognized at the USGBC and Charlotte Business Journal's inaugural Green Awards ceremony. Jennifer was also recognized as Green Advocate of the Year and her business was recognized as Green For-Profit Business of the Year. Visit: http://www.projectlivegreen.com/

Tickets are $11.00 for the Green Home tour event, with all proceeds going to fund the Our Town's Habitat for Humanity 2009 ‘Women Build' home.

Tickets can be purchased at the door the day of the event or by contacting:

Our Towns Habitat 704-896-8957 Ext. 1105

Jennifer Pippin 704-895-0000

SLD Unlimited 704-483-2941

Special Event: Chef Tammy Broadway of ‘A Touch of Spice 4 U'

Demo: Fresh Marinara & Pasta Fresca - July 11, 10:00 AM-1:00 PM

Demo: "Is That Fruit?" Edible Bouquet - July 12, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

About the author:

Teresa Harris - Holbrooks Real Estate, Inc. - 704-458-1807 - Teresa@TeresaMHarris.com

Surprise Me Green!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Center City Green Market ~ Charlotte, NC

Kudo's To Lowes' . . . Going GREENER

Green Your Litter

Green Wear ~ ECO-Friendly Fashions!

What About Those Funky Beach Towels??

SPIDERWEBS....

I HAVE USED MY LAST BALLOON!

TREND CHANGING... RASING THE ROOF? NOT ANYMORE!

Sherrills Ford (Lake Norman) "GREEN HOME TOUR" Jennifer Pippin

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Monday, September 15, 2008

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