Mayor Walsh Launches the Carbon Cup

On April 8, 2014 Mayor Walsh announced the Greenovate Boston Mayor’s Carbon Cup, a voluntary program for hospitals, universities, and commercial building committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2020. In order for the City of Boston to reach its citywide target of reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs) by 25% by 2020, large building portfolios will need to lead by aiming for a higher GHG reduction target.

“A cleaner, greener, and more prosperous future, as outlined in our Climate Action Plan, requires leadership from every sector.” said Mayor Walsh. “Carbon Cup pledges and winners will represent the cream of the crop for our large buildings, demonstrating what’s possible in energy efficiency, while greening our city and creating quality jobs.”

Those pledging to the Carbon Cup commitment must enroll at least 1 million square feet, with additional tiers of recognition for those enrolling greater than 2 million or 5 million square feet.

“Commercial buildings comprise over half of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.” said Brian Swett, Chief of Environment, Energy Services, and Open Space. “Getting our biggest property owners enrolled could cut emissions by over a hundred thousand metric tons of GHGs, equivalent to ten thousand homes taken off the grid.”

The City is seeking initial pledges and possible Carbon Cup winners to be announced at the Greenovate Boston Community Summit on May 31. Over the summer, the City will work with initial participants to finalize guidelines for reporting and accounting, and continue to source new participants. The Carbon Cup is a part of the larger Renew Boston Commercial/Industrial Strategy for saving energy and bringing down the GHG footprint of Boston’s institutions and businesses. Guidelines can be found at http://greenovateboston.org/resources/actions/mayors-carbon-cup/. Interested entities should contact info@greenovateboston.org.

Renew Boston Extends Deadline for Energy Efficiency Incentive Program

image courtesy of Next Step Living 

In 2013,  Renew Boston, the City of Boston’s energy efficiency program, helped Boston residents to weatherize 1,581 homes! These weatherizations resulted in a total energy savings of approximately 210,000 mmBtu. The Renew Boston team believes that helping Boston residents to make their homes more energy efficient is a key component to reaching the City of Boston’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 25% by 2020 and 80% by 2050.

This is why Renew Boston, in partnership with National Grid and NSTAR, is extending the Whole Building Incentive, a program that significantly reduces the cost of energy efficiency improvements for two and three unit buildings in the City of Boston. Originally scheduled to end at the close of 2013, the program has been extended until June 1st 2014. If you own property in Boston, or are on good terms with your landlord, learn more about the program here. The incentive offers up to $3000 per apartment!

March Meeting of BASG will Tackle Food Systems

source image courtesy of Marion Luttenberger

WHEN: Tuesday, March 4, 2014 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM 

WHERE: The Venture Cafe - Cambridge Innovation Center, One Broadway, 5th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142

WHAT: Our food system is extraordinarily complex with a myriad of stakeholders motivated by varying concerns of climate change, personal health, local economic development, social justice, financial returns, and other factors. What does the local landscape of food look like for us in New England and what does the future hold in terms of innovative partnerships and disruptive supply chain solutions?

Come hear from leaders, who will share a broad perspective of the food system, touching on diverse levers of change and influence including production capacity, regional collaboration, municipal regulation, industry advocacy, institutional procurement strategy, and investment in entrepreneurial food ventures.

Our program this evening will be introduced and moderated by Holly Fowler, drawing on her experience of developing and implementing international, sustainable food procurement standards for more than 6500 institutional clients and her most recent consulting work with diverse regional food system stakeholders. Panelists include:

• Holly Fowler, Co-founder & Managing Director, Northbound Ventures, LLC
• Alex Linkow, Program Director, Fair Food Fund
• Edith Murnane, Director of the Office of Food Initiatives, City of Boston 
• Tim Griffin, Associate Professor and Director of the Agriculture, Food and Environment Program, Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy, Tufts University

Register here!

Simple Tips for Better Heat Circulation

source image courtesy of Savor Home

Cold temps are headed back to Boston, so here are a few ways to increase heat flow in your home without turning up the thermostat:

1. Locate your heaters in each room and move away any furniture or clutter that could be blocking it. Pull all couches and other furniture out at least a foot. 

2. Turn on ceiling fans for about 5 minutes every few hours in order to recirculate heat. 

3. Weatherize all windows with clear coating to prevent heat from escaping. 

4. If you have a working fireplace or wood burning stove, use it!

5. Leave your oven door open for a few minutes after you finish cooking meals. (WARNING: make sure your oven is off!)

6. Leave bathroom door open when showering. 

7. Turn your thermostat down 4-5 degrees each night or when leaving your home for an extended period of time. 

For more ideas, check out these 26 tips for home heating. 

New Perspectives: Keeping Warm with Multi Fuel Stoves

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Winter is in full force, and means we are constantly looking for ways to keep warm when we are at home. Unfortunately, this means that this time of year can be damaging to the environment. Energy bills are likely to take a steep rise as you try to keep warm, but you should know that there are decent alternatives that will allow you to stay warm and reduce damage to the environment. There is nothing quite like relaxing in front of the fire on a cold winter night, and there is one type of stove that you can have in your home which will look fantastic, keep you warm, be kind to the environment and be very efficient too. With so many benefits that this stove type brings it is no surprise that people everywhere are suddenly looking to invest, and you should too because they are a terrific heat source.

Multi fuel stoves are the new heating alternative, and they can allow you to save an enormous amount on your heating bill over time. As the name suggests, these stoves can burn a variety of fuels, including environmentally friendly, renewable fuel. These stoves can save you money whilst saving the environment if you look to use fuels such as dried wheat, corn and compressed wood chips, and you can even use all three of these together if you wish. So you can clearly see the benefits that this type of stove brings, and on top of this they can look fantastic and really add some character to any home as well.

Multi fuel stoves can be installed into existing fireplaces, or as a free standing unit if you wish, and the inset stoves look particularly good when they are inset into a chimney breast. When you shop at stove specialists, like Glowing Embers, you will get the best range at these places, and this will include contemporary stoves, traditional stoves, inset stoves, enamelled stoves and lots more. This means you should be able to find the perfect one to fit with your home, and you will love how much money it saves, how great it looks and the fact that it is eco friendly as well, and this makes it the ultimate way to stay warm when you are at home this winter.

Author: Volsom Limited

Pencil It In: Green Tour of the Lenox Hotel

image courtesy of http://www.lenoxhotel.com/

WHEN: Thursday, November 21, 2013 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

WHERE: 61 Exeter Street, Boston, MA 02116

WHY: Since the 1980s, The Lenox has been committed to being green, while preserving the rich sense of history and beauty of the building. Come and take a tour of some of their environmental initiatives and find out why The Lenox is considered a global sustainability leader in the hotel industry as well as a pioneer in ecotourism!  

Join us at 7:00 pm after the tour for a networking gathering with light appetizers at Lir, located at 903 Boylston Street, just a few blocks away from The Lenox.

Register here.

Easy Tips to Weatherproof your Apartment

source image courtesy of Eat & Sip in the City

1. This might sound obvious, but it is important: remove window air conditioning units.

2. Install thick curtains.

3. Use draft stoppers under leaky doors.

4. Open shades on sunny days, close shades at night. 

5. Reverse your ceiling fan rotation to send trapped head downwards.

6. Dress warmly - you shouldn't feel comfortable in shorts in the dead of winter!

7. Install plastic window insulation film.

Pencil it In: NEWIEE Panel on FTC Green Guides

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WHEN: Thursday, November 7, 2013; Registration/Networking reception: 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m; Panel discussion: 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Day Pitney LLP Offices, One International Place, Boston

WHY: You're invited to join New England Women in Energy and the Environment on November 7 for a panel discussion on "green" marketing, hosted by Day Pitney at its Boston office. Panelists will discuss changes in green marketing since the FTC issued its final revised Green Guides a year ago, and explore areas where uncertainty remains when it comes to putting these guidelines into practice. A networking reception will precede the panel.

There is no charge for the program, but space is limited so please RSVP to the email address below.

Questions/RSVP: Please contact Lori Hazzard at lhazzard@daypitney.com

New Perspectives: Shape up your house with high-efficiency plumbing fixtures

We’ve all probably had that bill that made us really take a step back and examine where our money is really going. Unfortunately, I’ve had that happen, and it was on a water bill! Turns out that for a while, I had been feeling the effects of lagging plumbing fixtures. In addition, water conservation is an increasing global concern, so I wanted to do my part to remedy this problem.

Here are some quick replacements that will help conserve both water and money:

TOILETS
It makes sense that the toilet is the most popular choice among consumers when it comes to going green. In fact, most of the time, the other fixtures in this article are favored in the other direction, with low-efficiency setting and builds. Toilets often flush up to six gallons of water per use, which can account for up to 30 percent of a home’s total water usage. Here are some options to lower that number.

Dual Flush Toilets:  This kind of toilet allows you to choose between flushing for liquid or solid waste.

Composting Toilets: This is exactly like an outhouse, except it is sanitary and comes without the smell. These toilets store waste for one year to allow it to decompose naturally. The smell is eradicated with a
special mixture, and VOILA! No water in your toilet.

High-efficiency Toilets: Even the EPA is getting in on this action, releasing their own WaterSense labeled toilets. It’s said that these toilets save people around 4,000 gallons of water each year.


SHOWERHEADS
Toilets are water hogs, but so are showers. These account for about 20 percent of a home’s total water usage, and that probably doesn’t include those people that take hour-long showers…Typical showers use about 2.5 gallons of water per minute, but bigger showerheads can use up to 20 gallons of water per minute. I shudder when I see these types of stats. Ultra-low-flow showerheads reduce the shower’s water output by about 70 percent, which means less strain on your overall plumbing system.


FAUCETS
Faucets are routinely left on to run at-will. Just like with anything else on this list, this puts a toll on the water heater. If you can’t break your habit of leaving the faucet on, check out high-efficiency faucets. They use 1.5 gallons of water per minute. Not bad at all. It’s a small change, but it adds up in the long run. Now imagine with me for a moment – every person in America (just America) made the switch to these types of fixtures, the country would save three trillion gallons of water per year and around $1 billion per year. If one out of every 100 homes made the switch, 80,000 tons of greenhouse gases would  be eliminated!


Author: Diane Kuehl is a home improvement professional and owner of DIY Mother. She lives in Springfield, Illinois with her husband and two kids.

New Perspectives: Greening Your Home with Updated Plumbing

Over time, your home’s plumbing system handles massive amounts of water. What type of system you have, and how well it is maintained can make a big difference in water use. Using less water, not only helps the environment, but can also save you money. Hiring a professional plumber might sound expensive but might end up paying for itself. For example, upgrading your current water system, or installing new water saving plumbing fixtures can make a huge difference in your water bill. Even repairing your roof and improving your gutter system can help to reduce the water waste in your home.

A professional plumber could install a low consumption toilet. This should be the first step to a more water efficient home, since these, greener versions use literally half the water of a traditional design – 6 litres compared to 13.2 litres. Government studies report that the average home will save over 80 litres of water each year just by switching out your toilets.

Shower Heads, Faucets and Taps have also become more eco-savvy. Modern, high efficiency water taps, faucets and shower heads can dramatically reduce water waste, without any compromise to comfort or water pressure. Traditional shower heads run through about 95 litres of water during an average 10 minute shower. Modern efficient showers, including the new rainfall shower head with a built in flow restrictor, consume only 76 litres during the same shower. That’s 19 litres of water saved every time someone showers in your home.

You should also consider replacing your older, outdated fixtures. It used to be popular for a bathroom to have a large tub with a stand alone shower, but these fixtures are no longer standard because of their wastefulness. 

You can become more energy efficient when it comes to using water and heating with the help of your professional plumber. This gives you the potential to save money on utility bills while reducing your carbon footprint. 

This sponsored post is by Ivy Delfin of http://www.pipeperfection.com.au

Green Tip Tuesday: Eco Event Ideas Inspired by David Stark

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David Stark is an amazing party planner to the stars. I first heard about him while listening to Grace Bonney of Design Sponge's radio show, After the Jump. He caught my attention when he mentioned during the interview that he tries to make his events sustainable! The image above is a “bottle”  created from hundreds of recycled wine bottles for an editor’s preview event for the Eco countertop line. For more of his eco-aware large scale event ideas, check out his blog: http://www.davidstarksketchbook.com/

LED candle pillars add ambiance to the Metropolitan Opera's Gala in 2011

Cacti made of recycled cardboard at West Elm's Broadway opening

Upcycled newspaper table decor for NRDC Gala in 2011

New Perspectives: Green Ways to Decorate Your Kitchen

image courtesy of MidWestLiving.com

1. Use topiaries to add vegetation & style
Imagine using those spiral topiaries on your kitchen’s entrance? How about the hanging topiaries above your dining tables? Isn’t the thought of using these topiaries in your kitchen fantastic and elegant? The best part is, it isn’t very expensive. You can even make one yourself with some of the many topiary DIY idea boards on Pinterest. This is a classic example of being nature friendly and economical while getting the best results.

2. Strategically position your windows to capture sunlight
If you're re-doing your kitchen,  you can plan to save electricity by strategically positioning your windows.
Position it in such a way that it can capture the sunlight and also take note of the window's dimensions. If you make your windows big enough and positioned it correctly, you won’t have to use your lights not until dinner time.

3. Use plants that absorb air impurities 
For example, the "Mother in Law’s Tongue" plant is well known for helping absorb air impurities and dusts. That is why you commonly see this plant in houses especially in their entrance.
If you place these types of plants in your kitchen, not only will it help in cleaning your kitchen’s air but it’ll add to your kitchen's decor  as well.
Take the time to consider the price of the plant, the beauty it brings, and the function that these plants can do for you, you’d be a sure winner if you use them.

Now that I’ve shared some of my techniques in how to decorate your garden the “green way”, I’d love to hear from you. Whatever tips and tricks you can share to help others in designing their kitchen the green way will surely be appreciated. Share your tips in the comments section below!

Aileen Pablo is a home improvement blogger and writer from toptopiary.co.uk. Top Topiary began life in 2004 exhibiting at garden shows in the south of England and selling Topiary Frames to the visitors.

Green Tip Tuesday: Apartment Therapy's Guide to Socially Responsible Shopping

Apartment Therapy  is one of my all-time favorite blogs. Its full of both aspirational and practical decor ideas. And as you may have guessed, I get really excited when my favorite design, decor, and shopping blogs feature sustainability tips! In June, Apartment Therapy came out with its 6 Steps to Socially Responsible Shopping. It is a great read - I highly suggest checking it out.

Guest Post: Organizing & Greening Your Home Office

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Many prefer to work from home. It is convenient and green to stay at home. However, working at home requires a high level of organization and time management - which makes an orderly home office imperative. 

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Here are some tips to make your home office organized and comfortable:

1.       Space – Regardless of the size of your home office, you can  turn it into a more spacious feeling place.  De-cluttering is a great way to make your home office more inviting and efficient. Try going paperless - it is a great way to save trees and keeping your office tidy.

3.       Furniture- The right furniture for your home office is essential.  Surroundings are a great source of inspiration so choose furniture that both reflects your style but also has a story behind it (like fair trade items from Ten Thousand Villages). 

4.       Home gadgets  - Don't place tvs, radios, or game consoles  in your home office. Not only are these distracting, but they waste electricity. 

5.       Light- Lighting is easy to neglect but a well lit office is important. Natural light sources like windows are of course the most pleasant and cost efficient. Also invest for your lighting source even though it may be costly up front (i.e. use compact flourescent or LED lightbulbs).

Sarah Del Rosario is a home improvement blogger from Thrifty Senyorita and currently partners with officefurnitureexpress.co.uk, one of the leading providers of accessories and furniture for Office. 

Guest Post: Bar Hopping with Salvaged Materials

Vintage film canisters, a statue of Hebe, 9 foot columns, and a beautiful antique bar circa 1800’s, are just a few antique salvaged pieces that recently relocated from the retail showroom and event function space at Restoration Resources in Boston’s South End to the new Berkeley Street flagship store for Restoration Hardware.

Restoration Resources “rescues” one of a kind architectural pieces and design elements from interesting buildings, Boston Brownstones and period homes throughout New England, that are undergoing renovation, or destruction, and then showcases them in a 7000 square foot showroom and warehouse in Boston, where both residential and commercial customers such as Restoration Hardware will find eco-friendly treasures that possess beauty, old world craftsmanship…and decades of history!

According to store owner, Bill Raymer, “They just don’t make them like they used to anymore! Of course I am biased, but the quality, the painstaking attention to detail even some of the woods themselves simply no longer exist today…we try and keep these gorgeous pieces from ending up in a landfill…because once they are gone, they are gone forever” Bill added, “I think that most of my customers appreciate antique salvage for more than just the design and character, they also want to help preserve both our environment and history!”  The vintage pieces that ended up at Restoration Hardware’s new location, (which is actually the former home to the New England Museum of Natural History) represent our New England roots, and each has a story to be told from it’s former past.

Prior to it’s new home in the third floor music room of Restoration Hardware, the black bar accented with columns and mirrors, and standing at a stoic 9 feet high and 18 feet long, shared years of history with Restoration Resources.

The store first acquired the bar when Bill reclaimed it from an old pub in Woonsocket, RI nearly 13 years ago. Created near the turn of the century, the bar had been a staple in the local watering hole for close to 100 years.

Once Restoration Resources refurbished the piece, it was sold to a restaurant in the South End by the name of Pho Republique. There, the bar stood tall for nearly 12 years before the establishment closed and moved to a new location. When the restaurant relocated, Bill reclaimed the bar once again

and installed it into one of his showrooms, which he currently rents out as an event function space for customers seeking a unique venue setting; be it cocktail receptions, bridal showers or birthday parties!


Of course, while all of the pieces in both the event function space and the retail store have history, they are also all for sale so their “history” with Restoration Resources can often be short lived. In fact, Raymer confides that while his goal as a business owner is to sell his recycled pieces, he did get a bit “attached” to the bar… and as a result, he will now be building a new bar in April from assorted salvaged wood, columns, and mirrors and installing it in his “vintage venue”. Next time you are in Boston, you may want to make a trip to Restoration Hardware’s 40,000 square foot landmark store, and while you are there, “pony up” to their “new” bar.  And also, regardless, with or without the bar, the retail store at Restoration Resources, “bar none”, is also worth a visit!

by Donna Lee Robertson

Restoration Resources is located at 1946 Washington St. in Boston’s South End. It has a 7,000 square foot showroom stocked with vintage treasures and antique architectural salvage. It also offers a “vintage venue” to rent for all occasions, a prop rental service, a set location for photo shoots, films and TV shows, and provides recycling and deconstruction services. www.RestorationResources.com

Guest Post: How to Revamp Your Kitchen Using Recycled and Eco-friendly Materials

image courtesy of http://cocoonhome.com/

The kitchen is one of the busiest and traffic-prone areas in the home. Often, gatherings and other family events usually take place in the kitchen, causing the kitchen easily lose its shine and glamour.  Most people think that kitchen revamp is costly, but redoing a kitchen doesn’t need to be grand. Simple changes can make a dramatic difference.

Because of the rising cost of energy and improved environmental awareness,  homeowners are careful when choosing the appliances and furniture that they’re going to use in their
kitchen revamp.

image courtesy of http://www.homedsgn.com/

Here are some quick tips for a cost efficient, eco-friendly, kitchen makeover:

Let it be Green - Consider putting a plant in your kitchen. This will alter the look and
ambiance of your kitchen while also improving indoor air quality.

Paints - Apply a new coat of low-VOC paint to an old counter top.

Faucets- Inspect your kitchen faucet regularly. Immediately repairing leaks is a great way to update your kitchen and conserve water at the same time.

Light- Replace all incandescent lightbulbs with CFLs or LEDs.

Appliances- If you’re planning to buy a new set of appliances for your kitchen, consider Energy Star products. In addition, make sure to unplug all your unused appliances.

Recycle bin- Learn your town's recycling policies. If your municipality has single-stream recycling, make sure to have one, clearly-labeled recycling bin. Otherwise, set up a recycling area so that people can easily separate glass, plastic, and paper.

Eco-friendly Cleaning Materials- Try making your own cleaning products to avoid using synthetic chemicals all over your kitchen.

Help save your environment and Enjoy your Eco-friendly Kitchen.

Daniel Argent is a home improvement blogger and is the guy behind The Home Fixers - where you can find  the best local plumbers.

Guest Post: Tips for Turning an Old Item of Furniture into Something Funky and Fresh

These days, with the wallet-watching most of us have to do; it’s simply not possible to buy brand new furniture just because something is outdated or looking a little worse for wear.

With this in mind, it’s no wonder that repurposing or revamping old pieces of furniture is one of the biggest trends in interior design right now. Of course, reusing old furniture also reduces your carbon footprint, which makes it both a pocket and eco-friendly choice.

Give it a new coat of paint
You’d be surprised what can be accomplished just by adding a new coat of paint - whether you freshen something up with the same color - or change it up completely with a bold and bright finish.
Old dining chairs can be repainted to match a new table, and an outdated dresser can be given a funky new look by being painted fire truck red, or for a slightly more rustic look try a subtle shade of lavender.

Get it reupholstered 
Old sofas or comfy chairs can easily be revamped with some new fabric and even new cushions if necessary. The color and pattern you choose will depend on the rest of your décor. For a minimalistic-type sofa that goes well with plain white walls and a clean-cut look, you can choose soft and subtle colors like baby blue or hazel.

If you’re willing to be a little more adventurous you may want to consider eye-catching colors like yellow, red or even a lush green. Patterns like stripes or squares can also add a lot of character to your home.

Image courtesy of Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Add some character 
The easiest way to transform an older piece of furniture is to go along with the “old” feel and make it even more rustic. There are different ways to accomplish this, from sanding tables to distressing them with chains for a “used” look.
Having a few pieces of nicely varnished wood chairs or tables mixed in with a couple of sanded ones can give the room a nice contrast. If you choose to sand something, make sure it is a good quality wood that can be stripped without becoming damaged.

A boring and generic-looking wooden table can also be spiced up with a few touches of wall paper. If you do this you’ll have to ensure that the surface is smooth to avoid rips and bubbles.

Take it outside 
A chair or sofa that just doesn’t match your interior décor anymore may be perfectly suitable as a piece of garden furniture. You can repaint or upholster them to match an outdoor theme in natural colors like green, brown or eggshell yellow.

Change its purpose
Not all furniture can be made to look new, and sometimes the best thing you can do is change its purpose altogether. A chair that wobbles can be stripped and used to hold potted plants in the garden. The legs of an old table can be removed and used as rustic towel racks, while the tabletop can be put to use as a set of kitchen shelves or a spice rack.

Author: Joyce Del Rosario works as a Community Outreach Specialist at Open College of Art and Design, one of the leading providers of Online Courses in Interior Design. She is also an interior design blogger. 

Green Boutique: Twelve Chairs

image courtesy of greenwithrenvy.blogspot.com

Earlier this week I attended an event at the Twelve Chairs boutique in the Seaport District and I am in love. Twelve Chairs is a super-chic home goods store with an Anthropologie-esque vibe, but the reason I love it is that all of their products must meet certain sustainability and humanitarian criteria! One of the store's co-founders, Miggy Mason, is LEED AP which shows their commitment to offering Boston responsible products for home interiors. Their merchandise must all meet the following standards: 

LOCAL

- Local Business - The product is designed by a company within the USA or Canada. 

- Locally Manufactured - The product is produced within the USA or Canada. 

- Locally Sourced - The materials used to manufacture the product are sourced from within 

  500 miles of the production site. 

HEALTHY 

- Nontoxic - The inks, dyes, and/or finishes used in the creation of the product have

  minimum impact on the planet and are not harmful to people.

- Organic - The materials used to create the product are Certified Organic.     

CONSERVING 

- Recycled/ Reclaimed - The materials used to make the product previously existed. 

- Recyclable/ Biodegradable - At the end of its current use, the product can be used again 

  or decomposed.  

- Renewable - The materials used to create the product are from natural, renewable

  resources. 

RESPONSIBLE 

- Values Driven Company - The company that produces the product demonstrates

  a commitment to environmental and social responsibility. 

- Responsible Production/ Manufacturing - The methods used to produce the product

  are focused on energy efficiency, waste reduction, and worker protection. 

- Fairly Traded - The people that create the products are paid a fair, living wage and there 

  is a commitment to social and environmental standards. 

- Responsible Distribution - The product is shipped in a manner that minimizes waste 

  and carbon emissions.

"Just Us Gals Boston" Launch

I am very excited to announce my new project: Just Us Gals. I've teamed up with my friends Suzanne (web designer & DIY expert) and Meredith (real estate broker & stylista) to create a new blog designed for specifically for the ladies of Boston. I hope to be the green voice of the blog, while also writing about some of my other passions like art, books, and cultural events. So if you ever get tired of reading my green living tips, definitely go check out Just Us Gals for some fun and feminine posts!

If you like it, follow us on the following platforms:
Twitter: JustUsGalsBos
Pinterest: JustUsGalsBos
Instagram: JustUsGalsBos

I'd love to hear any comments, suggestions, or questions about the new blog!

Funky list of repurposing Ideas

Do you happen to have old cassette tapes lying around? What about chairs, skis, coat hangers, cd cases, or even a piano? All of these things are given a new uses in Twisted Sifter's huge list of 50 Creative Ways to Repurpose, Reuse, and Upcycle Old Things. Check it out! Some of the ideas are kind of silly, (like the piano-turned-garden fountain pictured above) but some of the ideas come in handy for everyday activities too!