Our Top Tips: How to GREEN-UP Your Home's Interior

Irwin Weiner ASID - There's little excuse ... well, maybe inertia ... for not jumping on the GREEN bandwagon with your home design and decor. If you want to think ahead and plan for your family and planet's overall health and wellness, GREEN is the answer. We've come up with a list of eleven tips on how to go more eco-friendly around the house.

• Engineered quartz countertops made with recycled materials are scratch resistant, stain resistant, scorch resistant, chemical resistant, mold and mildew resistant, and stronger than natural stone or other solid surface materials. Use them on countertops throughout the house, including kitchens, bathrooms, dining rooms, and mud rooms. 

• Always use highly rated Energy Star appliances to save energy.

• Air purifiers and humidifiers ensure optimal indoor air quality regardless of the weather. An ERV (energy recovery ventilator) works with the purifier and humidifier to make sure fresh outdoor air circulates year-round and indoor air is kept fresh and clean.

• Traditional vacuum cleaners actually pollute indoor air. A central vacuum system is 5 times more powerful than handhelds, eliminates 100% of the dirt it comes in contact with, and reduces allergy systems up to 60%.

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Feng Shui Steps to Prepare for 2012

Franca Giuliani - Based on 9 Star Ki astrology, the month of September in general will tend to be a quieter month … just in time to regroup and get back to the basics.

It’s a good idea to add a water feature or some item or painting that represents water in the North section of your home, and leave it there until the beginning of October.

"Out on the Water" / Painting by Elizabeth Robinette Tyndall

This is also a time when interested people tend to seek a consultation by a feng shui practitioner. A consultation can really help one get ready for 2012, since your current environment can be assessed and recommendations can be offered to help you better prosper in this upcoming year - or at least save you from some unnecessary angst.

If you're seeking a practitioner, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Find out what school of feng shui they follow, as there are many different ones with different approaches. One is not better than the other; however, there could be discrepancies in opinions, so it's just good to know what school the recommendations were based on.
• Ask if they also energy clear. Any space can benefit from having it cleared before applying feng shui recommendations.

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