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Happy Post-Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Small Business Saturday!! (Check out the Bante Design FAN page on Facebook for the Bante Design special deals for 11/26/11). I hope you all had a fun, joyful & abundant day, whether you're a carnivore or a veg (like me!...). As we come out of turkey comas & our feet are soaking after hitting the malls (or typing away to get our cyber deals...again, like me!). Here are some tips to help make your holidays a bit more GREEN:
Here are some of the tips of the show to have an eco-friendly, healthy & "green" Christmas...even if you live in the tundra!
READ the LABELS! We had an entire episode devoted to green-washing & what to look for. KNOW where your item is made and what its made from! It's better to buy something not "organic' from a local source, than an organic item that was made in China. Be aware of what you are purchasing. Minimal packaging...this goes for what you are buying AND how you are giving the item! If you love to wrap gifts, look for wrap made from post recycled content. Or be creative w/newspaper, fabric, kraft paper... Real vs Fake trees...this is a wash. Real trees are mainly grown on tree farms, so no harm is done to the forests & nothing beats that smell in the home! You really know its Christmas when you have a real tree. Make sure to recycle the tree though after you take it down. You can put it outside for a natural fence/home for wildlife and/or put it through a wood chipper to make mulch. A fake tree, while made from petrochemical materials, pollutes and isn't so "healthy and green" at the beginning is a 1 time purchase that you'll reuse...I personally light & decorate my big potted palm trees I have in my house. This is an option if you aren't a "tree" kind of person. Having the lit palms makes me at least feel like I'm in a warmer climate...through on some Jimmy Buffett and crank up the heat & I'm all set! ***The National Christmas Tree Association, an organization which represents Christmas tree growers, has teamed up with Scottsdale, Arizona-based conservation group Earth 911 to point consumers in the right direction with their trees. On their Web site, you can enter your zip code to find the nearest of 3,800-plus spots nationwide that accept old trees. *** Go for LED (light emitting diodes) as opposed to traditional Christmas lights. They don't burn as hot & you'll save on your electricity bills as they are 90% more efficient! Plus, they "light" for approx 200,000 hours AND if one burns out, the rest stay lit as opposed to having the whole strand go out like traditional lights! ***According to one U.S. Department of Energy study, if everyone replaced their conventional holiday light strings with LEDs, at least two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity could be saved in a month. *** Lastly, if turkey, ham or other meat/poultry items are on the menu, look for meat that is free range as opposed to factory farmed-it will be on the label. This just ensures that the animals were raised in humane conditions and not subjected to cruelty. Every little bit helps! I hope you got some great ideas to help make your holidays a bit more "green"! I've also got some FABULOUS appearances coming up for you t...REAL Milwaukee on FOX6 for a series on Healthy Nursery Design Dec 2 & the 9th. I'll be the 9:20a segment. I've got some cool products & tips for you. I'll also be a guest on the Nancy Pristine radio show on 12/5 at 4p-4:30p. Again, check out the Bante Design FAN page on Facebook, click on the EVENTS tab for the radio station, call-in # & where to download to listen to on your iPod. Don't forget to submit your design, Fegn Shui or color questions to askdeanna@bantedesign.com as this will be a new feature on the newly revamped DEE-zine coming up Jan 2012 (yes, re-launch date got pushed back...sorry!). Have a great weekend everyone & don't forget to listen to the CasaVerde radio show on 11/26 at 1p cst as I interview GREEN-spiration's creator, Trish Holder! Chat room opens at 12:45p cst....See you there! Hey Everyone!
Having problems losing weight even though you are carefully counting every calorie? Can't sleep at night? Having problems concentrating in your home office? You may want to take a look at your surroundings & see how that is sabotaging your efforts...
From color choice, space-plan & accessory placement, your indoor environment can affect your mental, emotional & physical health. Most people will look at the materials that go into the construction of their home, office and furniture, as well as careful read each & every label to make sure they are only bring in all-natural items into their space...however, these same people will neglect to take into account their color scheme (warm colors in the bedroom), clutter (see previous articles on this topic) and the accessories & collections they surround themselves with. COLOR: Most of us (especialy designers, artists & the like) are familiar with color THEORY...what color is where on the color wheel, contrasting/complimentary, the 60/30/10 rule...Or, what goes with what in a pleasing way. However, most do NOT take into account color THERAPY...what color supports the functionality of the space (cool colors in a bedroom) and/or what the energetic, health affect the color has on the occupant (warm color raises body temperature/heart rate). A bedroom with a RED color scheme will NOT promote a restful night sleep as this warm color scheme will raise your body temperature & heart rate...A kitchen with an ORANGE color scheme will promote a healthy appetite, which is great to promote socialbility & family gatherings, not so great if you are trying to lose weight! Advice: WARM colors in an active space, COOL colors in a passive, quiet space SPACE-PLAN: There is a science to this...don't over-crowd the room, take the size of the furniture into account keeping it in scale w/the surroundings & keeping a clear traffic pattern to easily navigate the space. One of the most important components of space-planning that is often neglected is the Power Position. The Power Position is the "diagonal corner from the entryway looking INTO the room". This is where the most important item needs to be placed (ex: the bed in the bedroom, the desk in the office) with the BACK facing the wall. When seated (or lying down) you must be looking IN to the room...this is the most psychologically secure postition of the room as you can see who enters/leaves & who is passing by, all the while your back is protected. (this is one of the main reaasons people hate sitting in cubicles so much...their back is exposed leaving them vulnerable). Advice: Start with the main furniture piece & then place the rest of the furniture grouping around that...taking into account doors, windows, closets, heating registers/vents. ACCESSORY CHOICE: YIkes, this is probably THE #1 issue I face as a designer when working w/my clients...either the wrong items are in the wrong room, there's just too much or items aren't displayed properly. The last 2 are the easiest to fix...clutter-bust, use vertical as well as the horizontal planes for display and/or create collages, shadowboxes or rotating groupings. The first one is the hardest...items can be placed in inappropriate rooms (i.e. family photos in the bedroom, intimate photos in the kitchen-yes, I've seen this) or the items don't support or suit the function of the room (horror film posters in the bedroom, romance items in the office). I suggest looking at your collections, photos, accessories, & after doing a "clutter-busting", then determine if the item belongs in that specific space. Look at the function of the space & if the item doesn't fit, either move it to the appropriate room or get rid of it. ADVICE: Be honest, check your motivations for keeping something & get the "shoulds" out of the way By implementing some of these tips, you'll be on the way to creating a healthy & supportive space! .......On a quick side note, my friend Dusty Rainbolt wanted me to pass on this info on the Adopt-a-Shelter initiative: Here's AdoptAShelter.com's new video. http://youtu.be/q5HM3KZVtrA Any time you shop online you can help your favorite animal charity by going to www.AdoptAShelter.com an animal charity-only shop-to-donate website. It's easy. It's free to both you and the charity. This video link above explains it all. I'm working on 2 very unique Feng Shui products for 2012...stay tuned...Also finalizing the Marketing/Events calendar...WOW...new program offerings & delivery methods. No matter WHERE you live, you'll be able to take part. AND...a LIVE |
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