City Furniture Opens South Florida's "Greenest" Furniture Superstore

Positioning for growth throughout Southeast Florida, City Furniture today opened a 93,680-square-foot “destination” furniture superstore in Boca Raton that features both City Furniture and Ashley Furniture HomeStore showrooms.   Innovative and “green” from its rooftop solar tubes for daylight harvesting to its LED lighting inside and out, the iconic structure at 3350 Airport Road is South Florida’s first full-line furniture store pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

“This opening is truly about sustainability – both economic and environmental,” said City Furniture President Keith Koenig.  “Our company’s roots are in South Florida, and we’re deeply committed to grow with and help sustain this region.  We’re pleased to have generated more than 200 construction jobs and to be adding about 50 new retail jobs as we launch the store’s operations.”  Overall, the Broward County-based company employs more than 800.  City Furniture’s ground lease with the Boca Raton Airport Authority will also help support local economic growth, with rent going to enhance airport operations.

Earth Day Deals & Steals

EARTH DAY DEALS /  FREEBIES

Earth Day is turning 40 this year. To celebrate, many businesses are offering consumers free stuff, chances to win valuable prizes, and some good deals.
Here's a sampling of Earth Day freebies:

Gain free admission into all 392 U.S. national parks now through Sunday, April 25.
Trade in six plastic bottles or soda cans for a free hat made from recycled bottles at the Disney Store on April 22.

Babies R Us will give you a free reusable tote bag if you bring a valid coupon (PDF) into its stores through April 22. Plus, you'll get a 25% discount off all the clothing and shoes you can fit into the bag.

Evos is giving away free organic milkshakes served in biodegradable cups on Earth Day. The healthy fast-food chain has locations in California, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.

Origins is offering a trade-in program on Earth Day only. Bring one of your current skin-care product bottles -- empty or full, from any brand -- to an Origins counter and receive a free full-size cleanser. Choose from Checks and Balances Frothy face wash or Perfect World antioxidant cleanser with white tea.
Get a chance to win a $20,000 green home makeover by registering on the Purex website by April 30.

Enter a sweepstakes to win 1 of 10 smart fortwo vehicles by making a pledge to help protect the environment on Safeway's website through April 27.

Sign up for the Drive Home Green sweepstakes on Target's website through the end of the month. The grand prize is a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. You could also win bicycles, electric scooters, a national park trip, and other prizes.

Add a green pledge to the Sierra Club's Earth Day map for a chance to win a trip for two to Hawaii.
 
Source: Earth DayDeals

What can you do for Earth Day?

EARTH DAY

Earth Day is a name used for two different observances, both held worldwide annually. While some people celebrate Earth Day around the time of the vernal equinox, others observe the occasion on April 22 each year. Earth Day aims to inspire awareness of and appreciation for earth's environment. It is currently observed in more than 140 countries around the world.

What do people do


The April 22 Earth Day is usually celebrated with outdoor performances, where individuals or groups perform acts of service to earth. Typical ways of observing Earth Day include planting trees, picking up roadside trash, conducting various programs for recycling and conservation, using recyclable containers for snacks and lunches. Some people are encouraged to sign petitions to governments, calling for stronger or immediate action to stop global warming and to reverse environmental destruction. Television stations frequently air programs dealing with environmental issues.



Public Life

Earth Day is not a public holiday and public life, with regard to transport schedules and opening hours for schools and businesses, is not affected.



Background

The April 22 Earth Day, founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson, was first organized in 1970 to promote ecology and respect for life on the planet as well as to encourage awareness of the growing problems of air, water and soil pollution.



Some people prefer to observe Earth Day around the time of the March equinox. In 1978, American anthropologist Margaret Mead added her support for the equinox Earth Day, founded by John McConnell. She stated that the selection of the March Equinox for Earth Day made planetary observance of a shared event possible.



Symbols

Symbols used by people to describe Earth Day include: an image or drawing of planet earth; a tree, a flower or leaves depicting growth; or the recycling symbol. Colors used for Earth Day include natural colors such as green, brown or blue.



The “Earth Flag”, which was designed by John McConnell, has been described as a “flag for all people”. It features a two-sided dye printed image of the Earth from space on a dark blue field, made from recyclable, weather-resistant polyester. Margaret Mead believed that a flag that showed the earth as seen from space was appropriate.

Resource: EARTH DAY

Start Going Green For Free!

•Each year millions of high quality plants go unsold and are destroyed.
•Thousands of workers with disabilities need jobs.
• We locate unsold plants, have them packaged by those workers, and...
The Plants are Yours Free!

You pay only for processing packing and shipping


You get free plants, help stop a huge waste, and workers with disabilities get jobs. Everyone wins! Cheryl

More About This Project: http://www.freetreesandplants.com/

Great Eco-Crafts for kids and adults to beat boredom

By this date, summer may seem like the longest season of the year. Here are some new eco-craft books available at bookstores, online or (hopefully) at your public library that will fill some time and your home with beautiful crafts made from items destined for the dumpster...

Eco Craft by Susan Wasinger (Lark Books)
Make gorgeous vases, wall art and more from dumpster destined supplies.

Green Crafts for Children by Emma Hardy (CICO, ages 2+)
Kids can turn kitchen ingredients and recycling supplies into jewelry, animals and other crafts.

The Big-Ass Book of Crafts by Mark Montano (Simon Spotlight)
This MacGyver-esque craftsman will have you creating your own switch plates, headboards and more. 150 different projects to choose from!

Read original article: Great eco-crafts for kids and adults to beat boredom
by Green Business Examiner

Miami Goin' Green Earthday Festival 4/24/2010

Miami is Goin' Green! - April 24 @ Bayfront Park


The event of the year is upon us. Make sure you don't miss any of the incredible events, entertainment, displays, and incredible offers at this year's Miami Goin' Green. Entrance to the event is FREE and runs from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Apartment Recycling

Apartment Recycling

The “Company Profile” is an Earth911.com series highlighting consumer goods and services making a difference through product stewardship and recycling. Products and services featured do not pay for placement and are not endorsed by http://www.earth911.com/.

For many apartment residents, the inconvenience of recycling – separating, storing and hauling – is often a main deterrent to keeping recyclables out of the trash.

When Jonathan Hildreth, owner of Waste Management Concierge, founded his business in 2006, he sought to offer a premium recycling service that would change all of that.

Making Recycling Rewarding

Hildreth’s company picks up recycling and trash five, six or seven nights a week from the residences it works with, making it easy for every tenant to recycle as much as possible using one bag for everything. Here’s how it works:

• Property managers sign up for the concierge service and determine how many nights a week they would like recycling and trash collected.


• Waste Management Concierge provides each residence with recycling information and separate bags for trash and single-stream recycling (aluminum, plastic, glass, cardboard and paper can all be placed in one bag).


• Residents leave their recycling and trash outside their doors for an evening collection between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.


• Waste Management Concierge brings the trash to the community’s dumpster and transports all recycling back to its sorting facility in a small truck where it is weighed and separated.


• The communities that recycle the most receive incentives such as gift cards and parties that are paid for by the funds generated when recyclables are sold.

Read More: Apartment Recycling