Tag-Archive for » sustainable living «

03
Jun
Creating Outdoor Style for Your Staycation
kmills

Ready to create a wonderful outdoor space where you can spend vacation relaxing at home or just enjoying your weekend?  Start by selecting an area that you love whether its your backyard patio, front porch or an area  tucked away in a private corner.  

Outdoor room

Once you’ve selected your spot, start thinking about your walls, floors and ceilings.  If you don’t have any built walls, consider adding a grouping of evergreens or a trellis for example that’s affordable.  Not only will your outdoor space feel more like a room, but you can also use it to create some privacy if needed.

For flooring brick, pavers or natural stone always look great, but if that’s not possible because of budgetary concerns, why not layer an outdoor rug over an existing patio or porch to add textural interest? 

Photo by J. Savage Gibson from Coastal Living magazine website

And if you have a ceiling, think about painting it a sky blue or hanging a chandelier?  I also love to use old wrought iron sconces and metal wall decor to spice up the space to make a space more inviting, but my favorite outdoor items are usually from a trip or a great find that’s not available from a retail store.

For more great ideas on creating outdoor style, tune in this Sunday at 10am CST to Living Large on News Radio 980 KMBZ as I talk with outdoor living experts plus Fine Living Network host of Surprise Vacations, Karen Duffy.

And for more information about Sustainable Living, don’t miss Living Large at 10:30am on Classical 1660 KXTR as I talk with Josh Dorfman, the lazy environmentalist from the Sundance Channel.

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28
Jan
Sustainable Living That Makes Sense
kmills

Ever feel overwhelmed with all the talk about how to be sustainable?  You’re not alone.  For me, living more sustainably is similar to keeping our bodies healthy.   God only gave us one body and its our responsiblity to maintain it  by eating nutritious food, drinking plenty of water, exercising and reducing stress.  

Living Green with Karen Mills- green design condo on Plaza

Living Green with Karen Mills episode on World Goin Green Video Internetwork

(Click this link to watch one of the Living Green with Karen Mills episodes on World Goin Green. http://www.worldgoingreen.com/?p=58)

The same principle holds true for earth and and its resources.  To maintain it, we need to take care of what we’ve been given and focus on how to reduce, reuse and recycle when possible.    And if you’re unsure how to tell if a product is green, simply add together three important factors; the resource needed to mine a product, the resource or energy needed to ship a product plus the renewability of the product.    

But if that formula seems like way too much effort,  then think first before you make a purchase, throw away an item or use natural resources.  For example, a few years ago, my mother shared with me a great tip that I still use today.  Try and plan all your appointments/errands on one trip where you go in a loop around the city and make it to all of them in one day or schedule appointments when possible that are close together in the same trip instead of going to each destination separately, which will not only save energy but also money! 

For more great tips on sustainable living, make sure you tune into Living Large this Sunday at 10am Central (streams live on kmbz.com) on News Radio 980 KMBZ as I interview the U.S. Green Building Council’s Vice President of Residential Market Development, Nate Kredich along with other green experts who are going to reveal a brand new rebate for photovoltaic systems (solar) that could result in thousands back in your pocket, plus a free new training program that’s just been implemented for green jobs, so make sure you don’t miss it!

If you’re looking for more design tips on your living spaces, then make sure you tune in to hear nationally known designer Thomas Pheasant  sharing great design information this Saturday morning at 10:30am Central on Living Large on Classical 1660 KXTR.

And don’t forget to become a fan of our new Living Large fan page on Facebook by clicking on this link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Living-Large/217431843107#/pages/Living-Large/217431843107?v=wall

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