Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

The kitchen remodeler's environmental mission will commence on Earth Day. The Kitchen Magic team will plant a ceremonial tree on the grounds of their Nazareth, Pennsylvania headquarters. An additional awareness campaign in their field marketing will be to hand out seed tags to event attendees. This will allow them to plant the tags and create a wildflower garden around their own home. "It just made sense," said Internet Marketing Manager, Alessandra Donato. "We are at 450 home shows, street fairs and events a year, talking to homeowners that obviously care for their homes. We wanted to create a way that allows them to impact the environment in a positive way as well."

Kitchen Magic's cabinet refacing specialty, greatly reduces the amount of wood consumed in a kitchen remodel, compared to traditional kitchen remodeling methods. Refacing uses 75% less wood materials hence, less consumption and less waste to the landfills leading to an overall positive environment footprint.

Brett Bacho, Kitchen Magic President, commented, "Kitchen Magic is firmly committed to protecting the environment in everything we do. Together, through our stewardship with NFF, we are replanting our National Forests. This is a direct reflection of our commitment to an eco-friendly experience for our customers. Not only will our customer's feel good about their homes, but also feel good about their contribution to the planet."

The company maintains its commitment to USA Made Products by manufacturing many of its products locally in its Nazareth, Pennsylvania factory. The refacing method achieves a complete new look, helps the planet and incurs a significant cost savings for homeowners.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kitchen-magic-partners-with-the-national-forest-foundation-300437472.html

SOURCE Kitchen Magic, Inc.

http://www.kitchenmagic.com/

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Kitchen Magic Partners with the National Forest Foundation - PR Newswire (press release)

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Construction has officially begun on Fifth + Broadway, one of the largest single mixed-use developments in the history of Nashville and the state of Tennessee. The transformative downtown project, which will replace the 6.2-acre Nashville Convention Center (rendered obsolete with the opening of the Music City Center in 2013), will deliver 235,000 SF of strategically important retail and entertainment (including the National Museum for African American Music), 385,000 SF of Class-A office at 501 Commerce, over 350 residential units, and more than 2,000 parking spaces. The project is spearheaded by San Diego, Calif.-based developer OliverMcMillan and Nashville, Tenn.-based developer Spectrum | Emery.

Fifth + Broadway is the pivotal development for Nashvilles urban core, said Mayor Megan Barry. We believe this project elevates the Music City brand, delivering world class retail and entertainment, as well as the first of its kind National Museum of African American Music, all in the heart of downtown. As it sits at the heart of our City and at the center of our business and entertainment district, Fifth + Broadway will serve to increase the walkability, connectivity and comprehensive offerings of our city.

Of critical importance is the developments 235,000 SF of retail and entertainment, which at delivery will be the largest collection of shopping in downtown. Downtown Nashville retail space is currently experiencing overwhelming demand; the market only has 2.9% retail space vacancy per Tom Turner of the Downtown Nashville Partnership.

There is very little space remaining for downtown retail, leaving many interested retailers unable to fulfill their needs, added Turner. Fifth + Broadway will be the greatest concentration of retail downtown; delivering the flexible options that retailers require and consumers have been demanding.

Largely driving that demand is Nashvilles record hot streak of tourism and growth. 13.9 million visitors came to Nashville in 2016, up from the record-breaking 13.5 million in 2015, and annual visitor spending now exceeds $5.7 billion. Nashville has been listed as a Top Destination in the World by major travel publications for 5 years straight, including making Travel + Leisures 50 Best Places to Travel in 2017 as well as Thrillests #1 U.S. City to Spend a Weekend.

It is no secret that Nashvilles hospitality industry has been on a record-setting run, said Butch Spyridon, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. The challenge for us now is to sustain this incredible momentum. Our facilities, hotels, venues, attractions and restaurants have all enhanced our attractiveness as a destination. With the development at Fifth + Broadway, retail can now be added to the outstanding offerings in the downtown area and help ensure future success.

With approximately 7,000 new hotel rooms under construction or in final planning and nearly 13,000 rooms currently proposed, there is increased hotel capacity in the immediate pipeline to meet Music Citys tourism boom which is showing no signs of slowing down.

In addition to tourism, the number of downtown Nashville residents is expected to surpass 14,000 by the end of the 2018, almost triple the approximately 5,000 that lived in the urban core in 2010. This fast rise in residents is mirrored by downtown corporate growth, highlighted by the new headquarters for Bridgestone Americas, Inc. which will bring more than 1,700 dedicated workers within walking distance of the Fifth + Broadway retail center.

Current retail and entertainment tenants already signed on for Fifth + Broadway include a restaurant concept from Nashville restaurateur Tom Morales (ACME, The Southern) and the National Museum of African American Music, the first museum of its kind celebrating the rich tradition of African American music and its influence on all music.

Nobody stands to benefit more from the comprehensive offerings of Fifth + Broadway than the tenants of 501 Commerce, the office building in the development. Companies occupying the premier building will benefit from convenient access, unmatched views, on-site amenities and a highly efficient design, with a target of LEED Silver sustainable infrastructure certification. As part of downtowns first mixed-use destination, office tenants will have direct access to the shopping and dining, connectivity to an elevated Nashville food market as well as a 20,000 SF rooftop amenity terrace that features dramatic views of downtown.

501 Commerce will offer corporate tenants the total package when it comes to a first-class, visible location with the added advantage of connectivity and immediate access to downtown Nashvilles greatest concentration of retail and entertainment, said Rob Lowe of Cushman & Wakefield, who is leading 501 Commerces leasing along with Stewart Lyman, also of Cushman & Wakefield. Walkability and access to urban amenities is what the modern workforce craves, making 501 Commerce a dream for HR personnel charged with maximizing recruitment and retention. OliverMcMillan and Spectrum | Emery have designed a truly unique office opportunity that will set the bar for urban development in Nashville going forward.

The groundbreaking marks the start of work on the project by construction manager Skanska. Fifth + Broadways retail and its office building, 501 Commerce, are expected to be complete by late 2019.

For more information on Fifth + Broadway retail opportunity, visit: http://fifthandb.com/retail.

For more information for corporations interested in 501 Commerce, visit: http://501Commerce.com.

Follow Fifth + Broadway on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/fifthandb and Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/fifthandb.

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Fifth + Broadway Begins Construction; Will Deliver Unprecedented Retail and Office Opportunity at Center of ... - Business Wire (press release)

Q: I have a large kitchen window that was installed around 1986. I dont recall the manufacturer, but it could be Andersen. The window is single-pane glass with 16 panes, eight over eight, with an overall size of about 5 feet by 5 feet. Two of the panes had stubborn stains, so I, unfortunately, used the abrasive side of a kitchen sponge to clean the glass. In the process, I scratched the panes.

Replacing the window would cost about $2,500, so I dont want to do that. Is it possible to replace just the two panes? A few years ago, I had a company put medium-dark film over the 16 panes to reduce the strong sun that comes through the window, so I would have to replace that as well as the panes.

Is there a company that would be able to fix my window? If so, how much do you think it would cost?

Alexandria

A: Before you resort to replacing the glass, try rubbing the scratched area with paste wax the kind youd use on furniture. Rub on just a little, wait for it to haze over (a sign that the solvent in it has evaporated), then polish with a clean cotton cloth. If youre lucky, the wax will fill in the scratches and make them far less noticeable.

If you still see more scratches than you are willing to accept, the next step is to figure out whether your window consists of individual panes or whether it is one big sheet of glass with dividers on one side. If there are individual panes, a local glass company can replace them. Delray Glass in Alexandria (703-683-1114; delrayglass.com), for example, will send someone to your house at no charge to assess the situation and offer an estimate. Delray can also recommend companies that can match the tinted film on your window. Delrays minimum charge for glass and labor to replace a single pane is $295, but the price per pane drops as you add more sections.

However, Tina Ray, an estimator, cautioned that the company does not replace glass on Andersen or Pella windows. We cant even get into the frames to get to the glass, she said. They dont tell you that when they sell you these windows.

If your window was made by Andersen Windows & Doors (800-426-4261; andersenwindows.com), one of the corners will have an upside-down triangle with the letters AW inside. Andersen has been marking its windows that way since the 1950s. Next to the symbol would be numbers or letters a code for the year the window was made and the type of glass. Armed with the code, you can call Andersen and order what you need. A customer service representative, who declined to give her full name, said it would probably cost several hundred dollars for a window the size of yours.

Home Depot, which carries Andersen windows, can also order replacement glass through a different vendor, according to Grant Brauser, who works in the millwork department at Home Depots Alexandria store. He said that a window 5 feet by 5 feet probably has two framed sections, each about 5 feet by 30 inches. Replacing one section with double-pane glass would cost $398, plus $30 if you opt to have argon between the sheets to boost the windows energy efficiency. You might also need a replacement grill that you could install on the inside to mimic the look you have now.

Whether you order from Andersen or Home Depot, you probably would also need a contractor to remove the old glass and install the new piece. Home Depot can refer you to licensed contractors who have experience with this, but only once you are placing an order, Brauser said. Home Depot does offer window installation directly, but only for replacing whole windows, not just the glass. The company offers free consultations for that, however, so you might want to arrange for a visit to explore your options. A new window the same size could cost as little as $350 or up to $800, Brauser said. Its often cheaper to replace the whole window, he said. I know it sounds crazy.

Q: My red-painted shutters have bled onto our vinyl siding. The shutters have not been repainted in 20 years (at least). Is this the result of power-washing the vinyl siding? More important, how do I fix it?

Potomac

A: Yes, the red stains on the siding are almost certainly coming from the red paint on the shutters, through a process known as chalking. Spray from power-washing undoubtedly played a role in accelerating this process, which was probably already occurring slowly on its own.

Chalking occurs because the resin that binds pigment particles in paint gradually breaks down over time. This frees the pigment particles, so they wash away. If you were to wipe a white cloth across a shutter, you would undoubtedly see some of the color on the cloth. Chalking, in moderation, is actually a desirable feature of paint; it means the house can eventually be repainted without adding so much to the thickness of the paint. That reduces the risk of peeling.

Chalking is just surface dust, so you should be able to wash it off using a little household detergent in water. Or, if its very stubborn, you could use TSP or a TSP substitute, said Joe Turkoc, a customer service representative for the paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams (800-474-3794; sherwin-williams.com).

Repainting the shutters will help keep the problem from recurring. Paint chalks more as it ages, so having a new coat on top should stop it for quite a few years. Also, oil-based paint, which was typically used on exterior trim 20 years ago, chalks more than latex paint, which is what you would probably use today. Just be sure to use a good-quality exterior paint, and follow the recommended prep steps listed on the label.

If for some reason you cant remove the stains on the siding, it is possible to paint over them with latex paint matched to the color of the siding.

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How to repair, or replace, a scratched window pane - Washington Post

Come See Sonoran Living Live!

Sonoran Living is looking for LIVE studio audiences! Reservations are available for FREE via e-mail: slviewers@abc15.com.

Taping schedule:The show airs live daily. Currently we are only booking audiences for the first Friday of the month. Sign up for our audience!Please send us an email with name(s), date you would like to be in the audience, contact person, e-mail and contact phone number.

What are the age requirements?You must be 18 years or older to attend a taping of Sonoran Living Live.

Should I bring my ID to the studio?Yes, you must have a valid photo ID to enter the studio.

How many seats can I reserve?Group tickets are available.

How long will the taping last?The show will air live for one hour from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

What time do I need to arrive for the taping?8:30 a.m. Late-comers will not be admitted.

Where is the studio?ABC15 Studios,515 N. 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ

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Renewal by Andersen: Biggest misconception about replacement windows - ABC15 Arizona

Leadwood city officials will soon be conducting business in a brand new city hall building rather than inside the basement of a church or the local fire house as the new structure gets ever closer to completion.

Charlie Lewis, the projects contractor and member of the Leadwood Board of Alderpersons, said his crew is currently working on installing the flooring. Meanwhile, hes waiting on the heating and cooling contractor to finish installing the HVAC system so that his crew can then install the last two portions of ceiling.

Then well set some cabinets and well be done with our part, he said.

Once the new building is finished, it will be up to city officials to make arrangements for the final finishing touches, including leveling the dirt outside the structure and installing an asphalt parking lot.

Theyve got some work outside to do, Lewis said. Get the asphalt done and any dirt work they wanna do.

Providing furnishings and office supplies will, of course, also be up to the city board.

A look around the inside of the new building reveals that the new city hall will look much different than the old structure, with a combination courtroom/city meeting room, an office area for the city clerk and water/sewer department clerk, a public restroom near the entrance and other small rooms along the back of the building.

The room for public meetings and court proceeding will have an elevated bench with seating for the municipal judge during court and for the mayor and alderpersons during city meetings.

The wall (of the bench) is actually bullet-resistant, Lewis said. Its full of sand We built the wall and took it (out) and shot it multiple times to ensure that it was constructed properly."

The city clerk and water/sewer department clerk will also be protected within their work area in the next room.

They get people in from time-to-time that wants to yell at them or whatever, said Lewis, so theyll be able to step back from the counter and tell them when they wanna calm down, theyll finish doing business with them Itll be a lot more secure than what they had before. A lot safer.

A move-in date has yet to be set, but Lewis said it might happen sometime in early to mid- May.

The old building, which was damaged in a fire on Sept. 17, 2015, was torn down about a month later after city officials set up a temporary city hall office in the basement of the Leadwood United Methodist Church, directly across the street from the former city hall.

Although the investigation into the cause of the fire by the State Fire Marshals Office was, and is, still ongoing, city officials were given the go-ahead just a couple of weeks after the fire to begin cleaning out the building and salvaging any content that had not been completely destroyed by fire or smoke.

Less than a month after the fire, in early October, a preliminary insurance settlement was reached and board members began to make preliminary plans for a new city hall. The initial settlement included $39,405 for the building, $25,000 for contents and city property and up to $10,000 to tear the building down.

Despite some disagreement among city officials about the economic feasibility of building a new structure, they began to cautiously move forward with the construction project by soliciting bids from contractors in mid-January.

Some controversy over the bid process ensued after receiving only two sealed bids for the construction project one from then-Mayor Pro Tem Lewis with numerous residents voicing their claims that it was unethical, and perhaps illegal, for Lewis to submit a bid in the first place. It was also argued that his position with the city gave him an unfair advantage in the bidding process.

The vote on the bids was tabled until advice and counsel could be obtained to address the residents concerns, which turned out to be unfounded. The Missouri Ethics Commission and Eric Harris, the citys attorney, both came to the conclusion that Lewis involvement in the project, within certain limits, did not violate any ethical or legal concerns and the project briefly recommenced.

The project stalled again with the upcoming April 2016 election and a chance that the composition of Leadwoods governing body would change rather significantly.

As it turned out, Lewis, who had been serving as mayor pro tem since the previous mayor resigned shortly after the April 2015 election, lost his bid for mayor to Dennis Parks. In addition, the board gained two new aldermen.

Things started to get back on track in June, however, when board members voted (with Lewis abstaining due to his direct involvement in the project) to follow through with getting financing costs from a lending institution in order to determine if the city could actually afford to have a new building constructed.

Despite two aldermen voting against the city borrowing such a significant sum Parks voted in favor to break the tie a measure that established the authority for the city to enter into a lease agreement with a finance agency was approved during a public meeting in late October 2016.

The agreement with FS Leasing, LLC provided the city with $225,000 in financing for construction of the building, which was added to the nearly $40,000 insurance payment for the former city hall building.

The pace of progress picked up immediately with a groundbreaking ceremony taking place on Oct. 28, 2016, and construction beginning less than a week later at the beginning of November.

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New city hall almost finished - Daily Journal Online

Shreveport Heating and Cooling offers experienced services from a business which is celebrating its one year anniversary. The air conditioner repair Shreveport professionals also provide maintenance and installation services.

Shreveport LA: Shreveport Heating and Cooling and Toby Evans are pleased to announce that they have reached the one-year milestone in business. The air conditioner repair Shreveport firm responds quickly to customers who have an air conditioner unit or heating system which is not functioning as it should. The professionals from the company have the knowledge and experience to determine what is wrong and get it working as quickly as possible. The heat and humidity in Shreveport, Louisiana makes it imperative to get the AC system running smoothly as fast as possible.

According to Toby Evans, We take special care of your air conditioning and heating system by providing expert AC repair, furnace repair, cleaning the AC unit, inspection, spring tuneup and HVAC system installations. When your cooling or heating system goes on the fritz and needs repair, our HVAC technicians are only a call away. No repair is too big or small for us to tackle.

The team at Shreveport Heating and Cooling provides air conditioning repairs and AC maintenance services, to heating system services. They are the company in Shreveport, Bossier City and surrounding areas, best positioned to provide necessary tasks. The expert HVAC technicians have the skills to repair older model units as well as the latest technology designs. Service or installation of central air conditioning systems requires a highly trained professional, such as the type of technicians associated with SHC.

There are a number of reasons why a selection of Shreveport Heating and Cooling as the top heating and AC firm in Shreveport. These reasons include integrity in business as a priority, quality services for every project which is undertaken, and dependability. Each HVAC service appointment is completed on time and with the necessary tools in hand. Expert maintenance for AC is a critical element of ensuring a cooling system which stands the test of time.

For more information, visit the web pages at http://www.shreveportheatingandcooling.com/.

###

Contact Shreveport Heating and Cooling:

Toby Evans (318) 459-9285 shreveportheatingandcooling@gmail.com 1651 E 70th St Suite 221A Shreveport LA 71105

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Air Conditioner Repair Shreveport Firm Celebrates One Year Anniversary - Digital Journal

CAMBRIDGE Count Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren as a friend of the Fearless Girl.

Warren, who has stood up to her own angry bulls on Wall Street over banking regulations and taxpayer bailouts, mocks complaints by the sculptor of the iconic Charging Bull in lower Manhattan that the addition last month of a sculpture of a defiant girl, hands on her hips and standing in his path, should be removed.

"O-o-h, o-o-h, o-o-h, that is so-o-o sad," Warren says in a mocking voice, then adds: "I think the Fearless Girl is terrific. I hope she stands there until the bull falls over."

Warren casts herself as a fearless champion of progressive causes against the charging bull that is President Trump. In This Fight Is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America's Middle Class, published Tuesday by Metropolitan Books, she argues the federal government needs to do much more to reverse decades of decline among the nation's working families, from raising the minimum wage to expanding aid to education.

She initially assumed the book would be a friendly spur to the left for a president named Hillary Clinton, viewed by some liberals as an uncertain ally on such issues as trade.

Then Donald Trump won the White House.

"Look, I started this book probably 15 years ago, because it's the big story about building a middle class and then tearing it down, and why it happened, and how it happened," Warren said in an interview with Capital Download, USA TODAY's video newsmaker series. "And, sure, for much of the time that I was working on it, I thought it would be Hillary Clinton in the White House. I thought it would be important that she be able to see that arc and that, you know, some good, strong opportunities available for the things she would be able to do, and the team she would put together would be able to do."

Now Trump's unexpected victory has given Warren's message a more apocalyptic edge. Her plan to bolster the case for progressive policies in a Democratic administration has been turned into a rallying cry against the economic and social proposals of a Republican one. "The direction that Donald Trump and his team want to drive this country is a direction that I don't think America's middle class can survive," she warns.

It also has opened a world of political possibility for the senior senator from Massachusetts, heir to the seat long held by Democratic icon Ted Kennedy. Supporters urged her to seek the party's presidential nod in 2016, and the suggestion that she just might fueled speculation and irked Clinton's team. In the end, Warren didn't run but she also didn't endorse either Clinton or Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders until the nomination effectively was settled.

In her new book, she says she resisted "a lot of pressure" to back Clinton. Her husband, Harvard law professor Bruce Mann, cautioned her that the race would be "pretty terrible" although he also assured her it would be okay with him if she decided to run. "My heart wasn't in it," she writes.

In an interview at her Cambridge home, Warren says she never felt the time was right. She had been a law professor and bankruptcy expert who became a leading advocate of consumer protections, especially in the wake of the financial meltdown in 2008. The campaign that ousted Republican senator Scott Brown in 2012 had been her first bid for public office.

"So, you know, people started asking me about this right after I got elected, and my first thought was, really? Are you kidding me? I kind of think you need more experience before you run for president of the United States," she says. "But I was also really learning the job of the Senate, and figuring out what I could do, what the tools were and how you could expand them and use them."

It the end, it wasn't a close call, she says. "Not so much."

'IT IS MY PLAN'

Warren is running for re-election to the Senate next year, a race now rated by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report as so solidly Democratic that the contest isn't expected to be competitive. Even so, her campaign already has reported raising more than $9.2 million.

Her focus is on that campaign, she says. Of course, if she wins a second Senate term she will have more of the experience she says she lacked in 2016 for a White House run.

Will she promise Bay State voters that she'll serve all six years of a second term? "So that's certainly my plan," she replies.

Not exactly a Shermanesque denial, the interviewer notes.

Warren, famed for frustrating reporters with her discipline for staying on message, declines to go any further the second time around: "It is my plan."

She putters in the kitchen of the cozy, cluttered home she and her husband have lived in for a quarter-century. She fixes herself a banana milkshake in a blender; Mann comes in the side door after running an errand. The adjacent sunroom features a white wicker swing that once hung on the porch of her grandparents' home in Wetumka, Okla, and the wicker rocking chair that she sat in to write this book and her 2014 autobiography, A Fighting Chance, on her laptop computer.

At 67, Warren has a direct manner and a no-nonsense mien. She parries a question about whether she has any regrets about not running in 2016.

"Oh, I regret that Donald Trump is president of the United States, full stop, right there," she says. "I wish that he weren't. But now he is and we've just got to go forward."

She declines to speculate on whether she could have won the Democratic nomination last year if she had run. Or if she could have defeated Trump in November if she had been nominated. Or if Sanders, an ideological ally, would have been a more formidable opponent in the general election than Clinton proved to be.

"I don't know; I don't know, and it's again, we are where we are," she says. "Donald Trump has only been here, not even 100 days yet God, it's like dog years or something, it feels like so much has gone on. We've got to get focused on what we're going to do in the next week, in the next month. This man is truly dangerous.

She says Clinton lost because beleaguered middle-class and working-class voters didn't believe that she was the candidate most committed to fighting for their families. "Where it mattered in the vote tally, where America had been hit extra hard by lost jobs and declining opportunities, our side hadn't closed the deal," Warren writes. "Shame on us."

Who's "us?"

"All of us. The Democrats. We didn't make the case," she says in the interview. Including Clinton? "Sure. I mean, it's all of us. We have to bear responsibility for that. ... We didn't get out there and fight hard enough."

She has been heartened by the massive Women's March in Washington, Boston and elsewhere the day after Trump's inauguration, and by the enthusiasm of Democratic voters in special House elections last week in Kansas and Tuesday in Georgia. But she says the risk for Democrats is not staying focused.

"On the one hand, you've got to be in the fight, but ... you can't shoot at everything that moves," she says. "Did you see the movie Up? Donald Trump is the guy [actually, it was a dog] who yells 'Squirrel!' and everybody runs off in another direction. We cannot engage Donald Trump on every crazy 3 AM tweet. We cannot engage every time he says some goofball thing or calls some foreign leader. You've got to kind of pick your shots even though he's everywhere, all the time and really fight back on the things that matter."

LET'S MAKE A DEAL?

For Warren, "the things that matter" would include fighting White House efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act, even if Republicans are unable to pass legislation to repeal and replace President Obama's signature health care initiative. Trump has suggested he might halt government subsidies to insurance companies that help control costs for low-income consumers.

"He's trying to give it a shove into a death spiral, and that is where I think we draw the line right now and have that fight with him," she says. Some Democrats have proposed tying a commitment to continue the subsidies to the spending bill that must pass by the end of next week to avoid a government shutdown.

And for all her differences with Trump, Warren challenges him to join him in a proposal both have endorsed: Restoring a version of the Glass-Steagall Act, which separated retail banking from investment banking and trading. The measure, passed during the New Deal and repealed in 1999, is designed to prevent banks from taking risks with federally insured deposits.

"Donald Trump said during the campaign that he would break up the big banks, that he believed in Glass-Steagall. He put it into the Republican platform," Warren says in a voice that can only be described as taunting. "Come on, Donald Trump! Let's do it!"

Link:
Elizabeth Warren: 'Fearless' foe against a charging Donald Trump ... - Boston Herald

The SandPaper

Brown's Heating, Cooling & Plumbing in 40th Year The SandPaper Brown's Heating, Cooling & Plumbing is proud to observe its 40th anniversary this year, and its business has expanded to serve Long Beach Island and all of Ocean County from its original Monmouth County roots. While speaking with the company owners ...

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Brown's Heating, Cooling & Plumbing in 40th Year - The SandPaper

The April 22 arrival of Earth Day provides an opportunity for consumers to consider ways they can make their homes and their buying practices more environmentally friendly. Your Better Business Bureau has the following advice for reducing your environmental footprint.

Green marketing

Claims of eco-friendliness are everywhere you look these days. Its no exaggeration to say Its a jungle out there when it comes to all the many green advertising and ecological label claims that companies are using. Unfortunately, some of those claims are less reliable than others. The Federal Trade Commission has Green Guides, available online at ftc.gov. The guides are designed to help marketers avoid making environmental claims that could be unfair or deceptive. Consumers can benefit from reading up on the guidelines to help them understand what certain terms on product labels can mean. Some examples:

Consumers should be watchful for vague or unclear green terms on product labels. Its advisable to use the Internet to look up product and service claims and to compare competitors claims.

There is no single magic green initiative that will save the planet. There are, however, hundreds of small things consumers can do around their homes and in the marketplace that can combine to make a positive difference for the environment.

If you questions or concerns about ways to go green, not just on Earth Day but every day, contact the BBB at (800) 856-2417, or visit bbbinc.org.

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BBB tips for making every day Earth Day - Topeka Capital Journal

Special to the Chronicle 11:57 a.m. ET April 16, 2017

Tom Longerbeam, Elder Care Services Emeritus Board member and weekly Meals on Wheels volunteer explains why his Tuesday deliveries are so meaningful to him and critically important to his recipients.(Photo: Special to the Chronicle)

Elder Care Services has launched Support Our Seniors (SOS), a collaborative, community based initiative that aims to raise funds for and educate local seniors about utility assistance and home weatherization. Often times, seniors live alone and cannot afford the costs associated with seasonal climate changes while major weather events cause an even greater hardship.

When a storm brings down a tree in your yard, it is a problem. When its in a low-income or physically challenged senior citizens yard, it can mean the difference between food on their table or medicine in their cabinet, said Elder Care Services Board Member and City Commissioner Scott Maddox. Weve seen too many of these situations in the last few months. Hopefully, a partnership like this will help Support Our Seniors when they are in crisis.

Elder Care Services is an agent for the states Emergency Home Energy Assistance for the Elderly Program (EHEAP), which provides assistance to low-income seniors to help them maintain adequate heating and cooling. The program can pay only one benefit per season (heating/cooling), and funds are usually exhausted by the first week of each month. Elder Care Services must then use donated funds and equipment to ensure clients needs can be met.

Through SOS, Elder Care Services is enlisting partners and donors to help safeguard the communitys vulnerable, low-income senior population.

One of the wonderful things about our community-based approach to caring for seniors is that we maintain a personal connection with each of our clients, said Elder Care Services CEO Mark Baldino. Between our staff and volunteers, we are often the first point of contact for seniors in crisis. We know firsthand how critical a safety net is for seniors, it can be life or death.

As was the case recently, it was Meals on Wheels volunteer John Outland that alerted Elder Care Services to a hazardous situation at a clients home following hurricane Hermine. We provide clients more than just a meal to help them stay in place. We also monitor their overall well-being and identify other needs as we talk with them on a daily basis, said Outland.

One of the first community partners stepping up to help is the City of Tallahassees REACH program. The REACH program is designed to assist neighborhoods with older homes by helping residents to lower their energy use and utility bills. Customers receive free home energy assessments, free installation of energy-saving products and energy efficiency tips. Since this innovative program launched in 2010, it has served nearly 10,000 residents across Tallahassee.

The City of Tallahassees REACH program already has boots on the ground and folks in homes assessing their vulnerability to potential weather damage, Maddox said. I see this as a perfect partnership to kick-start a community wide effort to keep seniors safe in their homes.

Every year, Elder Care Services triages more than 2,000 emergency and urgent requests. A significant portion is for utility assistance and/or weather related emergencies. Many seniors live alone and cannot afford the significant utility cost increase that winter and summer bring. During cold snaps, Elder Care can receive 10 or more calls a day requesting utility assistance.

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Edler Care launches 'SOS' program - Tallahassee.com