6 green and grand home energy q&asections.grandforksherald.com/pubs/0409home/pdf/06.pdfcleaning...

By Alyson WardMcClatchy Newspapers

FORT WORTH, Texas -Sometimes you don’t haveto choose between elegantand eco-friendly. Jennyand Steve Davis have mas-tered the art of combiningstyle and sustainability.

Jenny is the fashion andstyle writer for the FortWorth, Texas, Star-Telegram’s luxury maga-zine, Indulge; Steve is apulmonary critical carephysician. The couple,along with their two youngdaughters, moved fromChicago to Fort Worth’sNorthcrest neighborhoodin September, and theyspent the summer renovat-ing their two-story west-side home.

The 1961 home has 3,600square feet – three timesthe amount of space thisfamily of four had inChicago. But just becausethey moved to a big housein Texas doesn’t meanthey’re living lives ofthoughtless consumptionand waste.

When they renovated,the eco-conscious Davisesput extra effort into thebright, open kitchen,where they plan to spendmuch of their time. Andwhen they redesigned that21-by-11 space with a soar-ing ceiling, they struck justthe right balance betweenluxurious and earth-friendly.

The midcentury moderndesign doesn’t cut any cor-ners - there’s still a winerefrigerator and a built-inespresso maker, after all.But this stylish kitchen isfull of smart choices andeco-friendly touches.Here’s a look at the high-lights:

1. Recycled countertops.The rich, dark counter-

tops are made of – get this– paper. It’s PaperStone,actually, a rock-hard sub-stance made with post-con-sumer recycled paper.PaperStone’s Washington-based producer, Paneltech,uses recycled office paperand cardboard saturatedwith a petroleum-freeresin to make a hard,scratch-resistant surfacethat handles heat andwater without a problem.

And it was just what theDavises were looking for -quality material that’s “re-cycled and not just sustain-able,” Jenny says.

2. Recycled tile.On two kitchen walls, a

tile backsplash gives theroom a soothing, urbanelook with shades ofturquoise, green andchocolate brown. Beauti-ful, yes - and made from re-cycled materials.BlazeStone tile, producedby a company calledBedrock Industries, ismade entirely of post-con-sumer and post-industrialglass saved from the land-fill and crafted by hand.The company operatescommunity bottle drivesand even ships its tileusing recycled boxes -which is how the Davisesended up with eight ship-ping boxes labeled “Mc-Donald’s French Fries” ontheir front porch last sum-mer.

3. Energy-saving appli-ances and smart design.

The kitchen’s details areluxurious, but they, too,were selected with an eco-conscious eye. Thebrushed-steel appliancesare sleek and modern - and

they’re also energy-effi-cient.

Bright track lighting inthe kitchen’s open raftersis turned on only whenneeded; most of the time,the Davises rely on themore efficient hanging fix-tures, sunlight from glassdoors, or the bright, ad-justable lights that illumi-nate the countertops fromunder the cabinets.

And a Miele espressomaker, built into the wall,

eliminates the temptationto make a daily trip to Star-bucks for Jenny. She’s fig-ured out that, if she uses itdaily, it’ll pay for itself in ayear or two. But even if itdoesn’t, she’ll enjoy it foryears to come.

“We’re going to be here along time,” she says, andthey invested in a kitchenthat is both comfortableand Earth-friendly.

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6 Grand Forks Herald/Sunday, April 26, 2009

Green and grand

McClatchy Tribune

� Steve and Jenny Davis in their newly remodeled kitchen that includes severaleco-friendly features such as recycled paper countertops, recycled glass backsplash, energy efficient appliances and lighting.

■ A family’s renovation manages to be great for theenvironment and look elegant, too

United Way of Grand ForksEast Grand Forks & Areaunitedwaygfegf.org

GIVE.ADVOCATE.VOLUNTEER.

Home energy Q&ABy Ken SheinkopfMcClatchy-Tribune

Q: We’ve been thinking about getting a solar waterheater for our home, and I remember hearing a whileago about tax credits that helped lower the price, butsomeone told me they thought they ended last year.Do you know anything about this?

A: I do. The federal tax credits that had been inplace the last few years for solar energy systems anda number of energy-efficiency improvements hadbeen set to expire at the end of 2008, but the Emer-gency Economic Stabilization Act (better known asthe economic bail-out bill) signed by the Presidentin October extended the solar and fuel cells creditsthrough 2016. A number of other credits set to endwere also extended, and new credits were set up forsmall wind energy systems and plug-in hybrid vehi-cles.

As a result, if you’re considering getting a solarwater heating system for your home, now’s the besttime to get serious about it since the federal govern-ment will basically pay for 30 percent of the systemcost, up to a maximum of $2,000.

In addition, many states have their own tax creditsfor their residents, and there are also a variety ofother incentives and rebates from utility companiesand some government agencies. You can get com-plete details on all of the federal, state and local fi-nancial incentives at www.dsireusa.org.

I frequently talk to consumer groups about solarwater heaters, and I’ve seen a great increase in in-terest in recent years as water costs have gone up,areas around the country have faced power short-ages, and people have become more environmen-tally aware. I think the bottom line is simple: solarwater heating is a proven, reliable technology thatcan be used in just about every part of the UnitedStates.

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