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Welcome to my blog. I hope to share information and ideas that you will find informative, valuable and entertaining. If you would like information on something specific ( or you just have a question) be sure to e-mail me at (wallstoo@comcast.net), you can also visit my website at www.wallstoowindows.com Otherwise, sit back and enjoy!!!!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

REDUCE/REUSE/RECYCLE/RENEW

About two years ago, I passed the intense requirements needed to become a LEED - AP (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design- Accredited Professional). This introduced me to "Sustainable Design and Green Building"
initiatives. It used to be we thought of the 3 "R's" as reading/writing/arithmetic.
Today's acronyms in reference to sustainability are REDUCE/REUSE/RECYCLE/RENEW. So when I see a company maximizing eco-savvy elements, I can clearly feel comfortable sharing that with my clients to help them make informed purchases. Here is information from the Hunter Douglas shutter collection in regards to the four key categories of earth friendly sustainability.

REDUCE--

*Reduce emissions-all shutter collection products are "GREENGUARD" indoor Air Quality Certified and GREENGUARD Certified for Children and Schools
*Reduce the use of artificial light-all shutters products offer white louvers that can be used to redirect and reflect natural light to the ceiling, bringing the light deeper into a room.
*Reduce energy costs- all shutter products offer exceptional R-value performance to maximize home heating and cooling use throughout the year
*Reduce damage to furniture and flooring-all shutter products block up to 99% of the damaging UV rays when closed.
*Reduce the need for replacement-shutters traditionally offer the longest window covering life span due to their timeless design, low maintenance and enduring composition.

REUSE

*95% of excess Newstyle cap material from the manufacturing process, is shredded, ground and reused as polypropylene sheeting material in the US.
*Each month the Custom Shutter Division collects over 250,000 pounds of sawdust which is reused by a paper mill in California to create paper-based products.
*Shutters are often reused as room dividers, headboards, table bases and other decorative ideas.

RECYCLE
*100% of Palm Beach polysatin shutters can be recycled when disassembled-polysatin components, aluminum reinforcements and metal hardware
*Hunter Douglas's recommended shutter packaging materials are made from recycled content and can be reused or recycled.
*Foam--50% recycled content and reusable
*Cardboard--20% recycled content and recyclable
*92% of manufacturing cardboard and paper are recycled annually
*The custom shutter division diverts 3.3 MILLION pounds of waste from landfills each year through recycling efforts.

RENEW
*Heritance hardwood shutters are made from a 100% renewable resource
*The Hunter Douglas Custom Shutter and Horizontal Blind Division's 2009 contributions to the Arbor Day Foundation equated to 11,125 trees being planted and approximately 2.8 million square feet of rain forest being preserved.
*Hunter Douglas is the only window fashions manufacturer partnering with the Arbor Day Foundation.
Buying quality shutters is a sustainable investment in your home, it is comforting to know that a purchase from the Hunter Douglas Shutter Division is also a sustainable investment in our environment.

Customer satisfaction equals quality and TEAMWORK!

I often speak of the value of teamwork for the successful design process and nowhere has this been more evident than in this last week. The above pictures show the process of installing Hunter Douglas custom wood plantation shutters. Although there were only two windows, one required providing privacy and view retention, drilling into travertine and covering a large expanse of window space. The other application was a pass thru that needed to look great from both sides. In addition the finished product needed to color coordinate with the cabinetry in the rest of the 5000 sq ft home. We choose the "Heritance" wood shutters by Hunter Douglas and achieved a custom color match that was just perfect. During installation, the client stated he did not want the magnet piece (that holds the louver doors closed) to be seen, so it was decided to recess it into the light gap strip. Enter Jeff Bjorge of "Jeff Bjorge Contracting", the general contractor on the job. Within minutes he had (with the precision of a surgeon), chiseled the exact size to recess the magnet, seconds later he had disassembled the magnet and re drilled the hole to accommodate a screw for attachment. On the second window application, Lee Harshberger (Hunter Douglas) and Bart Reynolds (Reynolds Installation) are extremely intent on perfect centering and alignment of the shutters over the soaking tub. In addition, this application required an additional support that had to be implemented on site (again by Jeff Bjorge). All the hard work and efforts by the team (client-designer-supplier-installer-contractor) provided the exact product and application the homeowner required.