Uniquity Builders, Inc.

Revolutionary Refrigerators - Green Kitchen Remodeling Trends

Kitchen gathering is where it's at these days.  My kitchen is at the center of everything, so whatever holiday or event we're celebrating, I don't miss a thing.  This, of course, keeps my refrigerator at the center too, and it gets lots of use during those busy times, which makes me appreciate new technology that can save money and the environment simultaneously.

We all know about the standard refrigerator styles, but here's a couple of innovative ideas  for you to check out, when you're ready to replace your old standby, that can keep your food fresh and your costs down.

 

The Russian designer who created this was definitely thinking "outside the box"!  This gel filled refrigerator was created by Electrolux Design Lab 2010 Finalist, Yuriy Dmitriev.  It's not here yet, but if it catches on freon may become a thing of the past, and motors - who needs em!  Talk about the ultimate in "green" living...

To store your food, you shove it into the biopolymer gel on the door, which is odorless and non-sticky.   Amazingly the Bio Robot Refrigerator can be mounted on the wall horizontally, vertically, or on the ceiling!  Here's a quick video overview.

 

Less trendy, but still an interesting development in refrigerators is the under counter frig.  My refrigerator is usually packed with food, so it's difficult to imagine how everything would fit it these.

 

I can see it being used in addition to the normal style.  Maybe this would avoid the "second refrigerator in the garage" concept...  Prices vary, but basically range around $1,000 - $1,200.

 

The Best "Green" Christmas Tree Option - Rent-a-Tree!

If your goal to to celebrate a "green" Christmas and neither buying a fake tree nor cutting down a live tree works for you, here's another option - rent a real live tree! 

This is definitely an idea whose time has come, and will appeal to those green eco-minded customers, like me.  For those folks lucky enough to be living on the West Coast, there are a few companies that rent potted trees - here's how it works.

 

Visit their website, or call, pick the type of tree you would like, arrange for it to be delivered to your home.  In some cases a small delivery charge is added to the costs of the tree.  Trees are then picked-up between January 1st and January 15th, and taken back to their nursery home, where they will be happily cared for until the next holiday season.

Some customers are even renting the same tree year-after-year.  The trees are outfitted with a bar code to make sure renters get the right one. 

 If you're ready to give up the real vs. artificial dilemma and are on the West Coast, you have a couple of options.  You can visit the Rent a Living Christmas Tree website, which serves the Monterey Peninsula, Santa Cruz, and Salinas. 

If you live in the Los Angeles area, you can visit The Living Christmas Company.  See their video below. 

 

 Not close to the West Coast, this is an idea that will no doubt spread across the country.  Sound's like a "green" entrepreneurial opportunity!  What do you think?

Make Your Christmas a Little Greener with Plastic Bag Monsters

Just when you thought you'd heard it all, the toy manufacturers come up with another wildly creative, and hopefully popular, toy to help educate our children about the green movement  - Plastic Bag Monsters.

This recycling kit lets kids discover what it means to be green by showing them how they can build two marionette monsters by combing old plastic bags and bottle caps from home with the card stock punch-outs, beads, pipe cleaners, string, etc. included in the kit. 

For ages 8 and up - look for these Plastic Bag Monsters at http://www.toysmith.com/

 

Drywall from China Causing Big Problems in U.S.A.

If you think you've got problems, just imagine purchasing your dream home then having numerous health challenges pop-up including coughing, nosebleeds, sinus infections, throat and nose irritation, sleep apnea and more...

Then, to make matters worse, your house is filled with the smell of rotten eggs to the extent that it's seeping from your walls and corroding your air conditioners, mirrors, electrical units, plumbing fixtures, jewelry, and who knows what it's doing to your body?  Sounds like the Amityville horror in action! 

No, this isn't caused by a haunting.  It's apparently being caused by chinese-made drywall.  Tests have shown that it emits hydrogen sulfide at rates 100 times the rate of non-Chinese samples.