It’s an exciting day in the world of Freebie Fridays. We’re giving you the chance to win an original work of art from artist Carrie McGee, whose piece 5 Strands is featured in the 2010 HGTV Green Home in Plymouth, Mass. Carrie has created the new piece, Oscillations, just for Design Happens readers. Oscillations was made by using rust, metal leaf and oil paint on acrylic blocks to create a truly unique work of art. For a chance to win this beautiful piece, answer this week’s question before 12/11c, Monday, June 28. To find out more about Carrie’s piece, check out Gail, the HGTV Green Home Super Fan’s video. Be sure to provide a valid email address so we can contact you if you win. Mark your calenders for June 28 at 8 e/p for an in-depth tour of the home with Sabrina Soto. At the end of the show, watch as Jamie Durie hands over the keys and $100,000 to one lucky winner. It’s an event you won’t want to miss!
This week we want to know, what are you doing to make your home more eco-friendly? Cutting down on energy usage by properly insulating your walls? Minimizing the need for irrigation by planting hardy, native plants? You have until 12/11c Monday to answer. Click for official rules. The 2010 HGTV Green Home is only the second home in Massachusetts to achieve Gold certification by the National Association of Home Builders — see why here.
What a fun piece of art! Love it!
I would be so proud to hang such a great peice of art in my hall wall as you enter my home… townhome.. and tell everyone were I WON this art from HGTV Green Home Friday special… anyways i recycle all my cans ,bottles,and paper, and use use recycle trash bags for my trash. thank you:p
How are we suppose to enter this contest. Mary's blog says post something about her and the art? When you hit enter you end up on this blog where it says answer a question. Which is it? Help!
We have installed a state of the art thermostat. We also have star appliances thru out our home. Including water saving plumbing fixtures and faucets. It may not be much but we do try. shrek20742@yahoo.com
I compost EVERYTHING. My recycling buckets are filled to the max every collection day. I do not use sprinklers or hoses. Everything in my yard survives on rain. I installed UV coated windows. I would really love to win this artwork.
Thanks Gail (Gail is an awesome Super Fan)! Instead of expanding our tiny. tiny house a few years ago, we opted to keep its 1000-square-foot footprint and retrofit for energy efficiency. Although we were combining 2 households into a very small space, we have never regretted the decision to scale down and be more frugal and convservative with all our resources. Space is tight, but I definitely have the perfect little spot for Oscillations!
The first thing that we did to save energy was install and use ceiling fans rather than the air conditioning units. On those really smoldering "I can't breathe days" the a/c was preferred.
Thank you for this opportunity! In order to live more sustainably, my husband and I reuse as much as possible and recycle more than we throw away. Instead of only bringing my reusable bags to the grocery store, I bring them where ever I shop. I drive a very fuel-efficient car, but I'll go by foot instead if my destination is in walking distance. There are so many small steps we can all take that, as a whole, have a large impact.
Oops! My husband hit submit before we were done =/ We also recycle our garbage and keep the apartment cooler by keeping the blinds closed (the blinds are black in color, which is supposed to block more of the heat). We keep our refridgerator on the energy saving numbers for the summer months and freeze drinks (i.e. water, juices). That way when we are ready to drink we set them out and drink as the iced beverage melts. This way the drink stays cold and we don't have to keep opening and closing the fridge which uses more energy. =>
I use old newspapers and white vinegar to wash my windows – works better than anything you can buy at the store and it's environmentally friendly.
I have the perfect corner! and it overlooks the ocean too!
My Favorite piece of art! I would love to have it in my home!
Just think about our young men and women in the armed forces. Try taking a short military shower to conserve water. It doesn't take 20 minutes to wash your hair and body. Just be conscious of your water consumption. Also say a prayer for them as well.
We make our home more green by recycling and using recycled and eco friendly products.
I love this piece!!!!
We maintain what we have, and when something needs fixing or replacing, we go about it in the greenest way that we can afford. We get much of what we need at farmer stands and local markets and in bulk when we can, and support local merchants as much as possible. It's not just about having green "stuff" –we try to live responsibly and tread lightly.
Some of the things we do…
>Work the shades and windows to take advantage of natural light and air and control the heat inside.
>Replaced light bulbs with CFLs as the old ones blew.
>Use canvas bags
>Our 12-yr old SUV was replaced with a hybrid and mileage has gone from around 15mpg to 50+.
>We don't water the lawn but maintain it in other ways to keep it healthy.
>Saved enough to replace our oldcarpet and vinyl with bamboo and real linoleum floors. They're a breeze to clean with a squirt of water and mop with removable microfiber pads that I can pop into the wash and use again and again.
>When our boiler died we installed the most efficient system we could afford–thus a 40% reduction in energy consumption.
I try to do all errands on the same day and plot a route keeps my miles down. I live near a beach and we as neighbors just all pick up garbage daily (usually from the tourists). I follow kids around turning off lights and sometimes they yell "i'm still in here". It's always a lot of small things that add up to being green and saves on the budget too. Thank you HGTV for this beautiful art. I saw it in person in the GH. Could help but touch it. ^_^
My husband and I just replaced our old appliances with low energy ones though the Mass Save program – like walking into a new century- especially the washing machine. We use energy saving bulbs, are vigilant recyclers, we’re upgading our toilets to low-flush and using low VOC paint as we re-paint the walls. This fall we will have our flat (rubber) roof painted white. Very sad that the Green Home contest is over- the dreaming period was great, but I’m working on getting back to feeling happy with what we have.
I live on the Gulf Coast and it has become more apparent than ever not to take our natural resources for granted. We spend a lot of time on the porch and turn the ac off. We recycle everything that we can.
I absolutely love the 2010 Green Home and would love to own a piece of the art work. It is amazing. Thank you for making this possible!
i live in the country hubby want to put in geo thermal heating an cooling i said we will save on our utilitys bills.we have such high electris company here.so i am all for it.
Gorgeous– would love to own this piece!
We have high efficiency heating and cooling systems, extra attic insulation to minimize heat use, recycle, have a rain barrel, and use blinds/curtains/ceiling fans to make the most of keeping cool to minimize AC use. We have a small organic garden and will be starting to compost!
FIRES IN FLAGSTAFF… THINK GOOD THOUGHTS FOR US!!! Thanks so much to Gail our Super-Duper Fan!!!!! We all think you are the greatest!!!! I live in very eco-conscious Flagstaff, AZ. We are all committed to low water use, water recycling, trash recycling, and LEEDS certification. Flagstaff is a truly lovely town nestled in the National Forest. You all should visit here sometime in your lives. But right now we are surrounded by terrible wildfires. One is just a few miles from our home near the San Francisco Peaks. Ths moke plumes are terribly frightening.15,000 acres have burned and more are sure to follow. As an animal shelter volunteer, I helped evacuate animals from Second Chance out on route 89 near the fires. The flames and smoke were horrible. Thus far, though, no people have been harmed, no shelters burned, and no pets lost.Of course, this means that our forests have been closed. This is a community where what we all do is hiking, trail running, biking, and the like. There are a lot of sad folks around town right now. But our firefighting hot shots are doing a fabulous job!!! Flagstaff Hot Shots are the best!!! Please give us something to smile about out here and pick us as your winners
. !!!
LOVE IT …PICK ME!
Our children are grown and we have time to look for ways to reduce our carbon footprint; two 70# dogs contribute a lot less carbon than three showering and eating teens! We are recently able to add food and non-plastic paper products to the yard waste container, so we now have two garbage cans in the kitchen.
The yard waste can has paper bags in it, recyled from grocery shopping. With the recent news that our cloth bags contain a plethora of bacteria, I'm back to requesting paper bags for groceries.
The garbage can has a lot less stuff, so the crows need to go elsewhere for their food on garbage day.
Hi. I think the piece of artwork would look great in my living room.
On another note, we always have our thermostat set in the low 80's in the summer. We don't leave lights on when we leave a room. We don't leave water running.
Good luck everyone, and congrats to the GH winner!<3:p
My 2nd entry…Thanks Gail! U R gr8!
Whoo!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so , so happy that we have another chance to win. I love , love this piece of craft. Good luck everyone !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe this entry will be the winner :0) Thanks Gail!
Thanks for the opportunity Gail, it is a great reminder to all of the 2010 Green Home.
Hi everyone! I do wish to win the Carrie McGee piece of art, but in case other "Dreamer-Parters" be the winner, I do want to congratulate in advance! McGee is a wonderful painter!
We are putting a compost pile in our backyard
I cannot find where or how to enter this contest to win the art work?
Nancy, look at the original email. This is the question to answer right here on this blog:
This week we want to know, what are you doing to make your home more eco-friendly? Cutting down on energy usage by properly insulating your walls? Minimizing the need for irrigation by planting hardy, native plants? You have until 12/11c Monday to answer.
If you just talk about the artwork or Gail, it's probably okay too since those were the instructions on her video. I bet HGTV will honor either.
What I have been doing to be Green is a) carrying all my wet laundry down stairs and hanging it all over the deck to air dry. Saving on the electricity. b) I refuse to run the air conditioning unless it reaches above ninety degrees. And I only run it for a very short time just enough to cool down so we can sleep. c) we've been replacing our windows with energy effecient ones, six at a time because that is all we can afford. d) we need to replace our roof which is currently asphalt shingles which are made withoil. We will place a new tin roof right over the existing asphalt and the mess will not be thrown in a land fill.
I keep the blinds partially closed – I get a lot of sun on the south side of the house – and I'm in the process of installing a programable thermostat for the heat pump a/c (the old one has been there 20+ years). I'm also going to have new insulation blown in the attic, and new weather stripping around the doors. All of that should make a difference in my utility bill, too.
This art is stunning!
I must admit, my home isn't completely Green. I would LOVE to have a designer that knows about Green to redesign my home to do so.
However, I have energy-saving light bulbs in ALL lamps and lights. I also recycle and watch the water and energy usage. When I wash dishes (which must be by hand right now) I use Dawn which not only gives $1 to save wildlife like those in the gulf affected by the BP spill but also allows me to buy refills rather than throwing out the original bottle.
I'm also attempting to save up for a more energy/water efficient washer/dryer.
I got rid of my old baseboard heaters, and will install an energy efficient and clean burning pellet stove when I buy one (which I better do before it gets cold, since I already took out the baseboards!). I'm also an avid recycler. And I'm gardening this year for the first time ever.
My 7 year old daughter LOVES the HGTV Green Home, so much so that I took her to tour the house when she finished school. Her favorite – the bunk beds. She is disappointed that we didn't win the house – who wouldn't be – but maybe we'll win the art work! She would LOVE that, as would I.
As a family, we do lots to live green – hybrid cars, shop local, shop organic, grow our own, compost, programmable thermostats, low flow flushers, biodegradable cleaners, no paper products, recycle, donate, etc. This year, I also hosted a children's clothing drive at work for a local charity. I plan to do it again in the fall – I've already got some winter clothes and coats put aside.
I hope the winner enjoys the Green Home. The community is beautiful!
I love the art piece! I have used Accessible Beige to paint my interior walls from Sherwin-Williams. This is what was used on the outside of this home and is a beautiful, peaceful color.
We just replaced our A/C with the non-freon type. as expensive as they are, I consider it a big step.
This is ethereal. I would love looking at it every morning. And maybe it would be the needed cattle prod convincing my hubby that YEP we really DO need to paint the light oak paneling in this room of all light oak furniture and (sadly) light oak coloured rug, drapes and couch. Even our CAT is a light oak colour. Help.
I have eight very large south and west facing windows in my great room. I installed horizontal blinds close to the windows in the deep openings, then jute roman blinds flush with the walls. When the roman blinds are up, they look like a valence for the horizontals. I can use the roman shade to filter the sun or the horizontals to control the sun while still allowing my view of Chicago to come through. But when Chicago's winter wind “the Hawk” comes howling I can lower both shades for maximum insulation.
Hi Gail, the green home has encouraged me to continue with being conservative in almost everything I do on a day-to-day basis. Plus, I'm actually learning a lot from the way the house was built to the way the energy saving appliances were chosen for this home. Thanks for allowing us to explore this wonderful and exciting giveaway!
This is the first time i have posted anything so i hope this works. What my wife and i have done to at our home is install photovoltaic panels on our roof. Our last two billing cycles we have generated more electricity than we have used. The technology is out there so please consider it.
i live in an older farm home which is cozy.been married 35 years i love hanging clothes on the clothes line,we try to recycle things to i always beieve in recycling things if you can.we do have allot of waste in this world today.we had a garden every since i been married i have done my share of canning.my daughter sometimes teases me you old hippy lol i dont mine it.i tell hubby every day we never get done we are busy all the time lol.i had to laugh one day my daughter said i dont need to go shopping at the store i just got to dad an moms to shop lol.i taught her you can find nice things at yard sales to if you have children.there are so many ways we can save an recycle today,i hate seeing so much waste in our world.an i like sharing with others so i guess i still have a little of the old hippy in me lol
Hi Great grannymama. I'm a grandmom also. We've been married 48 years. I was a childbride – do you believe. I met my husband when I was 19 and in school. I miss the "hippy" days. How fast time passes. I love to hang clothes out on the line, except in the neighborhood I live in now – no clothesline. However, I do hang things out on my back deck to air and dry occasionally. Can't hang sheets though. My sister in law loves yard sales and when she visits if any are about, she makes the rounds.
well keep up the green living it makes me happy to see everyone on here doing it.i am looking for a wood burning cook stove i a a perfect spot for a summer kitchen.i cook on one a long time ago but sold it with the house.an who ever wins this piece of art work is very lucky to have it its beautiful.i taught my kids growing up love the little things in life to for they are special also.me an hubby go for day trips to towns around us in our state never been to before dont spend much on gas but still have a good time.like sitting out at night watching the sunset in the morning the sunrise to.so peace an love to all stay green from an ole hippy lol:)
oops sorry for mispell words
Carrie, I have the perfect spot for your art!
I have become environmentally conscience during the entire remodel of my home. I have reused others building materials to improve my home. My entire cedar fence was removed from someone elses yard that no longer wanted a fence. I carefully used wood cleaner and a scrub brush to turn each "greyed" piece of cedar looking brand new! Then I applied Sherwin Williams high quality stain "Deckscapes" to each board before reassembling fence in my yard. I even saved all the galvanized nails and reused them! Next came the 16' X 20' cedar deck. It was reclaimed as well! Someone was putting an addition on their home, and no longer had the room for such a large deck. I rented a big box van to carry it all home. I carefully assembled at my home, and even reused the railings! Next came the 40 year old cedar shed, with hand hewn trusses! I had it towed to my house from a towing company. It needed a new roof and some foundation work from where water had rotted the base. We cut out the bad parts with a sawzall and replaced with treated wood. Then we put a new roof on it. I painted with a high quality outdoor paint. The 40 year old shed is now beautiful!
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My Family recycles aluminum cans, the pop-tops go to Ronald McDonald House; we purchased Energy Star refrigerator, heat pump, washer, & dryer; the kids have learned to turn off T.V.s & lights (after much 'prompting') when not in use; and the thermostat stays on 78 degrees; if anyone says it's hot in here, I tell them to walk outside for a few minutes & when they come back in..it feels wonderful !! I have seen a very good drop in my electric bill !! Also, get your power company to check the wires going from pole to house, we had a couple that needed repairs, they were draining power. Oh, and we changed from incandescent light bulbs to the new 'twisty' kind !! Doing everything we can to save energy. Also, check the air pressure in your tires !!! Do the up-keep on your car !!
Next came the hardwood laminate floors, which I just installed last summer. I got all the material off craigslist (it was new) for only $600. I installed 1/4" wood underlayment first, before I glued down the flooring. This underlayment really helped with the insulating! The wood floor is warm on my barefeet even in the winter! I am a regular shopper at our local Habitat for Humanity. All of the ceramic tile used to remodel my "angel" bathroom was purchased for about $50 from HFH. ( if you look at my projects page, you can see my beautiful "angel" bath I posted last year). I also purchased my dishwasher, stove, fridge. washer and dryer from Habitat for Humanity for about $700 for ALL appliances! They were in excellent shape, the people that donated them just wanted newer high tech stainless steel appliances. I was quite happy with the traditional white appliances and saved a small fortune in the process, along with recycling perfectly fine appliances!
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Next came the energy efficient lightbulbs throughout the house. My chandelier above the dining table now only burns 45 watts compared to the 200 watts it used to burn! My electric bill decreased by $40 a month this past winter, from replacing the lightbulbs and getting new LCD television and computer monitor! As far as cleaning supplies go, I just learned last year Murphy's Oil Soap cleans more than just wood. It is 98% natural and endorsed by EPA as environmentally friendly. It has been around over 100 years! I use it on my hardwood floors, ceramic tile floor, cedar decks and yes I even wash my car with it! No harsh fumes or chemicals! I love this stuff!
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