Archive for April, 2012

BLANCO and Poggenpohl recently held a media event for New York press and Modenus bloggers to launch new products including the Eric Ripert Kitchen by Poggenpohl, BLANCO’s CERANA Fireclay Apron Front sink and Poggenpohl’s +Artesio Kitchen. To learn more, or watch the short video highlights, click here.

Imagine This:

6:00am

Your alarm clock rings out its daily tone to rouse you from sleep and start your day. Your feet hit the floor, you make your way to your bathroom, turn the knob to turn on the shower, and step in as you wait for the water to shoot from the shower head. You wait one minute. You wait two minutes. You wait five minutes. Finally, you realize, the water is not coming. You turn the knob to turn the shower off and step out of the shower. Puzzled, you cover yourself with a robe and look to your sink. The faucet does not yield water. The toilet is empty. The thought takes a moment to settle in: there is no water inside your home.

As you fumble through your morning, you conclude that you just need to call a plumber to fix whatever is wrong with your water at home. You dress yourself and head to work, unbathed, teeth unbrushed.

On your way to work, you are taken aback as you watch your neighbors carrying 5 gallon yellow gas cans as they walk down the street in their suits for work. The first few people carrying the cans are weird, but as three becomes six and then ten, it becomes incredibly puzzling. Finally, you slow and park your car. All you can do is watch mesmerized as you follow the people to see what everyone is doing. Finally, after some time, it becomes apparent that everyone is headed to the large pond at the edge of your subdivision. The sight of everyone in your neighborhood knelt down, filling these cans full of water and heading back to their home is striking. What can they possibly be thinking?

This is just a small snapshot into the juxtaposed idea of what our lives would be like if we in the United States were forced to rely on local water sources as those in the developing world do. The water crisis isn’t even just one of a lack of water, but lack of SAFE water. Imagine if the water your drank might give you parasites, diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, or any number of diseases. Imagine if it might kill you. Imagine if you had to spend so much time hauling water every day that you were unable to hold a job, but still, you had to just so that your family could function.

This is the reality of the global water crisis. This is the reality for the nearly one billion people on our planet right now who lack access to safe, clean water.

The situation is real, but so are the solutions.

In just four years, we’ve led a college movement that has raised over $2.6 million that we’ve used to build freshwater wells in developing countries that have given over 100,000 people safe, clean water. Sustainability is our #1 Value at Thirst Project and we build incredibly stringent systems into our projects.

Today is Earth Day and a number of great conversations will be had about our global resources and how we steward them. I love that we’re having those conversations, but, I also believe that there are far more important conversations to be had about the PEOPLE of the world. I hope that we are a people that will be known for our love and compassion not just for nature or animals, but also for other people. I want to encourage you not only to conserve the water that you have, but to give water to someone else. Yes, turn off the faucet if you don’t need it. But realize that turning off your faucet does nothing to give someone across the world safe water.

You can be the difference between life and death for someone. As we celebrate this earth day, look around at all of the water resources you do and celebrate what you have. Celebrate the beauty of the planet as well as the people of the world who fill it.

Together, we can join hands to make a difference. Together, we can give water. Together, we can give life.

Seth Maxwell
President & CEO
The Thirst Project

(Like BLANCO on Facebook and BLANCO will donate $1 to the Thirst Project.)

By Emma C. Pfister, Water For People

On Earth Day most of the water conservation talk is around turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth, taking shorter showers, making sure your sprinklers are actually aiming for your lawn. These are great “to-dos” and we all need to-do them. But what if you had no faucet and the nearest water source was down a ravine one kilometer away? What if the only shower you had was a nearby pond where cattle also bathed? Would your to-do list be different? For 783 million people in the world their “to-do” list is actually a “have-to-do” list.

When water is scarce you learn how to use every ounce of it as many times as possible. Re-utilizing hand washing water to water plants, planting trees around a water source to prevent erosion and dumping grey water into a soak pit instead of tossing it down the river are all methods of conservation used in the communities where Water For People works to promote the sustainability of the local watershed.

All of these little practices roll-up into one really big practice – Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). In a nutshell IWRM is the Big Picture from national policy to simple behavior changes on a daily basis with shorter showers, re-using dishwater to water plants, not dumping your Canola oil down the sink and the simple action of planting trees,  all roll -up to make positive changes in our local watersheds. It is one less pollutant being thrown into the water and a few more gallons of water for the next person. All of this is us – developing and developed world – taking an active role to guarantee the future of water for everyone, forever.

Water For People helps make every day Earth Day in the communities where we work. To learn more about our sustainable water and sanitation programming for Everyone, Forever, please visit us at www.waterforpeople.org/everyone.

ABOUT WATER FOR PEOPLE
Water For People is an innovative and impactful next-generation international nonprofit that believes investments made in water and sanitation services must lead to lasting and transformative change. The organization is dedicated to helping people in developing countries gain access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation, and hygiene education. Water For People’s entrepreneurial approach establishes partnerships between government agencies, nongovernment organizations, and private enterprise to create self-managed water and sanitation services that reach everyone and also last forever. Learn more at www.waterforpeople.org or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Leave a comment with your own earth-friendly tip for a chance to win a BLANCO SOLON Compost System. One winner will be drawn on Earth Day – 4/22/12.

Leave a comment with your own earth-friendly tip for a chance to win a BLANCO SOLON Compost System. One winner will be drawn on Earth Day – 4/22/12.

BLANCO Design Council member Andie Day, www.andieday.com/blog offers some great tips to make everyday Earth Day.

With so many ways to take a stance in saving the planet, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Why not begin with what you bring to your kitchen and dining table? From eating in season to making your own baby food, below you’ll find a few easy ways to get started on your planet-saving mission.

Eat In Season
With so much produce available year round, it can be tough not to pick up a few delicious tomatoes in the winter without giving it a second thought. However, if you want to take a planet-saving stance, eating in season is a good place to start. In season fruits and vegetables travel less, are stored less and require fewer resources to make it to your table. Another, plus is they are cheaper and fresher than their out of season counterparts.

Shop Farms, Farmer’s Markets and Co-Ops
Eating locally and in season is easier when you shop farms and farmers markets in your area. Besides supporting the agriculture of you area, you’ll be able to find out how the food is grown such as: what type of fertilizers were used; what, if any, pesticides were applied; and what efforts the grower makes to keep their own footprint on the earth as small as possible. Armed with this information, you can buy from only those whose green values match your own. A big plus to shopping farms and farm co-ops is the chance to have fresh, recently harvested produce to your door step.

Green Shopping Bags
While paper shopping bags seem to be a thing of the past in many grocery stores, most grocery stores now sell fabric shopping bags for a small price.  These bags can be used time and again to tote groceries from store to home all the while saving the planet one plastic bag at a time. Could create give-a-way with this in mind.

Healthy Food Prep Appliances
Today, the market is flooded with food prep products that aid in creating meals with the least amount of effort. And some of these handy products make taking care of the environment so much easier too. Products like the Beaba Baby Food Maker from Williams Sonoma helps you prepare fresh baby food and fill baby’s tummy without filling landfills with packaging waste from store bought baby foods.

Leave a comment with your own earth-friendly tip for a chance to win a BLANCO SOLON Compost System. One winner will be drawn on Earth Day – 4/22/12.

Here’s an Earth Day tip from BLANCO Design Journal member Leslie Clagett, http://kbculture.blogspot.com, to help you save money and save the planet.

1) Filter your own tap water rather than buying bottled H2O. The choices are many: a faucet with an integral/in-line filter, a spigot-mounted filter, even a simple water pitcher with a filter insert.

2) Avoid redundant, landfill-bound technology. If you already own a personal audio device or a tablet or laptop computer, do you really need an appliance that offers these features?

3) Consider a motion-activated sensor that automatically turns off the lights when no one’s in the kitchen [and, of course, turns them on when somebody enters the room]. This can be of particular benefit to households w/ teenagers who are prone to raiding the refrigerator at night.

Leave a comment with your own earth-friendly tip for a chance to win a BLANCO SOLON Compost System. One winner will be drawn on Earth Day – 4/22/12.

BLANCO Design Council member, Jamie Goldberg, AKBD, CAPS, of http://jgkitchens.blogspot.com, offers great tips for making every day Earth Day!

1. Choose WaterSense faucets when you remodel.
   

   BLANCO CULINA comes in a low flow water saving model.

2. Don’t rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.
3. Replace existing toilets with 1.28 gallons per flush (GPF) models.
4. Replace existing bulbs with compact flourescent or LED models.
5. Donate appliances or fixtures in good condition to a local charity that can use them.

Leave a comment with your own earth-friendly tip for a chance to win a BLANCO SOLON Compost System. One winner will be drawn on Earth Day – 4/22/12.

With Earth Day right around the corner, it is important to remember earth-friendly tips that can help make your life easy and more eco-friendly all year long. Leslie Hoffman is the curator of the Shelter Island “Gimme Shelter Project” and offers ways to incorporate composting as a lifestyle.

In her new Shelter Island Kitchen, Hoffman has installed 4 garbage cans, a worm bin and a compost bucket recessed into the counter top. “By making sure that the proper receptacles are built into your space, you will ensure that everyone separates the trash for best recycling results,” Hoffman states. “All of my food waste will stay right on my property, and everything else will be presorted for neatly being taken to the recycling center.”

BLANCO SOLON Composting System is built-in for ease-of-use and convenience.

GIMME SHELTER is intended as a story-telling vehicle to inspire conversation about community and sustainability.  The project website, www.gimmeshelterproject.org/ provides extensive information about the project.  The project can also be followed on Facebook and @shelterhg on Twitter.

Kelly Morisseau, www.kellyskitchensync.com

We welcome Kelly Morisseau to the BLANCO Design Council – an elite group of designers and bloggers. Kelly Morisseau is the writer of Kitchen Sync, a popular design blog focusing on kitchens, baths, residential design, and generational behavior trends. She is also author of Kelly’s Kitchen Sync, a insider’s guide on avoiding common kitchen design errors. A second-generation designer, Kelly’s award-winning experience includes more than 25 years as a professional designer. She has served as judge for both U.S. and Canadian N.K.B.A national design competitions, written for trade publications, and been featured in design magazines. She is a Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer (C.M.K.B.D.) and a Certified Interior Designer (C.I.D.) in northern California. www.kellyskitchensync.com

For inspiration and ideas about kitchen design, please visit our Design Council member websites.

CERANA is BLANCO’s first Fireclay sink in the U.S. market, and offers a unique reversible design that goes from traditional to contemporary offering exceptional style and versatility

BLANCO adds another stunning and durable fixture to their collection – the reversible BLANCO CERANA Apron Front sink. CERANA is BLANCO’s first Fireclay sink in the U.S. – made of natural material that is highly resistant to shock, heat, acid, discoloration and chips. The unique, reversible design with two different corner radius measurements adds versatility as the ultra slim sink installs to feature either a traditional rounded or contemporary contoured apron front.

The newest material in luxury is actually centuries old. Fired at an intense heat of over 2100 degrees Farenheit for up to 20 hours, Fireclay sinks were first used in the late 1800s. BLANCO CERANA keeps the tradition alive while adding modern benefits of computer aided kiln production that keeps temperatures consistent for high quality control, a tight radius and a smooth non-porous finish that is extremely durable plus easy to clean. The hand-finished CERANA combines artisan technique, high tech automation and a special recipe of fine granular materials, which give the ultra slim, sink its high mechanical strength.

“The luxurious BLANCO CERANA makes a statement on many levels,“ states Tim Maicher, Director of Marketing for BLANCO. “We’re seeing the fusion of traditional and contemporary in kitchen design today. Comfort and durability blended with sophisticated styling. The same is true of CERANA. Age-old fireclay artisans blend computer engineering to take fireclay to the next level in slimness and functionality. CERANA is also uniquely reversible which allows a designer or homeowner the choice of installing it with a traditional rounded or contemporary contoured look. What’s old is new – translating material function and traditional beauty into today’s modern kitchen.”

The CERANA sink has a center drain location, 9-1/4” bowl depth and can be cleaned using a non-abrasive cloth with plain warm water.

The BLANCO CERANA sink comes in two reversible apron front single bowl styles (30” and 33”), one bar bowl style (17.25”) and retails from $595 to $1,295. It will be available in mid 2012 and comes with a limited lifetime warranty.