Friday, July 12, 2013
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Dining Green
We were always told by our parents and doctors to eat green (vegetables) it’s healthy.
I propose another way to eat green: Dine Green. Yes, dining green is not just a trendy choice, it is a smart choice. Many restaurant owners are choosing to go green in their operations and services or design green as they plan and build.
Restaurant owners may ask: How can you make your food service facility green? Should it be LEED Certified? Is it costly? Where do I start? These are many questions that may be in the mind of future restaurant owners as they are planning their facility.
The key is to plan. If you desire to be socially conscious in your restaurant operations and services, take advice from Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Successful People: 'Begin With The End In Mind.' This will save you money and time. Choose an environmentally conscious design professional, suppliers and even employees. Be sure to communicate your vision to your employees as you begin.
Green Tips for Your Food Service Facility:
• Extend the life of an existing building by renovating instead of building from the ground up.
• Save money and time: buy or rent a building that once housed a restaurant.
• Purchase used restaurant equipment and furniture.
• Use locally grown fruits and vegetables.
• Install low-flow toilets.
• Install tankless water heaters.
• Use low or no VOC paints
• Use recycled materials to enhance the décor.
• Design designated areas for recycled materials.
• Create a Go Green and a Recycling Plan.
For more information on green restaurant design, contact Urban Aesthetics at 267.702.0810 or 856.733.0809. Email: info@urbanaestheticsllc.com
I propose another way to eat green: Dine Green. Yes, dining green is not just a trendy choice, it is a smart choice. Many restaurant owners are choosing to go green in their operations and services or design green as they plan and build.
Restaurant owners may ask: How can you make your food service facility green? Should it be LEED Certified? Is it costly? Where do I start? These are many questions that may be in the mind of future restaurant owners as they are planning their facility.
The key is to plan. If you desire to be socially conscious in your restaurant operations and services, take advice from Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Successful People: 'Begin With The End In Mind.' This will save you money and time. Choose an environmentally conscious design professional, suppliers and even employees. Be sure to communicate your vision to your employees as you begin.
Green Tips for Your Food Service Facility:
• Extend the life of an existing building by renovating instead of building from the ground up.
• Save money and time: buy or rent a building that once housed a restaurant.
• Purchase used restaurant equipment and furniture.
• Use locally grown fruits and vegetables.
• Install low-flow toilets.
• Install tankless water heaters.
• Use low or no VOC paints
• Use recycled materials to enhance the décor.
• Design designated areas for recycled materials.
• Create a Go Green and a Recycling Plan.
For more information on green restaurant design, contact Urban Aesthetics at 267.702.0810 or 856.733.0809. Email: info@urbanaestheticsllc.com
My Biz Go Green
Did You Know that there are approximately 60,000 businesses in the City of Philadelphia, all required to submit a recycling plan to the City of Philadelphia?
“All commercial properties receiving private or city waste collection must complete the Commercial Solid Waste and Recycling Plan.” (City of Philadelphia, Secure Waste and Utility Services).
Did you know that only 15,000 of these businesses are in compliance with this requirement? (Ashley Nguyen, Philadelphia Daily News)
Urban Aesthetics, LLC is a full service, committed green business and a certified Woman and Minority owned project management firm located in Philadelphia. We provide green, design and permit services.
As a long-time advocate for the environment, green business owner and a former student of Green Business Management, I particularly enjoy having the opportunity to see how businesses function from the inside and how I can help businesses comply. This blog outlines the scope of work, including objective and scope of services.
Our objective is to assist businesses with the implementation of a Recycling Plan in or to help in compliance with the city’s requirements for commercial businesses. We provide professional assistance to help your business plan, coordinate and implement a Recycling plan, in accordance with the requirements of the City of Philadelphia.
We help businesses with the following services:
a. Conduct an evaluation based on your business operations and needs.
b. Assist in the planning and implementation of a Recycling and / or a Go Green Plan.
c. Recommend steps required to successfully implement the new system and assist in assembling setup information and data used in the implementation process.
d. Filing and posting of your City of Philadelphia Commercial Solid Waste and Recycling Plan.
2. Compile a complete list of waste haulers, including fees, addresses, phone numbers, vendor terms, vendor classes (if any), and other necessary vendor information for your use in recycling hauling.
3. Acquire and placement of appropriate recycling receptacles.
4. Training and implementation:
a. Work with you and your staff during implementation to help you gain a general understanding of the process.
b. Follow up of your Go Green Plan and development of a progress report.
BENEFITS
When the process is complete, your company will be in compliance with the City’s requirements for recycling. After completion of the Go Green Plan, your company will join the community of businesses that seek to provide a greener, healthier environment for all.
We would appreciate the opportunity to service your company’s needs. If you have any questions, please contact our offices at 215.702.0810 or email: gogreen@mybizgogreen.com.
“All commercial properties receiving private or city waste collection must complete the Commercial Solid Waste and Recycling Plan.” (City of Philadelphia, Secure Waste and Utility Services).
Did you know that only 15,000 of these businesses are in compliance with this requirement? (Ashley Nguyen, Philadelphia Daily News)
Urban Aesthetics, LLC is a full service, committed green business and a certified Woman and Minority owned project management firm located in Philadelphia. We provide green, design and permit services.
As a long-time advocate for the environment, green business owner and a former student of Green Business Management, I particularly enjoy having the opportunity to see how businesses function from the inside and how I can help businesses comply. This blog outlines the scope of work, including objective and scope of services.
Our objective is to assist businesses with the implementation of a Recycling Plan in or to help in compliance with the city’s requirements for commercial businesses. We provide professional assistance to help your business plan, coordinate and implement a Recycling plan, in accordance with the requirements of the City of Philadelphia.
We help businesses with the following services:
- Green Design and Planning
- Recycling Plan Compliance
- Go Green Plan
a. Conduct an evaluation based on your business operations and needs.
b. Assist in the planning and implementation of a Recycling and / or a Go Green Plan.
c. Recommend steps required to successfully implement the new system and assist in assembling setup information and data used in the implementation process.
d. Filing and posting of your City of Philadelphia Commercial Solid Waste and Recycling Plan.
2. Compile a complete list of waste haulers, including fees, addresses, phone numbers, vendor terms, vendor classes (if any), and other necessary vendor information for your use in recycling hauling.
3. Acquire and placement of appropriate recycling receptacles.
4. Training and implementation:
a. Work with you and your staff during implementation to help you gain a general understanding of the process.
b. Follow up of your Go Green Plan and development of a progress report.
BENEFITS
When the process is complete, your company will be in compliance with the City’s requirements for recycling. After completion of the Go Green Plan, your company will join the community of businesses that seek to provide a greener, healthier environment for all.
We would appreciate the opportunity to service your company’s needs. If you have any questions, please contact our offices at 215.702.0810 or email: gogreen@mybizgogreen.com.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Happy Green New Year!!!
Hello Greenies and Happy New Year 2012! It has been some time since I have posted. I have been spending time communicating with my Urban Greenies. 2011 was a great year for us at Urban Aesthetics, filled with wonderful green activities such as planting trees, and completing green projects including building renovations, participating in green house building and completing historical preservation projects.
Next in store, 2012; a year filled with green expectations and greener plans. Have you completed your Green Goals for 2012? As I look back on my 2011 Green Goals, I notice that I have only completed half of the goals on the list. This may sound disappointing but I'll take a 'glass half full' approach. The first step is to have a desire to be greener. The next step is to create a plan to be greener and after that, put your plan into action.
My list of 2012 Green Goals are complete including plans to plant more trees, increase green design projects by 25% and educate green. My planned tasks to put the goals into action are in place. I look forward to checking off each goal on my list and I encourage you to do the same. Let's have a great, green year!!!
Next in store, 2012; a year filled with green expectations and greener plans. Have you completed your Green Goals for 2012? As I look back on my 2011 Green Goals, I notice that I have only completed half of the goals on the list. This may sound disappointing but I'll take a 'glass half full' approach. The first step is to have a desire to be greener. The next step is to create a plan to be greener and after that, put your plan into action.
My list of 2012 Green Goals are complete including plans to plant more trees, increase green design projects by 25% and educate green. My planned tasks to put the goals into action are in place. I look forward to checking off each goal on my list and I encourage you to do the same. Let's have a great, green year!!!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Sustain.Ability
To sustain; as defined by Merriam Webster, to bear up under; to give support or relief to; to supply with sustenance; to support the weight of. The Americans with Disabilities Act was created in 1990, in order to ensure disabled persons equal access to buildings. Providing accessible facilities is an important part of design and stands alone as sustainable.
Early in my career, a former boss and mentor, Architect Robert Kendall, asked me to help him in his efforts to form an organization that offered free design and planning to victims of spinal cord injuries. The formation of this organization was important to Robert because of his association with a close friend that was in a wheelchair, as well as his own brief disabling experience, due to a soccer injury. Robert's dream became a reality with the formation of a non-profit charitable organization named Homescapes. As a volunteer for Homescapes during its formation and operations, the needs of the disabled became important to me.
As family members age and no longer are to get around the same, we realize the need to make their homes safe for their movement. In addition, we become more aware of the need for public spaces to be accommodating to people with a disability.
I could not consider myself a true green or sustainable designer if I did not include the needs of the disabled in my work. I make sure that my commercial projects always include consultation about the needs of the disabled. Not only is it the law, it's thoughtful and for the business owner that serve the public, it makes good business sense.
Urban Aesthetics is proud to say that we find the needs of the disabled important and they will continue to be at the forefront of our projects. We provide a accessibility permit drawings as a service to very important clients and if an ADA retrofit is what you need, do not hesitate to call:
800-868-1921.
Early in my career, a former boss and mentor, Architect Robert Kendall, asked me to help him in his efforts to form an organization that offered free design and planning to victims of spinal cord injuries. The formation of this organization was important to Robert because of his association with a close friend that was in a wheelchair, as well as his own brief disabling experience, due to a soccer injury. Robert's dream became a reality with the formation of a non-profit charitable organization named Homescapes. As a volunteer for Homescapes during its formation and operations, the needs of the disabled became important to me.
As family members age and no longer are to get around the same, we realize the need to make their homes safe for their movement. In addition, we become more aware of the need for public spaces to be accommodating to people with a disability.
I could not consider myself a true green or sustainable designer if I did not include the needs of the disabled in my work. I make sure that my commercial projects always include consultation about the needs of the disabled. Not only is it the law, it's thoughtful and for the business owner that serve the public, it makes good business sense.
Urban Aesthetics is proud to say that we find the needs of the disabled important and they will continue to be at the forefront of our projects. We provide a accessibility permit drawings as a service to very important clients and if an ADA retrofit is what you need, do not hesitate to call:
800-868-1921.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Eco-Deck and Gardens
"...I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden..."
Ruth Stout
Spring is almost here and it is the time of year that we start upgrading the exterior of our houses in anticipation of great holidays like Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. Many other special days are around the corner, including Family Reunions or those special gatherings that you have outdoors.
"...You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt..."
Author Unknown
How about having your gathering on your new or upgraded deck leading to an elegant garden? Planting a garden is an eco-friendly move, adding oxygen to the air and helping to decrease the amount of storm water runoff. Your garden can be an ongoing spring and summer project, decreasing your time spent indoors, eventually saving you energy and money.
Sustainable choices for your garden:
"...Plants cry their gratitude for the sun in green joy..."
Astrid Alauda
Make another green choice for your garden and deck by using environmentally friendly materials. Your best option can be to reuse wood from construction debris, preferably from a previous deck. Additional options include using FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood and deck tiles, ensuring that the use of the wood is not leading to deforestation. An alternative to using wood for decks is composite decking. Composite decking eliminates the need to use natural resources because it includes alternative materials to wood. The decking also decreases the amount of maintenance needed.
Reginald Farrer, In a Yorkshire Garden, 1909
Urban Aesthetics will design a deck to your specifications and we will do it the right way. Many decks in the area have been built done wrong, with us do your deck will be done right.
"Every April communities, organizations, and individuals nationwide celebrate gardening during National Garden Month." National Gardening Association
Ruth Stout
Spring is almost here and it is the time of year that we start upgrading the exterior of our houses in anticipation of great holidays like Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. Many other special days are around the corner, including Family Reunions or those special gatherings that you have outdoors.
"...You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt..."
Author Unknown
How about having your gathering on your new or upgraded deck leading to an elegant garden? Planting a garden is an eco-friendly move, adding oxygen to the air and helping to decrease the amount of storm water runoff. Your garden can be an ongoing spring and summer project, decreasing your time spent indoors, eventually saving you energy and money.
Sustainable choices for your garden:
- Plant herbs to use as spices for your favorite dishes.
- Plant vegetables and save money on food.
- Use eco-friendly choices for fertilizers
"...Plants cry their gratitude for the sun in green joy..."
Astrid Alauda
Make another green choice for your garden and deck by using environmentally friendly materials. Your best option can be to reuse wood from construction debris, preferably from a previous deck. Additional options include using FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood and deck tiles, ensuring that the use of the wood is not leading to deforestation. An alternative to using wood for decks is composite decking. Composite decking eliminates the need to use natural resources because it includes alternative materials to wood. The decking also decreases the amount of maintenance needed.
- FSC Deck Tiles: http://www.decktiles.org/
- Composite Deck Materials: http://www.trex.com/
Reginald Farrer, In a Yorkshire Garden, 1909
Urban Aesthetics will design a deck to your specifications and we will do it the right way. Many decks in the area have been built done wrong, with us do your deck will be done right.
Call: 215-776-8795
Email: info@urbanaestheticsdesigns.com
Email: info@urbanaestheticsdesigns.com
"Every April communities, organizations, and individuals nationwide celebrate gardening during National Garden Month." National Gardening Association
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