The Poinciana Crane

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Green Stimulates Credit

Under the 2008 bailout, the federal government offers tax credits for home energy efficiency improvements of up to $1,500. You can get this money by adding qualifying windows, doors, insulation, roofs, heating and cooling equipment, and water heaters to your house by 2010.

There are also renewable energy tax credits (not just deductions), of up to 30%, for solar and small wind energy systems. If you are looking into solar water heaters, a less-expensive system would cost around $4,111 instead of $9,135 after a 30% federal credit.  If you purchase a hybrid car, you can get a tax credit ranging from $250 to $3,500 depending on the characteristics of the car.  (A tax credit lowers your tax bill dollar-for-dollar, versus a tax deduction, which takes money off of your taxable income.)  To learn more, email us. 

Try FL Grass

Former CEO of General Nutrition Centers (GNC), Greg Horn says,

The average suburban lawn uses six times more chemicals per acre than conventional farming.  And your kids and pets play on that lawn.  If just 10 percent of us switched to natural lawn care, more than half a billion pounds of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides would be prevented from entering the environment and our kids' bodies.

Tankless Savings

Former CEO of General Nutrition Centers (GNC), Greg Horn says,

Energy and fuel efficiency can dramatically reduce use of fossil fuels.  Insulating your home can save you up to 15 percent on your utility bills each month.

For those into cutting edge appliances, consider replacing your old tired water heater with one of those so-called newfangled tank-less water heaters.  They can save a load, or two, and aren't actually so newfangled.  In fact, tank-less has been around for some time, but with the new environmental movement, it's finally caught on in popularity. 

If you go cutting edge, go Florida.  We build tankless water heaters right here.  Write us at Home@PoincianaHome.net for more information.

For more by Greg Horn visit the Poinciana Library.  You'll find there - along with other environmentally forward publications and public-access computers - a recently donated copy of his book Living Green.

Living Green by Greg Horn, 2006, pg. 76, Freedom Press, 1861 North Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA  90290.

The Real Florida, Disney's Preserve

If you'd like to take in the last of Winter and the start of Spring, Poinciana offers a once in a lifetime experience with nature for your entire family.  Without even leaving Poinciana, you can make plans to take your family Disney's Nature Preserve.  (For you Garminites, it's located at 2700 Scrub Jay Trail, Poinciana, FL  34759.)  It's sure to please all and relax the nerves.  Click on the image to see a close-up of the two paths Disney offers around Russell Lake, a Poinciana exclusive.  For more information, call (407) 935-0002.  If you are into weekend trips, take a look at University of Central Florida's comprehensive list of parks in Osceola called Solutions for Your Life.  There are enough parks to keep you and your little Poincianans active and away from "fake Florida," a.k.a., Disney World.

Power of Tonnage

Reducing our carbon footprint can be measured in savings by the tons.  Former CEO of General Nutrition Centers (GNC), Greg Horn says,

The average person in the U.S. produces 1,609 pounds of waste each year.  Recycling can cut your waste stream by up to 75 percent.  If each of us recycles just paper, glass and metal, we would save 162 million tons of material from entering American landfills each year.

For more by Greg Horn visit the Poinciana Library.  You'll find there - along with other environmentally forward publications and public-access computers - a recently donated copy of his book Living Green.

Living Green by Greg Horn, 2006, pg. 76, Freedom Press, 1861 North Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA  90290.

Destiny Before Poinciana?

In the midst of an excess-housing crisis, Osceola County appears to be moving forward with plans for an "eco-friendly development" to the east of Poinciana.  Leaders will name this community Destiny and claim that "it won't spread suburban sprawl."  The Reporter recently published an aerial of Florida's future Destiny, which looks suspiciously like another "self-contained" community, which developer Avatar said was designed as the location to Live - Work - Play.  According to planners, Destiny "makes sense as a way to diminish sprawl." 

Piggie's Hoard Store Opens

To fill the void of gifts and such not readily available in the area, we've joined Amazon and other big names in virtual retail to open shop here in Poinciana, Florida.  It's a safe and gas-saving alternative to traveling to even the local Walmart.  It's Piggie's Hoard.  We've stocked our shelves with:

• Books for Homeowners, Home Sellers & FSBO's;

• La Tienda de Poinciana con cosas para todas las familias de Poinciana; and

• Unique Lifestyle Merchandise

Look at some of what we're selling by clicking on our store below.

Shop Yourself to Earth

Shop yourself to "earth" with Overton Realty's newest green service.  It mixes shopping for items that you would normally go to the store for and doing it all from your computer.  The program has an earning program so that you can add the fun of earning while shopping.  With the Shop to Earn program, you can go shopping at the greatest stores: Target, Macys, Pet Smart, K-mart, OfficeMax, Best Buy, Home Depot, Toys R Us, Barnes & Noble, Buy.com, Travelocity, Vista Print, Good Sam's Club, and much more.  For questions about the program, contact Irene Overton.

Msg in 224B Bottles

Former CEO of General Nutrition Centers (GNC), Greg Horn says,

If we all just used a glass instead of a water-bottle or a coffee mug instead of a Styrofoam cup, we would save 244-billion bottles and cups made from petrochemical-based plastics from entering the U.S. waste stream each year.

For more by Greg Horn visit the Poinciana Library.  You'll find there - along with other environmentally forward publications and public-access computers - a recently donated copy of his book Living Green.

Living Green by Greg Horn, 2006, pg. 76, Freedom Press, 1861 North Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA  90290.

Top 10 Blogs

Want the world to know about your favorite blogs?  You can now submit your "Top 10 List" to Blogs.com.  Don't forget to support your local blogosphere either and add The Poinciana Crane to your favorites or email us at Home@PoincianaHome.net if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for improvement.  We always enjoy hearing from our fellow Poincianans.

Green Top 10

Former CEO of General Nutrition Centers (GNC), Greg Horn says that you can make small changes to have great impact on our planet.  His top ten include:

1. Eat Organic

2. Go Carbon Zero

3. Recycle

Internet is King Key

A new door locking system, the Schlage LiNKsystem, is not a newfangled gizmo that only promises to pocket your money, it actually has modern practical value.  It can be wirelessly set and opened via the Internet or from a mobile phone.

Users can lock or unlock the deadbolt, as well as change, activate or disable the locks using a secure four-digit code. If the high-tech approach isn't reasonable, the lock can also be opened using a keypad or the old-fashioned way with a key.

Pina Savings

Ready to save $4.00 every time you eat a pineapple in Central Florida? Try pineapple gardening. It's the easiest fruit to tend to in a garden and gets better with every year. It's so simple a process, in fact, a kindergartner could do it. And the best part is that they're friendly to Florida's environment and extreme heat. If you'd like to learn more, go to Poinciana's Flora & Fauna section.

Green Insurance for Homeowners

Fireman's Fund Insurance Company is offering "green insurance" for residential properties.  The insurance would be for homeowners:

• Who currently own a green home or
• For those who wish to upgrade to green standards should the home be completely destroyed.

Earth Conference

Orlando, Florida | If you missed Central Florida's first Green Earth Expo at the Orange County Convention Center, you're not alone.  Attendance was not the 50,000 that conference organizers had projected but it was well-attended.

Sponsored by the Global Green Alliance, the Expo was host to over 500 companies they consider a part of the "green supply chain." There were the much-expected burn-outs and flower-power vendors, such a Peace Frog; vegan and organic vendors galore; green builders; a few vendors some with questionable environmental impact, such as one called Sunshine Greens that seems to think it is "environmentally friendly" to replace thousands of acres of live lawns with their artificial turf; and a few others, like Bank of America and Washington Mutual tossed in, we think, to fill space ... unless they were there, possibly, to finance green projects.  Even Oprah's Angels were there checking out their futures.

Earth Day

Join us for Central Florida Earth Day 2008 presented by Florida School of Holistic Living.

• Free Family-Friendly Festival April 19 2008 - Noon - 10 pm - hosted by Dandelion Communitea, Florida School of Holistic Living, and Misty Forest at 618 N Thornton Avenue, Orlando
• Central Florida's Largest Community Earth Day Celebration, featuring three stages of live music all day, with the Token Gamblers, Mr. Richard, Kaleigh Baker, Papa Kapala, and Bughead
• Full Moon Drum Circle - 7-10 pm
• Dozens of Eco-Craft and Sustainable Vendors
• Organic Beer from Orlando Brewing
• Educational Speakers and Environmental Organizations
• Wine and Food from Whole Foods Market
• Live Community Mural Painting, and Art Auction
• Children's Discovery Area from Playground Magazine and Misty Forest

Community Day of Action will be held on April 20 2008.  Join non-profit community organizations for plantings, clean-ups, and other environmental action events to give back to Mother Earth.

Realtor Turns Green

As of yesterday, Darhlene Zeanwick became one of the only-3,100 Realtors in the entire U.S. with Green Leadership certification from the National Association of Realtors.  The research is voluminous.  Green really affects every aspect of life and lifestyle.  For example, do you have any idea how much carbon dioxide your home puts out into the air each year?

Try about 13,500 pounds for a 3,000-square-foot home.  Most of Poinciana's homes are not quite that large but still:  If you have a 1,000-square-foot home, that property is  putting out more or less 4,500 pounds of carbon dioxide every year and, let's see, each person lives how many years?

With the mug-me levels of heat in Florida, especially in August, it's not that unusual to hear of cooling bills as high as $400 in one month!  And we're not talking in-door marijuana grow houses either.  These are real people who apparently like it cold.  Frosty!

Preventing Pests From Entering Home

From Love to Lady, Florida abounds with Bugs. Here are some suggestions for limiting the ways pests can infiltrate your home and for safely handling pesticides.

• Seal cracks in walls, floors or ceilings to keep out bugs.

• Clean kitchen daily removing food from under toasters and packages. Most important is to keep floors swept, which also offers an opportunity to inspect floor areas for evidence of rodents and other wood boring pests.

• Remove broken or unused appliances to avoid pest from nesting.

• Eliminate stagnant water outside home to prevent attracting pests.

• Empty pet water and food bowls nightly. Sweep and dispose of pet food that may have fallen on floor.

• Except for paper-only or dry-waste containers, make sure all garbage receptacles have sealed lids. Clean and cover trash receptacles and place them on cleanable material, such as concrete.

• Store insecticides away from other items in a locked, cool cabinet.

• Dispose of bags, bottles or cans as soon as they are empty.

• Do not pour leftover pesticides down the drain.