Gibson Wood Renewal - January 2022

Gibson Wood Renewal - January 2022

In life, we can become used to a great-looking kitchen — but as trends and styles evolve, there’s always ways to freshen your kitchen look and make it feel just as cozy as it did the first day you fell in love with it. To do that, these homeowners made the awesome choice of replacing their oak cabinets with a strong duo color design! How Color Contrast Can Make Your Kitchen Sparkle Again

January 2022

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Is Your Fridge Killing the Planet? How to Find and Dispose of Dangerous Refrigerants

If I had to pick a favorite kitchen appliance in my house, it would definitely be my fridge. That’s where all the tastiest snacks come from! There’s also nothing quite as therapeutic as standing in front of the fridge and picking out a midnight meal when I can’t sleep. Unfortunately, not all refrigerators are created equal. Some of them have a dirty, little secret: hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a dangerous greenhouse gas that’s hurting the planet. WHAT ARE HFCS, AND WHY ARE THEY SO BAD? You might have heard about hydrofluorocarbons, HFCs, or simply “refrigerants” from the news. They’re used as a cooling agent in a lot of refrigerators and air conditioning units — maybe including yours! But they’re even more damaging to the ozone layer and warming to the planet than carbon dioxide (CO2). In fact, they’re thousands of times worse. Back in May 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule that would phase them out, cutting their use by 85% over the next 15 years. As Reuters reported at the time, “The proposal to curb the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) would keep the equivalent of 900 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from reaching the atmosphere over that period ... a climate impact similar to preventing the combustion of a trillion tons of coal.” IS MY FRIDGE PART OF THE PROBLEM? The short answer to this is “probably — but not yet.” Here in the U.S., millions of refrigerators, A/C units, freezers, and dehumidifiers contain harmful refrigerants like HFCs. You can find out whether your fridge

does by looking at the sticker on the inside compartment. It should list the manufacturing information, including which refrigerant is cooling your fridge. If the refrigerant listed is R600a (isobutane), then you’re one of the lucky few with an HFC-free fridge. If not, then you’re stuck with the bad stuff. The good news is that according to the famous climate plan “Drawdown,” 90% of the refrigerant emissions from fridges and other appliances happen when you throw them away. So, you still have a chance to reduce your impact! Visit GreenAmerica.org/CoolIt- Disposal to learn how to repair a broken fridge the green way, and when you’re ready to toss an appliance, use the EPA’s Responsible Appliance Disposal program to do it safely (EPA.gov/RAD/Find-RAD-Partner-Programs). CAN I SWITCH TO GREENER OPTIONS? Yes, you can! As I mentioned, HFC-free refrigerators are out there — cooled with isobutane, which is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon. These fridges are still pretty rare, though. You can ask for them at your local appliance store, or check out CoolTechnologies.com as a starting point for your green fridge search. If you want to learn more about refrigerants, I highly recommend checking out the podcast “How to Save a Planet” on Spotify. The episode “Cold Hard Cash for Your Greenhouse Gas” talks about the impact of refrigerants hidden all around us and tells the story of a couple refrigerant bounty hunters who are saving the world one cash transaction at a time.

BEFORE

They put deep navy on the bottom and a beautiful bright white on top, replacing their cabinet handles with a clean, modern silver look. If strong color contrast ever seem like a scary choice at first, take a look at this attractive remodeling, which could convince anyone to spend extra time in the kitchen. Call us today to see how we can help make your Kitchen Sparkle again!

-Tom Gibson

AFTER

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Thanks to the chaos we’ve experienced since 2020, many design experts are looking to create spaces that are calm, welcoming, and grounded . Enter one of the biggest design trends of the 2020s : neutral, natural elements. Here are some easy ways to bring nature inside and boost your home’s look without overspending. The obvious option is to add more houseplants. And plants don’t have to be difficult! Consider your home space, first. How much light do you get? Is it a dry or humid home? How likely is it that you will remember to water a plant? Bring these concerns to your local nursery, and they will help you find the perfect leafy friend(s) to fill your space. Then, opt for pieces that won’t decay. When choosing new decor for your home or when updating your knickknacks for the seasons, look for wooden or natural items that don’t have a life cycle. Fake plants, wooden statues and picture frames, and piles of stones or vases with rocks can bring the richness of the great outdoors into your home with little effort and can be reused each season. Now, look to your backyard! If you have a big pine tree that produces pine cones each year, don’t let those go to waste! Baskets or vases filled with pine cones can be great fall and winter decor pieces, while lots of clever crafters have made wreaths, scent diffusers, and other fun items with pine cones found in their yard. Just be mindful of what you take from nature. Don’t take anything of value to the ecosystem, and don’t grab items from state or national parks. Finally, utilize windows. Part of embracing natural design elements is letting nature do the talking! Focus your design in each room around windows. For instance, fix plant displays near windows or hang bird feeders in trees you can see through your windows. If you really want to get cozy with the outdoors, consider installing a skylight! To find more inspiration, take a walk and discover how Mother Nature has designed her space. Bring those ideas into your home and enjoy the comfort of the great outdoors within your own great indoors. Easy, Affordable Ways to Embrace Nature in Your Home

January is Radon Awareness Month, and it serves as a reminder that this invisible, odorless, and tasteless compound could be extremely dangerous if it leaks into your home. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer deaths, and it claims the lives of 21,000 Americans each year. People can be exposed to radon via the air that comes through cracks and gaps in buildings, so testing radon levels in homes, schools, and other buildings can help prevent health risks and unnecessary exposure. HOW DO YOU PREVENT RADON LEAKS? Testing your home is a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to prevent leaks. Radon kits can be found online or in home improvement stores. They are easy to install and just require placing a small measuring device and leaving it for the directed period of time. Be sure to follow the instructions on where to place the device and where to send it after the test to find out your radon level. You can also hire qualified professionals to test for radon in your home by contacting your state radon program or by using the National Radon Proficiency Program (NRPP) or the National Radon Safety Board (NRSB). Additional actions to reduce high radon levels in your home include not smoking indoors, increasing airflow by opening windows and using fans, and sealing cracks in your floors and walls. HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE A LEAK? Even if you are breathing in a high level of radon, there are no obvious signs and no widely available medical tests to measure whether you have been exposed. Possible symptoms can include shortness of breath, hoarseness, wheezing, persistent cough, coughing up blood, chest pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, and fatigue. WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED? If you think you or a loved one has been exposed to radon, see your medical care provider about whether you should receive regular checkups or CT scans to test for possible signs of lung cancer. It’s Radon Awareness Month! Everything You Need to Know About Radon

Visit the EPA website for more information.

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Gladiators: The Original Celebrity Athletes? January is a big month for sports. The College Football Playoff takes place, the NFL playoffs begin, and the NBA and NHL seasons are fully underway. Stars from each of these leagues have cultivated a global fan base and become celebrities. While this might seem like something that could only happen in the present day thanks to international media and the internet, historically, many gladiators reached untold levels of fame thousands of years ago.

For the most part, gladiators were not born into wealth and never saw much money during their careers. In most cases, they were originally slaves who became so indebted that they had nothing left to sell but their bodies. For a variety of reasons, slaves were chosen and sent to gladiatorial schools, where they trained to become the best at their craft. When we think of gladiators, we often picture giant arenas and lots of death, but that was rarely the case. It’s estimated that anywhere from 1 in 5 to 1 in 8 matches ended with a combatant’s death. While the gladiators themselves did not have much money, they were very expensive to train and not easily replaced. Promotions for gladiator fights were very similar to what you see when traveling to a professional sports stadium today. Instead of paper posters to promote athletes or upcoming games, the ancient Romans painted their posters directly on walls. These painted posters often gave dates and times for upcoming matches and included gladiators’ names and sometimes even their records. For a better understanding of gladiators and the popularity of their matches, take a look at the Colosseum in Rome. This massive amphitheater was built almost 2,000 years ago and could seat up to 75,000 people. For comparison, the biggest stadiums in America hold a little over 100,000 people. Back then, there were no Jumbotrons or screens to see from far away. Tens of thousands of people would go to watch gladiator fights with nothing but their own two eyes. While they might not have had the luxuries or money our current athletes have, gladiators still had quite a bit of fame. If anything, gladiators prove that athletes are and always have been incredibly influential in society.

TAKE A BREAK

Chicken With Lemon Herb Sauce Inspired by FoodNetwork.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup and 2 tbsp olive oil, divided • 4 boneless chicken breasts • 1 clove of garlic, minced • 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped • 1/3 cup mint, chopped • 1 1/2 tsp pepper • 1 lemon, for juice and zest

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. 2. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. 3. Season chicken with salt and pepper if desired and sear it in the skillet for 3 minutes on each side. Bake chicken until its internal temperature is 165 F.

4. In a blender, add 1/3 cup olive oil, garlic, salt, parsley, mint, pepper, and lemon zest and juice and blend ingredients until coarsely mixed. 5. Top chicken with sauce and serve!

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INSIDE

The Problem With Refrigerants 1.

2.

Can You Get Lung Cancer by Breathing Air? Add More Nature to Your Home in 4 Simple Ways!

The Hottest (and Easiest) Design Trends of 2022 4. The Original ‘Celebrity’ Athletes 3.

2022’s Biggest Design Trends: Stay Stylish With These 3 Easy-to-Try Design Options

Home trends change as the years do, so, as we begin another year, use interior designer predictions to elevate your home’s style with ease. BRING THE OUTDOORS IN. More home designers are relying on natural materials, like cotton and clay, and opting for softer, natural approaches to spruce up a space. You can try this by incorporating plants into your living space. Adding pottery and soft blankets can go a long way, too! ROUND IT OUT. Modern styles often take a sharp, elongated edged approach, but in 2022, designers believe rounded features are more comforting to us. You can create this in your space by adding round pillows to your couches, swapping out for circular or oval-shaped rugs, or hanging up rounded frames for paintings or pictures. BALANCE WORK AND LIFE. As the world embraces a work-from-home lifestyle, experts predict our spaces will reflect a clear division between work and home. Look for ways you can separate our office space from your home, potentially by designing it differently than the rest of your space.

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