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Tourism Goes Green With Environmental Awareness

Guest Post by Sam Marquis

Considering a ‘green’ vacation this summer? One of these resorts might just be the ticket

ink48Environmental Awareness In Tourism Is Growing.  As an independent commercial contractor, I’ve witnessed the initial implementation of “green” building materials. Responsible tourism is important in today’s society. Various individuals are working hard to increase sustainability and their devotion to being eco-friendly is being recognized.

Las Vegas in particular has made great strides toward becoming an eco-friendly city. The Las Vegas Palazzo Resort was recently named ‘Most Eco Friendly Hotel in America,’ and with good reason. This resort finds ways to reuse its own waste, making it a little more self-sustaining while also containing water recycling systems and solar panels for heating.

Wild Asia, an Asian accommodation provider, gives out annual Responsible Tourism Awards to organizations that demonstrate an admirable level of respect for the environment. A number of categories are recognized, among them are; Wildlife Conservation and Cultural Preservation.

palazzo-hotelThere are several ways resorts and hotels can become more sustainable. Many organizations are implementing eco-friendly systems such as:

  •  Installing automatic-shutoff faucets and showerheads
  • Using motion sensors to turn off lights when a room is empty
  • Serving local foods
  • Many hotels in Vegas are fitted with items meet LEED certification standards
  • Some New York City hotels, such as Ink48, are matching the Palazzo Resort’s self-sustaining waste recycling programs
  • Many others are working to reduce their carbon footprints
  • Ink48 has gone so far as to create a program called Earthcare, which allows its members to discuss new ways to reduce the impact they have on the planet

Green ImageIt’s truly great to see so many people working to improve our environmental situation. Increased sustainability of the most heavily used facilities helps the planet and raises awareness. With nearly 40 million travelers in Las Vegas last year alone, there’s no doubt that people will become more conscious of our effect on the environment.

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Skin Care for your 20s, 30s, 40s & Beyond

Guest Post by Lee Ann Buttery

From college sorority sisters to centenarians and everything in between, everyone should practice good skin care. With each subsequent decade, we must adjust our skin care regimen accordingly. If we take proper care of our skin (along with eating healthfully and exercising regularly), we can be confident that we’ll age gracefully. Whether you’re 20 or 100, keep reading to learn skin care tips appropriate for your age.

20s

Your skin is still very young but it requires a little more attention than it did in your teen years. Simplicity is still key here, but now is the time to take a small step toward anti-aging for preventive purposes. If acne is an ongoing battle it may be because you are using the wrong skin care products for your skin type. If you have oily skin, opt for a gel-based cleanser. If you have dry skin, choose a cream-based formula. For acne-prone skin, use a cleanser that contains acne-fighting ingredients such as salicylic acid. After cleansing, apply a toner on the face and neck—well formulated toners can offer amazing benefits to the skin.

To treat blemishes, use a spot treatment that contains salicylic acid and/or colloidal sulfur. The last step is to apply a moisturizer with a built-in broad spectrum sunscreen for daytime. Choose one with a physical barrier like zinc so you don’t absorb harmful chemicals. For nighttime, choose a formula without sunscreen. It is crucial to take proper care of your skin now, because you’ll reap the benefits (or lack thereof) in your 30s and beyond—especially when it comes to protecting your skin from the sun; sunscreen is the top anti-aging product. When you approach your early 20s, you can incorporate an eye cream into your regimen to slow the formation of crow’s feet.

30s

You may start to notice your complexion is not as vibrant as it used to be in your 20s. Also, you may notice a few fine lines and crow’s feet around the eyes. Now is the time to really address signs of aging. Aside from basic cleansing, toning and moisturizing, it would be wise to include a serum in your skin care routine. Choose an antioxidant-packed serum such as a vitamin c serum to help address discoloration and dullness.

Moreover, now is the time to be a little more aggressive with exfoliation—use a cleanser that contains an alpha hydroxy acid such as Glycolic Acid. Exfoliating two to three times a week will instantly slough away dead surface cells to reveal a fresher, more youthful-looking complexion. It will also help increase cellular turnover, which slows down as we age. Cellular turnover is the speed at which skin cells die and are replaced by new ones. The process of cellular turnover is what determines the youthfulness of our skin. For instance, a child’s skin has very fast cellular turnover, which is why their skin looks so young and smooth. At this stage of the game, you should be using an eye cream to nourish the delicate eye area, especially since it gets more fragile and thin as we get older.

40s & Beyond

When you reach your 40s and beyond, hydration is more important than ever before. Continue the basic regimen suggested for those in their 30s but step it up a bit. Your skin care products—from cleanser to eye cream should contain hydrating ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin and Lactic Acid. Retinols work wonders too. Furthermore, continue to exfoliate two to three times a week with a product formulated with an alpha hydroxy acid (Glycolic Acid), for higher grade resurfacing.

Regardless of your age, there are universal skin practices that everyone should abide by. Aside from the basics such as cleansing, toning and moisturizing, everyone should wear sunscreen on a daily basis, moisturize and exfoliate regularly.  Be careful of the products you use, most skin care lines contain harmful chemicals. Beauty comes with every age and good skin care will yield the healthiest skin possible.

Lee Ann Buttery is a Licensed Esthetician and Professional Makeup Artist who works for Mario Badescu. She is passionate about all things beauty-related and has a particular obsession with anti-aging.

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4 Tips For Better Home Efficiency This Winter

Guest Post by Jakob Barry 

It has been a particularly brutal winter in many parts of the country so far and it’s not over yet.  Here are some good reminders to help keep your home in shape when severe weather strikes 

Seal Drafts

Drafts are the bane of indoor heating and probably the most difficult thing to catch when you’re not looking. As most heating contractors will tell you the key is finding them now before the cold weather arrives. Otherwise you’ll lose out financially when the heating system is working over time trying to compensate for all the lost heat. How do you find a draft? Wait for a breezy day and holding a lit candle move it around the interior frames of windows and doors. If the flame flickers and it wasn’t from your own breathe chances are there is a draft which needs to be tended to. When drafts are detected the easiest way to seal them is by caulking on the outside and if necessary on the interior too.

Inspect Doors & Windows
Sometimes drafts are part of a more serious problem such as a window or door not working properly, which all the caulking in the world won’t fix. Examples include when windows don’t sit level, cannot be shut correctly, or don’t lock. The same is true for doors which may shut but need a kick, do not close snug with the frame, or have a space between the floor and base of the door. In all of these cases cool air can easily enter a home competing with the thermostat when it’s trying to maintain a certain temperature.

Clean Gutters
Believe it or not gutters are one of the most important parts of a home’s exterior because without them rain water would have nowhere to go except rushing down the sides of a house. Even though this still occurs, with the help of gutters the flow of water running down siding and over windows and doors is less. Problems occur when gutters get clogged from leaves and branches that may have fallen into them resulting in an overflow and sometimes leakage through a roof. In order to prevent such damage cleaning out gutters is a necessary pre-winter job that can be done on your own though only if you are comfortable on a ladder. Make sure access to down spouts are clear and if possible put wiring over the top of gutters so if anything falls on them it can be removed easily.

Check For Water Damage
Preventing water damage is one thing; checking for previous damage is another. If you haven’t been in the attic or crawl space lately find some time to go up there and take a look around. What you’ll want to inspect for is any discoloring on the inside paneling and ceiling, which will be a sign of a leak or past leak that needs attention. Sometimes this occurs from shingles which have dislodged from bad weather. Occasionally the nails that hold them down loosen creating a space for water to seep in. Around the chimney is another area of concern, as sometimes the flashing needs repair and water leaks through cracks where the bricks meet the roof. This may require hiring a professional who knows exactly what to do but if you must, don’t wait. Water damage is not something to take lightly because it could turn very costly if it becomes a larger issue.

Jakob Barry is a home improvement journalist for Networx.com. He blogs about Green topics for pros across the U.S. including Jacksonville, Florida Roofers and Cincinnati, Ohio HVAC.