Recycle Your Holiday Lights

Holiday Lights

Light bulbs cannot be recycled in Seattle’s recycling carts – but don’t throw out your burned-out holiday lights – recycle them! Holiday light recycling programs take your old light strands and recycle the copper wire inside them.

King County offers a list of nearby locations where you can recycle your holiday lights for free:

Other businesses and organizations may also offer holiday light recycling programs. When shopping for new holiday lights at retailers, ask if they have a program.

Thanks for recycling your holiday lights!

For More “At Your Service” articles like this, please visit Seattle Public Utilities at:

http://atyourservice.seattle.gov/

By |2020-11-02T04:33:52-09:00December 10th, 2013|Community News & Events, Good to Know|

Lessen the Stress from Your Tech

Smartphones and tablets give us access to the latest news and get real time responses via email and text.  However, the increased connectivity has become a source of stress for many people.  Here are four ways to minimize your gadget stress and still enjoy technology:

Problem 1:  Smartphones and tablets are leading to more diagnosis of arthritis, and tendonitis, usually of the elbows, thumbs and neck1.

Solution 1:  To ease the pain, make sure to hold your phone at chest level, and always use a stand with your tablet.

Problem 2:  The LED light on your phone tablet or computer may interfere with your body’s production of melatonin, a hormone vital to good sleep.

Solution 2:   Unplug from your devices before bedtime.  You can also install apps to adjust the brightness of your device based on the time of day. F.lux (iPhone, iPad) or Lux (for Android) are 2 such apps.

Problem 3:  Juggling multiple applications on our smartphones, laptops and tablets may seem like multitasking but in reality make us less productive when offline.  Also, it has been shown to put your heart on high alert causing increased stress and higher rates of cortisol.2

Solution3 : Set an hour or two aside each day to turn it all off.  Decompress by taking a walk, spending time with friend and family, or enjoying non-electronic activities.

Problem 4: Paying more attention to the smartphone than the road has serious consequences.  Texting while driving creates a crash risk 23 times greater than non-distracted driving.  In real terms, this averts the driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, equal to driving the length of a football field blind at 55mph.3

Solution 4: Put the phone away.  No message is important enough to cause an accident. 

 

References

1. Health, June 2013

2.UC Irvine

3. http://www.Distraction.gov

By |2020-11-02T04:33:52-09:00December 5th, 2013|Good to Know|

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Turkey soup

Happy Thanksgiving!  We are thankful for all your business, advice and friendship.  Hoping your day tomorrow is full of fun and food.  Cooking is something I very much enjoy, so you know where I’ll be.  One of my favorite dishes to make with the leftover turkey is soup.  I’d like to share my recipe with you.

 Turkey Vegetable Soup

 Ingredients

One turkey picked clean of meat

One large onion, cut in half

3 stalks of celery, chopped in ½ inch pieces.  Save the tips for the stock

6 carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces

3 potatoes, peeled and cubed

large handful of trimmed fresh green beans

One tomato

Salt and pepper to taste

Small bunch of chopped fresh parsley

 Add about 2 quarts of water and gently simmer turkey carcass in a large covered stock pot for an hour.  Add celery tips, and one sliced onion to the pot while simmering.  Remove the turkey and strain the stock into another stock pot.  Taste the stock, then add salt and pepper to taste. 

 Remove the skin from the tomato (boil 1-2 minutes), then remove the seeds and chop the tomato into small pieces.

 To the stock, add chopped carrots, celery, beans, potatoes, and the diced tomato.  Gently simmer for 15 minutes then add chopped fresh parsley to taste.  Add as much of the leftover turkey meat as you like. Simmer for about 10 more minutes then sample a carrot and potato to test for doneness.  Serve with rice or egg noodles. Enjoy!

 

By |2020-11-02T04:33:52-09:00November 27th, 2013|Good to Know|

Ballard Meeting on Microhousing November 14th, 2013

We received a lot of feedback on our recent microhousing email topic, so we thought we would let you know about an upcoming meeting….

Geoffrey Wentlandt, a planner from the Seattle Department of Transportation, will speak about an area he is very familiar with — microhousing. This is your chance to learn about this complex zoning subject that is the subject of much debate including what new design rules are being proposed for this type of housing. Bring your questions!

This is the monthly general meeting of the Central Ballard Residents Association (CBRA.) All interested persons are invited to attend.

When: Thursday November 14, 7:00pm – 8:30pm

Where: 5350 Tallman Ave. Swedish Hospital Conference room A on the main floor around the corner from the cafeteria.

To learn more about CBRA, please visit:  www.centralballard.org

 

 
By |2020-11-02T04:34:11-09:00November 7th, 2013|Community News & Events, Good to Know, Real Estate News|

Appliance Rebate through Seattle City Light

Appliances make up about 20 percent of your home’s electricity use. Seattle City Light’s appliance rebates can help you upgrade to more efficient models – saving you up to $1,500.00 and electricity for years to come. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Before buying an appliance, please make sure it is an eligible model. There are some Energy Star models that do not qualify for a Seattle City Light Rebate. For a list of rebate details and eligible models, please click on the link below.

http://www.seattle.gov/light/conserve/resident/appliances/

Also, for questions about Seattle City Light Rebates, call their Energy Advisors at 206-684-3800 or email SCLEnergyAdvisor@seattle.gov.

By |2020-11-02T04:34:13-09:00October 1st, 2013|Community News & Events, Good to Know|

Hot Trend – Seattle Micro Housing

     In an effort to increase affordability and urban density, there is a new micro housing trend in the City of Seattle.  It consists of small apartment units of as little as 140 square feet, trademarked by one builder as “aPodments.”  These “aPodments” have a bathroom, shower, and a convenience center for a mini refrigerator and microwave.  Like a modern boarding house, units share centralized kitchens in the building.  Rents vary from $500-$900 per month, and amenities such as laundry and Wi-Fi are typically extra.

     Micro housing has been a polarizing issue in Seattle. One objection is that here in Seattle, unlike in San Francisco or New York, the process of creating code to allow such buildings isn’t currently up for review—it’s old code. So micro-apartments pop up, sometimes with little warning, in places where neighbors have been expecting traditional four- to six-unit buildings. With micro-apartments, “unit” is likely redefined to mean an entire floor of eight tiny apartments with locking doors and bathrooms, plus one kitchen and one common area. A series of DPD code changes over the last 10 years means parking is not currently required for many apartments in most city neighborhoods.

     In an increasingly “single” Seattle, micro-apartments are an attractive option to singles with limited income, very few possessions, and who use public transportation.   Currently in the Ballard neighborhood there is a 3 story, 27 unit micro-apartment proposed to replace a single family home in the 14oo block of NW 57th Street.  Another 5 story, 49 unit is planned for the 1500 block of NEW 52nd Street.

    Because of the controversies surrounding this trend, the Seattle DPD has put together some draft recommendations governing micro housing.

To read more, please visit:

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/cms/groups/pan/@pan/documents/web_informational/dpds022265.pdf

 

Microhousing resize

By |2020-11-02T04:34:14-09:00September 18th, 2013|Community News & Events, Good to Know, Real Estate News|

2013 Five Star Award!

Jeff Menday & Associates were just named a 2013 Five Star Real Estate Agent.  This award goes to fewer than 7 percent of the real estate agents in our area.

We are being recognized by the largest and most widely published real estate agent award program in North America. Our selection was the result of a rigorous research process that included a regulatory and consumer complaint review, and an evaluation of objective criteria associated with real estate agents who provide quality services to their clients.

Look for the announcement in the Seattle Magazine!

By |2020-11-02T04:34:16-09:00August 8th, 2013|Good to Know, Real Estate News, Testimonials|
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