Building Green Communities

Focusing on environmentally sustainable materials, reduction of negative environmental impacts and increased energy efficiency Glass Recycled countertops is almost a must when it comes to making a "green" statement in your home.Going "green" is much more than a trend- in fact people have been doing the "green" for years. I recently came in contact with a woman from the Breckenridge, CO area, she shared her personal experience with Glass Recycled with me!

The health of our communities, our planet, and ourselves depend on how we plan, design, and construct our live style from this point on.

Being one of the first proprieties permitted to go forth with the new Green Community/"green lifestlye" the Breckenridge home owners found Glass Recycled . 

 

"I found [Glass Recycled] and really wanted to put it to use.  Since my kitchen cabinets were cobalt, I was ready to go with the cobalt glass in the countertop.  The other colors in the slab make everything blend together - stainless, aluminum, frosted glass - it is perfect!"

 

Starting with the cabinet's striking color, the family was able to create a perfect creation of recycled mirror, glass, and frosted glass to match their kitchen cabinets! 

 
"We ask[ed] for bigger chunks of glass and mirror and a more white base - the result was a wetbar [in addition to their kitchen] that pops and a fun laundry room." 
 

Check out our photo gallery in addition to this Breckenridge home!

Go Green. Recycle!

After attending Michigan State University for 3 years I finally thought I would share with you all how wonderful life is when you bleed green.

The MSU Recycling Center began in 1988 when the student body put together a petition to the board of Trustees about MSU's amount of waste by 1990 MSU took action. Fast forward 18 years and the board of MSU Trustees authorized an actual processing facility. With several grants and funds MSU was able to provide MSU with the Office of Recycling and Waste Reproduction (ORWR).

The MSU Recycling facility does on site packaging of recyclable products and sorting. The facility also provides a surplus store and a area for recycling education. You may think where does Glass Recycled come in... Well Glass Recycled made a few custom items to donated to our beloved facility where students, staff, and the public can view the beauty of recycling. Besides the counters there is rainwater collection tanks on the roof of the building that will provide toilet water; rooftop photovoltaic solar panels that will produce 10 percent of the electricity for the building; broad use of day lighting throughout the facility through large number of windows; motion sensors to control lights within high-traffic areas; low-flow fixtures in restrooms; and our countertops. 

 

This makes me so excited to be involved with such a green company and attend a green university!We will achieve our goals to reduce energy use by 15%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15%, and reduce landfill waste by 30% by 2015. 

 As a student I walk past about 40 recycling bins a day on campus and I am not the only one that takes part in going green. Since our campus is known for our "Go Green" and "Go White" we take great pride in bleeding green and being green. If you haven't seen a green community come to East Lansing, Michigan and see MSU's Green and White!

Be Spartan Green!

Do It Yourself!

Do you hate your bathroom?

Each day we spend an hour or more brushing our teeth and hair, bathing, or applying makeup... So why doesn't your bathroom reflect you? Shana and Wade took the steps necessary to make their morning and evening routines comfortable, stylish, and unique!

A given GlassSLAB sized at 7"x84"x1"contains on average about 417 wine bottles. I bet you never thought of recycling your own spirits glasses to create a countertop for your own home. Glass Recycled's mission is to recycle and recreate beauty in your home and workplace.

 Glass Recycled was featured in DIY on October 1, 2011  in the Kissler's home and took part in a $15,000 renovation. You are probably thinking wow these countertops are pricey... But let me tell you what this bathroom included- Cork flooring, penny "rugs, an automatic cleaning, music playing, and talking toliet, it also included a deluxe shower with several features, and our recycled coutertops with a dual sinks. The giant shower included numerous light settings, steam, jets, and a rain like showering options. The bright and unique bathroom made the statement in their home beyond the bright orange pint. This DIY episode wiill be playing the episode a few more times throughout the month before our next premiere in a kitchen remodel.

You can view Shana and Wade's bathroom makeover:

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• October 11, 2011 9:30 AM e/p
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•  October 15, 2011 2:30 PM e/p
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Adding a little tile work or color to a drab bathroom can go a long way!

The Art of Glass in NYC

For those of you who are keeping up with my where-abouts and Glass Recycled's recent projects you'll find a few updates in our Facebook statuses and tweets on twitter. I recently visited New York this past weekend for little fun with my sister.  I contact Mark Reigelman, a New Yorker upcoming artist, who has purchased our glass for his vision of house protection through the design and creativity of art.

Mark is a young and upcoming artist in the New York City area with several glass collections.  He is known for is collection in the Heller Gallery. The piece displayed in the Heller Gallery is called Breaking the Bottle and is quite massive in comparison to other art displays. With a life size table and chairs along with lamps and rugs it makes this green art come to life.

Mark and I spent a good part of my first day in New York examining his art and informing one and other about the green industry. To my surprise I found the furniture to be very sturdy and not as sharp as you think! Mark and I posed a few times on the chairs and rugs to prove that his art is not just for looks! Mark went on to tell me where his inspirations came from, ""Breaking the Bottle" is inspired by the do-it-yourself protective glass barriers surrounding homes. Found on fences and rooftops around the world, these labor-intensive layers of glass shards display careful planning and placement, while exposing an underlying and pervasive mistrust of the community.   These barriers, which intend to protect the contents within their perimeter, greatly isolate the objects therein. The intention of this installation is to highlight the elegant results but unfortunate need of D-I-Y glass barriers while exaggerating the repercussions of over-protection." Mark is a do it yourself kind of guy and until he realized how much work went into breaking all the bottles necessary to create his vision that is when Mark and Glass Recycled met.  

"I spent hundreds of hours collecting and breaking bottles for my first 5 Cent glass chair. At one point I realized how ridiculous this process was. Shortly after I started researching broken glass and I discovered [Glass Recycled]. They offer a product that suits my needs perfectly and their drive to promote recycled material blended wonderfully with my work formally and conceptually.  Ever since, [Glass Recycled] has been extremely generous and supportive of my current exploration."

Glass Recycled is nationally known and has taken its part in many aspects of media... From the involvement in making a difference in homes and offices to its premieres on several television networks, and now art Glass Recycled is not only promoting the company, but the green ways of living. 

What It Takes To Pull Us Outside...

Whether the heats keeps us in the house with the air conditioning on or outside eating up the rays of the sun; summer is the best time of the year! Our summers in Northern Michigan are know for boating, evening cookouts, and lots of family time. So I was thinking what are some ways to get the family outside or how can we bring our friends closer to us... outside activities. Why not make yard work fun or unique? Glass Recycled offers art for both inside and outside of your home-GlassSCAPE!

"[Glass Recycled] is one of those rare companies that had an idea and turned it into an innovation to benefit the environment. EnviroSCAPE is one such innovation. The product turns trashed glass into something useful and eco-friendly. It can also contribute seven or more LEED points to your building project." -CalFinder

The idea of putting glass into your garden or near a walk way may sound like it would be dangerous, but with rounded edges and the natural shine and reflection of glass it adds a magical touch to your outside scenery.

From the page Glass Recycled on the web site there is a few fun facts for those of you who are skeptical of GlassSCAPE:

• Water conservation and Xeriscape applications encourage mulching to help retain moisture in the soil and reduce water evaporation
• Glass mulch and porcelain mulch also reduce weeds, moderate soil temperatures, and prevent soil from becoming compacted
• Glass mulch does not absorb water like wood mulch, so the water goes where it is intended – into the plants – and even less water is used
• Be twice as ‘green’: recycle while you save water!

Are you still doubting the ever so popular look? Check out this blog: http://www.calfinder.com/blog/landscaping/landscape-with-beautiful-recycled-glass/

There you will find some cool pictures and real comments from real people and designers! My favorite response to GlassSCAPE is,"It makes so much perfect sense to include sustainable living techniques into gardening and landscaping. This is a FANTASTIC example! thanks for sharing! =]" Also someone listed a site/forum that includes a designated spot to post pictures and ideas for landscaping ( http://yardshare.com/) So don't be shy and feel free to be a little more green and join the many others who have recycled and been the first out of your friends to place glass in their decorative landscaping!

At Glass Recycled there is so much going on... not only in terms of projects for given customers, but a lot within the company. Be ready to have your mind blown with some of the new innovative designs and materials that are going to be released soon! Glass Recycled has taken all of your demands, wants and desires into consideration and it will be evident once our new material is released. Until then sit tight and continued to awed by the beauty and customization that we have to offer.

Mission: Frost

Glass Recycled's mission is to upcycle.

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.

Photo Credit: Vintner's Circle

When Glass Recycled took on "Mission: Frost" on it was no surprise to me that the owner wouldn't let hundreds of bottles enter their local landfill. That's when the frosted bottles entered the door of Glass Recycled's warehouse. The beauty and thickness of the glass was intriguing. Crushing a few bottles allowed more and more ideas to flow once we properly disposed the internal fluid. The opportunity was given to us from a local warehouse. Believe it or not we received a call from HGTV, due to our featured product on the show. The president of the warehouse defiantly did the right thing when she contacted the founder and owner of Glass Recycled.


The president was instructed to discard these bottles into the landfill by the manufacture. Its pretty crazy that we are making such a huge effort to go green by recycling in our homes and in public facilities and the people who mass produce do not contribute. I now question each and every company and what they do to make their company green.

Glass Recycled is making up for all those who not taking responsible actions by turning glass into beautiful counter tops... Imagine the possibilities!

Smooth as Glass

See the bottom of a glass bottle?

I am finally in Texas! Let me tell you- it's not what I imagined... I landed in Dallas Texas on Tuesday morning and was picked up by the founder and the owner. The first thing we did was pull up into a beautiful hotel known as The Gaylord Texan. First off if you have never been there you must stop by (at least) to see its massiveness and the architectural design, but its another treat to eat at the Riverwalk Cantina. The Riverwalk Cantina is lined with Glass Recycled from the hostess stand to the actual bar; the atmosphere offers so much more than great food- color. The colors that Glass Recycled was able to contribute to such a festive restaurant was unreal. I personally loved the bar with the great lighting.

Sifters- sort the different sizes of glass.

After a light lunch we then did a small tour of the area. We stopped into the show room where most could design their kitchen from the top down in pieces of  toilets, broken mirrors, and old bottles. To see the custom designs and with every piece being so unique it was jaw dropping. Customer feedback can only back up the eye piercing images of the creativity and beauty behind Glass Recycled.

Today has been the best part of my trip down to Texas thus far... I went to the warehouse where the product is actually made. The labor intensive hand made counter tops, ceiling tiles, and floors were amazing to see created live. Glass in forms of sand, chunks, to whole bottles lined the place along with several hard workers that truly have a passion for upcycling and art. I have never been so impressed by how much the producers know and care about the end product.

Now I am back at the office taking all of the inspiration in and capping today's adventure prior to taking on more this evening into tomorrow!


**The counter top that is being placed back home in Frankfort Michigan was being finished while I was there and I can't wait to get back and see it completed and installed into the Crystal Lake Art Center. Check back for some images and updates on my last few days in Dallas Texas!**

Our HGTV Experience

“How much do I love my kitchen? I don’t think I have the words, yet!”, homeowner, Teri Graham, shared with us all on HGTV's Bang for Your Buck, last week. As many of you may know Glass Recycled had another opportunity to make an appearance on HGTV. The Graham family created a "green kitchen" and had a awesome island- if I must say so myself.

The bright colors and recycled products filled their kitchen with a fresh and energetic look. The founder and owner of Glass Recycled said, "I want people to have the choice and not limit them..." when referring  to the Graham island. The orange "green" kitchen made a statement in not only their home, but the whole Bang for Your Buck episode. "I Googled "recycled" glass and when I saw that I could create my own sample online thro' Glass Recycled, I was excited by the possibilities. I worried tho' that I wasn't going to get it right & but, after talking to [the founder and owner], I realized it would be a fun process... and we came to our final mix after three samples."

Focusing on Texas' creative roots the founder and owner looks at his products as "artwork on a counter..." and therefore easily said that the process of creating your dream counter top is as easy as taking a, "Coloring book and a box of crayons with 64 colors and letting the customer make a combination that fits you, and that makes Glass Recycled unique."

 With GlassSLAB island being the focal point of the kitchen the Graham's have made quite the statement. "We came to choose Glass Recycled in many ways. My husband and I could not agree on any one kind of counter surface after looking for several months and then having our contractor bring us samples. We were looking for a statement piece; the island would be our main gathering place and visible throughout the great room. Also, we were looking for something that could be considered "retro" but still very modern." This is when Glass Recycled stepped in and made their kitchen stand out from the "average Joe" kitchen. "Almost everyday we can look at it and find some new piece of glass or aspect of it that seems "new". All of our guests comment on it and we are very happy to have something that literally no one else will ever have, due to its dynamic nature.We will likely put a piece in our Master Bathroom..."

What other kind of manufactures let you have that much fun  with your purchases and design?

"Our HGTV experience was phenomenal! Every person we came into contact with at High Noon was professional, friendly and efficient. Ultimately, the crew was so talented - and very funny as people.", Graham said.

Teri Terrazas-GrahamLoading...

10:27 AM (11 hours ago)

Teri Terrazas-Graham

HGTV Yet AGAIN

When I was brought onto the Glass Recycled team I did my homework- studying the terms, the products, and the people who contribute to the overall picture. I was taken back when I researched some of their history with the involvement with some of the TV shows I followed previously to Glass Recycled. In 2008 Glass Recycled hit its prime time with the spot light being featured in multiple TV shows and several magazines .

HGTV and ABC have not only mentioned Glass Recycled, but have featured the products on Extreme Makeover and Red Hot and Green. I personally watch these shows and dream about the HGTV or ABC teams showing up to my house and surprising me with a complete makeover of any room in my house. The teams do picture perfect work.

We'll lets see how HGTV's "Bang for Your Buck" can protray our product GlassSLAB! June 4th HGTV is yet again featuring Glass Recycled! I am so excited for the company and can't wait to see what they are capable of doing when creating dream home decor.

 Photo Credit: HGTV.com

I really want to get in touch with a some representatives for the HGTV TV series... so we will see what I can do! Please tune in on June 4th and then don't be afraid to check out Glass Recycled's web site. I would also love to see some questions or inquiries about the products as well... don't be shy!

Time Flys!

Just in- I will be heading to the Glass Recycled plant in June to see the process of upcycling!

I am so excited... while I am there I hope to not only learn and see what Glass Recycled does, but also keep you all up to speed on the newest and greatest! While I am in Dallas I will be spending a few days in the office working with web designers and production team! I think that seeing the plant will inspire me to share more about the company and hopefully I will be able to create a news letter to send out to those of you that have interest in the Glass Recycled product.

Oh and I almost forgot I prior to heading down south to Texas... I will be heading back to my home town-Traverse City to meet with some people from Strata Design who will be installing some Glass Recycled products in the Frankfort area at the Crystal Lake Art Center. I am so excited and honored to see my hometown taking part in the green movement.

What are some other great green housing options are there? I want to touch base with as many green companies that take part in home decor of office decor in efforts to promote and learn!

Upcycle Much?

Hello upcyclers my name is Marie Bodnar, I am currently an intern for the unique company Glass Recycled. I thought while thoroughly enjoying my very first internship I would start a blog as well to keep up on what is happening within the company along with the green movement I am taking part of. I intend to learn a lot and share a lot in regards to what upcycling actually means...You can look it up in dictionary.com only to find it just as confused as I was when I heard it for the first time. Although some may argue that Wikipedia is not the ideal site to cite or use, but I have come to find that this generation nailed the meaning perfectly: "Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value..". 

So besides throwing all of your news papers into a bin every week have you personally ever thought of something that you could make from some one's trash (we are talking much more than going to a garage sale here)? I know that I don't even bother looking when you can just go down the road to the store to buy exactly what you're looking for! But I think its time to start... Green is the new black... Green is the new lifestyle. I am only 21 years old, but I know that by recycling and upcycling we can all make a difference. 

I'll admit that the idea of garbage is trashy, but what if I could prove you wrong with one glass bottle at a time? I'd like to invite you to follow me while I learn and teach you about the things that Glass Recycled has to offer you and your family, your coworkers, and your environment around you!

 Photo Credit: Earth911.com