Available online at www.TheToteBuddy.com

For sales occurring after November 6, 2009, the Act establishes income limits of $125,000 for single taxpayers and $225,000 for married couples filing joint returns.

The income limits for sales occurring on or after January 1, 2009 and on or before November 6, 2009, are $75,000 for single taxpayers and $150,000 for married taxpayers filing joint returns.

General Information

Homebuyers who purchased a home in 2008, 2009 or 2010 may be able to take advantage of the first-time homebuyer credit. The credit:

Applies only to homes used as a taxpayer’s principal residence.

Reduces a taxpayer’s tax bill or increases his or her refund, dollar for dollar.

Is fully refundable, meaning the credit will be paid out to eligible taxpayers, even if they owe no tax or the credit is more than the tax owed.

The credit is claimed using Form 5405, which you file with your original or amended tax return.

For more information, go to irs.gov

There is nothing that inspires us to start doing everything better like the prospect of starting the new year afresh.

And the promise and excitement of a new year provides the perfect opportunity to pledge your allegience to greener living.

• Vow to eat an entirely local meal at least once a week.
• Boycott at least one non-green product all year.  Make it something that you like and would purchase if it were more eco-friendly.  Write to the company that manufactures this product and tell them why you now choose not to buy it.
• Give up using paper napkins, paper towels, or both.  Buy a few sets of decorative organic cloth napkins.  Clean up spills with old towels cut into smaller squares and then toss them into the laundry.
• Change to low-energy light bulbs.
• Cut down on the power that your electronic devices use by plugging them into power strips you can conveniently switch off when you’re not using them.
• Don’t drive when you can walk.  Take time to appreciate the glimpse of beauty and vibrant life that the natural world offers.  Savor the moments spent away from the rushed hustle and bustle tempo of our schedule-oriented world.
• Turn off the faucet while you’re brushing your teeth.  Also take shorter showers or turn off the water while you’re soaping up.
• Buy less stuff and really give thought before you buy something.  Sometimes it helps to leave the store and think clearheadedly about whether or not you truly need the item(s).
• Pledge to actually remember to bring your own grocery bags when you go shopping.  Hang a prominent reminder (maybe a picture of a tree stump!) from your rear view mirror to help you remember to grab your bags when you get out of the car.  Don’t hesitate to run back to your car if you find you’ve forgotten them again.  Have someone hold your place in the check-out line and take advantage of the opportunity to burn some calories.

With “blue as the new green“, it’s not only economical to find ways to save—it’s absolutely essential!  Water is our sustainer, central to all life on this planet.  How we save determines whether or not clean water is around for future generations and creature cohabitants of our planet.

Here are 8 steps to help you flex your water conservation power:

• Check to make sure there are no water leaks in your household. Take a look at your water meter before and after a two-hour period during which no water is being used.  If it changes at all, there is a leak.
• Insulate your water pipes. You will get hot water faster and avoid wasting water while waiting for it to heat up.
• Install low-flow, water-saving showerheads, and avoid taking unnecessarily long showers.  A four minute shower can use anywhere from 20 to 40 gallons of water.
• Fill a bottle or plastic bag with gravel and put it in your toilet tank to lessen the volume of water used with each flush.  Even better, install a low-flow toilet.
• Wash only full loads in your clothes washer and dish washer.
• Don’t leave the water running while brushing your teeth or shaving.
• Consider developing a greywater system to re-use shower, sink, and dish-water for garden irrigation or for use in toilets.
• Avoid over-watering your lawn. As a general rule only water every 5-7 days in the summer and 10-14 days in the winter.  A good way to tell if your lawn needs watering is to step on it—if it springs back up when you move, it does not need to be watered.  Also, letting grass to grow to a length of 3” will allow for deeper roots, which in turn allows the soil to retain more water.

By: Michelle Graziose Webb, Live Green Online Magazine.

The floors of our homes and offices constitute nearly as much surface area as the walls that surround us. Just as more people are choosing healthy paints and natural materials for their walls, an increasing number of shoppers are choosing natural flooring materials that are environmentally friendly to both our indoor and outdoor environments.

Bamboo and cork have joined wool carpeting as popular, beautiful, affordable — and sustainable — flooring alternatives for families and businesses.

Bamboo is an Asian grass that matures in seven years, making its harvest very sustainable. After milling, drying and finishing, bamboo is harder than teak, according to Jerry Steele, owner of The Carpet Line in Boulder, CO, which sells a full line of ecological flooring.

But cork is Steele’s best-seller right now. “It is super-resilient, waterproof, and maintenance-free,” he explained. Most of the world’s cork comes from Portugal’s cork oak trees. Cork is the tree bark, sustainably harvested about once a decade, and is made into sheets for floor tiles.

Most cork is still harvested for wine and bottle stoppers. The famous monk Dom Perignon, the prestige cuvée of the giant Moët et Chandon Champagne house, first used cork stoppers in champagne bottles in the 17th century.

Cork floors have been popular in Europe for more than 100 years because of their durability and beauty, and can be seen in this country in many prestigious locations, including the Library of Congress. Cork is durable, easy to maintain and fire resistant. It is also well-insulated, antimicrobial and insect repellent.

Not all bamboo flooring is created equal, according to Steele. Typically sold in planks 3 or 6 feet long, the longer planks tend to be made by better manufacturers from more mature bamboo stalks. Also, most bamboo flooring mills only kiln-dry their material down to a 9-10% moisture content,which can make the flooring unreliable for dry climates. However, Natural Cork, Eco-Timber and Hanlite Bamboo (in Denver) kiln-dry down to 6-8%, which is more suitable for a wide range of climates.

Steele asserts that some mills use poor-quality adhesives that may not resist water and may contain high levels of urea-formaldehyde, or volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), which can off-gas. The best manufacturers use low-VOC European adhesives that meet or exceed the strict European E1 standard for indoor air quality.

Both cork and bamboo flooring costs about $ 5-7 per square foot for the materials.

When Sheri Goodman of Lafayette, Colorado was looking for new flooring to replace the unattractive and non-ecological vinyl floor in the kitchen of the home her family had purchased, she knew that she didn’t want ceramic tile because it caused things that fell to shatter.

The Carpet Line had a cork floor installed in their showroom that she and her husband could look at and walk on. She quickly fell in love with cork. Because her family has allergy issues, the fact that it is hypoallergenic, does not off-gas, and is impervious to moisture is what hooked her. It’s also water resistant and water repellant.

And contrary to many people’s concerns about cork, Goodman said that “It doesn’t look like a corkboard on the wall. It is beautiful and goes well with the colors in my kitchen.”

What “closed the sale” for her was that a moped had been ridden across the store’s cork floor to show its strength. Some oil had leaked from the moped onto the cork floor, but it wiped right off and did not stain.

Sustainable Bamboo Gifts
Browse our selection of bamboo products for stylish gifts to end the year on the right foot. PrintGlobe has an excellent array of bamboo products from chic photo frames, gorgeous pen holders, decorative bamboo plants, sleek business car holders and more. Our selection of bamboo gifts will make a lasting impression for years to come, while showing your support for a green environment.

Eco-Friendly Journals, Notebooks & Padfolios
Take an active role and help save our planet! Recycled journals, notebooks & padfolios add an earthy yet professional look to your brand and make perfect corporate gifts, customer appreciation gifts, environmental campaigns, school giveaways and much more. Feel great about giving with ecologically sound promotions that will get your custom imprint seen daily.

Recycled & Biodegradable Pens & Pencils
Show good taste while preventing excess waste with this fantastic selection of environmentally friendly pens & pencils. Printed pens & pencils are a popular and cost effective way to spread the word about your company or event. Browse our online catalog for a selection of recycled, biodegradable, corn plastic and other eco-friendly alternatives.

Eco-Friendly Bags & Totes
Are you looking for the perfect gift that will get continuous usage? You cannot go wrong with Eco-friendly totes & bags! These environmentally friendly bags & totes come in a variety of styles and colors to accentuate your logo beautifully. Personalized bags not only act as movable billboards to help you promote, they are perfect for those on a budget.

Plantable Gift Cards, Bookmarks & Seeded Gifts
Do you want to give a gift that is exciting and new? Seeded gifts are just what you are looking for. Not only budget conscience, seeded gifts are two gifts in one! After your gift is enjoyed it can be planted, watered and grown to be appreciated and act as a reminder year after year. Seeded bookmarks are an excellent idea for libraries, school programs, mailers and book store incentives. Seeded gift cards are an excellent way to promote at any event or occasion. Customize your seeded gifts today and watch your promotional success grow!

An architectural eco-wonder, it’s designed to sustain and inspire guests by mixing existing exhibits with climate-change demonstrations inside a space that also nudges visitors to think hard about conservation.

The Orange County Register offers  a floor-by-floor multimedia graphic detailing the building’s features. for your review.