We found a non-profit who will collect and recycle those ever-popular plastic gift cards. We are pretty excited about this – it's no fun to give a gift that demands more landfill space right off the bat. According to Earthworks, "over 75 million pounds of PVC material from plastic cards enter our waste stream each year."

MAK will be collecting used cards at our office – once we have a box-full, we'll mail them off to Earthworks for recycling. This includes gift cards, old licenses, library cards, video rental cards, club membership cards – any of those plastic cards you no longer need. Bring yours by the office when you are done with them! Better yet, tell your favorite vendors about Earth Works and encourage them to set up collection bins of their own at the store!

Or, if you are musician, check out this idea for upcycling plastic cards into guitar picks!

We'd like to highlight a building product we use on nearly every job, because we think it's amazing. Anderson Windows created a 100 series a few years ago, and we have been completely won over. Check out the series's many great features:

Want to grow more veggies and flowers? Want to cool your home? How about doing both, at the same time? Basic gardening and hardware supplies and some know how are all you need to construct your own green curtains for your home.

Choose fast-growing plants such as morning glory or beans, and consider deciduous plants or annuals if you want to the passive-solar effect of warm walls in winter and cool walls in summer. Fast-growing can also meanquickly-taking-over-the-yard: plant invasive species in pots to contain them, and then train them up the simple latticing structures. If you want to really go all out, combine the green curtains with a rainwater catchment or greywater system (not for edibles) and conserve water AND energy!

This is a great low-tech, high-yield home project. Project supplies are estimated to cost $40 (plus the cost of plants) and can be completed by a do-it-yourself homeowner. The Kyocera Group in Japan has used these curtains to shade their buildings and found a difference of up to 15 degrees surface temperature between walls covered by green curtains and those exposed to sunlight. They also harvest the vegetables grown on the curtains to serve staff in their cafeteria!

MAK recently completed a sleek and formal kitchen remodel for west coast transplant who craved east coast style. The cabinets are sustainably-harvested sapele with a dark java stain. The Caesarstone countertops are low maintenance, durable, and grout-free – as is the painted glass backplash. The new space opened up the traffic flow, created a usable work-triangle, and added an adjacent workstation for bills and homework near to all of the cooking action.

The clients also wanted their oak-and-white-tile bathroom to be transformed into something glamourous that specifically included "swimming pool blue" accents and lots of Carrera-marble with deep black veining. Both husband and wife wanted a separate tub and shower, so neither had to wait on the other. Despite the small space, MAK was able to accommodate a deep soaking tub and a gorgeous walk-in shower complete with bench and frameless glass enclosure, which shows off the tile inside.

Lend a helping hand to the Otwetiri Project by attending A Taste of Ghana on October 16th. The Otwetiri Project's goals are to "build schools, support literacy programs, and provide education incentives through sports in the village of Otwetiri, Ghana." MAK's long-time client and friend Martha Gegan is closely involved with the project. Last year's fundraiser got the school building off the ground, and this year the goal is to fund the completion of the roof before Christmas.

A Taste of Ghana will include food, music, dance, and a silent auction. Tickets cost $40. More information can be found at otwetiri.org.