When we use natural materials in our homes, it gives a soft edge to a sometimes hard world, thus offering relief from the stresses of everyday life. Eco-friendly is now considered to be a mainstream possibility that is vital for our health. Today, our lives are encompassed and dominated by chemicals, pollutants as well as harmful toxins which can possibly trigger health problems and endanger both plant and animal ecology. The educated decisions we make when it comes to natural household goods and recycling are our individual chances to make a difference in our environment. Perhaps the single most important example we can set for our children is to raise them in an ecologically friendly home.

Green interior design or eco-friendliness can be carried out in every room in the home. In the bedroom, use organic or unbleached cotton sheets, duvet covers and bedspreads. Rugs colored only with vegetable dyes will add a vibrant burst of color to the bedroom. Bamboo can be used in the kitchen for just about everything. It can be used for flooring, tables, chairs, blinds, tray and baskets. Bamboo is the most environmentally friendly wood you can find on the planet because it is extremely fast-growing and is easily replenished. In the living room, lampshades made from recycled paper and rags make a beautiful accent. Furniture made from reclaimed timber such as ocean drift-wood is another eco-friendly way to decorate your living room.

Deciding to create an eco-friendly home is a wise and conscious decision. There are so many simple things we can each do in our everyday life to make your home and the environment a better place. Always recycle your household waste. Put bottles, cans and paper products into recycle bins. To make this task easier, purchase stackable plastic bins for each designated recyclable product. Lining your curtains heavily will help insulate your room from the cold air but do not allow them to hang over your heating vents as this will only cause the heat to go back out through the window. Put shelves over your heating vents to deflect heat out into the room. Turn your thermostat down some, especially when you are going out, and use your timer wisely so that you are not heating an empty house. Eco-thinking can be extending to your garden area as well. Along with using recycled waste as compost, use organic pest control in the garden. Recycling waste for the garden with food, fallen leaves, and animal manure avoids the use of unnecessary chemical pollutions and is easy on the wallet. The benefits of recycling should never be underestimated.

There are so many eco-friendly items for the home that can be easily obtained such as furniture, fabrics, hardware materials and clothes which are made from natural materials without the use of harmful and toxic additives. It is so simple to use these environmentally friendly products and green interior designs in everyday life to help reduce unnatural substances in our home which will make our world a better place to live and raise our children.

If you are wanting a good roofing repair company in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area, you need to make sure that the company is a good and reputable local company.  Many roofing scammers will come to your home that are from out of state and may not be licensed to provide contract services in your city.

You will also want to ensure that the roofing repair company is insured and/or bonded against damage or claims.  This will cover damage that they might cause due to an accident or injury of one of their employees.

Some roofing companies will give you a word of mouth contract.  You need a written contract that explains everything in detail.  Who is responsible for taking the shingles away?  What are all of the charges?  How long will it take?  What about a warranty or guarantee of their work?

These are just a few of the questions you should ask before hiring a roofing repair company in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area.  With the vast amount of storm damage, it won’t be long before the scam artist are stealing money from people by promising to provide a service that they don’t.

Don’t be a roofing repair scam victim.  Stick with a reputable local roofing contractor for your roof repairs.

The remnants of Ike began blowing into the Tri-State area around noon on Sunday with the full force of the winds hitting by 2 p.m. Numerous reports of trees into homes, electric wires and cable lines down and traffic lights not working had been reported. The phone lines at Duke Energy and Insight Cable just had a steady busy signal well into the night.

Numerous large trees are also down throughout most of Northern Kentucky. Duke Energy and local Fire departments are urging people to use caution around the downed trees due to electric lines also being down. It is impossible to visually tell if a power line that is down still has power to it.

Representatives are also warning people to be on the lookout for scam artist that promise to clean up storm damage or repair your roof at cheap prices. The scammers are usually wanting to be paid up front in order to buy materials to do the job. They work they usually do is also not quality work that will last. The best advice if you have trees down or home damage is to check with you insurance agent about what might be covered.

Duke Energy is expecting full power restoration within the next 3 days. Police are also urging motorists to use caution and reminding drivers that if they come to a traffic light that is not functioning, it is to be treated as a four way stop.

The Kentucky Housing Corporation has started the “Keep My Kentucky Home” program that is available to qualified homeowners.

The Kentucky Homeownership Protection Center provides a centralized location for information on public services to assist Kentuckians in keeping their homes. Homeowners can find information on the foreclosure process, utility assistance and home repair assistance to make smart choices and avoid losing their homes.

If you are currently delinquent on your home loan, in danger of becoming delinquent or are just starting to have financial problems that may affect your ability to pay your mortgage, do not risk losing your home.

This program offers tips and assistance with topics suck as credit rating issues, tax questions, repairs and utilities.

Protecting homeowners and assisting those at risk of foreclosure in Kentucky is vital to the economic well being of both the State and local governments. If a home is foreclosed upon that means no tax income for the local and state government. In addition, vacant homes breed increased crime and devalue neighboring properties.

You can learn more about the Protect My Kentucky Home program and what the service offers to prevent foreclosure in Kentucky.

A good pet sitter also spends quality time with the animal, gives him exercise and knows how to tell if he needs veterinary attention. What’s more, pet sitters typically offer additional services, such as taking in mail and newspapers and watering plants.

But just because someone calls herself a pet sitter doesn’t mean she’s qualified to do the job.

How do you find a good pet sitter in Northern Kentucky? Here are a few questions to consider and qualifications to ask about.

• Does the pet sitter have proof of commercial liability insurance (to cover accidents and negligence) and is bonded (to protect against theft by a pet sitter or her employees)?
• Does the pet sitter have a preferred veterinarian or will they use yours?
• What associations does the pet sitter belong to? Are they members of or associated with the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters or Pet Sitters International?
• Is there a contract that spells out everything, such as fees, what is expected, etc.
• Does the pet sitter have a backup in case of emergencies, such as car break downs, sickness, etc.
• Will they provide documentation about what they did with your pet

One of the most important aspects about choosing the right pet sitter for your pet is to make sure that you and your pet meet that person. You want to be sure that you are comfortable with the person that will take care of your pet. You also want to make sure that your pet is comfortable with the pet sitter also.

There are many qualified Northern Kentucky pet sitters in the area. The best way to find them is to talk to your veterinarian for recommendations, your friends who own pets and have used pet sitters before, or to call around and interview different pet sitters.

This golf outing was to raise money for Jerry and his unit while stationed in Afghanistan, and for Jerry’s family while they are home without him during his deployment. There were about 20 teams that competed in today’s golf outing at the Boone Links Golf Course in Burlington.

Many people were grateful for Jerry’s service and his wife Jetta and father Gary also attended today’s golf outing.

If you are interested in learning more about what the fundraiser was for, or making a donation to Jerry, his family or unit, please visit the link to the Florence Professional Firefighters.

While a smoking ban is a good idea for those that don’t smoke, what about the businesses that would be affected by a blanket policy smoking ban?  How many bars, restaurants, bowling alleys, etc. would be forced to close because of the loss of patrons that choose to smoke?

While non-smokers are overwhelmingly in favor of a smoking ban, what about the rights of smokers and business owners that would be affected by the smoking ban?  Is a “blanket policy” smoking ban that would affect all restaurants, bars, etc. the best policy?

While the official vote has not been cast yet, there seems to be a large amount of support in the Northern Kentucky area for a smoking ban.  If Boone County were to pass a smoking ban, Florence would still be obligated to follow that ban due to the county law taking precedence over the City of Florence.

This merger between Delta and Northwest seems to be coming from necessity rather than anything else. Due to high fuel prices and a slower economy, both companies agree to the stock swap merger on Monday. The merger between Delta and Northwest is valued at around $17 billion dollars.

The new combined airline will still be called Delta and the headquarters will be in Atlanta.

There are no predicted hub closures at this time, however with more than 80,000 employees now between both companies, there are expected job cuts and eliminations.

“We would only enter into a consolidation transaction if it was right for all of our constituencies — Delta and Northwest are a perfect fit,” Anderson said. “Together, we are creating America’s leading airline –- an airline that is financially secure, able to invest in our employees and our customers, and built to thrive in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”

Delta Chairman Daniel Carp will become chairman of the new board of directors and Northwest Chairman Roy Bostock will become vice chairman. Delta President and Chief Financial Officer Ed Bastian will retain his titles. Northwest shareholders will receive 1.25 Delta shares for each Northwest share they own. This represents a premium to Northwest shareholders of 16.8 percent based on April 14 closing prices.

Delta says that they are willing to work with the pilot’s unions of both companies in order to reach an acceptable agreement for seniority and other benefits that could be affected by this merger.

Look for more detailed information to come out in the next few days.

It is with sadness that we report that Sgt. Matt Maupins remains have been recovered in Iraq.

Sgt. Maupins convoy was attacked in Iraq on April 9, 2004 and Sgt. Matt Maupin was taken hostage. A grainy video was released sometime later which reportedly was the execution of Sgt. Maupin. Military personnel were never able to confirm the individual in that video was Sgt. Maupin.

Sgt. Matt Maupins parents, Keith and Carolyn Maupin started the Yellow Ribbon Support Center as a way to honor their son, increase exposure to his being MIA and to support troops around the world that are serving their country.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) is reminding residents that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has assumed responsibility for maintaining the list of telephone customers who do not want to receive calls from telemarketers.

In an order issued today, the PSC instructed telephone service providers on the steps they must take annually to inform their customers of the provisions of Kentucky’s telemarketing laws. Under a bill passed by the 2007 Kentucky General Assembly, names already on the Kentucky do-not-call list were transferred last year to the FTC’s national registry.

With that change, Kentucky customers wishing to sign up for the do-not-call list in the future must do so by contacting the FTC, either online at www.donotcall.gov or by calling toll-free, 888-382-1222 (TTY 866-290-4236), from the number they wish to register. A link to the FTC site is available on the Kentucky Office of Attorney General’s do-not-call Web site, www.nocall.ky.gov