WaterSense, a partnership program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), makes it easy for Americans to save water and protect the environment by identifying high efficiency products that perform well.

The WaterSense program was announced at the 2006 American Water Works Association’s Annual Conference and Exposition in San Antonio, Texas. WaterSense was created to encourage manufactures to produce water efficient plumbing fixtures and to develop a labeling system to help consumers recognize these products.

The EPA’s WaterSense® label will be used to identify toilets that:

* Qualify as High Efficiency Toilets (1.28gpf or less).
* Have a minimum Soybean paste flush score of 350 uncased grams.
* Meet the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Supplementary Pricing Specification regarding trim quality and tank volume.
* Have third party testing agencies conducting product performance testing and validation.

TOTO WaterSense
Certified Toilets

http://www.totousa.com/ProductSearchResults/tabid/37/Default.aspx?SearchId=0397092e-57ec-4da2-b676-75027328ce78

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TOTO Neorest Toilet

Attention to detail, continuous improvement, over a thousand research and development professionals and 90+ years of experience fuel TOTO’s product quality. TOTO provides unmatched performance, durability and reliability, representing the ultimate in customer satisfaction for our toilets, faucets, lavatories, showers and products for the entire bathroom. Superior quality backed by over 90 years of experience creates many benefits:

* Product quality and consistency thanks to our precision production operations
* TOTO installations offer peace of mind and performance you can count on
* Reliability translates into reduced maintenance costs and superior performance

Quality is one of TOTO’s guiding principles in all of our operations both here in the U.S. and across the world.

Toto Drake Toilet

At TOTO all grey water generated during operations is stored and reused. TOTO recycles all pallets, aluminum and paper, and they’ve successfully implemented a closed-loop process with recycled cardboard. At TOTO’s Morrow, GA plant, the fork lifts use soybean based hydraulic oil, and our imperfect and damaged china is crushed and recycled back into roadbed construction.

TOTO’s belief in the idea of doing more with less doesn’t just stop at the factory floor. TOTO recently purchased 480,000 kilowatt-hours of Green Energy® from Georgia Power and we encourage our employees to practice sustainability at home. For example, TOTO offers incentives for employee owned hybrid cars, and if their town or neighborhood doesn’t recycle, they can bring their recyclables into work to be added to our plant recycling.

Ewins Outdoor Dining Chair Cushion

POTTERY BARN
EWINS
CUSTOM CUSHONS

Belize Solar Bird Bath Fountain

How do they work? Do they work at night?

Solar fountains only work in direct sunlight. They have different attachments to change the water flow but still only work in direct sunlight. They are great for areas in your yard that you want a water feature but don’t have any electrical outlets.

Can you leave them out all year?

Most solar fountains you can leave outside with a cover on them. You do have to take the solar panel inside our it will crack in freezing temperatures.

How much do solar fountains cost?

Solar fountains range in cost from around $70.00 to well over $400.00. The price depends on the size of the solar fountain and the material it is made out of.

Teak Patio Chair

The Teak tree is originally from the plantations of South East Asia, and can grow to a height of 130 feet, but takes upto 100 years. As part of its life cycle, this tree sheds its leaves every year at dry season. Its longevity is very great, the Teak tree often living to an age of 100 years. Teak is especially noted for its capacity to withstand changes in the weather and season. One of the reasons for this is the ability of the Teak to bend, but not break, in the face of high winds.

Also, the Teak tree resin typically has an oil in its Galih (Cambium/heartwood) that is highly water resistant. This content alone can protect the Teak from decay, insects, and bacteria. At the same time, the combination of unique Teak tree content and thick fibers make it easier to cut and then later sculpt into pleasing forms. Because of this special characteristic, not found in other trees, there has always been interest in using Teak wood for various types of furniture. The teak trees found in South-East Asia forests reach a height of up to 150 feet, have reddish-green leaves with rough skin, and heartwood that is brown to dark gold in color. Of the main teak producers in the area, Indonesia, India, Myanmar, Philippine, and Malaysia, Indonesia’s teak is considered of the highest quality in the world.

Outdoor clocks have come a long way over the years, now you can purchase one to match your patio, deck, garden or pool. Outdoor clocks may also have a temperature gauge which can come in handy on hot summer days.

When choosing to purchase an outdoor clock some of the features you should consider are:

Readability – Clocks come in many different sizes, some small and some large – so you will want to pick a size that you will be able to read from anywhere on your patio. Watch out for clocks that have a cluttered background, this can make it hard to read.

Durability – Your outdoor clock should be placed under a roof line or awing but it should be able to tolerate temperature changes, humidity, fog and wind. Some of the durable materials are resin, aluminum, cast iron, tile and various other metals.

Accurate – Radio controlled clocks tend to be most accurate since they sync with the US atomic clock and adjust automatically for daylight savings which is a very nice feature of these clocks.

Weather Information – Most outdoor clocks will have a temperature range and maybe even measure humidity, check the clocks features to see if this is included with your clock.

Always remember to check your clocks warranty information – an outdoor clocks warranty should be extensive and forgiving since these are a heavy duty item.

Keep these tips in mind and you should be able to find a perfect addition to your outdoor space.

When choosing a market umbrella their are many styles and models available.  You have different sizes, colors, vented, tilted, lighted, branded, wind resistant, wood, metal, and many more options.

With all these choices this could seem over whelming.

First patio umbrellas are sold by diameter, so the first consideration is size.  Measure the hole in you table so you know what size will fit. Most hole diameters are 1.75″ and most umbrellas poles are 1.5″.

Weather would be the next thing to consider. Is your area very windy?  Materials today can be wind resistant, rip-resistant, mildew resistant and ultraviolet-protectant. Each of these features adds to the longevity of the patio umbrella. If you live in a windy area and do not plan to take the patio umbrella down, you might consider a high wind model.

Umbrellas pricing is all over the board. Consider this option: If you are just looking for a colorful umbrella to put on your deck I would recommend looking online for the cheapest. Here are the reasons: No matter how expensive the umbrella is it will break in a high wind, most color will fade after one year, will you really keep track of a warranty, you can buy 3-5 cheaper umbrellas to one high priced umbrella.

Wicker has been wrongly defined over the years as the type of material, when in reality wicker is not the material but the weaving technique. Today outdoor wicker furniture is made from a variety of materials from your traditional palms to synthetic fibers.

Most of us will choose to get the synthetic wicker basically because it is low maintenance, fade resistant, mold and mildew resistant, and will not rot or provide a breeding ground for insects which can make their way in to your home.

When looking at a synthetic set make sure that is also has an aluminum frame preferably powder coated as this is known to resist corrosion.

Ewins offers a beautiful four piece set with all the above features, our Cohiba collection comes with a loveseat, two chairs and a coffee table and would look great on any patio or porch.