We've Got A New Line of Super Cool Fire Pit Inserts

Have you been thinking about building your own fire pit in your backyard? It's not a simple job, and if you want to have a more turn key solution for a gas fire pit, we've now got the goods. We recently added a series of Crossfire Combustion System Fire Pit Inserts that will generate a lot of heat, and are pretty easy to install.

Our vendor Warming Trends (visit their website by clicking here) has given us a special price (meaning, lower than the prices on their site) for their standard and custom sized fire pit and outdoor fireplace gas burning inserts. You can see these new additions on our site by clicking here.

These aren't a simple, cheap Home Depot-esque type of solution. These inserts are mostly plug & play (you just need to build the stone or concrete surround, or purchase their ready made faux stone fire pit facade, by clicking here) and have a remote controlled, battery operated ignition system.

So, if you are building your own custom fire pit or fire circle in your backyard, this is the gas fire pit insert solution you need.

International Space Station Is Getting A New Veranda - I Wonder If They Need Some Furniture

Here's an excerpt from an AP article written by Marcia Dunn:

"CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Endeavour's astronauts inspected their ship for damage Thursday as NASA struggled to understand why a normally benign section of the fuel tank lost so much foam during liftoff.

The slow, tedious work unfolded as the shuttle rocketed toward the international space station for a Friday linkup. It was the first full day in orbit for the seven astronauts, who are delivering a veranda for Japan's enormous lab. It also happened to be the 40th anniversary of the launch of the first manned moon landing."

Seems to me we could be expanding our reach here at HomeandBackyard.com and seeing if the astronauts would like some nice FSC outdoor furniture, or perhaps some solar lighting, or even an outdoor heater (I hear it's pretty cold in space). If anyone reads this, tell them astronauts to take a look at www.homeandbackyard.com

We might have some good options for making their stay in outer space more comfortable.

Wall Fountains On Sale

Rarely do I have the pleasure of announcing a price drop, especially with the current state of the economy. Due to strategic leveraging and the ever constant efforts of our BluWorld Fountains vendor's R & D team, we are now able to reduce prices on their best selling contemporary Wall Fountains, the Serrano Wall Fountain series. Please take advantage of these cost savings!!!

Horizontal Models
Was $1395.00
Now $995.00

Vertical Model
Was $1195.00
Now $795.00

You can access these fountains via the links below:
http://www.homeandbackyard.com/serrano_horizontal

http://www.homeandbackyard.com/serrano_vertical

FSC Trees Shipped To China For Furniture Conversion

I found this person's blog post to raise some interesting questions. Assuming his sources are correct, it indicates the following:

North American timber companies that are working under the FSC certification umbrella are shipping FSC trees across the Pacific to China, India and Mexico. There they are trimmed down, dried and converted into furniture in a limited regulatory environment & returned to North American & European markets as a "green" product. While using FSC wood is a great start (and I really mean it - at least the forests here in our backyard are being managed more ecologically), is this process really green? Read his post here http://tinyurl.com/l777qd

The majority of the FSC products sold in our online store are made from FSC woods harvested in SE Asia, converted to furniture in SE Asia and then shipped to the US market. While there are still considerable resources used to ship these products across the Pacific, we've attempted to find products that are made from locally harvested FSC woods in an attempt to reduce the overall carbon footprint from the manufacturing & selling of these products. Our eco-friendly lines of products can be viewed here: http://www.homeandbackyard.com/prod_gen.cfm?altcat=eco

HomeandBackyard.com Is Awarded FSC Retailer Status

HomeandBackyard.com is excited to announce that the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), USA, has officially registered our online business as an FSC products retailer. This recognition is due to the fact that we sell tropical wood furniture that is exclusively made from FSC Certified woods. The vast majority of our outdoor wood dining furniture products are made using FSC Certified Eucalyptus - raised in either SE Asia or Brazil. In these geographical areas, Eucalyptus is considered an invasive, non-native species. Effective forest management in these regions usually involves clearing out Eucalyptus trees and replanting the area with native species.

To review our selection of wood patio furniture, please follow this link:
http://www.homeandbackyard.com/prod_cats.cfm?catid=1006

Why Is Buying FSC Certified Products Important?

The demand for tropical wood patio furniture is booming. But do you have any idea the environmental cost paid for getting this furniture to your local store?

Driven in part by the failure of an intergovernmental process to agree on a global forest compact at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, and the compelling question - “What is sustainable forestry?”- loggers, foresters, environmentalists, and sociologists came together in the first General Assembly to form the FSC in 1993.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was created to change the dialogue about and the practice of sustainable forestry worldwide. This impressive goal has in many ways been achieved, yet there is more work to be done. FSC sets forth principles, criteria, and standards that span economic, social, and environmental concerns. The FSC standards represent the world’s strongest system for guiding forest management toward sustainable outcomes. Like the forestry profession itself, the FSC system includes stakeholders with a diverse array of perspectives on what represents a well-managed and sustainable forest. While the discussion continues, the FSC standards for forest management have now been applied in over 57 countries around the world.

The vast majority of the world's tropical hardwood patio furniture is manufactured in China and SouthEast Asia - notably Vietnam. Yet few consumers are aware that a significant portion of this wood comes from clear cut forests in China and Laos, the latter of which has a national moratorium on logging (yet, ironically, it's corrupt government and police officials in Laos that are selling this timber to Vietnamese manufacturers). Additionally, there are FSC wood products that are made in Asia from timber felled in Canada & South America. So while the forests in those countries meet FSC standards, the act of shipping that timber all the way across the Pacific Ocean to be manufactured in Asia, only to be shipped back to North America & Europe, is hardly an eco-friendly process.

Look for products that carry the FSC certification, and ideally are made from FSC woods - like Eucalyptus - harvested in the local economy where the furniture was made.

For more information on the Forest Stewardship Council in the US, please visit http://www.fscus.org/

HomeandBackyard.com is an online retailer that sells primarily FSC Certified tropical wood furniture, as well as hundreds of other eco-friendly products for the patio, backyard and garden.