April 19th, 2013 by TRT Blog

This upcoming Monday, the world will celebrate Earth Day for the 43^rd time. The Refinishing Touch is dedicated to preserving the world’s resources year-round, but we welcome this day of environmental celebration and sustainable awareness with open arms.

The first annual Earth Day took place in 1970, and boasted participation from nearly 20 million people. Next week, it is projected that an astounding one billion people, across 180 different countries, will join together to commemorate the special day and make a difference to the environment we all share.

Our premier clientele, which include hotels, college dormitories, on-base army barracks and more, possess the ability to make impactful changes. Our world’s environment greatly depends on the act of not only individuals, but organizations at large. Whether you’re in a position of power at a global corporation, or simply trying to increase environmental awareness in your own home, here are a few reasons to go green on Earth Day and for years to come:

- The amount of wood and paper thrown away each year is enough to heat 50 million homes for two years. To cut down on such environmentally-hazardous routines, increase the amount of recycling bins in your edifice and repurpose existing assets whenever possible.

- Recycling a newspaper each day would save about 250 million trees each year, yet only 27 percent on Americans currently recycle the daily read.

- An individual goes through seven trees each year in paper, wood, and other products made from trees.

- Furniture asset management services, like The Refinishing Touch’s refinishing and re-upholstery, can reduce a large-scale renovation project’s greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent.

After 35 years of delivering cost-effective, sustainable furniture asset management services within the hospitality, higher education and government sectors, we’ve taken pride in the amount of reduced greenhouse gas emissions and preserved landfill space resulting from repurposing furniture assets. From our studies, The Refinishing Touch estimates it has saved approximately 2,250,000 pounds of wood from making its way into landfills nationwide since our inception in 1977.

If you would like to learn more about The Refinishing Touch’s fiscally-responsible and environmentally-friendly refinishing, re-upholstery and remanufacturing solutions, visit our website or request a free quote here.

Earth Day, environment, furniture asset management, refinishing, reupholstery, Sustainability, The Refinishing Touch

January 1st, 2013 by TRT Blog

This year held significant meaning for The Refinishing Touch team. We celebrated 35 years of delivering cost efficient, sustainable and aesthetically-pleasing furniture asset management solutions to the hospitality, government and collegiate industries.  We love what we do and we’re proud of our achievements to date.

We also added to those achievements in 2012 with several new milestones.

First, we expanded internationally with a new administrative office in Canada.

We also continued to recognize the environmental and economic best practices of our customers. In 2012 we distributed our quarterly Sustainability Awards to 29 companies in recognition for their environmental leadership and commitment.  We also continued to expand our Customer Communications program with participation from organizations committed to sharing their passion and perspective for sustainable business practices, including The Dover House Resort and Hampton Inn Batesville.

As we begin a new year, we want to take a moment to thank our loyal customer base  –  including government buyers, business leaders, hoteliers, university employees, and facilities managers who share our goals for cost-effective, green and sensible approaches to furniture asset management and refinishing. Thank you – without your support, our successes in 2012 would not have been made possible.

We’d also like to thank you, our blog readers and those of you who contribute your opinions to our weekly polls. Your contributions and engagement are appreciated.

The Refinishing Touch team wishes you all a happy, healthy and safe New Year. May 2013 be filled with laughter, prosperity and opportunities for you and yours.

As for us?  Well, we will continue to meet and exceed the financial and environmental needs of our clientele – here’s to a green 2013!

2012, 2013, blog, Canada, customer communications program, Government, green connect, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn Batesville, Happy New Year, higher education, hospitality, new year, Sustainability, Sustainability Awards, The Dover House Resort

December 25th, 2012 by TRT Blog

Today, families, friends and loved ones come together to celebrate in the holiday spirit with great food, laughter, gifts and optimism for the year to come. During such a joyous occasion, The Refinishing Touch would like to take a moment to thank all of our devoted customers, supportive followers and hard-working staff for another ­wonderful year filled with successful renovation projects, progress toward increasing sustainability and ever-lasting memories. Your support and continued trust in our business for more than 35 years is one of the greatest gifts of all.

With the surge in sustainability during 2012, we leave you with a few green tips to implement in your own home during the holidays and beyond:

-        Wrap gifts in reusable materials, like old newspapers or ribbons from last year. AASHE estimates that if every American family wrapped three presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields

-        Use holiday lights in moderation to preserve energy – and to lower your monthly electric bill

-        Stuff stockings with fruits, nuts, cookies and other food items, instead of purchasing plastic goods that could take years to disintegrate in a landfill

From our family to yours, The Refinishing Touch wishes you and your loved ones a happy holiday season, filled with peace, love, health and plenty of happiness.

35 year anniversary, AASHE, Canada, furniture asset management, Happy Holidays, Mario Insenga, refinishing, remanufacturing, reupholstery, Sustainability, The Refinishing Touch

November 22nd, 2012 by TRT Blog

It’s that time of the year again! Delicious, home-cooked turkey will soon be hitting the dining room table, shoppers will start lining up for Black Friday purchases, and most importantly, families and loved ones will come together to reflect on all of the things we have to be thankful for, and how we can better appreciate the things we sometimes take for granted.

For our team, we certainly have a long list of things to be thankful for this year – The Refinishing Touch celebrated its 35 year anniversary, expanded internationally to better service our clients in Canada, and continued to successfully provide hospitality, government and higher education industries with sustainable furniture asset management services.

As you prepare all of the Thanksgiving fixings for later today, we wanted to leave you with some tips for a more sustainable, and just as satisfying, Thanksgiving:

-        Decorate this year’s holiday centerpiece with everyday materials found in nature, including pinecones, dried leaves and berries

-        Buy gallons of water or, better yet, serve tap to reduce the amount of plastic bottle consumption at your celebration

-        Save Thanksgiving Day leftovers to avoid food waste; be creative and reinvent leftover turkey recipes

On behalf of The Refinishing Touch family, we wish you a happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving!

35 year anniversary, Canada expansion, furniture asset management, Happy Thanksgiving, holidays, Sustainability, The Refinishing Touch, turkey

August 31st, 2012 by TRT Blog

As we reach the final hurrah of the summer, Labor Day, we are drawn toward the thought of another school year and how parents, students and faculty alike, are all striving to establish sustainable solutions that save money and help the environment.

For those of you returning to school, or sending a child off to school, here are a few tips that are eco-conscious and budget-friendly:

1. Carpooling: If you’re driving kids to elementary school, or commuting to undergraduate college classes, consider setting up a carpooling group. In a recent article, we learned that families spend an average $150 on gas and driving costs per month. By carpooling, those costs could be reduced significantly depending on how large your group, and carbon emissions could be reduced by minimizing the number of cars on the road.
2. Recycle: Many school functions revolve around paper products, from composition books to textbooks, and students are hard-pressed to find a day that doesn’t require the use of paper. This school year, be conscious about conserving all types of paper products – whether that means you commit to a paperless study habit or set a cap on how much you print per week. This also includes recycling; instead of throwing away paper, make the point to recycle it. If your school doesn’t have a recycling program, drive the initiative and get one started.
3. Reuse: While not all school products are reusable, get creative about the ones that are. Have a half-used notebook from last semester? Continue using the remaining pages until it’s full. Not sure where all your pens went? Go through book bags and desks before buying new ones. And reuse doesn’t stop at traditional school supplies – encourage your school to reuse and refurbish non-traditional items as well, including desks, chairs, podiums and more. Often times furniture refinishing or an updated color changes will bring these pieces back to like-new condition.

Have additional ideas as to how schools, students and families can become more sustainable this year? Submit a comment on the blog or send us a tweet at @RefinishTouch. As always, we would love to hear from you.

And from the entire team at The Refinishing Touch, we hope you have a safe and happy Labor Day!

furniture refinishing, higher education, Labor Day, recycle, Sustainability, undergraduate classes, Universities

February 14th, 2012 by TRT Blog

It’s the season of expensive gifts, dinners and heart-shaped cards, but this year, why not shower your loved one with beautiful gifts that are also environmentally-friendly? We’ve done our research and have come up with some great ideas to please your sweetheart and Mother Nature:

Chocolates. When you’re picking out the best looking box of chocolates this February 14^th, these will be free of pesticides, will help support sustainable agriculture and will support the workers who produced the. Plus, who doesn’t like a tasty box of chocolates?

Flowers. Flowers are a staple for Valentine’s Day, and although the florist right around the corner is convenient, try thinking ahead this year. Organic and fair-trade flowers cost about the same as regular flowers, but are grown with the environment and the workers in mind.

Unique Gifts.  Try thinking out of the (chocolate) box this year. Choose something for your loved one that will stand out and last all year long. Pick up a unique fair-trade gift, such this hand-painted jewelry box to make an extra special, thoughtful gift.

Regardless of the gifts you give on Valentine’s Day this year, do your best to choose those that don’t harm the environment. While it may not be the most conventional route, there are plenty of products out there that are made with recycled materials that are not only romantic but will reduce your environmental impact as well.

eco-friendly, fair-trade, sustainable

December 30th, 2011 by TRT Blog

Every year, it’s important to look back and appreciate all that took place, both good and bad. This year, while many companies and individuals continue to struggle as America slowly finds is economic footing, The Refinishing Touch is thrilled that we were able to help organizations across the country reduce carbon foot prints, decrease spending, and stay committed to saving the environment through refinishing, refurbishing and asset management. We are so proud that our work continues to increase our country’s overall environmental sustainability year to year.

As you look back on the happenings of 2011, we wish you and your loved ones a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. As we quickly move into 2012, we hope that you will join us in making at least one New Year’s resolution: be conscious of how we treat the environment and work towards becoming a more sustainable, environmentally friendly country.

Happy New Year!

2011, 2012, environmentally friendly, new year, New Year resolutions, resolutions, sustainable

December 23rd, 2011 by TRT Blog

The holiday season has arrived and it’s time to relax, eat good food, and spend quality time with loved ones. Every year at The Refinishing Touch we take to heart the notion, ‘it is better to give than to receive’. We take pride in the work that we do and strive to make sure that every one of our projects continues to benefit our clients for a long time to come.

As we look back on this past year we are thrilled to see that the hospitality, education, and government industries are all dedicated to becoming more sustainable, because there is no better gift than saving the environment.

On behalf of our entire team, The Refinishing Touch wishes you and your loved ones a cheerful, safe, and peaceful holiday season.

environment, holidays, sustainable

November 24th, 2011 by TRT Blog

As another year is quickly coming to a close, it’s nice to be able to look at all of the things we have to be thankful for. At The Refinishing Touch, we are thankful to our customers for their continued support and the wonderful experiences we’ve had with them at job sites across the country. It’s been great to see the continued commitment to sustainability and environmental efficiency from the education, hospitality and government industries.

Thanksgiving is a time for individuals, families, and companies alike to reflect on everything good that has happened in the past year, and although the difficult economy continues to weigh heavily on so many people, it’s still important to momentarily step away from that to enjoy good food and good company.

So, from The Refinishing Touch family to yours, we would like to wish you and your loved ones a safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving.

environment, holiday, Sustainability, thanks, thanksgiving, The Refinishing Touch

November 11th, 2011 by TRT Blog

As a company that has been working with government since our founding in 1977, we hold all of the armed forces near-and-dear to our hearts. After having worked on army forts, naval bases, air force bases and marine stations, we have seen first-hand the sacrifices these men and women make for our country.

In honor of Veterans Day, we would like to thank everyone who has served and is currently serving our country. Your dedication and service is honored, remembered and appreciated every day back at home. As the holiday season rolls around, we wish everyone fighting overseas health, safety and happiness. We wish all of the veterans back at home, peace, joy and time spent with loved ones.

Thank you for all of your bravery and courage; one day is not enough to express our gratitude for all you’ve done for our country.

air force, armed forced, army, marine, navy, service men, service women, Veterans Day