Already Green, and Going Greener

 Harrington is symbolized by its Green themed logo on all Harrington boxes, website pages, and brochures. Switching from the prior purple colored theme, Harrington felt green was a more suitable color for itself. The environment, however, is a 'green' characteristic that the company felt it could improve in. Harrington Moving launched their first ever 'Go Green Campaign.'

The 'Go Green Campaign' required a lot of work, but the company testified to being happy to do so. All Harrington storage facilities were replaced with fluorescent light bulbs, and solar energy technology. Harrington updated a fleet of trucks to newer, more energy efficient models. Harrington truck drivers were also instructed to be cognizant of how much gas they use.

Harrington replaced its moving materials and supplies, with recycled boxes and supplies. The company checked and assured that none of their products were made from old-growth wood products, found in endangered rain-forests. Each Harrington office and truck was provided with a recycling bin, as well as a regular one. All electronics that the company no longer uses, were recycled to prevent E-waste mercury toxins in the air.

"Harrington cares deeply for our environment, so I believe that it is only appropriate that we took the next step and sought to preserve it. There is so much we could do to help, and I am so thankful to have a staff that cares as much for the preservation of our environment as I do." says Harrington President Jeff Harrington.

In an effort to reduce paper usage, Harrington began creating E-receipts, where customers received emails of their receipts and documentations. All wrapping paper, used to safeguard moving materials, were replaced with recycled versions.

Harrington also emailed and distributed 'Environmentally Friendly Moving & Storage Tips' , to its customers. All printed versions were printed on recycled paper, saving trees. The tips consisted of a list of ways that people can help save the environment while preparing to move or store their items.

"I read the tips, and I endured such a great move. Not only did Harrington's tips teach me how to pack neatly, they also showed me how to use as little environmentally damaging resources as possible. They encouraged their junk removal services, and I recycled about 70% of my junk." says Harrington customer Laura Knolles.

This is an ongoing campaign, and its duration is unending. Harrington is constantly looking for new ways to help preserve the environment, and so this endeavor will only enhance as time progresses.

Harrington Moving & Storage has been leaders in the moving business since 1996. Harrington Moving & Storage offers high quality moving and storage services of all types. It is the only moving company in its region to initiate monthly charitable services.

It's benevolent services have helped various organizations, schools, and even individual community members tremendously. Many non profit organizations have reviewed Harrington as as 'irreplaceable assets to our community' and 'the moving company with the biggest heart'.

Harrington strives to be more than just a moving and storage company; rather, it yearns to be active members of its community. For more news on Harrington Moving & Storage, and all their charity projects, please visit the Harrington News Portal.

Good return on investment: LED holiday lights

If you're not yet familiar with LED lighting, it's time to illuminate yourself, lest you be considered an LUD (that's short for Luddite, a 19th-century English anti-industrialist, now synonymous with anyone who's way behind the times with technology). But don't worry; all you need to know about LEDs is that they're good lightbulbs. Better than incandescent, halogen and, yes, fluorescent.

LEDs happen to be ideal for decorative things like holiday lights, because they burn bright but cool, they last for a very long time and they cost very little to run. There's just one catch: LED lights are relatively expensive to buy. So the question we're addressing this holiday season is: Are they worth it?

Conventional holiday lights have become disposable goods. They're so cheap and so cheaply made that we expect to get about two seasons out of a string before cursing it and replacing it with another $3 set. And if you pay that little, you know you're getting the kind that are wired to go out entirely if just one tiny bulb has a problem. LED lighting should change all that.

A good set of LED lights features "stay-on" wiring, plastic (not glass) bulbs, a three-year warrantee and an estimated 20,000 hours of bulb life. Compare that last number to Consumer Reports' finding incandescent holiday lights that started burning out before 2,000 hours. LEDs also use 70 to 90 percent less energy to run, and therein lies your best bet for a favorable ROI (that's short for return on investment, for any financial Luddites out there).

Chances are, you'll run your holiday lights for about a month, from sometime after Thanksgiving to sometime after New Year's. If your outdoor lights are on for an average of five hours per day, that's a total operating time of 155 hours per season.

You can assume your cost of electricity is around 11 cents per kilowatt hour (a commonly used national average). Looking at two comparable strings of 100 miniature lights (produced by the same well-known company), the LED version uses about 8 watts per string; the incandescent version uses about 50 watts per string.

The LED lights would save you 71.4 cents per string, per season. If you have 10 strings, that's a total of $7.14 per year. Add to that savings the likelihood of LED lights lasting much longer than conventional lights and you'll see it's a good bet that LEDs will cost less in the long run. They're also guaranteed to be 70 to 90 percent better for the environment (not to mention that their longevity means less low-grade PVC plastic in the landfill).

If you decide to take the plunge this year and switch to LED holiday lights, it's a good idea to go with a reputable brand and, whenever possible, choose lights with the Energy Star label. According to the Energy Star website, decorative lights that earn the ENERGY STAR offer a three-year warranty and are "independently tested to meet strict lifetime and electrical requirements."

It's the lifetime testing you should be concerned with, because if CFL (compact fluorescent lamps) are any indication, poorly manufactured LED lights may survive only a fraction of their estimated lifespan.

Auto sales a neighborly business

Sales Manager Dana Blankinship said Nissan mandates a new building regulated for safety in order to sell the electric car. For example, the chargeable car has to be serviced in its own enclosed service bay away from gas vehicles.

Nissan also is encouraging dealers to upgrade and renovate to be uniform. "The manufacturer is on a big kick for its dealers to have the same look and feel," Barta said.

With construction costs at their lowest and an existing facility built in the 1980s, Barta said, it was the "right time" for a new facility.

He declined to say how much is being invested, but according to the Douglas County assessor, the property was bought for $1.4 million. The dealership expects to add 10 to 15 full-time employees.

The new facility will double Nissan of Omaha's shop capacity and add an express service lane for oil changes. It will have a full automatic car wash, a media room with flat-screen TVs, a playroom for children and a gym for employees and even customers who want to use it while waiting for their car to be serviced.

The LEED features include an irrigation system for landscaping from a retention pond, motion-sensored lighting in offices and bathrooms and a car wash system that can recycle water, cutting water usage in half.

Old Mill Toyota will open near 180th and West Dodge during the first quarter of 2013.

The dealership, which has been at 601 N. 108th Circle for about 30 years, has "outgrown the building and the land," Burns said.

Construction of the new, 100,000-square-foot dealership is expected to begin by the end of this year. The current dealership is about half that size, Burns said.

Another push behind a new facility is the manufacturer. "Toyota wants us to have a new facility," Burns said. He said the manufacturer's image program will be beneficial down road because the new facility will bring increased sales and, in turn, Toyota will give Burns' dealership more cars to sell.

The move also will mean a name change. Old Mill Toyota could become Village Pointe Toyota, though the new name is not official yet, Burns said.

He said everything will be new, from the TVs in the waiting room to the furniture in the offices.

Though the details of the new facility are still in the works, Burns said the service center will double in size and staff, "adding another 50 jobs to the economy."

"It was long overdue," he said.

The Van Tuyl Group is a consulting firm that provides management consulting services to the largest group of privately held automotive dealerships in the United States, including Husker Auto Group in Lincoln.

According to a statement from Smith's family in February: "It was important that the buyer of our family dealership have good Midwestern values to carry on traditions of Roy Smith. Larry Van Tuyl, born and bred in neighboring Kansas, was a perfect choice."

Seton Hall Dismantles Livingston 34-6, Handing the Lancers Their First Loss of the Season

Livingston head coach Barry Kostibos and his staff knew that this week’s contest against Seton Hall Prep would show where his 6-0 Lancers stood in Essex County.  However, no one in Livingston thought the Pirates would slam Livingston 34-6 in West Orange on Saturday.

Led by senior and Florida State-bound quarterback Sean Maguire and senior running back Rory Merklinger, the Pirates sliced through the Lancer defense. 

Seton Hall scored a minute into the contest and had a 7-0 lead.  Livingston quarterback Andrew Egner was picked off by Colin Nordstrom and Nordstrom returned it for a touchdown on the Lancer’s first drive.

“It happens,” Livingston running back Zach Wolkstein said. “We figured we would come right back like we have all season.”

Unfortunately, that was not the case for Livingston.  The Lancers went three and out on their first drive and punted the ball back to the Pirates.

Maguire and Merklinger led a methodical and balanced first drive for the Pirates.  In Livingston’s red zone, Frank Maldonado ran a 15-yard sweep in for the first offensive score of the day for Seton Hall.

Throughout the first half, Livingston’s offense remained stagnant and could not generate either the passing or the running game.

“We came out flat,” Livingston receiver Cooper Weisman said.  “We had a great game plan, but didn’t execute.”

Seton Hall increased their lead to 21-0 right before the half as Maguire threw a 22-yard pass to Devlin Formey.

In the second half, the Pirates showed no signs of slowing down.  On the first drive of the half, Seton Hall drove 73 yards and Merklinger punched it in from two-yards out increasing Seton Hall’s lead to 28-0.

“Our tackling was not too good today,” Wolkstein continued.  “When you don’t tackle, you don’t win.”

The Pirates added one more score as Tom Lynch had a one-yard touchdown run.

Livingston did add a late touchdown as Egner found Wolkstein, but it was too little too late for Livingston.

“All there is to do now is get ready for the biggest game of the season against West Essex,” Wolkstein concluded.

Next Friday, October 28, the Lancers take on the Knights of West Essex at 7:00 in Livingston for the conference championship.

This GPS Navigation Device For Cyclists Will Murder You Dead

The sad thing is that there's an alleged safety component to the headphones. The idea is that by shifting the audio and letting your ears guide you, you can then keep your eyes on the road. It's a really fantastic idea, that will kill you dead!

See here's the thing about riding a bike in the streets: you share the street with cars, pedestrians and other cyclists. All of them are dangerous to you. When you see something dangerous, it's avoidable. Or at least: potentially avoidable, assuming you have time to react. The problem comes in when you don't see something. That's when you need your earholes.

Cycling in the city streets demands that you be able to hear. You need to hear the bells rung by other riders, the sound of engines, the voices of pedestrians. You need to be able to hear car horns, busses passing, sirens, brakes, and all sorts of other audible cues that say "you are in danger, look over here!"

Which means wearing headphones is a really, really bad idea. Wearing headphones that you think are making you safer is an even worse idea. An illusion of safety is far worse than the recognition of danger.

Of course, the idea of a navigation device for bikes that lets you keep your eyes on the road is solid! You certainly don't want to be looking down while you are cycling or driving. And while in a car you can hear turn-by-turn directions, that's not always true on a bike. There is a great idea buried in this bad one.

I'd love to see something like, for example, a series of bright LED lights along the handlebar attached to a GPS-equipped phone that indicated where you need to go. That way as you approached a turn, the lights would progressively move towards the right or left edge of a handlebar until they were at the very end. (At which point you turn!) That way you could see when to turn without having to take your eyes off the road ahead. Not only could it help give you directions, and indicate distance to turns, it would make your bike more visible to other people sharing the roadway.