Designing At Carol’s: Positive Charge

Abby McIntyre

We’ve done it, friend! We have officially made it to the hottest month of the summer. By this point the lightning bugs have made their glowy, cheerful appearance and the cicadas are singing their songs proudly in the trees to let us know the warm days are here. The sweltering heat can make it tough to push through to the end of summer and find excitement in the regular day-to-day. It also can be completely draining. The summertime sun has a knack for tuckering us out before we even step outside. This year has presented us with a truly unique summer. The pandemic has created an opportunity for everyone to take time to slow down and enjoy these long summer days. It has also shown us just how stunning Mother Nature can be if we make a few changes to our daily habits. During this quarantine we have seen entire rivers run clear again and rare wildlife emerge to explore the cities that border their habitats. This has sparked the conversation around sustainability and sustainable living practices.

Here at Carol’s we’ve discussed this situation and wondered how we can do our part to live sustainably moving forward and how we can help our clients do the same. Last month, our team at Carol’s participated in a virtual Hunter Douglas Premiers event to learn about new products and features making their debut. One of the core ideas of the event was sustainability and how to create a greener, more eco-friendly product. We are extremely excited to share with you one of the most radical changes to our product mix here at the shop: rechargeable batteries.

I know. You’re probably questioning why we are so excited about this. Rechargeable batteries are not exactly the kind of riveting topic you talk about with friends at a get together. However, the lasting impact of these small batteries can make a world of difference. In the past, it has taken an average of twelve AA batteries to power an automatic shade. Typically, it is not just one shade that decides to die at a time, but rather two or three out of the bunch. Think about the cost; the gas for a trip to and from the store, the time spent taking down battery wands, the 36 batteries being thrown away, the packaging for new batteries being thrown away, fiddling with 36 new batteries, figuring out how to reinstall the battery wand, etc. It all adds up after a while. These new rechargeable batteries allow you to make a one-time purchase of the battery and charger and be done. Each charge lasts about a year and the battery can be recharged up to 500 times. That is 500 years of power, friend. These eliminate the waste produced by alkaline batteries, their packaging, and save you time and money in the end.

If you are interested in learning more about or switching to these new rechargeable batteries, contact us today! We would love to help do our part to help contribute to your sustainable lifestyle. Give us a call at 940-565-8337 today to schedule an appointment. As always, happy designing!