Hydrating foods provide plenty of fluid and healthy nutrients to fuel hot summer runs. Brunswick Crossing would like everyone to stay hydrated for our first 5K Valley Trail Run. Join us May 19^th as we run to save the “WB Tower”. Enjoy live music, kids activities and more.

Here’s some juicy news: Drinking water isn’t the only way to stay hydrated. According to the Institute of Medicine, 20 percent of your water intake comes from food. “Eating a three-ounce cucumber is like drinking three ounces of water, but better,” says Howard Murad, M.D., author of The Water Secret. Besides being water-rich, vegetables, fruits, and a few other key foods contain nutrients that can boost a runner’s performance and health. In addition to filling your water bottle, add these foods to your diet for hydration, nutrients, and a tasty change of pace.
H2O+ ELECTROLYTES
CANTALOUPE, PEACHES, STRAWBERRIES
These fruits are mostly water and rich in potassium, an electrolyte lost through sweat. “Potassium and sodium work together to maintain fluid levels in the body,” says Wendy Bazilian, Dr.PH., R.D., author of The SuperFoodsRx Diet, “which helps regulate your heartbeat and circulation.” One cup of each contains between five and 10 percent of your daily needs.
WET YOUR APPETITE
Toss strawberries into guacamole. Or make a cool soup: Blend together peaches, cantaloupe, peach nectar, lime juice, and sea salt, says culinary nutritionist Jackie Newgent, R.D.
H2O + VITAMIN C
WATERMELON, KIWI, CITRUS
Vitamin C helps maintain cartilage and joint flexibility, and these fruits provide at least a third of your daily need per serving. It also plays a role in protecting your skin. “UV rays, pollution, and sweat negatively affect your skin,” Bazilian says, and vitamin C counters those effects. A study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found watermelon and kiwi are nearly as healthy six days after being cut, so make fruit salad for the whole week.
WET YOUR APPETITE
Stir-fry tofu, bok choy, and scallion; add grapefruit segments. Combine kiwi with greens, avocado, pistachios, and onion. Toss watermelon with feta and mint.
H2O + CANCER DEFENSE
TOMATOES, BROCCOLI
Tomatoes are rich in lycopene; studies link this antioxidant to a reduced risk of lung, stomach, prostate, breast, colon, and cervical cancer. While it may not seem juicy, broccoli is 90 percent water and contains compounds called isothiocyanates. A 2010 study in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry found isothiocyanates block a defective gene that causes cells to become cancerous.
WET YOUR APPETITE
Skewer cherry tomatoes and grill until lightly charred; add mozzarella balls, balsamic vinegar, and fresh basil. Stir-fry broccoli with grated ginger; add minced grapes and sunflower seeds.

Brunswick Crossing is Frederick County’s most exciting planned community. Our beautiful trails will be the site for the 5K Valley Trail Run. Don’t like to run? No worries! Enjoy the sounds of Blue Deluxe as they rock the evening. Bring the kids for the 1 mile kids fun run. Oh, and everyone’s favorite, the moon bounce! Registration begins at 3:00pm.

All proceeds directly benefits the Brunswick Potomac Foundation to save the “WB Tower”, part of Brunswick’s railroad history! The 5K race route is timed and all finishers will receive a T-shirt and finishers medal. The top three male and female finishers will receive a prize in each age bracket. To find out more visit www.brunswickcrossing.com or call 301-834-7465. This event is Rain or Shine!

Brunswick Crossing’s 5K Trail Run to “Save the WB Tower” is just around the corner! Can’t get motivated to run? Try running with a partner.

Running with a partner is one of the best ways to ensure that you get out the door for every workout. But your workout may unravel if you (A) talk so much that your pace slows to a crawl or (B) race each other until someone bonks. Here are two workouts: one to help maintain a good effort and one to keep the run from becoming a race. Warm up and cool down with five to 10 easy minutes before and after each run.

Keep up the pace:
Break a 30- to 40-minute run into five-minute segments, with one- to three-minute walk breaks in between. During each segment, one person leads without speaking and with the sole focus of setting a strong, even pace. The other person runs behind and serves as coach, offering advice to help sustain the good effort: take shorter and lighter steps, keep feet low to the ground, maintain an upright body posture. After each walk break, runners should switch roles.

Rein in the pace:
To ensure you’re not speeding up as you go along, you have to be able to accurately account for distance covered throughout the run. That means either one runner wears a distance-monitoring system like a GPS unit or shoe pod, or you do the run on well-marked trails or on a track. After the warmup, one person keeps tabs on the distance, announcing the passing of each quarter mile or so. The other runner is responsible for taking this information and adjusting the pace up or down according to the agreed-upon pace for the day. You can take walk breaks as needed to talk over pace adjustments. Once the pace is established, the person monitoring distance can keep tabs by announcing every half-mile completed.

Partner up and set a schedule to run. Visit Brunswick Crossing and run the beautiful trails nestled in the acres of conservation area. Downtown Brunswick also has access to the C&O canal, another scenic place to run along the Potomac River. Did you know that it is only about 6 miles from Brunswick to historic Harpers Ferry along the canal? Come see all the adventures right here in Brunswick, minutes from Brunswick Crossing!

Are you ready for Brunswick Crossing’s first 5K race? The “Save the WB Tower”  Trail Run/Walk, 1mile kids fun run is coming up quickly and we want to give you tips on how to get in shape. Saturday, May 19 join in the fun starting at 5:00PM. We are running rain or shine. All proceeds directly benefit the Brunswick Potomac Foundation “Save the WB Tower” Fund. Registration opens at 3:00PM or visit our web and register early. www.brunswickcrossing.com.

After a long winter of logging base miles, you’re ready to challenge your energy systems with quicker workouts. Speedwork’s benefits go way beyond a starting line. “Speedwork helps you run faster, increases your lean body mass, increases joint mobility, and boosts your number of burned calories,” says Nicole Hunt, R.N., a coach at speedendurance.net and a former Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier. Use this quick speedwork primer to get inspired—and on track.

SPEED MATTERS
To run faster, you have to spend time running fast. “You have to apply the rule of specificity,” says Jonathan Dugas, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist and blogger for sportsscientists.com. Running short efforts at paces equal to or faster than your goal race pace teaches your body to more efficiently recruit muscles and use lactate as fuel. With time, you’ll be able to run faster for longer periods while maintaining the same perceived effort.

But it isn’t just racers who reap rewards. Recreational runners—especially those going for fitness or weight loss—can also benefit from running fast. Running burns 50 percent more calories per mile than walking, according to a 2004 Syracuse University study. Increase the intensity and you burn even more, says Dugas. When you double your pace, you double the amount of calories burned per minute. Plus, speedwork ramps up your metabolism long after exercise—researchers at Appalachian State University’s Human Performance Laboratory found that participants who cycled vigorously for 45 minutes boosted their metabolism for up to 14 hours, torching 37 percent more calories in that time period above what they typically burn at rest. “If you’re consistently exercising like that,” says Dugas, “it adds up.”

WHEN TO CRANK
If you’ve been running at least three times a week for two months, you’re ready for speedwork, says 1996 Olympic marathoner and coach Jenny Spangler. (Beginners and those returning from injury, however, may tack on an additional month.) This “aerobic base building” period is important because running fast places more demands on connective tissue in your body. “Make sure you have a strong musculoskeletal system” before ramping things up, says Hunt. But incorporating some speed during your base time—like six 30-second gradual pickups in an easy run—can be useful. “I find this starts getting runners used to running at a slightly faster pace without putting too much strain on the legs,” says Spangler.

FAST FOCUS
Speed workouts for experienced runners should closely simulate the demands of their goal event. For example, to develop the stamina and speed required for 5-Ks and 10-Ks, you might run workouts that combine race-specific intervals to hone race pace and nearly all-out intervals to practice your finishing kick, says Spangler. Half-marathoners and marathoners might do a four-mile run at half-marathon pace followed by six fast 200s “to do some gear shifting,” says Spangler. “If runners solely train at half-marathon effort or slower, they lose some leg speed and start getting lazy with their form.”

For nonracers, some coaches like the idea of shorter workouts performed more often. “You can begin with short efforts just to make the workout go faster, to get a little more variety,” says Hunt. She recommends sessions such as 10 x 30 seconds hard with a two-minute jog recovery or 10 x 60 seconds with the same rest (gently increasing the pace every 15 seconds), as often as every third day. “Because you’re not doing that much, you can do it more frequently,” she says.

RUN better: Bumping up your pace by five percent (or 10 or 15 percent) increases your calorie burn by an identical five percent (or 10 or 15 percent).

Visit Brunswick Crossing and test your speedwork on the trails. Our 5K race is timed with the three top male and female finishers receiving a prize in each age bracket! All finishers receive a T-shirt and a finisher medal!

Have you been practicing up for the Brunswick Crossing 5K Twilight Valley Trail Run? We have and we are excited about using our community trails for the race. We are breaking in those new running shoes. If you recently bought a new pair of shoes that felt great at first and are now rubbing you the wrong way, we have found a few tips that might solve those issues without replacing the shoes. “Before you get a new shoe, try adjusting the lacing to enhance the fit. It’s a small change that can make a big difference”, says Richard Bouché, D.P.M., of the Sports Medicine Clinic in Seattle.

Here are five ways to lace your running shoes and relieve that nagging foot pain.

PROBLEM: “MY SHOE RUBS ONE SPOT ON THE TOP OF MY FOOT.”

Solution: Eliminate pressure on a “hot spot” by lacing around it, not directly over it.

Technique:

Place a lipstick smear on your hot spot. Slide your bare foot into your shoe and take it out. The mark on the underside of the tongue tells you which set(s) of eyelets to skip. Lace your shoe until you reach the eyelet before the spot. Take the lace back under and pull it up through the next eyelet on the same side. Take the lace across and continue to lace. Repeat this on the other side. You’ll have an empty spot on the tongue where no laces cross it, which should eliminate your pressure point.

PROBLEM: “MY BIG TOENAIL TURNED BLACK.”

Solution: Lift the upper material above your big toe up and off it.

Technique:

Thread one end of the lace through the eyelet next to your big toe. Pull the end of that lace up to the last eyelet on the opposite side, bringing the lace through to the outside. Leave just enough slack at the top to tie a bow. Take the remaining portion of the lace straight across toward the outside of the shoe and then diagonally up toward the inside of the shoe. Repeat until all of the eyelets are laced. When you tug on the outside lace, it will pull the material above your big toe up and off your nail.

PROBLEM: “MY SHOE IS TOO TIGHT ALONG THE TOP OF MY FOOT.”

Solution: Use parallel lacing to secure your foot without putting pressure on the top.

Technique:

Lace the first two eyelets on the big-toe side of the tongue (not the first eyelet on either side of the tongue like you normally would). Bring the lace from the first eyelet straight across to the first eyelet on the other side of the tongue and push it through. Pull it straight up the side, skipping one eyelet, and thread it through the third eyelet. Pull it straight across the tongue, and push it through the third eyelet on the opposite side. Repeat until all eyelets are laced and tied.

PROBLEM: “MY TOES FEEL CRAMPED.”

Solution: Reduce forefoot constriction by using four shoelaces instead of two.

Technique:

Remove the laces and measure them. Buy two sets (four laces) half that length. On both shoes, use one lace for the bottom three eyelets and a second lace for the upper three eyelets. The end result will be two bows on each shoe, allowing you to tie the bottom laces looser to accommodate your wider forefoot.

PROBLEM: “MY HEEL SLIDES UP AND DOWN.”

Solution: Create a more secure fit around the ankle without tightening the entire shoe.

Technique: Lace as normal until one eyelet remains on each side. Draw the lace straight up on the outside of the shoe and bring it through the last eyelet. This will create a loop. Repeat on the other side. Cross each lace over the tongue, thread it through the opposite loop, and tie. The loops help to cinch in the material around your ankle to prevent your heel from slipping without making the rest of your shoe any tighter.

Try these few tips before you buy another pair of new shoes. On your mark, get set, run. Brunswick Crossing is hoping to see you at our 5K Twilight Valley Trail Run on May 19^th, 2012. Join us for an evening of fun even if you don’t like to run. Walk the trails, listen to the band, bring the whole family for a great cause. Help save Brunswick Railroad History! Event starts at 5:00 PM with the Kids 1 Mile fun run beginning at 6:00PM. To sign-up for the race please visit our website: www.brunswickcrossing.com or call 301-834-7465.

Brunswick Crossing is having our first annual 5K race. Get ready to lace up on May 19^th, as we host the 5K Twilight Valley Trail Run to save the WB Tower. The WB Tower was the last railroad tower operating in Maryland which closed in December of 2011. The City of Brunswick, the Brunswick Potomac Foundation, and the Brunswick Railroad Museum have joined forces to save this last piece of Brunswick Railroad history raising funds to move the WB from its current location to a new location. Brunswick Crossing is proud to contribute to this worthy cause.

Do your laces come untied while you are running? Chances are you’re tying them wrong. Have you heard of the Ian Knot? Ian Fieggen’s knots will keep you from loosing time during the race or any other sport that includes running. The Ian Knot is elegant, fast, and secure – if you can tie it. If your laces are twisted in ugly double-knots or you bows are uneven; perhaps the bows are bunched or tangled, it isn’t your fault. It’s just the way you were taught.

Think back to when you were little, in the midst of learning to secure your footwear. First you were shown how to take one lace and pass it under the other. And then you were instructed to loop one lace and make a bow. Easy enough!

Only it’s not that simple. In fact, there’s more than one way to tie a standard shoelace knot, and Fieggen says the odds that you’re screwing it up are pretty much 50-50. Almost all shoe closures start with a knot, and finish with a bow. Unfortunately, if you tie the bows in the same direction as the starting knot, you’ll end up with a final product that won’t stay in place. This is called a granny knot. If circumstances put you in the granny camp, you are doomed to looseness, stooping, and retying. To keep your laces nice and snug, you need to fashion a reef knot, where you tie the starting knot in one direction, and the finishing bow in the other. The difference between a granny and reef knot is a matter of tension: Lace tautness generated as your foot moves actually tightens a reef knot, while that same strain in the bottom part of a granny knot will work the top part loose.

Below are instructions on how to tie the Ian Knot!

1. Tie a starting knot holding the right lace between your right thumb and forefinger, and the left lace around your left thumb and forefinger. Try to hold the left lace taut.

2.  Make one loop with the loose end behind, and one in front. Use your right middle finger to push the end of the right lace behind, and turn your left hand to swing its loop to the right.

3.  Cross the two loops over each other. Use your left thumb to push its loose end to the right, as your right middle finger pushes its loose end to wind up inside the left loop.

4.  This move requires each hand to use the two fingers inside its own loop to grab the other loop. Use your left thumb and forefinger, and your right thumb and middle finger.

5.  Each hand releases its own loop and pulls the loose end of the opposite loop through its own. Don’t pull the ends all the way through, as this would form a knot instead of a bow.

6.  This final step simply completes the knot by pulling the loops tight. With practice, you can tie your laces faster and more symmetrically than with a conventional knot.

Fieggen has thought about shoelaces for 25 years. He invented his namesake tying method in 1982. The Australian initially wasn’t looking for a way to keep shoes from coming undone; he was trying to make his laces last longer. The problem with traditional tying is that it favors one side of the lace so that side wears out faster. He was very concerned with efficiency. The knot he came up with pulls evenly from both sides, so that the laces are handled evenly.

Give the Ian Knot a try next time you go out for a run.

Brunswick Crossing is Frederick County’s most dynamic planned community. We are very excited to be including our new paved trails on our 1^st Annual 5K race. 100% of our proceeds from this race will be donated to the Brunswick Potomac Foundation to “Save the WB Tower” fund. Don’t like to run? No worries. Join us for an evening of activities and fun.

Did you know Brunswick has a Farmers Market just minutes away from Brunswick Crossing? Soon you will be able to have locally grown fruits, vegetables and more as the spring growing season begins. Enjoy all these fresh goodies on your family’s table.

Farmers markets offer a great opportunity to reduce your carbon footprint while expanding your culinary horizons.  Farmers markets are growing in number, and quickly! Farmers, shoppers and city planners are discovering that these markets provide a vital link between consumers and farmers while also functioning as a vibrant community center. Consumer trends are showing an ever-increasing demand for fresh, healthy, locally grown food.

A significant advantage of farmers markets is that they are generally situated in an ideal location to reach consumers. The fees for a space are usually very minimal and most regulations and restrictions- zoning, sign, health department, business license- are already worked through by the sponsoring group. For the farmers it also requires little or no packaging required.

Additional advantages are it is good for the local economy more money is spent in the local economy, and it circulates in the locality for longer. They also provide an outlet for local produce, helping to start new local businesses and expand existing ones.  In addition they reinforce local job and business networks, maintaining local employment.

At www.farmfresh.org you can find get farmers market recipes as well as the ability to search for farms by food and a search to find local food and farms where you can pick your own fruits and vegetables.  Below is one of the recipes you can find on farm fresh’s website.

Apple Cole Slaw-Servings 8

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped cabbage
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 unpeeled apples, cored & chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large carrot, grated
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
2 green onions, finely chopped

Directions:

1.  In a large bowl, combine cabbage, apple, carrot, and green onions.

2.  In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, brown sugar, and lemon juice.

3.  Pour dressing over salad and mix well.

There are many local farmers markets right next door to Brunswick Crossing, below are a few to start your organic and healthy living today.

Brunswick Area Farmers’ Market

1 West Potomac Street

Brunswick, MD  21716

Contact Information: Michelle Tuwiner at 301-792-5624

Locally grown products will include organically pastured beef, lamb, goat, poultry; free range eggs; wide variety of seasonal vegetables, herbs, fruits; pumpkins; goats milk soaps; hand-woven baskets; alpaca blend yarns; fresh baked goods; local honey and beeswax products, food and gardening related artwork

Brunswick Area Farmers’ Market Sundays 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. June thru October

Middletown Farmers’ Market

12 South Church Street

Middletown, MD  21769

Contact Information:  Mark Boettcher at 240-422-9237

The market features vegetables, eggs, meat, fruit, baked goods, flowers, pottery, homemade dog treats and hand made jewelry.  This is a wonderful opportunity to purchase fresh, homegrown goods right here in Middletown.

June 16 through September 29, 2011, Thursday, 3pm to 6pm. Located in Christ Reformed United Church of Christ parking lot (opposite the Middletown Firehouse on Route 17 South)

Get ready for great, locally grown, food for your family! Brunswick Crossing is going green. Visit Frederick County’s most dynamic planned community and see how spring green brings you farm to table.

Brunswick Crossing gives you Spring Green Savings on your home. We have ENERGY STAR home styles from both builders, Advantage Homes and Ryan Homes. Going green is such an important part of our lives. Did you know designing the interior of your home style decor can be just as green?

The way that you design your home has a unique reflection on you as a person and your sense of style.  Today going green is the trend in many new houses as well as many renovations.  From rugs to cabinets to furniture there is a new twist of style with an eco friendly bonus.  Making environmentally smart choices when decorating your home not only has a big impact on the environment but your health as well.

Here are ten Green Furniture Tips:

1. Buy certified suitable wood. This means that the wood used to make that product has been harvested in a sustainable way or from reclaimed wood.  Sometimes simply put you plant a tree for a tree you cut.
2. Buy furniture from reclaimed wood which usually comes from old furniture, houses, or other built things that are ready for a make over, from flawed wood, or from scraps from a factory that makes other stuff. Some reclaimed wood even comes from logs that sunk to the bottom of rivers as they were being floated downstream to the sawmill, or from the bottom of man-made reservoirs.
3. Use Bamboo which isn’t a tree at all but really grass which comes in colors from lime green to maroon.  Bamboo can be flattened into flooring, molded into furniture, pressed into veneers, sliced up to make window blinds, or you can just build your whole house out of it.
4. Use Recycled/recyclable metal and plastic, more furniture is being made from recycled plastics and metals as well, like a recycled aluminum Icon Chair. Recycled materials require less processing and fewer resources, and help support the market for recycled materials.
5. Recyclable and disassemble, good eco-friendly furniture should be easy to repair, disassembly, and recycle.  Products that meet these requirements are certified MBDC’s C2C or Cradle to Cradle.  A perfect example of this is Herman Miller Steelcase certified office chairs.
6. Look for furniture that is durable and flexible, if something is tough and/or can be readily repaired, this lessens the chance that it’ll end up in the landfill, and could easily save you money in the long run, even if it’s initially more expensive.
7. Low toxicity furniture, no matter what it’s made out of, chances are it is off gassing (or releasing substances into the air). Almost everything off gasses, which isn’t necessarily bad, but synthetic materials or those treated with synthetic substances can give off gas chemicals which are toxic.
8. Buy vintage and second-hand furniture it requires no additional resources to manufacture, is often locally sourced, is pre-off gassed and eases the load on the landfill.
9. Buy Local, this will support the local economy, small craftspeople, and decrease the environmental cost of shipping.
10. When it is time to get rid of your furniture, try to see it goes to a new home, repurpose it, or recycle it.

Try some of these great going green ideas as you shop for interior decorating. Brunswick Crossing is always thinking of new ways to go green! Visit our community and see why we are Frederick County’s most dynamic planned community.

Brunswick Crossing is going green from our ENERGY STAR homes to nearly 100 acres of forested conservation area complete with eight foot wide paved trails for everyone to enjoy. To go green in your back yard space we have found some great ways to complete that outdoor living area with some great green ideas!

It use to mean that going green meant giving up your sense of style but now going green has style!  With many new companies developing trendy outdoor building materials and furniture now going green has a unique style if its own.

Because of its longevity, durability and lack of maintenance, HDPE plastic is used in countless practical applications such as food containers, outdoor playground equipment, kitchen cutting boards, bathroom partitions, and boat cabinetry to name a few. Loll Designs recycled material is sourced primarily from single use milk jug containers. All colors are post-consumer material, whereas the black material Loll uses is post-industrial recycled HDPE. Post consumer HDPE is a material or finished product that has served its single use and has been diverted or recovered from waste destined for a landfill. In making furniture Loll generates waste too, but nearly 99% of the waste from Loll’s manufacturing process is sent to a recycling plant where it is recycled again. For every pound of weight in a Loll chair there are an estimated 8 recycled milk jugs being used. In 2010 Loll reclaimed nearly 6 million pounds of HDPE, saving natural resources and reducing land-fill waste. From the HDPE plastic to the brass inserts and stainless steel fasteners, Loll furniture is also 100% recyclable.

Got Kids?  Don’t worry they don’t need to loose their sense of style to go green either, this Playhouse set by Loki brings durable, modern design to outdoor play. Transforming 100 percent recycled plastic into outdoor furniture, Duluth, Minnesota-based Loll Designs creates comfortable, eco-friendly pieces for outdoor living.

The Loki playhouse brings durable, modern design to outdoor play. Transforming 100 percent recycled plastic into outdoor furniture, Duluth, Minnesota-based Loll Designs creates comfortable, eco-friendly pieces for outdoor living.

Completely maintenance-free, Loki won’t fade or warp, withstanding all types of weather and hard use for years to come.

Whatever your outdoor tastes, look for some of these great going green ideas for your back yard! Brunswick Crossing loves going GREEN!

Brunswick Crossing is enjoying the spring weather! Fire up the grills and lets go outside. From the simple fire pit to the lavish outdoor cooking grills, nothing tastes better than grill fired meats, fish, and vegetables.

It is not only inside of the house where people are going green but outside as well.  Homeowners are getting creative with their outdoor space to try to spend more time outside.  One place they are starting is with outdoor kitchens and companies are getting just as creative to meet those needs.  R.H. Peterson’s Fire Magic grills come with a unique solar panel that powers internal lights, the rotisserie motor, and the ignition. While this may not sound like a normal option for your outdoor kitchen, there is a practical side. As more homeowners are adding outdoor kitchens to their backyards as an add-on to an existing home, issues such as running electrical service to backyards can represent another hurdle to completing your dream outdoor kitchen. To solve that problem this grill pulls the solar energy from the sun.

Other ideas include creating seating areas with a synthetic wood or add a pop of green from synthetic grass. Do you want a fire pit?  You can take an old syrup kettle and refurbish it into a fire pit eliminating it from going to the landfill.  To create an outdoor counter space for your cooking you can use wood from salvaged trees to reduce the pressure on cutting existing tress.  If you would like a patio to finish the perfect look for your outdoor kitchen you can create the look with ECOsurfaces recycled rubber flooring.  ECOmax recycled rubber floor tiles are designed for a variety of uses, including rooftops, patio walkways, pool surrounds and playground areas. The modular, yet extremely durable pedestal tile system complies with resiliency requirements established by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

There are designs for outdoor cooking with every budget in mind. Fire pits not only serve to grill outdoors, but also give a warm touch to enjoy that cool summer evening. Gather round with marshmallows and make s’mores for dessert! Those that love entertaining a crowd and outdoor cooking is their specialty, look for the outdoor kitchen with everything from a small refrigerator, gas grill, cook-top burners and cabinets. Wow the crowd with gourmet grilling.

Have fun creating your outdoor space! Visit Brunswick Crossing, Frederick County’s most dynamic planned community. See how we can help you start your great outdoors and enjoy green spring savings!

Brunswick Crossing is an ENERGY STAR community. Our builders use programmable thermostats to help homeowners save money on their heating and cooling systems. Stop in and see what makes our community going  green when it comes to savings.

Today homeowners are you looking for an inexpensive way to reduce home heating and cooling costs without sacrificing comfort.  Reducing your thermostat setting by 3 degrees Fahrenheit (or 2 degrees Celsius) for eight hours can slash 4 percent off your energy costs. For every additional degree you cut, you’ll save an extra 2 percent.

Programmable digital and wireless thermostats allow you to automatically adjust indoor temperature ranges during various times of the day. For example, you can choose to lower the thermostat at night, when you have the warmth of your sheets and blankets to offset the reduction in air temperature, and have it automatically rise when you’re ready to get up to ensure you don’t step out of a warm bed and into a cold house.

Many people also use programmable thermostats to save energy while they’re at work; you can hold back on running your home’s HVAC system while you’re at work and have it automatically kick in to adjust the temperature to the desired level for your arrival in the evening. When paired with energy efficient air conditioners and heating systems, programmable thermostats have the potential to knock an additional 10 percent off the cost of running your HVAC unit.

Good news – programmable thermostats are available in all new homes at Brunswick Crossing!

To optimize energy savings, set your night-time/away from home setting as low as comfortable in the winter and as high as comfortable in the summer–the lower/higher you go, the greater the savings.