If you haven’t had a chance to tour the Museum of Science and Industry’s Fourth Annual Smart Home: Green + Wired in Chicago, pick up the September/October issue of Midwest Living magazine and enjoy a guided tour from the comfort of your own couch.

Senior home editor Carol Scalla was thinking outside the box when she gave the home a fresh, new natural look for this year’s exhibit. One idea we love (of course) is her take on versatile outdoor living. A patio and trellis extending from the kitchen connect the detached garage to the house. A second modern see-through Clopay Avante Collection aluminum and glass garage door on the back end of the garage opens to enlarge the patio entertaining area.

Check out more images at http://www.midwestliving.com/homes/annual-idea/eco-friendly-idea-home-2010/?catref=cat290005&page=20

The Smart Home is open for tours runs through January 9, 2011. To learn more and purchase tickets visit www.msichicago.org. To see more unique installations of the Clopay Avante Collection visit www.clopaydoor.com/avante.aspx

You can count on Clopay dealers to provide great garage doors and service. You can also count on them to provide great community service as well.

Over the years, dealers around the country have teamed up with Clopay to donate products, time and labor to worthwhile charities benefiting people in their hometown. From Doors for Troops to ABC “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”, from Habitat for Humanity to the Shriners Hosiptals, the Clopay family does what it takes to give back.

Rob and Lisa Jones, owners of Best Overhead Door in the Portland, Oregon metro area are sponsoring the Amy Roloff Charity Foundation Dinner/Auction and Golf Event August 22 – 23, 2010 to benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Oregon Special Olympics.

Attendees will have the opportunity to bid and win a pre-stained Clopay Reserve Collection wood carriage house garage door, installed with a LiftMaster operator donated by Chamberlain.

Visit http://www.amyroloffcharityfoundation.org/ for more information about the event.

You may recognize Amy Roloff from the TLC reality television series Little People, Big World. When she gets a break from her busy schedule, Amy works on her golf game, spends time with her family and donates her service to the DAAA (Dwarf Athletic Association of America) and LPA (Little People of America, Inc.). She further serves her community by advocating for those with disabilities, students, organizations, businesses and non-profits that inspire others to reach their potential in spite of challenges and obstacles. Amy’s physical challenges in being a little person have not stopped her from overcoming obstacles and difficulties. She lives by example, encouraging and supporting others through their own challenges, while emphasizing the benefits of community and team success. In 2009, Amy founded the Amy Roloff Charity Foundation to raise funds for the DAAA and other local Portland charities.

It was wood vs. steel in the garage door design showdown for the DIY Network’s Blog Cabin.

Wood won and now it’s time to see the results. The virtual tour of Blog Cabin 2010 launches on August 19, as does the giveaway entry period and the premiere of the first episode of Blog Cabin 2010, which will feature Clopay Reserve Collection garage doors.

Blog Cabin is the groundbreaking multimedia experience based on a very simple idea: You Design It, DIY Build Its, You Could Win It! The interactive series invites Internet users to vote on the design features for a real cabin getaway. Blog Cabin will be featured on five special episodes. Expert hosts from the networks hottest series helped renovate the 1970s ranch that will become a luxurious home for a lucky sweepstakes winner. A one-hour Blog Cabin special, hosted by licensed contractor John DeSilvia, will highlight the incredible transformation.

For more information and to enter the Sweepstakes, visit www.diynetwork.com/blog-cabin/index.html.

At Clopay, we know energy efficiency is important to the comfort and value of your home. So we are constantly improving and testing our garage doors and windows to help you lower your utility bills year round. Upgrade to an insulated model before the end of the year and you could qualify for a $1,500 federal Energy Tax Credit.

Here is a list of some of additional Clopay products that now qualify for the Energy Tax Credit:

• Clopay Reserve Collection Custom Wood Garage Doors (without windows)
• Clopay Coachman Collection Garage Doors with Low-E Glass
• Clopay Residential Garage Doors with High-Altitude Insulated Glass