Breuners Furniture has had a long history of furniture making in California.

During the California Gold Rush, German-born cabinet maker, John Breuner, came to Sacramento looking for his fortune. He quickly learned he could make more money building “gold cradles” for prospectors instead of prospecting himself. This creation was the start to John Breuner building a business that would last for 148 years. Breuners Furniture began in Sacramento, expanded to the San Francisco Bay Area and eventually had a presence from coast to coast.

John Breuner went on to have a large, extended family. Over the years, Breuner sons took turns running the family business while also making their way to the west shore of Lake Tahoe for family vacations. Four generations of Breuners have now had the privilege of feeling like Lake Tahoe is home, enjoying all its beauty and recreation.

This is the marriage between furniture making and Lake Tahoe. Fast forward to our current global pandemic. Twin sisters, Heidi and Gretchen Breuner, along with Heidi’s husband, Derek, have resurrected Breuners Furniture with the introduction of their hand-crafted, customized Tahoe coffee table. Heidi’s former business closed over-night due to COVID-19, but with that closure was the (re)birth of Breuners Furniture.

Using tools handed down from their grandfather (Wallace) Heidi, Derek and Gretchen are thrilled to see their Tahoe coffee table receiving such a warm welcome. Locals and Bay Area friends and family have loved sharing their stories of having visited a Breuner furniture store during their youth, and Heidi and Gretchen are honored to be carrying on a family tradition.

Most importantly, these Breuners are not only grateful for the warm reception of their tables, but they are also so grateful to have something to share with others, about the lake they love.

10 percent of all proceeds from the Tahoe tables will be donated to the Tahoe Fund in order to support critical environmental improvement projects around the Tahoe basin.

You can see their Tahoe coffee table, as well as other custom creations, on their website at breunersfurniture.com

After late season snow that felt like it would never end, spring came in hot this April. Tahoe’s average high air temperature in April was 53.4° Fahrenheit. That is 3° higher than the historical average.

Lake Tahoe is estimated to be 2 million years old. That’s roughly 730 million sunsets! If you’re craving one of Tahoe’s beautiful sunsets, tune into the Tahoe Fund’s Facebook live feed every night to get your daily dose. It’s clear to see that Tahoe and it’s beauty will be here for us when this is over. We will see you then!

Thank you to everyone who is respecting the current requests to stay home until this passes. We know many of you are missing out on your favorite Tahoe traditions. Here is a list of things you can do at home to make you miss Tahoe a little less:

8. Zoom Backgrounds

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Stuck on video calls all week? Download the Tahoe Zoom backgrounds provided by photog extraordinaire Justin Majeczky on the Tahoe Fund website. 

Tahoe will still be here when this passes. And thanks to your continued support, the Tahoe Fund will be here working hard to improve the Tahoe environment for all to enjoy.

Special thanks to Squaw|Alpine, Northstar, Gar Woods, Riva Grill and Tahoe Blue Vodka for their long-term support of the Tahoe Fund.  To support them and other local Tahoe businesses now, consider purchasing gift cards to use when Tahoe re-opens. Check out these North Shore and South Shore websites for more information.

Did we miss a favorite Tahoe tradition? Send your traditions our way at info@tahoefund.org or share on our Instagram or Facebook pages

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, virtual activities scheduled all week long 

Take Care Tahoe partners are proud to share daily earth and climate action themed activities in celebration of Earth Day’s 50th anniversary. Check out the daily activities Monday, April 20 through Friday, April 24 at takecaretahoe.org. Through collaboration with environmental education organizations around Tahoe and Truckee, these activities are designed to be fun and educational for both kids and adults. Each day is themed and includes a climate fact, specific actions to take, an activity to take part in, and a color that can be worn to show support.  

“Despite what’s happening in the world right now, the organizations that love Lake Tahoe and help plan Earth Day celebrations around Tahoe realized there are easy things that every one of us can do from home to honor the Earth and take action on climate initiatives,” said Crew Stover, program and outreach coordinator at the Tahoe Fund, a Take Care Tahoe partner. “We’ve compiled a variety of fun activities that participants of all ages can join in all week long to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.”

Join the Take Care Tahoe Earth Week challenge to make a difference. Take photos or videos throughout the week and share your experiences with your friends, family, teachers, or on social media using #TakeActionTahoe. 

Mother Nature Monday: Help plan and eat three meals without any meat, and check-out the week-long scavenger hunt organized by the Tahoe Institute for Natural Sciences.

Transportation Tuesday: To be more mindful of greenhouse gas emissions related to transportation, take action by registering for the 2020 Tahoe Bike Challenge, and go for a walk or ride your bike instead of driving for errands.

Waste Free Wednesday: To combat plastic pollution, which never breaks down in the environment and is a major source of litter in Tahoe, prepare a meal with little or no disposable packaging. The League to Save Lake Tahoe is offering activities to help people understand how much trash they generate and how to reduce their waste footprint, along with a fun neighborhood clean-up activity to Keep Tahoe Blue.

Thrifty Thursday: We all have the opportunity to reduce our impact on the planet. On Thursday, take action by turning off the lights and unplugging appliances to save energy and learn how to make a reusable grocery bag out of an old T-shirt.

Flourishing Friday: Forests and other non-agricultural lands absorb carbon dioxide emissions, so why not plant a tree! Plant a seed from your lunch (try an apple, cucumber, lemon, or tomato) and make a simple homemade hummingbird feeder to help pollinators.  

As “extra credit,” on Friday, April 24 pick up a sugar pine tree seedling from one of five locations around Lake Tahoe and Truckee and plant it. Pick-up locations and planting instructions available online. For more details and to get involved in Take Care Tahoe’s Earth Week activities, visit takecaretahoe.org/earth-week/ and tag @takecaretahoe and #TakeActionTahoe.