KeepGreenGoing

Millions of ink jet, laser and toner cartridges are thrown away each and every month. But why? My guess is there’s a lack of knowledge when it comes to deciding, “What do I do with this empty cartridge?” And by all means, I’m at fault too.

Today I stumbled across a unique resource that has the answer to our question: www.RecyclePlace.com

How it works?

1. Register. It’s quick and free.

2. Collect empty ink jet, laser, toner and fax cartridges.

3. Return the cartridges using one of the pre-paid UPS labels sent to you after       registration. Enclose a copy of the completed Cartridge Return Form.

4. A check will be sent to you.

5. Yes, Recycle Place pays you for empty cartridges.

Why recycle ink cartridges?

1. More than 3 quarts of oil are used to produce each laser cartridge.

2. The plastic used in each printer cartridge takes more than 10 centuries (that’s 1000 years) to decompose.

3. 25 million printer cartridges go to land fills each month.

4. Toner cartridge remanufacturing saves over 38,000 tons of plastic and metal from landfills.

5. Stacking 125 laser toner cartridges end-to-end equals the height of the Statue of Liberty.

How many of you drink from a Nalgene bottle?  What’s the number within the triangle on the bottom?  If you’ve got the wrong number down there you may be putting yourself at risk. 

You’ve probably seen something in the news lately that some plastics are getting a lot of negative press; most notably, drinking bottles made with hard plastic. This all surrounds a chemical known as Bisphenol A to the chemists and engineers or “BPA” on the streets. This chemical has been shown to leach out of common plastics and cause health issues ranging from behavioral issues to irregular breast growth. 

What can we do about it? Be aware that the Nalgene that most of us are drinking out of is probably contributing to our BPA intake. Also know is that not all Nalgenes are created equal. The hard polycarbonate plastics are what we want to stay away from (#7 on the bottom). The soft cloudy plastic Nalgenes (#2 in the bottom) are considered to be the safest and you’ll be happy to know that in light of the elevated attention to BPAs Nalgene is discontinuing production on their polycarbonate bottles. 

BPAs are found in more places than water bottles though. Food cans, baby bottles and the fillings in our teeth also contribute to BPAs in our body. Check out the resources below for more information. 

Nalgene’s Response

A Washington Post Article on BPAs

The other side: A response from the “American Chemistry Council”

Simple, free and green. Words we all like to here, right? Those are the goals of a newly developed United States Postal Service program that allows customers to recycle small electronics and inkjet cartridges by mailing them free of charge.

The “Mail Back” program helps consumers make more environmentally friendly choices, making it easier for customers to discard used or obsolete small electronics in an environmentally responsible way. Customers use free envelopes to mail back inkjet cartridges, PDAs, Blackberries, digital cameras, iPods and MP3 players - without having to pay for postage.

In a sense, this is the type of program that empowers the everyday person to go green. And it’s simple too. The free, postage-paid Mail Back envelopes can be found on displays in 1500 Post Office lobbies across the country. Simply find a location near you, take as many envelopes as you want and let the electronic recycling begin.

The pilot program is set for 10 areas across the country, including Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles and San Diego, but could become a national program this fall if all goes well.

When it comes to recycling don’t forget about good-old-fashion snail mail. Pick up your free envelopes and do your part. Thanks for the great pilot program USPS… We appreciate it be simple, free and green!

Every wonder why people “go to the extreme” of being vegetarian or vegan?

The philosophy behind veganism stands on the precept that we, as humans, do not have any right to “use” animals for anything. Furthermore, our use of animals, which have no choice in the matter, is a form of exploitation. A vegan lifestyle avoids, to the extent that is possible, all forms of that exploitation. A vegan chooses to avoid using or consuming animal products including dairy and eggs, as well as fur, leather, wool, down and cosmetics or chemical products tested on animals.

So why would someone concerned about the earth be concerned about what they eat? Let’s take a look at some of the facts:

Raising animals for meat has its consequences. It leads to rain forest destruction, global heat rising, water pollution, water scarcity, desertification, misuse of energy resources and world hunger. The use of land, water, energy and human effort to produce meat is not an efficient way to use the earth’s resources.

Since 1960, some 25% of Central America’s rain forests have been burned and cleared to create pasture for beef cattle. It has been estimated that every four-ounce hamburger made from rain forest beef destroys 55 square feet of tropical rain forest. In addition, raising cattle contributes significantly to the production of three gases which cause global warming, is a leading cause of water pollution and requires a staggering 2464 gallons of water for the production of each pound of beef. It only takes 29 gallons of water to produce a pound of tomatoes, and 139 gallons to produce a one pound loaf of whole wheat bread. Nearly half of the water consumed in the United States goes to the growing of feed for cattle and other livestock.
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If you’re like me, you get sick of hearing about how to go green. Everyday there’s companies pushing messages at you about what you should and shouldn’t be doing to go green. With 3000 messages hitting the average person a day and $620 billion spent each year in advertising… that’s a lot of greenness to take in.

Well, when you’re going through the closets and doing your spring-cleaning, don’t toss it, GIGO it! Here’s a company that takes a new approach to recycling - a practical, realistic and effective way to reuse things you don’t need.

Gigo it (’gi-gO it) is a two-word phrase comprised of the words “gigo” and “it”. “Gigo” is pronounced “Gi” as in gift and “go” as in the word go. Gigoit.org is a free online service designed to help people get rid of reusable items by putting them in the hands of people who want them. The catch? There is none. Anyone who post on Gigoit.org is offering the item up for free. The end result keeps usable items out of landfills and in the hands of people who need your stuff. Essentially, it’s an online donation community. You can search by distance from your location or view the most recently added items. Read on»

Today there are plenty of great ways to begin making a positive impact on the environment; but what if one aspires to something more personal than the great yet simple practices of recycling, buying with a conscious and reducing their own impact on the planet? Enter Grassroots Green.

What I have christened as Grassroots Green is getting green accomplished through your own unique, passion instilling means. The beauty of Grassroots Green is that by getting active on another level, others will be inspired, green happens in a whole new way and the opportunity to introduce others to green opens up. From my own experiences I’ve found the following three steps to be fundamental in beginning your own Grassroots Green effort.

Identify a green need within your community. This can be anything from starting a recycling program for you and your neighbors, to getting the ball rolling on legislation for more renewable energy incentives in your city. Don’t get too caught up on it, if we’ve tried to communicate anything through our publication it is that green should be simple. Start small and move on from there. After you’ve got your need identified write out the steps needed to get it resolved. These steps should be flexible as your understanding of the need will more likely than not change as you are working on it. Be prepared to take the first step immediately; it will likely be as simple as a phone call or a bit of research online. Finally, I think that it is important to find someone else that you can count on to partner with you, share in your passion, and help take the steps already identified to see that your community’s needs are met.

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In conjunction with yesterday’s article on “5 Ways to Green Your Office” - We bring you 5 more daily tips…5 Ways to Green Your Recycling.

We can certainly say recycling is a great thing. No question about it. But just like anything else, there’s always room for improvement. If you already recycle just about everything you can possibly think of… then good work, we commend you! If, on the other hand you recycle, but need a few more tips on how to take the next step, then this article is just for you.

1. Change Your Perspective

Instead of asking, “What things around my house can I recycle?” try “What things CAN’T I recycle?” Putting cans and paper at the curb is how your parents recycled. The new generation is recycling everything from batteries to motor oil to computer monitors. Run a search using Earth 911’s recycling locater to find a destination for these and other products.

2. Recycle in Groups

If you’re dropping off recycling, you’ll need a car instead of relying on a bike or public transportation. But what if you and three friends all recycled on the same day with one car-load?Another option to recycle in groups is to start a recycling program in your neighborhood, office or school. This will cut down on your trips to the recycling center entirely.

3. Pre-cycle

Nearly everything you buy at the grocery store will come in some sort of container. The key to pre-cycling is finding products in containers that are either made from recycled material, is recyclable itself, or both. Anything in aluminum, cardboard or glass will be easy to recycle. Plastics get trickier. Just remember, think before you buy.

4. Green-cycle

What happens to all the waste you create while gardening? Some communities have yard waste pick-up service, but an alternative is creating your own compost system. Green-cycling can occur year round whether its recycling your Christmas tree or composting your autumn leaves.

5. Keep Green Going
What seems to be a reoccurring message around here, is in fact vital to the recycling process. Spread the message! The current recycling rate in America is around 33%. By passing on some recycling knowledge, and keeping green going, you can help raise that rate, and that is something worth talking about.

Source: Earth911.org

Many of our friends have asked for advice on how to create an eco-friendly office. No matter what career path you’re in or where you work, getting your office informed and on board with a green lifestyle can be a difficult task. Not everyone is a green lover like you! So here’s an easy list of green office tips to help get you started. Take a gander and be the office leader; don’t just start a trend… make an impact.

1. Cut Down on Office Transportation

What can I say? Ride your bike… Ride your bike… Ride your bike around your town! Driving 10% less, by walking, cycling, carpooling or taking public transit, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 0.2 - 0.8 tonnes per year. Acording to AAA, the cost for owning and operating an average size car is 52.2 cents per mile, when driven 15,000 miles per year. Carbon dioxide is the number one contributor to the greenhouse effect and cars produce around 30% of the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions.

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Many of you may have, like me, reached a point where you’ve become to feel more than a little bit inundated with green this, green that, mountains of green marketing and green buzzwords. What do we do with it all? How are we to delineate between when we are being sold a trend rather than embracing a truly positive green lifestyle? In this day of battery powered Mercedes, carbon offsetting, and fair trade organic everything, it can be tough. With that in mind I thought I might put my best effort into putting together a few simple rules to cut through what I have dubbed “Green Noise” and get back to what really matters, living a sustainable, respectful life.

Read on»

Americans use at least twice as much water and energy per person as anyone else in the word. By 2025, it’s predicted that the world must increase its water supply by 22 percent in order to meet these needs. Keep in mind that 40 percent of the drinking water supplied to homes is flushed down the toilet. With so much water being wasted, what’s a person to do? Here’s a simple idea that can make a big impact.

Take a shorter shower.

Every two minutes you save on your shower can conserve more than 10 gallons of water. If everyone in the country saved just one gallon from their daily shower, over the course of a year it would equal twice the amount of freshwater withdrawn form the Great Lakes every day. The Great Lakes are the world’s largest source of freshwater. Read on»