8 Ways To Green Your Shopping Trips

By Trey Granger

Earth911.com

Depending on the size of your family, you may hit up the grocery store once a week. Maybe even multiple times a week. Consider that 32 percent of the waste we produce is packaging, and you’ll understand how important it is to shop with a green frame of mind.

Here’s some easy steps to keep the environment in mind at the checkout line.

1. Make a List, Check it Twice
Keep a list of supplies you need attached to the refrigerator. Supermarkets are huge and easily disorienting. Driving all the way back to the store because you forgot something means more energy consumed.

Make sure you recycle your shopping list with the rest of your paper (and your receipt). Better yet, write it on a dry-erase board or in your Blackberry to create no waste.

2. Make it an Outing
The grocery store is a great place to meet singles, but that doesn’t mean you need to shop for just one person. If you have roommates, make one trip for the whole house and split costs. Invite a friend who you rarely see to go shopping with you. Carpooling to the grocery store is very green.

3. Buy Local
The idea of a “world market” sounds cool until you think about how the products arrived there. Have you ever checked labels to see where some of your favorite products are from? One option is to frequent the farmers market for things like produce. You’re reducing the environmental impact of shopping while supporting the local economy.

4. Check the Ingredients
This doesn’t mean check for trans fats and carbohydrates. The grocery store has plenty of products with harmful ingredients that affect their environmental impact. This includes:

Batteries
Car fluids
Fluorescent lightbulbs
Household cleaners
Pesticides
Know before you buy these products that they should be recycled/properly disposed when you’re done with them. Use Earth 911’s recycling locator to find events and locations to do so.

5. Close the Loop
The recycling symbol has two major purposes: it tells you what can be recycled and also points out what is made of recycled content. Look for grocery items where either the product itself or packaging is made of recycled content.

In some cases you may be purchasing recycled content without even knowing it (products like aluminum and glass bottles are made largely of recycled aluminum and glass). Buying recycled is how you close the loop; it creates a market for recycling.

6. Buy in Bulk
Over 10 percent of the cost of groceries is for packaging. That’s a big reason why you save money buying in bulk. Another benefit is it will reduce your waste. Choose large quantities over individually-wrapped products. You can always put food in the freezer so it doesn’t go bad.

7. Choose to Reuse
We’ve all heard the line “Paper or plastic?” Well guess what? A new competitor has entered the field: reusable canvas. Your favorite grocery store may sell these bags, which you can then keep in the car. They’re more durable than your typical grocery bag and can hold more items.

If you decide to stick with paper and plastic, see if your grocery store has a take back program for them. If not, use Earth 911’s recycling locator to find a recycler in your area.

8. Know Your Curbside Program
If your curbside recycling program only accepts #1 plastic, it will be more difficult to recycle yogurt containers made of #5 plastic. The more you can recycle, the less waste you will produce. Use Earth 911’s recycling locator to find out what is accepted in your curbside program, and buy more items that feature this packaging.

This story is part of Earth 911’s “Green Eight” series, where we showcase eight ways to green your life in various areas. Click here to see Earth 911’s “Green Eight” archive.

Green Father's Day Gifts

By Raquel Fagan

Earth911.org

Father’s Day is Sunday. Found a product you know he just has to have? Do a little internet shopping and see if that same product is available in bamboo, corn plastic, or made from recycled materials.

The below list can add a little insight into the importance of buying products that are made with the Earth’s benefit in mind.

Bamboo
A wildly abundant and renewable resource, bamboo is among the fastest growing plants (it’s actually considered a grass) on Earth. Bamboo requires no fertilizers, pesticides or insecticides to grow, and is 100 percent biodegradable. Some products now available in bamboo include barbeques sets with bamboo handles, bath robes, cell phone PDA holders and men’s sport shirts.

Biodegradable
A “biodegradable” product has the ability to break down, safely and relatively quickly, by biological means, into the raw materials of nature and disappear into the environment. Biodegradable materials are used to produce coffee mugs, golf tees, luggage tags and screwdrivers.

Corn Plastic
Traditionally, plastic products have been manufactured utilizing a petroleum-based material. Corn Plastic is an all-natural plastic that not only helps relieve U.S. dependence on foreign energy, but is based on a renewable U.S. agricultural product. Corn plastic products on the market include key rings, letter openers and travel mugs.

Generator/Hand-Crank Powered Flashlights
Uses a crank to produce energy. There is no need for a rechargeable battery. Even 30 seconds of cranking can produce a source of light which is quite powerful. Most of these-type flashlight have LEDs so the intensity of the light discharged is strong. Hand cranked lights range from keylights to emergency radio lanterns.

LED (light-emitting diode) Lights
More durable, longer lasting and more energy-efficient (use less battery energy) than incandescent lightbulbs. LEDs also survive sharp blows that often break conventional lightbulbs. Also, the light quality is better and brighter than standard incandescent flashlights. Lights include handyman flashlights and pen lights.

Made from Recycled Materials
Recycling is the reprocessing of materials into new products. By recycling you save natural resources, energy, and the environment. Products available include: backpacks, jackets and planners.

Organic Products
Products that are produced using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic plants are grown in a way that soil fertility is replenished and maintained, free from pesticides, herbicides and other cytotoxins (any substance toxic to cells). Organic materials have been minimally processed to maintain the integrity of the material without artificial additives, preservatives, irradiation, synthetic hormones, antibiotics or genetic engineering. Products available include: beach towels and hats.

Solar-Powered Products
Solar power describes a number of methods of harnessing energy from the light of the sun. Many technologies have been developed to make use of solar radiation. Some of these technologies make direct use of the solar energy (e.g. to provide light, heat, etc.), while others produce electricity. Solar power is pollution free during use. All types of electronics are now coming with solar power options. You can even get a solar powered USB drive.

This list was provided by Geiger, a leader in the promotional products industry.

Eight Ways To Green Your Beach Trip

By Trey Granger

Earth911.org

The Beach Boys said it best:

“If everybody had an ocean
Across the U.S.A.
Then everybody’d be surfin’
Like Californi-a”

For those with ocean access, summer time is beach time. Before you get out your boogie board and picnic basket, here’s a few ways to keep the environment in mind while you’re “hanging ten” and “soaking up the sun.”

1. Know Before You Go
Like it or not, beaches close for a variety of reasons. The water may be polluted from a sewage run-off. There could be a nearby oil spill. If you live a half hour away from the beach, that’s an hour of driving you can save by knowing this status ahead of time. To find beach water quality reports for 23 states that border an ocean or a Great Lake, check out Earth 911’s sister site Beaches911.com.

2. Beachwear: The Ultimate Reuse
Beach clothes are going to get dirty. You’re laying in sand and swimming in water filled with all kinds of plants and animals. Instead of buying brand new apparel for your beach excursions, wear some old clothes you’ve been meaning to throw out. T-shirts filled with holes. Promotional giveaway hats. This is perfect beach attire.

3. Keep Dogs on a Short Leash
There’s lots of debate as to whether dogs belong at the beach. One thing is for sure: dog droppings do not belong there. They are a source of E Coli and other bacteria that can close beaches while also causing health hazards to swimmers. Pick up after your pets and keep them away from the water in general. You can find more tips for keeping your pet safe this summer at Earth 911’s sister site Pets911.com.

4. Stay Away from Stormdrains
You may not think that water from our city streets ends up in the ocean, but it does. When streets get wet, traces of motor oil, pesticides and animal waste go down these drains. Swimming near storm outlets gives you direct access to this dirty water. Stay out in the open where these traces are diluted.

5. Sail Your Cares Away
If you’re looking to spend the day at sea, rent a sail boat or wind sail over a motor boat or a jet ski. Sail-powered boats use renewable energy (wind) and are less likely to pollute the surrounding water. If your transportation does have a motor, practice clean boating.

6. Drink Plenty of (Fresh)Water
Make sure you stay hydrated while you’re at the beach. But that means bringing water from home, not drinking it from the ocean. Ocean water is full of salt (and who knows what else), so it will do the opposite of hydrating you.

7. Take Only Photographs
The beach is filled with all kinds of fascinating “souvenirs.” Rainbow-lined shells. Slippery seaweed. Keep in mind that all of these things are part of a local ecosystem. If you’re out snorkeling or scouting tide pools, avoid the desire to touch things or pick things up. This is also a great way to avoid bites and stings.

8. Leave Only Footprints
On a windy day, it’s easy for trash to blow into the nearby water, where it can harm sea life. Make sure all your garbage ends up in the appropriate place, and recycle your bottles and cans. You can find a drop-off location for your ride home using Earth 911’s recycling locator at www.earth911.org.

HP Printing Goes Green

Editor's Note: This comes courtesy of the folks at Earth911.org.

Hewlett-Packard has announced an initiative to assist individual owners and businesses in decreasing their environmental impact when printing.

The company will now include an Eco Highlights label on its products. Information that might be on the label include:

• Energy Star qualified
  
• Optional double-sided printing to cut down paper consumption
  
• Information about recycling the printer
  

HP is emphasizing recycling and has a goal of recovering two billion pounds of electronic products and supplies by 2010, according to the HP Web site.

A new inkjet printer made almost completely of recycled materials is now available. The D2545 printer is made from 83 percent recycled plastic. Even the ink cartridges it uses are made of recycled plastic resins, according to smartplanet.com.

Another part of the initiative is a new global paper policy “governing the sustainable manufacture and use of paper HP sells to customers and uses for packaging, collateral and its own office printing,” according to www.smartplanet.com.

To find a location in Atlanta to recycle your old printer or electronics, visit www.Earth911.org.

Green Your Technology

Our friends at Earth 911 have some great tips for recycling and making better use of the tech you use every day. Here's a few of the tips from an article by Trey Granger:

1. E-cycle: Keep your electronics out of landfills at all cost. If they still work, donate them to a second-hand store for reuse. If not, use Earth 911’s recycling locator to find a place to recycle them. It could be a community event, a retail store or even a manufacturer take back program. All of these are better than your trash can.

2. Provide a Second Life for Electronics: Recycling electronics is important, but only if they no longer work. Consider options that will reuse this technology again and keep it out of the waste stream. Trade in video games and movies for credit at stores that sell these items
Donate your televisions and computer monitors to Goodwill; you can find second-hand store locations using Earth 911’s recycling locator. Offer your old cell phone to a service provider so it can be refurbished. 

3. Reach for the Energy Stars: Electronics use up a lot of energy. ENERGY STAR products can cut energy use by 50 percent. If you’re shopping for new electronics, check for an ENERGY STAR label. This covers computers and monitors, televisions and even battery chargers. Some other energy-related notes for when you’re purchasing: Notebook computers use less energy than desktops. LCD TVs use less energy than plasma TVs.

To read the rest of the article click here.