Feasts: Make out your grocery lists early so you have time to look for locally produced products. Even better, impress visiting friends and family with a menu built around locally produced foods. The less distance your food travels, the fresher it is and the less fuel goes into getting it to your table.
On days you do a lot of cooking, turn down the thermostat a couple of degrees. The oven will compensate, saving a little energy. If you have no small children or overly curious pets in the house, leave the oven door cracked open when the food comes out, making the most use of the heat you already have.
Travel: Consider going out of town for the holidays just once for the entire season. For example, Thanksgiving can be a local family and friends event this year, while Christmas can be the holiday everyone travels to Grandma’s house, instead of flying or driving long distances for both holidays. Limiting travel will save on fuel emissions and save you a little green, too.
Shopping: Shop online to save yourself a lot of time, stress and gas. If shopping with family or friends is a tradition you don’t want to lose, go in prepared. Have your stops organized to save on gas and avoid running in circles all over town. Pack the car with reusable shopping bags, cold beverages in reusable bottles, and friends and family that need to make the same stops you do.
Gifts: The greenest gifts skip the malls entirely. Give a donation to a favorite charity in a friend’s name. Give a hand-made gift that uses your talents. Give the gift of your time to a family member who needs help with a home improvement project, childcare, or just wants to hang out you more often. Re-gift a family heirloom to a younger member of the family.
If you insist on buying a “regular” gift, be sure it’s something useful to the recipient, not something that will make clutter, gather dust, and be in the landfill by next December. If all other ideas fail, edibles and potables, provided they aren’t over-packaged, are an easy, earth-friendly gift choice.
Wrappings: Ripping up expensive wrapping paper is over-rated. Use your newspapers to wrap (reusable) gift boxes. Keep the tape use to a minimum and throw it in the recycling bin after it gets ripped open. If you can get your hands on unprinted newsprint (often used as packing material by people packing up to move), decorate it with personalized images or messages. The unprinted paper recycles just as well, and can also double as tissue paper.
Consider the value of gift bags. If properly cared for, a few good gift bags can be passed among family members for many years, greatly diminishing the paper products used in gift-wrapping. Even better, package your gift in a reusable shopping tote. The package not only becomes part of the gift, but also encourages earth-friendly habits in the recipient.
Admittedly, these are all little changes you can make to your holiday routines, but little changes add up, especially when you encourage those around you to do the same. Just put some thought into your actions and purchases. You don’t have to sacrifice your traditions to make your holidays greener.
Originally posted 2009-08-22 00:08:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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When the child is a few months old, then it’s time for them to get a crib. Eco-friendly nursery furniture usually has cribs that provide a sturdy and strong structure. The crib would include a fixed rail made from Birch wood. Parents will find the veneers to be of high quality, made from either maple or walnut. In addition to that, the crib would serve a second purpose as a conversion to toddler day bed. That way, parents would not have to get another bed for some years to come.
When choosing a crib, make sure that this piece of eco-friendly nursery furniture is made of wood that is solid. If the wood has to be refinished, use paint or finish that is non-toxic. This will alleviate inhalation of any harmful chemicals. For a crib mattress, it’s best to get one that is made from organic cotton. This material will help to protect the baby from rashes and other skin irritations that may exist.
A bed that is made from natural solid birch wood would be a great piece of eco-friendly nursery furniture to have in the bedroom. This kind of wood makes the bed to stay strong and sturdy. Paint that is non-toxic is used to make the bed come to life. The material is of great quality and will last for a long time. If there are no younger siblings, then the parent could give it to someone else.
Another piece of eco-friendly nursery furniture that a baby can sleep in is a day bed. It’s easy to assemble and you don’t have to spend hours doing it. Also, if you need to change a rail, you can do so and put a shorter side panel it its place. Even though these may cost more than regular nursery furniture, you’re just not paying for the furniture itself. You’re also paying for the quality and assurance that your child can be free of any harmful toxins and chemicals that could harm them.
By: Amy Welder
About the Author:
co-Owner, eOrganic Baby
Originally posted 2009-07-06 19:52:42. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
]]>In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, there was growing concern over the state of the environment. Most notably seen across college campuses and grassroots organizations, this environmental focus also grew in importance within the political sphere. In 1969, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson suggested a demonstration to help gain attention for environmental causes. A year later on April 22nd, the first official Earth Day was held with over 20 million people participating , a giant step for the modern environmental movement!
Since the inception of Earth Day, the holiday has become an international effort to improve environmental sustainability from air quality and global warming to wildlife protection and recycling efforts. In 1992, the United Nations recognized the growing need to maintain environmental health with an Earth Summit in Rio de Jainero.
While Earth Day has changed a great deal from its original demonstration-based format, the goal remains the same. Now, there’s a greater emphasis on clean energy and the reduction of global warming, but one fact is undeniable: Earth Day is growing in importance across the world. Nearly a billion people across the world participated in last year’s Earth Day activities.
In addition to focusing on a very real and pressing issue, Earth Day also brings people of different cultures, nationalities, religions, and races together to strive for a common goal. Celebrated in over 175 countries, Earth Day is considered “the largest secular holiday in the world, celebrated by more than a half billion people every year,” according to Earth Day Network. This year, become a part of this exciting and important holiday , and spread the word to your friends and family!
What You Can Do:
There are tons of ways you can celebrate Earth Day by yourself or with friends and family! Some of the things you can do to help the environment are:
*Plant a tree: Help keep the planet green one tree at a time! Trees help absorb carbon dioxide, thereby reducing your carbon footprint. For more information on planting, tree care, and what trees are best for your area and the environment, please visit the Arbor Day Foundation (http://www.arborday.org/).
*Make your home Earth friendly: While so many environmental efforts focus on the outdoors, there are an endless number of ways you can make your home more “green.†From compact florescent light bulbs and Energystar appliances (http://www.energystar.gov/) to organic, locally grown foods and natural pest control (http://www.ecosmart.com/), there are a growing number of products to help you keep your home Earth friendly. Visit www.healthychild.org for simple ways to keep your home healthy for your family and the planet.
*Donate to a worthy environmental cause: You don’t have to get down and dirty if you don’t want to; donations to well respected environmental organizations ensure that you’re helping the causes you find important. And don’t forget , sometimes these groups need the items you just have gathering dust in your garage! Visit www.charitynavigator.org or similar sites to find a reputable organization.
*Walk, bike, or carpool to reduce emissions: Sometimes, it’s the changes you make in your daily life that will have the greatest impact on the environment. Do something good for your health and the planet by walking or biking to work or to run errands. If you live too far away, consider carpooling or taking public transportation.
*Start a recycling program in your community: If your community doesn’t already have the resources for recycling, you can always take your items to a recycling center. However, if you make the extra effort to create a convenient recycling solution within your neighborhood, more people are likely to recycle as well. At http://earth911.org/recycling/ you can find what items can be recycled as well as how and where to recycle them.
*Know your carbon footprint: How do you measure up in terms of the amount of Carbon Dioxide you and your family produce? See where you stand compared to the national average by calculating your personal contribution to global warming at www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator/. You might be surprised enough to adopt cleaner forms of energy.
Originally posted 2009-12-04 01:04:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
]]>The LEED exam is the best form of accreditation pertaining to environmentally sound building in the current market. By completing and passing the LEED exam, you will open up a broader range of employment options than you could have ever imagined before. Even if you are not generally looking forward to exams, this is one that you can consider a great use of your time ” with the emphasis on great. It may take some time to become profitable ” many who have sat it recommend a month of study before completing the exam ” but passing it will be a breeze if you try your best. Also, the LEED Study Guide is designed to make the exam far less of a frightening prospect, and enable you to complete the exam in full confidence of getting a passing mark.
Building green is not all about adding solar panels and placing trees around the building. It is a more complicated process than that, and having a good knowledge of exactly what the process can involve and how to develop the energy efficiency of a building that you are working in can make you a desirable candidate for employment. It can also make the structures you are involved with a standing advertisement for future marketing, and if it also happens to be the place in which you work it will make for good premises which will not have to undergo complicated, long-term repairs that result in a loss not only of energy efficiency but of all efficiency.
The LEED study guide will give you the knowledge that is required to pass the exam, and will give you the confidence that you can do so. The LEED exam is an indispensable step towards becoming a sought-after employee in the construction industry, or even lead into being a project manager yourself. As well as giving you an appreciation of how green issues affect the building industry and the jobs of architects, engineers and other professionals within the field, studying for the LEED exam will allow you to pick up handy tips on building in general. It may even give you a more rounded appreciation of what it takes to get on in the industry. Checking it out today could be the wisest decision you make all year ” and the most profitable for some time to come.
The leading resource for learning is to study for the leed exam. Pass the leed exam by visiting the Leed Study Guide.
by: Todd Alan
Originally posted 2010-04-17 18:16:43. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
]]>Choosing a diamond engagement ring (http://www.danforthdiamond.com) and wedding bands are incredibly personal decisions that are also becoming ethical decisions. Socially aware couples now want to ensure that their wedding jewelry selections are not linked to human rights abuses or have not negatively impacted the environment.
Conflict-free Diamonds
Until recent years, newly engaged couples were blissfully unaware that an untold number of corrupt organizations in African countries were illegally mining diamonds that are directly linked to human rights abuses.
The good news is that more than 40 nations worldwide, including the United States, now voluntarily participate in the Kimberly Process, a system that imposes stringent requirements on imports to certify that diamonds are free from conflict. 99.8% of the global production of rough diamonds is now accounted for through the Kimberly Process.
Reputable engagement and wedding jewelry retailers readily confirm the origin of any stone. Online retailers are particularly sensitive to consumer concerns regarding the genesis of their diamonds. Leading online retailers, such as Danforth Diamond, My Solitaire, and Brilliant Earth actively educate consumers by providing helpful information on their websites to ensure that accurate information is easily accessible.
Green Gold?
For those who truly want guilt-free glitter, there are a number of retailers who offer recycled gold for wedding bands and the like. Concerned about a lackluster green ring? Worry not. Recycled gold, which is melted and re-refined, is the same quality as newly-mined gold.
NoDirtyGold.org publishes an ever-growing and impressive list of retailers who support the responsible production of gold.
Vintage jewelry is also enjoying a resurgence in popularity as brides and grooms opt to purchase estate jewelry or wear wedding rings that have been passed down from a family member.
Eco-friendly weddings aren’t just for the granola crunching crowd nowadays – and conflict-free diamond engagement rings and recycled gold wedding jewelry are just the beginning. As green weddings become more mainstream, the options and price ranges are increasingly abundant.
Earth-friendly Invitations
Wedding invitations printed with soy- or vegetable-based inks on recycled paper are a mainstay for green couples. If that’s not green enough for you, perhaps paperless invitations are the way to go; simply extend electronic invitations for guests who can be contacted via email. Emailed RSVPs offer an added bonus: guests are more likely to respond promptly, allowing you to accurately plan your headcount.
Location, Location, Location
A central wedding location that requires minimal travel for most guests will save on carbon emissions. Booking a venue that can host the wedding ceremony and reception will further reduce carbon emissions. Art galleries, botanical gardens, eco-friendly restaurants, hotels and parks are all excellent choices.
Here Comes the Bride
Something old, something new, something borrowed… something green? You betcha. Green brides can choose lovely, previously-worn gowns from vintage stores or gown consignment and rental shops. Brides can also turn to their family tree for a wonderfully sentimental heirloom gown. A number of designers have also embraced the eco-friendly trend and offer extravagant gowns made of hemp silk.
Wedding Favors as Decorations
Organic, locally grown flowers for bouquets and centerpieces offer a fresh, seasonal touch. Flower arrangements used at the wedding can perform double duty by being moved to the reception. Potted plants also make lovely arrangements and can be transplanted outdoors after the wedding or can serve as gifts that guests can take home.
The Gift that Keeps Giving
Portovert Magazine, the nation’s first and only online publication devoted exclusively to environmentally and socially responsible weddings, and NativeEnergy offer a carbon emissions calculator that can be used to evaluate wedding-related carbon sources, including travel, guest lodging and power used at the wedding venues, which can help in the planning of a carbon-neutral wedding. You can find it here: http://www.nativeenergy.com/Splash/Portovert/portovert_wedding_calc.html.
Couples can also offset the carbon emissions produced as a result of their nuptials by making contributions to an eco organization of their choice or requesting that guests do the same in lieu of a wedding gift.
Paying it Forward
Eco-friendly tours, green hotel resorts, simple outdoor adventures, volunteer work for a preservation project – green honeymoons run the gamut and cater to a variety of preferences and budgets. From relaxing and luxuriant to active and outdoorsy, newlyweds can take their dream green vacation that celebrates the beginning of their new life together and the future of our planet.
And to think that it all began with a diamond engagement ring. Green weddings provide couples the opportunity to make a lifelong commitment to each other and to their world. Every wedding anniversary, from the “small” ones to the milestones years is an opportunity to renew that commitment for now and for years to come.
Perhaps a future generation will honor that same commitment by choosing to wear your “heirloom” wedding jewelry.
Originally posted 2009-11-22 02:51:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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Environment oriented depletion and global warming are the consequences of using organic non bio – degradable products, widely as polythene bags, Air Cooler production items such as Chloroflurocarbons etc. Buying products and services that don’t harm the environment is one of the most powerful choices a consumer can make. Organic products promote the health and wellness of our body and world. Be environmentally conscious while selecting your product lists.
The idea behind the manufacturing of eco products like eco friendly writing instruments, bags and cases, drink wares, personal and household accessories and more is generated from the thoughts about the future of our planet. Organic or eco products maintain a sense for healthy living and a safe environment. Eco Products are organic and environmentally-friendly products that help protect the environment, and can be recycled over for further use. Thus the amount of toxic materials entering into our eco systems can be reduced.
Eco friendly handicraft items like bags are mostly handmade are environment friendly, which use less consumption of energy. Besides, these items also help eradicating unemployment.
Print4Half.Com works with the intention to bring high – quality, low- cost design printed Eco products to global market and to other customers. As a small business we know firsthand the importance of receiving quality printed environment supportive accessories for business & home needs. The goal is to provide an online supply of eco products to customers that are easy to use, high quality, at least price. You are able to upload preferred eco product design printing from our image bank. They are pen sticks, bags & cases, promotional water bottles, power flashlights, laptop cases, backpacks, shopping bags etc.
By: George
About the Author:
George
Print4half.com
NJ, USA
Offers Online Custom Printing
E Mail : pforhalf@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.print4half.com/
Originally posted 2009-07-14 22:27:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
]]>Choosing a diamond engagement ring (http://www.danforthdiamond.com) and wedding bands are incredibly personal decisions that are also becoming ethical decisions. Socially aware couples now want to ensure that their wedding jewelry selections are not linked to human rights abuses or have not negatively impacted the environment.
Conflict-free Diamonds
Until recent years, newly engaged couples were blissfully unaware that an untold number of corrupt organizations in African countries were illegally mining diamonds that are directly linked to human rights abuses.
The good news is that more than 40 nations worldwide, including the United States, now voluntarily participate in the Kimberly Process, a system that imposes stringent requirements on imports to certify that diamonds are free from conflict. 99.8% of the global production of rough diamonds is now accounted for through the Kimberly Process.
Reputable engagement and wedding jewelry retailers readily confirm the origin of any stone. Online retailers are particularly sensitive to consumer concerns regarding the genesis of their diamonds. Leading online retailers, such as Danforth Diamond, My Solitaire, and Brilliant Earth actively educate consumers by providing helpful information on their websites to ensure that accurate information is easily accessible.
Green Gold?
For those who truly want guilt-free glitter, there are a number of retailers who offer recycled gold for wedding bands and the like. Concerned about a lackluster green ring? Worry not. Recycled gold, which is melted and re-refined, is the same quality as newly-mined gold.
NoDirtyGold.org publishes an ever-growing and impressive list of retailers who support the responsible production of gold.
Vintage jewelry is also enjoying a resurgence in popularity as brides and grooms opt to purchase estate jewelry or wear wedding rings that have been passed down from a family member.
Eco-friendly weddings aren’t just for the granola crunching crowd nowadays and conflict-free diamond engagement rings and recycled gold wedding jewelry are just the beginning. As green weddings become more mainstream, the options and price ranges are increasingly abundant.
Earth-friendly Invitations
Wedding invitations printed with soy- or vegetable-based inks on recycled paper are a mainstay for green couples. If thats not green enough for you, perhaps paperless invitations are the way to go; simply extend electronic invitations for guests who can be contacted via email. Emailed RSVPs offer an added bonus: guests are more likely to respond promptly, allowing you to accurately plan your headcount.
Location, Location, Location
A central wedding location that requires minimal travel for most guests will save on carbon emissions. Booking a venue that can host the wedding ceremony and reception will further reduce carbon emissions. Art galleries, botanical gardens, eco-friendly restaurants, hotels and parks are all excellent choices.
Here Comes the Bride
Something old, something new, something borrowed… something green? You betcha. Green brides can choose lovely, previously-worn gowns from vintage stores or gown consignment and rental shops. Brides can also turn to their family tree for a wonderfully sentimental heirloom gown. A number of designers have also embraced the eco-friendly trend and offer extravagant gowns made of hemp silk.
Wedding Favors as Decorations
Organic, locally grown flowers for bouquets and centerpieces offer a fresh, seasonal touch. Flower arrangements used at the wedding can perform double duty by being moved to the reception. Potted plants also make lovely arrangements and can be transplanted outdoors after the wedding or can serve as gifts that guests can take home.
The Gift that Keeps Giving
Portovert Magazine, the nation’s first and only online publication devoted exclusively to environmentally and socially responsible weddings, and NativeEnergy offer a carbon emissions calculator that can be used to evaluate wedding-related carbon sources, including travel, guest lodging and power used at the wedding venues, which can help in the planning of a carbon-neutral wedding. You can find it here: http://www.nativeenergy.com/Splash/Portovert/portovert_wedding_calc.html.
Couples can also offset the carbon emissions produced as a result of their nuptials by making contributions to an eco organization of their choice or requesting that guests do the same in lieu of a wedding gift.
Paying it Forward
Eco-friendly tours, green hotel resorts, simple outdoor adventures, volunteer work for a preservation project green honeymoons run the gamut and cater to a variety of preferences and budgets. From relaxing and luxuriant to active and outdoorsy, newlyweds can take their dream green vacation that celebrates the beginning of their new life together and the future of our planet.
And to think that it all began with a diamond engagement ring. Green weddings provide couples the opportunity to make a lifelong commitment to each other and to their world. Every wedding anniversary, from the small ones to the milestones years is an opportunity to renew that commitment for now and for years to come.
Perhaps a future generation will honor that same commitment by choosing to wear your heirloom wedding jewelry.
Originally posted 2009-09-22 03:16:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
]]>You probably are aware that giving your immune system a helping hand can ward off colds and the flu. But did you know that common exposures to toxic chemicals in your everyday life can actually increase your chances of becoming sick?
Catching a cold or flu requires exposure to bacteria and viruses and a body with a weak immune system. When bacteria and viruses encounter a strong immune system, the immune system recognizes the bacteria or virus as a foreign invader and fights them off. But when the body’s immune system is compromised, it can’t do its job of protecting us against the bacteria and viruses that can make us sick.
Unfortunately, today, our immune systems are exposed to a torrent of toxic chemicals that can weaken its ability to defend the health of our bodies. Plastics, pesticides, and pollutants of all kinds are in most consumer products. And virtually all of these chemicals can damage the immune system, leaving your body vulnerable to attack.
On the other hand, sometimes what may seem like a cold or flu may not be a cold or flu at all, but is actually a poisoning. In the wintertime, for example, during the “flu season,” many families turn on their gas heat. Exposure to combustion by-products from burning gas can result in flu symptoms. Taking a cold or flu remedy won’t help relieve those symptoms of toxic exposure.
Cold and flu symptoms can also be a sign that your body is at work to eliminate toxic chemicals it has been exposed to. A runny nose or sneezing might be a cold, or it might be the body trying to clear out nasal passages that have been inhaling toxic chemicals. There are many toxic exposures in the average American home. So many, in fact, that there is a whole class of chemicals called “immunotoxicants,” which, by definition, cause “increased incidence or severity of infectious diseases.”
Removing immunotoxicants from your home will do even more than stop colds and flus–it will protect you and your family from all contagious diseases, including bronchitis and pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, mumps, whooping cough, and others. Flu shots and vaccinations? Removing immuntoxics from your home allows your immune system to regenerate naturally, and fight off all infectious diseases.
Here are five simple things you can to start eliminating immunotoxicants from your home and strengthen your immune system.
1. Open the window. During the winter, we keep windows closed to keep warm and save energy, but this also keeps toxic chemicals inside the home. Open a window occasionally to let the toxic fumes out and bring fresh air in.
2. Don’t spray disinfectants. It’s second nature to reach for a disinfectant to kill cold germs and flu viruses, but disinfectants only make things worse. Disinfectants contain the immunotoxicants cresol, phenol, ethanol, and formaldehyde, which reduce the ability of the immune system to fight the germs they are killing. Better to strengthen the immune system to protect the body from germs as it should. If you need to kill germs, use hot water or tea tree oil.
3. Don’t use “permanent” markers. These contain the solvents cresol, toluene and xylene, all powerful immunotoxicants. Choose waterbased markers instead.
4. Don’t use nonstick cookware. A 2008 study by the Environmental Working Group through West Virginia University found higher levels of a chemical in Teflon found in the blood of test subjects correlated with lower levels of a protein that helps the body fight bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Instead use cast iron, porcelain enamel, glass, clay, or one of the new PFOA-free “green pans.”
5. Sleep on untreated cotton or linen sheets. All polyester/cotton and permanent-press cotton sheets are treated with a formaldehyde finish that cannot be removed and continues to emit formaldehyde for the life of the sheet. Common symptoms from this immunotoxicant include runny nose, itchy eyes, and other cold and flu symptoms.
If you have children in your home, it’s even more important to reduce their exposure to toxic chemicals because a child’s immune system isn’t fully developed until age seven or eight.
Every step you can take toward removing toxic chemicals in your home will greatly improve your health. Begin today.
To learn more about protecting yourself and family from immunotoxicants, visit Debra Lynn Dadd’s Web site at www.dld123.com/colds-flu, and get your copy of Home Safe Home.
Hailed as “The Queen of Green” by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a leading consumer advocate for products and lifestyle choices that are better for health and the environment since 1982. Visit her website to learn more about her book Home Safe Home, to sign up for her free email newsletters, and to browse 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and earthwise products. http://www.dld123.com
Originally posted 2010-03-11 14:21:47. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
]]>What’s not standardized is unconventionality; items selected and given at trade shows are usually pinpointed with a mundane mindset, unless unorthodox minds are dealing with selection processes. But, of all, one this is certain about selection considerations. When most individuals are selecting promotional items for a trade show, the last concern that comes to mind is the notion of saving the earth, of being eco-friendly, or oddly enough, being that envious color, green.
Green Horizons For Promotional Decisions
Promotional products are usually run-of-the-mill, both in their composition and existence, but are also detrimental to the environment. Most are not, as mentioned, in that “gone green status.†Green promotional products are not visually distinctive through actual color, yet are categorized as “green†based on the materials used in their overall compositions. Green promotional items are ones made of earth-friendly and environmentally-conscious materials, or are specifically products veering off course from standardized not-so-earth-considerate methods, such as items utilizing heavy paper and/or plastic ingredients.
Currently, there is quite a green movement in the corporate and business realm as environmental concerns have become much more pronounced and publicly declared. An awareness is spreading and companies are taking advantage of this simply to further push the urgency of being more concerned and active in mending our wounded and polluted earth.
Making Promotional Items Green, An Easy Task
Taking a promotional item from standard to eco-friendly is not troublesome or difficult. Actually, it’s much easier than one would think, especially since the green movement is in full swing. This said, there are many options of well-designed and eco-friendly products for trade show purposes.
Eco-Friendly Promotional Options
The best thing to do as a distributer of promo items at a trade show is to not only provide eco-friendly giveaways, but also spur an instilled sense of continued environmental care though the products themselves. Saving trees by not using excessive amounts of paper and using non-plastic items are basics to start with and can easily be accomplished through correct promo item selection.
To save trees and spur continued consciousness for avoiding overuse of paper, why not give away USB flash drives and non-disposable drinkware? USB drives will cut down on already discouraging amounts of printing and will make information not only environmentally accommodating, but also compactly mobile and convenient. Make carrying information limited to a space the size of a thumb, rather than a bulky portfolio.
And by providing non-paper or plastic based cups, mugs and the like will cut down on individuals continually using and then discarding wasted drinkware items. Coffee mugs and sport bottles -made of polycarbonate materials- are great types of permanent and long-life drinkware items that can be considered to imprint and prolong a green way of thinking and doing.
Originally posted 2009-08-21 05:16:11. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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Make the goal of your dollar store business to eliminate waste. Start by donating shop-worn and damaged but usable items to a local charity. They will be thrilled to receive the items, the landfill will have less added, and you’ll be doing a good thing for your community. This does require a little sorting and handling, but you can quickly and easily train dollarstore employees to handle this work. As they become comfortable, they’ll take very little time to sort and box items for donation.
Donations of food and snacks are always appreciated by local food banks and other charities. Food management certainly does take more time and effort than just throwing away food items that can no longer be sold. However if this is managed on a daily and weekly basis, the workload is small. The rewards for helping to feed others who need the help now are immeasurable.
Recycle cardboard rather than just tossing it into the trash can. This is another task that requires a little work on a daily basis. However, your dollarstore is reducing its garbage bill while reducing the amount tossed into the landfill.
Recycle plastics whenever possible. You will soon discover it is a plastic world! Unfortunately plastic must also be sorted to locate those plastics which can be recycled. A little sorting means less garage, lower garbage bills and you are helping the environment. It’s truly a win-win-win for all.
Don’t forget the pallets your dollarstore merchandise arrives on. In some cases freight haulers will ask for exchange pallets. In other cases haulers will be happy to pay for the pallets. But there are other options for your dollar store business as well. Local pallet rebuilders will be happy to pay for rebuildable pallets. There are also often companies that offer free pickup of old pallets. While they generally don’t compensate, the pickup is free.
To your dollar store business success!
By: Bob Hamilton
About the Author:
Find out more about running your dollar store business.
Originally posted 2009-06-09 18:47:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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