Burt’s Bees Is A Zero Waste Company

This past summer the super cool company Burt’s Bees announced it was going zero waste.  They were always a company who cared about the planet (as evidenced by their commitment to natural based products) and recycled the basics -- paper, plastic, metal, glass -- but within just three short years their special task force of ECOBEES rendered their dumpsters useless.

So how on Earth did they do it?

Well it started out with six-bin waste-sorting stations being sprinkled all over their offices.  Employees were encouraged to sort it out and harness the responsibility of, well, being responsible!  In particular the company is most proud of the compost station as it has managed to keep 300 tons of material out of landfills over the past 31 months, since March 2008.

Not only have they managed to recycle or reuse the top four ‘basics’ items above, but they went that step further and now recycle every bit of their corrugated cardboard, chipboard, wood, shrink wrap and fiberboard too.

They created a way to give back to the Earth with the compost station.  In the break room employees are encouraged to grab a one time type use utensil -- they are 100% compostable and made from potatos (reusable too)!  They also found a way to extend the lifecycle of recycled waste other than as fertilizer or simply being melted down to create more of the same.    

At special waste-to-energy facilities, the items that can’t be utilized for other sources (ie. compost into soil) are used as fuel to power cement kilns.  Even after the items in question have been burned, the leftover ash is mixed in to make cinder blocks.

And oh yeah, they are also composting the waste residue left over at their water treatment facility.

The ECOBEES staged all manner of dumpster diving and bee-cycle swaps (Get it?  Bee-cycle instead of Freecycle?  Those Bees sure are a clever bunch!), and with their continued efforts who knows how far Burt’s Bees will be able to take their environmental awareness.

Thanks Burt’s Bees, it’s companies like yours that teach the rest of us that eco-responsibility can happen at work no matter how big or how small the staff or organization!  ♥love♥

Thanks to GLR friend Julie for sending over this story idea! 

CVS Joins the Growing Trend with Earth Essentials Sugarcane Dishware

These CVS Earth Essentials plates and bowls are not the first I have seen created from sugarcane and because it is such a lowered impact on the planet to use this type of disposable dishware, as opposed to paper or plastic, I hope they are not the last.

With cookouts and parties, as I have said before, comes the disposable dishware option. Most people use these due to the sheer convenience of knowing they do not have to wash dishes at the end of the party. The good news about these disposables is that they are created from the rapidly renewing resources of sugarcane.

At only about $2.50 per pack (15 nine inch plates or 20 seven inch bowls) the cost is reasonable and right in line with other brands that may or may not be eco-conscious. They are sturdy too, with a fairly deep well on the plate and a nice wide double ridge rim on the bowls these plates will stand up to just about anything put on them.

I did not see these items available for purchase online, only in store, so their availability may vary from area to area. They are water and oil resistant but can not be washed and reused as the underside is not coated. As I have said before, the items are still disposable so it is not the best choice for day to day use, but if a commercial composting facility is available in your area they will break down quickly and with less of an overall impact. Otherwise they must be tossed in the trash like a standard paper plate.

Overall even though the availability of types and sizes is a bit limited I am happy to know that when shopping for this type of convenience item there is a more beneficial option out there so I am granting the CVS Earth Essentials dishware line a Three Leaf Rating!

Day two of being impressed by this exclusive line CVS! ♥love♥

Coming up tomorrow, the final installment: CVS Earth Essentials line bathroom tissue and paper towels

Going Green with Solo Brand - Bare

I know what you are all thinking - ‘how can a company that makes disposable products possibly be considered Green?’ and if you saw my leaf rating tag at the top of the post you might be even more curious. Well read on to learn about the entirely new, environmentally responsible side called Solo Bare™!

We have likely all had experiences with the Solo brand; their plastic cups have practically become synonymous with the word ‘party’ in the past 73 years since the company’s inception. Their cups are instantly recognizable for their shape and color. They can be rinsed and reused, or even recycled, but more often than not they are simply tossed into a garbage bag and thrown away. The centuries it will take for this plastic to degrade times the number of parties Americans throw every year equals a huge landfill problem.

But most party goers want something convenient and easy, something they can simply be done with at the end of a night full of laughter and fun.

Enter Solo Bare™ (Bringing Alternative Resources for the Environment).

With plates made from sugar cane and bamboo in the Bare dinnerware line, and cups created from either plant based materials or 25% post-consumer recycled content in the Bare drinkware line, Solo just put a new twist on the old stand by!

The compostable** sugar cane plates come in three sizes for all party needs and are square with high edges so food will not spill out. They are free of chlorine, ink and dye and are cut resistant as well as microwave safe.

The renewable plates created from bamboo fiber are a khaki color, round, and also have a deep well for food. They are also microwave safe and take advantage of a fiber sourced from a rapidly renewable resource which can sustain a new crop in approximately 5 years as opposed to tree based paper which can take upwards of 40 to fully mature.

Solo Bare, 14 oz cups are created from plant based materials, (likely corn starch in the US) and are either compostable or recyclable. The larger 18 oz clear drink cups are made utilizing 25% post consumer recycled content and are also recyclable.

Now it would be imperative to recycle the 18 oz cups as they are PET based plastic and without a commercial composting facility available it would also be difficult to ensure suggested disposal of the sugar cane plates or 14oz cups, so this is my only reservation. Party goers and hosts would need to be diligent in practicing proper recycling disposal of these items.

But with such a progressive concept, especially where the bamboo plates are concerned, I am impressed with this giant leap forward from such a well known company as Solo and am granting a Four Leaf Rating to the entire line!

Keep the innovation for new and eco-forward™ concepts flowing Solo and you will remain the number one purveyor of party products for a long time to come!
♥love♥

Visit the Bare by Solo website for coupons and to find a retailer who carries the product in your area as well as to read about the Keep America Beautiful campaign which Solo is a big part of sponsoring and taking action with. Hooray!


** all composting of materials must be done in commercial facilities. Bio-plastics will degrade in approximately 90 days in this type of environment as opposed to upwards of 500 years for petroleum based plastics sitting in a landfill.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

I don’t know where Mary, Mary came from and what those silver bells or cockle shells had to do with ensuring a plentiful garden, but here in the United States crops have been facing the plight of late blight since the early 1990’s and this year in particular it has become extremely disconcerting to north eastern, mid western and central east coast farmers.

This disease is a water mold which is transmitted through the spreading of spores via any possible means (wind, rain, contact with mechanical equipment, etc) and it tends to thrive in moist conditions. The areas of concern have faces exceptionally soggy late spring and early summer so farmers and home gardeners alike are watching their potatos (the Irish famine in the mid 1800’s was due to late blight) and tomatos.

If late blight is spotted on either potato or tomato leaves (light green spots that resemble drops of water and are frequently found nearer to the tip of the leaf), it is advisable to completely dispose of the entire plant and not compost it as the spores can remain viable for some time after the plant has been uprooted and then can spread on to still healthy plants.

In order to prevent the spread of blight it is important to use a fungicide that will discourage growth and spread of the mold spores. Thankfully, there are organic, pent and human friendly ways to accomplish this. Copper and sulfur are organic fungicides (although still pose some risks so always follow package instructions and proceed with caution) and can be used to inhibit the mold. In addition to health concerns of a sulfur based fungicide (can irritate skin and/or lungs), there are restrictions on weather and time of season that it is applied.

While researching this article I found only one company who creates a totally organic product which provides mold prevention but is not sulfur or copper based, Serenade Garden Disease Control. Available since 2005, Serenade is made up of cultivated microorganisms (Bacillus subtilis) which safely battle the mold spores. The product is safe to be used around children and pets and will not harm the surrounding plants or waterways. It is harmful if inhaled however so, again, precautions should always be followed explicitly to ensure safety.

Staying on top of gardening, maintaining a healthy balance between wet and dry and properly treating plants with organic and natural based disease prevention methods will mean eating fresh and yummy, healthy fruits and veggies as well as the beauty of thriving plants and flowers all season long.

What do you use to ensure your garden stays healthy? Do you compost?

Photo Courtesy Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources

Appliance Series Small Appliance Maintenance

I was planning to do an entire post on just microwaves but as I dug around I began to discover that many of the cleaning products and maintenance tips I would be suggesting for it also worked with other small appliances in the home. When it comes to small appliances such as the microwave, coffee maker, toaster or other counter top units there is one universal theme for proper maintenance and increased life -- keep them clean!

Microwave
The microwave is such a popular small appliance that it can quickly become grungy and grimy. Suggestions for cleaning this piece are:
► Unplug it.
► Remove the glass tray and ring and either hand wash with soapy water or put in the dishwasher when running the vinegar cycle.
► To remove hard to get splatters and eliminate odors, put two - four tablespoons of lemon juice in a bowl full of water and run on high for 5 - 7 minutes. As the water boils the steam will help to loosen stuck on food and vapors from the lemon will mitigate yucky smells. Be sure to use a soft cloth that will not scratch the inside. Old torn up T-shirts made into rags are perfect for this!
► Just like all other appliances, using a warm, soapy water wash around the door seal will ensure a proper fit and eliminate gaps. That soapy water will make the outside sparkle as well. Be sure to thoroughly clean off any soap residue from the inside prior to cooking.
► The soft bristle toothbrush we used on other appliances is an excellent item for cleaning out air vents to ensure energy efficiency.
► Check interior light and replace the bulb when it burns out

Coffee Maker
I personally feel that coffee is one of the best inventions on the planet but even though the grounds and filter (if unbleached) may be good for a compost pile, the stains or clogs they can leave behind are not good for the machine that brews it. I suggest:
► Unplug it.
► Fill the 12 cup carafe to eleven cups water. Add one cup white vinegar. Run this through the machine twice then follow with a cycle of plain water.
► Sometimes the vinegar taste can linger past one clear water cycle so lemon juice is an alternative to vinegar (it will not be as effective at cutting stains)
► Run the carafe and coffee basket through the dishwasher when running the vinegar cycle for a good cleaning or soak in a mixture of a half carafe’s worth of water, ¼ cup lemon juice and 2 scoops of baking soda. Let it sit about a half hour (longer if heavily stained) scrub with a sponge and rinse clean. It is good to clean the machine and accessories about every two months (more for heavy coffee drinkers).

Toaster Oven
An awesome addition to any kitchen is the toaster oven. On a hot summer night when the oven is too much or simply to put a nice brown crust on a piece of bread, this compact little wonder will get the job done. But with all that bread comes crumbs and the high heat will cause baking on. For cleaning this machine:
► Unplug it.
► Pull out the crumb tray on the bottom and dump it then clean in warm, soapy water to remove any caked on food. If the model does not have a removable tray shake the crumbs out into the sink or trash can.
► Get the toothbrush back out and use it to gently remove any baked on food from the metal protection plate that sits over the bottom heater lamps as well as anywhere else inside the machine. It is also ideal for cleaning dust and grime from the air vents and scrubbing the glass window door.
► Vinegar will cut through stains on the glass like crazy!
► Be sure the machine is completely dry prior to plugging back in and using.
► Only plug in when in use to avoid drawing phantom power

Tune in Saturday for the final installment of the Appliance Maintenance Series -- The Stove / Oven.

But for now, take a break from cleaning tomorrow and prepare to enjoy Eco-Fashion Friday with featured designer Marang97 who uses upcycled T-shirts in very creative ways.

Coffee, the Elixir of Life, Just Got Even Better

Call it what you will -- café, java, joe, high test, cahfee (the Bostonian pronunciation), cawfee (the New Yorker pronunciation) -- to me this lovely bean creates the one and only thing that will wake me up in the morning and cradles my personality into one that others want to be around. Well, that is, once my morning cup has been ingested.

While reading through Yahoo today I came across a lovely list of stuff we can do with all of those grounds left over after we brew up the bitter goodness. It excites me to learn there are more uses than simply aging paper or putting in the compost pile.

The transcript of the article is below, or check out the original post here.

Recycling your used coffee grinds
By Huddler's Green Home Community
Posted Mon Apr 27, 2009 2:25pm PDT

Did you know that the average American consumes about 3 cups of coffee a day? That’s a lot of used coffee grinds going into the trash.

There are actually many ways you can recycle and reuse your old coffee grinds to help preserve the environment and maintain your health. And for other ways to green your caffeine, check out the wiki all about having an eco-cup o' joe or maybe even look into drinking organic coffee!

A Cup of Joe Goes a Long Way

You’d be surprised at just how many different methods have worked for people:

* Touch up furniture and other wood scratches with grounds and a Q-tip.
* Sprinkle around areas where pesky insects, slugs and snails dwell to drive them away.
* Mix with soil as a natural fertilizer for plants.
* Dye clothing or paper.
* Rub into your dog as an organic flea dip.
* Fill old nylons and hang in your closet or fridge to repel odors.
* Use to fill old pin cushions.
* Scrub away grease and grime from pots and pans.
* Throw on ashes before cleaning out the fireplace to reduce dust from spreading.
* Feed to worms to help with your garden.
* Rub on your hands to eliminate odors.
* Mix ¼ grinds with one egg white and massage onto face like a mud pack.
* If you’re not an avid coffee drinker but you live near a coffee shop or cafe, you can always ask them for the old grinds. Places like Starbucks actually give bags of used grinds away to people who use them for their home and gardens.

Recycling is just one way that we can help maintain the natural beauty of our environment, so next time you drink a cup of coffee save those coffee grinds for future use.

Wine Is Just Recycled Grapes

Last night it was my pleasure to be invited to the first meeting of the newly formed Bennetts Brook Green Group. Melissa has decided to get off her duff and get mucho involved in spreading the word about all things environment so with the help of her neighbor Julie, some suggestions from the cool gals at EnviroMom and a passionate desire to buck the perception that suburban moms do not care about the planet, the group met at her place last night.

There were twelve of us in total and a mix of not only gender but age as well! Her neighbor directly across the street is definitely over fifty and proudly admitted to having been doing this type of stuff for years (most notably saving all his coffee grounds to utilize for his acid loving garden plants). If possible the three guys who showed up were possibly even more vocal than us gals. Yippie!

The forum was open, more a share and chat style, but still maintained a loose organization of topics, themes and issues that Melissa and Julie shared responsibility in putting out there. If I did not know better there is no way I would have known this was their first meeting. It all flowed seamlessly.

Most of the food and drink were organic options (from the beer to the wine to the coffee to the crackers) and since she was not sure how many people would show up Melissa also purchased plastic cups, which she made a point to mention would all be washed and reused or recycled. After some quick introductions and a little snack it was time to get down to business.

The night began with an introduction to how and why the group formed, an impromptu discussion of local organizations and potentially forming a neighborhood share style program where sharing of tools or even grocery shopping will become forefront instead of everyone driving all over to do these things individually or purchase items used only once when a neighbor might have it to lend.

Later in the evening we shared our confessions of what we all do that we wish we did not (I of course admitted to smoking and was surprised that some attendees would not have thought of this as environmentally harmful). Everything was shared from driving large gas gulping SUVs (due to the size of her family of six and not finding an alternate reliable option as of yet), to tossing paper to (shock!) not recycling at all. The good news is that clearly we all want to change those ways or we would not have been in attendance.

The confession portion of the evening was the perfect segue into what each of us are currently doing to, as Melissa put it, “get off the fence” and get involved by doing. Melissa has signed up with 41pounds.org and will let us know how it works as soon as her kit arrives. Other attendees have begun sending credit card offers back in the enclosed prepaid envelope (I also know someone who does this and it greatly reduced the number of offers he received), using Mrs. Meyers cleaning products and composting.

When I first asked Melissa to allow me to interview her for Green Leaf Reviewer she was nervous that as a “suburban mom” she would be flamed for trying to say she was environmental. Well to be perfectly honest, if anything, it made me more excited to interview her and last night was the culmination of proving that no matter where a person chooses to live they can still be interested in helping the planet; no matter what a person drives they might just be doing 1000 things to offset that impact. The first step, just like Julie and Melissa showed us last night, is to stop talking about it and simply make the change in our own lives because how does that saying go again? Oh yeah…

Even the longest journey begins with the first step.

Whatchu Talkin Bout?

Here I am rambling on about all this environmental whoo-ha and it just occurred to me that some readers may be new to the eco lifestyle and have no idea what we are all going on about over here. How dare I post a bunch of bloggity blogs without first sharing what all of those fancy terms even mean?! Well before those fantastic people glaze over and click away, I will share a list of a bunch of environmental based terms and what they mean to me. I encourage everyone to post in the comments if you have questions about certain terms or have a different opinion on what it means to you. Please note there are some terms I will just post the dictionary definition for because they just seem to sum it up so nicely. Now in no particular order, let’s get talking people!

Environment -- The most important of all the terms. To me this is the all encompassing, includes everything term. The environment is not just the untouchable ozone layer or air we breathe but also the house we live in, the car we drive, outer space, the job we work at, the websites we surf, the water we swim in, fish, drink, the tiny little ant that crawls across the sidewalk to the greatest desert, the smallest creature on the planet, the polar ice shelf, You, me, all breathing things, you get the picture. If you experience it at any time with any of your six senses then it is the environment. Treat it well.

Green -- This is a toughie because everyone has a slightly different take on what this means but to me, green means being, doing and promoting the betterment of the environment as much and as often as possible. What is your take on this word as used in an environmental capacity?

Recycle -- Probably the most widely used and recognized term where environmental living is concerned. The dictionary defines this as: to treat or process (used or waste materials) so as to make suitable for reuse. This is important to remember – anything recycled in a traditionally adopted manner must go through another process to become something else. It will save that thing from being placed in a landfill (trash heap) but a process must be completed again to make the new item.

Upcycle -- Sort of like recycling except the item in question is generally not completely reprocessed, just repurposed or reused. Here is the difference: With recycling, I put a plastic bottle in my bin, it is taken to a plant, melted down and reformed into a plastic shopping bag. With upcycling I take a plastic bottle, cut it in half, coat the bottom with sticky back felt and use it as a pen holder. There is a process involved in repurposing that bottle but a lower impact process environmentally speaking. And I have a personalized, kick ass new pen holder to boot.

Eco -- This is simply the prefix used to shorten the length of an ecologically responsible word. Instead of saying “that shopping bag purse is an environmentally responsible item” we can be lazy and say “I love her eco-friendly purse!”. Eco-conscious, eco-responsible, eco-blogger, eco-mom, etc. What eco- do you define yourself as?

Repurpose -- Dictionary says: To use or convert for use in another format or product. This is another term for recycling, upcycling or reuse.

Earth Day – This is the day we greenies get to share the love of our blue and green marble in space with a whole slew of people that may not be focused on it any other time of year. There are amazing conventions, group meet ups, talks, discussions, actions and many other activities planned all over, you guessed it, the Earth on this day. In 2009 it is on April 22. Get involved!

Solar -- Fun in the sun baby! The heat and energy produced by everyone’s favorite flaming ball of gas is known as solar.

Passive Solar -- Collecting and using the rays of the sun without any mechanics. This is something I do every day and discussed here.

Photovoltaic Panels -- Cells in the form of flat panels (photodiodes) used to collect the suns rays and regenerate that into electric energy. This is known as Active Solar and they are sometimes referred to as PV’s.

Wind Turbine -- Wind, or kinetic, is harnessed through the rotating turbines (blades) and converted into energy. It is deemed a turbine when that energy is converted to electricity. Windmills use the power of wind to run machinery strictly.

Compost -- The dictionary tells us this is: a mixture of various decaying organic substances, as dead leaves or manure, used for fertilizing soil. Scraps of dinner or yard waste (like lawn clippings) can be saved and put back into the Earth to make a more nutrient friendly soil for planting.

Emission -- Basically a fancy-schmancy term for release or discharge. Every time we start and run our cars there is an emission created from the tail pipe for example. Emissions from many sources (methane gas, fossil fuels, etc), has led to increased air pollution across the planet. Using clean power such as solar or wind will help to keep emissions to a minimum.

Sustainable -- Anything that will continue to provide forever is sustainable. Wikipedia states “sustainability has been expressed as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. A fantastic explanation.

Renewable Resource -- Anything in nature that can be reproduced (or naturally recycled if you will) is renewable. A great example of a rapidly renewing resource used for many items would be bamboo. It grows quickly and can be easily replenished (also allowing for sustainability). A non renewable resource would be fossil fuel.

Global Warming -- The dictionary has a nice definition here: an increase in the earth's average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect. So let’s break that down. The greenhouse effect happens when solar radiation is absorbed by gas in the atmosphere. It is natural and not a bad thing. When more of that radiation is trapped than escapes however it will lead to an increase in the temperature of the atmosphere in question. Temperatures in an overall sense go up and that results in warmer air and water. In our case the temperature on Earth has gone up by one degree in the past century. Now many people might be saying “big deal, one degree is barely noticeable so who really cares?”

Climate Change -- Here is where caring about the one degree really comes into play. Due to that seemingly tiny temperate increase so many things within our global ecosystem have shifted and not in a good way. Beach erosion is directly related as the sea levels begin to rise. When the sea becomes warmer the ice melts, just like in a glass of water. In that glass of water however is not an entire species that relies on the ice being there to survive. Ever wonder why there has been a significant increase in bizarre weather events of late like a tornado in Brooklyn or snow in southern California? All of this is a direct result of climate change.

Carbon Footprint -- Each of us have one because it is the measurable impact we all have on the planet. We can determine how much greenhouse gas is released through our individual daily activities (our personal emissions checklist). There are predictable and non predictable questions in a Life Cycle Assessment that help determine where we each stand and then we can truly gauge the areas we could cut back to help protect the first and most important term -- our Environment.