Having an Eco Friendly Green Christmas is more and more desirable these days. How can you green your  Christmas?

• Buy your fruits and vegetables from a local farmers market or from local sources.
• Buy organic when possible, except for product on the Clean 15 list
• Utilize reusable bags to hold groceries
• Don’t over cook or serve too much food
• Rent or buy your decorations from used clothing stores like Goodwill. Reusing items that you already have is even better.
• Donate extra food, money, clothing to those in need
• Compost the leftovers, fruits, vegetables, etc.
• Give out green oriented treats like organic fruit, repurposed trinkets

With a little preparation we all can make a difference, even on Christmas.

Eco Friendly Green Gift Wrap

Time to wrap up those gifts. Here are some ideas for eco friendly or green gift ideas gift wrap that will not end up in a land fill:

1) Use materials that can be reused, dish cloths, reusable shopping bags, etc

2) Do not use ribbons or bows that are not recyclable.

3) Use recycled wrapping paper

4) Use a recyclable but festive gift bag

Recycle Gift Wrap and Packaging

The holidays are here, time to clean up the mess. Gift wrapping paper, holiday cards and boxes that are 100 percent paper can be recycled. Foil, plastic coating and glitter cannot be put into recycle bins. Plastic bottles, jars, tubs and buckets are the only plastics that you can recycle at home. Check with your local recycling firm for details.

Packing peanuts and bubble wrap can be recycled at your local UPS store or shipping store.

Holiday lights no longer work or are no longer needed, can be recycled at some outlets.  This website takes them too.

Most garbage companies have Christmas tree recycling programs.  Be sure to get the trees outside and ready for recycling per their date requirements.

Related posts:

1. Recycle Gift Cards
2. Recycling Plastic Bags
3. Eco Friendly, Green Christmas Tree

Guest Post by: Jack Lundee, supporter of all things green and progressive.

Hundreds of students were seen milling about Columbian Square on October 20th with Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, model Christy Turlington Burns and Juju Chang, journalist. They were all in attendance to host “GW + Phones=Hope” celebration to kickoff GW Phones for Hope campaign.

The Phones for Hope campaign is supported by the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) created by Former President Bill Clinton and Doug Band, who through this program hopes to bring about changes around the world through actions that are measurable. The purpose of Phones for Hope is to recycle old electronics and phones that aid maternal health programs located in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nepal by recycling them or by converting them into mobile medical communication devices.

As stated by Christy Turlington Burns, supporter for the campaign, “the best way to address child survival is to invest in a mom”, and by March of 2012, GW strives to make an investment by way of approximately 20,000 used cell phones.

The CGI is comprised of a large group of corporate businesses, non-profits and organizations who even though they come from assorted industries, they have the same common goal in mind. This powerful group would like to bring about change to the world’s problems dealing with poverty, education and climate change. CGI requests that its members start assisting the world by participating in “Commitments to Action”. Of course, sustainability is a key ingredient to their core. Phones for hope bases it’s actions around the principles of viability (along with good will), and does an excellent job of presenting to its subscribers the important of our future.

As we know it, finding long-term solutions to any of the issues addressed by the CGI is extremely important. Turlington and Clinton demonstrate their interest in renewal and recyclables by aiding in the early development of children in Africa. The CGI continues to do great work in similar areas, and their predecessor (CHAI or Clinton Health Access Initiative) provides supplemental help as well.

Through prodigious campaigns like these, that bolster positives changes around the world, like GW’s Phones for Hope, we will all see the benefits from individual and groups who are committed to making a difference. The Phones for Hope program not only benefits the United States, by supplying a secure way to recycle phones and other electronics but the greatest of all impacts will be reached in areas across the seas like Africa and Nepal where families can have a chance at survival because they now have access to healthcare for mothers and children.

Related posts:

1. Siemens ECO DECT green cordless phones – Panasonic ECO DECT cordless phones
2. Cell Phones Causing Honeybee Deaths?
3. Recycle Cell Phones, Recycle Electronics, Recycle Computer Equipment Responsibly – Sony Electronics Trade-in program

A few cities across the United States have significantly reduced the amount of garbage, towards the goal of reaching zero waste. Seattle recycles and composts more than half of its refuse, while even Los Angeles does the same to about two-thirds of its trash. Sending away 77% of its waste from landfills, San Francisco tops all other cities. The rest of the nation greatly lags behind by recycling and composting only about a third of their waste.

Achieving “zero waste” is the target, but it does not really means no waste. Achieving 90% of waste redirected from landfills away from incinerators is very effective, and close enough to zero, according to the Zero Waste International Alliance, an environmental group. Some products in the market can’t be recycled, and consumers keep purchasing them. According to the EPA, in 2009, nearly 234 million tons of garbage, about 4.34 pounds per person, was thrown out by Americans. Roughly 134 millions tons of waste went to landfills, after recycling, composting and incinerating.

San Francisco became the first city in America to require its residents and businesses to compost food starting 2009. With recycling and compost collection being free, less waste into landfills enables citizens to pay less for their garbage curbside collection. At least 65% of the materials in construction sites are mandated for reuse and recycle by construction and demolition crews. Having the nation’s highest waste-diversion rate of 77%, San Francisco by 2020 aims higher to reach the 90% waste goal.

Other municipalities are not optimistic about zero waste as being achievable. They are more likely to implement the typical recycling plans, but are looking at technologies as incineration to eliminate the rest of their waste, and generate energy at the same time.

But in the end, we believe that many cities have done plenty with recycling. It’s the people that need to work harder on reducing the amount of unrecyclable things they buy and reusing what they already have.

Related posts:

1. NatureMill Automatic Composter
2. Recology New Recycling System with Composting
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The new well hyped iPhone 4S is now shipping on ATT, Sprint, and Verizon.  Many owners of old iPhones will be upgrading, unleashing a wave of older models.  What do you do with the old iPhone?  Luckily there is several hundred dollars in value in the phone, otherwise it may be tossed out.

Nokia has noted that only 3% of people recycle mobile phones. No doubt that this number is much higher, if your phone has value still.

Do you travel to other countries? Jailbreak it and use it abroad. See using your iPhone in China and elsewhere.

You could sell your Apple iPhone on on eBay or Craigslist. Amazon has a new electronics trade-in program. Recycling companies like gazelle will pay you to ‘recycle it’.

FYI Do not expect to buy a used iPhone from eBay and somehow get a cheap plan.  ATT Wireless will force you to sign up for a standard 2 year plan, so you would be better off buying a new iPhone unless you can live with an ATT pay as you go GoPhone plan.

Also consider recycling your old phone with a charity like CollectiveGood.

Related posts:

1. Trade-In Used Electronics – Trade in Computer – Sell Cell Phone
2. Recycle Cell Phones, Recycle Electronics, Recycle Computer Equipment Responsibly – Sony Electronics Trade-in program
3. Repairing Broken Electronics is Green

Coca-Cola has introduced a new PlantBottle that is fully recyclable, has a lower reliance on a non-renewable resource, and reduces carbon emissions, compared with petroleum-based PET plastic bottles.  The new blend has up to 30% plant based materials. Sugar cane is used to make the new material. New manufacturing techniques reduce carbon emissions by up to 25 percent.

Products using it were first rolled out in Denmark and were at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Dasani water is utilizing this bio plastic. Look for the green recycling triangle and  Plant Bottle label.

The bottles are still 70% plastic and only 27% of PET plastic bottles got recycled in 2008, so this is a step in the right direction but not a major breakthrough. Many of these drink makers are also trying to reduce the amount of plastic in each bottle.  Competitors of Coke question whether the environmental footprint of this PlantBottle is better or worse overall than the current PET plastic bottles.

The recycling rate for plastic bottles has not kept pace with the growth in plastic bottle use over the last decade. In fact, the scarcity of old plastic bottles results in a higher price for used plastic material than new. Companies like Coca-Cola are wrestling with how to fix this problem as they need more recycles material to achieve their goals.

Heinz is licensing the plant bottle for use in its 20 ounce plastic ketchup bottles, to be released later in 2011.

Pepsi has announced a 100% plant-based renewable sourced bottle. It will be in pilot production in 2012.

Lets not get started about high fructose corn syrup..

Related posts:

1. Compostable Cups at Everything Coca Cola
2. New Method Green Pouch packaging for Refills
3. BPA Free Water Bottle

photo credit: Eva Rinaldi Live Music and Celebrity Photographer

We have some old carpet that needs recycling, so we decided to research recycling methods. Discarded carpet is one of the top ten waste materials in landfills. Between 3% and 5% of the waste in the landfill and it remains there for a VERY long time! When you recycle your old carpet, you are playing an important role in diverting the carpet from the landfill.

Jerry Brown signed a new bill, the Carpet Stewardship Bill (AB2398) that requires carpet manufacturers to set up or participate in recycling programs. A five cent fee per square yard is charged to consumers buying new carpet to help pay for the recycling program. Be sure to ask your carpet dealer if they recycle old carpet.

Carpet Recycling Resources

Usable rugs can be donated to charities like St.Vincent de Paul.

Carpet Recyclers of Oakland accepts use carpet, but charges a fee.

Carpet America Recovery Effort has a list of Carpet Recycling companies.

Locally: SF Carpet Recycling is one of the few places that recycles carpets. Unfortunately they do charge for recycling. Rolled carpet in cars, vans, or box trucks: $7.00/cubic yard.

Related posts:

1. Recycling Styrofoam aka Polystyrene
2. Recycling by Mail
3. Recycling Tetra Pak Packaging

Recycling plastic bags is painful but very necessary.  Yes, the goal is not to have any in the first place. We have to gather them up and recycle them at our local grocery stores as there is no curbside recycling of them in our location. No one wants to add to the plastic soup of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean.

What is recyclable?

Plastic grocery bags Type 2 (high-density polyethylene film – HDPE) and Type 4 (low density or linear-low density polyethylene film – LDPE/LLDPE)

Newspaper bags, dry cleaning bags, bread bags, produce bags, toilet paper, napkin, and paper towel wraps, cereal box liners, diaper wrap, case wrap (water bottles, snacks)

Zip lock bags (Remove hard components)

Shrink Wrap or electronic wrap

Clean and dry bags thoroughly before recycling, making sure they are empty of any and all debris.

What is not recyclable?

Plastic bags that are dark in color or bags that have handles or drawstrings. Remove handles and drawstrings to recycle the rest.

No prepackaged food bags including frozen food bags (e.g., prewashed salad bags)
Film that has been painted or has excessive glue
Bio-based or compostable plastic bags. Compost them!
Plastic food packaging and plastic food or cling wrap (Saran wrap).
Type 7 plastic bags

Plastic Bag Industry’s Influence

(No this did not happen in China) — California schools included environmental curriculum sending positive messages about plastic shopping bags due to lobbying efforts by the  American Chemical Council.  An eleventh grade textbook called “The Advantages of Plastic Shopping Bags” had the title and sum of the text inserted almost verbatim from letters written by the Chemistry Council. This is obviously pretty disheartening to hear and shows the power of lobbyists.

Also see our article: Recycle tips plus hard to recycle items tip

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1. How to Recycle Ziploc Bags
2. How to have a Eco Friendly or Green Christmas – Recycling Gift Wrap and Holiday Cards
3. Recycle Everything – Recycling Tips

photo credit: TheeErin

I saw an article about propane tank refills that was disturbing.  As oil prices soared, propane suppliers quietly reduced by 2 pounds the amount of gas pumped into each 20-pound tank, to avoid raising prices!  No marking on packaging have indicated this!

“Until last year, Blue Rhino and Amerigas, two major suppliers, put 17 to 18 pounds of propane in each 20-pound tank. Tanks should not be filled completely for safety reasons.

About a year ago, that amount was cut to 15 pounds to save consumers a price hike, Blue Rhino spokesman Chris Hartley said.”

A better bet is to take your tank to a place like U Haul and get it refilled. It is much more green and environmentally friendly. Also beware that Blue Rhino is not installing standard OPD valves. They are installing their OWN proprietary valves, called Tri-Safe II valves that cannot be refilled!

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Method has a new way of packaging refill products such as their foaming hand wash refill and their laundry detergent, and dish soap. They use a pouch with easy pour spout that they claim uses 83% less footprint than a rigid plastic bottle.  It uses less plastic, energy, and water. Refills are in widespread use in Europe, where they are more green and landfills are as plentiful.

The pouch itself is a stock pouch from Winpack International, so more vendors may start using this packaging. Consumers can save money by purchasing refills, while companies can actually make more money. Less fuel is utilized transporting packaging and essentially water. Concentrated refills save even more money, and just require the addition of water.

It will take some time for consumers to accept refilling. Hand pump soaps are one area in which refills have gained acceptance.

Recycling Refill Pouches

Now is this pouch recyclable? NO! There was no recycling information or plastic number on their pouch. Method states:

Update: TerraCycle is now providing recycling services for these types of pouches. It is a pain to send them in, but it is available nonetheless.

Windex is now selling concentrated refill pouches for their glass cleaner. They state it uses 90% less plastic than a 26 ounce bottle, it saves transporting about 1.5 pounds of water, and possibly most important, saves the customer one dollar.

Related posts:

1. Recycling Tetra Pak Packaging
2. Clorox Green Works Household Cleaner, Method, Seventh Generation – ultra Concentrated Laundry Detergent
3. New Coke Plant Bottle Sugar Cane Based Bottle, Heinz Ketchup Plant Bottle

Having an Eco Friendly Green Independence Day or Fourth of July is more and more desirable these days. How can you green your Independence Day or Fourth of July.

• Buy your meats to be barbecued, vegetables, and other food from a local farmers market or from local sources
• Carpool or take public transportation to fireworks, barbecues, picnics or events
• Don’t light off fireworks, view public performances of fireworks instead
• Rent or buy your decorations and picnic items from used stores like Goodwill. Reusing items that you already have is even better.
• Compost any waste, etc.
• Give out green oriented treats like organic fruit, re-purposed trinkets

With a little preparation we all can make a difference, even on Independence Day or Fourth of July.

Related posts:

1. How to have a Green Father’s Day
2. How to have a Green Memorial day
3. How to have a Green Easter