Growing Popularity of Carbon Offsets
More and more companies are providing not only their employees with a carbon offset options that the employee donates to on their behalf, but companies are opening this option up to their customers as well. First, to define carbon offsetting in a very simple way:
Carbon Offsetting is the process of calculating a person’s carbon footprint and then balancing these ‘unavoidable’ emissions with an offset via a reduction in carbon dioxide elsewhere (think a planting of trees or renewable energy).
This is a fantastic approach and a way to reach out to those who don’t know where to begin in assisting the environment outside of recycling (I know first hand that it can be extremely daunting). Online resources such as DriveNeutral.org, CarbonFund.org and TerraPass provide a simple way to calculate and offset with the click of a button. Although many large corporations including Dell, Expedia, Virgin America, JetBlue and VW are working with a carbon offsetting, and the online process being quite effortless, one would think that it would be EVERYWHERE… so what’s the catch?
No catch at all, just like any other ideas that are created it simply takes time and effort to get everyone on the same page for the same beneficial cause. Research still needs to be completed with regard to the types of offsets as well as where reforestation can take place and remain intact. I do believe though that carbon offsetting is sure to have an even stronger following than it already does and we will see positive changes as a result.
Easy Off, Easy On?
I’m not going to lie, for the time that I have spent away from this blog I was eating clean and exercising but I did fall off the wagon more than once. One of those ‘more than once’ times, was in fact this past week.
Eco-Educators
I was recently in Belize on my honeymoon and it was absolutely incredible. We stayed on an island off of the mainland and the setting, the people, the food were reason enough not to leave. We enjoyed 10 beautiful days in Belize and as many good memories as I have, there were a couple of things that stuck in my head that I wish did not.
The first thing is the garbage that was a very common visual as we would walk along the beaches. Where we stayed and any resort beaches were cared for an clean, but any unowned section were riddled with plastics, aluminium and glass. It was absolutely heart breaking and it was not the fault of the residents. I learned that those that live in Belize want to take care of it, want to keep it clean and want everyone to enjoy all of the beauty that it has to offer. There are programs that help them understand how to harvest crops in a manner that will not deplete any of the resources, yet as far as I know, there are no strong programs with regards to the damages done when littering to no only the land but also the water, which is extremely important to the residents of Belize.
The next thing I took note of was a conversation with a gentleman taking us for a tour of the Mayan Ruins. I could have talked to him for hours. He was extremely educated on so many topics including the environment in Belize and what needs to be protected in order for the way of life to be preserved. He noted that as wonderful as it is for the company he is with to have the resorts that bring in the tourists, it is a double edge sword because when the resorts are build damage is done by disregarding the mangroves and vegetation just to make a perfectly clear beach. The resort we stayed at was very natural with only 14 cabana’s and it seemed to us that they built the cabana’s around the natural vegetation, not the other way around.
This trip made me realize even more than ever, how important it is that there is a strong education program that works together to teach people around the world how we can have either a positive or negative effect on the environment. It is not just a speech and a demonstration, it is a committment to work with communities everywhere. As soon as a disconnect occurs, it can dimish everything within such a short amount of time.
Save More, Waste Less
1. CUT DOWN ON PAPER TOWEL PURCHASES. Keep wash clothes on hand in the kitchen to mop up spills, wipe faces, etc.
2. THIRSTY? Make water your drink of choice. Carry a stainless steel bottle for refills.
3. TRANSFER SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER INTO PUMP BOTTLES and use just one squirt per application. It’s all you need.
4. BEFORE GROCERY SHOPPING, search online for printable coupons. Spend time with the store’s website or circular and plan meals around sale items.
5. BULK UP. Larger sizes mean lower unit costs. Divide into smaller portions, freezing perishable items as necessary.
6. SPEND LESS ON SKIN CARE. Look for tinted moisturizers and body lotion with built-in sunscreen.
7. DINE AT HOME. Be creative with recipes and table settings and you won’t feel like you’re missing a thing.
re: Armandhammer.com promotion
Can Motivation Be Found In This Economy?
With many of the businesses we know in trouble, whether they are large or small, due to the economic times. Our jobs in questions whether the company has said anything or not. Our bills being paid late, our budgets being squeezed and our stress levels at an all time high, how can we possibly keep the motivation to be healthy, exercise and recognize our impact on the environment?
I know it is hard, I am right there along with many of my family and friends. No one is going to say that they have not been effected in some manner by the current state of the economy; which, we all hope is just steps away from improving. Although you may want to stay in bed, to not do random chores around the house and to just not want to see the world as it is right now, what we have in front of us is only a challenge and it is not forever. We have to keep our state of mind strong and our morals and beliefs as pure as ever before.
I have actually been in a funk as of late. Not eating all that well, looking for ways to cut corners and not exercising as much as I normally would which is what is prompting this blog. I have been trying to find ways to get out of my state of mind that has me feeling completely exhausted. I have had some successes and I thought I would share!
1. When you exercise you actually release pent up energy, anxiety and stress and feel happier all around after a good workout. I tend to forget this at 8AM on Sunday when the sun is shining in my face and I just want to pull the covers over my head. So, what is the answer? Write it down! Write down how you felt last time you exercised and look at that in the morning to get you motivated or post it as a reminder to come up on your computer before you log off to head home. Sometimes it takes a little extra to make us remember that the time spend on a run or walk will make the rest of the day or night so much happier.
2. Is Subway the answer versus laying down $100 at the grocery store every weekend? It has been for me, I will admit it. Subway or a pint of rice from the local Chinese food restaurant have been my answer for lunch more times than I would like to think about over the past couple weeks. Is the food good? No, not really. Is it cheap? Well, in theory it is but once you add up the bill from the week for all the lunches, it really is not. The main question… is it healthy? Absolutely not and that is effecting my outlook on the rest of the day. My energy is low and my patience is questionable all due to what I have been eating. Grocery shopping is not exciting but it is when you plan your meals and have goals for the week. There is no need to say exactly what you are going to eat Monday – Sunday, but you can set some guidelines and shop around that. For example: Saturday could be Salad Saturday and Wednesday could be What Ever Wednesday (your anything in moderation meal day). Remember to shop on the outskirts of the food store, cook as much fresh as possible, bring leftovers for lunch and visit the farmers market!
3. You know you want to reach for the no name, no idea how it was processed brand that is on sale at the food store. After all it is just a sink you need clean and what does it really matter because you need to save the money. You can save more money than imaginable and continue to be friendly to the environment just by using what you already have at home. Sure it might not smell as ‘fresh’ as the Febreeze with lilac in it, but you do not want to know how that ‘fresh’ smell was produced. You can also invest in soy candles, which burn clean, and the delicious smell will last much longer than a spray. I will continue to add new natural recipes to the Life Style section, and hopefully it will hold something for everyone.
It all starts with baby steps to get back on track and the below are my little steps that I am taking one at a time to bring everything back to order. I recognize that I want to be happy regardless of the economy and no matter what happens, I cannot bring myself down. I hope everyone who reads this feels the same way and takes the small steps to get out of their own funk!
In a World of Green, What Does it all Mean?
Upcycle, Recycle, Reusable, Organic and All-Natural……..It all can make a sane person want to scream when they are first dipping their toe into a more eco-concious lifestyle. I hear terms every single day that make my head spin, especially now with ‘green washing’ in the mix to just confuse us all the more. So I have devised a little guide below to help us all navigate through to truly greener grasses.
All-natural: Mainly refering to foods and beauty products that have no artificial ingredients and processed minimally.
Biodegradable: Organic products that able to be broken down easily with little to no effect on the environment.
Composting: The act of recycling food waste to valuable and usable soil.
Eco-friendly: The act of inflicting minimal to no harm to the environment (i.e. type of car you drive, cleaning products used, etc.).
Greenwashing: The act of misleading the general public into thinking a product / service is eco-friendly by spending more energy on ‘selling’ as green versus actually backing up the process as being green.
Non-renewable Resources: Natural resources that risk being completely exhausted (i.e. crude oil).
Organic: To be grown without chemicals or pesticides and processed without radiation or other harmful reactants. This can be with regard to food, beauty products, clothes, bedding, towels, etc.
Recycle: The act of downcycling where an item such as a tire is turned into another item (i.e. carpeting).
Renewable Resource: Natural resources which are continuously produced (i.e. fish and fresh water).
Reusable: An item that can be used over and over again lessening harm to the environment (i.e. shopping bags).
Sustainability: The act of sustaining for an undetermined amount of time without depleting resources and/or causing harm to the environment.
Upcycle: The process of taking something old and making it new again for use over and over without changing it’s actual composition (i.e. old sweaters turned into stuffed animals).
Helping the Enviroment, One Bag at a Time!
I recently had the pleasure of exchanging some questions and answers with the owner’s of Envirosax with regard to how they began, their visions pertaining to the environment and their plans for the future. As I read through their answers to the questions noted, I realized more and more how much we need people such as Belinda and Mark in this world to share their passion and to help everyone recognize that we can each make an impact and save the environment. I would like to take this opportunity to give a very big thank you to Belinda and Mark David-Tooze for taking the time to answer these questions and for being an inspiration with their purpose and products!
Envirosax owners’ sustainable lifestyle
The company owners don’t just use the environmentally friendly angle as a great marketing tool for their products they actually live the lifestyle…
Belinda David-Tooze, her husband Mark, and their 3 childrenlive on a 10-acre pristine rainforest property in Currumbin, SE Queensland in Australia, which is ecologically sustainable with solar hot water, photovoltaic cells for electricity, a sewerage system recycles waste water, watering the extensive permaculture gardens and filtered rainwater tanks are used to water the organic vegetable gardens, fruit trees as well as supply water for the premises. There is a forestry of over 2500, 15-year old hoop pine trees and another 5000+ trees in the rainforest. On average each one of these trees takes in 20kg of carbon dioxide per year, removes other pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide at the rate of 1kg per year and adds about 52kg of oxygen to the atmosphere per year.
Q: What was the inspiration to begin Envirosax and how has the company grown since it was first created?
A: The owner of the company, Belinda David-Tooze had just settled down and had her third child with her husband Mark David-Tooze. She was contemplating her next venture into paid work that would be flexible enough for her to look after her children and follow her passion for the environment.
One day after a family shopping trip, sitting down to a glass of wine, the conversation turned to the standard supermarket reusable bag options, which were just starting to appear in the market place. They were big, bulky, made of polypropylene, which actually breaks down in UV light and is likely to disintegrate after 12 months or so. The resulting fragments are dangerous chemical compounds, which are hazardous to humans and animals. Polypropylene bags are also not easy to carry around or wash after soiling from vegetables and fruit. Another big problem is actually remembering to take them at all.
Belinda decided there must be a better way; a bag that was appealing, fashionable, safe as well as convenient and set about to make it happen.
The company’s growth has been quite phenomenal due to the worldwide popularity of the bags. From its original headquarters in West Burleigh Australia, the company now has an office & warehouse in San Diego California, Wales in the UK and further warehouse facilities in New Zealand, Canada & Berlin. The bags are now distributed to 57 countries around the world.
Q: Can you explain the process that occurs when these bags are being created?
A: The Graphic Series designs are based on an initial concept considering future trends in fashion as well as drawing inspiration from nature, places, culture, the arts, history and significant people.
The Graphic Series bags are made from virgin polyester, which is currently the most suitable fabric to use environmentally and aesthetically for this purpose. The fabric is printed using a sublimation method using environmentally friendly inks with no carcinogenic amides. Both the water used in printing and the backing paper used in this process, are recycled.
The fabric is cut to size and the bags are then hand sewn together in our factory in China where fair trade practices are adhered as well as strict Ethical Business Practices, which include extensive environmental policies such as recycling waste fabric. We are even looking at installing solar panels on our factory to convert them to solar power!
They are then hand rolled and sent to all our warehouses around the world.
Q: Have you seen, or do you see, your customer base expanding outside of the United States?
A: Our customer base is most definitely worldwide. Envirosax bags are available in 57 countries in the world due to customer demand. We even have a photo gallery on our facebook page showing Envirosax bags photographed near prominent cultural landmarks around the world.
Q: Would you agree with the statement that owning reusable bags, such as Envirosax, is one of the first steps and first investments a person should make in order to reduce the impact we have on the environment?
A: For the environment, any one little action that millions of people take will have an impact. Using an Envirosax bag is just one of the easiest ways people can start to do something for the environment without changing their lifestyle. This one action so far has resulted in the sale of over 5 million Envirosax bags worldwide meaning that up to 1.2 Billion ‘single use’ plastic bags were not dumped in the environment – now that’s a significant impact!
Q: How do you feel the outlook and perception of living organically has changed with consumers over the past 10 years?
A:Consumers are most certainly becoming more aware of the damage being done to the planet and realizing they are part of the problem. Celebrities such as Leonardo Di Caprio, Al Gore and Summer Rayne Oakes have helped to bring this knowledge to the fore and people are starting to take notice. There is a sense of urgency to stop the massive destruction and a desire to ensure that our negligent excesses will not disadvantage future generations.
The perception of living organically, once viewed as strange and weird, is now becoming more accepted, more mainstream and even viewed as a ‘cool’ thing to do. Driven by increased demand, companies are producing more sophisticated products, which are sustainable and organic but still stylish and fashionable at the same time ensuring a person’s lifestyle and tastes do not have to be compromised for their beliefs.
Q: What level would you like to see the general consumer to reach, with regard to organic living and recycling in the next 10 years?
A: It would be great to turn everyone environmentally conscious overnight, however small steps by many people lead to the biggest impact.
Our suggestion is to start with something, just one easy thing that you can continue to do without much effort. Using reusable bags is a great place to start, or conserving water. Buy some organic products, plant herbs in your garden or recycle where possible.
Then slowly more actions will follow across the general consumer base, when they realize how easy it is and how good it feels to be part of the solution not part of the problem.
Q: Are there any new plans for Envirosax coming down the pike such as new designs, celebrity designed bags and/or fruit and vegetable bags?
A: It is always exciting times at Envirosax! A new range is being finalized right now for the trade show season starting July, 2009. Also following the extremely successful licensing arrangement with the Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet and Planet Green bags, watch out for another iconic brand represented in Envirosax bags – we are thrilled, these bags will blow everyone away!
Be on the look out for product diversification too, the company is poised to take a step in another direction, utilizing its strength of design and reputation of quality to produce another environmentally beneficial product.
Watch out for hints and releases on our Twitter, Facebook and Myspace pages!
Interview Dated: May 27, 2009
Recycle to Save $$ and the Environment
Recycling is just too hard!
Trust me, I have not only heard the above, but at one time I also said it out loud and with witnesses. Since that time, I have not only realized that recycling is far from hard, once my lazy attitude got shoved out of the way, but it can actually be the easiest way to save money as well as the planet! Go figure! Below are some helpful tips that you can incorporate into your everyday life to be a little greener.
Make a Deposit
Okay, so bringing a huge bag of cans and bottles to the grocery store is not exactly glamorous but it can put some extra cash in your pocket or save money on your groceries. My suggestion? If you are a little anti of these all but clean and smelling like roses nooks often found around the corner of your food store, go first thing in the morning. Prepare everything the night before for an easy grab and go and get there right when the doors open. Odds are the area has been cleaned the night before or that morning and all of the machines are empty equaling less jamming and less time wasted. Bonus? You are there already so get your errands done with a relatively empty store and use your bottle receipts to shave some money off your food bill or simply pocket the extra funds as a little mad money.
Tag it & Sell it
For many of us, it is late spring/early summer and that means that tag sales are everywhere! With 99% of the population being in a state of ‘saving’, tag sales are the way to go. Plan it at least a month ahead of time and remember this is a tag sale, your junk is another person’s treasure so don’t beat them down with prices. Don’t have the space for a tag sale? Team up and make it a neighborhood or extended family activity. You can either have separate spaces or split everything down the middle at the end of the sale.
eBay
Along the same lines as a tag sale, but instead of all the planning and organizing, this just takes a camera, a computer and some know-how. These days, eBay is a new version of a tag sale and it is the go-to place for thousands of people to find what they need used instead of paying full price. As long as the item you are eyeing to sell is in good condition, then you are pretty sure to find a buyer for it. Be sure to pay attention to the eBay rules and regulations though and remember to treat everyone fairly because their reviews can make or break you in the world of eBay.
Get Crafty (not crappy)
Can you crochet plastics into a bag or funky bracelets? Can you turn magazines into picture frames, coasters or art? Can you turn glass jars into unique planters or vases? It’s time to take your hobby and make it your investment. There are plenty of craft shows, especially around the holidays, that you can rent a table at. You may even want to try working with companies who would sell your quality items for you; of course this would take time, but may be worth every moment depending on your skill set and what you craft. There are even websites which will host you as you sell your own items, just do a little research to make sure they are reputable should you decide to go this route.
Go Ahead, Reuse
You see them every time you are in the food store and I have blogged about Envirosax and even reviewed their product in the Lifestyle section. Reusable bags are a great way to save money, especially when your grocer gives you a credit back for each bag you use (typically this is for their bags only) but a credit is a credit. Let’s face it, every single penny counts! Just can’t invest in these right now? Understandable, but even if you can’t save money, you can save the environment by bringing in plastic bags from your last shopping trip. You know you have a mass of them shoved in the back of one of your lower kitchen cabinets (it is like our little fetish we don’t want anyone to know about). It still feels just as good saving the planet as it does saving some coin.
Nothing is truly easy and everything takes effort, but just looking at the bigger picture makes recycling well worth every moment spent in a shady bottle deposit facility!
If You Won’t Eat It, Why Put It On Your Skin?
I had a wonderful conversation with my work colleague regarding what we put on our bodies with regard to soaps, moisturizers and other products. The question came up, if you read those ingredients on food packaging and would not eat it, why would you put it on your body for your skin to absorb? Is it not the exact same thing but instead of getting in from your mouth, the chemicals are using your skin. I try to be cognizant of this, but believe me, I adore my face cream and my fancy body scrubs. When it comes down to it though, I am spending money on body scrubs I can create at home using what is already in my pantry that I would eat!
Sure I might not be willing to give up my face cream just yet, but I am willing to better myself with other products that do not contain any of the following and little by little we can all see that eating healthy does not just refer to what we digest in our stomachs.
Some ingrdients to stay away from:
Carcinigens: 1,4-dioxane, Benzene, Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfates (visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinogen#Occupational_carcinogens for additional information)
1,4-dioxane (chemical carcinigen)
Mineral Oil (cost effective ingredient that traps toxins within the skin)
Parabens (Cost effective preservative, studies linking to health issues but nothing concrete)
Petroleum (fossil fuel = harmful to the environment)
Propyl (increases shelf life)
This is certainly not meant to scare anyone, it is simply a tool to help educate anyone who wants to know more. I am still learning myself and in no way, shape or form a perfect person in the way of the products that I use. The great news is that there are so many companies out there now that recognize the harmful chemicals and are trying extremely hard to make products that are both body friendly and environmentally friendly. Check out some of the following stores for delicious products that will have your stomach grumbling and your skin and the environment thanking you!
One for One Reusable Bag Update
Wouldn’t you know it, the one time I want to make a difference and get this One for One with Reusable Bags going, I have not had the time or the motivation to get to the grocery store. The last time I went, I was so discombobulated, I forgot all of my reusable bags so I had none to give away, let alone have any for myself. Needless to say, no good deed goes unpunished and no good deed is easy apparently! My objective is still there though and its purpose is just too good to let go just because I lack the need to fill my fridge.
Keep checking in though, I am bound to be forced to the grocery store when we start trying to make meals from the 8 year old canned beans in the pantry!
