Consumer Eco Consciousness Is On The Rise

When it comes to helping our planet and the environment, most of us know that recycling is one of the best things we can do. But when it comes to our waste problems in America and the world, will recycling alone will bring about a reasonable resolution? The answer is a simple “no”. There are an abundance of reasons for why our current system of consumer recycling will not be enough. If producers and manufacturers are not working cooperatively with consumers and partnering with waste management facilities to ensure there is a reasonable and accessible method for consumers to recycle the products sold to them, then it significantly reduces the chances that the products will be properly recycled at all. Corporations must take the ultimate responsibility for going green by planning for recycling solutions for all their products before distribution and consumption.

The Texas Campaign For The Environment (TCE), a non-profit, has recently brought this issue to center stage. Corporations must take full responsibility for the entire life cycle of their products according to TCE. They emphasize our current system of “produce it, consume it, toss it out” must be redesigned to reduce and eliminate waste at its source. This is completely logical if you really think about it. There is no real accountability in our current system, as so many producers leave the responsibility for recycling in the hands of consumers. Now of course, you would think consumers will always be ultimately responsible for recycling, since producers cannot force someone to recycle their products. But with the recent momentum of “producer take-back” programs that are mandated by environmental laws and pushed by “Zero Waste” proponents, things are really changing. “Producer take-back” laws already exist in some areas and with certain industries and products, and they require producers to work with waste management companies and government agencies to ensure products are recycled after consumption. For long-term success in reducing waste and the harmful effects of landfills, this strategy makes a lot of sense.

In the absence of “producer take-back” laws, TCE is doing everything they can to be a great tool for consumers. TexasTakeBack.org (funded by TCE), is a great guide to recycle just about anything from glass, styrofoam, household chemicals, pharmaceuticals and so much more. Considering TCE (a non-profit organization), is making such a valiant effort to resolve our country’s waste management issues, it is time for the “for-profit” corporations to step up.

What is your organization doing to step up to the plate when it comes to the recycling of the products you manufacture? As Bob Dylan said “Oh the times they are changing”, and now is more important than ever for your organization to be a leader in the Green Revolution, especially from a public relations point of view. As BP learned (the hard way), you cannot wait until you’re right in the middle of an environmental crisis to start on your journey as a green company. It just doesn’t’ work that way. There is no retreating from this issue. Taking action and going green in all phases of your company and doing everything in your power to protect the environment must begin right now.

Considering your products often have your brand name on them and can easily be identified when wasted, it is creates even more of a sense of urgency to take action. The question of “how” and “where” your products can be recycled is something that should be easily answered by your customers as a result of the resources and tools your provide for them. Ask for feedback from your customers, blog about it and show the world you are actively working towards a solution to making sure all your products are recycled.

Another great method to show the world your commitment to go green is through giving out eco promotional products like eco friendly pens, lanyards, custom promotional bags and eco friendly shopping bags with your brand name on them. These types of items are veritably eco friendly and will not scathe the earth’s habitat if trashed. Center your community service events around the idea of doing things to help the environment like planting trees or picking up trash in the community on a reoccurring basis.

To help ensure the health of our planet for future generations, these types of efforts by companies and organizations are necessary and should be embraced. Consumer eco consciousness is at an all-time high due to so many recent environmental disasters, which means you can’t afford complacency. Take a lesson from TCE by going green now, and exemplify true leadership in your industry, no matter the state of the economy.

Albert Jefferson has been an educated author going over environmental and sustainability concerns in addition to spreading the ideal to companies to use stainless steel water bottles to advertise both their mark and awareness for this environment.

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Information On How To Get Rid Of Empty Printer Ink Refills

To discard or reuse… that’s the true question? Many of the public often are erroneous on the rights and wrongs of just how to handle used ink or toner cartridges. I, myself, have often put my empty ink cartridge in the replacement box and set it aside with all good intentions of recycling.

But time gets away from me and before I know it I’m dusting the container four weeks later, and then eventually just tossing it in the garbage can.

The smartest action to take is make that effort to either mail it back to the maker or drop by your nearest office supply store. Nearly all of your ink and toner providers should have a recycling system that you can send the empty ink cartridges to and possibly get a discount on future purchases. Some local office supply merchants might also have recycling programs that you could drop them off at.

The cartridge itself can be quite expensive – even minus the cartridge toner. But, might you earn money in the sense that “some” office stores will give you a coupon for each future purchase of an inkjet or toner cartridge? Maybe. A word of caution though; should you choose this is something worth pursuing. Most customer service counters will put a time and date stamp on any discount certificate or certificates and if that’s the case, then you probably need to bring in a few at a time to make it worth the energy and effort.

So, whenever you reuse not only is it the responsible thing to do, but it is also environment friendly. The end result is that these used ink or toner cartridges will ultimately be sold back to the manufacturer to be filled again and then resold. Not taking up space on someone’s computer desk or shelf, and definitely not out in the landfill waiting to decompose – which would never happen. At least not in our lifetime.

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Filtered Water Versus Bottled Water

Many people have become concerned with the quality of drinking water and for good reason. Even with city water filtration centers, the trace contaminants contained in tap water can be significant. For those who get their home water supply from a well, they need to be concerned with the contaminants that make their way into the ground water system as well as into the well itself.

Water is the essence of life but contaminated water can result in any number of health issues and complications. The quality of the water that you consume, cook with, use to wash clothing, and bathe in is important to your overall well-being. Directly consuming contaminated water is, of course, the strongest concern. Bathing with and washing clothing in contaminated water can also have consequences for your health.

While bottled water can allow you to have clean drinking water that is free from most of the contaminants and chemicals that are found in tap water, it doesn’t allow you to have the same quality of clean water available for other essential tasks like cleaning your home, washing your clothes and dishes, cooking, and bathing. Filtering your home water does make it possible to accomplish all of these things without concern for the quality of the water you use.

Many of those who have concerns about the quality of their drinking water are also concerned with the environment in general. For these individuals, bottled water is a poor choice. Bottled water certainly has its place. It makes it possible for you to have a healthy alternative to purchase from machines while out and about. It also makes it easy to carry water with you but there are other ways to have fresh water available when not at home. You can carry your own water bottle with you and fill that bottle with filtered water from your own home.

For those who are truly concerned with the environment, bottled water is actually among the common contributors to the problems we all face. Many of the companies that produce bottled water actually use chemically-treated water from city water plants as their source water. This process does not remove the potential that you are consuming the same chemicals that are contained in your own home tap water.

Additionally, you have to think of the environmental impact of the bottling process. Bottled water companies have large plants that use extensive energy. They are a drain on the world’s natural resources. Not only do these plants use a lot of electricity, natural gas and other resources but it also takes almost three times as much source water to produce a single bottle of water. Using a home filtration system is a more efficient process. It allows you to have clean water with the least amount of negative impact on the environment.

You should also keep in mind that bottled water requires the use of plastic in the bottling process. Millions of bottles are produced for bottled water every day in the United States. Some of these bottles are recycled. Still more are among the contents of landfills across the country. Plastic takes hundreds of years to degrade, leaving landfills full of materials that will contaminate the Earth for generations.

The negative impact of bottled water doesn’t end in the production process or in the discarding of empty bottles. The transportation required in the bottled water industry also contributes to the negatives associated with bottled water. Water is transported in vehicles that use fuel and produce harmful effects for the environment.

There’s no doubt that filtering your own home water is a more environmentally sound option than purchasing bottled water. Clean drinking water is better obtained through the use of a home filtration system. Not only do the producers of bottled water use chemically treated water to create bottled water but you should also realize that pure drinking water can’t be obtained from a bottle. The bottle itself leaves trace chemicals in the water, especially when you consider that the bottles are often stored for months at a time. The bottles go through various temperatures before the water is sold and consumed which only increases the process of chemical contamination.

Bottled water can also be expensive. Purchasing enough water for drinking alone can be a financial drain for a family. Having clean, pure water for all your other needs is financially infeasible through the purchase of bottled water. The use of in-home water filtration makes it possible to have clean water for all your needs for a reasonable amount of money.

Water Filters Fast carries a stunning array of water filters and refrigerator water filters for all of your home and business water filtration needs.

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Alternative Energy Source And Global Warming

Global warming is one of the “hottest” issues nowadays. The current climate change is the worst yet to happen. Global warming is an overall increase in world temperature which is attributed to the increasing number of greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere. Searching an alternative energy source is considered a way of reducing the toxic emissions.

Greenhouse gases can be produced both by natural and industrial processes. The most abundant greenhouse gases on earth’s atmosphere are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and CFCs.

There are several sources of greenhouse gases. Burning of fossil fuels and deforestation lead to higher concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Without the trees and plants to take in the carbon dioxide emitted by burning fossil fuels, natural gas and petroleum products, all of the CO2 emitted stays in the atmosphere.

Also the use of CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons in refrigeration systems and in fire suppression systems and other manufacturing processes also increase the greenhouse content of our atmosphere. While the use of non-organic fertilizers in agriculture also lead to higher nitrous oxide concentrations, another greenhouse gas.

In the United States, greenhouse gas emissions mainly come from the use of fossil fuels as energy source. Approximately 82 percent of the greenhouse gas emission in the United States in 2006 came from the combustion of coal, natural gas and petroleum (United States Energy Information Administration). Meanwhile in Asia, Chine is expected to increase its emission of greenhouse gas because of the construction of old-fashioned power plants in its internal provinces. Currently, the carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere are the highest in 150,000 years. The 1990s was most likely the warmest decade in history, while 1998 was the warmest year (Greenpeace).

Not controlling the greenhouse gas being emitted by human activity can increase climate change the next hundred years that will be much faster than anything known and recorded in history. There are necessary steps to be undertaken to control the toxic emission that will soon be killing us.

To minimize the consumption of oil, petroleum and other fossil fuel, we should use energy efficiently. Energy that we use should be generated from renewable energy source, which would mean harnessing the natural energy from the sun, winds, crops, tides and waves.

Green energy is another term used to describe sources of energy that are considered to be environmentally friendly, which is also similar to the renewable sources of energy.

There are numerous ways of generating electricity and energy from renewable and natural sources that generate clean and safe energy. Wind, sun, and heat can generate electricity for less price and less carbon emission than those of coal and even gas.

Shifting the world’s attention to alternative fuel source other than relying on fossil fuel is among the solutions in resolving the drastic climate change. Greenpeace cited that with renewable energy and using it smartly, can deliver half of the world’s energy needs by 2050. Greenpeace also cited that it is feasible to reduce carbon dioxide emission to almost 50 percent within the next 43 years.

Governments are taking steps to use and tap alternative energy sources as main source of energy. The European Union leaders made an agreement in March 2007 to ensure that 20 percent of their nation’s energy should come from renewable fuels by 2020. This is part of their effort to cut carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gas. There are even governments offering incentives to their residents who are using green energy.

Alternative energy source may not be the only way to reduce the greenhouse emission that human activity produce. There are simple ways in which we can do to contribute in reducing toxic gas emission and mitigate global warming.

Conservation of our natural resources is also important to slow the trend of global warming. Saving your rainwater runoff can save on your water bill. Save your water and buy a tank at Adelaide Rainwater Tanks or Victoria Water Tanks Unique version for reprint here: Alternative Energy Source And Global Warming.

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Socially Responsible Investing In The Environment

For a long time, money used for good will was called charity, while money used to make more money was called investing. No more.

Today, the two concepts are forming into a financial arena called socially responsible investing. Both investors and mutual fund companies are implementing this new idea and discovering that they can be profitable and at the same time do some good for the environment and society.

Bob Guthrie, an investment broker with A.G. Edwards in Burlington, Vt. says, “Socially responsible investing means you don’t have to compromise your own personal beliefs to make money on Wall Street – whatever those beliefs are.”

Guthrie says that the idea of selectively choosing stocks for social reasons dates back to the early 1900′s. That’s when church members grouped together and refused to invest in tobacco or alcohol companies. He adds that the trend continued with investors ignoring corporations involved in the Vietnam War and those companies investing in South Africa.

So, yes, growth in this type of investing has ballooned during the past few years as more and more investors have moved social consciousness into the main street of investing. And the impact of this trend is being felt.

With help from stockholders, business practices concerning the environment are starting to change, said Rob Kruger, vice president of portfolio management at Progressive Asset Management. While the issues may vary, he said companies are realizing they will suffer if they aren’t viewed as being socially responsible.

“As this investing community continues to grow, a lot of proposals are being put forth by investors at annual shareholder meetings,” Kruger said. “A whole range of issues and activities is now being addressed.”

As part of its operation, Progressive Asset Management conducts research for socially responsible and eco-friendly mutual funds. The firm screens companies for environmental problems or nuclear involvement… whatever social issues their clients want investigated.

As the clock ticks, companies are becoming more cooperative if not anxious to talk about how they are more socially and environmentally responsible.

Guthrie agrees that business practices are changing and says American companies are aware of shareholders who are concerned with the environment.

“Make sure your hard-earned capital is not invested in companies with little concern for the environment,” he advises. “Keep these things in mind when you invest and corporations will, too.

Earth News Media is proud to sponsor global reforestation as well as help sustainable communities with their recycling programs, eco-tourism, water conservation and other environmental topics. This article, Socially Responsible Investing In The Environment is released under a creative commons attribution licence.

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What We Can Do To Help Rescue Our Environment

It is important to help protect our environment. Below are some helpful suggestions to help protect our planet.

As a substitute of plastic bags, try fabric bags for carrying groceries and the like. You’ll use fewer plastic bags, and these baggage are far stronger and will carry more groceries.

It is sensible to buy rechargeable batteries even if they are a bit more expensive than disposable ones. You simply buy them once which cuts down on the expense of buying batteries over and over again saving you money in the long run.

Buying large quantities of only the home supplies like food and drinks that you need is how the smart consumer shops. This shopping method helps the environment by reducing the amount of small, unnecessary packaging you throw away.

Wash glass, aluminum and plastic containers before bringing them to the recycling center.

Use fabric towels instead of paper towels to reduce waste.

Opt out of paper billing statements or catalogues you don’t need.

Instead of using plastic materials such as cling wrap which are dangerous to the environment, go for reusable plastic such as food storage containers. These can be utilized repeatedly as opposed to cling wrap and similar plastics which might only be used once.

You can save a lot of money and space in landfills by reverting to the traditional method of using fabric diapers on your baby instead of plastic ones.

Most of us use an insane amount of paper at the moment, and one ton of recycled paper amounts to 17 trees that do not need to be cut down. Begin paper drives and recycle whatever paper you have got in your household.

Opt out of buying newspapers, instead getting your news over the Internet.

Reuse glass bottles. It’s safer to make use of glass bottles as containers for drinks because plastic chemicals leech into the water we drink.

So remember these tips and help keep our environment clean for our children’s future.

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What Are The Benefits Of Paper Recycling?

Paper recycling can be defined as converting waste paper into new, useable paper and this process takes only half the energy needed to get new paper. Most garbage consists of one form of paper evidenced by the fact that for every 45 kilos of trash, 16 kilos will be paper.

Paper is usually made from trees but cloth and grass can be used to make paper as well. The entire tree is used in some way. The majority of the tree is chopped into small chips that are eventually turned into paper. Once these chips are processed, bleach can be added to make higher quality white paper. The roots and bark of the tree are used for energy in the paper mill. Many paper manufacturers plant trees solely for the purpose of making paper.

Unlike recycling cans, which can be recycled repeatedly, paper can only be recycled 5 to 6 times. To create new paper the process of mixing old paper in with fresh wood pulp strengthens the recycled paper, making it more durable. But the fibres of the paper can become too weak over time to reuse.

Paper decaying in landfills creates methane, due to its biodegradable nature, which is a factor in the global warming process. Recycling paper means there is less in the landfill and is therefore a benefit to the environment. Because trees are often planted and replanted to make paper, disruption to nature is not always considered a strong reason to recycle.

Recycling is normally a cheaper alternative to conventional trash pickup as well. It takes less energy to recycle paper than manufacturing new, but not as little as other waste recycling products such as metals or glass.

The following are the most frequent types of paper to be recycled – cardboard, magazines, newspapers and construction paper. Not all types of paper are suitable for recycling however. Gift wrapping is one example due a coating of plastic or aluminium in many cases not being suitable for the recycling procedure.

Coloured and white office papers are considered to be of a high grade, whilst magazines and newspapers are instances of lower grade quality paper. It is necessary to separate these different types of paper before recycling.

For ways to recycle paper in your area, there may be drop-off locations where you can leave your waste paper to be used again, or curb side collection may be arranged where your paper can be collected automatically.

Learn more about paper recycling. Stop by Max Marston’s site where you can find out all about computer recycling too.

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Disposing Of Your Old Electronics In The Right Way

Even though we consistently hear about properly recycling our bottles and cans, we rarely think about how important it is to properly dispose of our electronic devices. Safely getting rid of electronics through recycling efforts can greatly reduce the amount of harmful chemicals put into our environment and foster a need for more sustainable manufacturing, rather than constantly consuming raw materials.

Some companies offer incentives to those who recycle their electronics in an effort to encourage more people to be environmentally conscious about their dated materials. Companies such as Dell offer discounts on the purchase of a new computer if you bring in your old one. Many other companies purchase used computers based on their condition in order to repurpose them. Rather than throwing electronic items away, these incentives may be a good reason to opt for recycling.

While incentive programs are great, there are even bigger reasons to opt for recycling rather than throwing your old item out. For instance, electronic parts contain many harmful substances such as mercury and lead. If these devices end up in the landfill rather than being properly recycled, these toxic substances can be released in to our ecosystems and negatively impact our environment and lives. When these items are burned and fumes are released into the air, it can be even more deadly.

Unfortunately, less than approximately 16 percent of all electronic devices end up being recycled. This means that among cell phones, televisions and computer products, more than 1.8 million tons end up in our landfills. This has massively negative impacts on our environment. Although we might not see the impact today, future generations will have to answer the problems we leave. For this reason alone, we should try to be more thoughtful when disposing of these goods.

Because there are so many recycling programs and incentives available, there should be no excuse to not recycle, especially when you can get paid for that old hunk of junk sitting in your garage. Rather than hurting the environment and yourself, attempt to recycle whenever you can.

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Is Water Conservation Cost Effective?

“Conserving water won’t necessarily save you money!” Appearing on a local news website last autumn in northern California this headline highlights an interesting situation when water utility customers – after engaging in a successful conservation effort – received the surprising gift of an 8% water rate increase. An inside analysis of how utilities typically must manage costs provides insight into how successful conservation programs may result in an increase to customer’s water rates. For those in Water Rate Consulting, this is nothing new.

Significant rate increases after a successful conservation effort at first glance, doesn’t seem natural. Customers generally believe that cutting back on their water use should result in a reduced bill for water service. If user’s charges are calculated on a cost per gallon or cost per unit of service, this may be true – at least in the short term. Using less water usually does result in lower customer charges for water service.

Consumer believe that utilities should also see its costs reduced since fewer units, or in this case, gallons, are sold. In the case of an effective conservation program where consumers reduce consumption, the theory holds that the provider should also see its costs reduced as well. And all should be equitable.

When water providers begin to understand and manage their actual costs, this model no longer holds true. Unfortunately, many provider costs can be characterized as “fixed” or set costs. These costs do not change in relation to the number of gallons provided or number of units sold. In the case of water providers, these costs generally include maintenance, insurance, debt service as well as payroll and other costs that won’t be reduced if customers consume fewer gallons of water. In short, fixed costs occur at steady levels without relationship to customer use and are required by the utility to provide ongoing service to existing customers.

However, there is a direct relationship between income and revenue to the utility as well as a relationship between consumption level and price per unit. In other words, it is a function of quantity times price per unit. As water consumers decrease use, the inevitable result is a corresponding decrease in revenue paid back to the provider. So although conservation efforts may benefit customers in the short term with reduced fees and charges, the decline in income to the utility leads to economic shortfall. A successful water conservation program by extension, reduces revenue to the provider. The difficulty then lies in the fact that water providers and water utilities need this revenue just to provide providing on-going water service.

At the point that income levels are insufficient to support expenses – the utility is naturally compelled to identify new sources of revenue. Most water utilities will then seek rate increases in an effort to cover their fixed costs. If fewer units of product or in this case, gallons of water are sold, the rate per unit or gallon is going to have to be higher to return the utility to its original revenue levels that covered ongoing expenses.

When utility expenses threaten to outpace revenues , the provider usually proceeds with a request for a rate hike. Increases in rates then erase any gain the customer conservation efforts produced. After all, if fewer units are sold, the rate per unit (gallon) is going to have to be raised to a level that provides enough revenue to support the providers’ ongoing operations. This results in a basic conflict between provider revenue requirements and efforts to reduce customer bills.

Avoiding this conflict requires utilities and customers to fully understand the tradeoffs between conservation and utility revenue prior to initiating any kind of conservation effort. Establishing a rate structure in advance of conservation programs can help offset some of the expected revenue reductions and provide some degree of stability to customer rates. Skilled water rate consultants can also help design these rate and fee structures in advance. And that is a better solution than facing down upset customers at the next public meeting.

Author Jason Mumm is a an experienced Utility Consultants and specializes in water and wastewater services. With many years of experience delivering finanical and operational counsel to water service providers, Jason assists client companies achieve financial success while managing consumer rates.

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Not Cutting Trees, Making Use Of Substitutes, And Improving The Environment

For the last half a century we have seen a rise in the awareness of environmental issues. Many people have come to realize that the earth will eventually run out of its natural resources.

We have finally come to learn that we need to preserve what we have and conserve our supplies. Many organizations have been formed with the task of spreading the word to the rest of the world that we need to do something to protect the environment that we live in before it is too late.

Unfortunately the days have long gone where we could just cut down more and more trees to supply the ever increasing demand for timber products. In fact the last decade has seen us actually reduce the number of trees that we are cutting down.

This decrease in the amount of trees cut down is mainly down to the ecological worries and the policies brought in to protect the environment.

People today are looking for good replacement materials to take the place of the timber that we usually use in the construction or furniture trades. The most popular choice of people today is the introduction of reconstituted or reclaimed timber.

There is no beating a real wood floor and trying to find a substitute for this is almost impossible. But you can use recycled timber for wood floors which still looks great and of course is environmentally friendly as it was felled many years ago and has no further impact on the environment.

You can now find many dealers of reclaimed or recycled timber that sell this product globally and it is now sorted into specific grades and priced accordingly.

This is excellent news for the lovers of timber products as well as for the environment and obviously it costs less than freshly cut timber would cost normally so everyone is a winner.

Refer to more tips by this very writer dealing with things like acrylic sheeting and copper mailbox.

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