Reduce Your Businesses Carbon Footprint With Reusa...

Custom Earth Promos offers a great selection of reusable custom bags. Offering reusable shopping bags to your customers is a great way to reduce your businesses carbon footprint and advertise your business at the same time. Plastic shopping bags have been garnering a bad name for some time due to the damage they can do to the environment. These bags generally get used once and then end up in landfills or even just littered on the ground. They don’t break down and they make up a huge amount of the waste in our landfills and our oceans.

By offering your customers the option of a custom reusable shopping bag or other green products, you can see more over here, you can do your part to curb the damage that plastic shopping bags are doing to our environment. In addition to helping you do your part to protect the environment, these reusable bags are also a great promotional item for your business. Since they are fully customizable you can get them printed up with your business name and logo so that anyone who sees them can tell that your company cares about how it affects the world around it.

Seeing that a company is making an effort to be as green as possible is important to many consumers. Allowing your customers the option to choose an environmentally friendly check out option can be enough to sway some consumers to shop at your business instead of at a competitor who doesn’t offer them that option. Custom earth also offers other great items that you can use in your store like pens made from all recycled materials that you can use to further show off your green pride.

Even if you cannot afford to offer reusable bags for free to your customers, offering them at cost or even for a small profit is better than not providing your customers with the option at all. Custom Earth really does have good prices on all of their promotional merchandise and much of it may be more affordable than you think. If the health of the environment is important to you or your customers I highly recommend you check out what this great company has to offer.

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Hydration 101 Fun, Fashionable and Eco-friendly

Water is necessary for life and we all need to keep hydrated but how do you do that when you are on the go without carting around multiple plastic water bottles that you are going to either have to store until you can recycle them or throw them away which of course is not very good for the environment.

Enter Vapur.us with a water refill station that will make your life easier and help the planet at the same time. Their bottles which come in a variety of sizes and colors are easily cleaned in your dishwasher and are collapsible when empty making them easy to carry and store until ready for reuse. They can be frozen to keep your drinks icy cold. They are also BPA free and Vapur is made in the USA so you don’t have to worry about toxic materials from China.

For reusable bottles that are safe and easy and environmentally friendly check more out here. One percent of the proceeds from all sales of Vapur products is donated to water related and environmental causes. They have also created the community giving program Drops of Hope which has donated thousands of bottles to charitable groups throughout the world. Vapur is a company that takes it’s responsibility to the world seriously by creating a product that is not only attractive but a useful and affordable solution to all your water needs. Vapur has kept the environment in mind in each step of the life cycle of their Anti-Bottles by using packaging that minimizes paper, glue, and scrap and their products are printed on wind powered presses using soy ink.

Bottles come in a variety of colors, styles and sizes. Eddie Bauer and the Museum of Modern Art are just a few of the custom designs provided. They are perfect for camping and hiking with a convenient clip to attach the bottles to your clothes or gear while hiking or biking. They are great to use for air travel as they fit easily into pockets or purses and can be refilled as needed. Freeze them the night before and pack into children’s lunches to keep drinks cold. They can even be used as an ice pack. They will not crack or dent so no worries about breaking and leaking. They make great gifts for friends and family.

Vapur has made being environmentally responsible easy and fun with their bright colored affordable easy carry Anti-Bottles that solve water storage and keep all that plastic out of the landfills. You can quench your thirst and save the planet. What’s not to like?

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Symbology Ecology: Reusable bags with logo brands

We all know there’s a better approach to shopping than all those plastic or paper bags; or worse yet, Styrofoam containers. But, we seem to keep right on doing that.

Stop! It’s much easier than you think to make some green gains. Custom reusable bags come in varied sizes and logos, just perfect for any use that played-out polypropylene can be put to. It might just save someone from unearthing all those plastic bags one hundred years from now, too.

Eco-reusable bags are not a novel idea, of course, but today they are configured in custom-sizes to fit any concept. A brand for your business is an incredible booster, and the stand-out symbols on these bags are riveting.

The familiar shopping bags are extra-strong and roomy; and come in all sizes from mini-pickup to monstrous; as well as draw-string varieties. They are all lightweight, easy to store, and particularly, easy to wash. These bags can serve a purpose for businesses like hotels and hairdressers; as well as the familiar grocery tote. And please, let’s not over-think grocery! Designer reusables bags are supremely cool, and very importantly, can carry personalized, trendy logos. Companies utilizing the psychology of ecology realize that reusable tote bags inscribed with their logos make an important environmental statement about their businesses. Reusable tote bags contribute to a sustainable and much healthier environment for people and animals. What are recyclable tote bags made of? A recycled, woven bag may be made of woven polypropylene. Polypropylene is used for packaging, plastic parts, reusable containers. In short, it’s plastic. Instead of being tossed into a landfill when its original use is over, it is now reconfigured into another useful item, a tote bag. Plastic water bottles go the way of taxonomy also, available in multiple hot colors and emblazoned with customized logos.

Bamboo bags are a remarkable example of utilizing a most sustainable eco-material, while creating a beautifully strong, aesthetic and useful carry bag. Bamboo improves soil quality wherever it grows, and rebuilds soil eroded by weather and over-use. Bamboo totes and designer bags are the ultimate in green chic, with lovely, carefully crafted logo designs.

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Vegan Testimonial by Emily Deschanel

.. not just because it’s healthier, but as you may or may not know, the meat industry produces more greenhouse-gas emissions than all the SUVs, cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the world combined. Believe it or not, adopting a vegan diet has a greater impact in the fight against climate change than switching to a hybrid car or switching to energy-efficient light bulbs. To read more and/or pledge a meat-free, vegetarian diet trial for 30 days, check out PETA.

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Everyday Chores Get Greener

By Amy Levin-Epstein for Green Goes Simple

Ready to make some eco-friendly changes, but not sure where to begin? Start with the things you do each day: chores!

Yes, even small shifts in your daily cleaning routines can have positive effects on the planet — no extra elbow grease required. “People have a sense that with green cleaning there is more scrubbing, or it is more expensive, or it doesn’t work. These are all myths,” says green-cleaning expert Annie B. Bond, author of Clean and Green and Better Basics for the Home.

Add these simple tips to your daily chore toolbox and you’ll be a green, clean, dirt-fighting machine in no time: “Going green takes some time to figure out, but once you get it, you’re set for life,” says Bond.

Laundry
Go Green: Use a detergent designed for cold water. Choosing cold water for each load saves energy (good for the planet) and money (good for your wallet). Cold-friendly detergents are formulated to fight dirt and stains just as well as their warm-water counterparts.

Go Greener: Ditch your bleach for a better brightener, like sodium percarbonate, found in many common laundry products. While bleach pollutes our water systems and is a lung irritant, sodium percarbonate is a natural mineral that’s just as effective at getting out stains.

Dishes
Go Green: Save water by using a dishwasher instead of sudsing your plates by hand. If washing by hand is the only option, look for foam-based soaps that use less water.

Go Greener: If you’re buying a new machine, go for one with the ENERGY STAR rating. Then, run it only when full and skip the pre-rinse cycle. For energy-free drying, simply open the door!

Floors

Go Green: Place a stylish and sturdy welcome mat at your door. You and your guests will track less dirt into the house, which means less vacuuming later. Taking your shoes off at the door also helps control dust and dirt.

Go Greener: Try a steam cleaner. Cleaning with steam kills bacteria and dust mites, and it makes your floors sparkle without the use of additional cleaning agents.

Grocery Shopping
Go Green: Bring your own reusable totes to the store. There are many cute options these days, and most grocery stores also sell them near the register. Leave a few in your trunk and stash one in your purse for unexpected trips.

Go Greener: Buy in the bulk section of your favorite store. You’ll get the same great products without all that waste.

Photo Credit: @iStockphoto.com/Cimmerian

Amy Levin-Epstein is a freelance writer who’s been published in magazines like Glamour, Self and Prevention, on websites like AOL, Babble and Details.com and in newspapers like the New York Post and the Boston Globe. You can read more of her writing at AmyLevinEpstein.com. Her articles have previously appeared on Green Goes Simple.

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Green your Commute

Green Goes Simple: Conservation at Home

Green Your Commute

By Dana Goeglein for Green Goes Simple

You don’t have to completely give up your car to prove how much you care about the environment. Simply changing the way you commute can radically reduce the amount of air pollution, greenhouse gases and carbon emissions you produce each day. And what’s more, alternative modes of transportation can benefit your health, save you money and even lead to new friendships (hello, carpool buddies!).

Here, Brian Carr, director of communications for the Clean Air Campaign, shares a variety of ways for commuters to green their rides:

1. If you live in an urban area, choose public transit. It’s one of the greenest ways to travel — plus, it allows you to spend your commute reading a book, catching up on work, following the news or even napping, instead of sitting in traffic. “Public transit allows commuters to engage in a hobby or get work done en route, so you arrive at your destination more relaxed and ready to begin your day,” says Carr.

2. Walk or bike whenever you can. Statistics show that nearly 50 percent of trips taken in a day are 3 miles away or less. Consider going without the car for these short trips, and you’ll contribute considerably to reducing carbon emissions. Bonus: Choosing to walk or ride lets you squeeze in a workout without taking time to hit the gym.

3. If you have to drive, form a carpool to make a big difference. Even if you only carpool a few days a week, you can save thousands of dollars annually on gas costs and reduce your carbon footprint by 50 percent. You can also shave time off your commute by using designated carpool lanes. “Communities have really formed around carpooling,” says Carr. “One group of Georgia commuters, calling themselves the Rolling Readers, formed a book club on wheels.” While it’s is a great way to get to know co-workers and neighbors, Carr points out that you can also designate your carpool as a quiet ride, giving passengers time and space to relax rather than socialize.

Even as a solo driver, there are a number of ways to clean up your act:

1. Slow down and avoid sudden starts and stops. According to FuelEconomy.com, a division of the U.S. Department of Energy, speeding, jerky acceleration and braking can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town.

2. Turn off your engine when idling for longer than 60 seconds.

3. Keep your car tuned and your tires full. CarbonFund.org has found that a tuned car and full tires help to keep 400 to 700 pounds of carbon out of the air each year.

4. Turn off the AC. It’ll reduce the amount of greenhouse gases your car gives off, plus save you money at the pump by cutting down on your gas use.

5. Consolidate car trips. Lumping errands together reduces car time. “Every mile we don’t drive takes 1 pound of pollution out of the air,” says Carr.

If you green your commute, you might receive a big bonus for it: Many community organizations have formed incentive programs, offering gas cards, refunds and other benefits to those who reduce the environmental impact of their commute. Check out your city’s or town’s official website for more commuting information or ask your employer if your company has any transportation programs in place — if not, be the first to start one!

Dana Goeglein received a bachelor’s in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College and a master’s in food studies from New York University. She is a writer, yoga instructor and whole foods educator in New York City, where she strives to help others create harmonious, connected lives. Her articles have previously appeared on Green Goes Simple.

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