Form a Green Team to Improve Your Work Environment

By: Diane Garza
According to About.com

Raising employee awareness of opportunities to save energy and contribute to a healthy work environment, the best solution is to form a green team at work. Green Team at work is considered to be motivational to employees who want to make a difference in their work environment.  
The Green Team may even save energy and time, keep trash out of landfills, and is just overall good to brainstorm and develop new ideas.
Forming a Green Team is an opportunity to involve your employees and to let your employees learn to work effectively, develop leadership and team skills, and make a difference in a cause that is near and dear to many employee hearts. 
There are several ideas to get your green team Started and to brainstorm and implement their own ideas.
- Keep room temperature at a certain degrees in the winter and summer
- Turn off lights while you attend meetings and at night over the weekend
- Recycle cans, bottles, newspapers and magazines
- Limit the use of disposable products at company supplied lunches and events
- Put your computer on energy saving settings when you know you will be away for a while
- Purchase energy efficient appliances for offices
- Turn lights off in restrooms, conference rooms, libraries, and so forth when the room is not in use
- Email on how employees can use less paper and recycle
- Donate unwanted cell phones to organizations such as Recellular, Inc.  or have events to such as on Earth Day
Your green team at work is a win for the employees, and the world environment that sustains us all. Use these ideas to help your green team get started. Don’t let an opportunity so simple pass you by.

Green Air Conditioning?

Alternatepower.org

Every summer, we spend countless millions of kilowatts keeping things cool indoors.  This alone constitutes a good chunk of global warming, but we’d swelter, even die, without it.  So far, the most efficient way to cool things down has been the swamp cooler, but that’s only of use in relatively arid locations; Evaporative cooling does no good at all near any large body of water.

In the past, discussions about alternative cooling systems always involved huge sums of money. With all the more recent focus on solar and other renewable energy sources, though, scientists have been focusing their attentions on the problem.  We reported some months back about a MIT professor who had devised a solar-driven hydrogen power plant, for example.  Now Europe is talking about revisiting a cooling technology, modifying the concept to be fueled by the sun.  Could Europe have the solution to a Green air conditioner?

Like everything, it comes down to dollars (or Euros) and sense.  If the technology is better in some ways but costs twice as much to operate, it’s not going to catch on.  If it costs too much initially, again, it’s going to be left behind.  Let’s take a look at this new Euro concept from Thermodyna.

Based in Hamburg, Germany, Thermodyna has a lofty goal: build a household power plant which will make electricity, heat and and cool the air, and do so whenever you need it to. If they succeed, no air conditioner would be necessary at all. At the heart of the notion is what some have dubbed the “Schukey” motor, a solar-powered cool air machine. The operating cost? 5 cents per kilowatt hour, which is more than half, nearly two-thirds lower than conventional AC units.

According to Thermodyna’s Volker Bergholter, the unit employs just two motors, is driven by the sun, (which heats the water into steam, and from there into the energy that powers the cooling system) and turns damp, warm air into a comfortably climatized 68 degrees F. Sound like a pipe dream? Thermodyna has announced availability as early as 2010. This is all the more important, as experts predict that Europe’s demand for AC will increase at least 10 percent by 2020, a direct result of global warming. The Thermodyna unit would reduce CO2 emissions, and decrease the mid-day demand for electricity. Just when the sun’s rays are hottest, these units would be providing relief from the heat.

It’s not cheap. Right now, the cost is about 1500 Euros ($2490) per kilowatt. But the manufacturer is hoping to slash that by two-thirds within the next decade, and then they’d be even up with conventional technology. Idealists to the end, Bergholter says “In the short term we could bring about a revolution” with the Schukey motor. We tend to agree. What do you think?

CAN YOU RECYCLE “CLICKY” PENS?

By: Rene Hernandez

So I’m here at the office and think that we are green at home, but what about at our office.  We have a recycling bin for paper and some plastic. In the day to day duties there are a lot of other things we use at work that don’t go into the recycling bin, so what happens to that stuff.

I love “clicky” pens...thats what I call them. The ones you push the button with your thumb and don’t have to worry about losing a cap or twisting the pen….I thought about all the pens we use in the office. Once their empty they go in the trash.

Every year Americans discard 1.6 million pens. Placed end to end, they would stretch 151 miles — equivalent to crossing the state of Rhode Island almost 4 times! …Many companies presently carry one to several lines of products which have positive environmental attributes. These attributes include recycled content, refillable options, nontoxic inks and more environmentally responsible packaging.” –Green Seal.

So how does one recycle old dried up pens? Here are some ideas to reuse and recycle old pens:

Reduce

• Don’t purchase disposable pens : buy one or two good quality refillable pens (and pencils,) and purchase refils as needed.

• Buy pens without excessive packaging (or at least packaging that is recyclable and made of recycled materials)

Reuse

• Purchase refills for your pens & pencils

• Revive dried up pens by running the tip through a lighter flame, or by adding a drop or two of hot water in the tube.

• Empty pen casing can be used to safely protect a traditional thermometer; store beads; as a pirch in a bird cage; for marking seedlings in the garden; for stir sticks; as a glue applicator; give those poor quality pens to kids to draw with; get creative!

Recycle

• At the moment you can’t toss pens in the recycling bin, as they require disassembling and recycling centers don’t have the time to do all that finicky work.

Take Back?

• I’ve yet to find a company that has a take-back program for their disposable pens. So the best thing I can recommend is : Don’t buy them, don’t take them home from seminars and hotels. Just buy pens that can be refilled and reused. I visited How Do I Recycle This thinking someone there may have found where I can recycle these… and aside from lots of tips on how to revive dried up pens, I couldn’t find my answer!

So next time your ink runs out with your non-eco friendly pen…see if you can find another purpose for it. Mention to your office manager about buying refillable pens and how much money it would save…or buy your own…one person at a time makes a difference.

Going Green: What Does Going Green Mean?

“Going green” is a popular phrase being bandied about these days. Chances are, you have heard it referred to quite a lot. But what does going green mean? In essence, it refers to using various everyday methods to help save the world and its environment. Many people consider going green to be an actual lifestyle; for them, it means basing your actions on working to save the world. From the smallest details to the most sweeping aspects of life, saving the world by implementing a green lifestyle is something that more and more people are aiming to do.

Definition of Green

Living a green lifestyle – or going green – can begin in small, easy to manage ways. Recycling is a huge, obvious part of helping to save the world through green living. Reducing one’s reliance on oil-based energy sources is another popular method employed in trying to save the world. Purchasing only all organic, chemical free products is another way that many people begin going green, and is considered a very effective method at trying to save the world and all of its resources. Green living is infiltrating all parts of daily life, and the planet is sure to be better for it.

Going Green Pros and Cons

Like any other type of lifestyle, going green and trying to save the world through environmentally friendly habits has its pluses and its minuses. The plus side is pretty obvious: saving the planet and contributing to a healthier earth.
However, there are some cons to going green. Saving the planet can be a costly proposition; many organic products have far higher price tags than traditional products. Similarly, hybrid vehicles – another popular mechanism for helping to save the world – are also very expensive.

Going Green At Home

Besides big ticket purchases, there are plenty of ways of going green at home. People can make their contribution to saving the world by trying to purchase organic and chemical free products wherever possible. Doing so encourages healthy farming practices, which can substantially work to save the world.

Going green at home can also mean being conscientious about not wasting tap water, and turning off lights when they are not necessary. All of these little things can really add up in one’s pursuit to save the world; if enough people begin going green, the planet will surely stand a far better chance.

Going Green Tips

Some people find that an easy way of going green and helping to save the planet is by creating a compost pile in their backyards. Planting a vegetable garden instead of water hugging grass is another method being used by many people who are trying to save the world. Using bicycles – or going on foot – wherever possible is another simple way of eschewing gas guzzling vehicles and saving the world. Going green is an overall life philosophy, and it can be employed in even the most mundane details of one’s life with success.

UPCYCLING: Re-Imagining Our Waste

By:  Leigh Anne Geiter

Nature does not know the concept of waste; the only species capable of making something no one desires is the human species.”    -Gunter Pauli, Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives    

 I gleefully scooped up our two green glass recycling containers two weeks ago, during the City of Corpus Christi’s Glass Recycle Day, happy to get them out of my garage and headed over to Del Mar College’s East Campus to drop off the load.  Besides the tinkling and breaking of glass that filled the air upon my arrival, I heard a lot of great news about recycling glass.  First, I noticed that the glass was separated into different bins by color: brown & green glass, other colored glass, and clear glass.  I then saw that some of the colored glass, particularly blue, was being set aside before even making it into the bins, so I wondered what that was all about and that’s when I met “The Glass Ladies.”  Deb and her partner pull out the most desirable colored glass containers before they hit the shattered stage in the bins and melt the bottles down to make beautiful art glass objects: cheese trays, finials for lamps, jewelry, and hanging patio lights set inside repurposed glass bottles (Dos Equis)…I probably contributed enough bottles to keep her busy with hanging patio lights for a while, as we missed the City’s first quarter Glass Recycling event earlier in the spring.  You can check out “The Glass Ladies” at The Farmer’s Market on weekends and see their beautiful offerings.  Get a beautiful object for yourself or as a gift and know that you are helping the environment! 

In talking to “The Glass Ladies” about the colored glass containers that they were saving for their art work, they mentioned the term “UPCYCLING.”  So I asked them to explain and learned that when you take a recyclable item and can create something else of greater value from it, it’s called “UPCYCLING.”  So I wondered, what else can be “UPCYCLED?”  I searched a few websites and was thrilled and excited as so many of the products.  Initially, I would say that most of the items being “UPCYCLED” are being turned into jewelry, furniture, home accessories, and more.

If you’re curious, like me, here’s a great website that will give you tons of ideas on how simple recyclable items in your home or office could result in “UPCYCLING!”

http://www.digitaluniverse.net/upcycling

Can the Cleaning Industry Design a Concentrate People Will Buy?

By Jason Foster

GreenBiz.com

 July 1, SC Johnson announced the launch of the Windex Mini, a pouch of concentrated Windex solution that can be mixed with water to refill and reuse old Windex bottles. This move is a critical step towards restructuring the environmentally-destructive and just plain wasteful practice of shipping water in disposable bottles, the current standard of the household cleaning industry. 

Concentrates, with their slimmed-down packaging, are both cheaper and easier for manufacturers to produce and ship while saving money for everyone involved. Furthermore, both consumers and manufacturers are able to reduce the use of plastic, waste and CO2 emissions by adding the water at home and not at a faraway factory.

Making concentrates more available to consumers, especially with a product as iconic as SC Johnson’s Windex, is a major step in the right direction. But, to be clear, it is only a step. What we need is a paradigm shift in design if we are serious about making concentrates a viable solution.

The road is littered with bolt-on concentrate ideas, like pouches, tablets and cartridges that ultimately were never adopted by consumers. The industry sees these failures as confirmation that consumers don’t care. However, these solutions only made delivering concentrates easier for the companies and didn’t make it easier for the consumer. 

In Elisabeth Rosenthal’s New York Times Green blog article "Making a Bet on Concentrated Refills," she poses the question, “Will consumers who say they care about the environment rise to the occasion as products like these are introduced?” Given the enormous benefits of mass consumer adoption of concentrates, many are watching and waiting to see if consumers, with a renewed sense of environmental responsibility or an eye for saving money, will step up to the challenge and change their habits.

I think we are asking the wrong question. Instead of waiting for permission from the consumer, the onus is on the industry to make the experience of using concentrates better. When will manufacturers rise to the occasion and rethink their designs to help consumers adopt concentrates?

If big companies are serious about concentrates, they need to improve their designs -- and pouches or vials are not the answer. They will continue to see poor consumer adoption with these bolt-on ideas that do not improve the consumer experience.

In order to reap the benefits of concentrates for consumers, retailers and the environment, the spray bottle needs to be fundamentally redesigned to offer an integrated, seamless solution.

But what cannot continue to happen is for the household cleaning industry to put out inferior-designed products and blame consumers for why they aren’t being adopted. Consumers will change if you give them a good reason to. 

There is no overnight fix to concentrates. It will take serious leadership and a sense of moral responsibility to leave the world a little cleaner than we found it. When we do, concentrates will become the obvious choice for consumers.