When dining out, many people are becoming more and more concerned with the carbon footprint they are leaving behind. There are numerous aspects of the dining experience to consider when trying to make the event more eco-friendly, from how you go about getting to your destination to where the food you are consuming comes from.
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Recently, the extremely popular Cash for Clunkers program ended, with great success during it’s run. A new incentive program will be debuting this fall that will offer rebates up to $200 dollars for people to replace their old, inefficient appliances with new, energy-efficient models called Cash for Refrigerators. This program hopes to boost sales in the struggling economy while encouraging people to become “greener” in their choices.
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As the world continues to look for new ways to go green, there are groups that pop up nearly on a daily basis that encourage you to do certain things to help the environment. One Billion Bulbs is one such group. This particular group encourages everyone one replace their standard incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs. If everyone replaced their bulbs with these energy-efficient ones, it would not only save the individuals money on their power bill, but would also drastically reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the environment. One billion CFL light bulbs will prevent the equivalent of a years worth of emissions from 1 million cars. Our energy dependency on other countries and fossils fuels would be drastically decreased as well.
One Billion Bulbs is actually part of a larger initiative called Energy Trek. Energy Trek covers a much broader spectrum of issues, not just lighting, which is the main focus of One Billion Bulbs. Energy Trek covers appliances, heating / cooling, wind / solar, and transportation issues.
In addition to trying to get everyone to change their bulbs, One Billion Bulbs also hopes to educate people on the benefits of eco-friendly bulbs and how it will help them, their business, and the environment.
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McDonald’s is taking serious strides to do their part in helping make the world a “greener” place. McDonald’s restaurants have opened ten locations that are exploring different ways to conserve energy and reduce waste. McDonald’s calls these eco-friendly restaurants “learning laboratories,” according to VP corporate social responsibility Bob Langert.
One of McDonald’s green locations in Chicago, IL consumes around 25% less energy than typical MickyD’s locations. Other locations, such as the Cary, N.C. one, are incorporating more environmentally friendly components each day to try to make their restaurant as green as possible. This location has began using LED lighting and low-flow toilets, using eco-friendly counter materials that are made from recycled glass and concrete. This specific location has even went far enough as to provide electric car charging stations. Their goal is to achieve LEED gold certifications from the USGBC.
McDonald’s is making all of these efforts in order to become a more socially responible company.
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Buying new appliances for your home or business is a sizeable investment, so you will want to make sure that you are purchasing an environmentally-friendly piece of equipment. “Green” equipment will eventually pay for themselves, with drastic reductions in energy use, which can be seen in your electric bill.
Your refrigerator is often uses more energy than any other appliance in your home or business, simply because of its function. The refrigerator / freezer is used to constantly keep food at a cool, consistent temperature, which requires round the clock energy consumption. According to PlanetGreen, a refrigerator uses up to 14% of your entire energy consumption. This, however, does not have to be the case. Top and bottom refrigerator / freezers are typically the most energy-efficient units, however there are several new side-by-side refrigerator / freezers that are nearly as eco-friendly as the traditional models.
We encourage you to research several different types of refrigerators and look at the various differences between each type so you can make the most informed decision possible. We recommend looking at selections from Amana and / or Electrolux. These well-known brands have exceptional refrigerators that offer the utmost in savings.
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In nearly any industry, some sort of shipping is involved in the everyday process, whether it be shipping orders to customers or receiving orders shipped to your business or organization. The overall shipping process typically is not viewed as a green one; boxes, pallets, packaging materials are all costly and quickly fill up landfills when improperly discarded. Fortunately, there are a few ways to create a more environmentally friendly shipping process. Consider these 5 steps to becoming a more eco-friendly shipping company:
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A good home cleaning will definitely make your home appear neater and might make you feel cleaner, but what impact does cleaning actually have? The substances you clean with might actually be putting more pollution back into the environment and in your home than you realize or want. According to a study conducted by the EPA, indoor air pollution can be up to 5 times higher than outdoor pollution, depending greatly upon the type of cleaners you use.
Conventional cleaners have a petroleum base, which is a non-renewable resource and can also leave a toxic film behind on the surfaces you are supposed to be “cleaning.” How can this be prevented? The answer is easy, slightly tweak your cleaning routine to create a cleaner, less toxic environment. The following are a few easy ways you can make a difference:
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Most cleaners that we use today are just a new twist on some old recipe for a cleaning product that was made hundreds of years ago. The main difference between cleaning products today and the ones used years ago are the chemicals that are added to make them smell a certain way or seem slightly more effective. In today’s eco-conscious world, we all realize that nearly everything we do has some sort of impact on our environment, whether it be a positive or negative.
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As everyone knows, the cost of nearly everything has gone up lately; with food being no exception. With the cost of food rising and the income of many Americans dwindling, going out to eat is not nearly as nonchalant as it used to be. Many individuals are dramatically cutting back on the amount of times per week they eat out, if any at all. People are beginning to cook at home more often, cooking their own lunches for work, growing their own gardens, and eating smaller portions to fit their budget.
Although we all hope that the price of nearly everything will go back to normal after this tough economic time is finally over, many experts are predicting that the high cost of prepared food might be here to stay, regardless of our economic situation. The high monetary price of food seems to be catching up to the already high price that many Americans are dealing with: the obesity factor. Prepared foods are a major cause of obesity in the United States, and the higher price of prepared foods is leading individuals to eat smaller, healthier meals, which will in turn help to reduce the obesity levels and help the environment. We can all do our part to help support the environment by purchasing locally grown foods or even growing our own.
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Many companies are making every effort to “go green” as often as possible. One new & innovative way that many companies are going green is by using green advertising to help get their message across. Green advertising can take many forms, from email marketing (which greatly reduces the amount of paper a company uses) to one of the newest forms, Green Graffiti.
Green graffiti is an eco-friendly form of outdoor advertising that is completely carbon neutral, which contributes greatly to a healthier, more sustainable environment. Green graffiti provides an excellent form of advertising, as it not only cleans a portion of a sidewalk or building, but also attracts consumers attention and provide a clean, clear message to anyone who may see it. Green graffiti is simple, all that is required is a large stencil and a pressure washer. The advertisement is created by laying the stencil down on whatever surface you are planning to graffiti, then using the pressure washer to clean those areas that are left open by the stencil.
This form of green advertising should be taken into consideration by U.S. companies on a regular basis. What better way to prove yourself as an environmentally concerned company than to go with a form of green advertising. Perhaps we should all consider this before we go printing & handing out flyers for events or specials. Go green - in all forms.
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