Is Your Business In The Green? part 1

I have said before that I do a lot of networking here in the valley.  Every week I meet business owners who may recycle at home, yet they don't in their business.  I find this very strange.  I know that part of the reason is that there is no recycling service as part of their regular waste disposal in most cities here.  I try to impart this little nugget of information to each business owner I meet; greening your business is more than just recycling.  Recycling just happens to be the most popular place to start for most people.

Does your business have a break room or kitchen?  Do you supply the cups, cutlery and plates/bowls?  There are amazing products available to business owners to make a HUGE difference in just this one area.  There are cups, cutlery, plates and bowls made from corn, made from sugarcane and other plants, that are biodegradable/compostable.  There are garbage bags made from corn that break biodegrade so that the contents can properly break down.  Next week, keep an eye on your break room or kitchen and take a mental note of the waste and types of waste produced in five days.  Once you have an idea of the amount, now multiply that by 51.  Now think about this; what if all of that completely biodegraded and didn't exist after a few months.

What Is Organic Cotton?

Cotton is one of the most heavily sprayed agricultural crops in the world, using chemicals that are harmful in many ways. Cotton accounts for more than 10% of pesticide use and approximately 25% of insecticide use worldwide. Organic cotton farming avoids the use of chemicals by promoting healthy plants and soil to control the pests and weeds, and eliminates the need for genetically modified crops.

While conventional cotton farms use spray chemicals as insecticides and pesticides, organic cotton farming involves physically removing the weeds by hand hoeing and cultivation, working the land as we have done for centuries. Nutritionally rich soils are established by proper crop rotation – letting the earth naturally run it’s cycles. Insects are controlled by planting other crops used to lure the insects away from the cotton. All in all, it’s a much healthier and beneficial means of farming – following our roots and bringing farming back to the way it was.

It is said that nearly ½ lb of chemicals are used for each regular sized t-shirt produced using regular cotton. This is a frightening thought. Thankfully, with organic cotton production doubling year over year, more products are becoming available that are made from this fantastic all natural material. OnlyGreen is proud to say that we offer a wonderful line of organic cotton products, from baby wipes to bath mitts, cosmetic squares and kitchen towels.

Contact me today to make the change to organic cotton, as well as learn about the many other great eco-friendly alternatives OnlyGreen has to offer.