Take That!

As many of you know, I am making a series of commitments this year to clean up my personal environment.  I only stop at my favorite coffee houses if I have my re-usable cups with me, etc.  I made a new commitment this month: to take a re-usable container with me if I go out to eat.  Some may think this is a little crazy and I'm perfectly okay with that.  When I go out to eat I enjoy the meal as I always do.  Only now, when I've finished, if there are any leftovers I wish to take home with me, I hand the waiter/waitress a re-usable container to place the leftovers in.

When I first made this commitment, I was sure I would be met with shocked stares and disbelief.  So far I have received only excited smiles, thanks from the restaurant staff (it saves the restaurant money so they can pay their staff more) and positive responses from other patrons.

I challenge every person who reads this blog to do this the next time you go out to eat.  Will you accept this challenge?

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.

I Know I Should Do More part 4

"I just don't have the time to go shopping around for green products.  It's easier to just use what I can get at the store."  If I had a dollar for every time I have heard that, I'd be able to afford a new electric car.  Have you ever used this as an excuse to just buy whatever is on sale at the grocery store?  I used to use this excuse before the popularity of the internet rose to what it is today.  Once independent stores started putting up their own websites selling their products, I was on my green path full time.

The first thing you need to do is sign up for my newsletter.  Look to the right of this post and you'll see the sign up form.  Every Monday I will send information that will help you make the informed purchasing decisions that will green up your life.

The second thing you need to do is visit my website, www.onlygreen.com/cruggles, where you can find all of the products you need in one place.

The third thing I would recommend is hosting an EcoWorkshop.  By hosting an EcoWorkshop, you can learn more about ingredients in your current every day products and experience some great green alternatives.  You also get to spend an evening with your friends.  These are fun, informative events that are big on education with no hard selling.  Contact me today to book yours.

It's A Numbers Game

I recently came across an amazing video that I want to share with you.  It was made by National Geographic.  The statistics shown in the video are incredible.

I welcome your comments.

I Know I Should Do More part 2

Do you feel your curb-side recycling takes enough?  They don't.  Most city recycling centers are still in "landfill" mode and don't see the benefits to increasing their recycling capabilities.  This doesn't mean that you can't do more.  You can recycle as much as you want.  If you take a little time at the beginning, the process is simple, quick and actually makes you money.

You can recycle almost anything.  Here are the steps to recycling more:

1. Look at what you are putting in your regular garbage can.  Make a list.  Are you putting in plastics, papers or glass that you suspect could be recycled?

2. You want to locate a good recycling center near you.  To do that, you want to visit this link: Earth911.

3. Almost all recycling centers require you to separate everything once you are there.  Save yourself all that work and separate it before hand.  Look at the list you made in step one and pick up a container for each type of material you are going to take to the center.  Now when you throw that stuff out, it's already sorted and you don't have to do it at the center.

4. Decide when you are going to take your materials to the recycling center.  Will you need to go once a week, two weeks or maybe only once a month?  You'll have a better idea of when you need to take it in once you start collecting it.

5. Take your containers to the recycling center.  They will normally have bins to transfer the materials into.  Since you don't have to stand there and sort everything out, this is super easy and quick.  They will weigh everything and give you a receipt and send you to the office where you will get paid for the materials you brought in.

What are you going to do with that extra money?  I really want to know how you do with this.  Leave a comment telling everyone how your efforts are going and what you are going to do with the extra money.