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.

Why Should I Go Green?

Today I wanted to write about the reasons why you should be moving toward more all-natural, organic products in your home.  Instead of writing, I decided instead to give you a short video that breaks it all down.



The process of going green is incredibly simple.  The process consists of one part; education.  When you know what is in the products you use every day, you are then able to make Informed Purchasing Decisions.  As is often said by a man that I respect highly, "Once you learn something, your brain never goes back to the size it was."  Once you have the knowledge, you will always have it.  No one can take it away from you.  So the next time you are about to make a purchase, look at the label.  If you don't know what the ingredients are, call me 602-492-5184.

Do you have a green question that is just nagging at you?  Send it to me!  And remember to sign up for my weekly newsletter below.

Compostable vs. Degradable: Know the difference!

With interest in composting on the rise, one question I get asked a lot is the difference between products that are compostable versus degradable. This issue relates to various products in the OnlyGreen catalogue.

Compostable products, such as OnlyGreen’s BioBags, hot cups, plates, cutlery, etc, are made from plant materials, including corn, potato, soy and sugar, which will all naturally break down in a compost environment. Under the right conditions (ie. warm and moist) these items will fully compost anywhere from 30-90 days. Using compostable products wherever possible will help to eliminate the need for landfill sites at all.

Degradable products, however, are made from traditional oil based plastics. Although these cannot be composted, they are designed to break down in a landfill setting, over a longer period of time. This gives all of the waste inside the bag a chance to decompose as well, which can reduce our landfill levels in the long run. Degradable garbage bags, such as OnlyGreen’s Bully Bags, offer a safer alternative than traditional black bags, but maintain a stronger durability.