MY GREEN BLOG

Ever thought about how much energy is used going to the store, buying the cards, then driving to the post office to send them, then in their delivery??? A LOT!!!

130 million people visit the post office during the holidays and 3.4 BILLION letters are mailed, that’s a lot of driving and delivering and a ton of wasted emissions.

Well thanks to the USPS… you can do it all from your desk at home. This year they have unrolled a CardStore for creating holiday wishes to be mailed directly to your friends and family. The following are just a few of the eco-friendly ways the USPS is making this process:

- Cards are made to order so no waste

- Easily edit your card or envelope online so no wasted mistakes

- The store is powered by Ink2, a Forest Stewardship Council-Certified company that uses sustainable wood sources.

- Ink2 uses nonhazardous materials

- Emission reduction by not having to drive to buy the cards or the post office to send

- And most importantly the TIME SAVINGS!!!!!

You can customize from over 1000 choices and personalize your greetings as well. You can visit the CardStore HERE.

Don’t forget to recycle the cards you receive once the holidays are over.

Till next time,

Jeff

I was just thinking last week how I missed the snow covered midwest. What I forgot about was the bitter cold temps. Well something blew into the Pacific Northwest this weekend and it left us with a whopping 3 inches (which debilitates us) of snow and 7 days of subfreezing weather. Now my driveway and walkway are an accident waiting to happen.

So what is a green person to do when they don’t want to use salt?

One alternative to salt is a product called Ice Melt (clever) made by Earth Friendly Products. It is safe for pets and vegetation and works down to -13. That’s pretty good.

Another alternative that you can order is Bare Ground. They make both a liquid preventative deicer and a coated salt that is 30% to 40% less corrosive than Rock Salt. Both are much less harmful for the environment.

Unfortunately you cannot get these products locally and have to order them from via the internet. I suggest using this as your prompt to order some now. For those of us in the PacNW, one bottle of this stuff will last for years.

In the end, the best short term solution would be sand. It’s not a favorite but it will reduce the slips and increase traction. Just make sure visitors wipe their paws at the door.

Till Next Time,

Jeff

I was not aware of the mass economy associated with recycling but as I read an article from the Associated Press yesterday it began to make sense. Basically the price for recycled items has dropped almost 92% for some materials. For instance a ton of cardboard in September of this year was going for $135…. Today it’s selling for just $35. Plastic bottles have fallen from 25 cents/pound to 2 cents/pound.

All of this is affecting quite a few municipalities across the country and the industries, like shipping, associated with them. For instance, the City of Seattle is considering having to pay companies to take materials that just last year earned the city millions in revenue.

So what is happening and why so fast??? Industries associated with these materials are seeing huge drops in their sales causing them to cut back production, thus their need for these materials have dropped. Since the demand is so low… something’s got to give, and the prices dropped. Now contracts drawn up in the height of the market are obsolete and can’t be met.

Things are getting bad enough in some areas that recycling companies are limiting the materials they are willing to take. Thankfully we seem to be OK here in Seattle and some recyclers are discussing buying warehouse space to store items till the market returns, which folks are hoping it does by the spring. If not we all may need start storing this stuff in our garages as well. If this does happen expect options to be out there other than sending it to the dump. I’ll keep my eye on this so if this does happen near you hopefully we can find your recycling answer.

Till Next Time,

Jeff