Photo courtesy of littlenelly at Flickr.com.
Staples really bite. If you’ve ever caught your finger on the teeth of a staple or ruined important documents with a hungry stapler, you probably don’t appreciate these sharp little metal doodads. Well, the planet doesn’t appreciate them either.
Staples are wasteful and have a huge carbon footprint. The most common type of office staple is made with galvanized steel - that’s steel that’s been re-heated and coated with a layer of zinc. As you can imagine, this double heating process is a pretty energy intensive task. From mining and transporting ore, to smelting and forming the staples one at a time from wire spools, staples gobble up energy at every step of their production and use. This energy use causes millions of tons of pollution.
Since staples are tiny, they rarely get recycled. In fact, they often increase the cost of recycling paper because they contaminate the recycling stream and can jam machinery. In paper recycling centers, the staples are pulled from the line by powerful magnets and screening filters, and then they’re thrown away as a recycling byproduct.
So what does the office of the future look like? How do you bind pages together without using staples?
Photo courtesy of gordasm at Flickr.com.
Instead of adding a piece of scrap metal to your documents, a staple free stapler cuts a tiny strip of paper and then threads that strip through the other documents. Unfortunately, there are some limitations to the technology. It only works on a small number of pages, generally 2-7 sheets of paper of normal thickness. So, unless you want to make a new “un-staple” every 5 pages in a document (and mess with offsetting those marks), these are best suited for short memos rather than binding training manuals.
If your office uses a lot of short notes and you don’t want to waste time going to the office supply store all the time, perhaps one of these metal-free staplers is the answer. Otherwise, you might want to consider an older technology - the paperclip!
Photo courtesy of sabor.tijuana at Flickr.com.
Popularity: 9% [?]
12 Feb 08 |
Although Valentine’s Day typically looks like the Crayola factory exploded one day while producing red and pink crayons, we’ve decided to skip out on the mushy, glitter-covered card that is hard to recycle, flowers that can only die, and chocolates made with a mess of problems. This year for Valentine’s Day, we’re going green in our own practical way.
Photo courtesy of Michael_L at flickr.com.
Let’s start with the card. This should be easy since recycled paper is so in right now. Instead of stopping by the closest grocery store at the last minute on your way to see your Valentine, try going to a local paper supply or card boutique to find a card made from recycled paper.
Photo courtesy of Mat_the_W at flickr.com.
Or better yet, try making your own. Cut out letters and hearts from old magazines and paste them to some paper you have lying around. That way when your Valentine eventually tosses it, it will be easier to recycle.
Photo courtesy of ever_moire at flickr.com.
If you or your Valentine enjoys flowers, don’t buy flowers that are chopped off and stuck into a vase of death. Ok, we’re being a bit dramatic, but seriously, you spend loads of money on a bouquet of flowers that will only die. How does that make any sense? Try finding a florist that sends potted flowers (or even plants). If you can’t find one that does this in your area, consider delivering them yourself. Although your Valentine will have to maintain the plant, it’s a great way to keep them thinking about you at home or work.
For a cheesier option, make a bouquet of fake flowers. When you give the fake flowers to your Valentine, tell them you will stop loving them when the last one wilts. (Let it marinate…) Get it? They won’t ever wilt because they are fake, so your love will last forever. (Disclaimer: We can not be held responsible for immediate vomiting reaction this may induce in either party, nor for a break-up in two weeks. That was your promise, not ours!)
Another option is to buy flower seeds or bulbs to plant in your garden or window box. Make sure to find a type of flower that will prosper in the coming season in your area.
Photo courtesy of net_efekt at flickr.com.
And then there’s the much-desired-but-frequently-loathed Valentine’s Day chocolate. An easy way to show your Valentine you really care is to NOT purchase the chocolates in the gross, heart-shaped boxes that are glued to the hands of a poorly-made teddy bear. (harsh, but true) This year go for something less traditional and more supportive of the economies in need with buying fair trade chocolate(s). TransFair USA’s website has a helpful Where To Buy section that helps you find several fair trade products in any state, making fair trade chocolate easy to find! Also try looking for organic chocolate like that from Terra Norstra Organic or Dogoba Chocolate (both of which also happen to be fair trade).
And lastly, if all this seems too hard to do this late it the game, consider doing your part by staying at home for dinner. Cook up a romantic dinner (it doesn’t have to be complicated) for you and your Valentine, watch a cheesy romantic movie (there are too many to link to) and share a bottle of organic wine.
Popularity: 6% [?]
18 Nov 07 |
Our quest for unique eco-friendly gifts continues as the holidays grow near! Ok, sorry to even mention Christmas in November, but if you’re like me, you’ll be too dang busy over the next few weeks to do a good job looking for unique gifts, so we hope to do some of the work for you.
First on the plate this week is this cool recycled wine barrel lounge chair, available from UnCommonGoods.com for around $165.00. It’s made from salvaged oak wine barrels and works great indoors and out. I’m getting drunk just looking at it!
Makes a great gift for the eco-friendly friend or for yourself!
Popularity: 10% [?]
2 Oct 07 |
The Coffee Sock is a cloth coffee filter that is an eco-friendly replacement for paper coffee filters. I recently purchased a Coffee Sock for my personal 5 cup coffee maker. Although up until now I’ve been composting my unbleached coffee filters, I figured I’d give the Coffee Sock a try.
I’ve been very pleased with the result. Although the Coffee Sock required a bit of care and maintenance, I’ve found that my coffee actually tastes better than with a paper filter. This is the most surprising thing about my experience.
I was also surprised to read that the life expectancy of my coffee sock is only about 4-5 months or so. This is ok, though, as the manufacturers have made a great effort to make the materials 100% biodegradable.
Overall, for $4.99, I’m very pleased with my Coffee Sock. It’s eco-friendly and has actually improved the experience of my morning ritual.
Thumbs up!
Popularity: 11% [?]
3 Sep 07 |
Green is Sexy is an interesting website with tips and some very practical info for those looking for ways to improve the environment. But what’s up with the “sexy?” Well, let’s hear it from the site’s authors:
Green is sexy came about when three friends realized that exchanging quips & tips on ways to make an impact on the environment was becoming daily conversation. They decided that, with a little bit of research and some help from their friends, they could spread the word to all sorts of people and really make a difference. green is sexy is about tiny changes, big impact. Why sexy? Because being informed is sexy. Being responsible is sexy. Being eco-friendly is sexy. Making a difference is sexy. Green is sexy. We invite you to become part of the green is sexy community by helping us change the world one day at a time.
For the frugal environmentalist, they have an interesting set of tips called “Money Savers” which I found to be quite handy.
Enjoy, you sexy beasts!
Popularity: 7% [?]
30 Jun 07 |
Practical environmentalists can declare their love for the Earth and for fashion following the U.S. release of British designer Anya Hindmarch’s “I’m not a plastic bag” bag.
This anti-excess statement is available online for $15 at www.anyahindmarch.co.uk, or at select Whole Foods stores on the East Coast.
A Today Show blogger reports that she talked with a couple girls who’d traveled to NYC from Taiwan to buy the bag.
Hmmm… flying to NYC from Taiwan to buy a plastic bag replacement? I’m not sure they were doing it for the Earth.
Nevertheless, replacing, reusing or recycling plastic bags is without a doubt good for the environment.
Popularity: 8% [?]
24 Jun 07 |
Lou Manfredini from House Smarts TV recently talked on the Today Show about environmentally friendly lawn equipment. Among the products mentioned are reel mowers, compost bins (like the Tumbleweed Composter shown above) and manual cultivators. Lou says,
Compost is a natural way to fertilize your vegetable or flower garden. You can send less into our landfills and more back into the earth with the use of the Tumbleweed Composting bin. This unit makes it easy to keep the compost well aerated. You can use kitchen scraps, leaves or whatever can be loaded and turned to speed up the process and help you feed your garden naturally. It sells for about $200.
He also mentions lawn aerating shoes, and the Scotts Classic reel mower as earth friendly tools for the lawn and garden. The video, while a bit cheesy at times, is well worth checking out. Just click the link above and follow the video link on the MSNBC website.
Popularity: 7% [?]
23 Jun 07 |
I’ve heard that mint is a natural repellent for ants, so I tried out Dr. Bronner’s Organic Peppermint & Mentha Arvensis Castille Soap to treat a serious ant problem we’re having.
Seems the little buggers like our kitchen scraps we have set out to take to the compost pile. We tried it out (diluted) and it works great. It seems to actually kill them on contact, too. I tried Dr. Bronner’s out on cockroaches and it works the same. We poured it directly on the cockroaches after they crawled up a drain at night, and within a few seconds they were dead with their legs sticking up in the air. It’s organic, smells great, and kills ‘em dead!
Dr. Bronner. you’re my hero. You’re right up there with Dr. K!
Popularity: 7% [?]
14 Jun 07 |
Here’s a tip for all you gardeners and friends of nature.
Bats are critters that help to control populations of insect pests including blood sucking mosquitoes. Yes indeed, while vampire bats do exist, the real blood suckers have been and always will be mosquitoes. Get bats to help you keep your yard mosquito free! Bats will also munch on gnats, flies, etc.
The great thing about bats is that they typically leave beneficial insects like lady bugs, praying mantis, etc. alone. Bats are harmless as long as you don’t mess with them. You can actually encourage their presence in your yard with a bat house. If you have a water feature in your garden, they’ll be more likely to come to your home. However, you can always set out a bird bath with water to get them to visit.
You can use this cool bat detector to determine if there are bats in and around your yard. This gadget also lets you listen to them.
Popularity: 6% [?]
3 Apr 07 |
Easter is on the way. Another excuse to spend money on cheap crap and yummy sugary snacks! Or, if you’d like to try something a little more socially responsible, check out these unique Easter basket gifts from Heifer International.
Heifer’s “baskets” are actually gifts of livestock, chickens, sheep, geese or rabbits, given to needy families.
A great gift idea from a well established NGO. Here’s a little info about Heifer’s work if you’re not familiar with what they do:
This simple idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief caught on and has continued for over 60 years. Today, millions of families in 128 countries have been given the gifts of self-reliance and hope.
Popularity: 5% [?]