When President Obama signed the American Recovery Act, he alloted 20% of the funds to be used for developing a green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency improvements and other environmentally innovative projects. And Delaware’s aging water infrastructure is smiling because of it.
In the past I’ve written about how you can save money by reducing the amount of paper you use and the 7 basics of green procurement (which includes defining office supplies standards). Now, let’s talk about basic office supplies that are great, green and cheap.
Some even innovate. Take Office Max, they were one of the first national retailers to carry TerraCycle products and they now sell a range of their products from notebooks made from used potato chip bags to juice pouch pencil cases.
There are also a number of green office suppliers online such as Green Line Paper.com, TheGreenOffice.com or Green Apple School Supply that offer thousands of eco-friendly products. And green promotional item companies like John Simonetta’s ProformaGreen.com and EcoPromotionsOnline.com are also good places to find green office supplies.
I found ten awesome green office supply products under $10 because no matter how small every single purchase has an impact on the environment. Whether you’re buying copy paper or forklifts, that purchasing decision is an environmental decision. So, if you want to start with some small stuff, basic office supplies are a great place to start. Here are my favorite cheap, green office supplies:
#1. on my list is reasonably priced private-label recycled content copy paper from office supply retailers. A scan of websites today (July 2, 2009) revealed the following prices for a 10 ream case (5,000 sheets) of 30% PCW 20 lb. 8.5″ x 11′ copy paper:
Office Depot: $3.30/ream (for a limited time until stock lasts; regularly $4.00/ream)
Office Max: $4.00/ream
Staples: $4.10/ream
2. & 3. The TerraCycle E-Waste Recycling Can is made from 100% e-waste (such as crushed computers and fax machines) that would otherwise have ended up in landfills. It comes in both blue and green, holds 28 quarts and costs $9.99 (www.officemax.com). For a more funky and slightly smaller version, the TerraCycle 12″ Urban Art Recycled Trash Bin (its that groovy one above) also costs $9.99 (ShopOnlyGreen.com).
Another book on green business? You may be tempted to wonder if we need another one. After all, there are already numerous classics on the subject (The Ecology of Commerce, Natural Capitalism, Mid-Course Correction), as well as more recent books that bring the subject of sustainable business into the 21st century (Green to Gold, Strategies [...]
You drink coffee. Tea. When it’s at home, it’s organic, and when you’re out, you do your best. In so many ways, you live a green lifestyle. And yet, there’s one sticky point: the cup.
You know about bringing your own mug, but it’s just so…clumsy. And it’s not the right size for the machines your barista uses, so they have to use a different cup when making it, defeating the purpose of you bringing a mug.
Yes, their cups are made from recycled paper, but they’re coated to make them waterproof, heat resistant, etc. Which means they aren’t getting recycled a second time. Compostable? Biodegradable? Possibly, but still, some materials had to be used to make that single use cup. Often more than twice the weight of the resulting cup. And for many, unless you have a professional grade facility at home, composting or biodegrading isn’t going to happen any time soon.
What to do? KeepCup has what may be just the thing:
This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of Proforma Simonetta Freelance, an eco-friendly promotional items consultancy (see proformagreen.com). John’s blogs are designed to keep us up to date on the “greening” of his industry.
UltraClub is the in house brand of promotional apparel supplier Brodek and Rhodes. Under the UltraClub brand name Brodek and Rhodes has recently launched a line of organic cotton apparel of a slightly higher quality than other organics currently on the market.
The quality of these garments is one thing, but more important seems to be the way this line is being marketed. Indeed Brodek and Rhodes is going out of their way to educate the promotional item industry, and indeed the end users of these items about what - according to Brodek and Rhodes- makes organic cotton organic cotton.
To this end they have developed the website www.ultraclub.com/organics as an educational tool for the buyer. Ecopreneurists that use the sale of shirts in their business can now arm themselves with facts to answer the question, “what makes this organic”.
Also Ecopreneurist businesses that use Brodek and Rhodes UtraClub Organic apparel for staff uniforms can use this information in their own marketing message as additional proof of their business’s commitment to the environment.
The site is divided into six fast sections, Why Buy Organic, Understanding Organic, It’s the Process, 100% Certified Organic, Protecting the Workers, The UltraClub Line.
Marc Seiler is the Bodek and Rhodes’s ASI contact to talk to about Brodek and Rhodes commitment to organic apparel. If you are interested in these items to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.
San Francisco, CA - They’re everywhere. On the streets, in gutters; even collecting in pools of water. Little orange and white rolls of paper and tobacco. Cigarettes. Once used, these unfriendly remains haunt our down towns and our backyards. But it’s time to say goodbye to the orange and white…in San Francisco at least. San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee unanimously supported a measure that will help get rid of the stubs of used cigarettes.
Women entrepreneurs, don’t miss the Keiretsu Forum’s 4th Annual Summer Solstice panel discussion tonight about “How Women Investors and Entrepreneurs Will Revive the California Economy.”
The event will bring together the Bay Area’s most talented minds to:
In addition to a networking reception, attendees will hear brief presentations and a panel discussion regarding the larger role women investors and entrepreneurs need to play in the California economy. More than ever, the angel community is eager to attract women investors. Women investors are considered a largely untapped market that is critical to “financial and mentoring support for new companies.”
REGISTRATION
Please register at http://summersolstice.eventbrite.com $25 by June 26, $40 thereafter.
PANELISTS AND KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
The Summer Solstice will feature a unique panel of business women who will discuss a myriad of issues confronting the entrepreneurial community today. The panel itself will be comprised of notable members and entrepreneurs from the Keiretsu Forum and Women’s Initiative.
5:30-6:30pm Registration, Networking, and Booth Exhibitors
6:45-6:50pm Welcome and Opening Remarks
6:50-7:10pm Key Note Speaker
7:10-7:20pm Panelist introductions
7:20-8:00pm Panel Discussion
Amanda Wallis is the Managing Director, Market Executive for the Northern California and Nevada Regions of U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. Wallis is a member of Bank of America’s San Francisco Leadership Team, comprised of the company’s top executives in the market. The team manages the bank’s ongoing relationships with local community leaders and organizations and makes decisions about how to use Bank of America’s resources to support the San Francisco community.
With more than 30 years of financial services experience, Wallis joined U.S. Trust from American Express in London where she served as executive director, and Europe, Middle East, Africa Region Head of the American Express Private Bank. In that role she led a region with seven international locations. Prior to her role at American Express, Wallis spent over 10 years at the legacy Private Bank of Bank of America. During this period Wallis served in several leadership roles in San Francisco and London.
Wallis earned her undergraduate degree from Smith College and completed the executive program in Leadership and Managing Change at Stanford Business School. In 2007 she was named one of the “20 Most Influential Women in European Wealth Management” by Global Investor Magazine.
Rashmi Sinha is co-founder and CEO for SlideShare, the world’s largest community for sharing presentations and documents. SlideShare is growing rapidly (more than 18 million monthly uniques) letting everyone from marketers, conference speakers and academicians share presentations and connect with others. Rashmi has a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Brown University and did research on search engines and recommender systems at UC Berkeley. She is a frequent speaker at conferences such as Web 2.0 Expo and Future of Web Apps. She writes a blog at rashmisinha.com about running a startup.
This is another in our series of environmentally focused cartoons we are featuring from Seppo Leinonen a cartoonist from Finland. I met Seppo through Twitter @sepponet and loved his business oriented green cartoons - I think you will too!
Editor’s Note: The is a guest contribution by Danny Kennedy, President of Sungevity. This is part of a series from the CEO’s of major solar companies. You can follow the complete series here.
Sometimes it is hard to contemplate what a good news story our industry – solar sales and installation – and the broader clean energy economy really represents. I was reminded on Monday at the graduation ceremony for the Oakland Green Collar Jobs Corps.
This post was originally posted on Eco-Libris blog on June 21.
The added value of going green is constantly growing. According to a survey conducted lately, 46% of consumers say they would shop at a retailer more if it was environmentally friendly. Another study of Mintel shows 62% of customers choose a restaurant based on their commitment to the environment.
It’s summer in the Northern hemisphere, and for many, that means going on holiday to warm, tropical locales. And using air conditioning. Lots of it. In fact, in some tropical places, nearly 80% of energy use in a hotel room is for air conditioning. 1200 to 2000 watts on average.
Evening Breeze is an interesting solution: It’s a canopy bed that has adjustments for both temperature and humidity, and delivers it quietly, overhead, using only 400 watts. As it’s focused just on the place where coolness is desired, there’s no need to try and cool the whole room. Simple, brilliant. The resulting energy savings can mean 4MWh, $1000 and 2.5 tons of CO2 reduction annually.
The 13th annual LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) Forum, held in Boulder last week, brought some of the world’s most influential conscious commerce leaders, green businesses, and inspiring personalities together for three days, building connections and exchanging ideas for a brighter world and healthier planet.
Over 500 people from all over the globe filled the St. Julian hotel, and representatives from about 260 businesses were in attendance. The air was filled with that electric feeling present at every gathering of like-minded people, and during breaks in the sessions, connections were made, business cards exchanged, and deals and joint ventures were being built.
For the LOHAS business owner, the Forum was filled with practical information, including sessions covering LOHAS Market Data, engaging multicultural markets, investing in human capital, and branding for sustainability. The LOHAS market worldwide is estimated at over $209 billion a year and growing, and includes businesses that focus on sustainable living, health and fitness, the environment, and social justice. This new-ish market is booming, and companies that attended the Forum were hungry to know more about bringing their message to the mainstream.
For the human side of businesses, speakers such as Hunter Lovins (CEO of Natural Capitalism), Wade Davis (National Geographic), John Marshall Roberts (author of Igniting Inspiration), and Andrew Cohen (EnlightenNext) inspired and energized their audiences to continue to be engaged in positive change.
The Forum wasn’t only comprised of small businesses and niche market representatives, either. Some large mainstream companies like Coca Cola, eBay, Facebook’s Causes.com, and Wal Mart were among the presenters, and for some, this crossover interest in LOHAS is a sign of things to come.
“As we find ourselves at a critical crossroads within the business community, LOHAS is in the perfect position to help expand the ‘green’ marketplace by facilitating new relationships across industries.” - Ted Ning, LOHAS Forum Director
With sessions like “Lessons from a Radical Industrialist” by Interface Chairman Ray Anderson, and “Fortune 500 Companies Going LOHAS”, with representatives from Coca Cola and Wal Mart, the Forum helped to highlight the bridges to sustainability being built by big business.
If your eco-business needs a boost and you’d like to build your network and be informed about the opportunities and lessons of others, you don’t want to miss the LOHAS Forum next year!
Image:epSos.de at Flickr under CC License
This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of Proforma Simonetta Freelance, an eco-friendly promotional items consultancy (see proformagreen.com). John’s blogs are designed to keep us up to date on the “greening” of his industry.
Raining Rose - the first in the promotional items industry to offer a USDA certified organic promotional lip balm - is getting ready for the 4th of July celebrations in the US by releasing three new lip balm wraps ready for the addition of your company’s logo and contact information.
Many lip balms claim to be organic but the USDA certified organic promotional lip balm from Raining Rose is the only promotional lip balm I know of that is certified to put the USDA seal on their high quality product.
Why? Let’s look at the ingredients: organic palm oil, organic beeswax, organic extra virgin olive oil, organic essential oil of peppermint, organic hemp seed oil, organic essential oil of spearmint, vitamin E. That is it.
Raining Rose also offers a standard SPF 15 and SPF 30 lip balm which are 66% organic and come in a numbers of flavors such as Iced Pear, Cherry, Citrus, Coconut, Grape, and Lemonade. (FYI - Lemonade ingredients would be organic palm oil, beeswax, organic extra virgin olive oil, flavor or essential oil, organic hemp seed oil, vitamin E, rosemary extract.)
All Raining Rose products are made in the USA and made on location in their FDA audited facility. All products have their ingredients listed on the Raining Rose website (try that, Kraft Foods). All casings are made from 30% biodegradable plastic. And if you are ASI, PPAI or SAGE and want to test out their products just ask.
For ecopreneurists wanting a lip smacking summer marketing tool these customizable lip balms are a great idea. Clients really seem to appreciate their quality and Raining Rose can print labels with any artwork that you can design. Plus they offer a number of theme templates, like these 4th of July labels.
Ecopreneurists will find these products are great giveaways at trade shows, festivals, concert events, company picnics, beach events, you name it.
EQP on standard lip balms is $0.90 at 5,000 units. EQP on the USDA certified organic promotional lip balm is $1.90 also at 5,000. Minimum runs for each are as few as 250 units.
If you are in the promotions business contact Lisa Wagner at Raining Rose for more information on their products and special wraps for the 4th of July. If you are interested in these items to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.
Ecopreneurist
Ecopreneurist provides news and advice on sustainable and social entrepreneurship. Learn about new green products and services for the LOHAS demographic, and get marketing and branding assistance for your green start-up business.
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