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Category Archives: Eco-Friendly Products
Earth Day Promo Product Clearance!!!
ECO-FRIENDLY SHOPPING BAGS
The Latest Must-Have for Environmentally Conscious Consumers
Although environmentalism has been around for over a century, there is no doubt that the green movement has truly taken off in the past 10 years. There is a collective push for greener automobiles, greener homes, and greener products. One recent issue in the forefront is the toll that plastic shopping bags take on the environment. Hence, the latest must-have for environmentally conscious consumers : eco-friendly shopping bags.
It’s no secret that disposable plastic shopping bags are destructive to the environment. Besides the fact that they don’t biodegrade, they use massive amounts of fossil fuel to produce and are dangerous to various animals and wildlife – especially marine animals – who ingest the bags when they are mistaken for food. Because the bags are easily blown by wind, many end up as litter, and those that don’t take up valuable space in our landfills.
Laws banning the use of plastic shopping bags have been enacted all over the world, including the United States. San Francisco was the first city to ban the use of these bags in March of 2007, and many cities are attempting to pass legislation banning them as we speak.
Eco-friendly shopping bags have been gaining popularity in droves, and for good reasons. They are inexpensive, reusable, and most are machine washable. They come in a variety of materials including organic cotton, canvas, and different types of recycled plastic. And all are unquestionably better for the environment than standard plastic shopping bags.
Businesses are catching on as well. Many corporations and organizations are finding that eco-friendly shopping bags are a perfect way to show they are on the “green-team” while promoting their company. Eco-friendly bags are quickly surpassing the popularity of pens and mugs as promotional give-aways.
There is good news for the style conscious green consumer as well: you no longer have to settle for plain, drab designs on your eco-friendly bags. There are so many different styles of green shopping bags available that by using them you are not just making a statement about your dedication to protecting the environment, you’re making a fashion statement as well.
CONTACT ECO PROMO COMPANY EAST COAST GRAPHICS TODAY
TO LEARN MORE! 631-231-9300
ECO PRINTING COMPANY
Soy Based Ink Printing: The New Wave of Commercial Printing
In this country, commercial printing products are all around us. We have newspapers delivered daily, our mail is jammed with glossy brochures and catalogs, and billboards line our city streets. Like baseball and apple pie, it’s a part of our culture. But what many people might not know is that the traditional commercial printing process is very taxing on the environment. It uses tons of paper, energy, and—perhaps worst of all—the ink and solvents used in printing presses produce large amounts of volatile organic compounds, also known as VOC’s, which are pollutants that can contaminate air, soil and groundwater.
Luckily, many in the printing industry have sought and developed greener, earth friendly solutions to the pollution problem. One of the biggest advances has been the introduction of soy based inks into the commercial printing process.
Besides giving off high levels of VOC’s, traditional inks used for printing are petroleum-based. Soy based ink products, however, are derived from a mixture of soybean oil, pigments, resin and waxes. The VOC levels are greatly reduced, and because the oil comes from soybeans grown in the United States, using soy based ink boosts our economy while decreasing the need for a foreign product such as petroleum. Also, because soybean oil is clearer than petroleum distillates, less pigment is needed to produce the same effect, reducing the overall cost of the ink.
The recycling process is also helped by soy based inks because it can be removed more easily during de-inking than petroleum based products.
Although the environmental and economical benefits of soy based ink printing are reason enough to use them, there are aesthetic benefits as well: soy based inks actually produce brighter, richer colors than traditional inks, which is why they are used in over 90% of US daily newspapers. So while it’s true that traditional commercial printing has been harsh on the environment, the good news is that greener alternatives are making their way into the industry, with soy based ink printing leading the pack.
CONTACT ECO PRINTING COMPANY EAST COAST GRAPHICS TODAY
TO LEARN MORE! 631-231-9300
Reusable Bag Use Triples Among Shoppers
In April 2008, Whole Foods became the first U.S. supermarket chain to eliminate the use of plastic grocery bags. A year later it reports that it has seen the use of reusable grocery bags triple. Most major supermarket chains and club stores, from Stop and Shop to Sam’s Club, have followed suit by offering inexpensive reusable bags and/or offering refunds for plastic bags that are returned. In a relatively short period of time, “green” bags went from being on the fringe to becoming something of a norm for many shoppers. “At first we wondered if shoppers would just switch to paper, but to our great surprise, people have been truly excited about using reusable bags,” says A.C. Gallo, co-president of Whole Foods Market.
This kind of effort is only likely to increase in the coming year with more than half of marketers claiming their companies will increase their sustainability initiatives this year, according to a survey conducted by the American Marketing Association and public relations firm Fleishman-Hillard. Two of the larger distributors who have been doing brisk business selling green products aren’t surprised at all by the velocity of the trend. “More and more people are getting educated on how bad those bags are for the environment”.
“It’s great that people finally realize those plastic bags are a bad idea. They are a lose, lose, lose for everyone. China banned them. San Francisco banned them. People have taken notice.”
Gallo says the effort is worth it because his company is helping its customers turn the green corner. “By offering various versions of stylish, affordable 99-cent bags that have become quite popular, our shoppers have been inspired to make a positive environmental change and have really incorporated the reusable bag mindset into their lives.”
LOOKING TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS IN AN ECO-FRIENDLY WAY?
CHECK OUT THOUSANDS OF GREEN PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS FROM EAST COAST GRAPHICS HERE
Websites To Help You Improve Your Carbon Footprint
Just how serious is your carbon footprint? We keep on hearing on how to renew our ways but apparently most of us don’t even know what carbon footprints are about. Sure we all know that it has something to do with global warming, climate chance and renewed resources. But as far as becoming socially responsible people, it would be best to check out these sites so we can have an idea of our shortcomings towards a greener world to live in.
- Berkeley Institute of the Environment
- Nature Conservancy
- Carbon Counter: Separate calculators for home, auto and air.
- Carbon Footprint: Calculate, reduce and offset
- Climate Crisis
Soy Based Ink Printing : The New Wave of Commercial Printing
In this country, commercial printing products are all around us. We have newspapers delivered daily, our mail is jammed with glossy brochures and catalogs, and billboards line our city streets. Like baseball and apple pie, it’s a part of our culture. But what many people might not know is that the traditional commercial printing process is very taxing on the environment. It uses tons of paper, energy, and-perhaps worst of all-the ink and solvents used in printing presses produce large amounts of volatile organic compounds, also known as VOC’s, which are pollutants that can contaminate air, soil and groundwater.
Luckily, many in the printing industry have sought and developed greener, earth friendly solutions to the pollution problem. One of the biggest advances has been the introduction of soy based inks into the commercial printing process.
Besides giving off high levels of VOC’s, traditional inks used for printing are petroleum-based. Soy based ink products, however, are derived from a mixture of soybean oil, pigments, resin and waxes. The VOC levels are greatly reduced, and because the oil comes from soybeans grown in the United States, using soy based ink boosts our economy while decreasing the need for a foreign product such as petroleum. Also, because soybean oil is clearer than petroleum distillates, less pigment is needed to produce the same effect, reducing the overall cost of the ink.
The recycling process is also helped by soy based inks because it can be removed more easily during de-inking than petroleum based products.
Although the environmental and economical benefits of soy based ink printing are reason enough to use them, there are aesthetic benefits as well: soy based inks actually produce brighter, richer colors than traditional inks, which is why they are used in over 90% of US daily newspapers. So while it’s true that traditional commercial printing has been harsh on the environment, the good news is that greener alternatives are making their way into the industry, with soy based ink printing leading the pack.
Sandwich Chain Cooks Up Environmental Business Promotions
When a company is based on an island as beautiful as Puerto Rico, it’s easy to see why they’d take an interest in preserving the environment. Besides sponsoring beach clean-up events and awareness-raising programs at school and hospitals, El Meson Sandwiches incorporates environmental and other public-service messages in their kids’ meal toys.
The company recently worked on two such promotions with the kids-focused marketing agency. The first one involved cute mini trashcans accompanied by replica trash items – a banana peel, a newspaper, a plastic bottle and an aluminum can – that could be “hopped” into them.
“While the purpose of the game was to keep kids busy and entertained,” says Angel Morales, managing director for the marketing agency, “there was a tremendous increase of awareness about recycling, and this program was an absolute hit – especially on the beach, where it needed it the most.”
The agency also worked with El Meson to create a set of four cardboard Spanish-language children’s books focused on important subjects like traffic safety, the environment, sports and health, and personal hygiene and grooming. (The books were also used by another agency client: Tip Top restaurants in Nicaragua.)
The toys and books were a huge success with kids, parents and schools alike. “We have personally received many emails complimenting the promotions, the quality of the toys and the illustration,” Morales says. “Kids liked the colors, and the LibroScopios (books) were extremely popular.”
Eco-Friendly Shopping Bags : The Latest Must-Have for Environmentally Conscious Consumers
Although environmentalism has been around for over a century, there is no doubt that the green movement has truly taken off in the past 10 years. There is a collective push for greener automobiles, greener homes, and greener products. One recent issue in the forefront is the toll that plastic shopping bags take on the environment. Hence, the latest must-have for environmentally conscious consumers : eco-friendly shopping bags.
It’s no secret that disposable plastic shopping bags are destructive to the environment. Besides the fact that they don’t biodegrade, they use massive amounts of fossil fuel to produce and are dangerous to various animals and wildlife – especially marine animals – who ingest the bags when they are mistaken for food. Because the bags are easily blown by wind, many end up as litter, and those that don’t take up valuable space in our landfills.
Laws banning the use of plastic shopping bags have been enacted all over the world, including the United States. San Francisco was the first city to ban the use of these bags in March of 2007, and many cities are attempting to pass legislation banning them as we speak.
Eco-friendly shopping bags have been gaining popularity in droves, and for good reasons. They are inexpensive, reusable, and most are machine washable. They come in a variety of materials including organic cotton, canvas, and different types of recycled plastic. And all are unquestionably better for the environment than standard plastic shopping bags.
Businesses are catching on as well. Many corporations and organizations are finding that eco-friendly shopping bags are a perfect way to show they are on the “green-team” while promoting their company. Eco-friendly bags are quickly surpassing the popularity of pens and mugs as promotional give-aways.
There is good news for the style conscious green consumer as well : you no longer have to settle for plain, drab designs on your eco-friendly bags. There are so many different styles of green shopping bags available that by using them you are not just making a statement about your dedication to protecting the environment, you’re making a fashion statement as well.
Tips for Going Green
A step-by-step plan to lead a more eco-friendly life and save yourself a little money.
Reduce Water Temperature. Cooling your water heater from 140°F to 120°F will not only prevent burns, but will save up to 10% of your home’s energy usage.
Buy Local. Shopping at a local farmers market or buying local in your grocery store doesn’t just support your area’s agriculture, it cuts down or out the CO2 emissions that result from the thousands of miles food normally travels to get to your table.
Stop Idling. Idling your car for more than 30 seconds gets 0 miles to the gallon. If Americans reduced their idling by 2 minutes, it would save our country 400 million gallons of gasoline per year.
Recycle. Sorting and recycling your trash works! If every American recycled just their Sunday paper each week, it would save 500,000+ trees every week and create more recyclable fibers for the paper industry.
Change Your Bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs produce the same amount of light as standard incandescent bulbs but consume 1/3 of the energy. They also last 10 times longer. Switching just 5 bulbs in your home or office can save almost 500 pounds of CO2 and $40 per year in energy costs.
Adjust Your Thermostat. Turning your thermostat down 2° in the winter and up 2° in the summer not only saves energy, but can reduce your heating bill by 3% each day.
Reuse Your Bags. The US consumes approximately 100 billion plastic bags each year. Using a canvas bag for your market shopping will save almost 1000 bags per year.
Take Better Showers. Showers account for 32% of a home’s water usage. Keeping your showers to 10 minutes and installing a low-flow showerhead can save a family of 4 up to 20,000 gallons of water each year.
Pump Your Tires. 25% of all cars on the road have under-inflated tires. If all drivers checked their air pressure it could save over 800 million gallons of gasoline.
Sign up for Green Energy. Over 50% of electricity consumers now have the option to purchase green power. Visit www.doe.org to check your state’s availability.
Slow Down. Speeding decreases a car’s fuel economy by as much as 7%. If 1/3 of all drivers decreased their speed by 5 mph it would save 2.5 billion gallons of gas.
Visit the Car Wash. If you wash your car, use a professional car wash. Car washes use an average of 32 gallons of water per vehicle, whereas cleaning your car in the driveway uses 10 times that amount.
Don’t Wash the Dishes. Loading the dishwasher will save as much as 20 gallons per full load than hand washing or presoaking. And, your dishes will be just as clean.
Repair Leaks. Check your house for leaky faucets and running toilets. Fixing leaks can save up to 2,700 gallons of water per year.
Use Cold Water. Washing clothes in cold water saves approximately 85% percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes and gets them just as clean.
Buy a Water Filter. Manufacturing 17, 1.5 liter bottles for water releases 40g of hydrocarbons, 25g of carbon minoxide, 20g of nitrogen oxides and 2.3 kg of carbon dioxide into the air. Plus, bottled water consumes exorbitant energy costs in the transportation of the materials to the manufacturer and then to the market.
Know Your Waste. Nearly 4500 tons of mercury is released into the atmosphere each year. Reduce this toxic emission by donating cell phones, computers and other electronics instead of throwing them in the trash.
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint. Carbon and lifestyle calculators like the one at www.earthlab.com show you how big of a footprint you’re leaving and what you can do to reduce it.
Carpool. Carpooling not only saves gas and money, but reduces almost 10% of your monthly carbon emissions.