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Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Green Celebrations Require Green Tips: How to Green Up Your Holiday Parties
Posted By: Brad Roderick
According to The Huffington Post, there are many ways to green-up your holiday parties, but Carolyn Scott has the greenest tips for readers.
This Holiday Season, Go Green!
By: Carolyn Scott, The Huffington Post
Executive producer, creator, host, writer, The Healthy Voyager
· Eco Invites
As nice as it is to receive a hand-written invite, we all know they end up in the trash. Use Evite or Ping and get the job done quickly without spending a dime of wasting paper.
· Real or compostable dishware
Sure, cute holiday plates and napkins are adorable and festive, but they are expensive and fill landfills like nobody’s business. Do your best to use real dishware by investing in some fun holiday dishes or even mix and match by borrowing from friends and neighbors. But if you’re not in the mood to wash a truckload, opt for compostable dishware or dishes such as VerTerra.
· Personalize glassware
A great way to keep folks from wasting cups and glasses is to be sure that they keep theirs the whole night long. Ask that folks bring their own glasses or get creative on ways to personalize their beverage containers. From wine glass charms to simply writing their name on them, this will do the trick if you’re using disposable cups or just trying to conserve on washing a ton of glasses.
Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carolyn-scott/greeen-holiday-parties-en_b_798030.html
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Yahoo!Finance Posts Grenk’s Press Release: How to Recycle Electronics This Holiday Season
Posted By: Brad Roderick
Yahoo!Finance recently posted grenk’s press release: How to Recycle Electronics This Holiday Season.
Many people will be receiving new electronic gadgets. It is vital that people understand why it is important to recycle as well as how to recycle electronics properly. According to thedailygreen.com, The Consumer Electronics Association, which represents electronics manufacturers, encourages people to recycle their e-waste, and has set up a handy website to make the process simple. Visitmygreenelectronics.org, where you can search for local recycling drop-off points by zip code and product category. You’ll also find tips and information about electronics recycling, and a cool energy calculator that will show you how much juice each product uses. This would be a great tool to utilize, especially during the holidays.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Simple Ways to Green Up Family Holiday Traditions
Posted by: Brad Roderick
Many families are greening up their holiday traditions this year. According to a blog post, written by Nicole Bennett from http://simpleorganic.net/, consuming less or getting creative with recycled wrapping materials are great traditions that can help green up the holiday.
The article suggests that to make the holidays greener people should consume less by buying less presents, producing less wrapping waste and spending less money.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Reduce Waste this Holiday Season
Posted by: Brad Roderick
This time of year, it is likely that people will have excess waste. People will get rid of old electronics, wrap presents with wrapping paper and buy plastic toys. Below is an article, written by Benjamin Rothfeder from http://ridgewood.patch.com, about how to reduce waste during the holidays.
The article states, “Between Thanksgiving day and New Years Day, Americans generate 25 percent more waste than usual. That is an extra 1.2 million tons per week (6 million tons total). That’s why I’m going to offer to you a list of ideas to cut back on waste. If only one person reduces their waste output, then I’m satisfied that I’ve made a difference.” (But please tell friends and family, too.)
“Wrapping paper is a key source of waste during the holidays. It is laminated and biodegrades very slowly. It is difficult to recycle because it often contains non-paper additives and dyes. Consider other forms of gift wrapping. For instance, aluminum tins are great for cookies. Most small to average sized gifts can be kept in baskets and gift bags with gift paper stuffed around the sides. Another creative surprise is to hang pieces of jewelry on the Christmas tree or menorah. If you’re hell-bent on using wrapping paper, recycled wrapping paper is available.”
“We use a lot of styrofoam in packaging when shipping presents. Styrofoam, the brand name for polystyrene, is a petroleum based polymer, much like plastic. Its decomposition leaches hydrocarbons into the air and water and these can be hazardous to our health and environment.”
Friday, December 10, 2010
How to Recycle Electronics This Holiday Season
Posted By: Valerie Jennings
Brad Roderick, executive vice president of InkCycle, a Kansas City company with a recycled line of ink and toner cartridges known as grenk, recently reviewed the importance of recycling electronics this holiday season www.grenkblog.com.
According to an article from http://www.thedailygreen.com, it is important to recycle old electronics this holiday, considering that 20 to 50 million tons of electronic waste is discarded globally every year. The article states that if all that “e-rubbish” were put into containers on a train it would go once around the world. E-waste is the fastest growing component of the municipal solid waste stream, and currently makes up 5 percent of all municipal solid waste. (http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/computer-recycling-electronics-recycling-461219).
Roderick said that this holiday, many people will be receiving new electronic gadgets. “It is vital that people understand why it is important to recycle as well as how to recycle electronics properly. According to thedailygreen.com, The Consumer Electronics Association, which represents electronics manufacturers, encourages people to recycle their e-waste, and has set up a handy website to make the process simple. Visit mygreenelectronics.org, where you can search for local recycling drop-off points by zip code and product category. You’ll also find tips and information about electronics recycling, and a cool energy calculator that will show you how much juice each product uses. This would be a great tool to utilize, especially during the holidays,” said Roderick.
InkCycle is a Kansas City-based company with a green line of remanufactured ink and toner cartridges known as grenk (grenkblog.com). Grenk is a line of remanufactured ink and toner cartridges designed to leave the smallest environmental footprint possible. Powered by InkCycle, grenk delivers brand name quality at a fraction of the cost.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Way To Make This Christmas Environmentally Friendly
Posted by: Brad Roderick
Christmas is not only one of the biggest holidays our country celebrates each year but is it also known as one of the most environmentally unfriendly holidays. Some holiday traditions include families traveling, unwrapping presents, and stringing up holiday lights. These things are polluting our environment and causing large amounts of waste.
Yahoo.com provides a list of things we can do to help cut back on waste and make this holiday season a little more environmentally friendly.
Make Christmas a Heart-Warming, not Global Warming Holiday
Fortunately, there are things we can do to minimize the environmental impact of our celebrations without making the season any less festive and enjoyable. By taking these few simple steps to make Christmas a greener holiday, we can make it a more heart-warming and less global warming holiday season.
Reduce Christmas Travel Mileage
While the most eco-friendly thing to do would be to avoid long-distance travel altogether, Christmas just isn’t Christmas unless families can come together to celebrate. So let’s just try to minimize travel. If family is traveling from several locations, try to hold the family festivities in either location where the greatest number of people don’t have to travel at all or choose a central location that offers the lowest average miles per person.
Reduce Waste on Wrapping Paper
There are several ways to reduce the waste on wrapping paper. The first, and most effective, of course, is not to use any. Again, though, watching the kids tear through the wrapping to discover what’s inside is a big part of what makes special Christmas memories. What we can do is to use and re-use gift boxes and decorative bags that can be used over and over, year after year. Another option is to use recycled wrapping paper. As a child, I even received some gifts that were wrapped in the funny pages from the Sunday newspaper. Not only does this re-use existing paper, but it slows down the mad frenzy of unwrapping, as kids pause to read their favorite strips before tearing them up. At my grandmother’s house, we were always careful to break the tape and unwrap the gift rather than tear it open because my grandmother insisted that the wrapping paper be saved for use again the following year. A frugal and eco-friendly option.
How Much Electricity do Christmas Lights Use?
To calculate your Christmas light energy usage, multiply the wattage of each bulb, which should be included on the package or instruction sheet, by the number of lights in the string. This is the total wattage used by each string of lights. A typical string of 150 incandescent mini-lights of 2.5 watts each uses more electricity than three 100-watt light bulbs, for example. Averaging just two such strings of Christmas lights per household around the country really adds up to a lot of coal and oil being burned to make that extra electricity.
Choose Energy Efficient Christmas Lights
Brightly colored Christmas lights, again are a big part of traditional Christmas celebrations. Obviously, manufacturing and shipping Christmas lights from overseas factories is not ever going to be an environmentally friendly option. We can, however, choose lights that use less electricity and be more careful about when the lights are on. Look for the lowest per bulb wattage when choosing Christmas lights. You may find they range from as much as 9 watts to as little as half a watt per bulb. The light option with the lowest energy usage is LED lighting. LED lights use about 1/20 of a watt each. That’s a huge reduction in electricity usage and a difference that you’ll notice in you electric bill especially if you have lots of lights.
Read More environmentally friendly holiday tips here:
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Inhabitat.com Shares Its Green Holiday Gift Guides: Green Gifts for Him and Her
Posted by: Brad Roderick
As the holidays approach, many find themselves in a desperate search for the perfect gift for a special someone. Fortunately, Inhabitat.com recently shared its 2010 Green Gift Guide, which provides great gift ideas for the eco-minded man or woman.
Here are a couple gift ideas from the Inhabitat.com guide:
For Him: A Solar Guitar Tuner
“Staying tuned can be tricky for musicians on the go, which is why this pint-sized solar guitar tuner is a godsend for guitarists as they gear up for their next gig. Designed by Tascam, the world’s first solar-powered tuner is easy to use, requires no batteries, and a handy keychain keeps it always at the ready.” – (http://inhabitat.com/greenholidaygiftguide/gifts-for-him/solarguitar/)
For Her: A Double-Walled French Press
“Make her morning coffee ritual even better with a double-walled french press, designed to keep your coffee hotter for longer. French presses have been praised by coffee connoisseurs and environmentalists alike for their excellent tasting coffee, low-energy use and lack of paper filters. We suggest a double-walled version to provide extra insulation, like the ones offered by Bodum or Planetary Design.” – (http://inhabitat.com/greenholidaygiftguide/gifts-for-her/coffee/)
See more gifts ideas here.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The Benefits of Choosing LED Christmas Lights This Holiday Season
Posted By: Brad Roderick
According to Nick Bannin of WWLP.com, before the Thanksgiving Day turkey has even been cut, many of you are out shopping for Christmas lights.You have basically two choices when it comes to Christmas lights: Incandescent lights, which you probably already use and LED lights which are increasingly popular.
Light Emitting Diode, or LED technology is being talked about a lot these days. With the holidays approaching, you might want to look into bringing LED to your tree.
LED Christmas lights typically last longer than traditional Christmas lights, the bulbs are stronger so you won’t be fiddling around your Christmas tree trying to find out which bulb is out and the lights are also brighter than traditional lights.
WWLP spoke with one person who was shopping for outside LED Christmas lights. “I’ve already upgraded to the new energy efficient bulbs in the inside of the house so now we’re trying to do that on the outside. They last longer, the electric bill is lower and they’re better quality,” said Kathy Luce of East Hampton.
Read More
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Planetgreen.com Shares Their List of The Top Green Tips For the Holidays
Posted By: Brad Roderick
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the holiday season has arrived. If you are wanting to put a green spin on your holidays, planetgreen.com has shared some simple tips that can help you reduce your carbon footprint during the holiday season.
According to the article, here is the top 10 list of green tips for the holidays:
Trim the Tree: For some families, chopping a fresh fir from the Christmas tree farm is as much as annual tradition as hanging stockings or baking cookies. And while we know it’s more work (and, eventually, more money) than setting up the same plastic one year after year, the benefits are countless; real trees provide oxygen to the air and habitats for animals, plus, in some cases, can be replanted after the holidays. Plastic trees, on the other hand, are often made of PVC and the carbon footprint of their production is massive. Decorate it with vintage ornaments-either from thrift stores or from your grandparents’ basement-or make your own out of fabric scraps, paper, and non-toxic glue.
Lighten Up: When it comes to outdoor decorations, the greenest lights and decorations are the ones you never buy, but, if you can’t imagine going without making your corner of the holidays twinkle a little brighter, at least tone it down so Santa can’t see your house from space. Lower your electricity bill even more by using energy-efficient outdoor LED lights, which pull almost 90 percent less power and are several hundred times brighter than traditional lights.
Share the Love: While sending holiday cards may be the simplest and least time-consuming way to wish all your friends and family a happy season, the paper, envelopes, and postage can wallop your December budget-and your loved ones’ recycling bins. The most eco-friendly way to go is an email card, but if you’d rather go traditional, try making your own (out of recycled paper, of course). Best case scenario: send cards that double as ornaments by getting inventive with a little ribbon.
Check it Twice:Where to even start with the shopping issue, when so many parts of the holiday mass consumption need an environmental overhaul? Here’s an idea: start by buying less stuff. Don’t buy gifts just for the sake of buying them. For the family and friends that you actually want to buy for, choose experiential presents like concert tickets, yoga classes, spa services, restaurant vouchers, or weekend getaways. If you’re faced with a roster of picky giftees with specific requests, choose green items that fit the bill-check. And if none of these will satisfy your hard-to-please crowd, at least look for items that don’t come in miles of plastic packaging.
Wrap It Up: So maybe you’re no longer 7 years old, but you can’t deny: there’s something about a pile of brightly wrapped gifts that’s always exciting (the colors! the mystery!). But creating a festive Christmas morning doesn’t have to mean stocking up on rolls of non-recycled wrapping paper that are basically fancy trash. String magazine pages or newspapers together for homemade paper, or use brown paper bags or scrap paper decorated with non-toxic paint and ink for an even more personal touch. Better yet, find a gift that can double as wrapping-a messenger bag for a computer, towels for a collection of kitchen goodies, a washcloth to disguise your mom’s favorite bath products-and dress it up with a simple bow or ribbon. Spending a little extra on wrapping that won’t end up in the trash is better for your wallet and the earth.
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Friday, November 19, 2010
Thank You to Green Life Style Magazine for Featuring Grenk’s Video Regarding E-Waste & How to Recycle Ink and Toner Cartridges
Posted By: Brad Roderick
Thank you to Green Life Style Magazine for featuring grenk’s video E-waste: How to Recycle Ink and Toner Cartridges.
The article briefly describes the process of recycling ink, as explained in the video, and how recycling these ink and toner cartridges at InkCycle will help eliminate e-waste from landfills. Below is an excerpt from the article.
Brad Roderick, executive vice president of InkCycle in Lenexa, Kansas, reviews the process of recycling ink and toner cartridges at InkCycle to help eliminate e-waste from landfills. grenkblog.com Roderick explains that the first steps include taking the toners apart to see what’s inside of them, replacing the critical wear components, cleaning out excess toner and getting them back to a state where they are ready for repair and refurbishment. Roderick discusses the final step of recycling an ink and toner cartridge after one is placed into a live printer and prints a series of pages to ensure that when it’s taken out of the box that the print performance at the end of the production process is up to the standards that will satisfy the consumer. InkCycle produces a recycled ink and toner cartridge called grenk. Grenk is designed to leave the smallest environmental footprint possible. More information about grenk and their environmentally- friendly efforts can be found at http Follow on Twitter @GrenkInk
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