I did something a little nuts today. I have run a small niche publishing business since 2000, and I learned very quickly that when you print books on demand and sell them retail, you either lose nearly all your profit margin by buying packing boxes or you have to charge a lot more than you […]
Lessons Learned from an Envelope Box Turned Inside Out Read More 👉
It’s the time of year when people are making resolutions to lose weight, better manage their finances, better manage their anger, and myriad other things. Is increasing your commitment to environmental sustainability on that list? As I wrote in my very first post for The Inspired Economist in the fall of 2008, the neat thing
What’s Your Green Resolution for 2010? Read More 👉
Do you like to play with online tools? I do. I like environmental calculators. It’s fun to plug in a bunch of numbers and see what you come up with. Take environmental calculators offered by paper companies. Want to know how much you can green your print marketing just by making a simple switch? They’ll
Decrease Your Carbon Footprint 2600% — With One Click Read More 👉
Did you notice something different on the back pages of The Order of the Phoenix? If you live in the Canadian market, you might. The fifth book in the Harry Potter series has something unusual on its back pages. It’s an environmental audit. The audit, produced using New Leaf Paper’s Eco Audit Calculator, uses New
Harry Potter Sports an Environmental Audit Read More 👉
Researchers at the University of York have recently come up with a method of recycling that seems like it fell from the pages of a science fiction novel. They want to turn discarded television screens into components for biomedicine. The scientists have been studying methods of reducing the environmental impact of e-waste streams as part
The Latest Medical Innovation: Recycled TVs Read More 👉
Sometimes we think we have to change governments and corporations in order to see environmental change, but change is just as powerful when it happens one person at a time. And sometimes it’s easier to do. About a month ago, I made two posts about the environmental efforts of SunChips, a snack food company. I
Inspiring Change One Person at a Time Read More 👉
The opportunity for San Francisco’s composting effort will be to imaginatively engage us in a herculean effort to educate AND motivate compliance.
Composting: inspiring behavior change Read More 👉
In their ongoing efforts to achieve a more environmentally friendly image, the Coca-Cola Co. announced earlier this month that they will be launching new biobased plastic bottles for their Dasani water line later this year and vitaminwater next year. They’re calling their new packaging the “PlantBottleTM.” Plastic soda bottles are generally made from polyethylene terephthalate
Coca-Cola Launches Eco-Friendly Packaging Read More 👉
Growing at an annualized rate of 6.3 percent for the past five years to 2008, Recycling Facilities is one of the few industries in the “green sector” to observe a decline. IBISWorld, an industry research firm tell us that recycling is expected to decline significantly in 2009 – after five years of strong growth.
Talking Trash on Earth Day Read More 👉
Do you need to raise funds for your local school or non-profit organization? Consider Funding Factory’s funding-through-recycling program.
While funding in a down economy is not an easy task for any kind of venture, schools and non-profits seem to bear the brunt of the recession even more than for-profit companies. But as funding gets even tighter, the concept of a green economy is burgeoning. One company, Funding Factory, actually provides by being the first link in supply chain for re-manufacturing.
FundingFactory: Funding Through Recycling Read More 👉
Department store giant Sears is jumping on the green bandwagon by announcing plans to offer “green” clothing in May – suits made from recycled PET bottles with NO petroleum used in the manufacturing process. Made in partnership with the US arm of Japan based Teijin Fibers Limited, each suit will be 54% recycled polyester, 42% wool, and 4% spandex, and will be fully machine washable.
Sears Goes Green – Suits Made From Recycled Bottles to Hit the Racks in May Read More 👉
Inspired green progress continues to be made by Terracycle – the company that first made fertilizer from worm poop and tote bags from food wrappers. The next initiative by this innovative company is to place recycling bins outside Petco and Home Depot, OfficeMax, and BestBuy stores to collect items that were normally not even considered as
Home Depot and Petco Targeted for Terracycle’s Newest Recycling Efforts Read More 👉
Ah, the smell of coffee wafting through the evening air. Except this time that aroma doesn’t come from our French press but rather our fireplace. No, we haven’t thrown can of perfectly unacceptable canned, non-fair trade supermarket java into the fire, but rather a firelog partially made from coffee grounds. Sounds rather sustainable, huh? Okay,
How Green are Firelogs? Read More 👉
A Japanese company has come up with yet another use for old plastic bottles. Earlier this month, Teijin Fibers Ltd. announced that they are now supplying recycled polyester fibers to Toyo Tire & Rubber for use as cords in a new line of automobile tire marketed for use on environmentally conscious passenger cars.
Recycled Tires: Where Bottles Feared to Tread Read More 👉
Most of us have heard the popularly cited statistics that given the choice between two similar products, 83% of consumers will chose those that are “environmentally friendly” and will pay more for them. According to the DoubleClick study, not only are consumers interested in green products and companies, but nearly half are willing to pay
Greening Print Marketing: Is There a Double Standard When It Comes to Paying for Green? Read More 👉
Styrofoam (or polystyrene) is nasty stuff: it lasts forever, can leach chemicals (especially when heated), and is really, really difficult to recycle. Wal-Mart Canada is launching an effort to address that last issue by partnering with Grace Canada (a division of W.R. Grace & Co.) to reuse styrofoam waste from packaging in the production of
Wal-Mart Canada Launches Styrofoam Recycling Initiative Read More 👉
All companies like to say they are “green,” but Xerox is putting numbers behind it. Its “2008 Report on Global Citizenship” provides a year-over-year look at its progress toward its goals toward corporate social responsibility. Among the highlights: Two additional facilities named members of U.S. EPA National Environmental Performance Track (validating environmental performance beyond regulatory
I got a surprise this month. I was writing on “green” issues related to inkjet ink, and much of what I expected to write went out the window. [social_buttons] In the world of offset printing, the difference between solvent-based inks and water-based inks matters—a lot. In the world of toner-based inks (digital inks), on the
Greening Print Marketing: Inkjet Recyclability Suspect Read More 👉
Many printers say they are “green” or “eco-friendly” because they print using soy inks, are FSC-certified, or print on recycled paper. But if you want an example of a printer who is really serious about its stewardship of the environment, take a look at Green Printer. Using sources from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
Greening Print Marketing: Getting Serious About Greenhouse Gases Read More 👉
This article was originally published on Eco-Libris blog on September 17. I really love milk, so I was very happy to hear about this new great idea that is coming from the UK: a milk bottle that is made mainly of recycled paper and can be recycled again. In one word: Greenbottle. Greenbottle (http://www.greenbottle.com) has
Wall Street is in financial crisis. Individual investors are reeling. The world is watching. If ever there were a time to get serious about our world stewardship, it’s now. While we’re used to thinking along broad, expansive lines such as international policy and national priorities, the fact is, there are changes you and I can
Greening Print Marketing: Xerox Gives Customers More “Green” Printing Choices Read More 👉
Earlier this week, I talked about printing with recycled paper and how the decision on which stock to select goes beyond merely “recycled” to include other factors, including the percentage of postconsumer waste content and whether or not the paper is elemental chlorine-free. Printing with recycled paper ought to be a no-brainer. Not only do
Greening Print Marketing: How Much Is Brightness Worth? Read More 👉
In my first post on “green” marketing, someone posted a comment about a company called Smart Levels that prints on recycled paper with soy-based inks. This piqued my interest, so I went and checked out the company’s website. Sure enough, there it was—the company’s proud declaration on its home page. (Gotta love the tree frog,
Greening Print Marketing: Looking Beyond Recycled Content Read More 👉
Three years after Subaru introduced America to landfill-free car manufacturing, General Motors has announced plans to turn half of their 181 factories waste-free by 2010—and they’ve made the process profitable. The company explains that while lessening their environmental impact is a main goal, they’re now seeing realizing a high cash flow from the sale of
General Motors Sees Profit in Landfill-Free Manufacturing Read More 👉
