Green Options » reusable containers

Should Public Education Include Environmentalism?

Heidi Suydam — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:37:09 +0000

“It’s really important to help the earth and save the polar bears.” Stated a 9-year-old in Flossmoor, Illinois. At the time of her statement she was also coloring a “Go Green” sign at her desk, reports Ruth Ravve in her recent article entitled Environmental Lesson Plans Drawing Praise, Concern.

Western Avenue Elementary School participated in “National Green Week” February 2nd through 8th of this year. This annual event is organized by the Green Education Foundation. Schools sign up at the Green Education Foundation website in order to participate. Participation is also available for any organized group, individuals or families. President of the Green Education Foundation, Victoria Waters, explains

“It’s important to start creating habits now, while children are young, because it can add up over a lifetime to make huge monumental consequences to the environment.”

While participating in National Green Week students of all ages are taught to use reusable containers for their lunches and drinks, to reduce waste at home and at school and to conserve water. In addition, students also learn that animals may be in danger because the earth is in trouble.

Green your Moving Checklist: Choose RecoPacks

Tara Benwell — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 05:14:00 +0000

It always makes me laugh when moving companies try to sell their own boxes. Who would pay for a box with so much cardboard already going into the landfills? In the last month or so my husband has been picking boxes up all over the city. He goes to liquor stores, bars, grocery stores, and restaurants. MORE BOXES is on the top of the moving checklist every week. Gulp. I suddenly get how this is not the most eco-friendly option. Every time hubby goes on a box run, we’re using that darned car. Need I mention the amount of tape required to make sure the toy hippos don’t fall out?

If we lived in California, we would most definitely use RecoPacks from rentagreenbox.com, a company that takes zero-impact very seriously. Not only do they scour the landfills for trash that is difficult to recycle, such as old car seats and bottles that once held bleach or laundry detergent, they also deliver the containers (when you rent them for a buck a week) in a truck that runs on veggie oil and bio fuel. When you’re done you simply place the RecoPacks on a “poopy pallet” (made partially from the shells of old diapers) outside your new home and the veggie truck picks them up. No secret dumping of boxes in the cover of darkness necessary.

Exit Plastic Bags, Enter Marketing

Sarah Pressman Lovinger — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:00:39 +0000

Whole Foods Markets will stop using disposable plastic grocery bags on Earth Day, April 22, 2008. Banning plastic bags is undoubtedly good for the environment–is it also a boon for Whole Foods?

According to the Whole Foods Market website, Americans toss out about 100 billion plastic bags annually (we recycle a pitiful 0.6% of our plastic bags), crowding landfills with an energy-consuming product (it takes 430,000,000 gallons of crude oil to make the 100 billion bags) that lasts for at least 1,000 years. Whole Foods estimates that their action will save 100 million plastic bags in 2008, alone.

By drawing attention to their company policies that are good for the earth, Whole Foods also gets some good press. Was this part of their plan?