Reward your employees with fresh, organic fruit! The FruitGuys make it easy by delivering organic fruit to your office every week.
The FruitGuys is the industry leader in providing farm-fresh produce to the American workplace. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in San Francisco, The Fruitguys has pioneered this fast-growing category that provides viable solutions to the ever-challenging workplace health crisis. The company was founded on the premise that bringing healthy brain food to the office can boost productivity, improve wellness and help companies improve their bottom lines. The FruitGuys provides fresh seasonal fruit from local farms to thousands of American businesses, from small family-run businesses to major Fortune 500 corporations.
My family received a box of fresh, delicious organic fruit from The FruitGuys. Almost all of the fruit is from California, which is where I live, with the major exception being bananas. From cherries to oranges, we thoroughly enjoyed our box of organic fruit. FruitGuys has expanded to home delivery via the office, which is a nice option to ensure your family has fresh fruit every week without a trip to the store.
Why fruit in the office? According to the FruitGuys, fresh fruit can increase morale, improve employee performance, and lower health care costs by improving health. FruitGuys makes it easy by setting up weekly or biweekly delivery, and the program is cost effective. Feeding your employees fresh, organic fruit rather than donuts or vending machine snacks will make them feel better and know that their company truly cares about their well-being.
Kleenex Continues to Log Old Growth Forests for Tissues
Kleenex brand tissues logs old growth forests, including the Boreal Forest, in order that its customers can blow their noses. Remember handkerchiefs? My dad always had one in his pocket ready for our childhood runny noses. They are softer than tissues, and old growth forests do not need to be logged in their production. Of course, alternatives to Kleenex, such as Seventh Generation Facial Tissue, exist.
Revolution in a Bottle is a rollicking tale of entrepreneurial adventure and an essential guide to creating a company that's good for people, good for profits, and good for the planet. Szaky offers an array of insights into how to (and how not to) work with major companies, media, consumers and even investors. He also shares the key to TerraCycle's success and the paradigm for any eco-friendly company: making mainstream green products without charging a premium.
TerraCycle's growth has been rapid but perilous, filled with seemingly insurmountable challenges, several near-failures, and a whole lot of worm poop.
TerraCycle has seen its ups and downs, including being sued by Scott's Miracle-Gro. This is my favorite chapter in the book, as it is honest recollection of a make or break situation for this unique startup. The basis of the lawsuit was over packaging. If you are not familiar with TerraCycle, their signature fertilizer is packaged in repurposed soda bottles. Scott's eventually pulled out of the lawsuit, but ironically, the lawsuit gave TerraCycle extra exposure and publicity that helped the business grow. It is how I first heard about the company and took notice of its products and mission.
Monsanto's Bt-cotton can lead to the total destruction of soil organisms and beneficial enzymes in less than a decade of planting, according to a new study conducted in India. The Organic Consumers Association reports:
A new study analyzing fields planted with Monsanto's genetically modified (GM) cotton indicates the crops are causing the soil to slowly die. The study found that over a three year period soil micro-organisms, which are necessary for building healthy and nutrient rich soil, decreased dramatically in the Monsanto cotton fields. According to the Institute for Science in Society, "At this rate, in a decade of planting with GM cotton, or any GM crop with Bt genes in it, could lead to total destruction of soil organisms, leaving dead soil unable to produce food."
Apparently, the region in India (Nagpur, Amravati and Wardha of Vidharbha) where the most GMO corn is grown also has the highest rate of farmer suicides. Coincidence? Yet another reason to buy products made from organically grown cotton.
Terracycle Upcycles Record Albums and Circuit Boards into Picture Frames, Coasters and Clocks
I love Terracycle, as they are really trying to take hard to recycle items and upcycle them into new products. The most recent products to come out in March feature record albums and circuit boards.
TerraCycle, Inc., the ultimate eco-friendly brand, is introducing the first nationally distributed product line made from upcycled vinyl records and circuit boards. These products are unique and environmentally responsible because they are made from materials that have been rescued from the world's waste stream and would have ended up in already overflowing landfills.
Technology progresses at an astounding rate and a trail of trash is close in tow. Every time consumers upgrade their PC, TV, stereo, or other electronics, they add to the colossal stream of e-waste. In 2005, Americans generated 2.6 million tons of e-waste according to the EPA1. Of this amount, only 12.6% was recycled. Continuing the Trash Revolution, TerraCycle reuses circuit boards to create new products.
With the prevalence of digital media and portable music players, (and CD's before that) vinyl records have truly fallen by the wayside. While serious collectors hang on to their vintage discs, the average person is disposing of the records that have been collecting dust in the attic.
These unique, upcycled products will retail at an affordable price of $12.95.
Canadian and U.S. wildlife advocates have asked Ebay to stop auctioning off guided trophy hunts for bears, wolves, cougars and other top predators. The Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Big Wildlife and the Alaska Wildlife Alliance are concerned about the survival of trophy hunt species. Chris Genovali, executive director of the British Columbia based Raincoast Conservation Foundation asked:
Have the lives of Canada's grizzly bears, wolves and other large carnivores become so cheapened by the purveyors of trophy hunting that selling an opportunity to kill one is now as commonplace as trying to unload a kitchen appliance or baseball cards on eBay?
Ebay's response:
We are always open to working with NGOs with expertise in these areas and have done so in the past to fine tune our policies regarding issues such as the sale of ivory and the sale of "canned hunts," or those that guarantee the killing of a specific animal.
Construction on the 100KW PV array will begin this spring:
The solar array is the result of an innovative partnership between the coffee company, the State of Vermont, Green Mountain Power, and groSolar, North America's premier provider of solar energy solutions. The electricity generated by the approximately 530 solar panels will produce a small percentage of the total electricity Green Mountain Coffee needs for its production facilities in Waterbury. Company officials say the greater benefit is in showing what is possible for the future.
"Renewable energy must be a part of our overall energy strategy," says Paul Comey, Vice President of Environmental Affairs for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. "We want to show our state and federal governments that solar energy works, and that we need a policy that provides a broad-reaching structure for renewable energy."
The world's first "green" plush line, more commonly referred to as Eco-Plush, surpassed all award requirements as evaluated by Babyzone.com and its diverse panel of testers. More than 100 manufacturers submitted their newest, most innovative baby and toddler products to Babyzone.com. Products were given to a panel of test moms and their children who evaluated each toy on uniqueness, age-appropriateness, long-term usability, skill development and fun.
Congratulations Aurora! My family loves these eco-stuffed animals, and we have given them for many gifts.
I hate to buy books, as once they are read, they sit on a shelf or get passed around. It seems like a waste of money. I live too far from the library to make use of it. BookSwim offers the perfect solution: it's like Netflix for readers.
BookSwim is the first online book rental library service lending you paperbacks and hardcovers, Netflix®-style, directly to your house, without the need to purchase! Whether it's new releases, bestsellers, or classics, we have something for everyone, with free shipping both ways! Read your books as long as you want -- no late fees! Even choose to purchase and keep the titles you love!
Plans start at $9.95 a month. Books are shipped in 100% recycled plastic bags. By using BookSwim, you will reduce the amount of trees that are cut down to produce books (BookSwim estimates that 20 million trees are cut down every year for American book production!)
The North Face, one of my favorite outdoor clothing companies, has just completed construction of a 1-megawatt (MW) solar system at its distribution center in Visalia, California. The solar system will provide 25-30 percent of the energy needed by the facility. According to Arno Harris, CEO of Recurrent Energy, the company that designed, engineered, and installed the solar system:
There is a massive need for clean generation located close to where power is actually used, and customers like The North Face are playing a key role in making that vision a reality.
TerraCycle has Done it Again! Eco-Friendly School and Office Supplies
We love TerraCycle! Not only does this company create amazing products from upcycled goods, they also make them available in large retailers making them easily accessible to all consumers. TerraCycle has done it again! Available at Office Max, TerraCycle is offering eco-friendly school and office supplies. From pencil cases made from recycled juice pouches to colored pencils made from used newspapers, these products are of high quality and super eco-friendly (except for the manufacture in China). My favorite TerraCycle office product is Banana Paper.
We're not monkeying around when we tell you that this paper is made from banana peels! Every year, four billion trees are cut down for paper production. With our banana paper, we can begin to lower that number. Now you can be completely eco-friendly without going bananas over quality.
The banana paper is made in the UK, and to my daughter's disappointment, it does not smell like bananas. It is compatible with laser printers, ink jet printers, and copy machines. To think, all I do is compost my banana peels.
Samsung E200 and Bioplastics: Is Your Cell Phone Made from Corn?
During the Olympics, Samsung revealed its E200 cell phone. This phone's case is made entirely of corn-based bioplastic. Some environmentalists question the value of bioplastics made from corn, especially considering the controversy around ethanol and rising food costs. Bioplastics can be made from non-food plants, such as switch grass, but they do require special handling for recycling. Still, the more we can get away from non-renewables in manufacturing, the better for long-term sustainability.
Via: New York Times and GoodCleanTech
Terracycle and Kraft: The Largest Upcycling Program Ever!
Terracycle, one of my absolutely favorite green companies, and Kraft, one of my least favorite food companies, have teamed up to create the largest upcycling program ever! Taking Kraft's packaging, which is challenging to recycle, Terracycle is making bags. Terracycle's brigade programs divert waste from landfills, and individuals and organizations can participate:
The Drink Pouch Brigade collects used drink pouches and donates to participating school or community group two cents for every pouch collected. The used pouches are then sewn into tote bags, handbags and other durable items...
I love the concept of upcycling, but I am not a fan of carrying a bag that is a walking advertisement for a product that is not natural or organic, but I support anything Terracycle does. My daughter says the bag still smells like juice.
Eco Drink Friday: Organic Silk Soymilk Tastes Just Like Milk
I made the switch to soymilk after having to milk a cow with mastitis and seeing the animal suffer, as well as how she would sometimes poo while we were milking. It was really gross, and it made me realize that cutting down on my dairy consumption would be good for the cows and the planet. It takes an incredible amount of land and water to support livestock.
Organic Silk Soymilk has the texture, consistency, and taste of cow milk. It is really good in lattes, and it is readily available in most grocery stores. Started in 1977 in Boulder, Colorado, Silk is now the number one producer of soymilk in the US. The company utilizes many green practices. According to Ideal Bite:
Through Silk's GreenCaps program, it donates 30 kilowatt-hours in offsets for every UPC code customers enter at its website - enough to run a fridge for 13 days. (Plus, these customers are auto-entered for a chance to win a green home makeover.)
It offsets 100% of the power used in production by supporting clean, renewable wind energy - the equivalent of planting 22,000 acres of trees each year since 2003.
Silk operates a "Zero Waste" program at HQ, with biodegradable utensils, and full-scale recycling and composting programs.
Silk is looking at the total carbon footprint of their products "from farm to fridge". This is a refreshing approach of corporate responsibility to consider the impact of a product after it has left the store shelf.
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