CustomEarthPromos - Eco Blog US

In an attempt to go eco-friendly, Daylin Leach, State Senator of Pennsylvania brought in a new bill in the committee. According to this bill, retail store owners in the region will have to charge their customers a fee of 2 cents for every plastic bag that the customers ask for. As of now, this rule is only applicable to those retail stores that have a gross sale of more than $1 million. Out of the fee of 2 cents, one cent will go to the store itself which it can use for improving its recycling efforts. The other cent will be given to the state fund which will be used for widening the recycling program. Driving Force Behind the Custom Canvas Bags Leach said that this move was taken by him to promote the use of eco-friendly shopping bags among the residents of the state. He is hopeful that this law will make consumers opt for options like cloth bags, custom canvas bags, totes and other reusable bags. Leach also revealed that he thought of bringing in such a bill after he read about the birds and animals that get killed due to plastic bag waste every year. He showed his concern over the matter and said that plastic bags clutter most of the areas in the state and also contaminate the waterways. This cluttering and contamination leads to the death of millions of birds and marine animals every year. In addition to that, he mentioned that there is a huge plastic waste island in the Pacific Ocean as well as in the Atlantic. The use of plastic bags is not a sustainable option and this new bill is one small attempt of trying to save the environment. Using Custom Canvas Bags Can Be a Better Option for the Consumers Most of the consumers are quite happy with the new bill. Due to increased awareness about the plastic waste issue, many of them are ready to replace plastic bags with eco-friendly shopping bags. Bobbi McGettigan, one of the residents, said that reusable bags are much stronger and reliable than plastic bags which make them a better option. On the other hand, there a few that believe plastic bags can be used for many purposes other than carrying supplies. They also feel that a small fee of 2 cents for a single plastic bag is not going to change the habit of people. On the whole, the bill is still getting mixed reactions from the consumers. Source

With the view of curbing pollution and inculcating healthier dietary habits, organic farming has been steadily gaining popularity across the globe. This trend is evident in Lexington as well with the increasing number of outlets dealing in organic food. Since organic farmers refrain from the use of harmful chemicals and follow healthy farming practices, organic food is definitely the best alternative. Organic Food Available for Home Delivery in Lexington Organic farming is gaining favor in Lexington and a number of outlets are opting for organic products. Paul Dengel, who works with the UK Horticulture Research Farm, believes that if more money is directed towards organic farming, the results could prove to be highly beneficial. According to Robert Perry from the department of dietetics and human nutrition at UK, food grown locally tastes much better than food that has been shipped over long distances. He added that since organic farming steers clear of chemicals it was definitely better for the environment. However, he did also state that, the produce being more nutritious is a misconception. A venture - Green B.E.A.N. Delivery which is an online grocery service has taken up the initiative to deliver organic products from local farms right to the doorstep of consumers. B.E.A.N. stands for biodynamic, education, agriculture and nutrition and it was set up in 2007 in Indianapolis with the objective of creating a support system for family farms. The store offers a variety of jellies, dairy products, fresh produce, meats and bread to consumers in the comfort of their homes. According to John Freeland - the vice president, Green B.E.A.N. has been successful in improving the local economy, keeping funds within local communities and providing suitable opportunities to encourage hardworking artisans and farmers. Green B.E.A.N. ensures that small farmers have a constant, reliable market that guarantees fair prices. It also ensures that fresh, reasonably priced produce is made available to the community. A farmer from Jefferson County – Ben Abell agreed with this completely. By simply visiting greenbeandelivery.com, one can avail of a list of all the articles available along with their prices and other related information. Eco-Friendly Promotional Items Can Help in Promoting Organic Food People are often confused with regard to what organic farming really is. Many are also under the misconception that organic produce is very expensive and thereby avoid it. However, organic food companies and producers need to break such barriers and bring about a clearer understanding of their products, while promoting their businesses. The use of eco friendly promotional items to increase awareness about organic food is an ideal option. Calendars with pictures of organic produce and information about the same could be distributed at the beginning of the year. Customized mugs, table mats, wash cloths, fridge magnets, storage containers and reusable ...

Organic farming is gradually becoming a norm with most farmers across the United States of America. However, many of these environment friendly farmers have not applied for organic certification, which is issued by the United States Department of Agriculture. Hence, they cannot sell any of their products as organic produce. As a result of this, many farmers have opted to use the label – ‘Certified Naturally Grown' instead. Is 'Certified Naturally Grown Food' an Alternative to 'Organic Food'? Over the past decade or more, a number of farmers across New York have been following agricultural practices that are essential for organic farming, as specified by the United States Department of Agriculture. However, many of them opt not to seek certification for the same from the department, mainly due to the extensive records that have to be maintained and payment of fees amounting to six percent of total sales. Hence, they cannot sell their produce under an ‘organic' label. If they do so, they are liable to pay a fine of twenty thousand dollars or more in addition to being faced with federal charges. Justine and Brian Denison are a typical example of this scenario wherein they have followed every rule that goes hand in hand with organic farming for over twenty years. Since they chose not to apply for organic certification, they have to refrain from using the term ‘organic'. As a result of this, the Denisons and other small farms have decided on using the term ‘Certified Naturally Grown' instead. Certified Naturally Grown was initiated by a small group of organic farmers in retaliation to the organic program being taken over by the government in 2002. The Executive Director of Certified Naturally Grown – Alice Varon stated that the term is now being used by over seven hundred farms across forty seven states. She also mentioned that the introduction of this label has benefited direct market farmers who refrain from the use of chemicals. Certified Naturally Grown works on the principle of peer inspection to ensure that farmers do not use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides as well as to ensure that the practice of cover crops and crop rotation is followed. Varon added that the farmers who used this label didn't opt for it for a premium but to follow what they believed in, by using agricultural practices that focused on harmony with nature. Eco-Friendly Promotional Items Can Help in Popularizing Organic Food Most individuals are looking for a positive change in lifestyle and opting for organic food which could be a simple step in that direction. Hence, organic food companies and producers are on the lookout for novel ways to promote an organic lifestyle. Creating awareness through the use of eco friendly promotional items is one of the ways to do so. Distributing pouches of organic seeds or small potted plants bearing the branding of the company can be useful options when it comes to promoting organic farming. The use of ...

All the environmentalists in Great Barrington heaved a sigh of relief when the Board of Selectmen of the town voted in favor of the implementation of the plastic bag ban. Back in its yearly town meeting in May, the town had agreed to the reduction of plastic bags by law. After the recent vote in favor of the implementation, this law will come into effect from the beginning of next year. Delay in the Implementation Along With Use of Bamboo Grocery Bags The law could have been easily passed this year itself, way back in July, but the board decided to extend the date of implementation of the ban to next year. This has been done to give enough time to the town to get prepared for the new change. The board feels that this extension will help the residents as well as the retailers of the city to reduce the use of plastic bags. When asked about the delay in the implementation of the law, Deborah Phillips, a member of the board, said that the idea behind the delay is to make the regulation doable rather than burdensome. Meanwhile, the town will also do its best to educate people about the law. It will also try to inform the businesses in the town beforehand so that they do not end up stocking new plastic bags. Under this bag ban, the use and production of plastic bags that can be used just once will be prohibited. Also, the retailers of the town will not be allowed to provide plastic bags at their checkout counters for giving away supplies to their customers. This step has been taken by the town board looking at the potential harm that these plastic bags do to the environment as they degrade at a very slow rate. The officials revealed that they have also lined up a public information drive on this bag ban which is likely to begin by the start of fall. As the officials are headed towards making the town plastic-free, anyone violating the law will be liable to pay a fine that would range from $50 to $200. Residents Can Find Solace in Bamboo Grocery Bags and Other Reusable Bags The residents of the town can switch to recyclable bags like bamboo grocery bags, cloth bags, totes, and so on to carry their groceries and other supplies. The town warrant stated that customers will be encouraged to carry biodegradable or reusable shopping bags with them to the stores. Retailers too will be allowed to offer recyclable or reusable bags made from fabric or any other material that is not harmful to the environment.

The City Council of Santa Fe recently approved a regulation that prohibits the stores in the city from providing one-time-use plastic bags at their checkout counters. Also, the stores will have to charge a fee of a minimum of 10 cents to its customers who opt for paper bags from them. Preparing for a Beneficial Change With Reusable Custom Bags Patti Bushee, one of the Council members said that though no one likes changes, this change is for the benefit of the community and will help people in many ways. She also added that Santa Fe represents many things and sustainability is definitely one of them. Other councilors along with Bushee, are even considering extending the limits of the ban by including Styrofoam take-away containers, water bottles and other kinds of plastic bags under it. The officials of the city have already purchased around 10,000 reusable bags which will be distributed for free among the residents of the city. This will be done to ease out the transition on the residents. But the officials have not yet mentioned as to when and how they will distribute these bags. Previously, the city staff had estimated that this purchase would cost it around 90 cents for every reusable bag. The regulation will not be in its strictest mode in the beginning itself. It has certain exceptions which may be eliminated at a later stage. For now, small bags made from paper will still be allowed at shops without any extra fee. Also customers on the assistance of government will not be liable to pay the current fee of 10 cents for every paper bag. Supporters of the Ban Ready to Use Reusable Custom Bags Close to 50 people gathered for the hearing of this ordinance at the City Hall. Almost all of them supported the bag ban. Interestingly the group consisted of many young people which showed the concern these youngsters have for their city. Lucia Ortiz, as young as 9 years old, said that she is in favor of the ban because plastic bags pollute the environment and banning them will help in making the world a much better place. The supporters of the ban said that plastic bags can be easily substituted with options like reusable custom bags, recyclable bags and many similar eco friendly alternatives. On the other hand, few who were against the ban were of the opinion that plastic bags can be re-used and need not be banned.

The Thurston County recycling unit was known for its plastic recycling program. However, since the number of takers for plastic has dropped drastically, sixty tons of plastic are just lying around as no one is ready to buy them. The facility it is left with no option but to shut down its program related to recycling plastic. Why Is the Plastic Recycling Program Being Shut Down? The facility that is responsible for recycling plastic in Thurston County, Washington, sees an inflow of approximately fifteen tons of plastic film on a monthly basis. However, if you look around, you will find sixty tons of plastic just lying around as no one is interested in buying plastic. Jeff Harwood, the District Manager at LeMay who supervises the recycling operations in Thurston County, states that there is no market for plastic. As a result of this, from the first of October, LeMay will no longer be accepting plastic film in any form. To get a clearer picture of this, if the plastic can be torn or pierced easily with a finger, it will not be accepted. China recently introduced strict rules with regard to the kind of material it would accept for recycling and has initiated a program known as ‘Operation Green Fence'. As per the new rules, for the purpose of recycling, China will accept only material of high value which is in demand. Low grade plastic will no longer be bought by them with the view of making China a cleaner country. This has resulted in the failure of the program in Thurston County and could result in Thurston being stuck with their low quality plastic. People are disheartened by the decision to discontinue the recycling program. With people using plastic bags abundantly, the used bags would surely end up in landfills and this is worrying citizens of the area. Jim Silver mentioned that plastic must have an alternative use, while volunteering to run the program at the Panorama City Senior Living Community. Thurston County will be disposing its recycling container for plastic film at the county landfill. According to KIRO-7, Pierce County does not have any program for recycling plastic. Seattle, on the other hand, recycles around eight thousand tons of plastic yearly, but the same amount also lands up in landfills as it is too dirty to be sold. Residents Can Use Wholesale Reusable Bags to Make for the Loss Once the program is discontinued in Thurston County, residents are surely going to have to come up with alternative options so as to curb the number of low grade plastic bags that end up in landfills. The best way of doing so is through the use of wholesale reusable bags. Reusable bags are much stronger than low-grade plastic bags and can be used to carry heavy groceries with ease. In addition, they can be washed and used repeatedly for over a hundred uses and this will definitely help to reduce the number of bags that make their way to landfills. In addition, they can be recycled at a later stage, to make new articles. Source

Pennsylvania is likely to go plastic-free if the bill on ‘Plastic Bag Tax' gets passed in the State. Sen. Daylin Leach from Montgomery County of Pennsylvania has reintroduced his bill which aims to ban the use of plastic shopping bags in the city. According to his bill, a fee of $0.02 will be imposed on every plastic bag that customers opt for in retail stores. Anti-Plastic Bill to Bring About a Change Along With Custom Green Bags This bill was introduced by Sen. Leach with the motive of encouraging customers to opt for eco-friendly options like custom green bags, cloth bags, and totes instead of plastic bags. This bill was introduced in August, 2013. If it gets passed, it will turn out to be the first statewide plastic bag tax. According to this bill, a tax of 2 cents will be imposed on all plastic bags supplied by retail stores. Out of these 2 cents, the retail store will be allowed to keep one penny which it can utilize to improve its recycling practices. The other half of the 2 cents will be given back to Commonwealth for funding state recycling programs. When asked about the fee, Sen. Leach said that two cents for keeping the planet vibrant and clean is not a huge thing to ask for. According to a study by Clean Air Council, Americans end up using around 103 billion plastic bags every year. The alarming part is that not even 1% of these bags get recycled. When asked if he himself ever uses plastic bags, Sen. Leach came out clean and said that occasionally he does use them at stores. But he always tries to make an effort to opt for cloth bags or canvas bags whenever possible. He also mentioned that when he forgets to carry reusable bags and comes home with plastic bags, his 11 year old kid lectures him about keeping the planet clean. Use of Custom Green Bags Getting a Steady Support This is not the first time that a ban on plastic bags is being introduced in Pennsylvania. A similar proposal was introduced in Philadelphia, which is the largest city in Pennsylvania, a few years ago. But the proposal failed there. However, with increased awareness and willingness to save the planet, the people of Philadelphia are looking forward to the bill. They feel it is their duty to take proper care of the environment and the least they can do is to use reusable bags instead of plastic bags.

The Town Council of Fort Myers Beach recently passed an ordinance which has made it compulsory for businesses to have a recycling program. The policy will come into effect from November 1 and will make it obligatory for the commercial establishments operating in Estero Island to have a recycling program. Recycling Program Is the Businesses Operating on the Beach Need to Do All the commercial businesses that operate on the island will need to recycle a minimum of one kind of recyclable material generated by them. Not just that, this material should make up for the largest part of the waste generated by the businesses. For example, if a bar operates in the Island, it needs to recycle cans or bottles. The recycling program will require the participation of businesses located on the beach in recycling ‘recovered materials' like paper, metal, plastic glass, and rubber or textile materials that can be recycled. Councilman Dan Andre said that recycling needs to be made easy for the people. He also said that most of the commercial business owners on the island have already been doing it. Before the vote of the Council on this matter, Terry Stewart who is the Town Manager, reported ‘no feedback' when asked about the ordinance. He gave a recommendation saying that time allowance will help the business owners in preparing and getting adjusted to this new ordinance. Stewart said that the business community seems to have accepted the ordinance. He also mentioned that the time allowance that he has recommended will enable the staff of the Town Council to approach the business owners and make them understand the different requirements of the recycling program. To make sure that the businesses are participating in the recycling program, the Council of the town will have the authority to ask for a proof of the current and valid contract of the business with any dealer or hauler. Businesses will also be allowed to provide the Council with copies of their receipts received from dealers after they deliver their stock of reusable and recyclable items to their dealers. Promoting Recycling With Eco-Friendly Promotional Items Apart from being a part of this recycling program, businesses on the Beach can even go a step further and promote recycling habits among their customers. They can do so by supplying eco friendly promotional items to their customers. This will not only help in promoting their own business but will also encourage their customers to recycle.

With people becoming more aware of environmental issues and the focus shifting to a healthier lifestyle, the number of organic farms has been steadily increasing. At present, Minnesota alone has 700 certified organic farms. In order to encourage farmers to opt for organic measures, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture has come up with a program to offer assistance to farmers with regard to the same. New Program to Teach Agriculturists About Organic Farmers Many farmers would like to opt for organic farming but are often faced with the dilemma of a long wait clubbed with high costs. The whole process to convert a farm to an organic one takes 36 months, which is a long time. During this time, farmers are often left wondering if they are following the right procedure. This is especially true since framers are expected to follow the rules for organic farming but the inspection takes place only after three years. This point was brought up by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Principal Administrator – Meg Moynihan based on conversations with several farmers. The program introduced by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture addresses these issues. As mentioned earlier, the cost of transition to an organic farm amounts to a relatively large sum. The organic transition cost share program provides farmers with a rebate of up to 75 percent on costs that include working with organic certifying agencies and soil testing during the conversion period. This is subject to a maximum reimbursement of 750 dollars for each year of the three year transition period. Moynihan stated that the farmers were still learning about organic farming. So, in order to encourage them to do so, the program also reduced the cost of educational conferences so that they could attend them. These educational conferences are an ideal platform for new farmers to meet other successful organic farmers. Moynihan also commented that they weren't aware of any other country that had adopted such an initiative. The program is being funded by the state and the last date to send in applications for the 2013 program is the 14th of February, 2014. Combining Organic Farmers and Eco-Friendly Promotional Items Our environment is facing grave danger because of the increasing levels of pollution and the thoughtless nature of companies and individuals alike. However, we as a community can make a great difference by just coming together to stand up for our planet. Switching to an organic lifestyle, which focuses on the preservation of our natural resources, is the first step in achieving the goals of a cleaner and greener environment. Opting for the use of eco friendly promotional items can also prove to be extremely beneficial in promoting environmental preservation and can go a long way in making our planet a better place to live on. Source

Grocery store owners have been debating over the use of paper bags or plastic bags for years. Environmentalists have now come together to make that decision easier. With preservation of the environment being a necessity, they are lobbying for a ban on single-use plastic bags and they hope that the City officials on the Westside will support the proposal. Environmentalists Want Shoppers to Get Reusable Bags Stores have been using plastic bags for ages. Since May this year, members of the advocacy group - Environment Oregon based in Portland, have been going from one house to another in Lake Oswego, Tigard, and Beaverton with a signature campaign favoring a ban on the use of plastic bags across the cities, with the intention of protecting the environment from further damage. The State Director for Environment Oregon – Sarah Higginbotham stated that so far, seven hundred and fifty signatures in Lake Oswego, twelve hundred signatures in Tigard, and seventeen hundred signatures in Beaverton had been collected. The petitions will be submitted to the city leaders with the hope that plastic bags will be banned before the end of the year, as informed by activists present at a press conference outside TigardCity Hall. In attendance at the press conference was the ‘Bag Monster' – a suit made using five hundred plastic bags, symbolic of the average number of grocery bags that Americans use on a yearly basis. A resident of Portland and a member of the advocacy group, Rowan Jones stated that they were requesting city councilors to take action based on the opinion of the citizens. He also mentioned that on an average, 1.7 billion plastic bags were utilized in Oregon. Most of the bags ended up in landfills while some were found littering on roads and water bodies. Higginbotham added that these bags leaked toxins into water and many a times, the bags were eaten by sea creatures such as turtles, causing irreparable harm. According to the estimation made by Environment Oregon, the ratio of plastic in some parts of the Pacific Ocean is six times more than that of plankton. Thus, the need for a ban on the bags was imperative. Switching to Reusable Bags and Bamboo Fiber Bags Plastic bags have been used on a large scale over the years and we have all seen the damaging effect that they have on the environment. Hence, switching to reusable bags is the best option. Reusable bags such as bamboo fiber bags can be made of recycled material and they can be recycled several times. The use of such bags helps in preserving natural resources such as natural gas and petroleum, protects wildlife, minimizes pollution and thereby helps in maintaining the ecological balance of the environment. In addition, such bags are very durable and can be washed easily.