CustomEarthPromos - Eco Blog US

It's January, 2018, and most people have already made their New Year's Resolutions. These include things such as losing weight, changing careers, going back to school, spending more time with their families, (the ever popular) join a gym, among many others. Now it's almost 2 weeks into the new year and it's time to put these resolutions into practice. But what if one of your resolutions is to begin going green or being greener and you aren't sure what to do? Here are some tips on how to go green in the new year: Use Reusable Bags Large brown paper bags aren't very easy to carry. Plus, all of that paper wastes a lot of trees. They don't deserve to die in the name of humanity. Trees take in the carbon dioxide we produce and breathe out fresh oxygen. Plus, who wants to look at a bald mountain or Palm Tree free beach? A brown, dying Earth is a pretty scary sight. Plastic bags, on the other hand, might be easier to carry, but they too hold much danger. Even if you reuse plastic grocery bags the bag is eventually thrown away. This plastic sits in landfills, which leach toxic chemicals into our ground water and soil. Smelly mountains are not pretty mountains! Another danger is the ability for that landfill to end up on the beach. Beaches covered in trash create pollution for beach-goers and "unfun" sights for tourists. That trash also has the potential to be washed into the ocean. If a plastic bag ends up bobbing around the deep, open water, to a Leatherback Sea Turtle, that looks just like their usual lunch of tasty Jellyfish. You can find reusable tote and grocery bags on Custom Earth Promos for promotional use in wholesale quantities. Say Goodnight to Your Electronics. An article from HGTV suggests that you put your computer into sleep mode, but why not take it a step further with hibernate? Most people might not know the difference between hibernate and sleep mode. Most also know that sleep mode is a safe way for your computer to boot up faster in the morning. However, a small amount of electricity is being used to keep the computer from shutting down in sleep mode. With hibernate mode, your computer's current state is backed up to the hard drive and saved, ensuring that you can pick up right where you left off. It still boots up quicker than it would if you had selected shut-down, but unlike sleep mode--it turns off completely when you close it for the night. Don't Guzzle Gas When driving on the highway, do you really need to travel as fast as everyone else? As long as you are following the flow of traffic, and the speed limit, a drop of only 10 miles can save you up to 15 percent in gas. Keeping the air filter clean, the tires inflated, and the engine healthy will help that drop be an accurate one. Buying Locally Tastes Just as Good When it comes to grocery shopping, everyone loves fruits and vegetables. Buying local fruits and vegetables when they're in season, creates less pollution. For example: Oranges are one thing Florida is known for. ...

Do you still use plastic grocery bags instead of reusable ones? What about plastic water bottles? Ziplock bags? Plastic garbage bags? Do you put your fruit and vegetables in plastic produce bags at the grocery store? Do you buy toilet paper that's wrapped in plastic instead of paper? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you're undoubtedly contributing to the plastic waste problem. To show you the damage plastic waste has caused and is continuing to cause to our planet, Caroline Power, an underwater photographer, shared photos on Facebook of the shocking amount of plastic waste she found floating in the Caribbean – garbage that stretched for "nearly five miles," she told The Telegraph. She described the blankets of plastic forks, bottles, and other waste as "devastating." “To see something that I care so deeply for, being killed, slowly choked to death by human waste was devastating.” The worst of the plastic waste her dive team found was roughly 15 miles off the coast of Roatan heading towards the Cayos Cochinos Marine Reserve. Though however shocking Power's photos and videos may be, plastic waste issues, especially pertaining to our oceans, is not a new phenomenon. Just last month, we recounted a story of another diver who saved a sea turtle from a single plastic bag. This month, we've seen the UN recognize this issue and commit to stop ocean plastic waste. With a staggering 91 percent of plastic not being recycled, it's no wonder why scientists are predicting that by the mid-century, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish. Ms Power shared these photos in hopes they would encourage others to "make changes to their habits and daily lives to help protect and conserve this planet." It's no wonder why this video has gone viral! See for yourself. Floating Plastic Waste Found in the Caribbean

Whether you celebrate Hanukkah or are just interested in learning more about how to be eco-conscious, we've got five eco-friendly tips that will help change the way you think about certain holiday traditions. Here's to a happy and green Hanukkah! 1. Burn Clean Candles  Instead of using candles made from petroleum-based paraffin wax, use ones made from beeswax, soy or even coconut. These eco-friendly alternatives contain no harmful chemicals which will make your home a happier and healthier one during the holidays. 2. Give the Gift of Experiences Over Physical Gifts  Living minimalist is one certain way to an adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle. After eight days of gift giving, presents can really pile up. So, instead of adding more stuff to your life, consider giving experience-based gifts like concert tickets, cooking classes, or a Groupon. 3. Buy Fair Trade Gelt  Chocolate gelt – chocolate coins wrapped in foil – is a tasty Hanukkah tradition, but typically this chocolate is mass produced. Fair trade chocolate, on the other hand, is ethically sourced making it a more sustainable choice. So, have a guilt-free gelt Hanukkah by opting for fair trade chocolate and other fair trade products. 4. Keep a Green Kitchen  Hanukkah wouldn't be the same without potato pancakes, also known as latkes. The oil they are cooked in, however, isn't the most eco-friendly, particularly in the way it's disposed of. Instead of pouring it down the drain, put it in an old container and find out about disposal services in your area. You can also compost the oil with some sawdust or lawn clippings. And of course, don't forget to use reusable products like reusable bags and containers when storing your leftovers. 5. Avoid Plastic Holiday Accessories  Hanukkah is full of family traditions, many of which include passing down things like dreidels and menorahs. If you're in need of new items as such, avoid buying cheap plastic ones and instead, invest in well-made accessories of good quality. Up-front it might cost more to do so, but it's worth it for the environmental impact it will have. Plus, you'll be able to continue the tradition of passing these items down through the generations. What are some of your favorite eco-friendly tips for a green Hanukkah?

The holidays are a glorious time of year but the traditions we've come to know and love over the years have recently been found to have a devastating impact on the environment. Research by the London Cleaning System unveiled some troubling seasonal stats: 300,000 tonnes of card packaging is used around the holidays; enough to cover Big Ben almost 260,000 times. 1 billion holiday cards end up in landfills when a large majority of them could be recycled or better yet, not sent at all. The amount of wrapping paper used for gifts is enough to wrap around the equator 9 times – 227,000 miles of wrapping paper is thrown away. 6 million Christmas trees are discarded every year including 250 tonnes which could have been composted. It's clear with staggering stats like these that we aren't doing our diligence to make eco-friendly choices like properly disposing of holiday items or recycling responsibly. Of course, we can reduce our waste around the holidays but what about making a bigger impact by opting for zero-waste? Zero-waste is a philosophy that simply encourages the use of reusable products with the goal of not sending trash to the landfills or incinerators. To get started with eliminating waste this Christmas, send online cards instead of paper ones. Same goes for holiday party invitations. Fill up growlers with your favorite beer, wine, or cider instead of purchasing bottles and cans. Upcycle items you already have around the house to make Christmas decorations and consider giving friends and family "experience" gifts rather than materialistic ones. Use cloth napkins instead of paper when you're entertaining guests –and remember that all of these tips can be applied throughout the year, not just around the holidays. Still stuck for ideas on how to start your zero-waste celebrations? Here Are 4 Sure Ways to Have a Zero-Waste Holiday Season This Year: Have a zero-waste holiday this year by replacing old traditions with new eco-friendly ones. What are some other ways to go zero-waste this holiday season? We'd love to hear your ideas and tips in the comments section below.

It's that time of year again. The Christmas music has begun playing, the sales are on, and holiday shoppers are in full force. As the holidays approach, now would be a good time (if you haven't already begun) to start thinking about what gifts you want to get for your family and friends. We've got three eco-friendly tips to help make your holiday shopping easier. 1. Only Use Reusable Bags It can be all too easy to get caught up in the excitement of the holidays and shopping for those special people in your life to forget about the impact even the smallest shopping outings can have on the environment. One of the biggest culprits is plastic shopping bags. To avoid having to accept them every time you buy a gift, keep reusable bags in your car or purse, and use them as an alternative to plastic shopping bags. Most plastic store bags can't be recycled and by letting the store associate know you have your own reusable bag, you might inspire other shoppers to do the same. 2. Buy Lasting Decorations  You know that Christmas ornament you've had since you were a kid or the holiday decor that came out every year around the holidays? Instead of buying single-use holiday decor which will inevitably end up in landfills, invest in items that will stand the test of time and create long-lasting traditions and memories. 3. Make Eco-Friendly Choices  Before you go shopping this year, do a little research to find out which companies and brands are environmentally friendly. Lush Cosmetics, TOMS, and Apple are just a few examples of eco-friendly brands that care about the planet. If you plan on gifting beauty products, cosmetics, or another type of personal care or household product, make sure the Leaping Bunny logo can be found on it. This is an internationally-recognized certification for products which are not tested on animals. If you're unsure, ask any store associate which products are cruelty-free and they should be able to point you in the right direction. So, when shopping this holiday season, just be conscious of each purchase you make. Ask yourself if the product you're buying is eco-friendly and if the receiver will treasure it or be able to use it more than once. Do you have any eco-friendly shopping tips for the holidays? We'd love to hear them! Please share them in the comments section below.  

If one of your new year's resolutions is to make your home more eco-friendly, then you've come to the right place. From recycling to making your own cleaning products and reducing your waste, we've outlined sustainable cleaning tips that support an eco-friendly home but what about other ways you can reduce your carbon footprint like investing in eco-friendly gadgets? Believe it or not, there are several high-tech home gadgets out there that are helping to save the planet. Investing in technology might not seem like an obvious choice for making your home a greener one but the future of our planet actually depends on it. Here are a few gadgets that will help you reduce your home's energy as well as your carbon footprint. Convert Electronic Devices Into Smart Appliances Second, only to China, U.S. energy consumption is one of the highest in the world. In 2016, the U.S. consumed some 28 quadrillion British thermal units of energy derived from natural gas, about 14 quadrillion units of energy derived from coal, and a little over eight quadrillion units of energy from nuclear energy sources. Additionally, this is costing Americans $19 billion in electricity bills every year from simply not turning off or unplugging electronics. So how can you reduce your energy and your electric bills? Smart plugs like WeMo have the ability to reduce wasteful power usage by turning electronics off when they aren't in use which can be done using an app on your phone. Depending on which WeMo model you get, you can also track your energy usage trends to see how you can make positive consumption changes. Replace Your Thermostat Air-conditioning in the U.S. accounts for an estimated 5 percent of our annual energy consumption (not including heating systems) which pours roughly 100 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air each year. Needless to say, if your home needs some eco-friendly updates, your thermostat would be another good place to start. The Nest Learning Thermostat is probably one of the most popular options out there. Smart gadgets like this will automatically adjust your inside temperature based on outside temperatures and humidity. Most smart thermostats also report on your energy usage so you can become more efficient. Switch Your Light Bulbs for Smarter Ones The price of LED bulbs has dropped dramatically over the years, so this is perhaps one of the cheapest and easiest fixes you can make at home. But if you really want to take your home to the next eco-friendly level, there are also smart bulbs like Philips Hue and GE Link bulbs that you can control from your phone that will help you reduce your energy consumption. Again these smart light products also come with a reporting option so you can learn more about your energy use and how to best control it in favor of the environment.

You might compost regularly, recycle, and take reusable bags with you to the grocery store but even the most eco-conscious might find it difficult to properly dispose of food wrappers – unless you're "zero-waste" girl of course. For the most part, food wrappers that encompass things such as granola bars and potato chips (made up of a mixture of materials like plastic, aluminum, and paper), either can't be recycled or are too expensive to recycle. But Evoware, an Indonesian startup, has developed a new food packaging concept to help tackle that problem by providing an eco-solution for plastic waste. Their products are eco-friendly, biodegradable and wait for it . . . edible and healthy, too. What's their secret? The raw material they use is seaweed. The seaweed-based food packaging – which the company claims is high in fiber, vitamins, and miners – can be wrapped around a myriad of items. Think cereal, single serving coffee complements, sugar packets, etc. You can even wrap it around a burger and eat it whole. The packaging is described by Evoware as "almost tasteless and odorless," but if you don't want to eat it, you can always compost it. What are some of the benefits of the seaweed-based food packaging?  It dissolves in warm water, making it a zero-waste product. 100% biodegradable and works as a natural fertilizer for plants. It has 2 years of shelf life, even without preservative. Halal certified, safe to eat, and produced in compliance with HACCP standards. Nutritious, contains high fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Can be customized to give a specific taste, color, and brand logo. Printable and heat sealable. Evoware co-founder David Christian told Reuters he developed the packaging to fight this mounting global issue. "I saw how much plastic waste is produced here, which takes hundreds or thousands of years to degrade and contaminates everything," he said. "We can maintain many hectares of seashore cleanliness, reducing tons of plastic waste, decreasing farmers' bad credit, increasing farmers' income and prosperity of farmer families." Watch this video to learn more about their process and eco-friendly food packaging:

If you care about the environment at all then there's a very good chance you monitor your carbon footprint which can be anything from driving a fuel-efficient or electric vehicle to making an effort to turn off lights and electronics you aren't using around the house. But would you ever consider selling your car and giving up the comforts of a dorm room or large home to live in a much smaller yet sustainable van? Caroline Winslow, a 22-year-old student from Colorado, recently did just that. Inspired by a summer living off-grid with her boyfriend, Winslow explained to Daily Mail in an exclusive interview why she decided to make this critical change to her lifestyle. "Being an environmentalist and studying environmental policy, I often felt as though my daily life didn't align with my beliefs and goals. Therefore, in order to live more self-sustained and reduce my carbon footprint, I sold my previous car, purchased a Ram Promaster, and spent this past summer converting it into a cozy off-grid home." The van conversion cost around $7,000, which is the amount Winslow received from her college as an off-campus living stipend. Her van, which she named Roxi, features a kitchen, living room – and even a swing.              © Caroline Winslow / mediadrumworld.com On top of reducing her energy by moving into a smaller space, Winslow used all non-toxic and recycled materials to deck out her van to ensure it lived up to its environmentally friendly standards. For example, she used natural sheep's wool for insulation, repurposed plywood from a dorm on campus for the countertop, and made sure all of the sealants and paints she used were Zero VOC. But what's even more impressive is that the van has a 600W solar array on the roof with a 480ah battery bank inside. "The goal of this project/new lifestyle is to reduce my carbon emissions via utilizing solar power and to also become more aware of my daily energy and resource demands," she explained. After graduating from university, Winslow hopes to find a job in renewable energy, sustainable development, or ocean conservation. If she can take on an environmentally friendly project of this scope, we don't think she'll have any problem finding work in this field post-college. Interested in following Caroline along on her sustainable journey? Follow Caroline and Roxi on Instagram. A post shared by Re|Powered Ram (@repoweredram) on Oct 4, 2017 at 6:01pm PDT

Plastic is unnatural. It's toxic. It's no wonder why countries and states around the world are trying to ban plastic products and more importantly plastic bags. It's been one year since California banned single-use plastic bags and as the Los Angeles Times put it, "the world didn't end." In fact, plastic bags accounted for 3.1 percent of litter collected from the state's beaches this year, which is down from 7.4 percent in 2010. Amidst warnings from plastic bag makers, consumers didn't go broke either from paying just 10 cents for a thicker, legal plastic bag. Even so, plastic litter still remains one of the environment's biggest threats. We live in a world where it's no longer shocking to come across "plastic islands" like Henderson Island for example. Part of the Pitcairn group, this island is covered by 18 tonnes of plastic with 13,000 new items washing ashore daily. The Guardian reports Henderson Island having the "highest density of anthropogenic debris recorded anywhere in the world." Needless to say, this plastic island paints a poor picture of the wider marine ecosystem. Threatened Marinelife  Approximately 40 percent of the world's population lives within 62 miles of the coast, yet somehow, many of us have become immune to plastic waste issues. The same however can't be said for University lecturer, Saeed Rashid, 46, who recently was on a trip to the Red Sea when he spotted a Hawksbill turtle in distress. This sea turtle was unable to eat due to an eight-inch plastic bag blocking her airways. Rashid told the Daily Mail, "I got close to the female and took a few photos of her eating. Then I realized she had a plastic bag in her mouth and in fact wasn't able to eat, she was just nudging the jellyfish clearly in some distress." Lucky for the female turtle, Rashid was able to wrestle the plastic bag out of her throat. Though almost as soon as the diver pulled the bag out, the turtle tried to eat another plastic bag that floated by. "I quickly pulled that bag away and she went on to eat a few of the many jellyfish around us, she was clearly very hungry. I've been diving for 20 years and been lucky to travel all over the world and I'm now seeing a massive increase in the amount plastic floating about, I've always collected what I can but I know it's such a small drop in the very real ocean." It's a "very real ocean" indeed – one that holds about 96.5 percent of all Earth's water, so it's about time governments take action and put more plastic bag bans in place. We can individually collect trash, use reusable bags, and do our part but in the large picture of it all, it's the source of the problem that needs to be targeted.

If you picture Thanksgiving – family, traditions, and of course food come to mind. With all the preparation that goes into orchestrating the perfect Thanksgiving meal, it can be easy to neglect the environment. Here are a few tips to ensure that doesn't happen this year and to help you prepare for a more eco-friendly Thanksgiving: Shop Local and Organic Eating locally grown food is one of the best ways to lower your carbon footprint and shopping local and organic for Thanksgiving should be no different. Doing so also means you'll be serving the freshest food to your family and friends because the produce and products haven't had to travel across the globe to the grocery store or farmer's market. Simply put, shopping local and opting for certified organic groceries will ensure you have an eco-friendly Thanksgiving meal this year. Forgo the Turkey  Thanksgiving is about "giving" not the turkey, so this year, consider going vegetarian and forgoing the turkey altogether. A forecasted 244 million turkeys are raised each year in the U.S. for Thanksgiving which is up 4.5 percent from 2015. That's an unnatural amount of turkeys which are, for the most part, jampacked into warehouses, genetically modified, and mutilated without the use of anesthesia. On top of that, people often forget that in the wild, turkeys are actually intelligent, playful, and social creatures. Needless to say, it wouldn't hurt to forgo the turkey this year or at least cut down on the amount of meat that's served. After all, the turkey is more of an iconic table piece. We all know, the best part of the meal are the side dishes and the dessert. Invest in Eco-Friendly Thanksgiving Dinnerware Everyone loves a festive, well-decorated house in which to spend Thanksgiving. This year, however, try to stick to eco-friendly decor and reusable dinnerware such as cloth napkins and ceramic plates. If you're celebrating Thanksgiving someplace where you can only use disposable items, shop for products like napkins and plates that are made from 100% recycled paper or that are biodegradable. Don't forget to pack everything up into reusable bags. Wherever you decide to feast this year, just be sure to make choices that will ensure you and your family have a happy and eco-friendly Thanksgiving.