CustomEarthPromos - Eco Blog US

Portland became Maine's first city to impose surcharge on use-and-throw bags. It has also got itself into history books by being in the forefront to regulate not only bags, but also food containers and polystyrene cups. The polystyrene cups were popular for drinking coffee in quick service restaurants. It is a great time to bring in eco-friendly promotional items to protect the environment. What Prompted the Move to Ban Styrofoam and Plastic Bags This proposal of making the city a more green place to live in has been in planning for a number of years. It was crafted and then re-drafted a number of times. The city council that passed the ordnance was not an unanimous one. Members of the council went to voting 6-3 and passed the final draft. A number of councilors were not happy with the final decision. However, this new rule will keep out of its purview restaurants, dry cleaners or department stores. A few councilors said that the new rules should be followed by all shopping establishments and not restricted to a few. A number of them also expressed their dissatisfaction with the surcharge imposition on bags made of paper. They argued that these bags were made of paper and thus are bio-degradable and can be recycled. However, many councilors welcomed the decision, saying that these new rules have the power to change the behavior of the people. It means that they will be using reusable bags, which will consequently result in less trash for the city to clean and dispose of. It also means that eco-friendly promotional items will also be given a push. The Maine Grocer's and Food Producers Association was very active in opposing the above proposal. When the vote was over, the representatives of the association voiced their disapproval of the city when it enacted the bans of styrofoam and plastic bags along with the fee without primarily focusing on impact efforts at recycling. Public hearing in this case continued into night. The council chambers were also packed. There were a number of speakers in the council. Eco-Friendly Promotional Items Instead of Styrofoam and Plastic Bags Environmentally conscious people welcomed the decision of the council. This is an excellent way to teach people the importance of using eco-friendly items like grocery bags which are sewn from reusable material. The quantity of plastic bags choking up storm drains, or floating in the sea at Casco Bay will also be reduced. However, business owners were of the opinion that people will do their shopping near their homes and not venture into the center of the city. Source

A domestic laundry room is more than the sum of its parts. Not only the family clothes get washed and cleaned here, it is the room where you can make a positive environmental contribution to the planet we live in. It is the perfect supplement to the eco-friendly items you have been purchasing. Going green is effortless and will give you great satisfaction. For a Greener and Cleaner Laundry Room You can transform your laundry room into an environmentally friendly zone simply by choosing the right products you utilize to keep your clothes and house furnishings clean. The first step in this direction is to select “green” certified equipment. When you plan to buy a new washing machine, search for a model with an Energy Star label. An efficient washer will consume 50 percent less water and power. When you wash, make sure to make it a full load. Select the temperature of the water to the minimum, which corresponds to how much dirty the clothes were and the kind of fabric to be washed. In the case of dryers, you have a choice between two technologies: electric and gas. Whatever the technology, the dryer should have moisture sensor so that it switches off the instant the clothes are completely dried. For maximum efficiency, clean the rigid dryer vent. Many companies offer eco-friendly promotional items in the form of bio-degradable detergents made from minerals or plants which do not harm the environment in any way. The basin or small sink in the laundry room can be used for a number of purposes. If you presoak stained garments, a considerable amount of energy can be saved for getting them clean in the washing machine. One of many home methods to extend cloth longevity is to soak them in a mixture of water, salt, and white vinegar. Many green living enthusiasts save water by washing them in the sink instead of in the washing machine. The water temperature is kept at room temperature to save more energy. Eco-Friendly Laundry Room Items Can Save You Money Many companies offer retail eco-friendly promotional items like softeners and laundry detergents which are not derived from hydrocarbons or petroleum. These natural products save not only the environment but also money. Industrial grade environment harming products can be easily substituted with natural products that not only cleans the clothes but also the machine. For the keen gardener, the greywater from the washing machine can be excellently used in the garden. This saves a lot of fresh water. Dryer sheets can be substituted by wool dryer balls. These balls reduce drying time by a whopping 30 percent. They also eliminate static which increases the life span of the dryer. Source

Environmental protection affects us all, and it affects children the deepest. They will inherit the world from us in the future. The use of eco-friendly items will ensure that the world will be more pristine and healthy in the years to come. Living green ideas can be inculcated among children with simple eco-friendly activities like switching off lights and putting placing plastic into recycling bins. Let the Young Inherit a Healthy Earth for Eco-Friendly Activities The idea and concepts of environmental protection can be reinforced in children with fun activities that mirror what the kids love to do on their own. For young children, singing is natural. The majority of children love to talk and sing loudly. They can be taught by teaching them simple and repetitive lyrics. The chant of “Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle” can be made catchy so that young children will love to speak it and also to practice it. Young children can also be made to count the to-be recycled items before they are put into the recycling bin. Toddlers can give a description of the color of the items which are placed inside. For a great time, and also to give a huge confidence boost to their under five children, parents can make obvious mistakes like putting glass jars into paper recycling bags. Children will have a great time correcting the mistakes of their parents. Kids can also make their own DIY session of cleaning the house. They will also learn the importance of eco-friendly promotional items while doing the fun-filled activity. Grade schoolers can be introduced to board games which promote awareness of ecology. Older children can be encouraged to maintain green journals where they can keep a record of their environmental protection activities for a specific time period. Eco-Friendly Activities and Promotional Items for Environmental Protection Creativity will flow when reusable items like old buttons and gift wraps are used to make Christmas presents or wall art. They make a perfect activity when it rains outside or in the time of school holidays. What's more, the items created can be reused and improved as long as there is imagination in the eyes of the children. Parents can help children underscore the importance of the environment by purchasing eco-friendly items from a number of companies which offer these products. Not only the children enjoy playing with the new products, they will also learn the importance of environmental protection in their daily lives. Source

The Swansea Council members have decided to fine pet owners who don't clean up after their pets. In a move to make the city cleaner and making pet owners more responsible, 5,000 special capsules that can be attached to a pet's leash are being distributed. Also, animal mess lying on the streets is being spray-painted bright pink to drive the message loud and clear. Funky Green Pet Bags Handed out to Pet Owners In an effort to help dog owners initially, these trendy green pet bags are being distributed by Council members and officials in charge of monitoring littering. These capsules are easy to carry (they just need to be attached to the pet's leash) and contain eco-friendly bags that can be used to collect animal poo. Many people have complained about lack of sufficient places to dispose of these bags. The Council has emphasized this is not true and ample waste bins have been provided to throw them. The bags do not use thin plastic, which cannot be reused and cannot be recycled. They are made out of natural materials that can be recycled. So, you don't have to see mounting landfills with toxic waste that is hazardous for all forms of life. Instead, you will keep the city streets clean by not adding to the toxic waste. Swansea Council really means business this time with this drive it will be lending a helping hand by distributing these green pet bags. It will also be slapping a fine on the offenders. Residents are being urged to use the bags and be responsible while also encouraging others to follow suit. For those not doing their bit, Council members have asked them to be reported, so strict actions can be taken against them. Many pet owners are already following this method and beg to differ from those who don't. However, to eradicate this mess from the city altogether, green poo collection bags are actively distributed to all pet owners. Why Use Green Pet Bags? Pet bags are essential to keep the city clean. A person's day can get ruined when he/she steps out with but ends up putting his feet in a pile of animal waste. Apart from being annoying, it can also lead to diseases. By collecting the poo and throwing it in trash cans provided by the Council or the ones at your home, you keep the streets litter-free. With green pet bags, you take a further step to keep the environment safe. So happy green pet bag shopping! Source

When talking about wine, you instantly find a certain amount of class added to the conversation. Even a person drinking wine out of a cardboard box is considered comparatively classier than a person downing a whole keg of beer! How do you make gifting this classy item more attractive? Well, use an imprinted custom bag for it! Bring Your Custom Bags and Drink Wine with Style Carrying a wine bottle in a paper bag is alright when it is just for you, but what do you do when there is a party in your house? Or if you are about to attend a social event and just cannot carry a crinkling paper bag or worse, a toxic plastic one! These imprinted customer bags look simple yet chic, have a fun message on them that brings an instant smile on most faces and are so cost-effective! Even if you are gifting a not-so-fine wine, but want to make the experience more special, you can take one of these reusable bags, put a personal note on it (yes – you get space for that too!), put the bottle in it, bind it pretty and make yourself an adored guest! Practically, we have all seen the horrors created due to plastics lying unused in so many places clogging drains, choking animals and infants and creating a toxic menace for people living near landfills. They can only be used once and need to be thrown as they cannot be recycled. These trendy reusable custom wine bags, however, can be used by your host later too. So they make for an attractive and practical gift at the same time. The bags are made out of muslin that can be washed easily, are soft to touch and is combined with some amount of paper, so they are also water-proof and don't tear easily. They are perfect for a big bottle of wine and not at all messy to handle. Eco-Friendly Imprinted Custom Bags Are Getting Popular These customized reusable bags are fast becoming popular with the young and the old, the environmentalists and the fashion conscious, and even those with big and small wallets apart from being loved by the hosts! You can reuse the bags and also get a clean, plastic-free environment in return. So there are a lot of reasons why you should start stocking them today! Source

Plastic bags are being banned in many parts of the country. The latest of cities to join this green bridge is Evanston. In a recently held civic forum, many of the town's citizens gathered to discuss this issue and the best solution for it without disrupting normal life too much. What Do the Residents Have to Say About Eco Totes? You probably would expect a hullabaloo on the ban because a product being used every day will shortly not be that easily accessible as it was earlier. However, Evanstonians understand the highly hazardous effect plastic has been having on many parts of the environment. The forum was organized to get the masses' feedback and inputs for the ban. The result was promising. Many people pointed out that some plastic bags would be necessary, for example to collect garbage and pet waste. Hence, an outright ban may not be effective. They also rightly highlighted that people respond better to incentives on doing a good deed rather than being forced to do so by bans. So apart from placing a restriction, it was also suggested that people who adopt green measures are also rewarded in some manner. This would influence even non-green people to adopt the green route! Eco totes, another name for reusable and recyclable bags, have become vastly popular in those cities that have already implemented similar bans. Evanstonians were also explained the benefit of having a bag that does not cost much, can be used several times and can also be recycled when no longer in use. They were advised to use recyclable bags as much as possible and expend its utility completely and to then start stocking up on such reusable bags for future shopping. Noted people like Bring Your Bag executive director Jordan Baker, who was also present at the meet, hoped that the ban would be more widespread than those placed in other cities like Chicago, which still allow plastics in dine-ins and carry-out restaurants. People All over the Nation Are Sticking to Their Eco Totes Chicago, Washington, Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles and Ore are some of the regions where such bans have already been placed. By using eco totes and other such eco-friendly shopping bags, a dramatic reduction in the use of plastics has been achieved, the reduction being 60-90 percent. Following their example, Evanston also wants to make it a plastic-free zone but in a manner that attracts the people's enthusiasm rather than forcing them to do so. This method should prove more effective as other citizens can more easily be influenced to adopt these green methods. Source: http://evanstonnow.com/comment/28925

Waldorf School of Princeton is a proud part of Eco School, one of the 117 schools in New Jersey that include eco-friendly practices in their curriculum. Eco School is an initiative by National Wildlife Federation (USA) prevalent in 59 countries. The school gives academic and practical experiences to its students in various green activities. Eco-Friendly Practices at School There is no better way to teach impressionable young minds the value and techniques of saving the environment than organizing events such as tree planting and collecting waste food. Items such as apple cores and carrot peels are used as nutrients for the school gardens. Students learn about composting waste, using recyclable and reusable items rather than use and throw items such as plastic bags. Included in their curriculum are topics such as energy efficiency, biodiversity and sustainable foods. Every year, they select one such green activity and conduct various activities for it, this year the topics were consumption and leftover wastes. Older students in the eighth grade up-cycled wood to create large compost bins while their juniors collected waste from all classrooms and put them in the bins. The school is also involved in recycling and regularly measures its recycling compactors to understand the process. Various schools across the country have joined this innovative initiative of teaching the younger generations about making the world a green, toxic-free place. This disciplines the students and inspires their parents to use the same methods at home. Irrespective of the school type, all are free to be a part of the Eco School network. Eco-friendly items such as compactors and water storage bins are provided to schools to help them achieve good results under the same network. Depending on the number of activities conducted, their effectiveness and student participation, schools are awarded prizes, Waldorf School of Princeton winning the Bronze Award this year. Eco-Friendly Practices and Promotional Items Creating Awareness in Students Schools that form a part of this network share ideas and results together. Use of eco-friendly items reduces the cost of managing wastes and conducting green drives. Eco-friendly promotional items are now directed exclusively at children too, some of them being bags, toys, lunch boxes for personal use. Companies manufacturing and marketing them are Eco Marketing Solutions, Eco-Swag, Garrett Specialties and 4imprint. These articles help children appreciate the green drives conducted by the Eco Schools and contribute to the safety of the environment. Source

To reduce the harmful effects of plastic bags on the environment and premises of the citizens, the Sioux City Council is contemplating ways to reduce or totally abolish the use of such bags where not required. Many states in the nation have taken towards the plastic bag ban, as the Council aims to improve Sioux City's environment too. Plastic Bag Ban Plan in Place Following the success of the the move in various other cities in other states, the Council has responded to the complaints of many people. It has decided to reduce the use of plastic by either placing a ban on its availability or making it dearer for shoppers. With many revolutionary alternatives available to shoppers, that are easy on their pocket and to the environment, the Council is pushing the citizens to adopt green measures. The ban would initially be placed on large commercial units and then moved on to the smaller retail outlets. This would give people time to get used to the new rule and allow them to be prepared before the rule impacts their daily shopping routines. Those who wish to use plastic bags, or even paper bags, will have to pay for them. This will, nudge them towards better habits such as carrying their own reusable bags before they leave for shopping. On both sides of the river, citizens are being approached for their opinion on this move and the alternatives they have in mind. Promotional reusable bags have been a huge success in other parts of the country and are being made available to the citizens of Sioux too. Usage of reusable bags may be touted on a big scale by pointing out that they are a very cost-effective way not only for the shoppers, but also for store keepers. All citizens – storeowners and shoppers alike, will work together in this move to keep streets, fences and trees plastic-free. Promotional Reusable Bags Can Be Used to Support Plastic Bag Ban Landfills, clogged drain pipes, fences that need to be cleaned every day – these seem like pesky issues, but when they happen on a large scale, they start getting the attention of one and all. Plastic just ends up getting discarded in a hazardous manner and its effect outlives its utility. Reusable bags will help the city to be free of this problem and shoppers can buy guilt-free without having to pay for carry bags. The beauty of reusable bags is that they are also recyclable. So go ahead and stock a few of them today so you are prepared when the ban is imposed in Sioux. Source

There are rumors about building a computer that can soon start thinking. Is that a sign of human evolution or that of machines? Scientists have time and again warned us of the day when we will be overpowered by the comfort gadgets give us. Our own immunity and resistance will have to take a bow to scientific improvements. Really, smart technologies are not as smart as they are made out to be. Green Houses for a Green Space Perhaps your friend boasts of a house chock-full of green gadgets and you are reminded of an oxymoron. What gadget can be better than natural daylight? Which one of them can help you enjoy a stable temperature as well as high ceilings and strategically placed windows? If you are looking to have a green space, use natural elements where possible and don't rely on smart options that aren't so smart anyway. Science, used correctly and moderately, is a boon. Too much of it just diverts our focus on the natural solutions to many problems. For example, thermostats that help you maintain a suitable temperature with the twist of a knob are not required when you can achieve the same with high ceilings, good ventilation achieved by large windows and letting the sunshine help you see and gain energy. Having said the above, there are times when certain gadgets are required, especially in extreme weather conditions. The idea is to rely on them when required, not just because they come with the “smart” tag. Building a functional home that gives you as much comfort as it possibly can is not an easy task. Instead of having heat control devices, look at green houses with solar panels or insulated walls, which let natural sunlight do its trick. There are homes that have “smart” gyms right in sprawling mansions, built so luxuriously that you don't have to strain yourself by climbing a single stair. However, whats is the use of it when climbing up and down stairs can do the trick, without you losing a lot of money and sleep on expensive equipment. Eco-Friendly Promotional Items for Green Houses Green homes help you lead a healthy life without the aid of expensive gadgets that make a man's life less governed by nature and more by gadgets. Some of the common ones used are storm water collectors, insulation in walls such as fiberglass and recycled cotton and cellulose, glass tiles in roofs, etc. Many companies are passionate in helping constructing green homes. Many even offer eco-friendly promotional items that are less hazardous, cheaper and connect them with nature and its benefits. Source

Following the footsteps of many cities across the nation adopting environment-friendly measures to make their lands as well as premises free of plastic, teachers at a school Newburyport in Massachusetts had recently organized a competition where they chose green bags to be sold this summer onward. Sustainable Bagging Has a Winner for Its Green Bags Contest In a bid to prevent the use of thin film plastic bags, especially in grocery stores and pharmacies, Newburyport High School saw many talented people showcasing eco-friendly bags that can be reused several times, washed and recycled at the end of their life. There were 54 entries and Emma Pitch, Caitlyn Wells and Siobhan Powers were declared the winners. The school also recognized Zachary Mauro's contribution and earned an honorable mention for his design that will be used by the city's recycling department in future. Earlier in the year, an anonymous philanthropist donated 7,000 reusable green bags and these were immediately dispersed in the city through various community organizations. To make such bags more visible and popular, some were also stocked at stores, with the aim of influencing people to use them more often while shopping. Teenagers have been actively promoting eco-friendly measures and the leader of this team, Conor McManamy has mentioned that city will be getting more such bags from a US-based manufacturing company. This would be just in time for the tourist season which would begin in summer. As many cities have seen a dramatic improvement in shoppers' choices when it comes to carry bags, Newburyport hopes to join this league and actively promotes reusable bags. The competition saw a good number of entries indicating that reusable bags are not just for the elite few, but an option that even common man can use. In this way, the environment is cleaner and the wallets are not empty paying for expensive paper bags. How Competitions Involving Green Bags Can Help The promotion of use of green bags was highlighted in this competition in a positive manner. Imposing bans is a technique that many cities have used, but focusing on the alternatives available is equally important. By organizing a competition, the city ensured larger social participation and enthusiasm of the citizens. It united everyone in a common cause. The three winner's reusable bags will be integrated into one type of bag, which will then be made available on a large scale to the public. Source