CustomEarthPromos - Eco Blog US

Your house reflects the kind of personality you have. However you don't need to get the best art pieces or expensive house decoration items to make it look good. You can opt for eco-friendly house ideas to ensure that your home does not become a burden on earth but instead helps it. If you think going eco-friendly with designing your house will be time consuming and expensive, you will be glad to know that it is actually the opposite of that. Simple Eco-Friendly House Ideas That Can Make a Difference The foundation of your house is what keeps it strong and sturdy for years. But did you know that you don't need to stick to the usual way of creating foundation which involves making a huge crater in the land? Instead you can try digging small holes for pilings that can help in supporting your house. Once you are done with the foundation, begins the construction process. To ensure that your house remains environment friendly, you will have to use repurposed and sustainable materials during the process of building it. Wood that is sustainably harvested is a good option. Recycled building materials like old barn doors and corks are also a good source. The kind of paints you choose for adding vibrancy to your house can actually take off life from earth. So be careful with the type of paint you choose. Typical household paints are said to contain lots of toxins and certain chemicals that have even been linked with cancer. Volatile organic compounds found in paints are among the most harmful chemicals. You can go for paints that are free from VOC or have a low amount of it. Another simple way in which you can make your house ‘green' is by designing angled windows for it. Such windows with glass panels fixed at the base allow a lot of breeze to come in which can in turn allow you to save on air conditioning. Using Eco-Friendly Promotional Items in Your Eco-Friendly House If you cannot follow these eco-friendly ideas, one simple thing that you can do is use eco-friendly promotional items. These items are a quick and affordable way of adding sustainability to your house. You will come across many eco-friendly promotional items in the market, so you have a variety of options to choose from. Most companies are making it a point to make such items available as they not only prove beneficial for them from the point of view of sales but also help in keeping the environment green and safe. Source

It has taken seven long years for the Cambridge City Council to realize the materialization of its pet project, which is the imposition of a ban on plastic bags and using wholesale reusable bags. The Ordinance Committee, comprising the entire council met recently to approve draft regulations prohibiting retailers from using plastic bags that are a bane to the environment. A Long Wait for Cambridge's Wholesale Reusable Bags The residents of Cambridge had to wait for seven years for the long overdue ban on use of plastic bags. However, the wait is going to be extended till the New Year, with 2014 bringing in confirmation of the good news. As of now, the policy is yet to be approved by the City Council, which will meet during the first week of January 2014. This relentless war against plastics has been going on since 2007, when the City Council first submitted seven policy orders requesting the city manager to study the impact of the proposed ban on plastic bags. It was Councilor Henrietta who submitted the first policy order to investigate the proposed ban on plastic bags, and think of better ways to recycle used plastic bags. Much later, in October 2011, Councilor Marjorie Decker proposed the next round of policy orders that would seal the fate of usage of plastic bags permanently. However, she hastened to add that it was not the City Council's intention to harm or impede the local businesses. This policy order was followed by the one submitted by Councilor Minka vanBeuzekom in March 2012 followed by another one from Decker in January 2013, seeking the City Council to draft regulations to bring the ban into effect. Decker quoted the 2010 policy order of Environmental Protection Agency that stated Americans used a whopping 380 million plastic bags every year, adding to the woes of environmentalists. With only 5% of these used bags being recycled, the remaining 95% added to the landfills, which would remain intact for another 1,000 years as plastic is one of the least biodegradable materials. Gearing up to Use Wholesale Reusable Bags The urgent need of the hour is to switch to eco-friendly wholesale reusable bags, which is the only foreseeable solution to this bane from plastic bags that we have brought upon ourselves. The City Council is busy urging retailers and other local business to desist from using plastic bags in the future. They are also appealing to the residents and urging them switch to wholesale reusable bags that are specifically made for multiple reuses. Source

The Whole Foods Market which opened recently will delight green enthusiasts especially since the entire store claims to be completely organic in comparison to most other stores. Located at 3rd St. and 3rd Ave. in Brooklyn, this organic food haven is shaping up to an organic theme park and boasts of many organic and green features. Whole Foods Market Is the Latest Eco-Friendly Option for Shoppers This Whole Foods has almost eliminated its carbon foot print. The solar panels will light up its electricity, even if it will only be till the extent of 25 percent. Yet, this is a good beginning. Nevertheless, wind turbines will help in providing light to its parking lot. Organic food lovers will love to know that their products are locally sourced. Pretty soon the store will also have rooftop greenhouse over its 20,000 square foot roof where herbs will be grown that anyone will be able to buy. Whole Foods has used recycled materials in its construction. The produce bins you will see in their store come from discarded wood off the Coney Island. A demolished Newark building has proven useful for providing bricks for the facade. Gowanus Creek, the polluted lake is also getting a facelift with a walkway that is complete with benches and shrubbery. The choice of site for Whole Foods makes perfect sense, according Michael Sinatra, the company spokesman. The canal has given the company a reason to focus on environment. It has refurbished the surrounding and made the store environment friendly. Nowhere else perhaps so many environmentally appropriate things have been done at one place, as here. Sinatra thinks, this is among the best few sustainably designed outlets ever begun. The eco-friendly approach followed by this new store includes nearly everything one can think of. Eco-Friendly Promotional Items Can Create Awareness at Whole Foods Market The Whole Foods is a living example in the maximization of the use of eco-friendly promotional items in a single retail outlet. These items are not just great for the environment but also show in the profit of the company. While the food products out there are mainly organic, the structure itself has been constructed mostly out of recycled material. The outlet also offers an example of the use of non-conventional energy sources for various activities. The retail outlet is going to be hugely attractive to customers and exemplary for other companies wanting to design environmentally friendly stores. It will motivate people to adopt organic lifestyle. Today, it is really important for people to go green and adopt organic life style not just for their personal health but also for the sustainability of environment. Source

Transitioning to organic farming could mean giving back life to the soil. Joe Scrimger's story depicts what success in organic farming is all about. He has been in the business for long and has been advising and helping other farmers since 1980. Today he is a top consultant in the field of organic farming. Bringing 'Organic Farming' Back Joe's expertise in organic farming has been recognized since 1980. Whenever his clients need help on animals, or farms he is ready to advise them. Healthy soil, according to Joe should be full of tiny microbes, animal and plant life which are all interdependent in the complex ecosystem. Micro-organisms keep the soil aerated, healthy and flushed with nutrients. Joe Scrimger's consultancy business is known as Bio-Systems. It is located in Marlette where he offers soil testing service along with consultancy. He charges $500 per day for his consultancy business while the rates for soil testing vary between $35 and $275. Consultations can include field evaluation and soil sampling apart from recommendations. He understands the harm fertilizers and insecticides can bring to the soil by reducing its nutrient value. These impact the productivity and make the crops prone to diseases. Scrimger has spent a large part of his life in farming. He studied mechanical engineering after graduating from high school in 1967 but eventually went on to continue agricultural education. He has attended numerous seminars and programs on organic and bio-organic farming. He started his business in 1972 with 160-acre farm land that he purchased along with his wife and bought more land by the next three years when he transitioned to organic business. Along the way he received numerous awards for his outstanding work including Young Farmers Award in 1984 and Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. In 2006, Michigan Organic Food and Farming Alliance gave him a Public Service Award. Using Eco-Friendly Promotional Items to Promote Organic Farming Joe Scrimger's life depicts the value of using eco-friendly promotional items to promote organic lifestyle. He lives by what he preaches. Organic life style will get popular if awareness is created with eco-friendly promotional items. However, people like Joe Scrimger understood their importance long time back when environmental concerns were not as deep as they are today. Organic farming promises to resist the environmental threat we are facing today by offering healthy food and by making the planet sustainable along the way. The traditional process of food production and processing has given rise to a host of ailments and threatening health conditions. They can only be reversed if we begin using organic food items. Source

It has been quite some time since plastic bag ban was enforced in San Francisco. Taking into consideration the kind of changes it has brought in; this move by the city council has proved to be a good one. However recently a lawsuit was filed against this ban by ‘Save the Plastic Bag Coalition' which intends to put an end on the ban and bring back plastic bags. But the California Court of Appeals did not seem too pleased with it and ruled in favor of continuing the plastic bag ban. This means that residents of San Francisco will welcome another year with reusable recycled grocery bags. Starting an Eco-Friendly Trend with Reusable Recycled Grocery Bags This plastic bag ban revolution first showed up in the city in 2007 when it was applicable only on pharmacies and grocery stores. It was recently in October 2013 that the ban was extended to restaurants and retail stores. Ever since San Francisco took this eco-friendly step a few years ago, a major change has been seen in the usage of plastic bags in other cities too. In California itself more that 90 counties and cities have already embraced the plastic bag ban. New York City, Denver as well as San Diego too are considering implementing a similar ban wherein a fee of 5 to 10 cents will be charged against defaulters. This small step taken by San Francisco has helped the whole country in understanding the issues created by plastic bags and putting an end to them. According to a report by Ocean Conservancy, plastic bags make up for the fourth most common ocean litter which not just pollutes the ocean but also poses a major threat to sea animals as they end up eating these bags. Ban on plastic bags have helped to a large extent in reducing this litter. Also as plastic bags are not biodegradable, they take up the precious landfill space. Fighting the Issues with Reusable Recycled Grocery Bags These bag bans require residents and shoppers to use reusable and paper bags instead of plastic bags. Using reusable recycled grocery bags is the best option when it comes to reducing the litter created by plastic bags as these reusable bags are eco-friendly. They can be used several times and can be recycled too. They are biodegradable unlike plastic bags and are much stronger and durable too. Source: http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/12/12/3055651/san-francisco-plastic-bag-ban-upheld/#

If you stay in Calistoga, you will be welcomed with a reusable bag the next time you go out for buying your groceries. The City Council recently agreed on the request made by the Green Committee to purchase around 1000 reusable bags for handing them out to shoppers. The Committee wanted to hand these out to the residents of the town to make them give up on plastic bags and use reusable shopping bags instead. These bags will be given out at grocery as well as retail stores. 1000 Reusable Shopping Bags to Be Given Out Now that the request had been accepted, the Committee is planning to purchase 1000 eco-friendly grocery totes which will cost around $1600. These bags will be dark green in color and will have a logo reading “Keep Calistoga Green” imprinted on them in white along with a leaf above the words. The leaf will be surrounded by a eco-friendly message in English and Spanish reading ‘protect our earth'. These bags will be around 13 inches wide and 10 inches deep. They will be approximately 15 inches in length. They will have long straps and a flat bottom which will make them appropriate for carrying grocery items. Volunteers of the committee will distribute these bags after the start of next year, outside important local markets. The committee, since a long time, has been planning to persuade the city council in imposing a ban on plastic bags in the town,but couldn't. It finally succeeded in asking dealers to opt for a voluntary plastic bag ban. President of Green Committee, Karen Chang, said that the survey was done around 68 establishments of the town and revealed that 53 percent of them don't use any kinds of bags at all, be it plastic or paper. Approximately 16 percent of businesses that were a part of the survey said that they used plastic bags. CalMart, which is the largest business in the town to use plastic bags, too has agreed on discontinuing the use of these bags. The store has already made reusable bags available for its shoppers. Why Reusable Shopping Bags? It is a known fact that plastic bags create a lot of litter and as they are non-biodegradable, they just stay in the environment for a very long time. This hurts the quality of environment. Reusable shopping bags on the other hand are eco-friendly which makes them better than plastic bags. Source

Grocery store owners and food vendors now have a reprieve, thanks to the lifting of the fine that was imposed on the use of plastic bags after the ban. They now have more time left to use up the inventory they already have, and to think of a suitable alternative to reusable bags. No Fine for Three Months Though the ban was to take effect from mid-January, the City Council has informed that no fines will be imposed for any violations that take place in the next three months. This is to enable the store and eatery owners to pull up their act and seek suitable alternatives within that time. According to Councilwoman JoAnn Conner, the relaxation on the ban was because they foresaw businesses being affected drastically in case of not being able to comply with such short notice. Going a step further, at the end of the three-month relaxation period, sometime in April, a review will be conducted to learn how the ordinance is working. Other retail businesses, however, have time until mid-October to comply with the ban on plastic bags. Considering that the volume of usage is a lot higher with grocers and food vendors, the relaxation on the ban is just for three months for them. Although Conner and Tom Davis were the only two members who opposed the ban, they lost because a majority of three people voted for it, resulting in the ban being approved in October. After the three-month grace period, a second violation will attract a fine of $50, as against the $100 that was originally proposed. The fine proposal was solely opposed by Davis, who said that he was never in favor of imposing fines. However with a majority of 4:1, the proposal sailed through smoothly, much to the dismay of shop owners. What Makes Wholesale Reusable Bags a Better Choice? It is going to be business as usual for the shop owners and food vendors for the next three months, giving them breathing space to use up the inventories. However, a permanent solution lies in the use of wholesale reusable bags, which will be not just a better choice, but the only alternative one can think of. With paper bags proving to be an expensive proposition, the shop owners have no other go but to rely on eco-friendly wholesale reusable bags that will put an end to the practice of ‘use and throw' which obviously is the main culprit contributing to today's environmental woes. After all, it takes a bit of extra effort on the part of the residents who need to remember to carry reusable bags each time they set out shopping for groceries or for buying takeaways. It is all a matter of getting used to, while doing one's bit towards conserving nature and promoting a greener earth. Source

Though there are a few more months left before the ban on plastic bags will be imposed in Santa Fe, the residents of the city are being prepared to be ready for the change that is inevitable. The officials are busy preparing the campaign that they hope to roll out after Christmas. Reusable Recycled Bags Looking Forward to the Ban The Santa Fe City Council, after prolonged deliberations, approved the ban towards the end of August. The ban prevents city stores from providing their customers single-use plastic bags and is expected to offer paper bags instead that cost 10 cents apiece. The law is expected to go into force from the 27th of February from next year. The officials of the city have hired HD Advertising, a local ad firm, to create a logo saying “Bag to Differ” and are hoping that it will make a difference in the way people react to the ban. The firm has been awarded a $10,000 contract to fulfill its obligations that include providing marketing materials and formalizing an effective strategy. Although the details haven't been finalized yet, the strategy is likely to include standard marketing tactics that deploy letters, emails, news bulletins, radio advertisements and press ads. Other promotional items like bumper stickers are to be used, according to Fabian Trujillo, who is the director of the Economic Development Division. The strategy will also include online propaganda, either through the city's official website or a new one that is to be specially designed for the cause. Retailers are expected to display colorful posters prominently, and there will be parking lot signs, urging people to refrain from using plastic bags, and use reusable bags instead. In case customers are not sure about anything related to the campaign, the cashiers can point out the posters, which are self-explanatory, says Nick Schiavo, Public Utilities Director of the city. Schiavo has been working on the concept even while he was Santa Fe's Economic and Housing Development director. It's Time for Reusable Recycled Bags It is important for the residents of Santa Fe to realize the importance of saying no to plastic bags and start using reusable recycled bags instead. With increasing awareness about the harmful effects of plastic that adds to the mounting landfills and its undesirable quality of being one of the least biodegradable substances, residents are bound to take the cue and help make Santa Fe a plastic free city in the coming months. Source

Recent studies prove that organic milk is good for the heart as it contains a better ratio of fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6. Till now, it was believed that organic milk had better nutritional value; however, you now have one more good reason to reach out for the bottle of milk marked ‘organic'. The study conducted for over 18 months and published by PLOS One proves that organic milk has a ratio of 2.3 when compared to that of regular milk that has over 5.8 of these fatty acids that are not very good for the heart when consumed in large amount. What Makes Organic Milk Better? Washington State University research associate, Donald R Davis authored this study that was nationwide, in which over 400 samples of organic and conventional milk were tested. The results revealed the startling truth about the goodness of organic milk when compared to the conventional one that is consumed by most people presently. Davis goes on to explain that milk or no milk, there is too much of omega-6 present in the typical diet of today's Americans, which can be directly held responsible for the increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease, and cancer, in addition to autoimmune disease and the threat of excessive inflammation. Though the ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is in the range of 2.3 to 1, it is alarming to note that the ratio that is actually present is between 10 to 1 and 15 to 1, thus increasing the risk of heart-related ailments. According to Davis, this is because of lack of awareness about how devastating a role omega-6 fatty acids play in our health. The popular misconception between the 50s and 70s was that omega-6 fatty acids are heart-healthy and was widely popularized. However, it takes just more than cholesterol levels for your heart to be affected badly. While decreasing cholesterol levels, omega-6 acids increase the risk of heart disease due to the effects on various other mechanisms. Hence, now is the right time to turn to organic milk, not that there are no other sources of food, like vegetable oils, from where you receive copious quantities of omega-6 fatty acids. Turning to organic milk is one major step in stemming heart-related ailments. Encouraging Organic Milk with Eco-Friendly Promotional Items The whole world is clamoring on the urgent need to go organic to prevent toxic substances from being imbibed in our everyday diet. By turning to organic food ingredients, we take a major health-conscious step that goes a long way in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Once we realize the importance of eco-friendly promotional items, we know that half the battle is conquered. These items can not just help businesses but also the environment. Source

Most residents of Savannah love takeaways and are too used to carrying food whether they are heading home or are out on a picnic. However, they may have to think twice before stepping into a takeaway joint next time as they will have to bring their own bags hereafter. This is to put a stop on the tremendous amount of plastic waste that gets generated daily, adding to the ever increasing mountain of plastic, which is not easily biodegradable. What Is the Bring Your Own Bag Project About? The ambitious and thought provoking Bring Your Own Bag Project is the brainchild of Ashley Workman a bartender at Molly McPherson's, who is also an avid Tybee surfer. This is an awareness campaign that encourages residents to bring along their own bag . Undaunted by this seemingly overwhelming task, she has coined the motto “saving the planet, one bag at a time”, which is fast catching on. Having been in the bar and restaurant scene for over 14 years, she was in close contact with people taking for granted the use of plastic bags, Solo cups and Styrofoam clamshells, which they promptly discarded and forgot all about. Not to be discouraged, Workman works with the closely knit service community in the city that is intent on reducing the usage of plastic bags to protect the environment. She, along with the other concerned members of the community, hand out reusable bags that have restaurant logos emblazoned, as it serves the dual purpose of preventing use of plastic bags and gives the added advantage of free marketing publicity. She gushes that it is a privilege for her to represent the Hostess City and goes on to quote alarming figures of 12 million gallons of fossil fuels that go towards making plastic bags annually. What started as a small murmur by a concerned citizen has today burst out into a loud movement that is attracting a lot of attention. What's more is the added incentive offered between December 14 and 22 when customers who come with their own bags are entitled to a discount of 10 percent on all orders at Molly McPherson's, among others like all three locations of B&D Burgers and Congress Street Social Club. Tybee Island's Sting Ray's and Huc-a-Poo's have also taken the cue and joined the movement. You Need to Bring Your Own Bag All this boils down to one simple solution that lies in the urgent need for carrying reusable bags, which can help gradually replace plastic bags completely. Most customers unknowingly pay for the plastic bags that they promptly discard. Hence, it makes sense to start taking that extra bit of trouble to remember to carry a reusable bag before setting out from home. Source