CustomEarthPromos - Eco Blog US

Another city ready to deal with the mess created by plastic bags is Arcata. The city council of Arcata recently passed an ordinance that talks about a ban on plastic bags. The ordinance proposed prohibiting one-time use plastic bags. However, the council has stalled the introduction of the 10 cent fee for using paper bags provided by stores. The council plans on delaying the implementation of the fee for another six months as it thinks this will give the city enough time to come up with a positive campaign for reusable bags. Arcata Follows the One Thing at the Time Approach Councilwoman, Alex Stillman, explained that this move of the council of only implementing the bag ban for now will be perfect for dealing with the issue of plastic bags in the city. She said that a delay in the implementation of the fee was a hard call, but the council had to take it as it wanted to analyze how the bag ban turns out. The ordinance is up for final adoption in the next meeting. According to the ordinance, use of plastic bags will be prohibited in pharmacies, convenience food stores, supermarkets and retail businesses. But there will be an exemption on bags used for meat, produce, prescription medicines and even the ones that are donated or given as gifts. If the final adoption is approved by the council, the ban will come into effect from February 2014. The fee of 10 cents on paper bags is scheduled to be implemented in August next year. Paper bags, with a minimum of 40 percent of post-consumer reusable/recyclable materials will be made available for the extra fee. Store retailers will be allowed to keep the money generated by it. But participants of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program and California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children will get these bags for free. What do People Say About the Fee on Promotional Shopping Bag? Most of the residents understand the reason behind the fee and are fine with it. Paul Patino, who stays in South Samoa, said that he has no problem with the fee, and in fact appreciates it as it will keep on reminding him that he is wasting money by not carrying reusable bags. On the other hand, the city officials can come up with campaigns where they can distribute promotional shopping bag or explain its importance. Source

In an effort to increase the awareness in society about the importance of acting towards saving the environment, the Target Recycling at School program of Dalton-Whitefield Solid Waste Authority hosted the 2013 America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest. The winning design was declared mid-November. Details of the Billboard Design Contest November 15th was the America Recycles Day. This is the only day that is given national recognition as a dedication to promoting recycling programs all over the United States. To increase awareness, popularity and celebrate this day, the Dalton-Whitefield Solid Waste Authority and Keep Dalton-Whitefield Beautiful sponsored this year's Annual America Recycles Day Contest. The contest was open to public and private middle schools located in the Whitefield County that have been participating in the Target Recycling at School program. The contest was for sixth, seventh and eighth graders and required no entry fee. The themes of the billboards that were to be designed by the children was provided in the contest details issued to each school. The three themes of 2013 were “Let's target recycling together”, “I recycle. Do you?” and “Recycle, it's the natural thing to do”. The contest made it clear to participants that artwork would need to suit a billboard's design. Computer aided or group designs were not allowed. The submitted artwork would be judged with regard to five criteria: Clarity of the message conveyed through the artwork and text; addressing one of the three themes; originality, creativity and artistic quality; visual clarity suited for a billboard; and how bright/colorful the design was. Each grade would have a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner who would each receive a certificate and gift bag of recycled products. An overall winner was also to be announced. The overall winner for 2013 was Larissa Hernandez of the 7th Grade from Dalton Middle School. Getting Creative with Reusable Items at the Billboard Design Contest Contests such as these are a great way to catch the attention of children while simultaneously increasing their enthusiasm towards making the environment clear. Both the contest and the prize of reusable products are a great way to promote a green sense. Working on such a contest drives the importance of recycling into children at a very early age. After exposure to such informative and eye-opening contests, children are more likely to make use of reusable items such as paper and wholesale reusable bags over items that can cause damage to the environment. Source

The Howard County Recycling Division came out with a coloring contest so as to grab attention, promote the ideas and increase awareness of children with regard to the importance of reducing, recycling and reusing. The winners of this coloring book contest were announced on the 15th of November, 2013 as a part of the celebration of America Recycles Day. Green Is the Color to Follow in Your Coloring Book The Howard County Recycling Division challenged the third, fourth and fifth graders of Howard County to come forward and take part in a Coloring Book Contest. The coloring contest required children to draw pictures that portrayed the different ways in which they recycled, reused and reduced at home or at school. The top drawings that were selected in the contest would be presented in a coloring book along with their name and school. This coloring book would be available for the entire Howard County community for free. From all the entries submitted, the single best drawing would also be chosen to appear on the cover of this coloring book. The winning child artists would also receive framed certificates along with their drawing in the coloring book. The contest drawings were to be done in only black marker/ink without being colored in. Each entry needed to portray at least one of the three methods (reduce, reuse, recycle) being practiced. The entries were judged based on the creativity, originality and suitability for a coloring book. The winners of the contest were: Nishtha Gupta from Forest Ridge Elementary School Varshini Suresh of Bellows Spring Elementary Zoe Gonzalez of Bushy Park Elementary School Maya Classon from Bryant Woods Elementary School Atholton Elementary School – Kate Rossmark Neha Rehman and Olivia Davis of Bollman Bridge Elementary School Worthington Elementary School – Abbas Bharmal Northfield Elementary School – Ally Kolp and Kate Plunkett Taylor Leonard, Jocelyn Baker, Marley Cosgrove, Gabriela Ramos Benavides and Eunice Kim of Dayton Oaks Elementary School Jocelyn Baker's drawing was selected for the cover. Spreading the Message Among Students with Eco-Friendly Coloring Books Programs such as Howard County's Coloring Book Contest are a great way to promote and publicize the concepts of reduce, reuse and recycle in children. Targeting students at an early age can be really helpful to ensure that they are growing up in the right way with the right habits. Targeting them through a means which they can relate to and will show interest in is an extremely innovative approach. Such approaches have shown great results in promoting eco-friendly habits at a young age. Another tested and proved technique of developing such habits in children is by popularizing these environmentally helpful ideas with the help of eco-friendly promotional items such as attractive tee-shirts, story books and pencils. Source

The Charleston County Aviation Authority has always been greatly inclined to playing a big role when it comes to protecting the environment. As a part of symbolizing America Recycles Day, Charleston Airport offered all their passengers and employees reusable shopping bags. These were distributed for a limited period of time and were free of cost. Celebrating 'America Recycles Day' with Promotional Reusable Bags America Recycles Day is a nationally recognized event that has been dedicated to promote and encourage the idea of recycling throughout the country. There are various events held throughout the country on this day. Such events educate citizens and inspire them to work together so that they may increase recycling in their own communities. Taking on this responsibility, Charleston County Aviation Authority will be handing out reusable bags between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. as a part of their recognition towards this day. The bags will be distributed for free in the airport's atrium at the information table. Passengers and employees were invited to pick up these bags while supplies lasted. The chief motive behind this gesture is to promote the concept of protecting our environment. The Aviation Authority of Charleston County is dedicated to do its part in protecting the environment. It provides special containers for disposing cans, paper, glass and plastic all over the airport for the purpose of recycling. In addition to these measures to create awareness and assist the public in recycling, the aviation authority also has a recycling procedure for its fluorescent light bulbs, batteries, oil and tires. The airport also makes use of LED lighting on the airfield and also with airplane signage so that they save on energy usage. In 2009, the aviation agency has also launched an official recycling program. Through this program more than a hundred tons of different material has been collected to be recycled. The aviation authority has clearly done a lot to play its part in protecting the environment throughout the year. Promoting the Use of Promotional Reusable Bags The efforts that are made in the Charleston airport are a great example of how even an aviation authority can do its part to create awareness in the public about the importance of using eco-friendly products. It is a great help to make people aware of the small eco-friendly differences that they can adopt in their everyday life. Even the smallest changes such as dropping different waste in specific bins can go a long way. Every big movement starts off with a small step. Giving out promotional reusable bags by an airport authority can be the perfect starting point to create recycling awareness in the public. Source

If you are a teenager with a creative mind and are always finding ways of keeping the environment clean, here is your chance. DoSomething.org has launched an interesting campaign to let all the young ones and teens get creative in an eco-friendly manner. Teens Get Creative at a Recycling Contest The contest is named ‘The 50 Cans Campaign' and as the name suggests, participants will be required to collect a minimum of 50 aluminum cans and get creative with them. They can arrange or use these cans in any manner they want to come up with a creative collection. Once they are done with their arrangement, they can upload pictures on Instagram, a photo sharing site, with #50cans. The campaign has already got quite popular with the target age group. It was launched on September 24 and will go on until December 13. The participants of the contest stand a chance of winning a scholarship of $4,000 for collecting 50 aluminum cans. The more cans they collect, the higher are their chances of winning the prize. Apart from the grand prize, the campaign also comes up with smaller contests with different themes every week to keep the participants spirited and doing their best. It is also helping the campaign in getting a better response while keeping it interesting. Non-profit, DoSomething.org has been designed to promote such habits among young people which can help in bringing a social change. The organization is not just involved in promoting eco-friendly habits among youngsters but has also launched campaigns educating them about animal cruelty, bullying, cancer, and homelessness. The organization stated that its mission is to get youngsters to understand the difference they can make on their own, without the help of adults, money or even a car. Teens Get Creative with Eco-Friendly Promotional Items This is a very good initiative launched by DoSomething.org to make youngsters aware of the different ways in which they can help the society as well as the environment. Small efforts by them can come a long way in helping the planet in becoming a better place to live. Other environmental organizations, as well as businesses too, can learn from this initiative of DoSomething.org. They can design eco-friendly promotional items to create awareness about sustainable habits and get youngsters into the habit of recycling. Source

You may be a big fan of organic food and may be trying to take this love for natural products a notch higher by using only organic beauty products. But what if you learn that the beauty products which you are using on your skin are not exactly organic? You may feel cheated in such case but here are a few things that you should watch out for, the next time you go out shopping for organic beauty products. Know the Difference Between Natural and Organic Beauty Products The product in your hand may read ‘organic' or ‘natural' but there is a lot of difference between both of them. Just because a beauty product says it is natural, does not necessarily mean that it has been made using natural ingredients or does not contain anything ‘not-so-natural'. So you need to make your choice carefully if you are looking for actual organic products. To make the right choice, you will first have to understand how to distinguish between both the terms and what exactly they mean. You will not really find any definition for organic cosmetic products in U.S. So you will have to begin your search by looking for packaging of the product which should include one or any of the standards that have been set by U.S or state government or even non-profit organizations that look after public safety. Now, if any of the products says ‘USDA Organic' it means that the product has been certified by U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program. This implies that it does not include any material that makes use of synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified crops/plants, pesticides and so on. If you come across any beauty product that has this label, see to it that the product also has a minimum of 95% of total organic content and this should exclude water. It should also carry the name of the certifying agency in fine print. On the other hand, ‘natural' does not mean that the product is organic. It can still contain ingredients that may be sprayed with pesticides. Using Organic Beauty Products for Creating Eco-Friendly Awareness Most people find it difficult to correctly decode what the labels on beauty products mean. To make the process simpler for people, businesses can use eco-friendly promotional items that can help in distinguishing organic beauty products from the ones that may not be made with organic items.

As is becoming increasingly well known, plastic bags take an extremely long time to decompose. To add to this, the fact that they are so widely and easily produced, makes them a convenient option to use despite the fact that they can harm the environment so significantly. How Will the Ban on Plastic Bags Help? Studies have shown that, in the United States of America alone, nearly 30 million plastic bags are discarded in the span of a single year. These discarded plastic bags then end up polluting the countryside as well as clogging up essential waterways. As a result, significant damage not only done to the environment - but also to the efficiency of the waterworks systems. There is also an economic aspect to the use of plastic bags. Because they are not biodegradable, the government needs to spend a huge chunk of taxpayer money to get rid of the discarded plastic bags. Financial reports show that the city of San Antonio spends as much as $1.3 million simply cleaning up discarded plastic bags from parks and other public facilities. The entire state spends approximately $25 million a year to perform the same task. The city has proposed a ban on plastic bags to prevent damage to the environment and life in general. There is some resistance to the ban as some people still maintain that plastic bags are so much more convenient than printed custom shopping bags made of paper - especially when carrying items that are wet; but on an overview, there do seem to be more for the ban than against it. The Ban on Plastic Bags and Printed Custom Shopping Bags There is a fight regarding the advantages of plastic bags over printed custom shopping bags, primarily in relation to the ability of the paper bags to hold onto moist or wet items. Plastic bags are also known to be more durable over a vast array of weather conditions. However, the fact that we are endangering the Earth's longevity is a very important point to make note of and should not be ignored. Also, the amount of money the state and country would save on plastic bag collection is immense and can be better served in other areas of development. Source

Plastic bag usage is becoming an increasingly worrying trend all over the world. The core chemical composition of plastic bags means that they are not biodegradable. As a result, government agencies as well as environmental activists are taking significant initiatives to educate as well as help people develop methods to change the trend of high plastic bag usage. How Has the Plastic Bag Ban Changed in the past Two Years? Although Los Angeles has only just started to tackle the problem of excessive plastic bag usage, other parts of the country have successfully transitioned to other options. For instance, Long Beach has almost completed its second year of a plastic bag ban and has only seen one infringement of the law. The infringement was by a small liquor store that, when approached by officials and educated about the reasons for the law change, immediately conformed to the law. Surveys around Long Beach have shown that a significant majority of the community believes that the making of the anti-plastic bag law was the right thing to do. Studies across the country show that as many as 30 million plastic bags are simply discarded in the United States alone in a single year - dirtying landscapes and clogging waterways. The residents of Long Beach appreciate the fact that they do not have to deal with discarded plastic bags destroying the appearance of their naturally beautiful surroundings. Residents Sticking with the Plastic Bag Ban Despite the reduction in sales of bags, the most noticeable trend was the fact that a number of residents have altered their habits rather than change them completely. A number of residents appear to be sticking to the use of their wholesale reusable bags. As a result, they don't need to purchase new bags, but may still be using plastic bags. While wholesale reusable bags are often used, the primary objectives of the ban are met because of the reduction in production of new bags. While there has been some opposition from residents - especially those employed by the plastic manufacturing industry - the ban was well met and supported by residents almost all the way. Source

People all across the globe are becoming increasingly aware about the effect that plastic bag usage has on the environment. As a result, more and more environmental activists as well as government agencies are taking proactive steps to help rehabilitate the environment by curtailing the use of plastic. What Does the Canvas Shopping Bags Report Say? The Eau Claire grocery stores recently undertook a study in the usage of plastic bags at their outlets. The study was aimed at attaining an 80% reduction in the use of plastic bags at the Eau Claire stores. The study is mooted to cover a timespan, or ‘education' phase, of about 2 years before any level of success is measured in the ability to attain the primary goal, which is to reduce the usage of both - paper bags and plastic bags - by 45%. The study is being run by The City of Eau Claire's Sustainable Bag Committee that will not only have a look at the progress in their own territory, but will also keep an eye on what other regions have done to tackle the very same problem. The task force would have to come up with views, reports as well as recommendations on what the best possible route would be to reduce the use of paper and plastic shopping bags. Among the recommendations from the committee were the development of an educational program to help people understand the need to change their habits of bag usage. They have also undertaken the promotion of reusable bags as opposed to the single use ones. Recycling is, as always, one of the most widely used and appreciated methods of helping with plastic wastage. The report has also provided a detailed phasing strategy in how to tackle the waste problem so that positive discussion can take place. Why Using Promotional Canvas Shopping Bags Is Better? Promotional canvas shopping bags are a viable option when it comes to switching from widely used plastic bags. Given the fact that the rate of bio-degeneration of canvas bags is significantly less than that of plastic bags, the primary concern is dealt with to some extent. Another huge advantage to merchants is the fact that promotional canvas shopping bags do a lot for their reputation in consumer circles. Switching from plastic bags to canvas bags sends a message that your store cares about the environment and is playing its part to help out. Source

It has been half a year already since plastic bag ban was implemented in Eugene. Under this ban, stores in the region are not allowed to supply plastic bags to their customers. Instead they have the option of making available paper bags to the shoppers for which the stores can charge an amount of 5 cents per bag. The Reusable Bags Journey so Far Manager of Fred Meyer in Santa Clara, Henry Johnson said that most of the customers who shop at the store have started bringing their own paper sacks or reusable bags to replace plastic. He also shared some instances where customers preferred carrying their items in their shopping carts or hands rather than using any extra bags available at the store. He explained that this does not have much to do with people trying to save a few cents but with the fact that most people have understood how their support can help the city in dealing with environmental pollution. This implies that just within six months of the implementation of the ban, people have realized how their small habits can bring in a big change in the environment. Initially when most of the shoppers in the region used to rely solely on plastic bags, a lot of plastic litter was being collected from all over the city. Ultimately most of it would not even get recycled and would end up getting dumped in the landfills. What Do People Have to Say About Using Wholesale Reusable Bags Tracy Brandt said the ban on plastic bags has not really had much impact on the way he shops for his groceries. He explained that he and his wife have had the habit of carrying wholesale reusable bags eco friendly are much before the ban came into effect, so it didn't really require him to bring in any changes. But not everyone was so thoughtful about the environment before the ban came in. Ever since the ban forced people to carry their own reusable bags or pay extra for paper bags, most people have started giving up on walking out of their homes for shopping without bags. Brandt also said that this ban will help in a long run as it will teach the kids about the importance of keeping the environment safe. It has already helped children in understanding how one small step by them of giving up on plastic bags or recycling things around them can keep the planet much greener and safer. Source