Some serious GREEN.....The time has come for companies to step up their game, for marketers to generate new markets for even more recycled goods, for manufacturing experts to make things with less packaging, the least environmental footprint, with the least waste, and in the process make some serious green$$$!!!At our house, we recycle as much as we can, yet there is not a market for some of the plastics that we should be able to reuse/recycle...look at all the plastic packaging I've collected. I contacted our local recycling company, and was told that it can not be recycled, but has to go in the trash!
However, we know that sustainable packaging is possible, and that biodegradable packing is possible (SunChips bags). Unfortunately it is not common practice to have such packaging, and that is a crime against humanity because it all ends up in the landfills creating a toxic soup. Thankfully there are some companies that have stepped up their game to find useful end of life uses for packaging, but we need more of them.
If you haven't checked them out yet, TerraCycle, founded in 2001 by a 19 year old Princeton University student named Tom Szaky, makes eco-friendly products from varied recycled products. http://www.terracycle.net/ Things such as Frito-Lay bags, CapriSun drink pouches, Elmer's glue sticks, Nabisco and Keebler cookie packages, etc. You can join a brigade, collect the items and receive money towards a charity of your choice which can be your school if the school is participating. Szaky's ingenious idea to upcycle things that would normally end up in landfills is what is needed. Now to get TerraCycle to take some more "waste" like plastic bags from frozen foods, plastic cereal bag inserts, etc. I've already sent them some ideas, we'll see what they think. Some interesting statistics from TerraCycle:- people collecting trash 9,639, 059
- waste units collected 1,821,678,773
- products from waste 178
- money for charity $829,462.19
Now that's some serious GREEN for charity!!!
So, we have 3 indoor cats and cat litter duty is everyone's FAVORITE chore. I'm being facetious, of course, everyone HATES cat litter duty. We've cut back on so much of our trash by recycling and composting, but cat litter continues to be one area of waste that we are not able to "eliminate". Feeling guilty about the cat litter waste, I decided to try some more environmentally friendly alternatives: Feline Pine (made from recycled lumber-mill sawdust); Yesterday's News (made from recycled newspaper); Swheat Scoop, an all-natural scoopable litter that's made from naturally processed (non-food grade) wheat; World's Best Cat Litter - Extra Strength Formula, a natural, clumpable, scoopable and flushable cat litter made from whole-kernel corn. I really liked the World's Best made from whole-kernel corn, the smell was light, the bag was lighter than regular clumping litter, and it is environmentally friendly.
Unfortunately the cats didn't like ANY of the enviro-litters. To show their disdain for my attempts to be a good eco-steward, they (most likely the she cat) decided to eliminate in inappropriate areas. This resulted in me having to use multiple treatments of the expensive but effective Nature's Miracle to remove the horrid cat pee smell. So my attempts to be eco-friendly, reducing the cat litter impact with biodegradable litters backfired, resulting in hours of extra cleaning, having to purchase expensive cleaners (bad for the pocketbook), throwing out some things (bad for landfills), and frustration (bad for my blood pressure!) The cats win this eco-battle and we stay with their preferred clumping litter. Perhaps if we'd had these alternative litters when they were kittens they would have been "raised" on eco-litter and not know any different.
I'm doing much better about remembering my Eco Friendly Reusable Bags :) Hubby happily reported in that he too remembered to use an Eco Bag the other day! I actually received a really nice nylon Eco Bag as a gift, and it is so small and light that I keep it in my purse. Today I saw some neat Eco Bags and I think they will make perfect gifts for family and friends; and the best part of the gift will be motivating others to be greener as well.
