You shouldn’t let a pig build your house.

That’s the real moral of the Three Little Pigs story according to Laura Bartels

Why? Because her company Greenweaver, Inc., has made building houses out of straw a reality. We think that many small businesses can relate to creating their own game changing fairy tale as well.

The outreach team for Visa GoBiz contacted Eco-Office Gals to share Greenweaver’s video story.

When it comes to protecting the Earth, it’s all about making sustainable choices, and a growing number of small businesses are getting really creative and hoping on the band wagon. Ventilation, natural lighting, and efficient office equipment are great ideas for work stations small and large, not to mention just how simple it is to do. Laura too, has a great business utilizing alternative building technologies. So many great ideas out there, and I look forward to reading more green office tips in your upcoming posts.

I hope you enjoyed learning about Laura’s story as much as I did!
All the best,
Jen

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Green Gem of the Week: Greenweaver, Inc.

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EarthTalk®
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: I work for an office equipment company selling copiers, fax machines, computers and printers. Each year new models come out making old ones obsolete. As a result, we have loads of trade-ins with nowhere to go. What can we do with this old equipment? — Jeff P., Worcester, MA

Electronic waste, or “e-waste” as it’s called, is a growing problem in the United States and abroad, as obsolete or broken computers and other electronic equipment are taking up increasingly precious amounts of landfill space and potentially leaking hazardous substances into surrounding ecosystems.

The nonprofit Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition reports that 70 percent of the heavy metals in U.S. landfills are from discarded electronics—even though the e-waste itself accounts for only two percent of the trash by volume. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that Americans trash two million tons of unwanted electronics each year—six times the amount they recycle. To make matters worse, U.S. companies often ship old equipment to poor nations whose landfills and incinerators are ill equipped, subjecting already struggling populations to lead, cadmium, beryllium, and other contaminants.

So what can be done? If your old units still work but have merely been eclipsed by newer models, then by all means donate them to a needy cause that will either put them to good use or resell them to help fund their programs. You’ll earn a tax deduction for a charitable donation and, by keeping the equipment alive, prevent the manufacture of new units and thus, if ever so slightly, reduce the footprint of your operations.

But not every charity accepts old equipment, and no one wants to spend all day calling around to find one that does. A good place to look, then, is Goodwill, which will accept your equipment and then sell it through any one of its 1,500 retail stores across the country. Proceeds fund programs to help the disabled, illiterate, homeless, and those on welfare by providing job training and placement programs. The Salvation Army runs similar programs and also typically accepts donated old office equipment.

Another option is to donate your equipment to needy schools, either directly or via a service like iLoveSchools.com, which helps teachers find free supplies and equipment for their classrooms. The National Cristina Foundation also matches donated technology with needy schools and nonprofits. Also, the website GreatNonprofits.org maintains a list of charities in need of various types of office equipment. You can also offload equipment via Freecycle, a free service that helps find homes for unwanted stuff.

While finding a new home for your old gear is preferable, recycling is also an option. Recyclers harvest parts from old equipment that can be reused or resold. Several websites, including My Green Electronics, E-cycling Central, and Earth911, list electronics recyclers across the U.S. Some of these vendors will charge a small fee to recycle an item for you; others may do it for free. Also, Office Depot, Staples and some other stores will take back used electronics—even if not purchased there—usually for a small fee.

CONTACTS: Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, www.svtc.org; Goodwill, www.goodwill.org; Salvation Army, www.salvationarmy.org; iLoveSchools.com, www.iloveschools.com; National Cristina Foundation, www.cristina.org; GreatNonprofits.org, www.greatnonprofits.org; Freecycle, www.freecycle.org; E-cycling Central, www.ecyclingcentral.com; Earth911, www.earth911.org; Office Depot, www.officedepot.com; Staples, www.staples.com.

SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk®, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php. EarthTalk® is now a book! Details and order information at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalkbook.

Photo credit: George Hotelling, courtesy Flickr.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Earth Talk: Electronic “e-waste.”

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Hey everyone!

It’s Monday and I have been trying to get back into posting. A slipped disk in my neck has made it hard to use my right hand … whine.. whine.. whine!

Anyway! Monday means review and giveaway not crying about not feeling my hand for nearly a month now right??? So, lets get to it!  I was introduced to a company called Warmables, quite some time ago (yes it’s been a while since I have done a flaunt it!) and they have these nifty carriers that keep your meals warm with cherry pits. Personally, I love this idea since I am not a huge fan of sandwiches and how boring can the same cold stuff for lunch get?? I REALLY wish I had come across this before the economy crashed and my hubby was doing construction!  I can’t tell you how many times he whined about how sick and tired he was of sandwiches and various types of pasta salads. I just didn’t know what to make him that could stay warm until lunch, so I resorted to things that could be kept cold.

Warmables would have been a perfect solution for my husband and meanwhile waste-free, bpa-free and enviro-friendly:

Please know that all Warmables products are made by us (your Warmables team) in a small sewing studio in Jersey City as the orders come in.
Materials are purchased in the USA and Canada only.
We are totally focused on healthier lunches, our economy and environment.
Warmables will not be produced overseas. Instead of cheap production done in China or elsewhere we are offering work for a handful of us, supporting our economy where we can.
Our Warmables lunch systems are delivered as 3 or 4 piece sets (the Warmables pouch, liner, a BPA-free food container and a cherry pit bag) and do not produce any garbage at all.
Warmables pit bag products are made of natural cotton and filled with real cherry pits.
Packaging materials are kept to a bare minimum for environmental reasons.

Yes, cherry pits keep your food hot… or cold since you can also freeze them. I had learned about the rice sock trick when I had my first c-section, but never thought much of cherry pits (Images of the Witches of Eastwick running through my head!). This is a neat little idea and I’m glad to be able to share it with you! Personally, I think the office size (image above) is a better size for everyone to use, the kids size seemed a little small to me, and once it’s all packed together it has a handle for easy carrying.

So, Want a chance to try a warmable?? You know the routine, let’s do it!

Do as many of the below as you wish and leave a separate comment for each one:

• Visit Warmables and comment here on which product you would love to try
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.
• Follow @ecoofficegals and comment that you did.
• Subscribe to the Warmables newsletter and comment that you did.
• Tweet this giveaway
• Stumble this giveaway
• Use other forms of social networking to spread the word about this giveaway.
• Subscribe to my feed to stay up to date with the latest from Eco-Office Gals.
• Can’t wait to win? Buy anything from Warmables and comment 5 times that you did! (I will confirm)

The deadline for entering is Wednesday 3/3/10 at 8pm EST at which time one winner will be randomly chosen.  Please don’t forget to leave a separate entry and any entries that show obvious laziness i.e. a simple “Thanks for the great giveaway” will not be published therefore not counted. It’s just not fair for the people that do know how to follow simple directions. US and Canadian residents only. Thanks!

Here are your random numbers:

55

Timestamp: 2010-03-06 21:26:19 UTC

Congrats Lily Kwan!!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Flaunt It! Monday – Warmables

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Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Guest Post: Businesses Making the Solar Choice

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Today’s Green Gem is also one of our GMW sponsors and has a great little product that makes a big impact!

Global Learning Outreach (GLO) began as a vision to mobilize people to increase access to global education.  The founders and best friends, Sara Church and Lindsay Bloom, searched for an eco-friendly product in the realm of education.  GLO donates all of the profits from each pen sold to education oriented non-profit organizations that apply for the funds directly on the Global Learning Outreach website.   When consumers make the simple decision to purchase the $2 GLO pen, rather than a common plastic pen, they are supplying money that is used to increase access to education while supporting the environment.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Green Gem of the Week: Project GLO

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Earth Day (Month) is approaching and Eco-Office Gals wants to get as many people as possible on board to grow a little greener.   If you’ve been wanting to, trying to, thinking about growing a little greener there’s no better time to do it then now! We don’t want to make you go it alone either. We have once again reached out to our great green cyberspace friends to bring you green products to Green Your World!

Last year Eco-Office Gals Green My World Giveaway was a HUGE hit and we will give it a go again!!

Today, we’ll just get things started.  We’ll give you a chance to check out a few of the initial sponsors and a peek at the prizes coming in, look around their sites and get your creative green juices flowing.  So, lets get started!

Welcome all our Earth Day Giveaway Sponsors for 2010 and their generous donations to Green Your World (I will be adding to the list throughout the coming weeks!):

• EcoStore USA – Gift basket with 10 products
• Affordable Mineral Make Up – $25 Gift Certificate
• Naked Binder – Set of 9 project binders (one of all colors)
• Ely Organics – $25 eGift Certificate
• Recycled Bottle Cap Necklaces – recycled bottle cap necklace of their choice
• BuyGreen.com – $50 Gift Certificate
• Watercheck.biz – Niagara Conservation XSWEK07 Indoor Water Conservation EcoKit
• Kir DeVries – $25 Gift Certificate
• Ecominders – Ecominders Gift Bag – A reusable tote with packages of all 3 Ecominders product lines – Home, Office and Kids & Schools, along with organic cotton adult & children’s Ecominders t-shirts
• Barefoot Books – One World, One Planet Gift Collection
• weeBgreen – 1 kidzsack
• Project GLO – very adorably wrap 3 sets of 5 pens made from biodegradable cardboard and corn plastic!
• Cactus & Ivy – Body Souffle
• Sarva Soap – $25 gift certificate plus 15% coupon off first purchase
• Intention Kits – 1 Intention Kit made on Recycled Paper
• Natural Luxe – $25 eGift Certificate

This list is growing by the day sooo…  here’s the deal, one person will win it ALL! Put your green recycled thinking caps on since  you will need to do a little work! You need to green up your act!  Absolutely, no “Thanks for the great giveaway” comments, they WILL be deleted.  DO NOT copy and paste someone’s comment as your own, be original.  You can enter as many times as you’d like as long as you follow one of the options below. For shipping purposes – US residents only, please.  On April 22nd Earth Day, one winner will be picked to win the whole thing! This will not be a random drawing, rather the person that really seems to put some effort towards making a difference in their life will be given the chance to make their changes with there great products!

THIS IS NOT THE OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM FOR THE CONTEST, THIS IS JUST AN INTRODUCTION TO OUR GREAT SPONSORS. WE WILL OFFICIAL START THE GIVEAWAY SOON. BELOW YOU WILL FIND THE DIFFERENT WAYS YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ENTER TO WIN! HOWEVER, IF YOU LEAVE A COMMENT HERE IT WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL WINNER CONSIDERATION.

• Pick a green step that will help the environment. Something new, that you are not already doing. Leave a comment about it, or if you post about it on your own blog, provide a link in your comment so we can check it out!
• Leave a comment about any progress and achievements in your green goals, too.  Let us know how it’s going!
• Leave a unique tip to be green, chemical free, etc
• Visit the sponsors and let us know how one of their products could help your green up your act.  Leave a link to the product so we can all check it out.
• Send out a tweet about the giveaway & consider using the #earthtweet hashtag – be sure to include a link to it.
• Use other Social Networking avenues to get the word out about the giveaway and let us know which ones you did.
• Add the giveaway button to your sidebar and let us know you did. Here’s the code:

<a href=”http://eco-officegals.com/2010/02/14/2nd-annual-green-my-world-earth-day-giveaway-2010/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://eco-officegals.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/earthday.png” border=”0″ alt=”Green My World”></a>

• Think a product is so awesome on one of our sponsors sites, you can’t wait to win before you buy? Leave 5 separate entries telling us what you bought from who — we will confirm.

Be sure to sign up for Eco-Office Gals RSS by feed or email.  I’ll be continuing to bring you information, tips and events from our sponsors and may just throw in a few extra ways to enter as we go along!

Want to help sponsor this giveaway? Contact me! or fill out the following form and I will be in touch!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

2nd Annual Green My World Earth Day Giveaway 2010!

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Literally! I have been dealing with the exhausting pain of a slipped disk in my neck.  I’m not ignoring you, I have so many products to flaunt and giveaway and I will be working on something big for Earth Day to make up for my absence. Right now, I am trying to commit my time to my clients and family and rest up this shoulder so I can heal and get life back to normal, or as normal as I know it to be.

Keep up with me on Twitter, Facebook, and the Eco-Office Gals Fan Page since it is often easier for me to send some short updates until I am physically well enough to commit to longer times at the computer.

Bear with me and always contact me for anything!

All the Best,

Jen

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Life has Been A Pain In the Neck!

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Going green is not just for the home. Office buildings account for 19% of all commercial energy consumption, more than any other type of building. So the environmental reasons for going green in the office are crystal clear. But evidence suggests that a green office does not only reward the environment – it actually rewards those working in it.

A recent study examined 12 office buildings and their employees in England and India. The study found no correlation between satisfaction at work and high energy consumption. In both countries, buildings that combined air conditioning with natural ventilation reported higher employee satisfaction. Seasonal illnesses (i.e. colds, allergies, etc.) were lowest in naturally ventilated office buildings. Environmentally speaking, ventilated buildings create 50% fewer emissions than those that are centrally air conditioned.

Creating a Green Office

A green and happy office begins with nature. Natural lighting and natural ventilation save energy and create a more breathable work environment, be it at home or in a commercial building. Take the rapid rise to prominence of LEED certified commercial buildings as evidence of the economic benefits of the green office. But it goes beyond economics to benefit environment and employees as well.

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), 88% of energy expenditures in office buildings are for electricity. Office equipment and lighting account for nearly half of the energy used. So, finding a method to save on electricity costs is another big way to save money and green an office. Natural lighting is, of course, one way to save, and new ideas are in the works. Researchers in Canada have developed a unique passive solar lighting system that may soon revolutionize office building design.

More efficient office equipment and energy conservation techniques are other steps. Energy Star estimates that if every piece of office equipment purchased this year were Energy Star qualified, Americans would save $200 million in energy costs. Such devices typically have automatic standby modes and other programs that prevent them from sapping energy when not in use.

With 88% of costs going to electricity, solar power is an obvious and vital factor in greening the office and saving cash for any employer. Solar is expensive up-front, yes, but for heavy energy consumers like office buildings, they are the most cost-effective. In general, the more energy you consume, the faster the return on your solar investment.

Working from home? Even better, as you can put the home solar power system to work for your own office. Bring your coffee maker and computer off the grid and make the family happy as well!

Creating a Happy Workforce

So how do these and other green office options make the employees any happier? We’ve already established that a green, well-ventilated office creates a healthier environment. And anyone who’s ever been sick understands that they are much happier and productive when healthy. But there is also the satisfaction of being a part of something that is bigger than us.

The knowledge that the copy machine or computer he or she is using runs on solar power can be very powerful knowledge. It can make even the most menial tasks rewarding in a new and unprecedented way. Solar power and eco-friendliness are a movement. A recent poll showed that 92% of Americans want solar power development scaled up in the United States. How nice it would be, as an employee, to know that very wish was being fulfilled at your own office?

There other ways to get employees directly involved in creating a happy, green office. Recycling is an obvious step, but anything from taking the stairs to adding real air-cleansing plants also helps. Encouraging employees to walk, ride bikes, carpool or take mass transit to work is another key step that many companies are taking. Again, it contributes the triple bottom line by protecting the environment while keeping employees healthier and more active. An employee who walks or rides to work can enter an office with natural air and light flowing through it and feel that much better as they settle into the work day.

The hope is that the obvious economic, environmental and social benefits – that triple-bottom line of sustainable business – in green building will inspire an increasing number of architects, engineers and business owners to build and renovate green offices. The correlation found by researchers between a green office and a happy workforce should help to put a green seal on future office plans.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Guest Post: A Green Office is a Happy Office

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After reading Chris Brogan’s post My Site – Now an iPhone App I thought it would be a fun little project and at the cost of FREE… why not? So, I now present to you the Eco-Office Gals App for iPhone. The app gives readers access to all of Eco-Office Gals posts and Twitter feed at the touch of a button. Cool, huh?

The folks at MotherApp were great and my contribution was minimal.  I just had to provide them with a few images for the icons and the loading screen and my blog description. That’s it, they did the rest!

So, love Eco-Office Gals? There’s an App for that! Want your own free app? Grab one up at MotherApp! Let Eco-Office Gals know what you think!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Eco-Office Gals On Your iPhone!

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Happy 2010! I hope it has been a happy and safe one so far and continues to be so! Let’s start off the year with a straight giveaway. Something special for one of my readers to start off 2010 right.
Tara Burner owner of Revived Jewelry has made a special, custom necklace for one of my loyal readers. Tara’s description of this beautiful piece of upcycled eco-art:

Made from Tiger’s Eye, recycled aluminum wire and a sterling silver charm with “Believe” on it.
“It is easier to believe than to doubt.” ~E.D. Martin
Each of these items is made of a gemstone that was hand chosen for the necklace.
Recycled copper wiring and other recycled wiring is used on each necklace.
Each is designed by hand and done so with feeling, care, love and prayer along with being energized creating your one of a kind Revived Jewelry item.
Each necklace comes on a black imitation leather cord tied in a double slip knot for easy adjusting to whatever length you desire.
Each necklace comes in an organza bag with a card describing Revived Jewelry.

A huge Thank You to Tara for making this custom piece of upcycled jewelry for my readers! Want to win? Do as many of the below as you wish and leave a separate comment for each one:

• Visit one of Tara’s many sites found at the bottom of Tara Burner and comment here on a product you would love to try, something you learn from the one of the sites, or leave a comment on one of her sites and link to it here.
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.
• Follow @TaraBurner on Twitter and retweet:  Custom, Upcycled Jewelry Giveaway by Revived Jewelry! http://bit.ly/4Hj091 #giveaway #green comment that you did.
• Stumble this giveaway
• Use other forms of social networking to spread the word about this giveaway.
• Subscribe to my feed to stay up to date with the latest from Eco-Office Gals.
• Buy anything from Revived Jewelry and comment 5 times that you did! (I will confirm)

The deadline for entering is Wednesday 1/06/09 at 8pm EST at which time one winner will be randomly chosen.  Please don’t forget to leave a separate entry and any entries that show obvious laziness i.e. a simple “Thanks for the great giveaway” will not be published therefore not counted. It’s just not fair for the people that do know how to follow simple directions. US residents only. Thanks!

Here are your random numbers:

9

Timestamp: 2010-01-07 12:45:05 UTC

Crystal enjoy your necklace.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Flaunt It! Monday: Revived Jewelry

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