AusPen White Board Markers Price: 7.95	Kitchen Compost Bin Price: 14.99	Mini Recycling Bin Price: 6.45	Replacement Carbon Filters Price: 5.99
Recycling & Waste Basket Price: 5.99	Recycle Bin Wall Brackets Price: 5.99	Newspaper Bundle Bin Price: 17.99	Stackable Recycling Containers Price: 17.75
Recycle Bin Wheel Kit Price: 11.70	Curbside Recycling Bins Price: 9.99	Hanging Waste Basket Price: 9.99	Personal Document Destruction Container Price: 68.95
Upright Containers Price: 24.75	The Waste Watcher Price: 99.00	Shredinator Price: 139.00	Smart Sort – 22 Gallon Price: 119.00
SuperSorter Series Price: 400.00	Outdoor Container Price: 515.00	HP Ink and Toner Cartridges Price: 10.99	Brother Ink and Toner Cartridges Price: 10.99

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Recycle Bins & More

New Leaf Encore 100 Price: 7.99	New Leaf Everest Price: 17.99	New Leaf Everest Envelopes Price: 49.00	Fashion Steno Pads and Notebooks Price: 2.89
Basic Notebook Price: 1.79	Composition Notebook Price: 2.79	Journals with Agricultural Content Price: 8.99	Banana Legal Pads Price: 3.00
Binders Price: 4.99	Binder Accessories Price: 1.99	CD Sleeves Price: 3.39	Notebooks – Plant Series Price: 1.49
Writing Pads – Plants Series Price: 5.19	Filler Paper – Plant Series Price: 2.99	O’BON Pencils Price: 1.39	Patriot Pens Price: 0.59
Globe Guard Boxes Price: 0.38	HP Ink and Toner Cartridges Price: 10.99	Brother Ink and Toner Cartridges Price: 10.99	Biodegradable Water Cups Price: 3.00

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Office Supplies

Last week I published, Please Kill the Paper Receipt. Thanks to your participation the results are in and they are obvious! People are definitely willing to take the steps to remove paper receipts from their lives. Kudos to Software Advice for posting this poll!

On a related note, when I ran through Walmart over the weekend. I was handed a double sided receipt! It’s a start!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Please Kill the Paper Receipt Results

This morning, I was sent a request to read a post on Software Advice. The topic hit spot on with my own values on paperless, so I am more then happy to share this with my readers!

I’m a Whole Foods regular. Not just any Whole Foods, but the flagship World headquarters in Austin, Texas. I live right across the street and every morning I stop in on my walk to work. I pick up two breakfast tacos and a coffee.

I also pick up a useless paper receipt.

I certainly don’t need a paper receipt – I have no desire to return a taco. Paper receipts represent a wasteful vestige of the last millennium. In fact, there is no reason – legal or otherwise – why consumers or retailers need paper receipts. Electronic receipts are completely valid and they are far more efficient.

Moreover, the production of paper receipts do some real damage to our environment. Here are some stunning factoids that I found at AllEtronic, an interesting business that is working to move receipts to digital format.

Read the full article…

Agree, Agree, Agree! Paper receipts are such a HUGE waste, my purse is always over flowing with debit card receipts from every stop I make during the week.  Then when I try to find that one receipt I actually do need for a return, I never find it and get stuck with a store credit instead of the cash I paid! An inefficient system from beginning to end for sure.

So, what can be done?

First, educate!

Please Kill the Paper Receipt taught me that “thermal receipt paper cannot be recycled”…WHAT? So, all the receipts (first checked for any personal information) I have tossed into my paper recycling… what about those?

Next, motivate!

So, what we really need is a strong incentive to move to electronic receipts. We need incentives – primarily monetary – that motivate consumers and retailers to push toward the vision of paperless retail purchases.

Finally, vote and comment!

After taking the time to read Please Kill the Paper Receipt, take a minute to answer their poll and sharing your thoughts on this in the comments, or post the link on FaceBook , Twitter or other social networks.  This way you can educate others as well. Thank you to Software Advice for sharing this post with me this morning, a Green Gem of the Week for sure!

Cheers!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Green Gem of the Week: Please Kill the Paper Receipt

EarthTalk®
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: Which woods are OK to purchase, and which are not, in the interest of preserving forests and not harming those who depend upon them? – Jon Steiner, Boise, ID

Deforestation continues to be one of the world’s biggest environmental problems, especially in fast developing regions like South America, Southeast Asia and Africa. Cutting down large numbers of trees erodes land and silts waterways, displaces native people and wildlife, and releases tons of carbon dioxide (which is stored in living wood fiber) into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.

Of course, wood products are essential to modern life. Without wood we wouldn’t have the buildings, furniture, paper and other essentials we make use of every day. That’s why protecting sources of wood has become a leading concern among not just environmentalists but everyone else as well.

In response to the problems wrought by increasing deforestation, some forward-thinking wood products professionals teamed up with environmentalists, native people’s advocates, community forestry groups and responsible corporations to form the nonprofit Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in 1993. Previous attempts to stem the tide of unchecked logging—including international negotiations and boycotts—were having little effect, so FSC vowed to use the power of market forces to create change for the better.

FSC promotes responsible management of forests by certifying forestry operations around the globe and promoting its certification system at every step of the wood products distribution chain. Whether you’re shopping for wooden furniture, building materials or other items, one easy way to tell if the wood you are considering buying was harvested from sustainable sources is to look for the FSC label on it or its packaging. If it is, you can trust that such products were harvested sustainably and are not contributing to deforestation-related woes. If you don’t see the FSC logo, you should inquire as to where the wood came from and whether or not it was harvested sustainably.

The nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) warns consumers to avoid purchasing some tropical hardwoods unless they can be assured that it came from sustainable forestry operations. Many of these woods—including Big Leaf Mahogany, Spanish Cedar, Caribbean Pine, Ipe, Rosewood, Teak, Ramin, Merbau, African Mahogany, and Okoume—are difficult to manage sustainably as they typically grow in low densities in natural forests and regenerate poorly after logging. Some woods and wood products may contain FSC-certified wood without bearing the logo, while other woods may be OK without going through the FSC certification process. If you don’t see an FSC logo you should ask. If the store salesperson can’t provide information, then you can’t be sure.

Even better than purchasing sustainably harvested new wood is to seek out reclaimed or salvaged wood, as it precludes the need for logging altogether. An added benefit of using reclaimed or salvaged wood—look for it at used building supply stores and even at construction sites where older materials are being tossed—is that it provides incentives for municipal recycling programs. NRDC suggests that if you can’t source used wood, consider recycled plastic lumber or composites if they are applicable for your project.

CONTACTS: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), www.fsc.org; NRDC, www.nrdc.org.

SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk®, c/o E – The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com. E is a nonprofit publication. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe; Request a Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

photo credit: thingermejig, courtesy Flickr

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Protecting sources of wood

EarthTalk® 
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: How effective have plastic bag bans and restrictions been on reducing plastic litter and other problems associated with their proliferation? And is it really better to use paper bags, which will just lead to more deforestation? — Peter Lindsey, New Canaan, CT

Plastic bags, first introduced in the 1950s as a convenient way to store food, have since developed into a global scourge, littering roadsides, clogging sewer drains and landfills and getting ingested by animals and marine life. And in recent years we’ve discovered how they are so prolific that they now comprise a significant portion of the plastic and other garbage that has collected in huge ocean gyres far from land.

A few countries around the world—Bangladesh, China, India, Australia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Israel, South Africa, Taiwan and Mumbai, among others—have taken stands against plastic bags through taxing their usage or banning them outright. The environmental think tank, Worldwatch Institute, reports that China’s decision to ban free plastic bags in 2008 has cut demand by some 40 billion bags, reduced plastic bag usage there by 66 percent, and saved some 1.6 million tons of petroleum.

In March 2007, San Francisco became the first (and is still the only) major U.S. city to implement an across-the-board ban on plastic bags. Large supermarkets and pharmacies there had to ditch plastic shopping bags by early 2008 in favor of paper bags or those made from all-natural biodegradable cornstarch-based plastic. Environmentalists are particularly fond of the latter option for those who don’t bring their own grocery bags, as these cornstarch bags offer the biodegradability of paper without the deforestation as well as the convenience of plastic without the damage to ecosystems. San Francisco officials had originally tried to work with retailers on reducing plastic bag use voluntarily. But after a few years of little or no cooperation, they decided to just institute the ban on anything but biodegradable bags. The result has been a 50 percent drop in plastic bag litter on the streets since the ban took effect.

Los Angeles followed suit and its city council voted in 2008 to ban plastic bags beginning in July 2010—but the ban will only take effect if the state of California doesn’t follow through on a statewide plan to impose a fee on shoppers who request plastic bags. City council members in L.A. hope the ban will spur consumers to carry their own reusable bags and thus reduce the amount of plastic washing into the city’s storm drains and into the Pacific Ocean. Several other U.S. cities, including New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore, have considered outright bans like San Francisco’s, but each settled instead on plastic bag recycling programs in the face of pressure from the plastics industry and retail commercial interests.

While increased demand for paper bags in the wake of plastic bag bans could lead to more deforestation, most paper grocery bags in use today are made from recycled content, not virgin wood. Also, an added benefit of paper over petroleum-based plastic is its biodegradability.Americans go through some 92 billion disposable plastic bags each year, and only five billion paper ones. If the nation banned plastic bags it is likely that paper varieties would only make up a small part of the difference, in light of the proliferation of reusable canvas shopping bags as well as the availability of biodegradable cornstarch plastic.

CONTACT: Worldwatch Institute, www.worldwatch.org.

SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk®, c/o E – The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com. E is a nonprofit publication. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe; Request a Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Plastic Bag Bans: Will we just use more paper?

(In compliance with the new FTC Guildlines, please note that this is a sponsored post.  I was given these products to test and review free of charge.  However, I was not paid for the review and the opinions are my own.)

Why not Bob? Why not on Tuesday? Yah, I know it’s Tuesday, but we were out of the house almost all day yesterday and when we got home we were doing the tree trimming, holiday decorating, family thing. So, I pretty much didn’t realize it was Monday until about 10pm last night. So, if you don’t tell I won’t either!

So, Why Not Bob Store? Bob sells eco-friendly, biodegradable products for your catering and entertaining needs. With the Holidays in full swing and entertaining plans in order you know you will have that guilty need for disposables. I mean do you really want to spend half of Christmas day washing glasses, dishes and utensils from the Christmas Eve bash you threw the night before?

(From the site)

We believes it’s time to take the next step by using products made from renewable, plant-based resources, that are petroleum free, non-toxic and require less energy to produce. Compostable products, in the right conditions, turn back to soil in a short period of time.

Made From Renewable Resources

• Vegetable starch and sugarcane are eco-friendly alternatives to plastic and tree paper.
• Mature every season
• 100% compostable
• Petroleum free, non-toxic
• Breaks down in 45-120 days under certain conditions (heat, moisture & movement)

In one year our products made from renewable resources save:

• 742,414 gallons of gasoline – enough to drive around the earth 673 times
• 13,478,914 pounds of greenhouse gases
• 8,629,476 kW hours of energy – enough to power the average American household for 810 years

Designed To Be Compostable

Since the products are disposable, Eco-Products does not add any toxic or unnatural materials to ensure that the inherent compostability remains. When disposed of properly in a composting facility, the products have a beneficial impact on the environment.

• Breaks down in short time periods (generally 45-120 days) under certain conditions (heat, moisture & movement)
• Diverts material from landfills to become rich soil and part of a sustainable cycle of production

I had the opportunity to try out some of the products from the Why Not Bob Store and I was very pleased with the quality. I especially liked the Sugar cane plates.  Additionally, the plant starch cutlery was not only nice quality, but I have been able to wash them over and over in the dishwasher and they have held up perfectly!  The only downer was that the cold cups warped in the dishwasher, but they hold up fine handwashed. This was my own fault they aren’t meant to hold up to the heat.

So why not try products from the Why Not Bob Store? for your holiday parties or other events? The Why Not Bob Store will give one reader a party pack to try out over the holidays!

This party pack consists of:

• 10″ 3 compartment dinner plates
• 6″ dessert plates
• 12 oz green stripe cold cup
• fork,spoon,knife wrapped with napkin
• 12 oz bowl
• 13 gallon bio bags size 24″x28 .66 Mil

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

• Comment here on what Why Not Bob Store? product would help you green your holidays – or something you learned from their site.
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.
• Tweet this giveaway
• Stumble this giveaway
• Use other forms of social networking to spread the word about this giveaway.
• Tried a Why Not Bob Store? Product… Let us know what you think.
• Subscribe to my feed to stay up to date with the latest from Eco-Office Gals.

The deadline for entering is Thursday 12/10/09 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:

1

Timestamp: 2009-12-11 14:34:46 UTC

Congrats Steve!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Flaunt It! Monday: Why Not Bob Store?

(In compliance with the new FTC Guildlines, please note that this is a sponsored post.  I was given these products to test and review free of charge.  However, I was not paid for the review and the opinions are my own.)

In honor of America Recycles Day we celebrate a company that make recycling a part of our everyday lives!

Small Steps™ by Marcal® brand products focuses squarely on the company’s green heritage. For over five decades, Marcal has been saving trees and reducing landfill by making its paper products from recycled paper. Marcal uses paper collected from curbs in residential neighborhoods in cities and towns across America; from the small blue baskets in office buildings, unwanted junk mail, and waste from printers; all in an effort to do something good… to produce something that people need.
Marcal is an integral part of the northern New Jersey community. The company uses recyclables from more than 600 municipalities from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and New England. The company is one of the largest employers in New Jersey, employing over 900 people.

This company had a true passion in recycling way before it was the cool thing to do. Yes, since 1950 they have been using paper waste, not trees to bring paper products into our home. After all is “Your Ass Worth A Million Trees A Year?”

So, Marcal sent me some of their Small Steps products to try out.  Now any of my readers that have been with me a while know that I try not to use paper at all, if possible.  One thing I almost never buy is paper towels, I use my Skoy Cloths and washable rags. So, when I received this shipment which included several rolls of paper towels who would know how perfect the timing would be!

I’m not going to get into too much detail in this post, but I will be guest posting about my family’s experience of living without water for many weeks on another blog soon.  Anyway – this was one point in my life when I probably tripled my waste since washing dishes, clothes, the house etc had to be done waterless or at the kindness of neighbors and friends. So, having these “responsibly – disposable” products were a true blessing!

The paper towels helped me keep the house clean as possible with cleaners, they were not linty and held up nicely. Granted they’re not the bleached white, fluffy soft, almost cloth-like paper towels that many people might use, but as far as I’m concerned… if you want cloth-like… use cloth!

My family got to try out the Small Steps toilet paper as well.  This is one area I’m stuck buying paper for life.  No getting around it… at least none I’m willing to try! So, why not at least try to buy a little more responsibly and use TP made from recycled paper instead of virgin forests? Right? Sure it may take a little getting used to – again it lacks the bleach and fluff many of us… this time including myself, are used to. There were no complains from the family, it served it’s purpose. What else can I ask for?

I would definitely use Marcals Small Steps in my attempt to green up my act.  There’s no reason not to! Take a look around at the paper products you are using in your home, can you make a positive change for the environment by switching to Small Steps?

Marcal is hooking up one of my readers with a great package of their Small Steps products: Dinner Napkins, 180ct Napkin Drawstring Bag, Upright-80ct Facial Tissues, 144ct Facial, Single Roll Giant Towel, 1,000ct Bath, 4 ct bath 1000 ct, 3 roll Regular towel! Do as many of the below as you wish and leave a separate comment for each one:

• Comment here on what Marcal product would help you make a green step – or something you learned from their informative site.
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.
• Follow Marcal Small Steps on Twitter.
• Tweet this giveaway
• Stumble this giveaway
• Use other forms of social networking to spread the word about this giveaway.
• Tried a Small Steps product before? Let us know what you think.
• Subscribe to my feed to stay up to date with the latest from Eco-Office Gals.

The deadline for entering is Wednesday 11/18/09 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:

108

Timestamp: 2009-11-19 16:00:17 UTC

Congrats Jessica!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Flaunt It! Monday: Marcal Small Steps

Good Monday morning from hot as all heck South Carolina! How has the weather been in your corner of the world? It’s been about 200 degrees with a heat index of 500 around here, I kid you not! I was quiet last week, my birthday was Friday and we went to see Bill Maher Thursday night. First time the hubs and I have gone out with out the kids in who knows how long and it was a great show.

Anyway, here we are Monday it is and Flaunt It we will go! Today it’s a company called Way Basics. I thought this was such a unique product I was very interested in checking it out and letting you know about them.  Their zboards are made out of post consumer paper and are completely recyclable. They are also water resistant and don’t off-gas.  The boards can come in pre-fab kits or you can use your imagination and build your own design.  There are no tools needed to put these together they have strong adhesive strips and you simply stick them together.

A little about the company’s additional sustainability efforts (from the site):

We’re founding members of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, a coalition united to promote environmentally healthy practices in the industry, and to help consumers identify good furniture choices. We are also proud to announce that for 2008, Way Basics went zero via the Conservation Fund’s “Go Zero Program.” This means that we offset our company carbon emissions by planting trees at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge! To learn more visit the Conservation Fund.

I was sent a sample of the pink cube for review. This cube was so easy to assemble and the boards are light but very solid feeling.  The girls got this sample due to the color it has been stuffed with toys and books and they really like it.  Unfortunately, the other day I think one of them my have jumped off the bed and straight on it. It took a beating.  It is still holding together, but the backing tore and stuck to the tape.

You can get them in different colors, wood grain or unfinished to decorate as you wish. These products are a very affordable and sustainable way to furnish your rooms. Just don’t let your kids mistake them for a trampoline!

WayBasics is offering all of my readers a 10% discount to try their products. Use coupon code WBEOG10 during check out. One of my readers will also win a $20 Coupon code to use towards a Way Basics purchase.

• Visit Way Basics, let me know what you would buy or build from their product.
• Follow Way Basics on Twitter and comment with your Twitter name.
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.
• 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.
• Buy anything from Way Basics (don’t forget to use your coupon code) and comment 5 times that you did! (I will confirm)

One winner will be chosen on Wednesday 7/1/09. 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!

Sorry for the delay in picking a winner on this Holiday weekend started early for me this weekend! Our winner is comment #14 Congrats Gloria!!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Flaunt It! Monday: Way Basics

The economy is taking everyone for all their worth so why not try out a few free or cheap ways to green up your act in the office without hurting the green in your wallet?

The Green Office is giving away some office supplies. Just become a fan on Facebook and comment on their wall.  That’s it, once a week they will pick a winner. Check out details.

How about a HUGE discount on green business cards? I recently connected with PrintingForLess.  They really cover the spectrum of being green if you have to print.  Their standard is to use FSC certified paper, non-toxic ink, wind-powered facilities and more.  For first time clients I can also offer my readers a $25 Off your first order!  Use my referral code RP1D6SEJM and $25 dollars will get knocked off your first order!

I was recently introduced to a new company O’Bon and I am drooling to try a few of their products.  Recycled newspaper pencils, sugarcane paper and more.  You can request to review a product, enter to win or for more immediate gratification they have some great low cost specials.

I have to mention my tried and true favorite, Echosign.  Paperless, e-sign contracts that are SO easy to use. Don’t have too many contracts each month? They offer 5 per month for free.  If that doesn’t cut it you can go unlimited for as low as $14.95 per month.

I couldn’t close this up without offering Eco-Office Gals own green web hosting.  Starting with plans as low as $9.99 per month you can feel good knowing your site is being hosted with 130% wind powered hosting.

So, go ahead and make a few baby steps to grow your small business green without hurting your green.  Every step counts!

Image credit TheCubeKing Blog

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Green-Up Your Office For Free or Cheap!