Green Living at GardenSuperMart.com » recycling

Solar Digestion – What to do when you don’t need the compost

gerry — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:09:10 +0000

Many homeowners don’t compost just because they don’t garden. However, there is a new way to eliminate waste, without having to deal with the compost: solar digestion!

Solar digesters accept household kitchen waste and leftovers. However, unlike composters, a solar digester’s purpose is to break down the material and allow the residue to seap back into the soil in an eco-friendly manner. Popular models in the market include the Green Cone, and Algreen’s Solar Digester.

Can Uncontrolled Consumerism Lead to the Destruction of the Environment?

gerry — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:00:43 +0000

Are we doomed to roam space in an intergalactic space cruiser, after we’ve destroyed the earth’s environment? This was actually the premise to a cartoon I watched this weekend, “Wall-E.”

Here’s the synopsis of the movie:

By the early 22nd century, the Buy N Large megacorporation took control of every economic service on Earth, causing excessive worldwide consumerism to cover the planet in un-recycled trash. A plan was implemented that would have the Earth’s population evacuate the planet into space on fully automated luxury starliners where they would spend the next five years, while an army of waste disposal robots called “WALL-E” units (Waste Allocation Load Lifter, Earth-Class) would be left to clean the planet. This plan failed, however, and the planet was deemed uninhabitable. For the next 700 years, humanity continued to live in space while all of the WALL-E robots on Earth eventually broke down.

Is this storyline far-fetched, or could it really happen to us?

Recycling at Home

Courtney — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:46:34 +0000

We’re trying to live greener lives here. We’ve been making changes in the way our office is run, and hopefully that is having an effect on our own personal lives. I know for me it has.

For the past 2+ years, I’ve been living in an apartment building that doesn’t recycle. While this has annoyed me to no end, I’ve never done anything about it. Since our office has started recycling, I’ve been motivated to find out how to recycle away from the office. And so, I’ve found a recycling drop-off centre here in Cambridge where I can drop my recyclables off at. This is not the ideal solution, because it means that other people in my apartment are still most likely tossing their recyclables. But it’s a step in the right direction.

Remember, if you’re looking for daily tips on water conservation, composting, green gardening and green homes, you can follow us on Twitter. We also have a monthly newsletter that includes green living tips, news and deals. We’ve also recently created both a Facebook Page and a Facebook Group. We want to work with you help create greener lives for us all!

Our Office Building is Now 100% Recycling-Compliant!

gerry — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:44:46 +0000

Internal memo distributed to all employees in our office building:

From: [name removed]
Sent: November 4, 2008 2:28 PM
To: [names removed]
Cc: [name removed]
Subject: Recycling Bins in Kitchenette

Hi Everyone,

We have now placed Recycling Bins in the Kitchenette which will be picked up by our waste services company on a call in basis.

The larger bin is labeled “Bottles and Cans” where commingled products such as: Cans, Plastic Bottles, Glass Bottles and Plastics Numbered 1-6 are allowed.

The smaller bin, like the ones at your desks, is labeled “Paper & Paper Products” where Newspapers, White Paper, Paper Towel Rolls, Milk Cartons etc. can be placed.

Thank you for your cooperation in this effort to be environmentally friendly.”

[END OF MEMO]

Recycling at The Office

gerry — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:42:57 +0000

"Recycling is everyone's business."

I’m pleased to announce that we now have:

A recycling “blue” bin at EVERY office area in our business complex,
A contractor which transports our recyclables to the recycling depot, and
A janitorial staff which empties our recycling bins into the main recycling receptacle for the contractor to pick up!

Quite frankly, I used to bring all my recyclables home because our business complex didn’t recycle. Unfortunately, businesses, unlike homes, are not covered by city recycling initiatives. Hence, businesses have to make their own recycling arrangements.

The issue with most businesses is that recycling adds extra overhead costs. Blue recycling bins need to be purchased and a private contractor needs to be hired to transport the recyclables to the main recycling center.

However, recycling is everyone’s business. This just goes to show that if enough people care, you can affect change in your office!

Take Back The Brita Filter!

gerry — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:29:11 +0000

There is currently no way to refill or recycle Brita filter cartridges in North America. Take Back the Filter, a grassroots movement, is advocating that Brita (i.e. Clorox) offer recycling for old filters so they don’t stock pile in the dumps.

Inspired by Jim McKenna’s and John Lieberman’s successful campaign to urge AOL to quit sending out unsolicited CDs, they are collecting used Brita filters, both pitcher and tap, to deliver to Clorox en masse at some point in the future.

Filters in the US can be mailed to the following address:

Take Back The Filter
5245 College Avenue, Box #815
Oakland, CA 94618

If you’re Canadian and want to cut down on freight, feel free to mail them to me, and I will consolidate them with mine to mail to the US:

GardenSuperMart
c/o Gerry
PO BOX 24051
Pinebush RPO
Cambridge, Ontario
N1R 8E7
Canada