Posts Tagged ‘recycling’
Monday, August 24th, 2009
As consumers are being educated and motivated to become more environmentally-friendly, we are seeing more and more eco-friendly products being introduced. One of these areas is the cell phone industry.
One example is the Samsung Reclaim that was recently offered for Sprint users. Not only is this phone a more environmentally -friendly option, but it is also Sprint’s first 3G QWERTY phone to get down to only $50 after rebates with a signed contract.
80 percent of the material used are corn-fed and recyclable. They skipped the paper manual, so less paper would be wasted. They also used recyclable packaging printed with soy-based inks.
You don’t have to gibe up quality cell phone features to be environmentally-friendly. This phone still has a 2MP camera, GPS, and Bluetooth. Better yet, with each purchase, a few dollars are donated to a land conservation charity. This phone proves once again, that you can have a quality product at a low cost, while still being eco-friendly.
Tags:3G cell phone, Bluetooth 2.0, cell phones, Eco-Friendly, eco-friendly products, environmentally-friendly, GPS, green packaging, land conservation, low-cost, QWERTY phones, recyclable packaging, recycle, recycling, Samsung, soy-based inks, Sprint Reclaim
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Friday, August 14th, 2009
It’s been said that 30 percent of all garbage is packaging…but who says packaging has to be garbage? many forms of packaging can be recycled, such as cardboard, paper, glass, and some plastics. But there still are other options if the packaging is not recyclable. It can be reused again or re-purposed to do something else.
Rodney had the idea to re-purpose one of the most un-eco materials around, Styrofoam, into stunning lamps.
It’s amazing where a little creativity can get you.
Tags:cardboard, Eco-Friendly, environmentally-friendly, garbage, green packaging, packaging materials, paper, plastics, recycling, reduce, repurposed packaging, repurposing packaging, reuse, Styrofoam
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Monday, August 3rd, 2009
Pepsico has put its money where its mouth is when it comes to more environmentally-friendly packaging.
They have introduced Aquafina Bottled Water bottles that use 50% less plastic than before. While bottled water is not the most environmentally-friendly option, their new “Eco-Fina” bottle is a step in the right direction by reducing the amount of waste generated from plastic water bottles.
And their Frito-Lay division is launching a new compostable bag for SunChips Multigrain chips that will decompose in weeks in a compost. Frito-Lay is rolling out the launch of the new bag, and they anticipate it being the standard SunChips bag world-wide by Earth Day 2010.
Tags:Aquafina, biodegradable packaging, compostable bag, Earth Day 2010, Eco-Fina, Eco-Friendly, environmental impact, environmentally-friendly, Frito-Lay, green packaging, landfill, Marketing, PepsiCo, plastic water bottles, recycling, reduce waste, Sun Chips, SunChips
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Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
When we think of being “green” and environmentally-friendly, we think of the 3 R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle. TreeHugger showed some ways that companies are offering reusable packaging in a new way, in which the packaging is actually a part of the product itself.
With this product, lite2go by knoend, the clear packaging is actually the lampshade for the lamp:
This design, created by Tom Ballhatchet, utilizes the box that the TV is packaged in as a stand for the TV with shelves for your DVD cases or Blu-Ray cases:
With this laptop in a bag, HP won Wal-Mart’s Reduced Packaging Award for its Pavilion dv6929. Instead of coming in a box with styrofoam inserts, this laptop comes in a reusable messenger bag (made from recycled fabric) with a few plastic bags inside to hold the parts. With this design, HP was able to reduce the conventional packaging by 97 percent:
Steve Haslip designed the HangerPak, so that the packaging that holds the product can also be used for the product; the package transforms into a hanger for the t-shirt inside:
Although I’m not too keen on the idea of sitting on a cardboard chair, I do give props to David Graas for coming up with a line of flat packaging that can be put together into furniture:
These are all examples of how companies are encouraging customers to reduce waste by reusing the packaging of their products for other purposes. By doing this and recycling when you are finished, you can be on your way to being more eco-friendly.
Tags:Eco-Friendly, eco-friendly packaging, environmentally-friendly, green, green packaging, HangerPak, HP Pavilion, recycle, recycling, reduce waste, repurposed packaging, reusable packaging, reuse, TreeHugger
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Friday, July 3rd, 2009
As we celebrate our nation’s holiday this year, let’s have fun and honor our country, without harming our environment. The Environmental Blog provided 5 tips for a “green” 4th of July:
1. Buy organic food. Support local farmers markets by buying their organic fruits and vegetables. Buy local and cut down on transportation. You could even shop with reusable shopping bags.
2. Bust out the silverware. Avoid wasting paper plates, napkins, cups, and plastic utensils. Save money by using your own plates and washing them. If you must use disposable plates and cups, try to find biodegradable alternatives.
3. Grill on the “green” side. Use a non-toxic cleaner on your grill.
Cut back on grilling and carbon emissions by eating fresh veggies, or grill food that will cook quickly, such as thin meats, fish, marshmallows, or veggies.
4. Buy “green” charcoal. Use 100% all-natural hardwood lump charcoal. They don’t have any chemicals or fillers, they burn faster, and produce less ash. This leftover ash from all-natural charcoal can be sprinkled around your plants to keep the bugs away.
5. Substitute lighter fluid. Try using a chimney starter, instead of toxic lighter fluid. They are inexpensive and you don’t have to worry about the toxic fluids cooking into your food.
Don’t forget to use these tips and add a little “green” to your red, white, and blue festivities this year. Not only would you be more environmentally-friendly, but you could save money as well!
Tags:"green" charcoal, 4th of July, all-natural, biodegradable, cut costs, environmentally-friendly, green holiday, grilling, holidays, July 4th, organic food, recycle, recycling, reduce waste, reuse
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Friday, June 12th, 2009
Advertising agency, Colenso BBDO, which is located in Auckland, New Zealand, created this anti-litter ad campaign, “The Heart of the City: Rubbish”:
Each day, the litter around the bus stop was collected and placed inside the bus stop. This ad was intended to show how quickly litter can add up when people don’t put in the effort to recycle or throw their trash in the garbage can. It may just seem like a big deal to litter one wrapper, but if everyone does it, it really adds up. If we all come together and be more environmentally-friendly, we can really make a difference. Who wants to look at trash all over the city anyway? Let’s just hope people don’t start to think the bus stop is the new garbage can!
Tags:advertisements, advertising, advertising agency, anti-litter ad campaign, bus stops, Eco-Friendly, environmentally-friendly, garbage, green, green advertising, green efforts, litter, littering, recycle, recycling, reduce, reuse, trash
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Thursday, May 28th, 2009
I came across a great ad campaign designed by Brunner for Zippo Manufacturing Co. This collection of print ads brings perspective to the eco-conscious consumer. It reminds people that for lighters, a refillable Zippo is the greener choice. One lighter may not seem like much waste, but when you see these pictures, you can really see that it adds up in our landfills.
Their tagline, “Disposable. Just another word for garbage.” can really get people thinking. This was a very clever way to show how Zippo stands out from the competition of disposable lighters, and it reminds people to be more environmentally-friendly.
Zippo lighters are refillable and durable, making them guaranteed for life. Just like that, we have our Dura Series of CD/DVD albums. These long-lasting albums with extra reinforced spine hinges are made to withstand frequent opening and closing. And since they are so durable, they happen to be our most popular library packaging product. With the clear overlay and nickel-plated ring metals, these albums can be used over and over again.
Did you give up smoking and no longer have a need for your favorite Zippo lighter? Reuse that lighter to make your own stylish USB drive. Or if you have a few old BIC lighters laying around, you can turn those into USB drives, as well! These designs make your USB drives more creative and fun, but don’t forget about USB flash drive cases to help store and protect your devices!
Tags:BIC lighters, disposable, eco-conscious, Eco-Friendly, environmentally-conscious, environmentally-friendly, garbage, green packaging, landfill, recycle, recycling, reduce waste, refillable, reusable, smoking, USB flash drive cases, USB flash drives, USB jump drives, Zippo lighters
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Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
It seems like now, more than ever, people are paying attention to the environment, and they are showing this by recycling and choosing more eco-friendly options. Reduce, reuse, and recycle. This is what some artists are doing by making a living selling art that they made out of waste.
Anouk Zijlma showed off some great pieces of recycled art she purchased while visiting Cape Town, South Africa. There were a variety of different objects made from soda cans, plastic bottles, barbed wire, chip bags, bottle caps, metal scraps, etc. These pieces of art make great souvenirs, and they all work, even the radio and the pen!
Radio with casing made from beer cans, bottle caps, and wire. © Michael Daecher
Flower pen made from soda cans. © Michael Daecher
Toy guitar made from soda cans and wire. © Michael Daecher
Angel made from soda cans, steel wool, and wire. © Michael Daecher
Car made from soda cans, plastic bottles, bottle tops, and wire. © Michael Daecher
Cow made from plastic can and bottle tops. © Michael Daecher
Toy motorbike made from soda cans, barbed wire, spray can tops (wheels), and plastic tubing. © Michael Daecher
Crocodile made from insect repellent can. © Michael Daecher
Placemat made from chip bags, sticks, and black thread. © Michael Daecher
Flower made from soda cans and barbed wire. © Michael Daecher
Not only do these pieces of art help reduce waste, but they make great souvenirs. Since she bought these in South Africa, the waste used can remind her of her trip and the brands of food and drinks that were available there. By reusing and recycling these materials, less waste is being generated, which is better for the environment. Give one as a creative gift and show that you know what it means to recycle.
Tags:creative gift, recycle, recycled materials, recycled toys, recycling, reduce, reduce waste, reuse, reuse soda cans, South Africa, souvenirs, unique souvenir
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Friday, May 15th, 2009
Meetings and events tend to generate a significant amount of waste. There are invitations, papers, forms, display boards, name tags, signs, souvenirs, decorations, place settings, etc. You do not have to give up all of these to go green and reduce waste.
The Green Meetings Industry Council is trying to build awareness towards the goal of reducing waste generated by meetings and events. According to their study, the average meeting/event creates 20 pounds of waste per person per day. With 700 million event attendees annually in the U.S. and Canada, that brings the total up to 10.5 tons of waste per year. GMIC started the Million Tons of Trash Challenge to attempt to reduce that amount of waste by nearly 10 percent.
The GMIC is hoping that this challenge will educate the industry about being more environmentally-friendly and that we will be able to see more improvements in the future. GMIC is encouraging the efforts with a new web site that includes case studies, a blog, and a Waste Challenge Trash Calculator to record the amount of waste generated and determine the amount of waste reduced. This helps to see the effects of your green efforts. To be a part of this challenge, planners must report to the GMIC the amount of waste that they generated at their events, as well as the amount reduced and recycled. By taking these small steps to reduce waste, you can do your part to help the environment while still putting on a successful and memorable meeting/event.
MeetGreen, along with Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), is also trying to promote more environmentally-friendly meetings and events. They created “Eco-Event Zones” as a part of their new program. The purpose of this is for meeting/event planners from the same city to work together to find eco-friendly opportunities in the same area and share advice.
If planners are working together on this, suppliers and building locations will be hearing their requests for more green options, which will create a greater impact.
Meetings and events can produce a lot of waste, but it doesn’t have to be that way! These programs have been created to help educate meeting and event planners on how to reduce waste. One great way is using eco-friendly name badges and bag tags that are 100% recyclable for your meeting or event. We all can do our part to help the environment by making small changes. Read more about being environmentally-friendly.
Tags:"Eco-Event Zones", eco-friendly bag tags, eco-friendly name badges, eco-friendly nametags, environmentally-friendly, event planners, event planning, GMIC, Going Green, green events, green meetings, MeetGreen, meeting planners, meeting planning, recycle, recycling, reduce waste, reuse, the Million Tons of Trash Challenge
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Friday, May 1st, 2009
May is Green Packaging Month at Sunrise. In May, we focus on communicating ways to create packaging that is unique, helps you stand out from the crowd, and is also environmentally responsible… yes, you can have all three. Check out our Green Packaging Pages for more information.
To get us started, since Mother’s day is next weekend, we found a web site that will help you turn an unused CD case into a beautiful card for Mom!
Here’s a picture of the completed project. check out the craftylife blog for complete instructions.
Be sure to let us know how your card turned out. In fact, send us a picture and we’ll highlight it in a post! (We’ll wait until after Mother’s Day to keep the surprise)
The next time you need a binder, CD/DVD/USB case, box or sales kit, give your favorite Account Manager a call and we’ll help you create a work of art that will be environmentally friendly too.
Tags:CD cases, Eco-Friendly, eco-friendly packaging, eco-friendly products, environment, environmentally-friendly, environmentally-friendly packaging, Going Green, green packaging, green practices, green products, recycle, recycling, reduce, reduce waste, reusable, reuse, Reuse Packaging
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