365 Days to a Greener You

Jul 16 2009

Day 164- Hey, That’s Not Fair

July 16, 2009 – 9:40 am

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $ Amount Varies, Cost, Education, Events, Work | Comments (1)

At my full time gig, we have well over 2,500 people at our two Carolina campus buildings. Recently, we decided to have a green fair where our vendors and local companies could come and tell a little about their organization and what they do to make the planet breather a little easier.

We had a very good turnout and I believe that we all learned a little something. The vendors got a little face time with the typical employee, the employees learned more about how our company and partners are trying to make better environmentally friendly choices, and out Green Team here learned how to put on a successful fair. It was a bit of a trial by fire, but we managed to pull it off.

If you are planning on attending, participating in, or planning a Green Fair, here are a few points to consider:

Attendees:
• Don’t’ just go for the free stuff. Only take giveaways if you truly will use it.
• Before the fair, learn a little bit about who is coming, do some research and have a few questions for the presenters. People like talking about what they do.
• If you find something or someone interesting, don’t be shy—let them know.
• If you liked the fair, let the group who organized it know and if you want to help, sign up!

Vendors:
• If you have special needs such as audio/visual equipment, electricity, or special space needs, please let the organizers know in advance.
• Remember this is a green fair, try to limit your giveaways to things that make sense. Flyers may not be the best, but maybe reusable grocery bags may work.
• If you need to leave or arrive outside of the normal fair hours, let the organizers know—most of us take our lunch breaks to help out with the fair.
• Try to anticipate and manage your garbage/waste needs. Leaving 50 boxes not broken down and full of the plastic packing for the company does not help.

Organizers:
• Tie your fair to a theme and have your own message. Just because there will be vendors and other presenters, does not exclude you from having a point to all of this.
• If you work in a secure area, let the appropriate people know well in advance.
• Show the vendors where to get the basics—bathroom, water, coffee, food, etc.
• Have three separate teams—one for set-up, one for assistance during the fair and the other for breakdown.

Please feel free to add any that I missed as a comment and remember to have a great fair!

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $ Amount Varies, Cost, Education, Events, Work | Comments (1)

Jun 02 2009

Day 163- 40% Off Sounds Great, But….

June 2, 2009 – 7:14 am

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $ Amount Varies, Cost, Lighting, Reduce | Comments (0)

I just found this great coupon for 40% off of CFL lightbulbs, but unfortunately you need to be a Duke Energy Customer. I just so happen to part of a local energy co-op and not serviced by Duke Energy. Do you know of a great coupon or deal to save on environmental products?

Leave a link to the site and I will check it out. I will be adding a new page for savings and discounts. Here is the link to the Duke Energy site.

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $ Amount Varies, Cost, Lighting, Reduce | Comments (0)

May 19 2009

Day 162- If It’s Too Loud, Then You Are Too Old

May 19, 2009 – 12:02 pm

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $ Amount Varies, Automobile, Cost, Electronics, Music, Other, Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, Technology | Comments (1)

I bought a music CD for the first time in quite a long time. I average about one CD per year. There just aren’t that many groups out there that I would freely part with $11.99 of my hard earned money. Back in college, before the digital age, a good collection would easily top 100 CDs—at a minimum. Well, most of the jewel cases were empty either lost to the car CD player or to your sketchy friends who would love to “borrow” them.

Just about all of my friends joined the CD club where you taped a penny to an information card and in six to eight weeks, you would get a dozen or so of your favorite CDs. Some even sent them to the neighbors’ house with a fake name and somehow got away with it. I was always afraid of getting caught for some sort of mail fraud. I even felt bad about borrowing the CD. I did though look for the double albums that counted as one selection. I felt as though I was getting away with something.

After many years, I broke down and bought a first generation 30 gig video iPod. It literally took me a few weeks to get all of my discs to my iTunes library. It turns out that I had more music that I thought. Most of it is junk that I skip (like some old rave stuff, movie soundtracks and I have no idea how I got the best of John Denver), but sometimes I will hear something in my library that is a hidden gem in a sea of over 2,500 songs.

As I sit here listening to my new CD, I got to thinking of the ecological footprint of my music. Where did this CD come from? How much energy was used in producing it and shipping it to my local big box store? How much energy am I spending on charging up my iPod and computer to play this music? Would it have been better to download it (legally)? What if I downloaded it then made a CD copy of it?

These are all real sticky questions, but there are some common sense answers in how to green your music. Although buying a few CDs per year will not necessarily wipe out the remaining polar bears, it is better to download your music only if you are going to keep it digital and not burn a copy. It is better to buy the copy from the store, or get it mailed to you, because you can then sell it to your music store giving it a new life when you are done with your hair band stage.

Keeping your player in top shape and not buying a new one every time the next big thing comes out is another way to green up your music. It was such a pain for me to move into the digital age, I would hate to see what I would need to do when I get a new player. I also charge mine in the car on the way to and from work.

I am interested in hearing about your thoughts and tips. Have you ever thought of how to green your music? If so, how have you done it.

Rock on

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $ Amount Varies, Automobile, Cost, Electronics, Music, Other, Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, Technology | Comments (1)

May 15 2009

Day 161- A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

May 15, 2009 – 7:40 am

By Greg Anderson | Posted in Commentary | Comments (1)

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so today I will keep is short Visit this photo website, scroll through the pictures and let me know what you think.

I thought that they were very moving and gave me a better perspective on how good we have it compared to much of the rest of the world. How can we have such a blatant disregard and selfish attitude for the world we live in?

By Greg Anderson | Posted in Commentary | Comments (1)

May 06 2009

Day 160- Cell Phones for Soldiers

May 6, 2009 – 8:39 am

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $0- Free, Cell Phones, Cost, Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, Technology, Trash | Comments (3)

Each year, millions of cell phones are retired but I found statistics that say less than 1% of these phones are recycled. Granted I have only had three phones in my life. I more than likely would still have my last one if I didn’t drop it so I have not had many opportunities to experience the recycling of my phones.

The last time that I went to a retail store, I overheard many conversations of the salesperson asking if they could recycle their old phone. I have also seen a couple of drop off boxes in a few other retail stores as well as recycling information in the manual–but who reads that anyway? So I am a bit skeptical about the number of phones being recycled.

Either way, recycling your phone is always a good idea. If you don’t give it back to your provider, there are many different organizations that hold recycling events. The couple that I know of off hand are the battered womens shelter and Cell Phones for Soldiers.

Cell phones for soldiers takes Donated cell phones and sells them to a company that recycles them. The money received from recycling the cell phones is used to purchase calling cards that are sent to troops in need.

Do you know of any more organizations that recycle cell phones? What have you done with your old cell phone?

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $0- Free, Cell Phones, Cost, Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, Technology, Trash | Comments (3)

May 05 2009

Day 159- If You Want it Bad Enough

May 5, 2009 – 2:08 pm

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $ Amount Varies, Commentary, Cost, Recycle, Reduce, Trash | Comments (0)

I read in our local paper that we will have new recycling bins next July. Finally. A majority of people have commented that it is time that the city decided to make the change.

Currently we are given one small bin with an open top. On windy days you can just about forget having all of your items stay in the bin and good luck fitting it all into one small bin. I went ahead and purchased a couple of more bins that we use. Heck, I even use the kitty litter bins and old boxes sometimes.

In my opinion this is a welcome change. The recycling guy that comes by separates your recyclables at the curb house by house which more than likely is a most tedious job. In a letter to the editor in today’s paper, one person wrote that this big bin will not fit in his/her garage and will no longer be able to recycle.

Oh come on, really? I think that having a recycling program curbside is a luxury. Heck even having curbside trash removal is a luxury. We take it for granted that we consume unimaginable quantities of goods without remorse. There are many of us in this country that have to take their garbage and recyclables up to the local dump or community garbage area.

I would hate to see what would happen if all of a sudden garbage collection would end–or at least stop for a while. It has happened in London, New York and in many other cities around the world and it is amazing to not understand where “away” is when you throw something away.

You have to want it people.

Just a quick poll. Do you have curbside garbage pick up? How about recycling?

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $ Amount Varies, Commentary, Cost, Recycle, Reduce, Trash | Comments (0)

Apr 24 2009

Day 158- Get the Point and Have the Power

April 24, 2009 – 10:44 am

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $0- Free, Cost, Paper, Reduce, School, Work | Comments (1)

For those of you who are new to the site, no this is not my primary writing gig. I am an environmental super hero. By day I am the mild mannered regular guy who works for a well known mortgage company in default compliance as a technical writer/editor and at night I take off my glasses, put on my little green cape with matching tights and try to fix the world– one article at a time.

Well, not really–the mortgage part is right, but I do not have a little green cape and I can’t really see too well without some sort of vision correction. I also could not imagine myself in tights. Trust me, I am doing you a favor as well.

All kidding aside, much of my day is spent reading, editing and creating technical documentation related to how better to service loans that are in default before they go into foreclosure and how to recognize loans that are current that may be in trouble in the future.

I create all sorts of training materials in various formats, but today let’s talk about PowerPoint. Most everyone has seen a PowerPoint presentation in some form or another. It usually consists of a series of multiple slides shown on a screen to illustrate what a speaker is talking about. For my younger school age readers, a simplified explanation is sort of like the overhead projector with the clear sheets.

Do they still use them in school? Back when I was in school, we had records, actual film for our movies and maybe five TVs that we all shared–but I am getting off topic here.

For those of us who use PowerPoint we all know how much of a joke it could be at times. There too many to mention here, but my biggest pet peeves are slides that only have one word–like “Questions?” (this one usually is animated and spins in or something lame like that), cover sheets, and presentations that have hundreds of slides.

If you are responsible for creating these “Stop the insanity” (sorry about the Susan Powder reference). If you need to print these, set them up to print more than one slide per page, remove the cover page, and make each slide count. Oh, and if you can’t get to your point in five or less slides, then you either have a wicked hard job or you may be doing the PowerPoint overkill.

People will go to sleep on you in a heartbeat. I have literally seen people zone out on the handouts rather than listening to the presentation. So get to your point and you will have the power.

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $0- Free, Cost, Paper, Reduce, School, Work | Comments (1)

Apr 23 2009

Day 157- The Great Garbage Patch

April 23, 2009 – 11:00 am

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $0- Free, Commentary, Cost, Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, Shopping, Water | Comments (0)

There are quite a number of patches that I am aware of: Cabbage Patch Kids, pumpkin patch, anti-smoking patches, patch quilt, patchwork, eye patch, software patches, Patch Adams, contraceptive patches, and the little green patch. I could go on, but you get the point. Have you ever heard of the Great Garbage Patch?

Neither did I. According to their site at http://www.greatgarbagepatch.org, “Much of our waste today is comprised of plastic that does not biodegrade. This waste accumulates in swirling seas of debris, where plastic to sea life ratios are 6:1; where birds and mammals are dying of starvation and dehydration with bellies full of plastics; where fish are ingesting toxins at such a rate that soon they will no longer be safe to eat.

The largest of these garbage swills is known as the Pacific Gyre, or The Great Garbage Patch.

It is roughly the size of Texas, containing approximately 3.5 million tons of trash. Shoes, toys, bags, pacifiers, wrappers, toothbrushes, and bottles too numerous to count are only part of what can be found in this accidental dump floating midway between Hawaii and San Francisco.

Amazingly, there is no effort underway to clean the mess.”

Also, according to Greenpeace “The very thing that makes plastic items useful to consumers, their durability and stability, also makes them a problem in marine environments. Around 100 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year of which about 10 percent ends up in the sea. About 20 percent of this is from ships and platforms, the rest from land.”

Although you may not live anywhere near the coast, almost all rivers and streams lead to the Ocean eventually. I used to joke and rationalize to myself that my plastic stuff would not kill too many fish at the city dump. Since these plastic items literally can live forever–or at least a LONG time– there is a good chance that more than the garbage man could transport my discarded materials. I never really thought about birds, other animals, winds and streams.

Pop quiz hot shot (guess the movie quote to be entered in a drawing for five reusable grocery bags). What do you do? Well for one thing, use less plastic products or at least choose products that are packaged in plastic that is easily recyclable in your area. Each area has different numbers of plastic that they can handle. For us in Charlotte, NC we can recycle 1 and 2 at our curbside. The others are more difficult to recycle locally. If you do use them, reuse them. When you can’t reuse them, recycle them responsibly.

Please note that both of these groups may ask for your financial support to further their research in a variety of topics. I am not affiliated with and do not endorse, receive any benefit from or sponsor either of the groups mentioned in this article. I suggest that if you are interested in supporting either of these groups, then you do so based upon your own research and initiative.

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $0- Free, Commentary, Cost, Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, Shopping, Water | Comments (0)

Apr 22 2009

Day 156 A Year to Remember

April 22, 2009 – 10:31 am

By Greg Anderson | Posted in $0- Free, Commentary, Cost | Comments (0)

Wow, time sure does fly when you are having fun. I can’t believe that it has been a whole year since I have started this project. I had originally planned to do one article per day for a year, but my ambition greatly outweighed my skills as the owner/ designer/ creative director/ writer/ administrator—and just about any other title that I want to give to myself. I also thought that limiting myself to only one year or a short period of time really narrows my focus.

I feel that although the frequency of my posts has varied over the year, the quality of my topics and my writing has gotten better. One of the most common questions is: “what is going to happen after a year or when you reach 365 days?”

Well, I had a feeling that I would not do an article per day, but doing 156 is not too shabby either. I will continue this as long as there are willing readers wanting to hear what I have to say. Heck, for a while there I didn’t have any and I still continued to plug away.

I have definitely learned a lot about myself and I am more aware about the world around me. I have learned about page ranking, self promotion, site design, site statistics, that dreaded comment spam, as well as humility in terms of putting myself out there for anyone to read.

I also can’t believe how much this little thing has meant to quite a number of people out there. I have a decent number of people following via e-mail and RSS, and more recently I have created a Facebook group as well as getting into Twitter. I have created widgets and I will be creating my own badge so to speak sometime in the next month. Come and feel free to add me to your page and join/ follow me at any of the places listed from the sidebars.

Looking back at my first few snapshots of my page, I can’t believe how much this has changed, but I believe that I have stuck to my original ideas.

Try to learn a little bit about myself
Learn how I can lessen my impact on the Earth
Share my experiences in a fun and clever way
Try not to sell or cram an idea down your face
Stay politically neutral
Never spam my readers
Do not have pay per click advertising
Have No pop-ups/ pop unders or any other type of annoying scrolling things
Most importantly have fun!