Hasbro Improves Product Packaging
As part of Hasbro’s commitment to sustainability they are beginning to make changes in product packaging. One result is an increase of approx. 15% in the ration of product to packaging. In other words - less packaging for a given amount of product.
Other planned packaging changes include:
- plastic blister packages that use less material
- more efficient packaging
- removing PVC packaging
- no longer using wire ties
- increasing recycled content: “ … the 2013 MY LITTLE PONY assortment pack is expected to reduce the size of shipping containers by 20 percent …”
Less and more efficient packing means less shipping costs and shipping emission and less material for the consumer throw away in the trash.
For more on Hasbro’s sustainability efforts follow this LINK
Via: Hasbro LINK
s are replaced with newer digital TVs there is the opportunity to recycle this large amount of glass and other valuable raw materials. The glass is turned into fibers that are used to make insulation panels for new refrigerators.
Nike collects and recycles old sneakers. You can drop sneakers off at Nike Stores (
In 2008 California passed legislation that requires “packing peanuts” to contain recycled material – starting with 80% by 2014 and going to 100% by 2017.
G / MULCHING / COMPOSTING rather than landfilling your tree.
Seventh Generation is known for its green products and low impact manufacturing. Their paper package for 4X detergent takes this to a new level. 
Peninsula Packaging uses recycled materials and green energy. I recently saw some apples packed in one of their clamshells that noted the plastic was 70 % recycled and made with 50% solar energy.
”
Temple University and Sodexo launched (Sept. 19th) the Waste Not Project. The program has multiple goals including portion control and nutrition.
(lowering the carbon footprint of bringing in a non local raw material) and help eliminate industrial waste.
United has a green sustainability program called eco-skies. Among the highlights of the program are ... 
he bark (cork) is harvested approx every 10 years from trees that can live for 300 years.
e-Waste is a growing problem - one significant issue is that it is often taken to other nations for handling and improper or unsafe disposal.
North American electronic waste and provide support to nations in both Africa and Asia coping with e-waste imports ..."
San Francisco's new Terminal 2 was retrofitted to be green by design. It is the first Airport Terminal in the US to achieve GOLD LEED. 
le not at home or the office. If you make it easy folks will recycle.
The First National Bank of Omaha (Nebraska) has as green focus. They have a fuel cell powered data center that is a GHG free power source. They also offer paperless / online banking which can reduce your impact on the environment.
ns of our planet are the biggest garbage dump ... 30-40% of the objects used for the hotel were found on the beaches of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain ..."
.jpg "Motorola Citrus(TM)")
a Trek store for recycling.
in a parking lot with the Sustainable Waste Solutions and knew there would be a blog post there. SWS is a local company with a Souderton, Pa address that turns waste to energy (W2E).
h electricity from waste to power tens of thousands of homes per day ..."
According to the Scott's web site 17 billion toilet tissue tubes are thrown away each year ..." That's enough to fill the Empire Sta Building. Twice". Or 20 747s.
Samsung's Evergreen is one GREEN phone.
ns and facilitate recycling away from home - who wants to carry bottles home for recycling?
Here is a chgecklist (pdf format) from the University of Texas at Austin. lf, your team, your home, whatver. 
oval for use in the gardens.
l trash and improper disposal can leach toxic chemicals into the air and water. 
-#7 as well! This means #3 - Vinyl, #4 - LDPE, #5 - PP, #6 - PS and #7 - other / mixed. 
Viva Terra's Mad Mats®are made from recycled plastics. 
For an additional $1 in shipping fees you can offset the carbon impact from shipping. Details on the Viva Terra web site under shipping.
Pepsico in Ireland takes sustainability seriously. Caring for the environment and their impact are important considerations. To that end ... " ... An Environmental Sustainability project ... delivered 12% reduction in water use ... 5% reduction in energy use ... recycle 95% of all waste. ..."
Wonder how plastic bags get recycled? You see the recycling bins in most grocery stores that take #1 and #2 plastic bags and newspaper sleeves. Watch the video to see how they are recycled back to plastic material. 
lly you should use a reusable cup rather than a disposable cup. I try to .... how about you?
A recent report from the Washington Times shows that a significant amount of printing by US Govt employees is never needed ... it is thrown out or recycled. Wow - 1/3 of all printed paper is wasted !!
Syracuse University's new green data center follows LEED guidelines and is both green and energy efficient. 
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" ... a The New York Times article, Leaving the Trash Behind, explored the aviation industry’s massive contribution to global waste ... millions of plastic bottles discarded at security checkpoints, but separate recycling containers in terminals or on board planes are not common. ...no industry standard for recycling ..."
Along the lines of which is better for the environment - paper or plastic bags is the "which is better for the environment" paper or digital format for documents. Bet you are leaning towards digital --- I am.
I am always on the lookout for something GREEN to write about ... the advertising on some Chinet products caught my eye.
s important to us, and to our extended family, which includes you. So, start to finish, we pursue sustainable practices, from using recycled materials to produce our disposable tableware products to reducing the amount of energy we use and waste we create to make them. "
Cagoule, a small company from Portland, Oregon, sells a line of gloves, hats, blankets and scarves made from post consumer recycled plastic beverage bottles.
The USPS has made great efforts to be green and help others be green. Through an arrangement with several electronics companies select USPS locations are offering prepaid mailers that can be used to recycle small electronics.
Samsung is well know for developing greener cell phones -- including the Reclaim ...
Here is an interesting approach toi reducing waste and CO2 at the same time. Using fly ash (waste and high in CO2) to make bricks solves both. 
DOES NOT ITCH and is very easy to handle and work with."
the highest ASTM testing standards for fire and smoke ratings, fungi resistance and corrosiveness. ... contains 85% post-industrial recycled natural fibers making it an ideal choice for anyone looking to use a high quality sustainable building material."
CDs are a great way to store lots of data in a small place ... and take up much less space when tossed in the trash then VHS cartridge. Now you can easily recycle CDs and DVDs along with lots of other media at GreenDisk.
bio-plastic materials, which are 100% biodegradable. ... comes with an Energy Star-approved charger. ... packaging is made with recycled materials. ... Bio-Plastic materials make up 40% of the phone’s casing. "
Animal manure is a natural by-product of raising animals ... and needs to be disposed of properly. Improperly disposed of it can pollute water and make a smelly mess. 
le and is made by Biospherecorp. 
Ecolife is a Canadian company that makes a line of earth friendly line of cleaners and biodegradable plastic bags.
Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson has introduced legislation to produce energy from bio-waste. Nebraska has the potential to make great use of this given the large number of cattle in the state ...using what is today a waste products to generate power serves to reduce waste disposal costs, help keep water sources clean and reduce consumption of oil ... as animal waste is likely to be a renewable fuel source for t he near if not long term.
vironmental responsibility."
movement ... from it LEED roasting facility to it "take the mug pledge". Some folks just want / need a "to go " cup ... and Starbucks is working to make that a greener cup. 
cycled fiber. ... in 2008,... we rolled out a new plastic cup that has less of an environmental impact than our original plastic cups."
The former Strawbridge and Clothier flagship department store in Philadelphia is being remodeled in a green way. PA. REIT has posted window signs and made green dioramas in the store's street side display cases (most of the building has been closed for some time).
marked as 100 % recyclable and called EnviroShell ; made by Winterborne, Inc.
eBay has many green aspects to its business model ... including the basic eBay design - helping people sell unneeded / unused stuff ... 
ance and style are every bit as important as their impact on the earth. ... make our products from 100% recycled materials, ... all of our products are designed to stay out of landfills when you are finished with them."
to the trash when spent - and represent an opportunity for recyclers. This is very much in line with the manufacturers and 3rd parties that "rebuild / recondition laser and ink jet print cartridges.
forests, using no old growth trees. 
aw materials needlessly. 
"
Google sells lots of Google branded logo items on its website - there is a common theme for their products ... they are mostly all made in an environmentally friendly way ... greener than most ...
ment effort to increase the amount of recycling and reuse of post-consumer carpet and reduce the amount of waste carpet going to landfills. ... 
rk ... can dynamically adjust power consumption to reduce the energy used overall. ... uses an advanced power management system ... allows Mac mini to use ... up to 45 percent less power at idle than its predecessor. And it makes Mac mini the most energy-efficient desktop computer."
Timberland has a solid green business policty and their store on Broadway in NYC is another good example ...
"Located at 474 Broadway,... our newest specialty store incorporates salvaged industrial elements with a modern, sustainable aesthetic. ...Green building practices included using materials salvaged or reclaimed from previous occupants, energy-efficient lighting, a more eco-conscious HVAC system, and wall paints and sealants containing reduced chemicals.
"... Dow is challenging packaging value chain members to work together toward 100 percent recyclable packaging solutions - and asking consumers to challenge their misconceived view of plastic packaging as "waste.""
" ...20 percent – of building materials were from recycled content and over 75 percent of construction waste was recycled. ... drought tolerant landscape and a portion of the power used for operations will be green power supplied by wind energy."
mmitted to converting all items the Company makes to green material composition. ... any company can make a few products green, we will commit to making them all green—and we'll tell people what that greenness is product for product and what positive result there is."
Frito Lay is working to reduce the impact of their packing materials. Chips and other snacks come in Mylar type plastic bags that are not sustainable ... 
paper -- part of the argument was that the bags are everywhere, require extra labor to pick up and are clogging parts of the city water system / sewer system. Another is that animals can either get caught in them or ingest them.
In order to increase participation in city wide recycling - Philadelphia has fine tuned their recycling program ... to make it weekly and coincide with regular trash pick up ... no more wondering when the recyclables go out to the curb ...
Contessa's plant in Los Angeles, California was designed to minimize it's environmental impact ... 
Apple's new MacBook line of computers boasts some impressive GREEN credentials ... the result of design efforts to remove mercury and arsenic from the display, and new packaging that uses less material and highly recyclable aluminum cases and glass screens.
Gemline, a manufacturer, based in Massachusetts that has a line of ECO friendly products, eco-CHOICE, ... so if you are looking for alternatives to everyday products or products made with recycled PVC, paper and the like ... read on.
When Marriott built their new Courtyard and Residence Inn properties in Miami they recycled 300 tons of demolition debris from a Fairfield Inn ...
Molam International, based near Atlanta, Georgia, uses modern technology to safely recycle e-waste. They are a partner with Sony and Waste Management in their take back recycling program.
Geami has a really neat sustainable packaging material. It is a available "in bulk" to companies that ship lots of product and to consumers .... I saw it a my local Staples ... 
Verizon has an active and effective recycling program in place. Read on for some statistics >>>
Some of the current consumer goods packaging is both wasteful and hard to open. Amazon is launching an initiative with major retailers to eliminate both ... a result in wasteful packaging and reductions in transport costs ... 
Want to make it a GREEN Christmas this yer? Wondering what you can do to be GREEN this holiday season?
s already making a big difference."
My family and I had Thanksgiving dinner at Longwood Gardens (Kennett Sq, Pa) - a beautiful garden that is getting more into being GREEN and their impact on the planet. As I was eating leftovers I noticed that the plastic container was not the #1, #2 or #5 that I expected ... but #7 (inside a recycling triangle) PLA and was marked as composable.
Marriott International Inc has embraced going green. Read about what they are doing corporate wide to become more environmentally friendly.
While browsing through the Longwood Gardens (/www.longwoodgardens.com/ - Kennett Square, Pa) gift shop, I came across a neat product ... GreenPots, made by Ecosource. GreenPots These are planters that are environmentally friendly.
he average consumer ..."
Sanyo's Eneloop rechargeable battery is unique in that it keeps its charge (shelf life) longer than conventional batteries and in some ways mimics a regular battery - except it is recyclable. It also has a novel approach by using a basic AAA and AA format tht can fit inside a C and D size casing to allow one battery to be used in place of several sizes.
landfill capacity. Most places that recycle (like everywhere?) accept newspapers and magazines. In Philadelphia, some SEPTA train stations have special recycling cans for magazines and newspapers.
Paper or Plastic? The choice may soon be made for us ...
Reducing plastic waste is a benefit to everyone (except maybe the folks t hat make plastic packaging). It adds cost to the final goods and results in waste to throw away and is not yet recyclable.
Spence Brown was one of the winners in Keen's STAND contest. His Zero Waste Moving company is described below ..
I missed this one and would have like to check it out. What really caught my eye was a photo in the local newspaper (Phila Inquirer, Monday Sept 8th) that showed a person dressed as a "bag monster" covered in 700 plastic bags - the number the average person uses per year!
[Aug 15th, 2008] - "Samsung Electronics ... released three environmentally friendly handsets, using "green" materials for their exteriors and recycled ones inside."
" ....outer shell of the models -- the F268, released in China; the W510, for Korea; and the E200 Eco, for Europe -- is constructed of "bio-plastic" made from corn. Forty to 50 percent of all the plastic in the phone is bio-plastic,... phones' circuit boards lack brominated flame retardants and polyvinyl chlorides, both toxic plastic materials. ...All three will reach their intended markets next month."
" ... also developing micro fuel cells that would power handsets with hydrogen, and operates handset recycling programs for phones of all brands in Korea, China, the United States, and Canada. Materials from these phones are recycled as much as possible and reused in the manufacture of new phones, Samsung said."
Via: InfoWorld 
Cell phones are a modern day wonder ... they can do some pretty neat things and make our lives easier ... but can be part of a toxic waste stream if not properly disposed.
the cages for returning propane tanks. 
Making steel creates a lot of environmental impact ... illegal guns cause a significant societal impact ... so recycling illegal guns into storm drain covers and manhole covers is good for both society and the environment.
organic, renewable, and recycled below. 
m at least 25% renewable materials. ..."
items -- that can again be recycled.
Junk Mail seems to be an inevitable part of life; but it does not have to be. Here is a possible solution that helps you and the environment.
41pounds.org is named after the approx. 41 pounds of "junk" mail received annually by each adult in the US.
Wondering how to recycle that old cell phone so it does not go into a landfill??
m and Nokia will send a postage paid mailing label for your old phone.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Plastic bottles are already recyclable (#2 type). Now companies are looking at the amount of plastic per bottle.
Nokia has an intersting "concept" phone that incorporates some green thinking ... 
RecycleBank helps communites increase participation in their recycling programs via incentives. The incentives take the form of awards that can be used at participaing local stores.
Freecycle is a group that uses the network of its members to keep "stuff" out of landfills .. by making "stuff" available at no cost to its members. 
Fortune's "Brainstorm Green" is an invitation only event on April 21 - 22, 2008 in Pasadena, California. 
Earth Day is coming - Sat Arpil 19th, 2008. 
Everyone, I hope, knows that plastic bottles labeled #1 or #2 can be recycled. Some even know that these plastic bottles can be recycled ... into fibers that make clothes!
stagnant water they hold.
Some schools are already green. Others are just getting started. Many need help with a structured program to guide them. 
Airplane recycling is just like any other recycling ... sort of. Of course planes are bigger than household recyclables but older airplanes have a lot of steel and aluminum - materials that are easy to recycle.
tires, paint, industrial injection molds, and sporting goods ... also looking into using it in airplane baggage bins and galley carts, within car brakes, and even spinning it into yarn."
The New Belgium Brewery has many green aspects to their business ... In addition to their own waste water treatment plant ... they product their own methane!
" ... As much as 5% of fresh water consumed is currently used to carry away urine. Each Falcon Waterfree ... saves an average of 40,000 gallons (151,000 liters) of fresh water per year. ... No energy need be used to treat this water, nor does it produce carbon dioxide emissions as a byproduct of its treatment. ... "
"Austin, Texas - Home to the first Whole Foods Market ... 205 parks, 14 nature preserves, and 25 greenbelts. ... plans to meet 20 percent of its energy needs with renewable energy and energy efficiency by 2020. ... a recycling center that dates back to 1970, a dozen outdoor farmer's markets, city buses that offer free rides on 'high ozone' days and an innovative "pay-as-you-throw" trash collection program that rewards residents for being less wasteful ..." 
Minneapolis, Minnesota - ... more than 60 percent of downtown workers use public or alternative transportation ... Free parking for registered van and car pools, an extensive bike path and bike lane system and employer-sponsored showers ... Minnesota State Department of Commerce nudging businesses and residents to hook solar systems up to the city's grid, ..."
"Boulder, Colorado - ... city planners started preserving parkland in 1898. ... 
the U.S. ... 
Recycling Fun Facts:
HP wants your old computers ...
HP's recycling service provides an easy way to recycle computer equipment, printing supplies, rechargeable batteries and other items." Many items are free of charge to recycle - other require a small fee. See their FAQs page for more info 
" Here are some more of the 50 Easy Ways to go Green". For the complete list follow the link at the end of this BLOG post.
(SIA). ... was the first auto assembly plant to achieve zero landfill status - nothing from its manufacturing efforts goes into a landfill. It's all reused and recycled."
