Catalog Choice Partners with Keep America Beautiful to Help Americans “Reduce” During America Recycles Day

Today is Keep America Beautiful’s America Recycles Day, the only nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling programs in the U.S.

In an effort cut down on paper waste and the need for paper recycling our friends at Catalog Choice have partnered with Keep America Beautiful to provide free junk mail opt-outs through a special website, americarecyclesday.catalogchoice.org.

Here are some more details we received from Catalog Choice about this partnership:

Catalog Choice – a TrustedID company and the nation’s leading mail preference service – has announced partnership with Keep America Beautiful’s America Recycles Day (ARD). Held annually on November 15, ARD is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling programs in the United States. As part of ARD’s efforts to encourage Americans to reduce, reuse and recycle throughout the year, Catalog Choice is offering free opt-outs of unwanted junk mail at a special website, americarecyclesday.catalogchoice.org.

Catalog Choice will track participation and the resulting environmental benefits including trees, greenhouse gases, water and solid waste saved. “Protecting your privacy by stopping unwanted mail is one of the easiest things we can do to save energy and conserve natural resources,” said Scott Mitic, Chief Executive Officer, TrustedID. “We are excited to join forces with Keep America Beautiful and America Recycles Day to help Americans ‘reduce’ by opting out of unwanted mail before it arrives, reducing the need for recycling junk mail.”

Every year, U.S. households receive over 83 billion pieces of advertising mail, 46% of which is never read and 38% of which is not recycled. Catalog Choice allows consumers to opt-out of the direct mail they no longer wish to receive. To date, Catalog Choice has connected over 1.6 million consumers nationwide who want to manage their privacy with more than 8,000 direct-mail companies to reduce the amount of unwanted mail and minimize its environmental impact. Consumer opt-outs have resulted in saving approximately 798,000 trees, 332,430,000 pounds of greenhouse gas, 117,842,000 pounds of solid waste, and 800,607,000 gallons of water.

For more information about Catalog Choice, visit CatalogChoice.org. For more information on ayahuasca retreats visit ayahuasca retreats.

How green is the New iPad - part 5: Recycling

Last week we started a 7-part series in which we explore the carbon footprint and environmental impacts of the new iPad, compare it to those of the iPad 2 and try to figure out if Apple has made any progress from environmental perspective with its new iPad and what's the new breakeven point between books and ebooks on the iPad.

On every part of the series we're looking into another part of the carbon footprint of the new iPad. We already covered production, energy efficiency, packaging and restricted substances. Today we're looking at recycling.

Recycling:

Here is the information on the recycling of the new iPad (source: Apple's report):

Through ultra-efficient design and the use of highly recyclable materials, Apple has minimized material waste at the product’s end of life. In addition, Apple offers and participates in various product take-back and recycling programs in 95 percent of the regions where Apple products are sold. All products are processed in the country or region in which they are collected. For more information on how to take advantage of these programs, visit www.apple.com/recycling.

Here is the information on the recycling of the iPad 2 (source: Apple's report - revised version):

Through ultra-efficient design and the use of highly recyclable materials, Apple has minimized material waste at the product’s end of life. In addition, Apple offers and participates in various product take-back and recycling programs in 95 percent of the regions where Apple products are sold. All products are processed in the country or region in which they are collected. For more information on how to take advantage of these programs, visit www.apple.com/recycling.

Our take: Basically, Apple copied the text it used for the iPad 2. The only thing is that Apple, as we showed in part 1 - production, is actually using more materials in the new iPad comparing to the iPad 2.

Bottom line: Apple is static when it comes to recycling and the offer stays the same. We'll have to see if it will manage in the future to provide consumers further incentives and to recycle their iPads. To be fair it's also important to mention that Apple products' recycling rate is 70 percent, which is pretty high comparing to its competitors.

Next part on our series: Total carbon footprint

Here are the parts of the series that were released so far:

Part 1 - production
Part 2 - energy efficiency
Part 3 - packaging
Part 4 - restricted substances

More resources on how green is the iPad can be found on our website at www.ecolibris.net/ipad.asp

More resources on the ebooks vs. physical books environmental debate can be found on our website at www.ecolibris.net/ebooks.asp.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

What can you do with your old newspapers? How about flip flops (or paperflops..)

Don't believe it? Check out Paperflops, flip flops that are made from entirely natural and biodegradable materials.This is not just a great idea, but also a great example of upcycling.

According to Paperflops, which is based in Indonesia, these Flip Flops are made of recycled and up-cycled newspapers. It takes approximately 1kg of old newspapers to produce a pair of PaperFlops Flip Flops. Other materials for the PaperFlop Flip Flops include root from old palm trees, coconut shells, and 100% natural rubber. The PaperFlop Flip Flops are quite durable and water proof since they are protected with a natural rubber sealant. 

Here are some more details about Paperflops from Ulule:

PaperFlops is a creative workshop that employs underprivileged people including street children and disabled people throughout Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This workshop trains and educates these people in arts and crafts to creating amazing products so they can be entirely self-sufficient.

The workshop creates various unique handmade products made from recycled and up-cycled newspapers and other natural materials. All of the materials used in our workshop are environmentally friendly and sustainable. The products produced in our workshop include flip flops, sandals, bags, pencil boxes, and more.

The PaperFlops flip flops exist in different models and of course different sizes.It seems according to Ulule, where Paperflops were looking for funding couple of months ago, that their price is between $50-$60 including shipping, but it's not really clear where and how you can order them right now. If you want a pair, you might want to email Paperflops at thepaperflops@gmail.com to get more details.

Photos credit: Ulule

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant trees for your books!

Comparing between the iPad and the iPad 2 from a green perspective

Last week the environmental report of the iPad 2, where we learned that its carbon footprint is 105 kg CO2e, a reduction of 19.2% comparing to the footprint of the first model.

On Tuesday we started to look into the new report and showed what it means in terms of breakeven point with paper books. Today, in the second part of our analysis, we try to find out what the real "green" differences between the two models of the iPad are.

We'll look at each of the components of the life cycle analysis that Apple did to determine the carbon footprint of the iPad and the iPad 2 - production, transport, customer use and recycling. We'll also look into other specifications that Apple emphasizes on its report.

Production:
Carbon footprint of the iPad - 75.4 kg CO2e
Carbon footprint of the iPad 2 - 63 kg CO2e
Change: -16.4%

The iPad 2 is thinner and lighter than the original iPad. In terms of materials Apple mentions that "iPad 2 is even more material efficient than the original iPad, consuming up to 18 percent less material. The chart below details the materials used for iPad 2."

Here you can see the materials used for the iPad 2 (source: Apple's report):

And here are the materials used for the first iPad (source: Apple's report)

Here's a comparison of the data presented in these graphs (weight, in grams):

	iPad	iPad 2	Change
Display	155	140	-9.7%
Plastic	55	17	-69.1%
Other metals	40	25	-37.5%
Circuit boards	45	38	-15.6%
Glass	155	105	-32.3%
Battery	155	130	-16.1%
Aluminum	125	135	8.0%

It's interesting to see that the biggest changes are with the plastic and other metals and also that unlike the other components, the usage of aluminum actually increased in the iPad 2 in 8%. I believe that the efficient use of materials is the main reason for the reduction in the production's footprint. I also believe that this is also a place where Apple actaully saved money while reducing its product's carbon footprint.

Transport:
Carbon footprint of the iPad - 14.3 kg CO2e
Carbon footprint of the iPad 2 - 10.5 kg CO2e
Change: -26.6%

There's no explanation in the report where this reduction is coming from. One option this reduction is due to further efficiency in packaging - iPad 2 retail packaging consumes 51 percent
less material, which allows "up to 38 percent more units to be transported in an airline shipping container compared with the original iPad".

Apple also mentions that"the packaging for iPad 2 is highly recyclable. It uses corrugated cardboard made from a minimum of 28 percent post-consumer recycled content, and molded fiber made entirely from recycled content."

On the report of the first iPad, Apple wrote: "The packaging for iPad is almost entirely recyclable and uses corrugate cardboard made from a minimum of 33 percent post-consumer recycled content. In addition, its packaging is extremely material efficient, allowing more units to be transported in a single shipping container. "

As you can see, the percentage of post-consumer recycled content in the corrugated cardboard actually dropped from 33 to 28, although with the iPad 2, Apple mentions that the molded fiber made entirely from recycled content whereas in the first report it doesn't mention this fiber at all.

Alternatively, maybe Apple started using hybrid trucks?

Customer use
Carbon footprint of the iPad - 39 kg CO2e
Carbon footprint of the iPad 2 - 30.45 kg CO2e
Change: -21.9%

Apple is presenting in the reports information on the energy efficiency usage, which should be the most relevant component to this part:

Energy efficiency in the iPad 2:
iPad 2 uses power-efficient components and software that intelligently manages
power consumption. In addition, the iPad 10W USB Power Adapter outperforms the
stringent requirements of the ENERGY STAR specification for external power supplies.
The following table details the power consumed by iPad 2 in different use modes.

Power Consumption for iPad 2 (Wi-Fi + 3G)
Mode 100V 115V 230V
Sleep 0.46W 0.41W 0.45W
Idle—Display on 3.10W 3.08W 3.16W
Power adapter, no-load 0.07W 0.07W 0.09W
Power adapter efficiency 80.9% 80.8% 79.9%

Energy efficiency in the first iPad:
iPad uses power-efficient components and software that intelligently manages power consumption. In addition, the iPad 10W USB Power Adapter outperforms the stringent requirements of the ENERGY STAR specification for external power supplies. The following table details the power consumed by iPad in different use modes.

Power Consumption for iPad (Wi-Fi + 3G)
Mode 100V 115V 230V
Sleep 0.42W 0.43W 0.41W
Idle—Display on 2.97W 2.96W 3.04W
Power adapter, no-load 0.07W 0.07W 0.09W
Power adapter efficiency 80.9% 80.8% 79.9%

I have to admit that I am not sure yet how this data, showing relatively modest power consumption reductions is translated into a 22% reduction in the carbon footprint of customer use. Did I miss something here?

Recycling:
Carbon footprint of the iPad - 1.3 kg CO2e
Carbon footprint of the iPad 2 - 1.05 kg CO2e
Change: -19.2%

In both cases Apple offers the same description:
Through ultra-efficient design and use of highly recyclable materials, Apple has minimized material waste at the product’s end of life. In addition, Apple offers and participates in various product take-back and recycling programs in 95 percent of the regions where Apple products are sold. All products are processed in the country or region in which they are collected. For more information on how to take advantage of these programs, visit www.apple.com/environment/recycling/.

Strangely, if you go to this webpage, you will find that Apple has no mention of the iPad there, but only computers, displays, iPods and mobile phones. Even if we assume that the iPad has similar recycle offering as the iPod (and I have to say I'm not so sure about it), it's still far from being convenient or attractive - you can either send your old device by mail or bring it to one of Apple's stores and get 10% discount when purchasing a new one. So the bottom line is that Apple, even though it minimize the material waste by using materials more efficiently still doesn't make a real effort to make sure the first model or the second model of the iPad won't end their life eventually in the landfill.

Apple's commitment to the environment:
There's an introduction to the report where Apple is emphasizing its commitment imporving the environmental performance of its products. This part (see below) hasn't changed and the text in the iPad 2 report is identical to the text in the iPad report.

Apple believes that improving the environmental performance of our business starts with our products. The careful environmental management of our products throughout their life cycles includes controlling the quantity and type of materials used in their manufacture, improving their energy efficiency, and designing them for better recyclability.

Restricted substances:
Comparing between the two reports, we find this part identical. In both cases Apple mentions that "
Apple has long taken a leadership role in restricting harmful substances from itsproducts and packaging. As part of this strategy, all Apple products comply with the strict European Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment, also known as the RoHS Directive. Examples of materials restricted by RoHS include lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and PBB and PBDE brominated flame retardants (BFRs)."

According to the reports, both the iPad and the iPad 2 go even further than the requirements of the RoHS Directive by incorporating the following more aggressive restrictions:
• Mercury-free LED-backlit display
• Arsenic-free display glass
• Brominated flame retardant (BFR)−free
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)−free

General green specs:
Apple is providing a summary of the "green" specs in each report under "Environmental Status report". This report is identical for both models and include the following:

• Arsenic-free display glass
• Brominated flame retardant-free
• Mercury-free LED backlit display
• PVC-free
• Recyclable aluminum and glass enclosure
• Power adapter outperforms strictest global energy efficiency standards

And finally, here's a summary of the changes in the carbon footprint of each component:

	iPad	iPad 2	Change
Production	75.4	63	-16.4%
Transport	14.3	10.5	-26.6%
Customer use	39	30.45	-21.9%
Recycling	1.3	1.05	-19.2%
Carbon footprint:	130	105	-19.2%

More resources on how green is the iPad can be found on our website at www.ecolibris.net/ipad.asp

More resources on the ebooks vs. physical books environmental debate can be found on our website at www.ecolibris.net/ebooks.asp.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

The State of Green Business 2011 - good news when it comes to paper intensity and recycling

Today, GreenBiz.com are publishing the State of Green Business report for 2011, which is defined as "their annual effort to take the pulse of what and how the world of sustainable business is doing." We simply call it the best report available on green business.

This report is looking into couple of issues that are related to our areas of interest, and this week we'll be looking into all of them, starting today with paper.

The report, as Joel Makower chairman and executive editor of GreenBiz Group is writing today, includes mixed news, both good and bad developments in the green markets. Paper fortunately is one on the good side, presenting positive progress on two major fronts - paper intensity and recycling.

When it comes to paper intensity, we see a continuing trend of improvement. Paper intensity represents the amount of paper used per every unit of GDP (Gross Domestic Product). In other words, it shows how efficiently paper is used in the U.S. economy. In terms of tons of paper per billion of dollars of GDP, paper intensity went down from 6.79 in 2008 to 6.13 in 2009. As you can see in the graph below (taken from the report, data provided by the American Forest & Paper Association), only couple of years ago we were in the range of 7-10, so this is definitely a significant improvement.

I guess it's not a big surprise to see this trend, especially when saving on paper is such a win-win strategy that help saving not just trees, but also a lot of money. Only last week the Environmental Leader reported that the "Bank of China’s London operations have reduced paper consumption by 95 percent with help from IBM", saving £12,000 a year on paper costs alone. I believe we'll hear more on companies that adopt similar practices (electronic routing and monitoring system in this case) to move one step further towards a more efficient and paperless office.

The big question of course is not what will happen in the US and Europe, where demand for paper will probably continue to decrease, but what will be with the demand in growing economies such as China and India. Will they use growing volumes of paper or use paperless leapfrog technologies to promote their economic development.

When it comes to recycling we also see good results - The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) reported that 63.4% of U.S. paper consumed was recovered in 2009. As you can see from the data they provide in the graph below, it continues a trend of growing recovery rate, and it is the first time this rate passed the 60%.

According to the report, "The American Forest and Paper Association, an industry group, estimates that once we reach about 80 percent over-all recovery, the remainder will be unfit for the reuse stream: Bath tissues and building papers alike pose challenges to recycling for both obvious and less obvious reasons." Even if it's true, I believe it makes more sense to find ways and technologies that will enable us to recycle (and even upcycle) more paper then to throw 20% of the paper volume to the trash. In any event, we're still far from reaching this ceiling and as the report explains there's still much to be done about recycling:

But there is still room for improvement, and while businesses have led the charge in making the corrugated fibers that go into shipping products the most-recycled type of paper around, other areas of business use are lagging. For example, despite the seeming ubiquity of the blue recycling bin in offices nationwide, office and writing papers remain the least-recycled.

So good news about paper and we hope these trends will continue in the upcoming years, with or without the support of carbon regulation (hopefully with, as it will make it much simpler..). More updates from the State of Green Business report in the upcoming days. In the meantime, you can download the free report from GreenBiz.com.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

RecycleBank's 10 Ways to Reduce Waste, Save Energy and Protect the Earth

Earth Day is just a week away and in honor of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, our friends at RecycleBank has put together 40 simple yet effective ways to reduce waste, save energy, trees, and other resources, and help fight pollution and curb climate change all Earth Month long.

Below are the first ten tips. Each week during Earth Month, RecycleBank will post ten new tips online.

1. You'll be more likely to recycle consistently if you set up a recycling area in your kitchen or utility room. Post a list nearby of the items that are accepted for recycling in your local community.

2.Reuse or recycle as many of your empty health and beauty product containers as you can. If you can’t reuse them at home, containers such as your empty vitamin or supplement bottles can be recycled with your home recycling. Other cosmetic and toiletry tubes, bottles, and jars (from any brand) can be taken back to retail stores including Origins and MAC.

3. Choose toilet paper made from 100% recycled fibers. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, if every household in the U.S. replaced one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper with 100% recycled ones, we'd save 423,900 trees.

4. When decorating your home, choose items made from reclaimed materials - for example, a recycled glass vase from RecycleBank rewards partner Uncommon Goods, a rug made from old cotton t-shirts, or a basket made from telephone wire. It saves resources and extends the useful life of the materials.

5. Find out how to recycle items that you can't place in your curbside bin like batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and plastic bags. When in doubt, call your local solid waste management agency or go to earth911.org.

6. Leave grass clippings on the lawn after you mow rather than bagging and throwing them away. This saves energy and landfill space and the grass will decompose and return nutrients to the soil.

7. Got an old fur coat or hat in the attic that you inherited and never wear? Donate it to the Humane Society of the United States' Coats for Cubs program so wildlife rehabilitators can reuse it as bedding for injured or orphaned wildlife.

8. After birthday and holiday celebrations, save gift bags and boxes, ribbons, and tissue paper to reuse.

9. Recycle plastic packing peanuts by saving them for the next time you send a package, taking them to any UPS Store location, or calling the Plastic Loose Fill Council's 24-hour Peanut hotline (800-828-2214) to find other drop-off sites near you.

10. Invest in a set of rechargeable batteries and a charger for powering your digital camera, portable music player, remote control, and other gadgets. You'll reduce waste, save resources like steel, and save money in the long run.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Mobile Phone Recycling in the UK

Today we have another guest column, this time from our friends at Recycle Mobile Phones who present their important work, facilitating mobile phone recycling.

If you are thinking about upgrading or buying a new phone, did you consider what you would do with your existing handset? In the UK, over ninety million mobile phones are hidden away in desk drawers and lie idle on desks. As a result, many new phone recycling programs have been launched to create awareness and to try to increase the number of mobile phones being recycled in the United Kingdom.

If you have just bought or upgraded your phone and want to help the environment, then the best way is to look at the many recycling companies, who will incentivise you by giving you money for your old handset. It doesn’t matter if the phone works or not, although you’ll be offered less money for it if it doesn’t work.

Note: The worst thing you can do, is to throw your old mobile phone in the bin. Mobile phones contain several toxins such as cadmium, lead, mercury and arsenic along with others, we do not need to contaminate our landfills or pollute the soil, air and water supplies by doing this.

Many times, these old mobile phones are in good working order so you just need to go onto a mobile phone recycling comparison site, which helps you to save time and earn money by searching for your make and model of phone. You will then see the prices that the recycling companies will offer and if you are happy with the price quoted, you can then complete the simple online form and then post your old phone to the recycling company, such as envirofone and then wait for your payment.

The recycled phones, which are in working condition, can simply be used by others , such as people who are less fortunate or indeed they can be sent to other countries to help developing worlds. The nonworking phones can be fixed or used to fix other phones, which can then be used for others. Reusing all the usable components and recycling the metals in the handset, lowers the need for new raw materials, as well as lowering the impact on mining for metals on the environment and wildlife.

For more information on recycling mobile phones and for our manufacturer list, please visit, http://www.recyclemobilephones.co.uk

RecycleBank's list of five things you should always recycle

This week we had celebrated America Recycles Day (on November 15), and our friends at RecycleBank has put together a list of “Five Things You Should Always Recycle” by Jen Uscher, we would like to share with you. We hope you'll find this important information useful.

RecycleBank is a recycling rewards program currently servicing 24 states and the United Kingdom.

Five Things You Should Always Recycle

Chances are you're already recycling the cans, bottles, and paper that get picked up at the curb, but what about all that other stuff that's lurking in your drawers or closets - like outdated gadgets and dead batteries - that you're not sure how to recycle? The following household items are especially important to donate or recycle because they contain materials that can contaminate the environment if they wind up in landfills or that can easily be reclaimed for use in new products. Here are some convenient ways to keep them out of the trash:

1. Electronics – All Office Depot, Staples, and Best Buy stores accept larger electronics like desktop computers for recycling for a small fee (usually $10) and smaller ones like cell phones and PDAs for free. Goodwill stores accept used computer equipment (some locations also accept televisions) for free.

And you can earn RecycleBank Points by recycling MP3 players/iPods, laptops, and cell phones through our partners at Collective Good, FlipSwap, and Gazelle.

Why: You'll keep toxic materials like lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and brominated flame retardants out of landfills. And useful materials will be recovered, saving energy and resources.

2. Rechargeable batteries – From cordless phones and power tools, digital cameras, and other gizmos - these can be recycled for free at 30,000 drop-off points nationwide, including retailers such as Home Depot, Lowe's, RadioShack, Sears, and Target. Enter your zip code at Call2Recycle to find one near you.

Unfortunately, it's more difficult to find places to recycle alkaline (or single-use) batteries. Try Earth911 to find drop off locations or order a box (for $34.50, including prepaid shipping) from Battery Solutions and send them up to 12 pounds of alkaline and/or rechargeable batteries for recycling.

Why: Like many electronics, batteries contain heavy metals and other chemicals best kept out of the waste stream. Plus, recyclers reclaim metals from them that are used to make, for example, new batteries and steel.

3. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs use 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs, but they contain a small amount of mercury and shouldn't be thrown in the trash. Take them to any Ikea or Home Depot store for recycling or go to Lamp Recycle to find other drop off locations near you.

Why: CFLs in landfills can break and release mercury, a neurotoxin, into the environment.

4. Plastic Bags – Even if you've switched to reusable bags for your shopping, you probably have a bunch of these stored in your home. Luckily, lots of retailers like Wal-Mart, Safeway, Albertsons, Wegmans, Krogers, and Giant now have bins where you can recycle plastic grocery bags (and newspaper, drycleaning, bread, and sealable food storage bags). To find a drop off location near you, go to Plastic Bag Recycling or Earth911.

Why: They're made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource, and when thrown away they take a very long time to decompose. Recyclers will turn them into new products like plastic lumber.

5. Anything you don't need that could be of great value to others – For instance, you can donate your used prescription glasses to the nonprofit OneSight at any LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sunglass Hut, Target Optical, or Sears Optical location (or go to One Sight for more locations near you). You can also donate unused, unexpired medications including antibiotics, pain relievers, and others by mailing them to the Health Equity Project. The glasses and medications will be distributed to people in need in developing countries.

Keep in mind that you should always recycle hazardous substances like paint, pesticides, propane gas tanks, and motor oil at your town's household hazardous waste collection events or permanent collection center. Go to Earth911or call 1-800-CLEANUP to find collection sites and events.

Thank you to our friends at RecycleBank for these great tips!

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

Green Options: 7 Environmental Lessons from Living in Europe

This post is brought to you as part of our content partnership with the Green Options. It was originally posted on Sustainablog by Zachary Shahan on July 21.


I have lived in Europe on two occasions now -- for five months in the Netherlands (two years ago) and for ten months in Poland (currently). I have been green-minded since I was a young child, and knew that Europe did better on many green issues. Nonetheless, to come here and live here has given me more insight on the perspectives of the people and more of a practical understanding of why Europe fairs so much better than the US on many environmental issues.

Recently, I came up with a list of seven things that really stand out to me as good environmental practices in Europe that could be transferred to the US. These could all be adopted in the US, but some are more personal in nature and some are more systemic. Furthermore, some of the personal ones regard large, life decisions, and some are much simpler in nature and easier to implement into your life now.

Of course, Europe is not one country and things vary from country to country. Nonetheless, there are also several similarities across borders. I have friends in other countries and have traveled a bit as well, so I hope to be sharing the best of the best.

Here's the list!

Be a patriot and recycle - a special guest column for the 4th of July

Today Eco-Libris blog is happy to bring you a a special guest column of our friends at RecycleBank for the upcoming holiday. It presents you with an easy and important way to show your love for your country and not only on the 4th of July, but actually every day!

Recycling…as American as Apple Pie

What is patriotic? Fighting for one’s country is patriotic, flag-waving is patriotic, singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” is patriotic. Now, let’s think outside the bin (sorry, recycling humor) to something you do everyday. That’s right. Every time you reduce, reuse and recycle you’re celebrating your love for your country.

During World War II citizens were urged to recycle (or “salvage”) metal, rubber, paper and even kitchen fat to help in the war effort. Today’s soldiers don’t need recycled steel for guns, salvaged kitchen fat for explosives or scrap paper for packaging, but recycling is still patriotic.

By recycling, we show our love for our country by protecting our nation’s resources, reducing our dependence on the resources of other countries and boosting our economy.

Here’s how:

-Recycling plastic reduces the need for virgin plastic. Of course, virgin plastic isn’t a natural resource, but the petroleum used to make it is. In fact, approximately 4% of our annual oil consumption is used to make plastics. By recycling more plastic we reduce the need for the production of virgin plastic and that reduces our dependence on foreign oil.

-Manufacturing products using recycled materials instead of virgin materials requires a lot less energy. Making an aluminum can from recycled aluminum requires 95% less energy than making an aluminum can from virgin aluminum. In 2003, we reduced our oil usage by more than 15 million barrels by recycling 54 billion aluminum cans.

-Of course, oil isn’t our only source of energy. Recycling materials also reduces our need for coal—and that protects those purple mountains majesty.

-Using less energy also saves money. Saving money improves the national economy, but the recycling industry has given the national economy a real boost by creating over a million jobs. In fact, a recent report by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that jobs in conservation and pollution mitigation (including the recycling industry) make up 65% of the United States’ clean energy economy.

-Recycling reduces the amount of solid waste we need to dump in landfills, which in turn, reduces the need for landfills. By protecting our land from being “filled” with garbage, we’re helping to keep America beautiful.

-Recycling paper protects our forests by reducing the need for trees to produce paper. Recycling cars and other objects made of steel and iron reduces the amount of iron ore we must mine and recycling aluminum reduces the amount of aluminum we have to pull out of the ground.

There you have it. You love your country. You just have a different way of showing it. Now, gather your friends and family and enjoy your 4^th of July barbecue. Don’t forget to grab your recycled (and recyclable) plates (http://www.preserveproducts.com/products/tableware.html) and your recycled American flag (http://online-clothing-catalog.com/archives/238).

Creative recycling: THEY are making a book from waste paper in the Netherlands

How you can make products out of waste? how you can recycle creatively? we usually look for innovative companies like TerraCycle to learn how to do it, but today we go all way to the Netherlands to see how you do it with books!

We're talking about a book designed by THEY, a communications agency of the Netherlands, for one of their customers - Lingotto, a project developer in Amsterdam that, amongst other projects, redefines old buildings and gives them a new purpose.

The inside of the book is entirely printed on paper that’s been used for test prints. They explain that on average with every printing run 1 to 2 percent of the paper gets used for testing. So printing 100.000 sheets leaves 2000 sheets of waste paper.

THEY collected different types of test paper and printed 500 books on the backside of the test pages. THEY used Japanese stab binding, by which you leave the old, ‘wrong’ side on the inside and the ‘right’ side, the side you want to read, on the outside.

The cover of the book is made of misprinted packaging for juice and milk. By using different packages and printing in small numbers, the covers are all unique.

For the principle of redefining things like THEY do in this book, THEY invented a new word, made out of existing words, calling it: Restructive.

I haven't seen the book but from the pictures it looks fabulous, and the idea is definitely great. I know it's not a solution for every book printed on paper, especially as my guestimation is that the cost involved is relatively higher than the cost you have for regular printing, BUT this is definitely an example of the creativity and way of thinking we need to see in order to make printing greener and reading more sustainable.

You can read more on THEY at their website - www.theyhaveawebsite.com

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing

Good news: Americans are using less paper and recovering more!

"Each year, we are using less paper - and recovering more of what we use." This is definitely good news and it comes from a new report, 'State of the Green Business 2009' published by Greener World Media, Inc. (www.greenbiz.com).

The data reported on this excellent and detailed report shows that paper intensity, which means the amount of paper used (in thousands of tons) per billion dollars of gross domestic product, has decreased from 8.9 in 2006 to 8.4 in 2007. This is the largest decrease since 2001, when the paper intensity decreased by 0.7.

When you look ten years back, you see a greater change. In 1997, 11,400 tons of paper were used for every 1 billion GDP generated. In 2007, this figure dropped in 27% to 8,400.

Meanwhile, the report shows, the recycling rates for paper have grown from 44 to 56 percent. The data does not include 2008 figures, so we can't really learn on the impacts of the fall in the price of recycled paper, which is one of the consequences of the current economic downturn.

Since reduction in paper consumption equals budget savings, I hope that at least one good result out of this economic environment will be that more businesses and individuals will look for ways to save in paper and we'll see even a greater drop in the indicator of paper intensity on the next report next year.

The report can be downloaded for free at www.stateofgreenbusiness.com (the paper intensity info is on page 54).

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

Who needs paper phone books anymore?

I read Ideal Bite's tips for many years and I always find there interesting green information, ideas and recommendations. Yesterday's tip was about an issue that relates almost to anyone - phone books.

Is there really a need for a paper phonebook on the digital age when we get so much info in one click? personally I think we don't need paper phone books anymore. Certainly we don't need to receive a new one every year. Do you know anyone who still use phone books?

The benefits of phone books are marginal if any. If you're looking for a phone number, you can find it very easily on websites such as AnyWho, PhoneNumber.com and White Pages, or even the Google SMS service from your mobile phone.

And what about the costs?

Publish Post

Well, the costs are significant. According to Ideal Bite about 540 million unsolicited phone books arrive at American doors annually. What does it mean in terms of trees? according to Ted.me the average weight of the a phone directory is 3.62 pounds, so if we use the equation of 1 metric ton of paper = 20 trees (which we use here for the book industry), we get this number: 17,740,000 trees. Yes, almost 18 million trees are cut down every year to produce these chubby unnecessary phone books.

Even more frustrating is the fact that so many of them end in landfills instead of the recycling bins. According to Ideal Bite, phone books make for about 660,000 tons of trash every year!

So what can you about it? how can we stop receiving phone books we don't need and don't use? Ideal Bite's tip is to use YellowPagesGoesGreen.org - it's a movement against unsolicited phone book delivery (both Yellow and White Pages books), where you can sign up to remove your home or office from receiving the telephone directories.

You're also welcome to visit YellowPagesGoesGreen.org to get more information about this phenomenon and find out why you keep getting these books every year (hint: someone is making money out of it..) and how many of them are recycled (less than 10%!). So check it out and spread the word about this option to stop receiving phone books year after year.

The bottom line is that it's all about the money - Ted.me reports that the directory industry worth to the telephone companies in the United States $13.58 billion! The power of the industry and the money it makes is based mainly on its wide circulation - if many people will ask not to receive these phone books anymore, phonebooks won't be that attractive and eventually advertisers will look for other routes to put their money into (maybe the websites that provide the same service without cutting any trees..).

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

What happens to my recycled paper?

What happens to the paper we recycle after we put it in the recycle bin and it's been collected? and what happens to plastic, metal, glass and other materials we recycle? If you're curious as I am to find out what happens to them, RecycleBank provides you with the answers. And not just regular answers, but animated ones!

RecycleBank is a rewards program that motivates people to recycle by quickly and easily measuring the amount of material each home recycles and then converting that activity into RecycleBank. Points that can be used at hundreds of local and national rewards partners. It is one of our favorite green companies and a great example how innovation and environment can go hand in hand to generate value (see links below). Hence I was very happy to hear from them about this new video, as follows:

Just in time for “America Recycles Day” (which was yesterday btw), RecycleBank launched The Cycle, an interactive animation to help answer the question: “What happens to my recyclables after I put them out and they are collected?”

The video takes viewers through each step in the cycle: from recycling collection to processing to manufacturing new products from recycled material. Here is the link to the website: www.explorethecycle.com

And here's the part of the video explaining about the process the paper goes through:

More links related to RecycleBank:

'My Green Bookshelf' with Ron Gonen, RecycleBank's co-founder and CEO

RecycleBank video in Davos

Recycling Rocks in Philly!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

Greenbottle - the green future of milk bottles is already here and its made of recycled paper

I really love milk, so I was very happy to hear about this new great idea that is coming from the UK: a milk bottle that is made mainly of recycled paper and can be recycled again. In one word: Greenbottle.

Greenbottle (http://www.greenbottle.com) has developed a much greener solution which can replace plastic milk bottles. The outer shell is made from recycled paper which can then be further recycled, or if left it will just decompose within a matter of weeks. The inner liner, which takes up less than 0.5% of the space of a plastic bottle if dumped in a landfill, prevents liquid from contaminating the paper outer.

The GreenBottle, according to their website, consumes about a third of the energy required to make a plastic bottle and has a carbon footprint that is 48% lower than plastic.

The Telegraph reported last month that Asda, the big supermarkets chain, is stocking its Lowestoft store in Suffolk with the Greenbottle after a successful trial in a move that could herald the demise of the plastic bottle. According to the article the supermarket chain hopes to agree a roll-out of the packaging to stores across the east of England, with the potential to take it nationwide further down the line. Sounds like great news to all the UK green milk lovers!

Just to give you an idea what this bottle can save - according to the article, Britons drink around 180 million pints of milk every week, of which around two-thirds is bought in plastic bottles.
More than 100,000 tons end up in landfill each year - equal to 260 jumbo jets. They take 500 years to decompose.

One last fact that made me fall in love with Greenbottle - Its inventor, Martin Myerscough, came up with the idea in the pub. You can never be wrong with such ideas :-) of course, later on he worked on it for 18 months before Asda started a 'concept' trial last year.

Kudos to Martin and Greenbottle. This is the kind of innovation we need to move the green revolution forward. I hope to see these bottles very soon on the shelves of the supermarkets here in the U.S. (and actually everywhere) as well.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!

Green Options - Catalog Waste Part 2: Making the Catalogs You Receive More Sustainable

As part of Eco-Libris' ongoing content partnership with Green Options Media, we feature a post that was originally published by Robin Shreeves on September 1 on Sustainablog. Today's post is about catalogs and this time how to handle those you actually want.

Last week, I wrote about the paper waste associated with catalogs in Catalog Waste Part 1: NOW is the Time to Cancel Unwanted Catalogs and Stop Paper Waste. If you're receiving catalogs that you don't want, cancel them and seriously curb your paper consumption in one easy step.

But, what if you don't want to cancel all of the catalogs you receive? Sometimes, there are catalogs that you actually do use and want to continue receiving. Do you have to be content with receiving many, many copies of the catalog when one a year or one a season would suffice? Do you have to be content with the catalog companies using 100% virgin paper?

No, you don't. Here are some things you can do:

• Call the companies of the catalogs that you do wish to receive and tell them that you would only like to receive a certain number of mailings a year. Not all companies are set up to do this yet, but more and more companies are offering this option. If a company comes out with an "early fall catalog" and a "fall catalog" and a "late fall catalog" (this is common with clothing companies), most likely the items inside the catalog are the same, but the picture on the cover is different and the pages have been rearranged. You can request that you be sent one catalog a season. Or, if you just want a catalog to shop from for the holidays, request only one mailing a year at the beginning of holiday season.

Do The Green Thing on June - recycle so it will be reborn!

Every month we update you on the monthly green recommendation of our friends at 'Do The Green Thing'. This month they offer you to do the recycled/reborn thing.

What does it mean? The Green Thing team ask you to recycle everything you possibly can for one day this month and they explain:

"When you chuck something away, you’re effectively slamming the door in its face, calling its mother something unpleasant and saying you never want to see it again. But the thing is, you will see it again - and rather than being something useful like before, this time it’ll be something noxious. Maybe it’ll have turned into a greenhouse gas after decomposing in a landfill site – or perhaps it’ll come back as acid rain after being incinerated.

Either way, you’ve killed it before its time and it will haunt you like some kind of vengeful, pollution-spewing poltergeist. Which is why this month’s Green Thing is to recycle everything you possibly can for one day. Make sure your rubbish ends up Reborn as something new and beautiful instead of trashing our environment."

Here's someone who is doing it quite often - Jesse Hackett aka Elmore Judd goes to a recycling centre, picks up some random bits of metal and wood, uses them to make some amazing instruments and then uses them to make some amazing music. Filmed by the talented, willing and helpful people at Firecracker Films (www.myspace.com/elmorejudd, http://www.firecrackerfilms.com/)


Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!