Posts Tagged ‘organic’
There is now a growing consensus among scientists that the state of our planet is in a steady decline. Climate change, pollution, climate change, and depleting natural resources are having a serious negative impact on all species, including humans. The first complete evaluation of the world’s major ecosystems, The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, has revealed a number of distressing findings.
A few of these findings as reported by The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment include:
About 60 percent of the planet’s “ecosystem services” — uses of the natural environment that benefit people, such as freshwater for irrigation or ocean fishing, are being degraded or used unsustainably.
Since 1750, atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased about 32 percent primarily because of the burning of fossil fuels and land use changes. About 60 percent of that increase has taken place since 1959.
Between 10 percent and 30 percent of all mammal, bird, and amphibian species are threatened with extinction.
More land has been converted to cropland since 1945 than was cultivated in the 18th and 19th centuries combined. About 30 percent of the Earth’s land area is devoted to some kind of agriculture.
The report also states that the “changes stem from attempts to meet growing global demand for food and other natural resources.” We are now realizing that we have to change how we live in order to protect and conserve our environment. One way of reducing our impact on the planet is to use eco-friendly materials. Eco-friendly means engaging in activities that are beneficial for the environment.
Using eco-friendly materials helps the environment in many specific ways that include:
The use of fossil fuels is a major contributor to global warming. As well, the toxins emitted from manufacture processing plants contaminate the air, soil, and water. Harnessing the power of the wind and sun, and practicing energy conservation techniques such as energy efficient light bulbs, will help lessen the amount of carbon emissions being released into the atmosphere.
Eco friendly homes and buildings protect natural resources such as forests. Furniture and other products made from trees from sustainable forests help reduce forest depletion. Green buildings also reduce the amount of toxins and biological contaminants being released into the air and water.
Non toxic and chemical free products made from all natural ingredients are designed to improve the health of the environment and people while reducing the negative impact on environment. Using eco-friendly products such as toiletry products, body and face products, natural cleaners, paints, bath products, and other household products decreases the amount of chemicals that the environment, animals, and people are exposed to. This reduces the risk of many health illnesses such as asthma, headaches, skin conditions, cancers, and many other conditions.
Buying products made from recycled materials helps reduce the amount of waste going into landfills, thereby decreasing the amount of land that is cleared to build new landfills. As well, there is less carbon emissions being released into the air because less products are being manufactured.
The growing trend of embracing eco-friendly lifestyles is changing how we live and how items are being manufactured. Using environmentally friendly materials improves the health of the environment, humans, plants, and animals. Adopting a lifestyle where we purchase eco-friendly products and materials is something we can all do to ensure a healthy future for everyone.
Moving is a time consuming and stressful activity. For many people, moving furniture can be one of the most difficult tasks of the moving process. Most people have a difficult time figuring out how to pack furniture because they have to protect it from moisture, dirt, and damage. Fortunately, there is an easy and economical way to prepare your furniture for moving day.
Moving furniture requires careful care because many furniture pieces are too large to fit in a box. Covering your furniture with plastic bags is a great way to protect your furniture while saving you money. The following list outlines a number of helpful tips that you can use when packing your furniture using plastic bags:
The first thing you should do is take an inventory of the furniture you have and how much time it will take to disassemble pieces. Make sure you have plastic bags along with tape, labels, and a permanent marker.
Because it will be time consuming, prepare the furniture pieces that require disassemble first.
1) For each furniture piece, begin disassembling the removal parts. Put items such as table legs in a plastic bag. On a label write what piece of furniture the items belong to and what tools are needed to reassemble the furniture. Put the label in the plastic bag.
2) Put any nuts, screws, and bolts into a smaller plastic beg. On a label, write what piece of furniture the items belong to and put the label in the bag. Put the smaller bag into the bigger plastic bag holding the table legs.
3) Tape the furniture bags to the underside of pieces. Make sure you don’t secure them to areas that could be damaged when the tape is removed. Do this for each piece of furniture.
4) Remove cushions and pillows and place them in clear, plastic bags. Seal the bags and make sure there are no holes. You do not want any moisture or dirt getting in the bag.
5) Slide the piece of furniture inside the large heavy duty plastic bag so that the furniture is completely covered.
Chairs, Sofas, and Mattresses: These items can be wrapped with recycled plastic or recycled bubble wrap packing. Wrap casters and wheels with plastic bags and tape them so they cannot move. Wrap arms and legs to prevent scratches.
Cupboards and Tables: These items should be wrapped in plastic and covered with plastic bags. For all pieces of furniture, make sure corners are properly wrapped and taped to prevent damage. Bubble wrap is a good choice. Any furniture susceptible to scratches should have protective padding such as plastic bubble wrap.
Mirrors and Hanging Fixtures: These items should be wrapped in plastic bubble wrap and placed inside large plastic bags. The bag should be sealed. Mark fragile on the outside to prevent mishandling
Bureaus, Desks and Dressers: You can fill each drawer with properly wrapped breakables that have plenty of padding. Secure the drawers with tape. Wrap each piece with recycled plastic bubble wrap and cover with a plastic bag. Make sure the bag is tied off.
When using plastic bags for covering furniture and plastic padding for protection, you will drastically reduce the chance of furniture damage. Plastic bags come in many sizes and are available from plastic bag retailers. If you are unable to acquire the bags in your area, there are many online retailers. Moving companies and storage companies may be able to assist you with obtaining plastic bags.
Moving furniture does not have to be a dreaded task. With the right planning and the right covering such as plastic bags, your moving experience will be smoother and easier.
We live in a time in which we really need to be concentrating on taking care of our environment. This is because the world is becoming more populated and the junk that we create and throw away is piling up. When it piles up, it compromises the soils that grow our food and animal habitats. In other words, the junk that we throw out into our world is changing the face of the earth in a bad way. Of the items that cause great harm to the environment are packing materials.
One of the main packing materials that are used in shipping boxes all around the world is Styrofoam. That Styrofoam is not good for the environment. It doesnt degrade. It is true that there have been biodegradable packing peanuts created, but one very affordable packing material is biodegradable bubble wrap.
About biodegradable bubble wrap
Biodegradable bubble wrap is different from regular bubble wrap in that there are degradable plastic additives that are blended into the plastic. This means that there are no toxic residues that are left behind after the bubble wrap oxidizes and after it degrades. In other words, it is completely safe for the environment.
And just like any kind of bubble wrap, you can buy rolls of it in various quantities and lengths. You can also buy your desired thickness. Since some items you ship are more sensitive than others, you definitely want to make sure that your items are protected with the right thickness.
So just because your bubble wrap is biodegradable doesnt mean that you have to give up any of the protection you need for your items. Some individuals feel that anything that is environmentally friendly is not constructed as well as it should be. They think that they are spending money on something that has been severely compromised, but that is not the case. Dont let this misconception keep you from purchasing biodegradable bubble wrap or any other biodegradable packing materials.
Where to acquire biodegradable bubble wrap
There are online stores that offer you biodegradable bubble wrap and other biodegradable packing supplies. You should also be able to go to your shipping supplies store and ask them for biodegradable packing supplies. More and more stores are offering these supplies to individuals who are environmentally conscious. Hopefully, biodegradable bubble wrap and other packing materials will be the standard in the shipping industry.
The benefits
Youve been able to see some of the benefits so far, but here are some more for you:
You do not have to pay a large price for biodegradable bubble wrap. The items that you are shipping will be protected just as well as they would be if you were using the kind of bubble wrap that is not good for the environment. You can buy different quantities, based on your needs. Biodegradable bubble wrap is easy to find and it is getting easier. All you have to do is look on the Internet or ask your local shipping supplies store. You may also be able to ask your local shipping supplies store if they can order it for you if they dont have it. Actually, they may begin to carry it if they get enough requests. The ultimate goal is achieved with biodegradable bubble wrap, which is protecting the environment. You are doing a great thing for yourself, your children, and their children.
In the end, youll feel very good about what you are doing for the environment. Youll also find that the items you are shipping will be quite protected and that the myths about biodegradable shipping products cant be believed.
You have moved into your dream home, or your next stop on the property ladder, unpacked all of your boxes, and put everything in its place. Your house looks great, with one big exception ” that huge pile of broken down cardboard boxes in the corner of the basement. What do you do with this unsightly fire hazard? Before you drag all of the boxes to the curb to be sent to the landfills, consider your options for recycling them
Donate Your Boxes Believe it or not, you can donate your boxes to the companies that sell new and used moving boxes. Many companies take a portion of the proceeds from the sale of boxes they receive as a donation and pass it on to needy members of the local community. So by donating your boxes you are helping in two ways. You are keeping extra cardboard out of the environment and the landfills, where it will gradually rot while taking up tons of space, and you are also helping needy people within your local community.
When you donate your boxes, call the company first to see how they want you to package them. You may need to make sure all of the boxes are clean, and you may need to break them down. This makes them easier to store for the company that will be reselling them. However, before you start breaking them down, call, because you will be wasting your time if this is not required. Some companies even provide pick-up services for people with a lot of boxes to get rid of.
Offer Them to Someone Else Do you know someone who is moving too? They might want your boxes, and they might be willing to come and get them from you. If not, put an ad in your paper or in one of the many free online classifieds for your local area letting people know that you have boxes available. If you are donating them to a stranger, make sure you arrange for a safe pick up scenario. You do not necessarily want a stranger to enter your home to pick up boxes, but you could meet in a public location or drag your boxes outside for him to take.
If All Else Fails, Recycle If you cannot find a place to donate your boxes to, look into your options for recycling them. Check with your local recycling center to find out what the procedure is for recycling cardboard boxes. You will probably need to break them down and stack them. Do not just drag the boxes to the curb, as you will not be assured that it is the recycling truck that picks them up versus the regular garbage truck. Make sure that you make all of the necessary arrangements for a proper pick up.
If curbside pick up is not available, find out where you can take them to be recycled. This is a hassle, but when you stop and think about the fact that most of the paper waste in today’s landfills is cardboard, you will understand the importance of recycling those boxes.
Remember, if you are using quality moving boxes, they are probably in good shape after your move. Someone else can, and should, benefit from your unneeded boxes. You can save someone a lot of money by donating them to a moving box company or a friend in need, and you will be doing your part to keep our landfills clear. As an added bonus, you will have a spot in your basement to use for your actual treasures, rather than those unwanted, unattractive cardboard boxes.
When you move, you are going to have a huge impact on the environment. Any time someone moves, they inevitably do away with loads of belongings that they no longer need. You have probably seen the curb of your neighbor’s house when he moved piled high with junk and items that were once valuable to him.
Of course, when you move in to your new home, you are also going to face a situation where you are going to impact the environment. Once you are done unpacking, what are you going to do with all of those cardboard boxes? One way to help reduce your impact on the environment when you move is to look into your options for recycled boxes.
Environmental Impact of Moving Boxes
You may not think that the moving boxes you use when you move will make that big of an impact on the environment, but they do. Think about the fact that one ton of cardboard takes up nine cubic yards of landfill space. While you do not have one ton of cardboard after your move, you do have quite a bit, and what you recycle is kept out of the landfills. Also, corrugated cardboard boxes are the most prevalent type of paper waste, so recycling your boxes and using recycled boxes makes a huge difference in the environment.
Creative Ways to Get Recycled Moving Boxes
If you want to use recycled moving boxes, you have several options to consider. The tried and true way to gather moving boxes for your move, without buying them, is to contact your local grocery and other local merchants and ask them if you can have their boxes. You may or may not be able to have them, but it never hurts to ask.
Keep in mind that these boxes are not always ideal. Sometimes they are damaged, as grocery store workers are not careful when they open them since they do not need to keep them. Sometimes the cardboard has been damaged by the knife when the boxes were opened, so they will not hold up well for another use. There is also the risk of pests when you get boxes from a retail store, especially when they originally held food. Some boxes may have been spilled on as well, so you may end up throwing away many of the boxes that you receive. This, of course, eliminates some of the benefit of recycling.
Another option is to purchase recycled moving boxes. These boxes are typically more affordable than regular ones, and they are made as durable as brand new moving boxes. You can order them online or from a local box recycling company. Either way, you will get what looks like new boxes but will be benefiting from the fact that you are using recycled materials to house your belongings during your move.
If you do decide to use recycled moving boxes, be sure to check the dimensions of the boxes before you order. What one person labels a “wardrobe” box to another is not large enough. Rather than relying on the labels the box recycling company places on the boxes, take out a tape measure so you can visualize what the actual measurements will be. Make sure you have boxes that will hold your valuables.
Using recycled cardboard boxes when you move is easy and does not have to cost much. You simply need to know where to look to find great boxes that are going to be thrown out or are made from recycled materials, make your order or request, and start packing. You will rest easier knowing that your move is going to make less of a negative impact on the world around you.

