Category: going green

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A Czech Drugstore Has a Shampoo Refill Station to Help Cut Down on Plastic Waste

What a great idea!

This is something that definitely needs to happen in other countries besides the Czech Republic.

A Reddit user shared a photo with a caption that said, “Some drugstores in the Czech Republic introduced shampoo and shower gel filling machines. Customers can refill their empty bottles with various products so they don’t have to buy a new one every time.”

Some drugstores in the Czech Republic introduced shampoo and shower gel filling machines. Customers can refill their empty bottles with various products so they don’t have to buy a new one everytime from interestingasfuck

The photo looks like a regular, everyday drug store, but that filling station for shampoo and shower gel must cut down on plastic waste in a big way. Think about how often you buy a new bottle of shampoo or some kind of soap for your shower…and then think about everyone else who uses your local CVS.

Those numbers add up.

These kinds of measures not only cut down on plastic waste, but also reduces landfilled trash in general, which cuts down on methane release. And, on top of that, it helps reduce the demand for new plastic to be produced (which takes more fossil fuels). It’s all a cycle, you see?

At the landfill

Shopping in bulk is a classic way to cut down on plastic waste, and if you’re looking to do your part, it’s a good route to go – because I don’t know how common these kinds of soap refilling stations are in the U.S. There are a lot of good resources online for buying in bulk and to help you cut down on waste, including the blog Litterless and the website Zero Waste Home.

RECYCLE

This is a seriously great idea, and I hope it turns into a worldwide trend. We all need to do our part to help out the environment – climate change isn’t going to solve itself, and even though reducing trash doesn’t seem like it makes a difference, when enough people do it, it really does.

So let’s get moving in the right direction. Every little bit helps.

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10 Simple Ways You Can Help out the Environment

There are always little things you can do to help out the environment. Even if they seem inconsequential to you, taking small steps adds up – especially when countless other people are out there doing the same thing.

So try to implement these habits into your daily lives, and we’ll all be better for it in the long run.

Cause we’ve got a crisis on our hands, and every little bit helps.

1. Turn down the brightness on your monitor.

Desk Upgrade

You can save up to 20% of your monitor’s energy just by adjusting your brightness from 100% to 70%. Go on and do it now…I’ll wait.

2. Think about your music streaming.

Headphones

A study says that today’s music streaming might produce up to double the greenhouse gas emissions as compared to music streaming in the early part of this century. Consider downloading music instead of streaming and do a little research about which streaming companies use cleaner energy.

3. Streaming devices are important, too.

RCS_7989 - IPad - Game Changer

A gaming console might use 30 to 45 times as much power to stream a movie than a regular media player.

4. Order more.

Package

If you buy things online, order more than one item at a time. This cuts down on delivery and packaging in the long run.

5. Search engines matter.

Search engine optimization

Different search engines give back to the environment in different ways. For instance, Ecosia donates ad revenue to plant trees and, according to their website, they run net carbon negative. Do some research and see which ones are doing green work.

6. Unplug it.

Apple...Unplugged

When you’re not using your charger, unplug it. Simple as that. Phone and laptop chargers draw electricity even if you’re not actively charging a device, so give those breakers…a break.

7. Or use a surge protector.

Surge protector

Surge protectors with an On/Off switch are a good option too for those hard-to-reach plugs.

8. Get on that bike.

Kamilah on a Bike

Biking may actually be faster than driving a car in some American cities, so hop on that bicycle of yours to get to where you’re headed.

9. Spam is bad.

email-spam

Roughly 62 TRILLION spam emails are sent each year. Something you may not think about often: sending email actually has a carbon footprint from servers working. Which means those spam emails equal about 20 tons of CO2 each year. So go ahead and hit the “Unsubscribe” button, please.

10. Buy used and vintage clothes.

Thrift Store

According to The Economist, “From the pesticides poured on cotton fields to the washes in which denim is dunked, making 1kg of fabric generates 23kg of greenhouse gases on average.” Seems like kind of a waste, doesn’t it? So consider heading to the thrift store instead of grabbing a new flannel.

 

Give us some of your tips as well in the comments!

We’re in this together, so let’s all do our part, okay?

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Bars in Italy Are Using Pasta Straws to Get Rid of Plastic Waste

Lately, companies have caused a stir (see what I did there?) by getting rid of plastic straws or only distributing them when customers specifically ask for them.

In Italy, bars and restaurants are now using pasta straws for drinks to cut down on plastic waste. What could be more Italian than drinking out of a pasta straw?!?!

Here in Italy bars are starting to use pasta as straws to reduce plastic use. Our technology amazes the world another time. from europe

The European Union voted to ban single-use plastic items by 2021, and it looks like the Italians are getting a head start.

Interestingly, there’s already a company in the UK called Stroodles that sells pasta straws. Maxim Gelmann, the founder of the company said, “Stroodles is not just a straw company and there is a much bigger picture, as I feel I can leave a long-term impact by creating a ripple effect by triggering many small changes all across the world, especially among people that are less conscious of sustainability and their respective actions and behaviors.”

??? Stroodles team at the Improving Air Quality in Mayfair event by @newwestendcompany

Posted by Stroodles- Pasta Straws on Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Gelmann added,

“The approach is to do this in a fun and non-preachy, non-finger-pointing manner. I rather aim for people to engage with a Stroodle and then themselves start asking themselves the right questions, like ‘Why is there a pasta straw in my drink?’ Thus, little realizations like that and them coming to their own conclusions, rather than being sold/preached. [It’s] much more powerful in creating behavioral and mindsets change. And … maybe next time one is offered a plastic bag, they will behave differently.”

I haven’t seen these in the U.S. yet, but maybe they’ll be coming soon?

The next step? Let’s work on getting pasta cups!

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LEGO Is Running Completely on Renewable Energy…Three Years Ahead of Schedule

We hear a lot of hot air from big corporations and companies about how they plan on doing wonderful things for the environment, but a lot of it just seems to go nowhere. That’s why what LEGO has accomplished is pretty incredible.

The folks at LEGO originally set a goal of 2022 for their production facilities to run completely on renewable energy, but here we are 2019 and the company has already reached its goal, three years early.

The company was able to reach their goal because of the completion of an offshore wind farm that sits in the Irish Sea. The company actually built a giant wind turbine out of 146,00 LEGO pieces to celebrate the great achievement.

Bali Padda, CEO of LEGO Group, said, “We work to leave a positive impact on the planet and I am truly excited about the inauguration of the Burbo Bank Extension wind farm. We will also continue to work to inspire children around the world by engaging them in environmental and social issues.”

LEGO also has a fully-functional wind turbine set with plant-based bricks for kids (and adults) to play with and learn from.

The bottom line is that renewable energy is not only good for the environment but it’s also good for business. We can only hope that other huge companies will take note and follow LEGO’s lead. LEGO has 42 offices around the world and brings in over $2 billion in sales annually in the U.S. alone.

I’d say that’s a pretty good model to follow, wouldn’t you?

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Ireland Plans on Planting 440 Million Trees to Help Fight Climate Change

Climate change is altering the world. Some of these changes we can anticipate, but others we are learning about in real time. And even though everyone who’s examined the evidence knows that climate change is occurring and that it is bad, some nations are sitting idly by and acting like their hands are tied.

Others are fighting for the future.

That is exactly what the country of Ireland is trying to do. Over the next 22 years, Ireland has committed to planting 22 million trees each year, totaling to 440 million trees by the year 2040.

Many believe that “revegetating” the natural environment can help to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The tree-planting initiative is part of the Irish government’s overall plan to combat climate change, which involves getting to carbon neutral by 2050.

The plan calls for farmers to plant trees, and they will be incentivized for doing so. It’s a bit tricky: some argue that farmers should not be required to plant trees on their own land because it will take away property from their economic crops and cattle. Others have suggested that farmers let land revegetate on its own, so forests can develop naturally.

While there would be greater species diversity if a forest naturally revegetated, it would also take longer for trees to mature that way.

It’s estimated that there are about 3 trillion trees on Earth and that roughly 15 billion are cut down every year by humans.

The action plan from the Irish government says:

“Taking decisive action to confront climate disruption will be a major challenge to every dimension of our society, but the benefits are huge – warmer homes, cleaner air, a sustainable use of the world’s scarce resources, more connected communities, authentic values, and quality jobs in enterprises which can compete in a decarbonised world. This is everyone’s journey. From Government to businesses, communities to householders, climate action is collective action. The Climate Action Plan sets out the Government agenda; see what you can do to play your part.”

If Ireland can do it, it seems like the United States could manage the same, don’t you think?

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15 Times People Did Their Part to Help out the Environment

These gestures might be small, but small things add up in the end. And we all need to do our part to help out the environment cause it is not doing great, folks.

Whether it’s recycling, using less water, cutting down on electricity, or any number of things, DO YOUR PART.

These people sure did, and the ideas are wonderful.

Take a look.

1. A great idea.

The Cafe at my closest beach gives free drinks to people who collect a bucket of litter from the beach from mildlyinteresting

2. That is very impressive.

Turns out my pencil is made of recycled newspaper! from mildlyinteresting

3. Good beer, too!

Carlsberg using glue to make six packs instead of plastic. from mildlyinteresting

4. Plant it when you’re done with it.

Got an event bracelet that can be planted from mildlyinteresting

5. Get rid of those pesky cups.

An ice cream cup made of banana leaves from mildlyinteresting

6. Bake some bread!

My grocery store started selling overripe bananas for cheap with a recipe for banana bread on the bag from mildlyinteresting

7. Keep it going.

You can charge this battery with a micro USB from mildlyinteresting

8. Eliminates so many bottles.

Refill Station at Simon Fraser University, Canada. from ZeroWaste

9. Not plastic, but plant starch.

This cup is made from plant starch, not plastic from mildlyinteresting

10. Plant your pencil.

My pencil has seeds on the tip, so when it’s too small to use it you can plant it and a tree will grow out of it from mildlyinteresting

11. Reducing more waste is crucial.

This super market had tiny paper bags instead of plastic containers to reduce waste from mildlyinteresting

12. Much better than discarding it.

Every day after closing, this local bakery leaves out a bag of their unsold pastries that people can take from freely instead of throwing them away and make unnecessary waste from mildlyinteresting

13. These look great!

The bowling alley in my neighbourhood tore up old lanes and used them to renovate the washrooms. from pics

14. Get rid of those butts.

I bought a pack of cigarettes and they came with a postage paid recycling pouch. from mildlyinteresting

15. This is awesome!

I don’t know about you, but I find all of those examples very inspiring.

What are you doing to help out the environment? Share your ideas in the comments!

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Kitkat Will Start Using Paper Packaging That You Can Turn into Origami

We produce WAY too much waste and garbage, and that’s why this is some very welcome news.

Lately, we’ve been seeing a wave of huge companies try to ditch plastic in one way or another, and now KitKat is getting in on the action as well. Nestlé owns the iconic candy brand, and it recently started distributing KitKat Mini bars in Japan packaged in paper instead of plastic.

The best part? The new paper packaging comes with instructions on how to make an origami crane, which is a traditional Japanese symbol of thoughts and wishes.

Nestlé announced in January that it wants to have all of its products packaged in fully recyclable material by 2025. To give you an idea of how massive Nestlé’s empire is, the company’s beverage products alone made more than $20 billion last year. That’s a lot of drinks, no?

Japan is the biggest market in the world for KitKats (4 million are sold each day) and the company expects to cut down on about 380 tons of plastic each year with this groundbreaking decision.

Nestlé in Japan plans to debut paper packaging for the regular-sized KitKat multi-packs in September 2020, and for regular-sized individual KitKats in 2021. If that’s not progress, then I don’t know what is, friends.

Nice work, Nestlé. Let’s hope a whole lot of other huge corporations follow your lead sooner than later. Now all we need to do is think of some good instructions we could put in products for Americans…

Any ideas? Share them in the comments below!

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A Grocery Store Gives Customers Embarrassing Plastic Bags to Encourage Them to Bring Their Own

A trend has developed in recent years where we’re seeing cities, counties, and grocery stores completely banning the use of single-use plastic bags altogether. So while there is some progress, we still have a long way to go.

One grocery store in Vancouver, British Columbia, decided to try to convince their customers NOT to use plastic bags in a very unique, and hilarious, way.

East West Market is offering customers plastic bags with fake slogans and fake businesses that no one, and I mean no one, would want to be seen with. How’s that for a deterrent? Embarrassment always works, people.

How would you like to carry a bag around town that said, “Into the Weird Adult Video Emporium,” “Dr. Toews’ Wart Ointment Wholesale,” or “The Colon Care Co-op”? You’d probably never be able to look your neighbors in the eye again.

The bags have the tag line “Avoid the shame. Bring a reusable bag” printed on them as well. Customers also have to pay five cents per plastic bag at East West Market if they don’t bring their own bags.

The owner of East West Market, David Lee Kwen, said about the project, “We wanted to give them something humorous, but also something that made them think at the same time. It’s human nature not to want to be told what to do.”

One downside has been that because the bags went viral online, people are paying the five cents to collect them. Kwen said, “Some of the customers want to collect them because they love the idea of it. It’s a double-edged sword. We wanted to address an issue, but we’ve also made something popular. Our aim was to start a conversation that could go beyond people just remembering their reusable bags when they come to our market—and we’re glad that the conversation has kept growing, with anyone who’s seen or interacted with the bags.”

Hey, at least people are taking notice, right?

Just do us a favor and bring a reusable bag next time you go grocery shopping, okay?

We’ll all be better off.

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A Grocery Store Gives Customers Embarrassing Plastic Bags to Encourage Them to Bring Their Own

A trend has developed in recent years where we’re seeing cities, counties, and grocery stores completely banning the use of single-use plastic bags altogether. So while there is some progress, we still have a long way to go.

One grocery store in Vancouver, British Columbia, decided to try to convince their customers NOT to use plastic bags in a very unique, and hilarious, way.

East West Market is offering customers plastic bags with fake slogans and fake businesses that no one, and I mean no one, would want to be seen with. How’s that for a deterrent? Embarrassment always works, people.

How would you like to carry a bag around town that said, “Into the Weird Adult Video Emporium,” “Dr. Toews’ Wart Ointment Wholesale,” or “The Colon Care Co-op”? You’d probably never be able to look your neighbors in the eye again.

The bags have the tag line “Avoid the shame. Bring a reusable bag” printed on them as well. Customers also have to pay five cents per plastic bag at East West Market if they don’t bring their own bags.

The owner of East West Market, David Lee Kwen, said about the project, “We wanted to give them something humorous, but also something that made them think at the same time. It’s human nature not to want to be told what to do.”

One downside has been that because the bags went viral online, people are paying the five cents to collect them. Kwen said, “Some of the customers want to collect them because they love the idea of it. It’s a double-edged sword. We wanted to address an issue, but we’ve also made something popular. Our aim was to start a conversation that could go beyond people just remembering their reusable bags when they come to our market—and we’re glad that the conversation has kept growing, with anyone who’s seen or interacted with the bags.”

Hey, at least people are taking notice, right?

Just do us a favor and bring a reusable bag next time you go grocery shopping, okay?

We’ll all be better off.

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Amsterdam Enacts a Ban on All Gas and Diesel Vehicles

Pollution is the global issue of our time, and around the world more and more cities are trying to take measures to reduce their carbon impact.

Most recently, the city of Amsterdam has taken a MAJOR step towards cleaner air: the Dutch city has announced that it is planning to phase out all gas and diesel vehicles by 2030.

Amsterdam’s traffic councillor recently said, “Pollution often is a silent killer and is one of the greatest health hazards in Amsterdam.” You might be surprised that such a world-renowned bike-friendly city (30% of Dutch commuters travel by bike) has such an awful pollution problem, but air pollution in the Netherlands is worse than European rules permit. This is mainly due to the heavy traffic in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

The city’s plan is to replace all gas and diesel engines with electric or hydrogen cars, or other emission-free alternatives, by 2030. The plan will begin next year when diesel engines built before 2005 will be banned from Amsterdam. The plan then calls for gradual banning of more vehicles from city streets.

The current levels of nitrogen dioxide and particle matter in Amsterdam’s air can cause respiratory illnesses and shorten life expectancy by more than a year. The city plans to get rid of public buses that run on gas by 2022, to increase the number of electrical charging stations to 23,000 by 2025, and to offer subsidies and special parking permits to encourage residents to make the switch to electric and hydrogen cars sooner than later. We all know how crucial a nice parking spot can be, right?

Hopefully, other cities around the globe will take note – and in fact Brussels, Belgium, is already looking to follow Amsterdam’s lead.

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