Archive for Sustainable Living
Reusable Water Bottle Pledge From Brita
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Brita water is embodying corporate social responsibility by helping the environment through product integration, in their new ad campaign for filterforgood.ca. According to the Filter For Good website all they asked is that people take the pledge stating that you will “help reduce bottled water waste by switching to Brita filtered water and a “reusable water bottle”. You can join the over twelve million other people who have and can take the pledge here.
Once you sign up for the pledge you are informed that the simple commitment you made to carrying a reusable water bottle will prevent 730 plastic disposable bottles a year from going into a landfill. Did you know that according to their facts page “Americans [alone] used 50 billion water bottles in 2006 and sent 38 billion water bottles to landfills, the equivalent of 912 million gallons of oil? If laid end to end, that’s enough bottles to travel from the Earth to the Moon and back 10 times. If placed in a landfill or littered, those bottles could take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.”
This blogger’s favorite reusable water bottle is the Planet Forward Stainless Steele Bottle (which comes in four sizes and ten colors which range the spectrum of the rainbow). It’s currently available for 40% off with coupon code BGSG40.
This is an amazing product integration opportunity for Brita as they are advertising and selling the virtues of their Brita filtration system (both jug and tap variations) are part of the modern urban environmentalist lifestyle. Once you sign up for the pledge they even give you links to coupons for $5.00 off a new Brita pitcher or faucet, as well as giving you fun facts about the good you doing through your commitment. This creates a positive association between their product and environmental issues, thus empowering the consumer to carry an environmentally sound reusable water bottle.
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Meatless Monday Recipe For Snobby ‘Sloppy’ Joes
Posted by: | CommentsHappy Meatless Monday! Another week another vegetarian recipe. As you may or may not know, we support the Meatless Monday campaign – a non-profit initiative in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It’s part of an eco-friendly worldwide movement to reduce consumption of animal products in favour of more plant-based meals to fight global warming and improve our personal health. This week we bring a popular dish made vegetarian for you to try.
Lentils are full of nutrients and combine for a healthy (and fat-free) source of protein and complex carbohydrates. This is a great vegan take on an old classic recipe courtesy of Post Punk Kitchen. Serve open-faced on a Kaiser or sesame roll (whole wheat or multigrain preferably) along with a side salad for a healthy satisfying lunch or dinner.
Snobby Joes Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked lentils
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
- 1 green pepper, diced small
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard (wet mustard)
4 to 6 kaiser rolls or sesame buns (optional – for serving)
Directions:
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Eco-Friendly Crafts - Binder Clip Picture Frames
Posted by: | CommentsAn eco-friendly craft stems from the idea of repurposing an item into something else. With all the holiday parties that have recently happened, you may have some photos that you would like to display. Instead of going out and purchasing a frame for each of your pictures, why not make your own using a binder clip? This is an eco-friendly craft which serves a dual purpose as you could also turn this into a place card holder for dinner parties and special events.
What you need:
- Large binder clip
- Permanent glue or two way tape
- Leftover wrapping paper or other colored paper
- Feathers, glitter and other craft supplies
- Photo or place card
- Scissors
Instructions:
- Cut a long rectangle the width of the binder clip that should wrap around the entire base. Use any kind of wrapping paper, for Christmas photos use a Christmas paper plus it’s a great way to use up those itty-bitty scraps. If you don’t like the look of wrapping paper you can always use any kind of coloured paper or construction paper.
- Using either glue or two-way tape to adhere the paper to the binder clip.
- Add embellishments, feathers, glitter etc… it will make the project stand out.
- Read More→
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Top ten green building trends (part two)
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Recently we looked at the first five of the top ten building trends that are anticipated in 2010. The list was compiled by the Earth Advantage Institute and compiled some very practical examples of what can pass for achievable practices to incorporate in eco-friendly construction. Its very encouraging to see the changes and progress recent years have brought to green construction and the logic and desire for long term objectives over short term cost savings is a balance that is swinging in the right direction. So, onto the final five:
6. Eco districts - Perhaps above all of the other concepts this is the most logical step when new communities are being built. Again it involves learning from the past and is very European, constructing homes so that the residents can walk or bike to the places they work, shop or dine. Planned construction can reduce the reliance on cars and urban living can be achieved even in suburban areas. The incorporation of green space and making districts very pedestrian focused can be further enhanced by green coding on the building where the residents work and play.
7. Water Conservation - The EPA have announced ‘watersense’ specifications for all new homes which reduces water consumption by 20% versus a traditional home. When you consider that over half of all water use is residential the positive impact of the program can be monumental. Energy labeling and certification for homes is probably just around the corners as such programs are already in place in Europe.
8. Carbon Calculation - This may surprise you but building contribute about 50% of all carbon emissions that are released into our environment. In the years ahead this will become a critical component of green construction, presently both methods to measure a building’s performance coupled with more efficient construction methods are being developed. The evolution in this process will create carbon credits and local or regional units equipped to make improved recommendations and set standards.
9. Net Zero Buildings - The ultimate badge of honour in residential or commercial construction. This type of construction would (naturally) generate more energy than it uses. While this presents quite a challenge, the move toward smaller more energy efficient buildings coupled with renewable energy resources onsite such as wind, solar or geo-exchange systems make this possible. The developments in solar alone make the concept in sunnier regions fully viable in the near future.
10. Sustainable Building Education - This is a bit of a catch all but is a necessary step for an industry that is needing to reinvent itself in some circumstances. Ensuring developers make time to learn about green building and establish credentials, will enable the momentum for being buyers not to be lost. So much of the progress will be contingent on local municipal bodies but the change is definitely occurring in many cities. The crest of this progress is once again when people understand and more importantly can actually see the value of greener construction. Hence the education aspect is vital in all spheres from roofing manufacturers, to city planners and even estate agents.
So there you have it, ten very tangible trends that in harmony will create a society that impacts the environment in a positive way on a daily basis. The key will be awareness - as ever.
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