Steps Gwinnett Can Take To Go Green

Waste Creation and Reduction Facts

There are over 100 million homes in the United States and about 400 thousand tons are waste are produced each year in the US. Since over 75 percent of waste is recyclable, if each home recycled 10 percent more of their waste than they do now, 40 thousand tons of waste would be saved each year.

Recycling at Home

Recycling is the most common way for reducing waste and can be easy to do at home. Several states and cities have a recycling program in place and all it takes is requesting a recycling bin. Go to the specific state’s recycling website to see how to get a recycling bin for the home. Not all states and cities provide curbside pickup. There are many different kinds of recycling programs.

Here are some examples of products frequently used in the home that are and are not recyclable. Note that this list differs in different ares.

Recyclable Goods

• Paper towel rolls
• Toilet paper rolls
• Plastic food containers
• Cardboard boxes
• Anything with the recycle symbol
• Notebooks and printer paper
• Phonebooks
• Paper grocery bags

Non-Recyclable Goods

• Paper towels
• Toilet paper
• Paper food containers
• Pizza boxes
• Wax paper and glossy paper
• Caps to bottle containers
• Plastic grocery bags

Reducing Waste at Home

Reducing waste is another great way to minimize the harmful effects excess waste has on the earth. Buying products with less packaging is a creative way to reduce waste. An example of this is buying a two liter bottle of soda instead of a six pack. When it comes to junk mail, unsubscribe to unwanted mail so there is less paper being sent out. This creates less waste on time and resources.

Plastic Bag Consumption and Solutions

Plastic grocery bags are another huge waste problem. The Wall Street Journal reported that the US uses 100 billion plastic shopping bags per year which takes 12 million barrels of oil to produce. Reduce grocery bag waste by bringing reusable bags to the grocery store.

Reusing Products at Home

Reusing products can be a resourceful way to reduce waste and save money. Reusing those plastic grocery bags is an original way to reuse products. These bags can be used in a number of ways like lining small garbage bags in bathrooms, holding wet clothes after a day at the pool, holding dirty clothes after a vacation, or carrying food and drinks to a party or barbeque.

Plastic food containers, such as soft serve butter containers, can always be washed out and used as food storage containers instead of buying more plastic containers. A more creative way to reuse household items is keeping envelopes sent inside unwanted junk mail. These will reduce having to buy more envelopes.

Recycling, Reducing, and Reusing Goods at Home

Implementing these easy and useful tips at home can make a big impact on the amount of waste produced each year. Composting can revitalize soil instead of throwing the food in the trash where it will never decompose. Reusing plastic grocery bags or not getting those at all will cut down on the amount of landfill waste and save millions of barrels of oil each year.

Here is a list on other easy ideas for cutting down on waste of all kinds in the home:

• Turn off lights in rooms that aren’t being used
• Take shorter showers to reduce water waste
• Keep the A/C on 78 in the summer and the heater on 68 in the winter
• Wash only full loads of laundry
• Wash only full loads of dishes
• Sweep instead of vacuuming
• Put a sweater on instead of running the heat
• Don’t let the water run when washing hands or brushing teeth
• Only take out the trash when the bag is full
• Turn off TVs when not in use
• Use environmentally friendly cleaning products

Green In Gwinnett Area – Keeping Gwinnett Green and Sustainable

Green vs Clean

1) Bottled Water vs. Tap Water. Myth: Bottled water is better for you. Fact: Bottled water is less regulated than tap water, and in a 2008 study by the Environmental Working Group, 38 contaminants were found in 10 of the top brands of bottled water. Also, plastic bottles leach harmful chemicals into the water. Finally, if you like things clean, then why add to the huge amount of plastic that exists in our oceans and landfills? That stuff is not going anywhere, and eventually it will show up on your beach and in your backyard. That’s pretty gross.
2) The Disinfection Obsession. Myth: Green cleaning products aren’t as effective as antibacterials. Fact: Unless you are a surgeon requiring a sterile environment, good old soap and water or even home made concoctions like vinegar and baking soda are just as effective cleaning agents as antibacterials – sans the side effects of toxic chemicals, indoor air pollution, and water pollution. These don’t sound so very clean to me.
3) Use and Toss. Myth: Single use products are more hygienic than reusable ones.  Fact: Actually, you can get a better clean from cloth towel than a paper towel, without the paper waste and mess. Cloth towels are more absorbent and stronger and therefore are more effective at getting the grime out of your kitchen. Use and wash is still better than use and toss, and if your mess is not a wet one, you can even reuse your cloth towel a few times before washing it, making it even more environmentally preferable to paper.
4) Kleenex vs. Handkerchief – I got nothin’ here – sorry, you won’t catch me blowing my nose over and over in the same hanky. Even I have my limits….but I am open to suggestions!
5) The Hippie Stigma. Myth: People who are passionate about the environment are tree-hugging hippies who don’t shave, wear deodorant, or shower regularly.  Fact: We are not in the 60’s anymore.

Green In Gwinnett Area: Keeping Gwinnett Green and Sustainable

Gwinnett Relay For Life Partners With Hopeinks.org A Socially Responsible Venture

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(From Gwinnett Relay For Life’s “Talk Tuesday” publication.)

With Print Green USA it truly is a win‐win situation. To help you and your team, we’re introducing a
new program ‐ one that will help you to raise funds without the need to ask for a donation, and to do
so while saving money for the people you’re talking to! We’ve partnered with Print Green USA, based
right here in Gwinnett and together we have created a program where cartridges made of Environmentally

conscious, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) gradetoner (top quality & 100% Guaranteed) can be

purchased at prices well below OEM prices (savings to you) ‐ and best of all, Ten percent of the
order total will be donated to the Gwinnett Relay For Life ‐ and your team gets the credit for the donation!

It’s easy to get started. Your teams have already been loaded. Simply visit http://www.hopeinks.org, create
your account, select your team and place your order. 10% of the order total will be credited to your
team’s fundraising efforts.

But don’t just place your order ‐ share this information with your family and friends. Why? Everyone
with a computer uses a printer ‐ whether at home or at work. Their orders will create credit for your
Relay Team when they select your team. And every time they re‐order, your team will get the
fundraising credit ‐ which means that your team can be raising funds 365 days a year!

We hope this program will be a great adjunct to your existing fundraising efforts, and make it easier to
surpass your team’s goal for this year ‐ and give you a head start on next year!
Thank you for your commitment to the Gwinnett Relay For Life ‐ you are the lifeblood of our fight
against cancer!

Questions on the Program? Click here http://hopeinks.org/howItWorks.htm
Ready to Log in and Order? Click here https://hopeinks.org:1230/Security/SignIn.aspx

Share this with your family, friends, employers and coworkers ‐ See the “Share” Button at:
www.hopeinks.org

Green In Gwinnett Area is proud to support the American Cancer Society and their Gwinnett Relay For Life Program.  If you have a socially responsible community program and you would like your company considered for feature, please email: giga@greeningwinnett.org

Hope Inks:

The Hope Inks Program is proud to be hosting this Official Fundraiser with the American Cancer Society’s Gwinnett Relay For Life.  Gwinnett has always shown great support for this event and we are proud to be a part of such a worthy cause as the Gwinnett Relay For Life.  The many schools, companies, and residents of Lawrenceville, Duluth, Suwanee, Norcross, Lilburn, Snellville, Decatur, and Grayson will make this 2010 Gwinnett Relay for Life even better and bring many more birthdays to our futures.

Green Chamber of The South Green Wednesdays

CHANGE OF VENUE!!!!

January Green Wednesdays
Event Date: Wednesday, January 6, 2010 – 11:30am – 1:30pm
Location: 5 Seasons Brewing
Cost (members): $17
Cost (non-members): $22
Presenter: Dr. Marlin Gottschalk, Ph.D., Director of Sustainability Division at Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Web site address:
Please visit: The Green Chamber of the South

Members use the discount code below. You must be logged in to see the code.or, just RSVP and pay at the door.

Important Notice:
The meeting will be held at 5 Seasons Brewing and NOT at Urban Flats. Please email us if you have any questions.

Gwinnett. How To Make Your Lil Goblins Even More Green This Halloween!

 

Gwinnett: Did you know that Americans use more than 380 million plastic bags and more than 10 million paper bags every year. Plastic bags end up either in landfills or discarded in nature.  This waste then kills thousands of marine mammals annually, and when it eventually does break down, it contaminate our land and water which are our valuable resources.

Reusable bags are not only better for the environment at Halloween, they’re also better for our children. Paper and plastic bags can rip easily, spilling Halloween treats and we know that our kids don’t like that. Reusable bags are much more durable and practical!

When the little ghosts and goblins in your family go trick-or-treating this Halloween, make sure they carry reusable bags or containers that don’t need to be discarded after they are used.

Cloth or canvas shopping bags, or even pillowcases, make terrific eco-friendly alternatives to paper or plastic bags, or to the molded plastic jack-o-lanterns so many kids use to collect candy at Halloween.

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this quick tip.  Our future depends on our choices today, our future is our children.

Think Green In Gwinnett Area!

~James Chronicle

Green In Gwinnett Area is located in Suwanee, Georgia.