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

SPCA Georgia Open House This Saturday

Join the Georgia SPCA this Saturday September 25th from 11am til 7pm at their Open House.  They are celebrating their newly opened expanded facility.  Come see the dogs, and cats, puppies and kittens!  Food, Fun, Music, Raffles!  Please see the flyer below.  The Georgia SPCA is located in Suwanee Georgia.

Green In Gwinnett Area is proud to be able to assist the Georgia SPCA.

Green In Gwinnett Area : Keeping Gwinnett Green and Sustainable

Green In Gwinnett Tip

Choose fewer ingredients
A long list of ingredients often indicates the presence of questionable chemicals that may be harmful to you or the environment. This is especially true for personal care products, food, and cleansers. Simplify what you buy.  Buy organic if available.  Organic foods have less ingredients because they don’t include the harmful chemicals that could be added in non-organic foods…

Green In Gwinnett Area – Keeping Gwinnett Green and Sustainable

Barbeque Grill Eco Friendly, Solar Powered

Solar Grill Cooks Burgers with the Sun

You usually only fire up the BBQ grill when it’s sunny out anyways, so a solar-powered barbeque grill only makes sense. This isn’t an electric bbq grill rigged up with some solar panels either, it’s a BBQ grill that’s designed to use the heat of the sun to heat the surface of the grill without any gas or coils involved.

It’s equipped with a mirrored coating that focuses all the sun’s rays toward a panel in the middle that acts as the cooking surface. It all looks like a really elaborate science fair project, but it’s a pretty sweet idea and much cooler than your standard grill. It’s available now for $240.

So which type of Barbeque Grill is more eco-friendly? Charcoal Grill or Gas Grill?

Green In Gwinnett Area – Keeping Gwinnett Green and Sustainable

Whole Foods Market Johns Creek And The Georgia Piedmont Land Trust

Whole Foods Market will donate 5% of the day’s proceeds to GPLT to further their greenspace conservation efforts. Join us and spread the word!

Shop for Good Food and Greenspace
Tuesday, April 6

Whole Foods Market will be spotlighting the Georgia Piedmont Land Trust (GPLT), a local Georgia nonprofit land conservation organization. This Tuesday, April 6, during regular business hours, visit the Whole Foods Market in Johns Creek. Learn about out how the Georgia Piedmont Land Trust (GPLT) ensures that trees and streams in our area will be protected forever. There will be activities for the kids and displays to help you draw birds and butterflies to your yard from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

– Green In Gwinnett Area – Working towards a Green and Sustainable Gwinnett!

Gwinnett Business Growth and Sustainability BuGS Series

BuGS Series

Event Date:

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 – 11:30am – 2:00pm

Location:

Gwinnett Chamber

Cost (members):

$20.00

Cost (non-members):

$35.00

Business Growth and Sustainability (BuGS) 2010
Presented by:

Energy Efficiency in your Business
Energy efficiency is typically one of the first places business look for savings.

Reducing your energy consumption saves money and reduces your carbon footprint, but what is the cost and how do you pay for it?  Is it worth the investment?

Teresa Newman – Energy and Environmental Solutions – Siemens

Wayne Robertson, PE, Leed AP – President – Energy Ace

Gail Edwards – Program Director – Gwinnett Technical College

Moderator:

Ben Taube – Executive Director – Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance

Date: February 9, 2010

Time: 11:30 – 2:00

Location: Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce

6500 Sugarloaf Parkway
Duluth, Georgia  30097

(For Directions Click HERE)

Register Here

Green In Gwinnett Area: Working to keep Gwinnett Green and Sustainable!

Green Giant – Sustainable Walmart?

WalMart Green Initiatives:

As part of Walmart’s ongoing mission to be a more sustainable company, they recently announced a worldwide sustainability index initiative. “Increasingly, our customers want products that are more efficient, last longer and perform better.” They want to know the product’s entire lifecycle. They want to know the materials in the product are safe, that it is made well and is produced in a responsible way.

More Info From Walmart Here:

Wal-Mart Sustainable Initiatives

Think Green In Gwinnett!  Keeping Gwinnett Green and Sustainable!!

The Green Chamber of The South and Green In Gwinnett Area Presents: The Alternative Office Party

Green In Gwinnett Area

 

Presents:

The “Alternative Office Party”

Come celebrate your holiday with other green and sustainable businesses

Live Music

Eat, drink and be merry!

Where: Tree Sound Studios

4610 Peachtree Industrial Blvd Norcross GA 30071

When: December 10, 7: 00 – 10:00 pm

Cost: $35.00 *Members

$50.00 Non-Members

Go to: www.greencs.org/party to register

The cost will be $10.00 more for registration at the door

Sponsored by:

Kitty Litter Eco

This year several billion pounds of kitty litter will end up in landfills. Most of this clay based product is strip mined and has been found to contain silica dust, a known carcinogen. If that doesn’t make you want to look for a greener alternative than nothing will. Switching to an eco-friendly alternative such as reclaimed pine wood shavings and concentrated sawdust is the socially responsible choice. Not only is pine kitty litter biodegradable, but it can be sustainably harvested from trees killed by pine beetles which are devastating the Western U.S.

Think Green In Gwinnett!

Green In Gwinnett Area & The Green Chamber of The South

Please take some time to learn about Green In Gwinnett Area’s partner “The Green Chamber of The South“:

Whether you are aiming to reduce your environmental footprint, strengthen your relationship with consumers, streamline your operating costs, or gain market share. Developing a sustainable business strategy makes good business sense not just to a company’s bottom line, but also to employees, partners and the community.

The Green Chamber of the South is a place where you can meet others who share your interests, do business, profit and gain the satisfaction of supporting efforts to promote the growth of sustainable economies in the Southeast.

About The Green Chamber of The South:

Founded in 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia, the Green Chamber of the South supports the growth and success of sustainability in businesses and encourages innovation and adoption of clean technology. We are a non-profit organization.

The Green Chamber of Commerce facilitates connections and collaboration between companies, government, NGOs and the community, supporting the growth of green companies. Our vision facilitates the success and growth of green businesses and establishes a hub for green commerce in the Southeast.

Our members comprise businesses and organizations in the Southeast.  They are engaged in diverse industries including energy, education, manufacturing, government, trade, communications and marketing.

Business leaders recognize the rapid growth of the Southeast green business movement and their long-term growth opportunities are tied with the region’s environmental challenges.  Some of the key issues facing businesses today revolve around water scarcity, transportation, and energy costs.   An increasing number of businesses understand meeting growing environmental challenges requires adopting new sustainability strategies.  Furthermore, a growing number of businesses require partners and vendors to engage in the sustainability process and develop their own green initiatives.

Please visit their website at: www.greencs.org

Sincerely,

James Chronicle (Executive Director) GIGA