The Ultimate Green Store is a proud sponsor of Go Green Expo, the nation's premier eco-friendly events.
Since 2007, Enviroprint has been demonstrating its commitment to sustainable environmental printing practices by using renewable energy sources and environmentally friendly inks and paper.
Responsible printing for a sustainable world.
January 14th, 2012 | 
Author: - Save energy
- Save water
- Less gas
- Eat smart
- Skip the bottled water
- Think before you buy
- Buy smart
- Keep electronics out of the trash
- Make your own cleaning supplies
Set your thermostat lower in winter and higher in summer to save on heating and cooling costs.
Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) once your incandescent bulbs burn out.
Wash clothes in cold water as much as possible. Up to 85% of the energy used to clean clothes goes into heating the water.
Use a clothesline or rack to dry your clothes to save the energy used during machine drying.
Take shorter showers to reduce water use.
Install a low-flow showerhead. They’re inexpensive and the savings on your bill will pay for itself in a short time
Walk or ride a bike to school/work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.
Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work.
If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week. Meat is expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs.
Buy locally raised, humane, and organic meat, eggs, and dairy whenever you can.
Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste.
Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.
Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other everyday items.
Buy in bulk. Purchasing food from bulk bins can save money and packaging.
Wear clothes that don’t need to be dry-cleaned. This saves money and cuts down on toxic chemical use.
Keep your cell phones, computers, and other electronics as long as possible.
Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes. E-waste contains mercury and other toxins and is a growing environmental problem.
Recycle your cell phone.
You can make very effective, non-toxic cleaning products whenever you need them. All you need are a few simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap.
Posted in 
Tags: 
Many don’t think twice of using high quality non-recycled paper, or tossing ink cartridges and old electronics in the garbage. Leaving a computer on overnight seems innocent enough until you multiply that energy use by millions of households.
The three main home office offenders are energy waste, paper consumption and hazardous waste. Here are some tips to make your home office a little more eco-friendly.
Put your electronics to bed at night. Connect your computer, speakers, fax, printer, etc. to a power bar and turn them all off with the flick of a switch at the end of the day. It’s a common misconception that you should leave a computer on all night. There is a peak in the power when you turn it on, but nothing compared to what it uses over a 24 hour period.
Opt for a laptop. Not only do these have the benefit of being portable, laptops consume one-eighth the power of a desktop computer. Imagine if everyone in a household all had their own computers, they still wouldn’t use the energy of one bulky desktop.
Go for the flat screen. An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or flat screen monitor uses less than half the energy of the traditional CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitors. Not to mention that they are easier to read, lighter and cause less eye strain.
Reuse & recycle. I had a friend who used to save any of her junk mail that was still in good condition and when doing simple printing jobs, she would use the blank side of those pages. It was such a simple concept that made so much sense, and worked great for those quick map or recipe print outs.
Save and reuse paper clips, elastics and push pins, and use rechargeable batteries and refillable toner cartridges.
For your garbage paper, keep a recycling bin next to your desk for handy use. Keep another bin nearby for expired rechargeable batteries, old inkjet and toner cartridges, or electronics. Once you have a collection built up, take them back to any Staples Business Depot for recycling.
Dead batteries should be saved and dropped off at your local waste depot for safe disposal. That corrosive acid they contain will seep out into the environment if left in a landfill site.
When buying paper, read the labels. What most people don’t realize is that much of the paper we use every day comes from old-growth forests. When you read the labels on the packages, look for: 100% recycled ( your 1st choice); or minimum FFC certification, which means the paper was made from trees grown in a sustainably managed forest.
Switch to fluorescent bulbs. A fluorescent bulb uses 2/3 less energy than a common incandescent bulb. When you add up all the bulbs in the house, that energy savings translates into saved dollars!
By: Matt Barker
Here are some tips that will steer you in the right direction.
Plan and Prepare Well in Advance of Your Travel Dates
Forego paper tickets and book electronically via telephone or online. You will save paper (and time).
Discontinue the newspaper while you are gone or have it delivered to the local library or doctor’s office instead.
Before setting out on your trip, reduce the heat on the hot water tank, lower the thermostat, and unplug all electronics (like cable boxes, cordless telephones, and DVD players).
Vehicles Have a Huge Impact on the Environment
If possible, try to use public transportation or airport shuttles. Rent a vehicle only as a last resort.
If a rental is your only option, try to reserve a compact vehicle that will be easy on gas. Some rental agencies even provide electric cars or hybrids.
Before you head out, check tire pressures. Underinflated tires cause increased gas consumption.
Instead of using the air conditioner, open a car window when feasible.
Drive conservatively. Save fuel with a light foot on the accelerator while staying well within the speed limit.
Avoid idling your vehicle. If it will be sitting for more than 60 seconds while you load luggage or run an errand, switch off the ignition.
Participate in bus, train, or walking tours when available.
See if you can find a bike rental and get out in the fresh air.
Hotel or Bed and Breakfast Accommodations
Book lodging that is centrally located to your intended activities.
Make a point of reserving rooms in an establishment that promotes eco-friendly practices. Be sure to ask the innkeeper or booking clerk what they are doing to protect the environment.
Leave a note for the maid. Tell her that you want to use hotel towels for a couple of days before sending them to be laundered.
Don’t turn on the radio or TV unless you are really paying attention to it.
Leaving the room? Turn down the heat and/or air conditioning and make sure that the coffee maker, iron, TV, and other electrical devices are switched off.
If your hotel or inn has an elevator, ignore it and use the stairs instead. Your body will thank you for the exercise, and you will be doing your share to conserve electricity.
More Eco-Friendly Travel Tips
Never use regular alkaline batteries. Instead, pack enough rechargeables to get you through a complete day, along with a battery charger. You might also want to investigate the purchase of a solar charger.
If you must recharge your cell phone, game console, or laptop, don’t leave it charging overnight. Start early enough in the day or evening so that you can monitor the progress and shut down the device when it is up to 100%.
Instead of working out on a motorized stair climber or treadmill in the hotel gym, put on your walking shoes and go for a jog or walk in the fresh air.
Disposable or regular film cameras are not environmentally-friendly. Invest in a digital instead. Prices are becoming more reasonable every day and the capabilities are rapidly improving.
Avoid individually-wrapped hand cleaner packets, disposable razors, and other one-use items. Stick with smaller-sized reusable and/or refillable products.
An all-in-one cleaner can take the place of shampoo, laundry detergent, and hand cleaner. It will save room (and weight) in your luggage.
Speaking of weight in your luggage: pack light. It will conserve gas on your way to the airport, and will result in fuel savings for all other types of transport while you travel.
Avoid buying coffee or snacks in disposable containers. Pack your own mug – and if you want coffee to go, ask the restaurant or snack bar to fill it for you.
Be a good eco-citizen and pick up any trash you discover while you travel.
These tips are just a beginning. Be eco-conscious in everything you do, and you will find other ways to help save our beautiful planet.
©Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author’s note below (with active links) are included.
By: Kathy Steinemann
Bamboo is one eco friendly option. Bamboo is a fast growing grass that can be selectively harvested annually. It is extremely durable and harder than red oak and maple, has 50% less contraction and expansion than wood and is a renewable resource.
However, Asian sources require significant embodied energy for transport so that is something to consider. You should also take care to look for bamboo products that have no formaldehyde added. But bamboo is still a great choice over hardwood flooring and can be stained in darker colors than just the blonde color that comes to mind for more traditional looks.
Cork is another eco friendly renewable resource material made out of the bark of the cork oak tree. Only the bark is used so the tree does not have to be cut down. What’s great about cork is that it often contains recycled content, is easy to clean if properly sealed and gives great foot support.
Just look for products that have no formaldehyde added and avoid cork-vinyl composites. Also consider its origin and remember that transportation requires embodied energy for transport so try to find products sourced as locally as possible.
Rubber is another new flooring material available these days. Virgin rubber is derived from rubber trees, a renewable resource; recycled rubber reduces the environmental burden of discarded tires.
The down side is that almost all rubber, except virgin rubber, has a significant odor from continual off-gassing and has indoor air quality impact so if you use the recycled rubber instead of the virgin rubber it needs to be used in well ventilated areas.
But its benefits are that it uses recycled material, helps reduce landfill, is easy to clean, offers good foot support, is very durable and can be installed without adhesives.
Linoleum uses the same ingredients today as when it was invented in 1863 — linseed oil, cork dust, wood flour, tree resins, ground limestone and pigments, all pressed onto a jute backing. The ingredients are renewable items and often are recycled content, which is good for the planet.
Linoleum is durable, easy to clean and offers good foot support, however, it is most often made in Europe, resulting in significant embodied energy for transport. Make sure to look for “natural linoleum.” Vinyl flooring is sometimes generically called “linoleum” but is not the same thing.
Stone is another option to consider for your flooring. It is a natural resource and a very durable material. Stone, however, is a finite resource, can result in using significant embodied energy if the stone is mined or fabricated overseas and, if the stone requires sealing, the sealers can produce potentially harmful VOC emissions.
Look for locally mined and fabricated stone or even reclaimed stone and look for stone that does not have to be sealed. I’ve seen some really amazingly beautiful things done with reclaimed stone so don’t be afraid to explore this option.
Tile is another eco friendly durable material if you use tiles that contain recycled content. Tiles are durable, easy to clean and can use recycled materials like broken window panes and recycled granite dust. They do use though a significant amount of energy to fire and transport so try to make sure to look for local sources and make sure they use recycled content.
This is obviously not an exhaustive list of flooring options but definitively some of the most popular eco friendly options you can consider using in your home.
By: Rebecca Noel
The problem with most homeowners is that they are not aware that there are existing resources in their own home that can be reused or recycled. For example, papers may be lying around the house, used only on 1 side. They can actually be used on both sides. And when less paper is used, more trees are saved, and the homeowners save more money by spending less on paper. So the key here is to be sensitive to the use of resources around the house. Here are some tips on how to start converting your home to an eco friendly house.
The first step to take is to clean up the house. Start by creating 4 different piles – one for paper, one for glass, one for plastic, and one for metal. Organize your items according to these 4 categories. If there are many items in your house, the process may take some time.
After that, you will need to spend more time sorting through the 4 stacks of items. Here is when you decide which items to keep and which items to dispose of. Again, bear in mind that there are items that can be reused. Pick them out, and put them aside.
For items that you want to get rid of, don’t mix them up again. Keep them within their own respective categories, and pack them nicely into boxes and trash bags. There is more you need to do.
Once your house is in shape, you may start locating a recycling facility near you. The recycling center don’t have to be located in your area. You just need to find out where the drop off points are. Usually, there are many drop off points in every area, and there should be one that is convenient for you. If you like, you can always call up a recycling facility to find out if there are any drop off points that are near to you.
Another alternative is to find out if your current garbage collector has an existing arrangement with a recycling center. If so, you can let them collect your recyclable items as per normal. That way, you don’t have to worry about making extra trips to drop off points.
Keep the compartments that you have initially created – paper, plastic, glass and metal. As and when there is disposable but recyclable materials, just throw them in the right compartment. When the compartments are full, empty them and start the process all over again. That way, your house will always be eco friendly.
By: Gen Wright
Copyright © 2009 Ideal MMA. All Rights Reserved.