GenGreenLife Blog

1-800-Recycling.com and GenGreen Announce Partnership

gengreen — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:00:16 +0000

1-800-Recycling.com Partners with GenGreen

Los Angeles (August 17, 2010) – It was announced today that 1-800-Recycling.com, an interactive nationwide company dedicated to simplifying and enhancing the consumer recycling experience, has partnered with GenGreenLife.com, a leading online resource for people looking to live a locally-focused, environmentally conscious lifestyle. The two organizations have agreed to pool their resources and exchange recycling location listings from their respective databases.

Via its mobile App, online resource and phone service, 1-800-Recycling provides information about recycling services and facilities to anyone, anywhere by zip code. Designed to make the recycling process easy and more accessible, 1-800-Recycling.com will now also be recommending GenGreen approved recyclers as responsible locations for the deposit of recycling materials.

GenGreen created and maintains the largest database of accredited green businesses and organizations in North America, with a growing group of almost 75,000 companies currently in their system, covering everything from farmers markets to solar panel companies.

Of the partnership, Charisse McAuliffe, Founder and CEO of GenGreen said, “We are very pleased to be working with 1-800-Recycling. At GenGreen, we recognize that we are not in this alone, creating partnerships with like-minded groups, such as 1-800-Recycing, we can do our part in helping spread their important message”.

“We are extremely proud to be partnering with a consumer friendly and passionately green resource such as GenGreen,” said John Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Recyclers International, the nation’s leading recycler of electronics and e-waste, and parent company of 1-800-Recycling.com. “1-800-Recycling shares a common mission with GenGreen – to provide users with information that helps them live a greener life. By pooling our expansive nationwide databases together, we will now be able to further increase our geographic resource footprint – helping more people in more places to recycle responsibly. We are extremely proud of this collaboration and what we will be able to accomplish together!”

1-800-Recycling.com provides users with nationwide outreach to help users find recycling locations nearest to them (every zip code in the country is covered) for whatever it is they wish to recycle.

For more information on recycling needs, visit www.electronicrecyclers.com, http://1800recycling.com or www.urbanmining.org.

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1-800-Recycling.com provides users with nationwide outreach to help users find recycling locations nearest to them (every zip code in the country is covered) for whatever it is they wish to recycle. Through its iPod App, 1-800-Recycling.com website and 1-800-Recycling phone service, users are directed to responsible recyclers of electronics, tires, oil, paint, glass, plastic, wood, mattresses, carpet, junk – almost anything that can be recycled. Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), the nation’s leading recycler of electronics and e- waste, is the parent company of
1-800-Recycling.com.

GenGreen has assembled the largest database of environmental and healthy living businesses in North America. There are over 75,000 approved business members listed on GenGreenLife.com as of August 2010. GenGreen helps these businesses by guiding them in their green practices, and promoting their goods and services to the environmentally conscious consumer through their website GenGreenLife.com and their mobile applications “Find Green” found on both iPhone and Android platforms.
www.GenGreenLife.com

MEDIA CONTACT:
Paul Williams
(949) 916-6880
medialine2@aol.com

Facts about LED lights

gengreen — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:09:10 +0000

This Little Light of Mine…Lasts 25 Years!
Remember earlier this year when you had to climb up a ladder, and screw in all those light bulbs one by one? It’s kind of tedious and a bit annoying knowing that you will need to do this again as each light bulb, inevitably, burns out. Now, imagine if you never had to go up there and do that again. No more changing the light bulbs every 3 months or having part of your hallway lit for a week because you just do not feel like going to the store and buying one light bulb that you know will need to be replaced again before the year is over. With the Light-emitting diodes (LED) bulbs, not only do you save massive amounts of energy, but it is also the “set it and forget it” of household lighting. An LED bulb can replace any of your typical light bulbs in your home or office. For example, your typical 60 watt light bulb would be replaced with an LED bulb that uses only 6 watts of energy. It will fit in all of your standard household lighting fixtures and is constructed out of recycled materials. If you feel like setting the mood, many LED lights are also dimmable. Compact Fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are on the market as an energy efficient alternative and were the most common method of replacement. However, CFLs do have their downside. The type of light produced from a CFL bulb can cause some individuals to feel queasy if around them for an extended period of time and they have low durability. Also, CFLs have enough mercury in them to contaminate 6000 gallons of fresh water if they are broken. On the other hand, LED light bulbs are free from ultraviolet, mercury, and lead contaminants. With typical household usage, an LED bulb lasts 25 years! Which means once you put one of these lights in, the bulb will most likely never have to be changed again. Quick LED Fact – If every American household switched just one 60W light bulb to a 6W LED light, $1.4 Billion in electricity costs would be saved annually.
This Blog was contributed by one of our users at GenGreenLife.com

To Roth or not to Roth, that is the question

gengreen — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:00:04 +0000

To Roth or not to Roth – Many people are familiar with a Roth IRA. Put money away, after taxes are paid on those earnings, let the money grow tax differed in the IRA, then take tax-free distributions of the earnings. Not a bad deal, lets go through it again. Earn $40,000. Pay taxes on all $40,000. Put $5000 into Roth IRA, after tax. $5000 grows to $75,000 over your lifetime. Take original $5000 out of taxes were paid when that money was earned. Take $70,000 tax-free. Nothing due on earnings. In a regular IRA you put $5000, before taxes, from earnings into same investments in IRA, grows to same $75,000 over time. Then pay taxes on all $75,000 when taking it out of IRA. Pay taxes now on $5,000 and nothing later, $70,000 distribution tax-free. Or, Pay no taxes now on $5000 and pay taxes on full $75,000 taxable distribution. Seems fairly straight forward, especially if you think taxes will be the same or possibly higher when you retire. Here is where it gets interesting. A Roth IRA has earnings limitations. If you earn over $120,000 as a single person, or over $177,000 as a married person, you can not make a Roth contribution. Tough luck. But wait.. Making an employee contribution into a Roth bucket in your 401(k) has no earnings limitation. You can put full employee contribution into the Roth bucket not just $5,000. If you earn $200,000, are over age 50, you can put $22,000 into the Roth 401(k) at work. In 25 years that $22,000, earning 6% grows to $94421.16. The $22,000 had taxes paid when earned, but the growth $72,421.16 is never subject to taxes. I’d call that the best kept secret out there. This is an example and anyone interested in further information should contact a registered financial advisor, or ask about a Social(k) 401(k) / 403(b) at work.
This Blog was written by our partners at Social K a GenGreen Certified Business

Busting the Green vs. Clean Mentality

gengreen — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 20:46:38 +0000

So I have this dear friend who just won’t give up the bottled water habit. I have told her about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, about the fact that it takes 700 years for a plastic bottle to begin to decompose, and yet, when I was visiting with her recently, she and her family went through bottle after plastic bottle of water. Since I was a guest in her house, I felt it was not my place to question her or lecture her for the millionth time. I know she cares deeply about the planet’s future, so why the disconnect? We were sitting outside in the hot sun, and my friend mentioned she was thirsty. I asked her if she wanted some water and she said she did. I pulled out my reusable stainless steel water bottle filled with ice cold tap water and she looked at it and politely declined. Another friend pulled out a store bought bottled water and she immediately accepted that offer and rushed to quench her thirst. I’m pretty sure she thought my water bottle was not clean – not to mention what she thought of the tap water inside. I’m wondering how many people have not given up some of their most wasteful habits not because of the small inconveniences involved, but because they like things nice and new and clean. I know I had to suppress many of my obsessive compulsive tendencies when I began my journey to go green. So I’ve put together a Green vs. Clean list with some myth busters:
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. 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: while I may be known to let my razor stubble get a little visible on my legs in between shavings, I am a far cry from crunchy. Actually, prior to becoming informed about environmental issues, I was your typical over-consuming (Italian/Jewish) American Princess. Still pretty concerned about my looks and my style, but I have changed my waste producing habits to do my part in helping to preserve our earth’s natural beauty.
Do you have examples of Green vs. Clean myths that can help us eliminate the “yuck” factor as an excuse for not going green?
Blog written by Eco Plum, a GenGreen Certified Business

Safe Cosmetics Act 2010

gengreen — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 08:00:41 +0000

If you know us at all then you know we are extremely passionate about keeping toxins out of skincare! There is actually a bill out there now that can help protect all of us against toxic chemicals in our skincare. Please take one minute to send this email off to your local representative. It is so easy – all you have to do is fill out this tiny form – your name, address and zip code! The effects are long lasting and who wants cancer causing chemicals in your skincare anyway? Just click on the link below for the full scoop and to send in your support for the bill to pass. Act Now – http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5500/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3621 Here is the full story via Campaign for Safe Cosmetics : Federal Legislation. No parabens, laurel sulfates, phthalates, petrochemicals (mineral oil, paraffin, 1,4 dioxane just to name a few), pesticides, propylene glycols or any of their many derivatives should ever be added to skincare.. No irradiated herbs, GMO’s, soy, wheat, synthetic fragrance, urea, EDTA, artificial colors, alkoxylated amides (such as TEA, DEA, MEA and MIPA) mercury, placenta, lead acetate, hydroquinone, synthetic emollients (such as PEG compounds), synthetic alcohols, silicones, artificial colors or synthetic preservatives.
Blog Written by Golden Path Alchemy Skincare, a GenGreen Certified Business

How to Make Your Own All-Natural Pesticide

gengreen — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:21:25 +0000

This year, we planted a vegetable garden and have been in constant amazement at the miracle of life happening in our back yard. I was so enthralled with my first full-grown snow pea, that I had to take a picture of it to share with you. However, in addition to the life that is our plants, there is other not-as-welcome life: the inevitable garden pests. Critters with teeth have been nibbling and insects have added decorative holes to our greens. Wanting to keep to our commitment of maintaining a natural garden, we refuse to buy pesticides, and have planted thing like marigolds and hot peppers, which are supposed to deter interlopers. However, it became apparent that we had to take a bit more aggressive action, so I pulled out the neem oil, which I keep in stock for the production of some of my bath and body products. Neem oil is extracted from the tropical neem tree. I had read a while ago that it is a very effective insecticide, miticide and fungicide, and is listed as okay for use in organic production. According to Plant-care.com, neem oil has the following features: Broad spectrum insecticide/fungicide/miticide controls insects and mites including whitefly, aphid and scale, Controls fungal diseases including black spot, rust, mildew and scab. For indoor/outdoor use on ornamental plants, flowers, vegetables, trees, shrubs and fruit and nut crops. Mountain Rose Herbs says that it biodegrades rapidly in sunlight and within a few weeks in the soil. Neem oil has very low toxicity to humans and pets, but it is not recommended for internal use. I had also read that rosemary and lavender are effective pesticides, plus they smell better than neem, so I decided to include the in my natural pesticide. Here is my recipe: Mix 1 gallon of water with 2 tablespoons of neem, and 1 teaspoon each rosemary and lavender essential oils (I used organic version of all the oils). You can also add a couple of tablespoons of phosphate-free liquid dishwashing soap. Mix thoroughly and pour into a spray bottle. Spray over every part of your plants, mixing frequently to keep the oils and water from separating. By the way, these Sprayco spray bottles, which I buy at my local family-owned hardware store, are made in the US from recycled materials and provide jobs for handicapped individuals.

Post written by: Herban Lifestyle, LLC a GenGreen Certified Business Member

Attention Writers and Bloggers! Get featured on the GenGreen Life Blog!

gengreen — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:24:49 +0000

Attention Writers and Bloggers!

Would you like to have your writing featured on the GenGreen Life Blog?

GenGreen is looking for articles and news stories related to the environmental or LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) community.
If your article or story is chosen, the piece will be featured on The GenGreen Life Blog, GenGreenLife.com and possibly our monthly Greenzine newsletter.

The GenGreen Life Blog features in-house articles, as well as stories contributed by leading individuals and experts in the environmental community. We watched traffic to the blog more than triple in 2009 and are looking to drive more awareness by offering a even more diverse and robust amount of information for our visitors. For established and aspiring writers, GenGreenLife.com wants to give you a new publishing platform that comes with the opportunity to potentially become a regular contributor to GenGreenLife.com. We may also use your articles within our Environment 101 sections of our sites as well as newsletters. If you are selected as a regular contributor, we will post your bio and photo on our site with other information about you or your business.

We are open to using previously published pieces and we welcome our writers to place their contributions used on GenGreen on their own blogs and websites as they desire. We are interested in writing that has a national appeal, but are also interested in local pieces as well, which we can publish specifically for that selected audience.

Note: All requests MUST come from the original creator. We will not republish pieces without a direct request from the original writer.

Please visit here for more information.

Help Haiti by Supporting Carbonfund.org’s Million Tree Challenge!

gengreen — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:58:52 +0000

Help Haiti by Supporting Carbonfund.org’s Million Tree Challenge. Your donation will be matched 2-to-1: that’s 3 trees for every $1 donated!

Help Plant a Million Trees & Help Haiti – Donate to the Carbonfund.org Million Tree Challenge!

Carbonfund.org launched a new campaign and fantastic opportunity for anyone or any business to get involved in fighting global warming. You’ll also be helping Haiti reduce post-Earthquake floods and landslides so the nation can fully recover. Through the Carbonfund.org Million Tree Challenge, our goal is to help plant a million trees, while creating awareness about deforestation, which accounts for about 20% of global warming.

Click here to participate!

Would you like a receipt with that coffee?

gengreen — Mon, 10 May 2010 15:29:01 +0000

Every day I walk into Starbucks and get my Decaf Grande Americano in a personal cup.

And every day Wendy asks me – would you like receipt? Not to pick on Wendy, she’s the best, but why would I want a receipt for my $2.67 coffee?

“No thanks, no receipt”, I say.

Most of the time the receipt gets printed anyway, gets ripped off and tossed away right in front of me. That’s silly. When it comes to preventing waste, the whole paper receipt thing hasn’t caught too many people’s attention. Receipts just seem so small and harmless compared to, say, the plastic shopping bags you stick them in. And if I had to pick one battle to fight, the shopping bag wins.

But the environmental cost of receipts should not be ignored. According to Alletronic, an electronic receipt software provider, 9,600,000 trees are cut down each year just to produce paper receipts. And to make matters worse, thermal paper receipts can’t be recycled because of the chemicals used in making them. There are many things about my obsessive compulsive personality that have interfered with my quest to lower my environmental impact. From being reluctant to remove Clorox wipes from my cleaning routine to having trouble accepting the whole “if it’s yellow let it mellow” concept, I’ve had to call upon many years of therapy to change some of my more “neat and tidy” habits. So the thought of NOT getting a receipt for an ATM withdrawal was a concept that also took a while for me to warm up to. I was so anal, not only did I always used to get the receipt, but I would take it home and reconcile it against my bank statement. Call me a nerd, but it was my way of life before I became conscious of reducing the amount of waste I produced.

So the first time I answered “NO” to the ATM’s “Would you like a printed receipt?” query, I have to admit I was a little nervous. What if the bank deducted the wrong amount and I did not have a receipt prove it, what then?

Slowly I got over this irrational concern – realizing that in reality, if the bank’s records were incorrect, my one paper ATM withdrawal receipt wasn’t really going to help prove much. Scary thought. But, OK, for those situations where a receipt does prove to be useful, such as a product return or disputed credit card charge, is the actual paper receipt at the point of sale really necessary? With all our iPhones and Blackberries and the like, couldn’t an electronic receipt fill the exact same purpose with a lot less waste? This recent post by software advisor Don Fornes makes a pretty compelling case for ditching the paper receipt.

Please take a minute to take his poll about paper receipts.

And please do make that coffee extra hot, but hold sugar and the thermal paper.

Post courtesy of EcoPlum of New York, NY, a GOLD GenGreen Certified member of GenGreen Life

What’s the BIG DEAL? Buy 1 Get 1 Free on Envirosax Reusable Bags

gengreen — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:58:22 +0000

Buy 1 Get 1 Free on Envirosax Reusable Bags!

An Envirosax Graphic Series bag is 19.5″ by 16.5″, and folds up to the size of a piece of sushi, 4″ by 1.5″ diameter. It weighs in at just 1.4oz. An Envirosax can quite comfortably hold two plastic grocery bags of shopping, and has been tested to hold at least 44lbs. Envirosax are made from polyester which is a plastic.

Only at The BigGreenDeal.com