Reduce Junk Mail and Help the Environment

Posted on January 25, 2012 by eWasteDirect

Reduce Junk MailDid you know that junk mail kills 2.6 million trees every year?*

Here are three easy ways to reduce your “snail mail,” save trees and keep junk mail out of landfills:

Pay Bills Online

Are you receiving your bills in the mail? What happens when you open them? Most of us just want to see the amount and we pay the bill online anyway. How about getting your bills delivered to your email inbox?

Many utility companies and credit card companies have the option of paperless billing. You will get an email reminder each month that your bill is due and a link to the site to pay your bill. The landfills don’t need your bills to fill them up.

 

Online Banking

Sign up for electronic statements. This works best for two reasons. One, you avoid having to shred statements each month; and two, you can store them on your hard drive, USB drive, or back them up online for security reasons. You eliminate the paper clutter and you avoid the dangers of identity theft from someone sifting through your garbage.

 

National “Do Not Mail” Mailing List

Stop unwanted advertising mail being delivered to your home is getting your name off the mailing lists. To register on DirectMail.com’s National Do Not Mail List, start by filling out their form. >>

 

These easy steps can reduce waste, save trees and create a more productive & clutter-free business and home!

 

*Junk Mail Statistics

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Sprint Encourages Manufacturers to Improve Repairability and Recyclability of Phones

Posted on January 11, 2012 by eWasteDirect

Photo: Sprint

Sprint announced that it will require all new phones to go through third-party testing to improve repairability, recyclability and energy efficiency.

The testing criteria for materials used, energy efficiency, sustainability and performance are developed by UL Environment, a product certification firm. Sprint is encouraging phone manufacturers to increase their use of modular design, which will improve both the repairability and recyclability of devices, to meet the testing criteria.

Sprint will also improve the its phones’ packaging by decreasing packaging material, eliminating plastic laminate, printing with vegetable-based or low-VOC (violate organic compound) inks, using water-based and/or eco-friendly adhesives, and using recycled fiber and post-consumer waste.

Read more about Sprint’s 2012 sustainability initiatives, visit the company’s corporate responsibility page or follow @SprintGreenNews on Twitter.

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European E-Waste Shipped to Ghana

Posted on November 23, 2011 by eWasteDirect

A new report from makeITfair reveals the effect of unregulated e-waste shipment from Europe to Ghana. Around 600 containers of second-hand electronics arrive in Ghana ever month.

Unfortunately Ghana, like many underdeveloped countries, have no adequate infrastructure to deal with the hazardous waste. Most of it is obsolete and ends up being burned at dump-sites causing pollution and health problems.

 

 

The makeITfair project, the Basel Action Network (BAN), the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and the GoodElectronics Network called on the Environmental Council of the European Union to ensure that the current e-waste legislation, the WEEE Directive, is revised to stop these harmful practices.

 

Source: European e-waste damages health and environment in Ghana

Report: What a Waste

 

 

 

As an approved Collector for the state of California, eWaste Direct is passionate about protecting the environment. eWaste Direct recycles electronics at only California-approved facilities.

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MIT’s Backtalk Project Traces Discarded Electronics

Posted on November 2, 2011 by eWasteDirect

MIT researchers who have been studying the fate of used and discarded electronics will unveiled some of the results of their work in a series of real time visualizations at an exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The researchers used GPS tracking devices and built-in webcams to trace where things like cellphones, batteries and printer cartridges end up after being discarded.

 

 

 

As an approved Collector for the state of California, eWaste Direct recycles electronics only within the state of California and at state-approved recycling facilities.

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California Sustainability Resources

Posted on October 26, 2011 by eWasteDirect

Sustainability supports ways to protect our natural resources in our everyday lives at home and in business.

Below are recommended sites for more information on sustainability practices in California.

  • The California Sustainability Alliance (the Alliance) is designed to help meet the State’s aggressive energy, climate and other resource and environmental goals by increasing and accelerating energy efficiency in combination with complementary green measures and strategies.

     

  •  The California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating change for a clean energy future.

     

  • Green California is your gateway to the latest information about how the state of California is working to reduce energy and resource consumption in state buildings, while lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and creating healthier environments in which to work, live and learn.

     

  • The California Student Sustainability Coalition unites, connects, supports, and empowers students from across California to transform their educational institutions and communities into models of ecological, economic, and social sustainability.

     

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The Benefits of Green Energy

Posted on October 19, 2011 by eWasteDirect

Solar Panels & Green EnergyThe benefits of green energy are vast. Initially you may think about two primary environmental benefits. They include no waste or pollution from the energy sources or emissions.

Eliminating harmful emissions would drastically improve our planet’s outlook and virtually eliminate global warming caused by greenhouse gasses.  Additionally, green energy means no more destruction of the earth as we harvest fossil fuels.

However, beyond the immediate and apparent environmental benefits, in the long run green energy is significantly more cost effective.

Imagine if your entire building ran on energy from the sun? How much a month would that save you in air conditioning and heating your office and in your electric bill?

Over the course of a year you can save a thousand dollars or more? And imaging the amount saved over the course of ten years.  Yes, initially it will cost to transfer your energy source from fossil fuels to green energy sources, but that initial expense is usually paid for within a few years.

Green energy is infinitely sustainable and economically sound. That’s why it is the wave of the future.

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Creating Your Organic Garden

Posted on October 12, 2011 by eWasteDirect

After preparing the soil for your organic garden, the next step is to choose what plants you want to grow. Consider what you and your family prefer to eat, plus what grows well in your area.

In addition to what you’re going to grow, decide if you want to purchase plants or start your garden from seeds. If you start early enough in the season, you can use seeds. If not, you can purchase organic plants from your local nursery.

Regardless of what you choose, seeds or plants, make sure they’re grown without chemicals.

Next, you’ll want to plan and organize your garden. Did you know some plants naturally protect other plants from disease and pests? For example, marigolds keep bugs away and if you plant them around the perimeter of your garden, they’ll help protect your herbs, greens and veggies.

Mark where you’re going to plant them before transferring your plants into your garden. Make sure there is plenty of room between plants so they have room to grow and thrive. A tiny tomato plant can grow several feet high and several feet wide. Be sure to leave plenty of room for your beautiful, budding garden.

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What is Green Energy?

Posted on October 5, 2011 by eWasteDirect

Green energy is energy that produces little, if no, by-products that harm the environment. For example, fossil fuels like oil are expensive to mine, destructive to the environment during the actual drilling process and produce many toxic by-products that pollute our environment.

Solar, wind, and geothermal are types of green energy and they do not cause destruction to the environment either during their harvesting stage or as a by-product. When you use solar cells for example to store and create energy, you’re using energy directly from the sun. There’s no by-product and no waste created.

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Getting Started with Organic Gardening

Posted on September 28, 2011 by eWasteDirect

Growing your own herbs, vegetables, greens and fruit can be both incredibly rewarding and delicious. However, some home gardeners rely on pesticides, herbicides and fungicides not to mention chemical fertilizers to help their garden grow.

That’s not only unnecessary, it’s also unhealthy and harmful to the environment. All those nutritious veggies pack a much healthier punch without harmful chemicals.

Here are two tips to prepare your yard for an organic garden.

Prepare your soil.

Because your soil is the foundation of your garden, it is important to make sure it’s full of the right nutrients to feed your garden. Mix in organic material like compost or humus and consider having your soil tested. The proper soil conditions can make the difference between a sparse crop and award winning vegetables.

 

Natural pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.

It’s been said that home gardeners generally use more chemicals on their gardens than farmers do. That’s a lot of chemicals! Interestingly enough, mild detergent and water protect many plants from harmful pests. Hot pepper sprays also work to fend off pests. And natural predators like frogs and ladybugs can keep your garden healthy and full.

 

Getting started with organic gardening is easy when starting with a healthy foundation.

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Going Green with The Flip Of A Switch

Posted on September 23, 2011 by eWasteDirect

San Ramon Computer RecyclerIf you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: “Turn the lights off when you leave the room!” It sounds so cliché, but it really does save you money on your electric bills.

If you aren’t careful, electric bills can get out of control. One of the main ways that we waste precious energy is with lighting. Everyone has to be able to see where they are going, but is there a way to light your path that is eco-friendly?

 

Compact Florescent Lighting

You’ve probably seen compact fluorescent light bulbs through the years. Up until recently, CFLs were those weird coiled bulbs. You probably “re-coiled” (pardon the pun) a little at the thought of putting those things in your pretty lamps.

Recently, these same CFLs have been transformed into a more recognizable light bulb shape that will fit most any fixture. The advantage of CFLs is that they last longer, don’t give off any heat, and use less energy. The initial expense is offset by the fact that the bulbs will last for years. You aren’t replacing them nearly as often as a regular light bulb.

There are even CFLs in yellow as bug lights. In the summer it’s nice to sit on the porch in the evening but you don’t want to end up as the main course for a bunch of hungry insects. These bug lights are powerful and give you hours of bug-free enjoyment along with being quite energy efficient.

 

Motion-Detecting Lights

When someone is out late at night, you leave the outside light on for them so when they come home they have a bright path. Having that light on for hours is costing money. You must admit there are many times when that light is forgotten and left on all night. The solution? Install motion-detecting lighting.

Adding motion-detecting flood lights to the corner of your home is well worth the effort. When someone approaches, the lights come on. Once all motion has ceased, they go off again. You get lighting only when you need it, instead of wasting energy leaving a light on for hours and hours.

You know that little cartoon “light bulb” that hovers over a character’s head illustrating that they got a “bright” idea? Has your light bulb gone on yet? Use these bright ideas to reduce your energy bill and conserve our earth’s precious resources at the same time.

 

Joe and Angie Nelson are ecopreneurs and proud owners of eWaste Direct. Founded on Earth Day 2008, eWaste Direct was created to divert electronic waste from landfills by offering San Ramon and other San Francisco Bay Area drop off locations and free pick up service for residential and business customers.

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