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Digital printing for a green poster campaign

February 7th, 2012

If you’re running a poster campaign, you might have considered the impact it will have on the environment. Digital printing is a great way to decrease your footprint, but there are a few other principles to think about beyond that.

Any form of paper-based marketing is going to have a potential environmental impact – something that the green business will want to offset in various ways. Digital printing has several advantages in this respect, so long as you choose the right supplier. Here are five ways to keep your poster campaign as green as possible:

1. Digital printing vs. economies of scale

Conventional printing is typically set up for large volumes. This is fine if you want to print thousands of posters, but not so great if you want a limited print run. It is expensive on this scale because the plates take time to put together. By comparison, digital printing allows you to print small volumes economically. This means you are less likely to over-order due to price breaks for larger runs, and less paper will be wasted.

2. Eliminate unnecessary proofs

Digital printing also allows you to avoid the proofs stage as posters can be viewed electronically instead. The limited print runs also mean that mistakes can be corrected easily without pulping large quantities of stock. The upshot of this is that digital printing allows you to refine your concept as you go along. Instead of developing an idea in-house and staking everything on a large poster run, you can approach your marketing more organically, printing smaller runs and evolving your ideas as you go – finding out what works in the real world and building on that.

3. Conventional vs. digital printing processes

There are different kinds of digital printing, as there are different forms of conventional printing. Laser printing and ink jet are two forms. However, the inks used in these processes are significantly different. The inks found in traditional printing methods are frequently petroleum based, which leach volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere. They also use other chemicals to prepare the plates, as well as large quantities of water. Digital printing usually avoids most of these problems, though you should check your print company’s environmental credentials to make sure.

4. Recycling and energy policy

The environmental footprint of your poster campaign goes far beyond the printing methods and the waste at your end. Check with the digital print company what their energy and recycling policies are. It doesn’t make sense if you’re trying to reduce your carbon footprint and you hire a company that counters your efforts. Find out whether they have a commitment to low energy use, and what happens to their waste paper (which there will always be in any printing business). Green printing should be part of a wider policy towards the environment, not just a gimmick to attract environmentally-minded customers. On your end, estimate as accurately as possible how many posters you will need to avoid waste, and recycle any you don’t need.

5. Pick a standard size

Most digital printing companies offer products in a wide range of shapes and sizes. However, unless there is good reason not to, you should generally choose something that is a standard size. There are two reasons for this: one is simply that these tend to be most pleasing to the eye, since the ratio of height to width have been carefully calculated. The other is that non-standard sizes entail more waste, since the printing company won’t routinely produce them. They will be more used to dealing with standard sizes, and sticking to these will keep waste to a minimum.

Conclusion

Digital printing is a greener alternative to traditional print methods, but there are still several caveats to consider when placing an order for your poster campaign.

 

This article was supplied by printed.com, suppliers of unbeatable quality digital printing, and a Forest Stewardship Council accredited company.

 (Image by net_efekt, CC by 2.0, via Flickr)

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Posted in Recycling, Responsible Industry

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How to make 2012 your greenest year yet

January 24th, 2012

Governments hold climate talks, yet make no real promises to commit to anything. It is up to you to change things for the better, to ensure a greener and healthier environment for future generations.

Here are a few ways you can do that:

1.     Recycling

The simple act of recycling your trash is one of the single most effective things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. All you need to do is to sort your trash into different categories, namely paper, plastic, tin and glass. Don’t throw away any food items. Create your own compost heap at home and throw any garden waste and food items on it. Hey, it’s free garden fertilizer.

The city of Cape Town has 20 recycling centres across the city. You can drop off any recyclable material at any of the places listed on their website: http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/solidwaste/Pages/ReduceReuseRecycle.aspx

2.     Turn off all lights and electronics

Turning off your lights when not using them will not only help reduce your carbon footprint, but will also save you a bunch of money. The easiest way to do this is to switch off the light as soon as you leave the room and back on only when you need it.

Make sure you switch on electronic equipment only when you are using it, even energy efficient electronics use quite a lot of power. And all electronics still use power in standby mode.

Remember to turn off your TV and lights when going to bed; you will be surprised at how much more peacefully you sleep.

3.     Switch to CFL bulbs

They may be a bit more expensive than ordinary bulbs, but they will save you a lot of money in the long run. Firstly, they use less power, so your electricity bill will lessen. Secondly, they last longer, so you don’t need to replace them as often. Some CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) bulbs even have a day-night sensor, so it switches itself on when you need it. Clever, hey!

4.     Don’t use what you don’t need

Some of the biggest users of electricity in your home are the stuff you don’t really need.  The biggest one is your tumble dryer. One cycle of your tumble dryer can use as much as 5000 watts of power. So, as an alternative, hang your clothes on a clothesline. Trust me, you’ll be thankful for how much you save.

5.     Car pool

Travelling between work and back every day causes massive amounts of carbon dioxide to be released into the air every day. You can help reduce your carbon footprint by travelling to work and back with a colleague. This will cut your fuel costs in half and help save the environment.

Please remember, it’s the little things you do that make the biggest difference. So go out and help save our most beautiful planet.

(This a post by our intern Kristian Meijer)

(Image by lydiashiningbrightly, CC by 2.0, via Flickr)

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Posted in Energy, Green Living, Plastic, Recycling

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5 steps to greening your job

December 21st, 2011

It is not only about thinking green, it is about acting green on an everyday basis. It is everyone’s responsibility to contribute to reversing the negative effects on our environment. There are many little things we can do at home and work to save energy and reduce pollution. Read on about how you can take these steps at work.

1.     Recycle E-waste

Try to avoid throwing electronic items in the trash; even cosmetics contain harmful chemicals which poison the environment. Give your e-waste to someone who can recycle it. Try to use your own coffee mug in the office instead of paper or Styrofoam ones.

2.     Paper vs. Virtual

One of the best ways to be eco-friendly is to use less paper. If you have a computer there is no reason to be wasting paper. You can practice being environmentally friendly by taking notes on your computer instead of writing them on paper. You can also go one step further than printing double-sided; if you preview the page before hitting print you have the option of fitting more content onto one piece of paper by changing font sizes or getting rid of empty spaces.

3.     Commute with others

Car pooling is the perfect way to emit carbon while saving money at the same time. Try to accommodate the people who have the same route as you by using a single vehicle. You can even take turns car pooling. An even better option is to ride your bicycle or use public transportation if you can.

4.     End phantom energy

The population pays millions in extra money each year for unnecessary energy drawn from electronic devices. Turn off your computer when you are not going to use it for a while, and encourage your co-workers to do the same. The monitor alone uses 90% of the power used for running the machine, so if you don’t turn off your computer then at least turn off the monitor.

It is also a good idea to switch off the main plug because that wastes energy too. Try to use LCD monitors as they only use a fraction of the energy that CRT screens use.

5.     Use recycled paper

Save the forests and make a habit of using recycled paper. Print your business cards on recycled paper, only use paper when necessary and print double-sided. You can even get eco-friendly printers that you can use in the office.

Everyone can take these small initiatives to make the world eco-friendly. If you incorporate them into your every day routine then practicing them won’t be a burden anymore.

(Post by Ivelina Dineva)

(Image by ambrozjo, via stock.xchng)

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Posted in Climate Control, Environment, Recycling, Responsible Industry

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How to Recycle an old pair of jeans

November 8th, 2011

Who hasn’t grown up with jeans and do you know anyone who doesn’t have their favorite pair? They may become paint splattered, grass stained, torn at the knees or too small, but there is still wear in them right? Styles come and go, names do too, but you may not want to throw out that old pair of jeans just yet, not when there are literally hundreds of ways to reuse them. You think I am kidding, type recycled jeans into your browser, click on images and you will be amazed!

Jeans have been around for a long time. The word jeans come from a type of fabric used in Europe. The term denim is probably French coming from a material “serge de Nimes”; serge being the material and Nimes a French town. During the 18th century it was worn by slaves and tradespeople, generally made from cotton and worn for its strength and durability. The fabric was dyed with indigo which came from plants in America and India.

In the 19th century Leob Strauss, who you know as Levi Strauss, saw the need for stronger jeans for the gold miners during the Gold Rush, so he created the line of Levi Strauss and opened his wholesale business. He soon had a thriving business.

Jeans were so strong that they became the work wear of choice but they did have one drawback, the pockets. Jacob Davis saw the need to reinforce the pockets and invented rivets, selling the patent to Strauss in 1872, as he did not have the money for the patent. Then, in 1886, Strauss added his famous leather label depicting a picture of two horses playing tug of war with a pair of jeans. He wanted to tell the buyer that his jeans were so strong a pair of horses couldn’t pull them apart.

In the 1930s, Westerns helped to make the jeans even more popular. In an attempt to be authentic, the actors would wear jeans in the cowboy shows so the Americans who lived in the east and vacationed on “dude ranches” would make it a point to grab a pair to bring back home and soon our country was infiltrated with jeans. Jeans have made many changes through the years and you can make a few to your jeans yourself.

Recycling Jeans

You can sand them by using a fine grade sand paper and lightly going over them in areas to create a softer shaded pattern perhaps on the thighs. You can embellish them with studs or rhinestones around the pockets, hems or outer seams. You paint on them, add embroidery or patches; trim them to make capris or shorts. Maybe you would prefer to wear them as a skirt? Remove the inner seam and trim the crotch area down, now close the seam back up creating a jean skirt. Do not throw away the crotch!

Chops the legs off and make a cover for your throw pillows for a more casual air or a teen’s room. Add patches for the favorite team or peace signs. Hint: Adding the patches before you stuff the pillow is easier.

Now that you have chopped the legs off, you have jeans shorts, or cut them off even shorter and make a tote, clothes pin bag, or a purse. Take the left over fabric, tear it in strips and use some for your purse strap and the rest for braiding a rug for that teenager’s room.

Jeans are created in so many colors and textures now that the choices are as limitless as your imagination. Even if you cannot find the color you want, you can dye them and while you are at it, dye your favorite shirt to match them so you can have an outfit.

So before you decide to toss out that old pair of jeans, think again, there may definitely be some life left in them!

Marina Chernyak is the co-owner of 1001Shops LLC, an online store of fine imported products like wall clock, nesting dolls, vanity mirrors and lot more.

 

(Images: denim skirt and bag supplied by author.

Jeans: by Juanmak (from de:Bild:Jeans.jpg) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)

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Top Ways to Recycle E-Waste

October 5th, 2011

Lead. Mercury. Cadmium. Sulfur. PCBs. Mercury. No, it’s not another list of things you never realized were in cigarettes — it’s just a few of the toxins found inside common household electronics. However, much like cigarettes, these toxins can end up in your body, wreaking havoc thanks to the millions of discarded items that are thrown away alongside common household trash.

Remember where your normal trash goes. Option A is an incinerator, in which case the chemicals and toxins listed above will end up in the air you breathe. Option B is a landfill, where the chemicals will seep into the ground and infect the water you drink. Don’t feel like breathing or drinking mercury? Then it’s important to recycle your e-waste (the practice commonly referred to as “e-cycling”).

Here are some of the top ways to e-cycle your unwanted electronics.

Option 1: Freecycling

Does the item still work, even only partially? Might it have parts that can be re-used by someone else? Consider donating it via either a donation center (Salvation Army, Savers, etc.) or a freecylcing network. Freecycling networks are groups that give away used goods to extend the item’s lifespan and keep it out of a landfill.

You can find a local group by searching for “freecycle [your area name]” (there is no single common site, and many freecyclers form groups through major web hubs like Yahoo Groups or web forums). Alternatively, in areas where freecycling isn’t a possibility, you can list the item on a classified site like Craigslist in the “free” section.

Option 2: Government Programs

While it’s sadly uncommon, some areas have a government program to recycle non-functioning electronic goods. To find out if your area is among the elite few, give your local public works a call. Further, select items can be recycled through the U.S. Postal Service free of charge, including cell phones, digital cameras, and ink cartridges.

Option 3: Chain Store Recycling

Many chain stores have invested in e-cycling programs. Locations that have some e-cycling options include IKEA, Apple, Dell, Office Depot, Staples, and Best Buy. Each location only recycles select goods, but the majority will do the recycling free of charge.

Some locations do require that you either purchase something else from their store (as is the case with Apple for bigger recycling projects, such as computer monitors) or pay a small fee (such as with Staples, who charges you for a box, which you can then fill to overflowing with your unwanted, toxin-filled devices).

Option 4: Smaller Programs

There are plenty of smaller programs, too. Tracking them down isn’t too difficult, either, thanks to online services such as E-Cycling Central, Earth 911, Call 2 Recycle, the National Recycling Coalition, and the Electronic Waste Database. Each of these services will help you find e-cycling programs that meet your needs, but it should be noted that some are area exclusive.

When it’s time to say goodbye to your electronic goods, don’t just toss the device in the trash. It’s easy to send it to an appropriate end, and no one here wants to drink your cadmium.

Jessy is a stay-at-home mom blogging on sustainability for Creditc Card Finder, the free online debt consolidation tool.

(Image supplied by author)

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Surf boards made from rubbish

March 23rd, 2011

Cape Town is home to a dedicated community of laid-back surfers. There are favourite surf spots all around the coast, including Muizenberg, Scarborough, Kommetjie and Kalk Bay. Wouldn’t it be great then if we could get hold of surfboards made from recycled goods? Maybe we can.

Kevin Cunningham, a surfer and founder of Spirare Surfboards, spent time at the beach and became frustrated with the amount of waste washing up on shore. With no option but to take action Cunningham decided to do something about it.

Team Treehugger reports that Cunningham’s project, Spirare Sustainable Surf Craft, is his way of taking back the ocean by creating boards out of the trash that pollutes the waters. As Team Treehugger points out, it’s a great example of the combination of market and product. The board design and creation is an innovative step in the surfing lifestyle. The use of alternative materials in itself is a wonderful idea; the fact that the materials come from the very waters on which the boards are supposed to be used is pretty poetic.

Each board is a unique piece of art and the idea is that they will emphasise the move towards sustainable construction and green design. When asked about the boards Cunningham replies, “It is a dichotomy between natural and unnatural. Natural materials form my surfboards; conversely, fragments of man-made debris such as plastic and glass are recycled and reused in the skin of the surfboard. Plastic bags woven into a strengthening cloth, plastic bottles cut up and reassembled into fins, and many other possibilities to be explored.”

The official site displays the various boards available. You can get any shape including a longboard, semigun, step up quad, swallow tail shortboard and twin keel fish. The boards are made from a variety of materials such as EPS foam and wood. The more boards Cunningham makes the cleaner our oceans will become so it’d be a pity if he couldn’t continue his work.

Currently he is looking for financial support. To that end he started the kickstarter campaign which asks people to donate whatever amount they can afford. Cunningham hopes to reach the $3,500 mark by mid-April. If you pledge $2,000 you’ll get one of his specially-made boards.

It seems a worthy idea to back, and with the numerable surfing communities scattered along coastlines throughout the world these boards could prove the most eco-friendly way to hang ten.

Image via Stock.xchng.

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Eco-friendly Insulation

February 21st, 2011

Your home needs insulation no matter where in the world you live. Insulation keeps houses warm in winter and cool in summer, which saves you money and immeasurable discomfort. In the old days (more than 20 years ago) most insulation was made out of fibreglass and may even have contained a proportion of asbestos. It was effective but wasn’t exactly healthy. In these more enlightened days we have a wide range of insulation materials to choose from and most of them give at least a passing nod to the environment.

There is a school of thought that believes all effective insulation is eco-friendly to a degree. This is because no matter what material you use, insulation saves energy. According to some estimates insulation can reduce your energy bills by up to 13%.

Truly eco-friendly insulation comes in a number of forms, each suited to different needs and different budgets.

Green Living Tips provides the following examples:

  • Recycled cellulose fibre, which is made from paper products. It can be expensive but is very effective. It’s also one of the most eco-friendly options available.
  • Recycled denim is made from denim and cotton waste. It’s easy to handle and affordable.
  • Soy insulation is long-lasting and easy to use. All you have to do is spray it where you need it and let it expand and harden.
  • Sheep’s wool insulation is the most expensive option but it has a number of advantages that give it good value for money: It’s naturally flame resistant, doesn’t require much energy to produce, is long-lasting and moisture resistant and deadens sound.

Depending on how far your ethics go, however, sheep’s wool might not be for you. Several animal rights organisations are against the use of wool in any context because of inhumane farming practices. In particular they are against mulesing. According to PETA, mulesing is when farmers cut out chunks of lambs’ skin (near their tails) to prevent “flystrike”, which is when flies and maggots thrive in folds in the skin. The thing is, mulesing doesn’t necessarily prevent flystrike and can actually cause it. Furthermore, the skin is usually cut off without any painkillers or anaesthetic and causes terrible pain. There are more humane ways to prevent flystrike; they just take a little more effort, such as changing diet, regular washing and specialist breeding.

On BrightHub, B. Stone provides a few additional examples of environmentally-friendly insulation:

  • Plastic fiber insulation, which is mostly made from recycled plastic milk bottles.
  • Formaldehyde-free fiberglass.
  • Rockwool insulation, which is made from recycled steel by-products mixed with basalt rock.

You can even, if you so choose, build a house made of straw. Straw has excellent insulation properties and is extremely cost-effective. Just make sure you don’t build it anywhere near wolves.

When it comes to living a greener, more environmentally-aware life you don’t have to spend a lot of money to save a lot of money. Ensuring that your home is properly insulated with some eco-friendly material is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to kick off your green lifestyle.

(image by Colin Rose (originally posted to Flickr as Straw Bale House), via Wikimedia Commons)

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Posted in Eco-friendly Products, Green Living, Informative, Recycling, reuse

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Recyclable milk cartons

February 14th, 2011

The world is divided into those who strive to live a healthy, eco-friendly life, and those who just don’t care. In your every day life you’d be surprised to know how much plastic you consume, for example, water and juice bottles, the packaging that keeps your produce fresh, the carrier bags, and the little “spoons” used to stir your coffee. Most people are unaware of the devastating effect they have on the environment just by being oblivious.

But there are those out there who work towards a greener world, who put their expertise and passion to use in coming up with environmentally-friendly products and ways of living. And that’s exactly what Martin Myerscough, an English inventor, has done. He designed a milk carton that might save tonnes of plastic going straight to the dump.

TreeHugger.com reports that a plastic bottle can take over five hundred years to decompose, but hopefully Myerscough’s new paper-mache milk carton will alleviate the rubbish dumps, even if it’s just a little.

The bottle itself looks like any other professionally produced product-packaging with smooth edges and an aesthetic design. It is made out of papier-mâché and has a recycled plastic lining on the inside which helps keep the milk fresh. The green bottle can be recycled, the exterior is biodegradable and compostable and the inner plastic can be recycled with all other recyclable plastics.

Judy Molland of the Care2 website reports that in an independent analysis of the green bottle’s lifecycle it was determined that the wonder packaging has a 48% lower carbon footprint than most average milk bottles. And people seem to love the idea. A local dairy in Suffolk, Marybelle, decided to take on the eco-friendly containers. The director of the farm, James Strachan, told the Daily Mail that the “GreenBottle system is the single biggest leap forward in dairy manufacturing technology in years.”

The popular shopping chain Asda decided to take on 250 units which they sold out every day. It’s great to see a company, big or small, strive to support such a green venture, and even better when it becomes so successful so quickly.

The cartons are currently made in Turkey, which is not ideal as the fuel used to export the materials and then import the final product is a problem. However, the idea is a novel yet legitimate one.

Molland also points out an interesting perspective; a green packaging system is a great idea, but recycling is still energy-intensive, what about the older system of using glass bottles? The GreenBottle is a wonderful display of an individual’s passion about saving the planet one bit at a time, but perhaps the milkmen of years ago had a point.

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New process could recycle 100% of Christmas plastic packaging

December 20th, 2010

The festive season is a time where people enjoy the presents, decorations and indulgent foods. Sadly Christmas time also means piles of plastic being dumped after the presents have been unwrapped. You might think you don’t really add to the pile but the small bits of plastic on the rolls of wrapping paper, keeping the meat packaged and being riped off your child’s new toy car all add up.

Science Daily reported that each American uses an average of 120 grams of plastic wrapping on gifts, most of which are not recyclable.

But there is some light at the end of the tunnel-of-plastic: a new processing technique will be able to recycle any type of plastic. Researchers at the University of Warwick have calculated a way to deal with 100% of plastics.

The university reported that its researchers have created a unit which uses a technique involving heat in the absence of oxygen to decompose materials, otherwise known as pyrolysis. Researchers have shoveled a wide range of plastics into the “fluidised bed” reactor of the unit, which can be reduced.

The process can reclaim wax, original monomers, terephthalic acid, methylmetacrylate, carbon, tires and char from the plastic. This simple process could mean more effective, cheaper and even profitable recycling methods.

Lead researcher, Jan Baeyens, and her team envision large-scale plants capable of dealing with 10,000 tons of plastic annually. They think the plant could possibly generate up to £5 million ($7.8 million) worth of reclaimed chemicals.

Up until now it has been unheard of to deal with mixed plastics in one process. If the technology works out it would mean a big step forward in recycling and would prove beneficial to landfills and the environment. People will be able to put most of their plastics into their recycling bin instead of sending their plastic waste to clutter up the dumps.

You can watch a video about the process at University of Warwick’s website.

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Recycled pot plants

November 29th, 2010

Before you throw away your old paint cans or coffee tins, think about what you can do with them. With a bit of time, energy and creativity you can turn old, unwanted containers into attractive (and cheap) holders that can be hung in your garden or placed along a pathway with some of your favourite plants in them.

You will need:

Paint or coffee cans

Rust-Oleum painters touch spray paint

Masking tape and/or stickers for lettering/decorating

A hammer and some nails

Hooks for fence (if you want to hang your pot plants up)

Step 1:

Clean the tins of any dirt and labels – make sure you scrape off all the glue. Spray paint the tins with your colour of choice and allow them to dry for about two to three hours.

Step 2:

Use your masking tape to apply the design you would like to use. You can apply the masking tape in a striped pattern, or use the masking tape to create words on your tins. Now you can apply your second colour of choice. Leave the tins to dry thoroughly and then gently and slowly remove the masking tape.

Step 3:

If you would like a third colour/pattern add it now. You could add the stripes and words in different colours if you’d like. When you have applied the second masking tape design and have spray painted the tins, allow them to dry thoroughly before removing the masking tape slowly.

Step 4:

Use the hammer and nails to puncture holes in the bottom of your tins. This will act as the drainage systems so that your plants don’t drown when you water them.

Step 5: If you want to hang your newly made pot plant holders on your fence, screw the hooks in and place the pot plant holders onto them.

Step 6:

Before you plant your plants, add some gravel to the bottom of the tins and some potting soil. Plant your favourite blooms or herbs and wait for them to blossom.

Tip: Use outdoor spray paint to ensure your pot plants can withstand any season.

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