The public inside the United States has made it obvious that they would like to preserve the environment in sensible ways. Gone are the days when this would have appeared like a trifle because today the research exists to show us that Earth’s environment is definitely negatively effected by many of the worldwide economic activities we participate in. Located in the state of Maryland, The Washington Post (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/maryland/maryland-highway-officials-hav.html) reports how the area authorities have decided to go green with public restrooms, incorporating better design such as floors heated by geothermal means plus much more ecologically aware way of lighting, as well.

In combination with what government is bringing about, consumers are making ecologically friendly decisions on their own – even over the holidays. A current commentary by Benjamin Rothfeder of the Half Moon Bay Patch (http://halfmoonbay.patch.com/articles/tips-for-an-eco-friendly-christmas-tree) demonstrates how many people are celebrating Christmas with live, renewable Christmas trees instead of plastic trees. This just goes to show that when given an opportunity, consumers want to do the proper thing and avoid damaging environmental pollutants such as petroleum based plastics that can take so many years to break down inside the average landfill.

Even large business operations such as financial institutions are getting into the eco friendly act. In Rockville, Maryland, the PR Newswire (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mt-bank-opens-new-eco-friendly-branch-in-rockville-111800764.html) reports that regional M&T Bank is doing what it is able to to design ecologically sound banks that consumers will certainly prefer. By trying to adhere to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design principles established from the United States government, this bank is only one of numerous modern buildings that are being constructed with reduced energy usage in mind.

For your own company, getting with the green times is easier than you would possibly believe. With wholesale reusable bags being so easy for many businesses to offer, it is possible to showcase your cooperation for environmentally sound routines in a simple, cost effective manner. The green custom bags that bear a business logo could be a great conversation topic for patrons, explaining how your business cares about the ecosystem and is doing what it can in promoting sound practices. These along with other eco promotional items are an extremely smart idea for the company that wants to take advantage of consumer appreciation for the environment.

As you can see, companies all over are taking steps to create a better world and consumers have a strong interest in what they are doing. At all levels, people are becoming more aware and better attuned to sensible solutions for environmentally sound economics.

Getting recycled grocery bags is easy, and so is using them. Overall, they’re great to have around, but there are some issues that you’ll need to consider. One of those is health. If you’re reusing bags, you’re putting things into them, taking them out, and putting other things in the next time. The germs from one using can hang around until the next using, which can put some people at risk. In other words, if you use the bag to carry uncooked meat home, and then use it on your next shopping trip to carry produce home, you could contaminate that produce accidentally.

You don’t want that kind of thing to happen, of course, so bags should be cleaned frequently. It’s also a good idea to have separate bags that you use for certain things, so that the risk of cross-contamination is lessened. It can be a little bit less convenient remembering what bag is for what kinds of items and making sure that your groceries get packed correctly, but food poisoning would be even more inconvenient. Don’t take that chance when you can easily avoid it. You can label the bags that you use, or get them in different colors – green for produce, red for meat, etc. Use whatever color combination or other system works for you.

There are many pros to eco friendly reusable shopping bags. As long as you’re careful with the cleanliness of them, you can use them for a long time without needing to buy more. You’ll be keeping disposable bags out of the landfills, and you’ll be saving your grocery store money, too, which can help keep prices down. That’s good news for you, and for everyone else who shops there. Plastic bags are a major expense for stores that use them, because they go through so many each and every day. When fewer of them are used, everyone wins – including Mother Earth.

Even though they’re designed to be thrown away, though, you can help out the environment by recycling them instead. Don’t assume that you can’t recycle them. You can put them in with the plastic that you recycle on your regular rounds, or you can put them in the recycling bins that a lot of the larger stores have created just for that purpose. Some people also reuse them for trash, cat litter, yard debris, and other things, so the bags get used again. If they’re used that way, though, the ultimately get thrown in the garbage – which isn’t helping the planet out in any way.

It’s much better to actually recycle the bags properly, so that they can stay out of landfills. Plastic takes many years to biodegrade, and the more bags show up in the landfills the more the planet struggles. Even if you’re not that interested in starting up a recycling regimen for the plastic, glass, and paper that you use every day, you can still pay close attention to the bags that you’re handed when you shop. When you get home, pile all the bags up and stuff them into one bag. Put them back in the car, and drop them off the next time you go shopping.

That way it won’t be inconvenient for you, you won’t have to go someplace special to turn the bags in, and you won’t have bags accumulating everywhere. Many people don’t recycle because they don’t want the hassle, but making sure that plastic bags get recycled doesn’t have to be difficult. Another excellent option for reducing plastic bag waste is by using reusable green bags otherwise known as eco friendly reusable shopping bags. These convenient items can go a long way. You can make it very simple and easy to handle, and you can get your family involved so you don’t feel like you’re the only one who’s dealing with the work of making sure plastic bags find their way into the hands of those who will recycle them.

The Environmental Literacy Council does a great job of explaining the negative effects of both plastic and paper disposable bags at EnviroLiteracy.Org.  Let’s start with the environmental impact of manufacturing plastic and paper bags in the first place.  Plastic bags are produced using oil, and so the environmental consequences of production includes everything from extracting the oil, to the separation of products in the refining process, to the plastic manufacturing process, and the energy used and emissions created to distribute the bags to retailers.  So in reality, the production of plastic bags (caused by our demand as consumers) is a contributing factor to our dependence on oil.  Paper bags, are of course made from trees and contribute to worldwide deforestation and reduction of habitats all over the earth.  Also, the amount of energy used to manufacture and distribute paper bags and the carbon emissions created even exceeds that of plastic bags.  The truth is that neither paper nor plastic bags are a healthy product for our environment, especially compared to eco friendly reusable shopping bags.

Of course, as you likely know, another major issue with disposable bags is the widespread pollution and litter problem, especially associated with plastic bags.  Plastic bags have evolved to become the “modern tumbleweed”.  They show up everywhere and often end up in ponds, streams, rivers, lakes and in the ocean.  While researching this article I came across some startling information at 5gyres.Org, which educates people regarding the 5 gyres in our world’s oceans.  Here’s an excerpt:  “At sea floating plastics are swept up into slow moving currents.  These currents are called ‘gyres’.  Our Oceans are dynamic systems…. made up of complex networks of currents… Large systems of these currents, coupled with wind and the earth’s rotation, create ‘gyres’, massive, slow rotating whirlpools in which plastic trash can accumulate.”  The most famous of these is the North Pacific Gyre, which has also been called the “great pacific garbage patch”, has been researched the most and is an accumulation of trash and plastic estimated by many to be twice the size of Texas.  What most people don’t know is that there are actually 5 gyres spread throughout our world’s oceans where trash, and especially plastic is accumulating at a fast rate.  One of the scariest parts about all this is that marine animals often ingest this waste floating in the sea and suffocate or starve to death as a result or then WE humans turn around and eat these fish (and the plastic).  By using biodegradable bags, as opposed to disposable paper or plastic bags, our individual actions contribute to the solution rather than the problem.

The environmental crisis our world finds itself in today demands that we take action.  As you can plainly see, the widespread use of disposable shopping bags contributes to major environmental problems that are not going away.  We must change our individual habits by remembering to use eco shopping bags and/or reusable green bags every chance we get.  When we take a stand against the widespread pollution problem caused by disposable shopping bags, we are creating a healthier world one decision at a time.

But what can we do to help?  Most of us have jobs and families we must attend to. It’s not like we can just drop everything and head down the gulf to help with cleanup.  Furthermore, many of us wouldn’t have the slightest idea of how to help with an oil spill clean up or have the resources to make a significant difference.   So how can we be a part of the solution?

We have to stop thinking so big, and begin small.  It is little decisions like riding our bike to work and recycling our aluminum cans that is what we must do to help.   For far too long our culture has treated issues such as recycling as “optional” and with complete ignorance.  We have an extremely short memory as a society.  As an example, check out Anne Casselman’s article about the Top 10 Biggest Oil Spills in History at PopularMechanics.com. The shocker is that the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 doesn’t even make the list.  Oil spills keep happening throughout the world repeatedly and we all act like this is a once in a decade thing or something.

The truth is that oil will continue to be drilled as long as there is demand for it.  Our culture’s attitude about clean energy and the green movement needs an immediate shift.  But like I said, we must start small and simple!  For example, another huge environmental issue is the amount of plastic that is being used in this world, and this plastic is ending up in our oceans just like the oil.   You’ll be shocked if this is your first time hearing about The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and as Oprah Winfrey reported last year “ is estimated to be twice the size of Texas”.   Although this giant garbage dump is composed of all kinds of floating trash and debris, plastic is the biggest problem because it never really decays completely.  So not only do we have oil spills in to our oceans, we also have plastic and trash spills.  According to the Container Recycling Institute, 51.9 billion beverage containers have been consumed so far this year, as of late May.  Reusable water bottles are a perfect example of the kind of simple changes we can make in our individual habits and lifestyles. Imagine the difference that can be made if the average person chooses to use stainless steel water bottles instead of plastic bottles.  In the same way, we can prevent environmental catastrophes by not driving gas guzzling inefficient cars and walking or using public transportation instead.

We all care deeply about the health of our planet, and now we need to turn our disgust for the disaster in the Gulf into simple action and minor adjustments in our lifestyle.  Don’t let the latest news get you down, develop a vision for a healthy planet and do the right thing: Go Green.

Eco Promotional Products for Earth Day 2010

It is that special time of year again. The Earth’s birthday, well we don’t know that for sure. So lets call it the Earth’s re-birthday, Earth Day 2010. In honor of our planet and her precious finite resources, Factory Direct Promos is proud to announce the release of new attractive eco promotional products for businesses. These crafty eco promotional items such as custom printed reusable bags made of non-woven polypropylene material or RPET recycled material, business cards made completely of seed paper, and PLA corn products are an excellent way for a business to promote their brand, message and environmental awareness amongst their potential customer base at trade shows and conferences.

Factory Direct Promos, owned and operated by Jason Tunick, based out of Coral Springs Florida has been streamlining custom eco bags and promotional products at wholesale prices to businesses since 2003. Jason has a background in advertising and marketing platforms for companies and has always been an ambassador for the environment and protecting vital ecosystems from overflowing landfills and litter throughout our streams and rivers. He entered the business-to-business realm to motivate companies to effectively drive both their brand and raise interest in taking a stand for improving the ways we handle waste in our society. Here’s Jason’s take on businesses being eco leaders for America:

“I believe that by interacting with hundreds to thousands of businesses we can reach millions. The consumer must understand that we have a duty to this planet and it cannot be taken for granted. My efforts to help companies promote their brand with eco friendly products is making a small difference, but it is a million small differences that lead to one gigantic positive outcome for all people on this planet. I hope to leave our mark by lightening our carbon foot print on the Earth and establishing a mecca for all generations to come.”

There are many ways for a business to promote their brand with Factory Direct Promos; anything from recycled paper pens to reusable stainless steel water bottles. Amongst the new eco product lines are the 100% biodegradable corn products, often referred to as PLA, an acronym for polylactic acid, which is a strong polymer that biodegrades completely within 30-45 days. Another interesting product is seed paper, made completely of seeded woven material. When these seed cards are discarded they break apart and plant in the soil. Within two weeks a sprout will break ground and a flower is born, what a provocative idea! This versatile seed paper can be used for business cards, greeting cards, promotional flyers, CD cases and much more all custom printed with company logo and message. Jason also recently introduced a line of Grow Green Kits, desk plants or herbs that simply need water to germinate and sprout. His featured lines of reusable stainless steel water bottles are a perfect way to everlastingly promote a business’ brand and be a part of the solution to the plastic bottle waste issue.

eco custom promotional trade show bags

The core competency of Factory Direct Promos has always been eco friendly wholesale reusable bags and RPET recycled custom bags. Jason is able to keep a very small turnaround time on the custom imprinted logo bags, delivering within 60 days and in stock wholesale reusable bags are shipped in as little as one week. The recycled PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) material is made from 85% used plastic water bottles. Through a process of heating and shredding the bottle is grained into fine strings of material which are then woven into the recycled bags. Yes, that is correct, the plastic bottle waste is transformed into a recycled and reusable bag. These promotional trade show bags are durable and can then be custom imprinted with company logo, message and colors. This is an extraordinary alternative to plastic trade show bags, which when handed out are typically discarded within 24 hours and add to our waste issues. So for a company to hand out reusable bags is a win-win for the business and the environment. The bag is kept for an extensive period of time, keeping the brand alive in the consumer’s mind and is not thrown away to pile up in a landfill somewhere.

Factory Direct Promos is now making an asserted effort to help spread the word in online eco forums, blogs and social networks. By creating and maintaining an  eco blog resource full of updated reusable bags news and information on recycling, plastic waste, and other green issues, Factory Direct Promos is directly engaging the world-wide eco friendly community like never before. Jason’s team writes original articles on the issues green-minded people care about, and portraits of other interesting eco-minded companies and organizations detailing their perspective on methods for a greener planet. This reusable bag blog is the medium to create an active eco community online and tighten the fabric of the web to motivate more discussion and debate on which direction we should move as a people to solidify our planet for the future. So on this Earth Day 2010, the first of the new decade, Jason is reaffirming his oath to the environment and his leadership in the B2B market to help companies promote their brand, environmental awareness, and their inherited responsibility to our planet and future generations.

About FactoryDirectPromos.com
Factory Direct Promos Inc was founded by Jason Tunick in 1996. Located in Sunny South Florida, Factory Direct promos, Inc. is a direct manufacturer of Eco Friendly Promotional Products imported direct from his exclusive factories overseas. The website features over 100 eco products such as reusable and recycled bags, stainless steel water bottles, recycled lanyards, organic t-shirts, corn pens, seed paper bookmarks, seed paper shapes, recycled baseball caps and more. Jason Tunick’s twelve year commitment to finding and using renewable resources in his design, development and manufacturing of environmentally friendly premium products, makes his Eco Life product line a pioneer in the eco movement.

If you’ve never heard of seeded paper, you’re not alone; who knew paper made from seeds could produce a flower or any plant for that matter? Yes, despite the paper making process, the seeds can still germinate which allows them to sprout when planted.  Seed paper is a beautiful, attractive, and easily recyclable product that can include a variety of plant seeds.

But why should we use and spread the word about recyclable seed paper and all recycled paper for that matter?  According to the CWAC (Clean Water Action Council) the answer is because of the environmental damage caused by the paper industry, which is much more than just deforestation:

8 major environmental damages caused by the paper industry (CWAC.net):

• Contaminated Sediments, Fish & Ducks — major source of toxic chemicals in rivers.
• Continuing Toxic Pollution — major source of toxic chemical pollution.
• Conventional Air Pollution — large source of  air pollutants like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, sulfur dioxides, carbon monoxides and particulates.
• Energy Consumption — energy intensive, drawing larges amount of electricity from public utilities, or forcing mills to build their own power plants.
• Water Consumption — uses a great deal of water.
• Solid Waste — generally produces a large amount of solid waste
• Deforestation — Worldwide, enormous tracts of forest are affected by the paper industry, contributing to the world’s tragic deforestation trends.
• Corruption of Democracy — The paper industry is a special interest and is well taken care of by the politicians and government.

Most of us are aware of global warming, man’s ever-growing carbon footprint, and harmful man-made pollution of all kinds.  We see with our own eyes the harmful toll on the environment caused by the cumulative effects of our individual human actions and habits.  We want to reduce, reuse, recycle, and make this world a better place for future generations, but sometimes we need to be encouraged, inspired, and reminded.  Seed paper is a great way to inspire each other to go green.

If you’re a business professional, environmentalist, business owner, salesperson, or just sending your annual holiday letter to friends and family, using seeded paper as your correspondence stationary is a great way to convey your personal or organization-wide commitment to reducing your carbon footprint while also saving trees.   Every time you give out your seed business card, or send out your holiday seed cards you are spreading the good news about seeded paper, recycling, and the absolute necessity for all of us to live and be eco friendly.  As the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day approaches (April 22^nd), there has never been a more appropriate time for companies to show their commitment to reducing their carbon footprint by adopting green practices to make this world a better place for future generations.

Discover the aroma of pure essential oils to enhance your life with Sarah’s Essence®, created by Cindy Wolk-Weiss as an extension of her healing practice and interest in aromatherapy. She began hand-creating unique massage blends and aroma mists for her clients. Due to her concern about the ingredients she found in “natural” body care products and her own sensitivity to fragrances and chemicals she began her search for healthier products. Cindy then expanded into luxurious bath salts, gentle body powders and Jojoba blend face and body moisturizers.

All Sarah’s Essence® products contain the finest therapeutic essential oils that has been blessed with Reiki energy and assistance from Divine guidance into each individually hand blended product. Vibrational qualities of essential oils and gemstones are incorporated to influence the energetic body. All products are perfume free, no synthetic ingredients and most are organically grown or wildcrafted. ONLY the purest and quality tested essential oils are used not synthetic perfumes or fragrances. Products are made in small batches to maintain freshness. You will find these mists pleasantly mild and not heavily scented. Simple is best!

We give back and so do YOU! Sarah’s Essence® is committed to creating an environmentally sound product. We are serious about our commitment to the environment so we DONATE a percentage of all profits to The Jane Goodall Institute (and at times other quality groups). Jane Goodall’s mission is similar to ours, to advance the power of individuals to take informed and compassionate action to improve the environment for all living things.

May Sarah’s Essence bring you peace, joy & healing

Visit their website today to browse the many aromatherapy products and you will be at ease!

We care about the trees and tots in the world and their prosperous future, so therefore do what we can to preserve Mother earth.  We appreciate all she gives us, her sheer beauty and want our great grandchildren to enjoy the same wonderful natural amenities.  We  make a conscious effort and it a common business practice to reduce, reuse and recycle.  We carry 100% certified organic clothing, 100% all natural products and everything is earth friendly.    Our company policy is to only purchase and support fair trade products and small handmade toy makers because I feel they are made of superb quality and are unique. 

We are always looking out for new amazing and safe products to carry in our on-line retail store to offer parents.  A goal of ours is to help clean up our planet, have less pollution and chemicals emitted in the air we breathe, save the nearly extinct animals, have a few less diseases to attack us and to live a longer meaningful life.  Our simple mission now is to provide excellent products and superior customer service, while being mindful of the earth we live in and share.  We have a resourceful Blog, insightful green living articles, organic kid-friendly recipes and also sell previously loved organic clothing and toys to give them a second life and keep them out of the landfills.  We truly do care about the trees and tots in the world!

This is courtesy of Tracy at Trees and Tots. Welcome Tracy and thank you for your dedication to the environment and children, the two most important aspects of our Future!!

Govardhan Gardens is a popular eco-farm on the west coast of Puerto Rico. It is the home of the most diversified collection of tropical fruit and nut trees in the Caribbean. To help preserve and spread biological and genetic diversity in the tropics, the Garden’s nursery offers seeds of over 100 types of organically grown tropical fruits and nuts which are shipped internationally. Recently, about 40 species of structural, edible and ornamental bamboos have been added to the collection and nursery. Yearly, hundreds of visitors enjoy tours through the property. The farm serves as an educational role model for anyone interested in alternative tropical agriculture. Workshops and seminars about tropical fruit and bamboo are offered locally. The owner, Sadhu Govardhan, helps land owners in the entire Caribbean to develop eco-farms and he regularly holds conferences about sustainability, exotic tropical fruits and the importance of bamboo.

People around the world are participating in sponsoring Govardhan Garden’s tree planting project. For a minimal amount, people can have a special tree planted in their names. Sadhu Govardhan’s recently published “Oro Verde – Securing the Future of our Food” has helped change the view about ecological farming in the tropics and is used by hundreds of students, farmers and agricultural educators. If you ever plan to buy land in the Caribbean, Sadhu can help you with finding, analyzing and developing the land. Farming-related e-mail questions are answered for free.

Visit Sadhu’s website for more information on how you can get involved and if you are in search of any land in that area.