Monday, February 05, 2007

Green Power!

I have been so busy! I started working at Texas Campaign for the Environment last Tuesday and I love my job...I'm just not too fond of the hours for family reasons. I work 2-10pm M-F and we go out in the neighborhood and give people a voice on local issues regarding clean air and water. We are working on electronic waste right now. E-waste (computers and tvs etc) is being thrown away in landfills and contaminating the drinking water with mercury, lead, and cadmium. Our solution is producer take back, and we want the producers of these products to take them back and recycle them for free...responsibly. We've already got Dell on board, and they are actually profiting from their take-back program! Now we are looking to pass a state-wide resolution by collecting contributions and generating letters to Texas lawmakers. It's very nobel and important work because some people don't know it's going on or don't know how to help. When a representative has 50,000 letters from their constituents sitting on their desk, it makes a pretty strong statement! The hours aren't great like I said but I love it because I'm saving the world...one door at a time :)

Here are some ways that Scribble Scrabble Beaded Pens is becoming more green:
  1. Packaging- I have introduced green mailers! I made them from this boating magazine that keeps showing up in our mailbox. The boat/lake pics are great for the mailers so they're pretty on the outside, and the type is great to wrap the pens to protect them.
  2. Photography- I use all digital phtography, so there are no prints or contact sheets. A recycled cardboard box made a great home-made light studio. The lights I chose are energy saving and burn at a cooler temperature.
  3. Transportation- I have to drive to the post-office because it's a very high-traffic area, and it would be dangerous to walk or bike. So I'm choosing to limit my trips to Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday only. I'm also saving up for a hybrid car!
I've added some earth-friendly links to my sidebar as well! If you have other green business suggestions, please leave a comment. I'm open to other ideas I haven't thought of. Also to track your own carbon footprint, visit www.carbonfootprint.com. Have a fantastic Monday everyone!