reusable

Greening My Child’s School: A Local Story

Author
JULIE JONES
EcoMoms Edina
Cafeteria waste contributes immensely to our ever-growing landfills. Considering this, it was easy for me to implement no-waste lunches in packing for my three school-age children, but I thought we could take it one major step further and reduce the waste for their entire school: Edina Highlands Elementary. After reading an article about Hennepin County initiating an organics recycling program in their schools, I called John Jaimez at Hennepin County for more information, and Highlands began an organics recycling program too.

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Cloth napkins for kids,
fabkins.com

Waste-free lunch facts,
reusablebags.com/facts.php?id=22

Laptop lunches, laptoplunches.com

Swiss-engineered water bottles,
mysigg.com

Reduce waste, reduce.org

act locally!

John Jaimez, Hennepin County Environmental Services, Organics Recycling Program, 612-348-5893

Bands That Go Green

Author
Reprinted from Sarah Lipman
thegreenguide.com

Musicians have long been catalysts for social change. When it comes to the environment though, the music industry has lagged behind. However, many musicians today are climbing aboard the “green” tour bus.

Footnotes/Endnotes

Cloud Cult, cloudcult.com

Reverb, www.reverbrock.org

Heal the Bay, www.healthebay.org

Natural Resources Defense Council, www.nrdc.org

Road Trips Tips (www.thegreenguide.com/doc/120/road)

"Green" Office Supplies

Author
Ami Voeltz
Do It Green! Minnesota

Parts excerpted from Going Green: A Guide to Becoming An Environmentally Friendly Business Without Going Broke, www.tub.com

When buying office supplies, it is important to think about durability, energy, natural resource use, recycled content and recyclability, toxicity, biodegradability and packaging.

Make a list of all the major supplies your company buys and find ones made out of recycled materials. See the web sites below for companies that sell "green" office products.

Footnotes/Endnotes

Web Resources

www.reduce.org

 

Print Resources

Going Green: A Guide to Becoming an Environmentally-Friendly Business, 415-616-6800 or www.tub.com

EnvironMentors Advisor: Prevent Waste, Produce Profit, Contact North East Business Assoc. to receive a free copy: 800-657-3843 or 651-296-3417

Office Waste Reduction Kit & Source Reduction Manual & instructional video, Contact the MN Office of Environmental Assistance for a free copy: 612-789-4352 or 800-887-6300

 

Organizations

Cartridge Care - Ink Cartridge Recyclers
Roseville, MN 612-331-7757

Minnesota Technical Asst. Program (MnTAP)
McNamara Alumni Center
200 Oak St., Suite 350
Minneapolis, MN 612-624-1300
www.mntap.umn.edu

MN WasteWise
30 E. 7th St.
Suite 1700
St. Paul, MN 651-292-4650
www.mnwastewise.org

Planning Environmentally Aware Events

Author
Lark Weller
Institute for Social, Economic and Ecological Sustainability

There often seems to be an unspoken assumption that business and environmentalism don't mix. Business functions are renowned as ostentatious shows of excess, but this does not have to be the case! Today, it is easier - and more important - than ever to plan business events in an environmentally aware manner. This article details the nuts and bolts of planning a "green" business meeting or event, from pre-event planning to post-event cleanup.

Footnotes/Endnotes

Web Resources

EPA: Planning Environmentally Aware Events: www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/grn-mtgs/index.htm

Green Biz: www.greenbiz.com

Print Resources

In Earth's Company: Business, Environment, and the Challenge of Sustainability (Conscientious Commerce), Carl Frankel, 1998

The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability, Paul Hawken, 1993

 

Organizations

Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance
520 Lafayette Rd N
Floor 2
St. Paul, MN 651-296-3417
www.nextstep.state.mn.us

Minnesota Department of Administration - Materials Management Division
200 Administration Bldg.
50 Sherburne Ave.
St. Paul, MN 651-296-1424
www.mmd.admin.state.mn.us/envir.htm
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