How to be green when back to school shopping

Last weekend Iowa had their annual tax free weekend, where shopping centers state-wide are filled with back to school shoppers. Between pencils, backpacks, and new clothes it's hard to remember to be sustainable when dealing with crowds and children who want the folder with the newest fad on the front. Here's our 5 tips for having a greener back to school experience. 

1) Try to reuse: When you get that back to school shopping list it's a lot easier to just shop there. Most stores carry the lists for you, so you pick it up and buy everything on it while you're their. It is better to start with your list at home. Cross off those scissors, pencils, and protractors that you still have from last year and save a little money as well. 

2) If possible, buy refillable: Refillable pens and pencils are initially a little more expensive than the disposable ones, but they are definitely more sustainable, and they usually last longer than their disposable counterpoints as well. 

3) Look for recycled products: Notebooks, planners, pencils, pens, and computer paper made from recycled materials are all available from mainstream shops now. Recycled paper works great for anything a student would need it for, and it's the more earth friend option than virgin paper. Using recycled plastic or wood in your pencils and pens are also no different than the non-recycled ones, but they make a much smaller impact.

4) Reusable bottles and lunch bags: Purchasing reusable lunch bags can save another brown bag from going in a landfill, and reusable bottles can be filled with whatever your child's favorite drink it, be it chocolate milk or juice, without having to buy individual milk cartons or juice boxes. 

5) Spring for high quality: When buying long term items like backpacks and lunch boxes, spending a little bit more can end up saving you money in the long run. When buying a backpack try to lead your children away from the superheros and television or movie characters that they may like this year, often times those interests are short lived. Instead buy a plain, good quality backpack. If they still want their character on the bag, just buy a patch or a pin for them to clip to the outside. Then they can change interest every year and you can keep the same backpack.

With these tips you'll be sure to have a more sustainable and possibly a cheaper back to school shopping experience. 

Featured Article: Carbon Neutral Higher Education

This featured article is a little different than our usual bizarre sustainable. This week we're exploring the idea of being carbon neutral in higher education. Luther College in Decorah, IA is hard at work toward their goal of being carbon neutral, and the school is doing a great job.

As Professor Jim Martin-Schramm says, "Colleges aren't supposed to be a mirror for society, we are supposed to be a model." Schools enstill values in their students, and many private and public college across Iowa are aiming to be more sustainable. It's showing their students that a sustainable lifestyle is goal worth working to attain.

As a company that deals with compost, we've worked with a diverse group of companies and institutions to make them more sustainable through their waste stream. When speaking about sustainability waste stream is a part of the topic often left out in favor for wind and solar power and electricity saving measures, or local produce shopping. Part of that may be the 'yuck' factor associated with talking about what we waste, but it is a crucial element of the conversation.

We commend Luther for their efforts, and we hope that they reach their carbon neutral goals. If other colleges wish to shrink their footprint as well, we encourage them to consider their waste stream and think about what could be diverted from landfills. We also encourage them to contact us about organic waste diversion.

Read the original article from The Des Moines Register here.

Proud Member of Adopt-A-Highway

Our company's headquarters are based in Iowa. We have a deep commitment to keep our state beautiful, so we are proud to be members of the Adopt-A-Highway program and clean a stretch of highway as a company.

There are so many benefits to the Adopt-A-Highway program. It enables our government to divert the funds that would have gone into paying workers to clean that stretch of road into other programs that are in need of funding.

Adopt-A-Highway also makes sure that our state displays the pride that our residents have it in. With clean highways visiters will have no doubt that Iowa cares deeply for it's natural resources and beauty.

The Adopt-A-Highway program started in Texas, but has spread to 49 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. It is easy to see why, the very nature of the program fosters a pride in all those involved and allows them to be actively involved in the preservation of nature.

If you'd like to get involved with the Adopt-A-Highway program visit their site here.

Creating a more sustainable fair

It's fair season again, which means long days spent outside in your community. With County Fairs spread throughout the next couple of weeks, and the Iowa State Fair running August 9-19th it is easy to get caught up in the fun. However, it could also become much more sustainable fun with a little help from our company. Chamness Technology would like to help your fair receive a green ribbon for sustainability.

Fairs mean animals, and animals mean lots of bedding being used. We can safely dispose of all your fair bedding sustainably, which means keeping the world more beautiful for future fairs.

Fairs also mean a lot of food, and food waste can all be turned into compost. If your fair were to utilize our composting services you could use your waste to return nutrients to the soil that will be used in agriculture and gardens.

If you're interested in making your fair more green it's easy, just contact us today!

5 Tips for starting an Urban Garden

While we mostly deal with people who have whole farms to plant, with today's urbanization it is important to realize that urban gardening and growing is possible too. Whether you're in an apartment or your house is just inside of a city, it is still possible to grow your own fresh produce. However, starting a urban garden can be somewhat daunting, so we've assembled the top five tips for starting an urban garden.

1) Evaluate your gardening space: Do you get sun exposure? Is there access to a sufficient water supply? Is there heavy traffic nearby? All of these factors can lead to success or failure in urban gardening and so it is crucial that you scope out what sort of space you'll be working with and plant accordingly. If you don't get much sun pick plants that thrive in the shade, if you don't have a hose nearby only plan enough to water with your watering can, and try to plant far away from traffic as it can cause wind and pollution that are harmful to plants.

2) Find plants that work for your space limitations: One of the big factors in urban gardening is pot or plot, how much space do you have? If you only have enough room for potted plants, make sure your plan accordingly and get plants that can flourish in pots. Some vegetables and herbs do well in pots, but some need the space to spread. Make sure you know whether yours can thrive or if it needs a bigger space.

3) Evaluate your skills and your time commitment: If you are new to gardening, perhaps it's better to go with a low maintenance, easy to grow plant. There are lists all over the web about easy things to grow as a beginner, even vegetables. If you're a gardening pro, but you don't have a ton of time to garden a lower maintenance plant is probably for you as well.

4) Know your plants before you start: Some plants like to dry between waterings, while others need constant watering to survive. Determining what your plant needs in the way of water and sun can lead to a thriving garden.

5) Make sure your landlord/city is okay with it first: creating your own garden is a great plan, but if your upset landlord kicks you out because of your green habit then it isn't something you should be doing. Make sure that your landlord and your city is okay with it, and check if you need a permit to grow in your city.

If you follow all of these tips you'll be on your way to your own urban garden!

International bag-free day

While many of us already know that this Wednesday is an important holiday in the United States, Tuesday is an important day as well, it International Plastic Bag-Free Day, as reported by Waste & Recycling News. What better time for it? When you're out shopping for all of your 4th cook-out supplies, you should make sure to bring a reusable bag.

Plastic itself can take hundreds of years to break down, and plastic bags don't ever completely break down, they just rip into smaller and smaller pieces of plastic, which contaminate the soil of the landfills they are placed in.

However, are plastic bags enough? Every year Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks and spoons to circle the equator 300 times. Why not use your own dishes for your celebrations, rather than something you'll throw out that night?

It'd be so easy to make your Independence day a little greener by declaring your independence from plastics, whether it's bags or eating utensils.

Read the original article here.

GreenRU Helps Student's Compost Crusade: Ninth Grade Student Lilly Brown Wins the Cafeteria Food Waste Fight

This story is from back in April, but it's great.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (April 17, 2012) – Lilly Brown is trying to change the world. At the young

age of 15, she is environmentally-conscious beyond her years and has a long-term goal to help

reduce society’s dependence on landfills. Lilly determined that she could make a real difference

at her school, Prairie Point Middle School and Ninth Grade Academy. She discovered that 65%

of the total cafeteria waste could be diverted from the landfill and turned into compost. There

was just one problem. Lilly wanted to compost the food waste, but had no way to do it as efforts

to compost on-campus were not practical. GreenRU, an organic diversion company, learned of

the situation and met with Lilly and Prairie Point’s Principal, Greg Leytem. Today, GreenRU

collects the organic food waste at no-charge through the end of the school year.

Lilly Brown

Lilly has showed her fellow students a more ecological way to deal with trash and food waste in the cafeteria. Students were educated on the options of putting food waste in one container and waste for the landfill in another. Students are responsible for the separation when they return their food trays to be cleaned. The program has met with tremendous success. Today, the collected waste goes to a state certified compost facility and the school is seeking a grant to continue food waste diversion for the entire College Community School District next year.

“I like helping the Earth and the environment and this is such an easy thing that just about

everybody can do to help,” Lilly said.

GreenRU, a Chamness Company, is the first company in Iowa to provide full composting services; including education, training, collection containers and services. The program is designed to work with industry, schools, colleges, grocery stores, hospitals, and institutions that are looking to better their environmental footprint and improve their sustainability efforts.

Over 34 million tons of food waste is thrown away by U.S. homes and business and food waste

is now the fastest growing waste stream sent to landfills. Organic materials, when re-purposed

into compost, make a nutrient rich soil amendment and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

GreenRU’s innovative pick-up system is unlike any other in the region. The specialized organics collection vehicle is specially designed to transport organic materials safely and efficiently to a certified compost facility. At the composting facility, organic waste is mixed with wood and other materials and processed over several months to create compost that can be used for a variety of agricultural and horticultural applications. All of the compost from Iowa clients goes right back to Iowa soils to enrich the next generation of crops. For more information, visit www.greenru.org.

Keeping an open mind about new alternative products

This morning we found this article: WATCH: London Designer Grows Vegetable Leather | Ecorazzi

The article is all about a designer in the UK who is designing a leather out of plant materials. This material can be molded into any shape and will last about 5 years. After 5 years you can add it to your other compostable goods. The leather itself is made of green tea, sugar, bacteria and yeast.

While the idea of putting green tea on your body as clothing seems a little bizarre now, these products could make real change. 12 million tons of trash is a huge amount. That's how much clothing, shoes and textiles end up in landfills annually. A few weeks ago the compostable flip flop and the compostable tooth brush were both featured news stories, and all of those products offer new ways to lower your impact, even if they may seem a little strange at first.

You can keep the product for 5 years, so the leather will still last about as long as a person wears the same clothes, and then you have a convenient excuse to go shopping again. That could be a definite plus! Feel free to share your own experience with off-beat compostables in our comments.

10 simple ways to live more sustainably

We all want to help our environment, however, it can be a pretty daunting task with work, school, and everything else going on in our lives. Luckily there are small changes that we can all make that make a huge difference. Here are 10 simple ways you can change your life to be more sustainable.

1) Take shorter showers. Shorter showers help conserve water and they help out your water and electric bill at the end of the month! Rather than falling asleep in the shower each morning, stay alert and get in and out quicker. It may even mean a couple extra minutes of sleep for you if you are a long shower person. 

2) Switch to filtered water rather than bottled. Bottled water will cost you more and the containers create a huge amount of waste. You can even purchase reusable water bottles that have filters in them now, so it's easier than ever to get the fresh filtered taste without all the biowaste.

3) Unplug your appliances when they're not in use. Many appliances still draw energy, even when turned off. You can also get a 'smart' power strip (one that recognizes when appliances are turned off and cuts off energy use) if unplugging all of your appliances seems like a hassle. 

4) Biking is another obvious answer, but if you live in a rural setting it may not be an option to ride your bike to work. If biking and walking aren't options, keeping your car in great condition will still help. Change your oil and air filters regularly and make sure your tires are inflated so that you can get the best out of whatever car you drive. 

5) Plant a garden. Planting a garden can help you supply some of your own food, whether it's herbs, tomatoes or an apple tree. That way it literally goes from you garden to your kitchen, no gas powered transportation required. For the things you can't grow yourself, buying local should be your first choice. Then it's something made in your area rather than something that has to be flown across the world, cutting down on oil and supporting local business. 

6) Bring reusable bags when shopping. This really does make a difference. If you often forget to grab them on your way to the store, keeping them in the car will make sure you're ready to shop whenever you're out. 

7) Go to restaurants/coffee shops that provide 'green' dining options, or bring your own. This one sounds a little strange, but if your local coffee shop isn't providing compostable cups yet, bring your own travel mug. Restaurants are slowly making the shift to compostable to-go containers, but if they don't some people even advise you bring tupperware with you. However, with local restaurants it's always important to support sustainability. If you know one burger joint in town makes huge efforts to be sustainable and offers compostable containers, go there over the fast food chain up the street. 

8) Only do full loads in your appliances. If your dishwasher is half full, give it another couple days before you run it, same for your washer and dryer. These appliances use a lot of energy every time you use them, so if you use them only when they're full then you'll save money on your bill and you'll be more sustainable. 

9) Rather than buying a product, try to make it yourself. With the Internet literally at the tips of our fingers, DIY projects are easier than ever. If you can make your own Ranch dressing, rather than buying it bottled at the store, you're saving a little bit of cash and the plastic from container that you would probably just toss afterwards. 

10) Along the lines of DIY, learn how to upcycle. Upcycling is essentially recycling products by making them into something useful. There are tons of upcycling projects on the web and it can be a great way to reuse single use products and make something great out of them. I've seen upcycling projects for everything, from purses to picture frames. 

With these easy steps you can make yourself more green without having to change your daily habits too much.