International Compost Awareness Week Kickoff Day

As many of you may be aware, this week is International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW). Later this week we will be at the Iowa State Capitol Building to have a proclamation signed by the Governor recognizing ICAW and Chamness Technology for being a forerunner in the state! However, there are ways that you can celebrate ICAW at home as well! Here are just a few.

Plant some Tomatoes
This year the U.S. Composting Council announced their 1 Million Tomato campaign, so planting one of the million yourself is a great way to celebrate ICAW. Tomatoes do especially well in a soil/compost mixture that can result in bigger, brighter, and juicier tomatoes!

Start Composting At Home
It may seem difficult, but starting to compost at home is actually pretty easy. You can't do all of the organic products that we can handle at the professional level, but eggshells, coffee grounds, and old salad are some great first steps in your own composting journey!

Get your Workplace Composting
A lot of companies are beginning to put corporate sustainability policies in place, so why not make it a very sustainable place to work? Many companies don't even think about compostings, or realize there's a company in Iowa that can help you do it! Contact GreenRU if you're interested in getting your work composting at sales@greenru.org or 855-RU-VERDE

Find A Local Composter and Buy Some Compost For Your Garden
Compost can help everyone have a more beautiful and bountiful garden, no matter what the size. Keeping the compost local reduces the environmental footprint and can work wonders in all kinds of soil! We sell compost at our Eddyville and Ames facilities, so make sure to stop by if you need some locally sourced compost!

Ways to Green Your Home in 2013

The new year brings new resolutions for everyone. Often time these resolutions revolve around fitness, breaking habits, and personal health. However, if you've decided you're going to make a bigger effort to help the earth's help, we've got a few ideas on where to start. These changes are all pretty small, but their impact can be very large. Check it out, you may just change your resolution!

1) Switch to eco-friendly light bulbs:
While this change seems small, it is a great way to start having an impact, both through less energy usage and through less light bulbs being thrown away!

2) Make new large purchases with the environent in mind:
Need a new dishwasher, car or laptop? Look into environmentally friendly solutions, like high efficiency washers, hybrid or electric cars, and laptops with recycling programs that are easily repairable. Taking these things into account will increase the longevity of your purchase as well as saving you some money on bills!

3) Make a commitment to recycling:
In some of the U.S. recycling is second nature, however if you guiltily toss your glass, cardboard or aluminum products into the trash this year is the year to change. Make a commitment to recycle all recyclable products and the impact you'll have is much larger than you think!

4) Start growing your own vegetables and fruits or buying locally:
As minor as it may seem, taking care to either grow your own produce or purchase locally grown can have a large impact. There's less fuel emission in transportation and it's a better decision for keeping your money in your community as well!

5) Start a compost heap: If you don't have a composting facility near you that will accept your waste, do it yourself! While we don't recommend this for businesses, with a large amount of organics (find a composter, like GreenRU to handle services for you), a home heap is usually not too hard to maintain. It will save the emission of methane gases to the ozone layer and it will keep your organics from filling up space in the landfill.

Are you trying anything new this year to be green? Tell us in the comments!

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!

Steps to a Greener 4th of July

Happy 4th of July! We're blogging a little early today, so we can get to you before your cook-out! According to an estimate by the U.S, Department of Energy, around 60 million Americans have BBQs today! With all the celebrations going on it is hard to remember to keep your grilling 'green'. However, we have a few simple steps to make your holiday cooking a little more eco-friendly.

Compostable over biodegradable- We hate to say it, but the word biodegradable has been tainted. Companies use the term all the time, even if their product is only biodegradable over 50 years. Compostable products, however, can go straight in with your compost and have to be certified in order to be labeled compostable.

Clean your grill- leftover food and grease in your grill leads to excess smoke, and just isn't healthy for your grill or the environment. Make sure to thoroughly clean your grill and you'll be good to go! Baking Soda is a great, natural grill killer too, just use a wire brush and an equal parts mixture of Baking Soda and water and you'll have a clean grill in no time!

Recycle your cans and bottles- Make sure you're sorting and recycling your waste. Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour on average, and the majority are thrown away. Recycling your bottles and cans is an easy way to make your cook-out a little bit greener.

Use organic charcoal in your grill- Overall, charcoal grills aren't great for the environment, however if you use an organic charcoal it will burn cleaner, as it is made from untreated wood, rather than traditional charcoal which is treated with chemicals and other additives to make it burn longer.

Buy a vinyl tablecloth, rather than a paper or plastic throw-away- This will save you the money of buying a flimsy tablecloth each year, and you're keeping that paper/plastic one out of landfills.

Use recycled aluminum foil for your grilling- Some brands now offer 100% recycled aluminum foil, most in cases made from 100% recycled paperboard.

Buy your food locally- buying from local farmers means you can find pesticide-free produce and you'll boost your local economy! It also doesn't hurt that those farmers just have to drive it into town, rather than across the country.

Use natural pest remedies- Nobody likes having bugs at the party! We have a full post about natural bug repellants, but another trick is to throw sage and rosemary on hot coals, if you're using a charcoal grill. They will make your yard smell great, and it will keep Mosquitos away. Citronella candles also make great bug repellants.

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.