Archive for the ‘environmentally friendly’ Category

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We LOVE Brooklyn-based Movers, Not Shakers!, an environmentally friendly moving company.

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

What I love about Movers, Not Shakers!, a moving company that serves New York City and the entire east coast, is that they’re green movers. Their trucks are fueled by biodiesel from Tri-State Biodiesel, Inc. and they’ll rent you reusable plastic moving bins they call GothamBoxes™ (got them boxes? – get it!) for you to pack your belongings in. They drop the bins off in advance of your move and pick them up after you or they or somebody like me, a Professional Organizer, packs them for the move and unpacks them once you get to your new home. There’s no cardboard, no assembly, no tape, NO WASTE. After they’re picked up, the boxes are cleaned, stored and delivered again to other customers. It’s an easy way to move and, at the same time, reduce the materials used in your move and the impact on the environment created by your relocation.

For years, Fortune 500 companies, pharmacies and supermarkets have rented reusable plastic bins to move from one office to another or ship merchandise. Now the residential moving market has picked up on this idea due to consumer desire for options that are convenient, environmentally friendly and because of the cost of cardboard boxes. Prices for short-term plastic bin rental are comparable to purchase prices for cardboard boxes. A large bin of about 4 cubic feet rents for $3 a week from Movers, Not Shakers!. U-Haul charges $3 for a 4.5-cubic-foot cardboard box.

From the Movers, Not Shakers! website:

Paper or Plastic? Plastic!

“Isn’t paper the better choice for the environment? Not always. Before we disregard oil and its byproducts altogether, let’s remember that certain products made from plastic are actually good for the environment – if they’re reused. Our line of GothamBoxes™ is made from recycled plastic. Over their life span each one will replace hundreds of corrugated cardboard boxes. And since they have interlocking lids, no packing tape is required to put them together or seal them once they are full. That not only produces less waste it is also a big timesaver.

GothamBoxes™ come in two sizes, small and large. They are strong too! They do not crush like cardboard will, keeping your belongings safe and sound. The small bins are 2.3 cu ft. and are great for books, CD’s/DVD’s, small plates and dishes, glasses, wine glasses, toiletries, jewelry cases, and other fragile items. The large bins are 4.1 cu ft. and are used for clothing, linens, towels, larger kitchenware, pots, pans… and anything else that won’t fit in the small one. Even though moving can be an incredibly complicated task, with all of the planning, packing, utility switching, real estate closing, address changing, board approval, school switching, whatever your situation might be, these bins are meant to simplify the whole process.”

Other benefits of using these plastic bins are:

  • Environmentalists generally agree that it’s better to reuse a product rather than manufacture a new one.
  • They have wheels, which make them easier to move and maneuver through the tight spaces of many NYC apartments.
  • You don’t have to deal with disposing of dozens of cardboard boxes, a task that in New York City usually requires collapsing and bundling them.
Also, from a getting organized perspective, another other HUGE benefit, is that there’s no procrastinating about unpacking and items don’t get left in boxes for months – or years! – since the bins need to be returned within a certain period of time. Thank you, Movers, Not Shakers!; that’s definitely music to this organizer’s ears!

Posted in environmentally friendly, moving, procrastination, reduce/reuse/recycle | Comments Off

NYC keeps on truckin’ & tracking trash, too.

Monday, October 12th, 2009

NYC wants to be cleaner and greener and, in an effort to accomplish that mission – at least where trash is concerned – it’s testing hybrid sanitation trucks in residential areas of Queens. The Big Apple’s current garbage trucks are incredible gas guzzlers, getting only about three miles per gallon. The hybrid trucks should get 25% to 30% better mileage – which isn’t saying much -  but it is a step in the right direction and every little bit helps.

And, speaking of trash, the researchers at MIT’s SENSEable City Lab have come up with a new project called Trash Track whose goals are to raise awareness of how trash impacts the environment and get people thinking about all the stuff they toss out. TrashTrack uses hundreds of small electronic, smart, location aware tags. These tags are attached to different types of trash and those items are tracked through NYC’s waste management system, revealing the final journey of everyday objects in a series of real time visualizations. So, if you knew exactly where your trash was going and how much energy it took to make it all disappear, would it make you think twice about buying bottled water or “disposable” anything else?

Speaking of trash, if you’re working on separating out your trash from your treasures and need to get rid of what you don’t want, these local companies will remove almost anything – from old furniture and appliances to yard waste and renovation debris – including many things that your local garbage company won’t typically accept. Plus, they do all the loading and clean-up.

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Properly disposing of old medications

Saturday, October 10th, 2009

What is the proper way to dispose of unwanted or expired medications, either prescription or over the counter? Although common wisdom has been to flush them down the toilet, it is now considered hazardous to our oceans and to ocean wildlife to do so. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is now advising that we dispose of them along with the rest of our household trash, but taking these precautions to prevent avoid accidental or intentional misuse:

•     Mix your unwanted medications — liquids and pills – in a sealable bag, box, or plastic tub.
•     Add water to further dilute or dissolve them.
•     Add an undesirable substance such as ashes, dirt, cat litter, or coffee grounds.

To learn more about the DEC’s recommendations, go to http://www.dontflushyourdrugs.net.

Posted in environmentally friendly, responsibility, safety | Comments Off

Go ahead; write on the walls. No, really…it’s okay!

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

IdeaPaint has got to be one of the coolest products ever. It can turn virtually any paintable surface into a high-performance dry-erase surface:

Kids bedroom
Kitchen
Office
Playroom
Hallways
Doors
Refrigerators
Tables
Furniture
Laundry room
Cabinets
Storage Containers

…the possibilities are limited only by your imagination!

It’s easy to use and works like any standard roller-applied paint. One coat is all it takes and it even comes with the roller you need! When you’re ready for something new, just paint over it. IdeaPaint can even restore your old dry-erase whiteboards and add years to their life.

Many dry-erase surfaces contain formaldehyde, which slowly releases gas and diminishes indoor air quality – your air quality – for the life of the product. IdeaPaint is formaldehyde-free, conforms to all U.S. EPA regulations (including California) and does not produce any harmful gas once it’s dry. In addition to formaldehyde, it’s also free of lead, asbestos, and other harmful materials. IdeaPaint has been tested and deemed safe for its recommended use by multiple third-party laboratories. It works with all industry-standard dry-erase markers and erasers, though you should replace markers frequently to prevent damage from dried or frayed tips. Clean with a standard dry-erase eraser or a dry cloth after each use; for more thorough cleaning, use a damp cloth. If you need to repair or replace IdeaPaint, just scuff up the entire surface and repaint.

Millions of worn out and unwanted whiteboards and blackboards end up in landfills every year. If you care about the environment, you’ll love IdeaPaint because there’s nothing to throw out and they don’t use any of the valuable raw materials normally found in other dry-erase products: wood, steel, aluminum, vinyl or resin. The baking and curing procedures required to make traditional dry-erase boards consume large amounts of energy. Not IdeaPaint. Just stir and apply! And because their product is much smaller and lighter, it packs and ships using less packing material and fuel than traditional whiteboards.

So…go ahead, write on the walls! It’s really okay!

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Freecycle: A network promoting waste reduction and helping to save the landscape from being taken over by landfills.

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

You just gotta love this group. Here’s what their mission statement says:

“Our mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community.”

The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,830 groups with 6,573,000 members (and growing) across the globe. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer. Membership is free. To sign up, go to Freecycle.

Posted in clutter, environmentally friendly, reduce/reuse/recycle, sell/giveaway/trash | Comments Off

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