Connecticut Green Living

Earth Class Mail converts mail into digital files. That's the soundbite. But I wanted to delve a little deeper, to figure out if the notion of ridding the world of junk mail could come to fruition. After all, the San Antonio, TX-based outfit boasts that "thousands" of companies have tapped its services, with over 16 million piees of mail and $1.8 billion (with a B) in checks processed by them. Their vice-president of finance, Chisom Iwu, was kind enough to answer a few of my e-mailed questions. Following are Iwu's e-mailed answers to my questions: 1. You advertise that: Thousands of companies have trusted you with over 16 million pieces of mail and $1.8 billion in checks. Please explain how your business works. Earth Class Mail provides a way for people and businesses to access their mail without ever having to make a trip to a mailbox or touch an envelope. Customers select an address from more than 80 “virtual addresses” that Earth Class Mail provides. They submit ...

London: "There is just one week to go until the third annual Global Recycling Day , taking place on 18th March 2020. Individuals and organisations around the world are getting ready to celebrate the day and raise awareness of the importance of recycling and the ways we can all turn ‘waste’ into a valuable resource," write the Global Recycling Foundation in a press release. The last decade has been the hottest on record, the Global Recycling Foundation points out on their website, and the world is now "facing a climate emergency of unparalleled proportions. If we don’t make significant and rapid changes, we will see continued rising global temperatures, the melting of icecaps, continents on fire and rapid deforestation." Recycling is a key part of the circular economy, they state, and each year the ‘Seventh Resource’ (recyclables) saves over 700 million tons in CO2 emissions, projected to increase to 1 billion tons by 2030. Toward that mission, Global Recyclin...

California has long been touted as the most progressive state, but arguably it is also the greenest . It is therefore not surprising that a startup from Santa Cruz has developed a solution to all that coffee-making waste. Steeped Coffee is aptly named. According to the company release, "Brewed similar to tea, Steeped Coffee’s nitro sealed Steeped Bags, along with their guilt-free packaging made using renewable and compostable materials, achieve the unthinkable: freshly ground specialty coffee in a single-serving." When I lived in London , I had a kettle in my room to make my own coffee. It was common there to make single-serve coffee. When I saw these little bags, it reminded me of that. Then when I tore open the first bag, called "DRIFTWOOD", I was hooked. The intoxicating aroma rivals any other including fresh beans in the grinder. I DO think one needs to steep the maximum amount of time if he wants a stronger brew. I am used to two or three cups of piping hot...

Today I have to decide whether I'm up for the challenge of going out and waiting for the bus and schlepping out to my storage unit. I need to go out there and pick up my suit for my interview on Tuesday, but I also don't want to become overheated. In the past I have suffered from heat rash, and clearly today is one of the hot weather days to take very seriously. The feels-like temp will be over 110 F once humidity is factored in. But this is not just a blip, a heat "wave" that will hit us today and perhaps not again for many years. It is indicative of the plight we humans have put ourselves in, destroying the precious ozone layer with our assault of C02 pollution born of selfishness and laziness. That anyone would question a person's decision not to buy a car and bike or Uber instead is appalling. That anyone would throw her empty water bottle (it's bad enough to even buy them!) in the litter bin is appalling. That anyone would throw out food waste without so...

UPDATE: I feel silly, but I had not read the directions for the SoapStandle prior to using it, so was confused because the soap stuck to it. Turns out, it was meant to work that way ! ( See tutorial.) The soap and stand are meant to stick together. Here, then, is my edited version of the original review: I love the premise of using a soap "standle" - that all the plastic waste from those disgusting pump liquid soap dispensers is killing ocean life. However, if one is more inclined to use a soap dish, as I have become accustomed to, it may seem a little odd when the soap sticks to it. That said, there are clear benefits to the SoapStandle, and I'm all for greening my bathroom. The publicist for SoapStandle tells me via e-mail that in the green home movement there is a trend to turn away from liquid soap. She claims that "during a typical trip to the sink, we use almost 7 times more liquid soap (2-3g) than bar soap (0.35g). That means more chemical feedstocks, more ...

Halloween is here! In my day, we fashioned hand-sewn costumes and reused our uncle's Army jackets or grandma's wig. It was the '70s and recycling was all the rage. Then came the 80s and all bets were off. America kept abusing the planet, including at its holidays, with reams of wasted wrapping paper and ribbons piling up in our livingrooms like non-green monsters. We can do better. Here are some tips, courtesy of ECOlunchboxes of Northern California: Make Your Own Decorations Consider using upcycled and recycled items for decorating, and definitely avoid that nasty “spiderweb” plastic people spread all over their bushes! Create paper cut-outs to decorate windows (which can be stored flat and saved for next year). Cover formed chicken wire with cheesecloth to create floating ghosts in the yard. Party Like a Zero Waste Rockstar Use non-breakable, kid-and-planet friendly items such as stainless-steel camping trays in lieu of paper or plastic plates, cups and utensils....

Upcycled pet food packages are being turned into dog collars - really. And not just because your little Fido gnawed the bag into something resembling a mangled plastic Frisbee (or perhaps that was an actual Frisbee?) Thanks to Wellness Natural Pet Food – the first pet food brand to partner with recycler TerraCycle – pet owners can upcycle their pet’s food packaging into something new and useable, from collars to totes to, heck, even chairs. Through the program, pet mommies and daddies can send their used Complete Health, TruFood, or CORE cat and dog food packaging to TerraCycle to have it shredded and melted into hard plastic. It's then remolded to make new products like the collar you see below. There are even dandy DIY projects to do at home, like collapsible pet bowls and doggy capes. With plastic ending up in gyres, then choking fish and littering our oceans, end-of-use for plastics has never been a more pressing issue. Further, healthful pet food should always be first o...

Twenty-seventeen is upon us. A year that sounds lucky, but is destined to be fraught with environmental challenges under a Trump administration. All the more reason for individuals to do their part for the planet. Thanks to Recyclebank , Connecticut Green Living has some white-hot tips for you eco-conscious, planet-loving humans: 1. Be wise when getting rid of your Christmas tree. ********If your plastic tree is beyond being “spruced” up, it unfortunately cannot be recycled, says Recyclebank. But, if your old plastic tree is still in good shape, consider donating it to a local homeless shelter or other community organization. For real trees, many cities have drop-off locations and/or curbside pickup programs, and they’ll “recycle” them for you by turning them into mulch, and other purposes. 2. Find a new use for old or broken ornaments. Amidst overexcited children, unstable branches, and worn out ornament boxes, there are myriad ways for ornaments to crack and crumble (like t...