How to Green Your Move

Posted by rene.bross on 29. March 2011 14:54

You recycle whenever you can, you carry a reusable water bottle, you compost as much as possible, but when it comes to having to move, how can you make it green among the never-ending cardboard boxes and bubble wrap? Here are some ways you can make your move greener and be kind to the environment while you move to your new environment.

1. Subscribe to the less-is-more way of living. Do you really need all that stuff that’s been stored in your garage for the past several years? Do you even know what’s stored there? I may be less-attached to memorabilia than most, but if I haven’t seen it or thought of it in the past year, odds are that I don’t really need it. Keep this in mind as you go through your stuff and prep it for moving.
2. Gid rid of the unwanted stuff before you move. Think about having a garage sale, listing items on Craigslist.org or donate to the GoodWill or other charity. The less you have to move, the less boxes and packing materials you’ll use which translates into being kinder to the environment. And if you're selling your stuff, you'll have some extra cash in your pocket. Perfect for buying that lamp you've been eyeing for your new place!
   
3. When searching for cardboard boxes, look for boxes made of recycled materials or better yet, search out used cardboard boxes. Just make sure they are still in good shape and will be stable enough to move the heavy stuff.
4. Consider renting moving boxes and eliminate cardboard boxes altogether. Rentagreenbox.com in southern California rents moving crates made from recycled plastic and instead of bubble pack, uses recycled packing materials that can be used as compost when you’re through- Brilliant! And it’s cheaper than traditional cardboard boxes and bubble wrap! Even more Brilliant! RentACrate.com also rents reuasable plastic crates for commercial or residential moves.
5. If using a moving company, seek out environmentally friendly practices. Go Green Moving uses bio-diesel trucks, uses mving pads made of 100% recycled cotton and rents packing crates.
6. Cut down on the bubble wrap as much as possible. Use your sheets, bedding, pillows, towels, cloth napkins, tablecloths etc. for wrapping breakables as much as possible. You’ll save money as well. If you need more, use old newspapers- get extra from your neighbors (after they’re done reading it of course).
7. Lastly be sure to purchse Moving Announcements printed on 100% recycled paper stock with 100% recycled envelopes.

 

A Greener Easter Egg Hunt

Posted by rene.bross on 1. March 2011 14:00

Mother Nature does a fantastic job “greening” Easter with the return of fresh green grass and the first flower buds of the season. This Easter you can make your Easter Egg Hunt even greener with the following tips:

1. Reuse those plastic eggs! I bought my first set of plastic eggs when my little ones had their first Easter Egg Hunt about 5 years ago and I’ve reused them every year. I have purchased a few more over the last couple years because they’ve come out with some really cool new shapes, but those are saved as well. When Easter is over store them away until next year. The Easter Bunny will thank you!

2. Reuse those Easter baskets too! If your kids are small enough to believe in the Easter Bunny they probably won’t remember what last year’s Easter basket looked like. If you think they might remember, just tie some ribbon around it or wrap the handle in ribbon and tie it off with a bow. Trust me they’ll never know!

3. Want to be completely plastic free? Cut a cardboard egg carton into individual Egg holders. Have your children decorate them with markers, glitter, stickers, buttons, ribbon etc. Place small candies such as jelly beans in the little holders and hide them around the garden- much cuter than plastic eggs and makes for a great craft project.

4. Hide real dyed Easter Eggs! That’s what we used to do before plastic eggs. You can even use the cardboard holders from above to hold the eggs and keep them safer. Make the hunt more about the fun of finding the eggs rather than the payoff of candy or money.

5. When I was little, I didn’t hunt for eggs at all. I hunted for prizes! The Easter bunny left me a note telling me that there were 6-8 prizes hidden in the backyard. The prizes were usually things like bubbles, coloring books, new set of crayons, jumprope, packet of flower seeds etc. Looking back I think my mom wanted to limit the candy intake which was just fine with me because the Easter bunny always left a small chocolate bunny right next to the note!

 

The Bride Wore White, but She Was thinking Green!

Posted by Rene.Bross on 28. May 2010 13:38

You asked for it, and now they're finally here-- Our new line of eco-friendly designer Wedding Invitations have arrived! Our gorgeous Wedding Invitation packages are not only contemporary and hip in design, but are also printed on deluxe recycled heavyweight card stock with a lovely texture. These invitations look as fabulous as they feel. Made with 30% post consumer waste, many designs come in the option of cream or white paper colors. Matching recycled envelopes are included with the invitations. And as with all of our cards, no plastics are ever used in our recycled packaging. Wedding Invitation packages are fully customizable and you can choose from matching invitation, save the date cards, response or rsvp cards, reception insert cards, directions insert cards and thank you cards. Celebrate your love for each other and the environment with My Good Greetings Wedding Invitations.

The Best Thank You I've Ever Received!

Posted by Rene.Bross on 22. February 2010 13:48

If you've read our last blog entry (see below), you already are familiar with how My Good Greetings worked with Linda Lee to create custom notecards featuring the artwork by children in the Cambodian orphanage. What I didn't mention, when I wrote that entry, was that the reason the drawings were outlined and not colored in was because the children at the orphanage did not have any colored markers. When I learned this, it broke my heart. Being a graphic designer in the US- and someone who takes so much prosperity for granted, my heart ached when I learned that these children with their big, bright smiles, didn't have colors for their wonderful artwork. I immediately decided that I would put together a care package of colored markers and my assistant Dawn added loads of colored pencils and sharpeners. We boxed it all up and mailed it off to the orphanage with a friendly note. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to receive these wonderful photos back in return. Just look at these darling kids. I wish them many happy drawings!

A Note about Helping those in need...

Posted by Rene.Bross on 28. January 2010 10:42

Recently I was contacted by a very nice woman named Linda Lee who had a wonderful idea to raise money for an orphanage in Cambodia. She explained that she would like to print note cards with hand-drawn pictures on the front of the card- drawn by the orphans themselves and a photo and hand-written letter on the back of each card. As she told me more about her project and about the orphanage, I knew immediately that I wanted to help out however I could. As I received each hand-drawing, photo and hand-written note, I fell in love with project even more. Linda is a wonderful person and she is sending 100% of the proceeds of the sales of these cards directly to the Chres Village School and Orphanage in the Bakong District of Siem Reap, Cambodia.

These cards, which are blank inside, make wonderful thank you notes. I'm going to use them for my own children's thank you notes. The illustrations are not colored in and my boys are looking forward to coloring them before they send them out. I think it's a wonderful way for my young boys to make a connection with those that are not as fortunate. It beats sending a Mickey Mouse or Spongebob thank you note anyday!

To purchase your own set of Thank You notes and make a donation to the Orphanage in Cambodia, please visit Linda's website at http://kocalee.wordpress.com/

 

Checking in with Eco-Friendly Celebs

Posted by Lorna.Doone on 31. December 2009 06:37

Are you one of those people who just can't get enough of celebrity gossip?  Or, maybe you're tired of hearing about all the ridiculous things celebrities do and are looking for some good news for a change.  In either case, you might want to check out ecorazzi.com.  I've been reading it off and on for a couple of years now, and it's generally a peek into celebrity lives that leaves me feeling a whole lot less creepy than I would if I sat in front of an episode of TMZ.

Basically, they cover celebrities from an environmental angle.  Want to know what Bollywood star did a "Go Green" calendar (it looks really beautiful, too)?  Then you're in luck.  Tired of hearing what a jerk Russel Crowe is?  Then read about how he gave his coat to a homeless fan.  And, if you can't get enough of Whale Wars, then you'll be thrilled with ecorazzi's ongoing coverage of what the Sea Shepherds are up to.

Other celebrities that have been covered recently include:

 

• Alanis Morissette
• Jamie Oliver
• Jennifer Aniston
• David Letterman
• Ellen DeGeneres