With all the awards shows on TV this time of year, I thought it would be interesting to post the top green corporate “winners” according to Newsweek Magazine. They call this their “exclusive environmental ranking of America’s 500 largest corporations”. I’ve listed the top 10 (500 is overkill) but you can see the rest at http://greenrankings.newsweek.com/top500.
What makes a company green? It might seem difficult to determine, depending on the industry, such as paper making vs. banking, but Newsweek takes that into consideration when they calculate the greenest of the green. Each company gets a Green Score, based on their environmental impact, their green policies and reputation. For instance, H-P is number one because it has strong programs in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Dell uses all renewable energy at its headquarters. And #10 Starbucks encourages suppliers to protect water supplies, and it uses recycled paper products and organic and shade-grown coffee.
At ReduceTM, we develop products that help you become more environmentally friendly in your own home. And we also create products, like our MelabooTM and Wild BambooTM, made of extremely sustainable materials; that go easy on the environment. We are trying to do our small part to help us all live a little more “green”.
What’s great about this list is that it covers so many different industries and does the homework for you. If you’re like me, you might find this list very helpful-especially if you need to replace a laptop, buy a running shoe or choose a morning latte´.
We just got back from showing our Reduce line of products at an eco-friendly product event for the media in NYC. Wow! There are a lot of really innovative green products out there.
Our line created a lot of interest–the Compactor Can is like nothing else. When we show people how simple it works–just push down on the lid to smash down your garbage–people invariably reacted with amazement. It does have that cool factor.
And our Melaboo bamboo kitchenware is so colorful that it often stopped the press in their tracks. Not easy to do, I might add. Who says eco-friendly can’t be eco-chic! Our stuff looks good.
What struck me was that eco is not going away anytime soon….it’s here to stay. There are endless ideas to be vetted and problems to be solved that will eventually lead to products or services that will help us all lead more environmentally responsible lives.
But be careful–everything seems to be called green these days! There are varying shades of green, so-to-speak. Some products help us replace a bad eco-killing habit (like how our WaterWeek bottles help you ditch the disposables). And some items are made of eco-friendly materials that are gentler on our environment (like our colorful Melaboo kitchen products, made of highly sustainable bamboo). And some just really aren’t that green at all….
So enjoy all the eco products on shelves today, and get ready for a whole lot more. All useful, we hope. Definetely if they’re from Reduce.
Check out HGTV.com today (quickly) to see the nice write-up on our eco-friendly WaterWeek bottles. You get a chance to win the aluminum water week set! It’s posted under a fun section called Freebie Fridays and each Friday they feature a cool product with a chance to win! But hurry, you have to enter by THIS MONDAY, 2/8, at noon ET, so visit http://blog.hgtv.com/design/category/freebies/ as soon as you’re done reading this post!
Here’s what they have to say: “This week we’re bringing a little green to your weekend with some help from our friends at REDUCE. Their WaterWeek system brings an end to the wasteful and expensive habit of purchasing bottled water.” And we all know that not only does this save our landfills from unnecessary waste, but saves your pocketbook a lot too, about $500 a year! Not bad. Being green really can save you green!
HGTV.com also wants to know what other ways you are going green this year. So let them know (before Monday as well). Some of the things I’m doing are: buying energy efficient light bulbs instead of the cheaper ones, printing on the blank side of used paper (be careful, it can get confusing) and reusing foil (it washes up well!).
It’s a pretty fun blog. Check back each Friday to see what the next Freebie Friday will be. I know I will.
Bamboo is really amazing. It has been around forever, yet, we have just begun to tap into its amazing abilities. Companies are incorporating bamboo into housewares, flooring, furniture and even clothing! Our Reduce™ Melaboo™ line of kitchenware is a mixture of bamboo and melamine, making it highly biodegradable and eco-friendly. And we just launched another bamboo product called Wild Bamboo™, a natural crushed-bamboo line of plates, bowls and serving ware. This relatively new process gives the pieces a raw and natural look, with light and dark shades of bamboo—no two pieces are alike!
Wild Bamboo Melaboo
Bamboo is so much more than just Panda fare. It is a tree-like grass, actually a woody perennial evergreen plant. There are over 1000 species of bamboo, with many in the U.S. Because it is the fastest growing woody plant in the world, it is extremely renewable and when treated, it becomes a durable and lightweight wood.
Here is a lowdown on why we should support bamboo-based products:
Bamboo is VERY eco-friendly. It is highly sustainable, which means it grows quickly, takes less energy to grow than similar plants, and the grass can be harvested over and over from the same plant.
Bamboo is durable and lightweight, making it ideal for housewares, home furnishings and flooring.
Bamboo is versatile—some uses include clothing, building products, home furnishings, kitchenware, food, medicine, carpeting and the list goes on.
Bamboo is inexpensive to use because it regenerates so often. Unlike other types of wood, bamboo can even grow from cut stems.
Bamboo, because it is so fast growing, generates a lot of oxygen, which positively impacts other crops around it.
Bamboo is allergy-free, which is a great benefit when used in products that come in direct contact with people like clothing, building products, housewares and carpeting.
So it is easy to see that it makes sense to buy bamboo-based products. It’s good for our environment, our checkbook and our quality of life. Check out http://www.americanbamboo.org/ for more info on bamboo.
Have you heard of 1% for the Planet℠? It is a bit different from your typical charity. It is a not-for-profit organization whose members pledge to donate 1 percent of sales to environmental causes. As a member, you can choose some well-known causes, and/or smaller local ones that may often get ignored.
We became a member in 2010 and will donate a portion of all Reduce brand products to support green causes. Of all the many cool things we have planned for 2010 (new products, international trade shows, etc.), this is the coolest in my opinion.
We chose this organization after looking at a wide variety of options. And what convinced us was the opportunity to make a difference not just on a broader scale, but also at a very local level—to impact the community outside our back door, so-so-speak.
Begun in 2002 by the founder of Patagonia, 1% for the Planet (1% FTP) is made up of over 1,000 businesses that donate over $12 million annually to environmental groups worldwide. Since it began, the group has raised over $42 million–not shabby! As our sales grow, we’ll help that total grow as well. And another benefit or joining 1% FTP is the opportunity to get to know other like-minded companies and share information on how we can all be better environmental stewards.
We developed the Reduce line of products because we wanted to make it a little easier for people to reduce their carbon footprint and live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Take Reduce™ WaterWeek™—it is a very simple solution to a nasty problem. Keep the set of five water bottles chilling in your fridge ready to grab when you need it and you are no longer likely to buy the disposable water bottles (of which only about 25% end up recycled, the rest are washing up on shores across the world). It’s not rocket science, but it is a small step that if taken by many, results in significant change for the environment.
Well, we have successfully said good bye to 2009 (good riddance?) and are looking forward to a happier and healthier 2010. January is the month to start anew by kicking some bad habits, and starting some good ones. One of my resolutions is to eat better and drink more water this year!
But it can be very difficult to drink the recommended amount of water each day–eight glasses or 64 ounces. That’s a lot of water! I will admit, before I became a more environmentally friendly consumer, I bought disposable water bottles and would grab one on my way out the door, because I know the important health benefits of drinking enough water:
Healthy Bodily Function: We lose a lot of water during the day through sweating and breathing. If we lose even just 10% of the water in our body, we’re considered dehydrated—even losing 1-2% can cause us to feel tired, and get headaches. So drinking enough water helps us think better, feel energized and helps our internal organs just function better, which could ward off disease.
Pretty Skin: This is related to #1 since our skin is our largest organ. With enough water, our skin will have luster, feel more pliable, less dry and just look healthier.
Weight Loss: If we rob our kidneys of enough water, they have to work harder to rid our bodies of waste, which could lead to kidney stones. Ouch. Then, the liver might have to take up the slack and then can’t focus on metabolizing stored fat, which will ultimately build up more fat. You get the picture.
So, back to my lack of water drinking. I’m getting better. I keep Reduce WaterWeek in my fridge and always have a cold bottle of water ready to grab on my way out the door. They fit in my purse, are attractive and easily fit in my car’s cup holder (not true for many of my other water bottles). I’m still not up to 64 ounces, but I’m doing better and feel good that I’m not contributing to the wasteful growth of our landfills. This may be one New Year’s resolution that I can actually keep!
Check out our wide variety of water bottles at www.reduceeveryday.com and start drinking to your health too.
All of us here at Base Brands would like to wish you and yours a very happy holiday season. It is coming down to the final stretch, and by the looks of traffic around here, people are busy with last minute shopping. Hopefully, you’ve been able to use some of our previous green shopping tips as you head out to the mall!
So, in the spirit of the holidays, we’d like to share some simple ideas to be a bit greener this holiday season, and start the New Year off right.
Buy in bulk or large packages: ‘Tis the season to cook and bake. Try to plan out your recipes so you can buy bigger containers/boxes and make lots of batches of your favorite recipe. Buying lots of little containers of ingredients creates a ton of extra waste.
Be stingy with the gas logs: Running a gas fireplace really eats up gas and costs a small fortune! Try to run it just for special occasions, not all day long, like the kids want. This makes it more special anyway.
Time those lights: Plug in a light timer for your outside and tree lights. It’s silly to waste electricity when no one is around to enjoy the pretty tree.
Recycle paper and ribbons: It’s amazing how much you can save and reuse if you’re careful.Especially gift bags; they’re expensive and a huge shame to throw out. And don’t put labels on the outside of the bag! Then they’re ruined for sure.
Say no to paper plates: Invest in cheap but attractive buffet plates and cups and ditch the paper plates and cups at your next holiday open house.Plus it looks so much nicer anyway.
Here’s hoping your time with friends and family is joyous and safe this year. We’re going to spend some quality time with our loved ones so we’ll see you back in 2010!
Not to sound old-fashioned, but most household products appeal to women, not men. Women buy them, use them, store them, throw them out when done, and buy new ones when they need them. This is a generalization, I know, but still very true. Any smart marketer knows this to be fact. So, at Base Brands, when we develop new and different household products, we talk to our consumer and listen to her too. But, one of our most recent product launches got me thinking. What makes a typical household product “crossover” to the other side? When does the male of the house start to notice a particular household item and care enough to give his opinion to the ultimate decision maker?
A friend of a friend’s husband, who is pretty traditional (not a lot of help with household or childcare chores), told his wife he wanted them to buy this well-known high-end vacuum cleaner. He doesn’t vacuum, has never vacuumed and probably never will. But he wanted them to have this vacuum. Why? Because it had a great design and looked cool. It had a “mechanism” to it that made it different.
And so it is with our new Reduce™ Compactor Can. It’s a kitchen garbage can that features great design and looks cool. And it has a revolutionary feature unlike any other can out there— it has a compacting feature built into the lid so you can compact 2 times your household garbage, all without plugs or batteries. You just push down on the lid handle and a compacting disc then squishes down your garbage. No more sticking your hand into the trash! So it is a sanitary solution to a common problem, that also saves money on trash bags, and sends less bags to the landfill, making it eco-friendly too. And to brag a bit, the Reduce Compactor Can, has recently been selected as a finalist in a housewares design contest! The 2010 Housewares Design Awards chose the Reduce Compactor Can as one of only 65 finalists out of over 300 entries because of its innovative and eco-friendly design. Check it out at http://www.housewaresdesignawards.com/hda/main.asp.
We have found that men really like the Reduce Compactor Can. It has man-appeal. Is it because men take out the trash? (Again, generalizing here.) Is it because they have a gadget to play with? Is it because it appeals to their ego because they can one-up the neighbors with the coolest garbage can in the cul-de-sac? Not sure here. Women still make the buying decisions no doubt, but with more and more household products, they may hear more input from their other half. The big question is will they listen. What other household products do you think have “man-appeal”? Let us know. We’re curious.
The holiday shopping season is officially upon us and if you haven’t crossed everyone off your list yet, we thought it would be helpful to share some tips on how to be a bit more eco-friendly during this yearly ritual of mass purchasing and consumption. And the good part, not only will these tips help you be more green, they may just save you some green too.
Get organized: Write down all your gifts and consolidate your shopping trips. Don’t drive to far away stores to pick up one or two things. That’s a big waste of emissions. Plan to hit a few stores on one big trip.
Bring reusable shopping bags. These bags are not just for the grocery store; why not bring them to the mall as well? Makes good sense.
Shop online. This is a bit obvious, but it’s worth repeating. Because you are not driving anywhere, you’re saving on fossil fuels and emissions.
Buy locally. Look for vendors who are local—farmers, craftspeople, etc.—and support them. You know their products didn’t travel across an ocean to get to you. Energy is saved and pollution is reduced.
Green gift wrapping: Use recycled papers, newspapers or fabric to wrap and decorate packages. Make bows out of fabric ribbon instead of the plastic kind; these take a long time to decompose and can give off toxic fumes when burned.
Rechargeable batteries: Consider buying rechargeable batteries and include a charger as part of the gift. This will cut down dramatically on the amount of discarded batteries that end up polluting the earth.
Make it with love: Make homemade gifts, and if they’re edible, even better. This way, you are showing great affection (it takes thought and effort to cook/bake/assemble something) and when the gift is consumed, all that is left over is a handy jar or container.
Save the paper: This is tough with kids, since they have very little patience opening gifts, but a lot of wrapping paper can be saved with a little careful ripping. Especially on big toy packages. There is easily enough usable paper to be saved for small packages next year.
Give green gifts: Help spread the word about the importance of saving our earth. Look for gifts with eco-labels, made out of recycled products or that help people become more green. Reduce WaterWeek bottles are attractive and giving them will encourage the recipient to stop buying wasteful disposable water bottles.
Gift Cards: There’s the constant debate whether gift cards are the lazy man’s way out, with that aside, it is a great green solution. Your loved one gets to pick out what they really want, reducing the amount of unwanted items ending up in the Goodwill bin.
That’s it. No doubt, there are many more ways to be green this season. Hopefully, we can all keep some of these tips in mind as we hit the stores, whether brick and mortar or online. Keep thinking green and you may save some green.
