The Environmental Cost of Too Much Meat While residents of the United Kingdom eat only about 175 pounds of meat and fowl a year, adults in the United States eat more than 220 pounds of meat and poultry each year. Raising this much cattle, pigs, chickens, turkey and so forth puts a huge strain on natural resources.

In the past 50 years the production of meat products in the world has risen by a factor of three. To accommodate three times more animals to be raised for food requires a lot of resources. Specifically, these animals eat grasses and grains which require a lot of resources to grow. In fact, various sources estimate that it takes anywhere from 7 to 16 pounds of grain to produce a single pound of beef; obviously this is an inefficient use of resources as 16 pounds of grain could feed many more people than 1 pound of beef. And this grain requires a lot of land – it is estimated by the United Nations that 30% of the Earth’s land mass is currently being used as either pasture land for cattle or to grow vegetables that are used to feed livestock.

The Lay of the Land So, 30% of our land is being used to breed livestock. As if these numbers are not shocking enough, population growth and the modern “super size” appetite are making it worse. According to researchers at the famed Smithsonian Institute, across the world approximately seven football fields worth of forest and other lands are cleared every minute to make room for more animal farming. This adds to the already staggering 260 million acres in the United States alone that are dedicated to growing meat and food for livestock.

The Water is a Problem as Well Of course cattle, pigs and fowl (oh my) do not live on grain alone – they need water. It requires an estimated 2,400 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef; that includes water to grow the grasses and grains the cow eats as well as water consumed by the cow itself. Think about it; for each pound of beef that we do not consume we could save as much as 16 pounds of grain and 2,400 gallons of water. Astounding.

Fossil Fuels and Methane Round it Out In addition to all of this waste of grain and water we have yet to even mention the vast amounts of fossil fuels that are used to run farm equipment, slaughter houses, processing facilities, meat product transportation, refrigerator cases at the grocery stores and so much more. Finally, we are left to deal with the waste created by all of these farm animals. In fact, the livestock industry is a huge creator of methane, one of the most dangerous greenhouse gasses, making meat production a primary contributor to global warming. Add to this the pesticides and other chemicals that are used in non-organic farming and you have truly created a recipe for environmental disaster.

How to Move Forward In short, a person who lives mostly by eating meat requires ten times more land to create their food than a person who lives mostly on plant materials. Few people expect that the world en mass will turn to vegetarianism in the near future, turning around this serious problem. But we should know that small changes count. Think about it – if the average American eats three quarters of a pound of meat a day then just trying to have two meat free days a week would save 78 pounds of beef a year. Given that a pound of beef has nearly 900 calories, this would potentially save 1,872,000 gallons of water and as much as 1,248 pounds of grain from being used by each person, and prevent the accumulation of up to 20 additional pounds of fat on the person’s frame. With just two vegetarian days per person each week we could make a huge difference in the environment and our collective waste line.

Austin, Texas Leading the way by developing green areas and committing to alternative energy is Austin, Texas. The city has designated more than 200 parks throughout the air, as well as a variety of nature preserves and other green areas. By using a pay-as-you-throw program, Austin encourages its residents to think twice about what they throw away. Austin is also working towards using more sustainable energy resources, and already powers 20% of the city with alternative power. Austin is also trying to be carbon neutral by 2020.

New York, New York It may be a surprise that New York City ranked number one in U.S. News and World Report’s list of green cities, but it’s true. In NYC mass transit rules, as more than trips are taken on public transportation every day! Nearly 70% of New Yorkers recycle on a regular basis and only 15% admit to having no ecological consciousness at all.

Oakland, California With a focus on energy self-sufficiency, Oakland has a goal of becoming oil independent and to be zero-waste by 2020. This ambitious goal is already in progress as the city uses hydrogen power for their public transportation, has programs to make fresh, organic food available to its residents, and already gets nearly 20% of its energy from sustainable sources. Oakland has been carefully tracking how much it sends to landfill compared to how much it recycles since 2000, and shows a solid 33% increase in recycling since that time, with a 27% reduction in waste to landfill.

Portland, Oregon This active city boasts a recycling rate of over 70%, but more importantly it is a community that always stays active. Portland uses carpool lanes to encourage joint commuting, but bicycle lanes also make riding to work easier – the city has more than 200 miles of bike lanes and was recently declared the most bikable city in the country. This city has a serious recycling program, but more importantly the city gets nearly half of all the power it uses from sustainable sources including wind and water power.

San Francisco, California Many people think of California as the home of granola loving hippies, but really it is a vibrant, active state with a variety of business types and an even larger variety of people. Nowhere is there more divergent people than in San Francisco, yet that city has managed to be a top runner in sustainable, green living for some time. Walkability is one of the main reasons that San Francisco tops the green city lists year after year – this city was simply made for walking. If there is a place that you can’t get to by foot, or if the hilly terrain is just too much, their public transportation system is tops. It is quite common to live in the city and not even own a car. In fact, more than 50% of the city residents use bikes, roller blades, walking or public transportation to get to work each day! Nearly 75% of residents recycle on a regular basis.

The Road to Green The road to a green country starts with our individual cities. As people find more innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment we can see city after city qualify to join a list of the greenest cities in the country. Together, these green cities form states and eventually will yield a country that has an active focus on environmental sustainability.

When it comes to eggs there is a huge variation in cost depending upon how the chicken is raised. A dozen white eggs with no particular description of the condition the chicken lives in can sell for as little as 85 cents. As you move up the price point ladder you find brown chicken eggs, grain fed chicken eggs, vegetarian chicken eggs, cage free chicken eggs, free range chicken eggs and even pasture raised chicken eggs. The most expensive of these can cost $3.85 or more per dozen, as much as 400% more than traditional white eggs. But what do all these labels really mean? Let’s take a look.

Brown eggs: The only difference between a white egg and a brown egg is the type of chicken that laid it. A brown egg is not any more healthful than a white egg, unless it can claim to be organic or something else, per the rest of this list.

Cage free: Cage free eggs come from chickens that are not housed in cages. This is a nice thing because many egg chickens live a pretty miserable life stuffed into extremely small cages where they cannot even turn around or move; they live just to eat what is put in front of them and lay eggs. But cage free really doesn’t say much; these chickens may not live in small cages, but they are likely to be confined to a small barn with no opportunity to go outside.

Free range: In the United States this title usually means that the chicken has access to an outside area where it can peck at the ground and see the sunshine. However, there is not rule about how large the area must be or how long the animal is allowed to enjoy the outdoor space.

Pasture raised: Some farmers are now starting a new type of chicken rearing that they call pasture raised. These chickens are allowed to live naturally in a pasture with access to a shelter. While it is not yet a legally monitored term, it is meant to indicate a chicken that lives a more natural life where it can engage in natural chicken behaviors.

Vegetarian eggs: These eggs come from hens that are fed a vegetarian diet. This means they are fed grains, but it may also mean that they are kept indoors or in cages to keep them from the natural chicken behavior of eating insects or worms.

Organic grain fed eggs: These eggs come from chickens that are fed organic grain (grain that has not been sprayed with pesticides or grown from genetically modified seeds). The hens have also not been treated with any artificial hormones or antibiotics.

Choosing the Right Eggs

Many egg factories and large farms keep chickens in close quarters so they can fit more chickens in less space. However, this causes stress for the chickens; hens do not lay as many eggs when they are under stress. So, the efforts to increase egg production can minimize egg production at the same time. Farm raised hens that have room to roam live a more natural, cruelty free life. This alone seems reason to pay a bit more for a more planet friendly egg. But opting for organic eggs is the best choice.

As we know from many studies, pesticides are causing more and more problems with human health. And we are learning that these pesticides residues can travel through the food chain. If we spray chemicals on grain, then feed it to a chicken, and then eat those eggs, we will get some pesticide. Perhaps only tiny amounts, but add that to the tiny amounts in the chicken meat that you eat, then the tiny amounts in the milk you drink, and on your daily apple… the list goes on. Just like eating calories from a broken cookie, a bite here and a bite there ads up. In our chemically laden world it seems little wonder that so many different varieties of disease and cancer are spreading like wild fire.

Does Green Sell? Some people will tell you that green definitely sells, that people are searching for green today, willing to pay more. This is sometimes true, but as many retailers and product manufactures are learning people are more likely to want a good product that works, at a good price. Now, let’s be clear – people do like green.  They also want “the best”, “most effective,” “works every time” and other buzz phrases. They want a laundry soap that will get their whites white and get their colors bright. First and foremost they want the best product. Being green is an added plus!

How Can You Make Green Sell? Does this mean that green products do not sell? Not at all. It simply means that for most consumers products do not sell simply because they are green. Thus, when you are developing your packaging, advertising and slogans be sure that you are touting how effective and superior your product. Then mention that it has the added benefit of being green.  People do love green, but only early adopters (read “granolas”) will buy anything just because it is green. Most mainstream consumers are happy to go green if it is just as cheap and good a product as what they are used to, but they are not willing to sacrifice performance, price or convenience for the environment.

Things to Remember When it comes to Green Products When it comes to marketing your green products, there can be some challenges. So, remember the following tips:

1. Green does sell…  in some markets, with some consumers. So do advertise in green publications or websites, so that those people who are searching for green products can find yours.
2. Most people want a good, useful product at a reasonable price above all. On packaging and mainstream advertising materials make a bigger deal about how good your product is, but do mention that it is green as well. As green is growing in the mainstream market.
3. Know your market and audience. In some markets, such as San Francisco, green is way in. But in middle America consumers tend to flip flop and do not want anything that seems too unusual or cutting edge. In a green market, make green stand out. In an average market make your product look like every other product, with a simple “eco-friendly” bullet point.
4. Masculinize your green. Many men think that being eco-friendly is for women, so ensure that your products have a broad gender appeal.
5. Make it relevant. People in Florida do not want to hear about how they are saving the glaciers or polar bears with your product; consider regional packaging. Save polar bears in the north and manatees in the south.
6. Price your product to be mainstream. Price is a huge issue in today’s challenging economy. If the price is right consumers are more likely to buy.
7. Get certifications for your products. A certified product makes consumers more sure of their purchases.

Go Green The most important thing to remember as you develop and market your green products is that most people want what makes their life easier. Use your packaging and advertising to convince them that your product is the same as the national brands that they are used to, only better. Choose packaging that is shaped similar to the national brands, price them and print labels that are similar, and design your packaging with information that shows how this product will help the consumer.

The 2012 Super Bowl – that is Super Bowl XLVI to you super sports fans – was possibly the greenest super bowl in NFL history. That’s right, each year the super bowl is a lot of things: the super bowl is the most watched television program of the entire year. That day also holds the distinction of being the second biggest day for the true great American pass time of eating, second only to the Thanksgiving holiday. It is the largest day for consuming nacho chips and chicken wings, in particular, and the time of year when people buy the most new big screen television sets. Of course it is also the one day of the year when people actually watch the commercials as much as the program itself. So, now that we reminisced about what makes the Super Bowl such a special day out of the 365 in a year, let’s talk about what makes this particular Super Bowl stand out above the previous 45 – this football extravaganza was more green.

It is all Relative You are probably wondering how an event that causes mass purchasing of giant screen TVs from big box electronics stores, causes the flouring and frying of millions of chickens, and means certain consumption for barrels of beer and salsa alike could possibly be green. Good questions. The truth is that in a world that is really only just beginning to embrace the eco-friendly nature of green, the color green is somewhat relative. So, instead of comparing this year’s Indianapolis based Super Bowl to some green building convention or a PETA meeting, let’s look at it in comparison to other Super Bowl’s of the past and see how the event is making moves towards green, moves which we can only hope will continue to develop in future Super Bowls throughout the country.

Running Down the Field of Green The NFL is actually making a very conscious effort to go green. This year the NFL made two major efforts on the path towards sustainability and sports. The main way that the NFL is seeking to go green is through buying green credits. Now, at first this may seem like something of a cop-out, but the fact is that it is challenging to turn such a huge extravaganza of crowds and indulgence green. Sure, the organizers in Indianapolis did their best by offering a lot of public transportation, shuttles and buses to avoid traffic congestions and, peripherally, green house gas emission. But to be honest, at this point offsetting their footprint is probably the best that the NFL can do, and it is certainly an important step in a corporation taking some responsibility for the environment.

So, the NFL worked with Green Mountain Energy to purchase carbon credits; you can see the details on the Green Mountain Energy website. This was done specifically by purchasing renewable energy certificates; in fact, the NFL purchased 15 million KWH of energy, reportedly enough to run 25 million flat screen TVs during the game and microwave 160 million bowls of nacho cheese dip, while they also donated 1,700 trees to be planted in the host city of Indianapolis.

In addition to purchasing these energy credits, the NFL helped organized hundreds of NFL parties; many of these parties worked to raise donations for a variety of homeless charities, helping to feed the masses.

The truth is that these efforts actually show a serious commitment by the NFL to become a little greener. If every sporting institution were to follow this lead we could continue to work solidly towards green, while setting a great example for our sports loving children.

1)    Think before you drive. Too many of us just jump into our car every time that we need a gallon of milk or a scoop of ice cream. The truth is that for many of these smaller errands we could actually walk or take our bicycle. So, when you can get somewhere without revving up your engine, do it.

2)    Keep your car well maintained. When you do have to drive you will get the best mileage and leave the least carbon footprint if you keep your car well maintained. This means doing whatever you can to ensure that you are releasing the cleanest exhaust and that you are getting the best mileage. To accomplish these things keep your air filter clean (replace it as recommended by the manufacturer), keep your brakes well maintained, repair any oil leaks immediately, and keep your tire pressure at suggested levels to increase mileage.

3)    Be aware of how you drive. Some people do not realize how much of an impact their own driving habits have on the mileage that they get from a tank of gas, on their repair and maintenance costs and even on the life of the car and various car parts. For example, if you drive too close to the car in front of you then you are more likely to have to hit your breaks a lot. This does three things. First, it wastes fuel because you inject fuel into the engine to get up speed, then suddenly force mechanical stopping with your brakes, then have to inject more fuel to speed up again. Second, it wears out your brakes and engine parts, causing you to have to replace parts which costs materials, creates waste and costs money. Third, it may surprise you to know that excessive braking actually makes a noticeable difference in the life of our tail lights. It’s true. In fact, tail light life can be reduced dramatically by a combination of excessive breaking and standing while in drive.

4)    Watch your speed. You may not realize this but your vehicle gets more miles to the gallon when you are driving at moderate speeds than it does when you drive at high speeds. In fact, anything over 55 miles per hour is using far more fuel than your vehicle needs to be using. While Sammy Hagar screamed, “I can’t drive 55,” he probably didn’t realize that this speed is optimal highway speed for energy efficiency.

5)    Use technology to help you make the best use of your vehicle. While teens and twenty-something’s today are accustomed to using technology for everything, those of us who are a little older may be surprised to know that if you want to improve your gas mileage there is an app for that. Yes, that’s right, a variety of companies are developing smart phone applications that are designed to improve your car’s mileage and thus eco-friendly operations. Most of these apps do a few things. Some work like a GPS unit, but focus on finding a route that is likely to cause the least stop and go traffic, thus get you the best mileage. Other apps can also track your speed and braking habits, making suggestions for more efficient driving. If you want to give one a try check out GreenMeter, DriveGain, and EcoSpeed.

The Financial Reasons Why Hormones are Used Artificial growth hormones are used to make more money. It is as simple as that. By injecting dairy cows with this hormone milk production can be increased by about 10%. That means that if a farmer can get $1,000 worth of milk out of its cows in a week without the hormone the farmer can get $1,100 worth of milk out of those same cows using the hormone. For a 10% bump in income, not counting the money they have to spend to buy the hormone, some dairy farmers and corporations are willing to inject a man-made synthetic hormone into our milk supply. They also use it in meat cattle to encourage the cattle to build more muscle and develop more quickly. How do they create this artificial and dangerous hormone? Read on.

The Dirty Secret behind Artificial Growth Hormones The two most common artificial growth hormones that are used to treat cows today are bovine somatotropin (bST) and recombant bovine growth hormone (rBGH). Both of these hormones are artificially created synthetics meant to augment the small amount of natural hormone that a cow’s body make’s on its own. In the 1990s scientists learned how to replicate this otherwise naturally occurring hormone so that it could be injected into cows to increase milk production. The process involves taking the natural hormone from a dead cow, and then injecting it into an E. coli bacteria. The E. coli works to multiply the growth hormone, creating more and more of it by reproducing its DNA. Then, the E. coli is removed leaving just the growth hormone. This hormone is then injected into cows.

The Dangers to the Animals As if the simple idea of using E. coli bacteria to breed something that is then injected into our food animals is not simply disgusting enough, there are actual dangers to both the animals the growth hormone is injected into and the humans who consume their products. Proponents of growth hormones argue that any residual hormone that makes its way into milk or meat is either dead or occurs at such low levels that it will not hurt humans. However, studies have found that these hormones can cause a variety of ailments in the cows that are injected, including bacterial infections. We would not want our children to eat sick fish, so why would we want them to drink from sick cows?

The Dangers to the Consumers While proponents of the hormone say that the milk and meat is safe, studies have shown that some cancers seem to be associated with drinking milk from cows treated with artificial growth hormones. In fact, the United States is the only developed country in the world that allows milk and meat that is meant for human consumption to be treated with artificial growth hormone: it is illegal in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and throughout Europe. Due to consumer demand for hormone free milk, many stores today have stopped carrying milk from cows treated with artificial growth hormone. Kroger, Safeway and Publix all carry only hormone free milk and Wal-mart offers a hormone free variety. Even coffee great Starbucks and ice cream gurus Ben and Jerry’s have made the move to hormone free milk.

Moving Forward to a Safer Food Chain While the idea of eating or drinking from animals injected with artificial growth hormone is scary, the good news is that in this area consumers have made an impact. People demanded hormone free milk and big businesses have answered the call. This is a great example of how consumer awareness and vocalizations can make a real difference.

Simple Facts on Employee Engagement in Sustainability Just a few years ago if a company was to start thinking about green initiatives or sustainability it was most likely the employees who were behind it, developing their own grass roots efforts to recycle or reduce waste. Today, as more executives and business owners become informed about the economic advantages of sustainable business practices more and more companies are seeing sustainability being pushed by high level managers and supervisors.

In fact, research has suggested that today investor pressure and an overall sense of corporate responsibility actually account for nearly a quarter of sustainability efforts currently in place. This is an excellent turn of events, but it does bring with it a concern about ensuring that the employees are also engaged in these changes. Let’s look at some interesting facts about corporate and organizational sustainability as uncovered in a major survey conducted by sustainability advising company Brighter Planet:

• When it comes to sustainable initiatives, construction companies, energy supplies and environmental groups are leading the way. Financial services, wholesale groups and governments are falling behind.
• The most common areas that sustainability efforts focus on presenting are recycling, waste reduction, energy use, and reduction of pollution and use of fossil fuels in commuting to work. But we need to promote more sustainability efforts in areas such as travel, food production and water use.
• Organizations that have a specific avenue for allowing employees to share their sustainability ideas are six times more likely to have effective sustainability programs because they are helping to garner employee buy-in to the effort.

Success Stories in Sustainability Sustainability and employee engagement success stories are popping up in companies large and small. Following are just two examples of such success, but this list could go on for pages:

Travel giant Hyatt Hotels has established an initiatives called Hyatt Thrive which focuses on four main areas that the company feels is essential to sustainability: environmental sustainability, economic development and investment, education and personal advancement, and health and wellness. The company uses a social networking site to manage various initiatives in these areas, allowing their thousands of employees around the world to share their own stories, activities, questions and more. This global effort is creating a culture of sustainability and awareness throughout the organization.

Computer maven Intel has created its own employee sustainability engagement effort around three core values: learn, act, and share. This initiative is designed to keep employees informed and engaged, helping them to share stories and lessons learned as the company works towards various levels of sustainability. In fact, the company tied their bonus structure to sustainability efforts in 2008, further encouraging employee involvement in eco initiatives.

How You Can Move Your Business along a Path of Sustainability Many organizations today are realizing that sustainable business practices can have an extremely profitable impact on customer satisfaction, organization reputation, and profit, as well as having a positive impact on the planet and those who live here as a whole. It is excellent that companies are recognizing the value of sustainability, but it is also important to remember that sustainability initiatives must be employee driven, or at least they must have a very high level of employee buy-in if they are to be successful.  Thus, motivating employees to take an active role in developing, carrying out and tracking the progress of eco-friendly initiatives is an important part of such initiatives succeeding.

One very interesting piece of information that was gathered in the Brighter Planet survey was that organizations which collected and displayed information about the footprint of their organization were three times more likely to have an effective sustainability program in place. This means that one great step you can take to encourage sustainability in your company is to start out with an overall view of your company, as far as how much energy and resources are used in employee commuting and travel, building energy use and material waste. Then, after developing specific initiatives and goals start to track the progress. Show your employees how the company footprint is changing – how you are using less energy, off-gassing less carbon, sending less trash to landfill. Show the results and this will propel your employees to even higher levels of sustainability.

We have fortunately witnessed major corporations putting green policies in place for altruistic as well as economic reasons. But changes have yet to take place at many small and medium businesses. If you own or are employed by one of these businesses there are several things that your company can do to join the bandwagon.

1.     Engage Leadership in the Cause If you are a leader in your company, you know that you are a critical part of the culture. Change begins with you and trickles down the organization chart. Your dedication to making your company greener will show your employees this is a serious issue that your company is going to dedicate energy to.

If you are not a leader, you can pitch to your leaders why green business is important. Be sure to emphasize that while there might be some difficult hurdles, many of the changes will be easy and cost effective.

2.     Form a Green Committee In the case of turning your company green, it will be easier to form a team to lead the way. Include members of management as well as all other levels of employees. This will give the committee some credibility as well as encourage buy-in from all levels. As employees see their peers working to make the company greener, they will be more inclined to do their part.

Charge your green team with conducting research, creating green policies, training employees, and enforcing and maintaining all efforts. Individual team members can be appointed areas of specialization such as a recycling chairperson, an energy chairperson, and a purchasing chairperson.

3.    Analyze Energy Consumption A key area of concern for your green team should be energy consumption. The team should have an energy audit performed. Contract a professional to conduct an overall analysis or ask the utility companies to audit your facility. Once you understand where your company is using energy, determine how it can conserve energy. Here are some things to think about:

• Analyze the benefit of installing automatic shutoff technology for after hours. Such technology shuts lights off either based on time or movement.
• Ask employees to shut down their electronic accessories when they are leaving the office. This includes everything from task lighting to printers, copiers, computers, as well as radios and recharging devices.
• Assess the possibilities of have employees work from home.
• Adopt just in time methods. If your company manufacturers goods that use raw materials requiring energy consuming storage (refrigeration or heat), borrow the method used by major manufacturing companies of just in time material stocking. Have your raw materials delivered just as you need them therefore saving energy costs.
• Choose a green facility. If you are in the market for new offices or facilities, search for buildings that have earned the Energy Star rating granted through a joint effort of the U.S. EPA and Department of Energy.

4.    Reduce Waste Start or enhance your recycling program. As a small business you might already be recycling the obvious…paper, bottles, and cans. But can you expand your program to include everything on your community’s recycling program list. If it is too costly to hire a company to haul your recyclables away, you can ask employee volunteers to aid in the recycling process. Can one or several employees volunteer to create and monitor a recycling center that collects office and even household items such as plastic bags, batteries, paperboard, cardboard, newspaper, magazines, or more? That employee can be given the responsibility of taking the items to the recycling center. Incentives such as time off or small bonuses can encourage employees to volunteer.

Don’t forget that a major way to reduce waste is to purchase items that are eco-friendly. You might already be using recycled paper, but can your green committee find other recycled supplies such as refillable toner cartridges, paper towels, trash bags, or even carpeting or other building materials (when originals wear out).

5.     Empower Employees Encourage employees to make suggestions to color your business green. Offer rewards for employees who bring ideas to the table that are practical and actually implemented. After all, green ideas often save money. A small monetary or product reward will inevitably pay for itself.

Through Energy Star and the EPA, or through the numerous classes and conferences, your green team representatives can learn more about ways your company can take responsibility for its energy and product use as well as production.

But other jargon has also entered our lexicon that can be a little confusing and has sometimes been used interchangeably when the terms really need to stand on their own. Three words deserve a closer look: biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable.

Biodegradability – Beneficial or Not It seems a pretty common understanding that biodegradable means that a product can be broken down – it will degrade. Sometimes interpreted to mean “environmentally friendly”, that is not always the case. Most items will degrade somehow and over some length of time. All too often, common products take a very long time to biodegrade and do not break down as ecologically beneficially as we would want them to.

Items are made of several elements. Typically they contain carbon, hydrogen, and water. Over time these items will break down to their original ingredients. If all items broke down into carbon, hydrogen, and water, that might be okay – even safe. But unfortunately there are products that have elements other than these three and they break down into elements that are not so safe for the environment nor for humans or animals. While a product might claim to be “biodegradable”, it might not degrade into an ecologically beneficial form.

So how can you make sure the products you buy are environmentally friendly? Learn about commonly harmful ingredients used in the products you potentially buy, such as fertilizers and cleaning products. Try to stick to products with natural ingredients and let manufacturers know that you want products that are safe for you, your family, and the earth. Companies listen when you speak with words (emails, letters, etc.) and more importantly with your money. Buy the products proven to be good for the environment.

Compostablity – You Can Do It Composting is a process that is very popular with green homeowners. It is very similar to biodegrading in that it is the process by which an organic product breaks down to its original elements. The noun “compost” is used to describe the result of the decomposing of organic materials. Home composters use compost (a humus-like substance) to enhance the quality of their gardens.

Biodegradable vs. Compostable While these terms seem very similar, it is typically the environment in which they are performed that make the difference. The term biodegrade is used in describing the commercial process similar to composting. Businesses use commercial methods to decompose products in a safe and timely manner (often speeding up the process for items that take a long time to decompose). Composting typically describes the method in which nature decomposes a product quickly (and safely) with little intervention.

Recyclable – And Sensible On the contrary, something that is recyclable is not usually broken down into its organic state. Nor does a natural process occur (with or without intervention) to create an organic end-product such as with biodegradation or composting. Recycling is a conscious effort to break down an item by hand (or machine), usually without changing the chemical make-up of it, so that the raw materials can be used to create another product (or to renew the same product).

There are several benefits to recycling.

• Typically materials gleaned out of the recycling process are used in place of newly created raw materials. Adapting recycled materials often uses less energy than creating new materials.
• Recycling reduces the need to use resources that are limited or are costly to replace. For example, recycling paper prevents the depletion of forests that are on the decline anyway due to the growth of communities.
• Recycling prevents materials that can be useful from being sent to landfills.

It All Adds Up Any way you slice it, biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable products make good sense for our planet. The reuse of materials, whether broken down into organic substances or used in more complex forms, prevents the needless waste of costly energy. The more we reuse products, the less expensive they become. The more we employ processes to create reusable products, the less expensive the processes cost to operate. It all makes good sense for consumers as well as businesses to use these practices on a daily basis.