September 29th, 2010

Recycling in earnest can make a person crazy. Maybe you’ve got curbside pick up for plastic bottles and newspapers. But what about batteries, cell phones, CFL light bulbs, printer ink cartridges, cardboard boxes and old computers? These harder-to-recycle items often comprise the clutter in our garages and mud rooms as they wait patiently for someone to haul them to the appropriate place.
Lowe’s stores are trying to make that task a little easier. The home improvement chain announced today that it has installed 1,700 recycling centers in nearly 1,700 stores across the U.S. that will collect and recycle rechargeable batteries, cell phones, unbroken CFLs and plastic shopping bags.

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March 2nd, 2010

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

We are often hardest on those we like. It’s because our disappointment is somehow greater when we’ve been conditioned to expect better.

Like when your once cuddly child becomes a teenager. Or your beloved hairdresser turns your hair green. Cognitive dissonance sets in, followed by betrayal, followed by disappointment (and in the case of the green hair, mortification.)

And so it was last year when I went to Lowe’s for my usual spring garden supplies — a humble gallon of vinegar weed treatment, several bags of organic mulch, some greensand etc. I count on Lowe’s to have these things. This time, though, I also was looking for a second rain barrel.

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March 2nd, 2010

From Green Right Now Reports

Who sells more Energy Star appliances than anyone?

Well, we don’t know. Stores typically won’t reveal their sales figures, which they consider to be proprietary.

But if Jeopardy asks, you might answer: Lowe’s. The retail home improvement chain is being honored later this month for its longtime commitment to energy efficiency, particularly for its emphasis on selling ENERGY STAR appliances.

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October 8th, 2009

Green Right Now Reports

The Cobb County Water System in Marietta, Ga., and Kohler, maker of water faucets and other plumbing supplies, have won government recognition for their water-conserving ways.

The EPA named them among its “WaterSense” Partners of the Year. The program highlights the many ways in which organizations can advocate for saving water:

• Cobb County water officials teamed up with Kohler, Lowe’s Home Improvement stores and others, to promote Georgia’s tax holiday for WaterSense products. WaterSense products include such things as water sensors for sprinkler systems to stop needless watering; low-flow shower heads and faucets, and toilets that use less water.

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