August 11th, 2010

How green is your big box store when it comes to school supplies?

Not very — at least for some of the most popular big back-to-school retailers. Some carry green products, but not in the back-to-school category. Others carry green products, but they’re online and not necessarily available on store shelves. And one store’s definition of “eco-friendly” may be a far cry from what you’re looking for.

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May 29th, 2010

Climate and the daily weather forecast will dictate if you entertain al fresco or indoors this summer. Either way, warm weather gatherings lend themselves to being green.
To keep the garden party eco-friendly, and still eco-nomical, think about using durable, reusable goods made from low-impact or re-purposed materials, or if the occasion calls for disposables, make them bioplastic. You don’t have to forfeit the magic, see the twinkly solar lights we found!

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April 15th, 2010

Businesses are a planning a wide range of promotional events in conjunction with Earth Day on April 22. Here is a roundup of some of the promotions (check back — we will continually update this list): Disney Store celebrating Earth Day with new eco-friendly products In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, Disney [...]

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April 6th, 2010

From Green Right Now Reports

Target has launched permanent community recycling stations in all 1,740 stores to kick-off a month-long celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. The celebration also includes the launch of an online eco-boutique where guests can find eco-friendly products and learn more about the company’s commitment to the environment, a month-long sweepstakes and a reusable bag giveaway.

Target will place recycling stations in all of its stores.

The new recycling stations, located at the front of each store, offer a convenient way to recycle aluminum, glass and plastic beverage containers, plastic bags, MP3 players, cell phones and ink cartridges. A full description of recyclables that are accepted is available online.

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February 24th, 2009

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Greenpeace, guardian of oceans and forests, has reissued its Recycled Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide to help people make the switch to recycled paper.

The new pocket guide endorses brands such as Green Forest, Earth Friendly, Natural Value and Seventh Generation, which are made of recycled paper. It recommends that shoppers avoid products such as Kleenex, Cottonelle, Charmin, Angel Soft, Bounty, Brawny and the Target and Wal-Mart house brands because they are not made from recycled wood products.

Using recycled personal paper products can make an impressive impact in curbing global warming, according to Greenpeace, among others — far greater than one might suspect from contemplating the lowly roll of toilet paper.

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December 24th, 2008

Harvesting daylight is an ancient trick – as old as the first man-made structure, as old as life on our planet, actually. Using the sunlight provided by nature is the most basic and simple way to illuminate one’s world. But when it comes to modern, sustainable architecture, the idea is relatively young.

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August 22nd, 2008

By Barbara Kessler

Well, slap us with a ruler, it’s time once again to hunt down school supplies, to elbow into the desperate mob with our mandates to secure a thousand pens, pencils, highlighters, fine tip Sharpies, binders and the mysterious “folders with brads.”

With the eco news streaming like ticker tape from the big office stores this year, we thought it would be an easy assignment to find what we needed in recycled versions. We were surprised that this was not the case. The stores we sampled (Office Depot, Office Max and Target) offered only a handful of green notebooks and non-toxic pens. At Office Depot we nearly struck out, looking in vain for recycled filler paper, reasonably priced eco-responsible spiral notepads and pencils made from post-consumer waste. We did spot a reusable shopping bag at the checkout line. But we had only a lone green item, Ticonderoga EnviroStik pencils, to put in it!

Tired of combat crawling through towering stacks of un-green paper and binders, we turned the Internet. Aha! Here we found much greener pastures. Online, even the Big Box stores that had failed us in person had the environmentally good goods. Go figure. Serves us right for expending $4 gasoline to search out environmentally friendly products. Our findings, and a powerfully definitive list it is:

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June 12th, 2008

By Barbara Kessler It’s starting to sound like an Obama Campaign Slogan parsing contest out there in the U.S. Greenscape.

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