Is Hawaii’s Plastic Bag Ban Effective?

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Amy Erickson

Photo Credit: Treehugger

Although there have been a number of city-level bans on plastic bags in the United States, Hawaii is the first state to pass a statewide law regarding the issue. Well, sort of…

Effective July 1, 2015, a ban will take place on all non-recyclable paper bags and all non-biodegradable plastic bags at store checkout counters. While this is a great step, the numerous exceptions to this law reduce the positive impact it could have on the environment.

Here are a few of the exemptions:

  • Bags used by customers inside a business to package loose items like fruit, vegetables, ground coffee, grains, etc..
  • Bags used to contain or wrap frozen foods, beverages, or baked goods
  • Bags provided by pharmacists to contain prescription medications
  • Newspaper bags for home delivery
  • Door hanger bags
  • Laundry, dry cleaning, or garment bags
  • Bags sold in packages containing multiple bags intended for use as garbage, pet waste, or yard waste bags
  • Bags used to contain live animals at pet stores
  • Bags used to transport caustic chemicals sold at retail levels, including pesticides and drain-cleaning chemicals, provided that the exemption is limited to one bag per customer

Some of these exemptions make sense to me, like the trash bags, but not all of them are logical. Why can’t prescriptions be provided in a paper bag, for instance? My pharmacy does that and I’ve never had a problem with it.

Large retail chains like Kroger and Safeway didn’t introduce the plastic bag until the early 1980s. This means that before the plastic bag was introduced, people dealt with problems like transporting freezer goods, beverages, baked goods, prescriptions, and more using paper bags or reusable bags.

A quarter of the world’s countries have restricted or completely banned plastic bag use. I assume that they have found alternatives. When I studied abroad in Italy a few years ago, I got used to carrying around a canvas tote bag when I wanted to go shopping and it wasn’t too difficult.

Do you think the exemptions to Hawaii’s plastic bag ban make sense?

You can read more on Hawaii’s ban here. You can read more about plastic shopping bags here.

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Cell Phone Powered by Walking?

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Amy Erickson

Cell phones will always die at the most inconvenient time… probably when there is no charger in site. But what if you could power your phone, or other electronic device, via your own movements?

During the Kenyan Science Technology and Innovation week, 24-year-old inventor Anthony Mutua showed off a technology that uses your shoe to charge your cell phone or other gadgets while you walk. This technology is called piezoelectricity.

To do this, Mutua inserted a thin “crystal chip” in a sneaker that generates energy as the sole bends. The device connects to your phone via a long cable so you can charge your device in your pocket or the device could store power to charge your phone later. It can also power multiple gadgets at once, but that would, of course, require a lot more energy.

The device can also be transferred from one shoe to another, meaning you can buy just one device and still be able to change your shoes to coordinate with your outfit.

Kenya’s National Council of Science and Technology have already funded the project with approximately $6,000. Mutua has patented the technology and hopes to eventually sell it on the commercial market for $46.

Would you try out this device?

You can read more here.

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Green Guardian: Arman Sadeghi

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Amy Erickson

Photo Credit: Recycling Today

All Green Electronics Recycling CEO Arman Sadeghi was featured once again in Recycling Today. The article talks about how the company came to be, what we do, and our plans for expansion.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Arman Sadeghi, founder and CEO of All Green Electronics Recycling, Tustin, Calif., has a background in information technology (IT) and was familiar with computers and computer equipment before he started All Green.

Part of what prompted Sadeghi to get into the business, he says, was the 2008 60 Minutes report that exposed sub-standard electronics recycling practices involving the export of obsolete electronics to overseas destinations where unsafe disassembly practices occurred.

“I had never been in the recycling or security side until I saw a report on 60 Minutes,” says Sadeghi. “I wanted to see if it was something I could advance.” Four years later, Sadeghi leads a company with 145 employees, three facilities and several additional sales offices in different parts of the country.

You can read the full article here.

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Results of Some Successful All Green Events

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Amy Erickson

We just delivered some more checks after successful events and wanted to share the photos with you.

Nathan delivering an event check to Saint Francis Church in Simi Valley, CA.

Nathan delivering a check to Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra. Another successful event!

Gaston delivering an event check to the Friends of the Huntington Beach Library. Way to go!

More Event Photos:

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The Zero Waste Family

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Amy Erickson

According to the EPA, the average American throws away roughly 1,000 pounds of garbage a year. A family of four in California is attempting to reduce this number by living a virtually waste-free life. They have created only a handful of trash in six months.

How do they do it?

The family in question, the Johnsons, live by the “reduce, reuse, recycle” standard. They focus mainly on the reduce aspect of the standard and try to reduce the amount of waste generated in every aspect of their life. They do this by buying items like grains, snacks, tea, lotions, shampoo, and soap in bulk. Béa Johnson, the mother, brings her own reusable containers to the store to transport these items home. She brings cloth bags for dry goods, glass jars for wet items like meat and cheese, and refillable bottles for bath products. She even takes fresh loaves of bread home from the bakery using pillowcases.  Johnson also makes her own condiments and cans her own preserves. She uses vinegar to make cleaning products and a mix of baking powder and stevia to make toothpaste.

If Johnson can’t find a zero-waste or recyclable alternative for a product, she contacts the company in question to ask if they can green their operations.

According to the Johnsons, here are three common conceptions about going zero waste:

  1. It takes too much time. Johnson says that going zero-waste isn’t as time consuming as people think. With the systems in place, it’s autopilot.
  2. It’s too expensive. The family actually saves money by buying in bulk, avoiding processed foods, and reducing their overall purchasing.
  3. They feel deprived. The Johnsons say that they don’t feel deprived at all, and in fact, their standard of living has increased. They encourage family members to give their sons gifts of experience rather than material items. The boys are allowed as many toys as they can fit in four bins.

Would you consider going zero waste?

You can read more here or check out the Johnson family blog here.

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Partner Spotlight: Reconstruction Warehouse on NBC News

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Amy Erickson

One of our partners, Reconstruction Warehouse, was featured on NBC News. Check out the video below:

View more videos at: http://nbcsandiego.com.

Make sure you check out Reconstruction Warehouse’s website at http://www.recowarehouse.com/.

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10 Ways Walmart is Making a Difference

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Amy Erickson

Last week, Walmart released its 2012 Global Responsibility Report. The 2012 report covers sustainability issues for the retail chain during the fiscal year 2011, i.e., February 1, 2011 through January 30, 2012.

According to Walmart, here are the top 10 highlights from the list:

  1. Reduced waste by 80 percent by keeping 80.9 percent of all waste generated by its U.S. operations out of landfills.
  2. Expanded locally grown produce by increasing the amount of locally grown produce sold by 97 percent. Locally is defined by “grown and sold” in the same state.
  3. Supported women around the world by announcing a women’s economic empowerment initiative. Walmart is committed to sourcing $20 billion from women-owned business in the U.S. and doubling the sourcing globally.
  4. Saved customers $1 billion on fresh fruits and vegetables by reducing or eliminating the price premium on more than 350 “better-for-you” items.
  5. Announced Great for You icon to help customers easily and quickly identify healthier food options.
  6. Utilized 1.1 billion kWh of renewable energy making Walmart the second-largest onsite green power generator in the U.S.
  7. Integrated Sustainability Index to assess and improve the sustainability of their products.
  8. Responded to natural disasters by partnering with relief organizations to provide food, water, blankets, tents, flashlights, clothing, etc.. Walmart also donated $5 million to earthquake relief efforts in Japan and $1 million to tornado relief efforts in Joplin, Missouri.
  9. Growing global direct farm program which supports small- and medium-sized farmers and their communities. This allows farmers to sell directly to Walmart, eliminating the middleman and allowing them to earn a better price for their products.
  10. Nurtured diversity and inclusion by fostering a diverse and inclusive culture. Walmart has increased the number of women and minorities in management positions.

Did you notice any of these initiatives last time you went to Walmart?

You can read more here.

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All Green is on Pinterest

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Amy Erickson

Who else has been obsessed with Pinterest lately?

I’ve been finding some great images of interesting electronics and upcycled items and posting them to the All Green Pinterest account.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Source: treehugger.com via All on Pinterest

Source: thinkgeek.com via All on Pinterest

 

Are you on Pinterest? Let us know so we can follow you!

You can follow us here.

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All Green Featured on KTLA News

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Amy Erickson

All Green CEO Arman Sadeghi and several employees were featured on the KTLA morning news today.

Check out the link to the video here.

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TED Talk on Electronics Recycling with All Green CEO Arman Sadeghi

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Amy Erickson

Do you know why it’s so important to recycle your old electronics? In his TED Talk, All Green CEO Arman Sadeghi talks about the rapidly-growing e-waste problem and what you can do to help.

Did you learn anything new from this video?

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