One of the many Smart cars people drove around Berlin, Germany.
Spending a few weeks last summer in Germany for an International Media and Advertising class opened my eyes to a new way of life. Europeans drove Smart cars to conserve energy and fuel. It was nearly impossible to find plastic bottles of soda because glass bottles could be recycled and reused. Most public trash cans had three compartments holding glass, paper, or plastic waste. “Going green” was fascinating, and I soon wanted to do my part to help.
One of my first “green” purchases was an aluminum SIGG water bottle. I love it! The Swiss made SIGG bottles are manufactured in an ecologically-friendly environment and are 100 percent recyclable after their very long lives. According to www.mysigg.com, the company also gives 1 percent of all sales to environmental causes.
In May, an old teammate of mine introduced me to the Seventh Generation brand of household products. After reading about the brand on www.seventhgeneration.com, I found that “Seventh Generation products include: non-chlorine bleached, 100 percent recycled paper towels, bathroom and facial tissues, and napkins; non-toxic, phosphate-free cleaning, dish and laundry products; plastic trash bags made from recycled plastic; chlorine-free baby diapers, training pants, and baby wipes; and chlorine-free feminine care products, including organic cotton tampons.” My roommate and I are beginning to make to switch to these products. So far, so good! The Web site also said Seventh Generation donates 10 percent of its profits to “non-profit community, environmental, health, and responsible business organizations working for positive change.”
This summer Newsweek magazine ran an advertisement by Target accompanied with a heavier weight page in the magazine. The page could be removed and folded to form a mailing envelope for readers to send in any plastic Target bag that they had around the house. In return, Target would send them a reusable bag the next time they shopped at Target. This is not only clever advertising, but very smart for the environment.
I am currently working on shopping with reusable bags. It sounds like much more of a hassle than it really is, but it is definitely worth it. Some stores like COSTCO have even stopped bagging their goods in plastic. Shopping centers like HyVee and Wal-Mart sell their cloth bags reasonably for $1 each. Also, many stores have big containers near the doors for people who use plastic bags. The bags can be returned for the stores to recycle. Until next time…“Go Green!”
