Mar 23rd, 2012 | Future | Comments Off
Gas Prices: just some Friday thoughts…
by Neil Kuvin
$4.00/gallon. Saw it change at the Thornton’s in Middletown last nite. And what’s with the 3.999 anyway. Who gets the extra .001? Is that a coin? If I give the clerk $4.00 what do I get back? I’m going to start asking for change. Why not? The oil companies think we’re all dumb, inactive, pliable sheep, don’t they? I figure on every 10 gallons they owe me a penny. During a year of transactions, I figure with their “rounding up,” I’m owed several bucks.
Back in the early 1900′s there was an actual coin representing this transaction amount. If the gas station had those coins today they likely would be worth thousands of dollars each! And for advertising, marketing purposes, they casually “round down” with us going along. Do you say, “three ninety nine? Or do you say “Three ninety nine, ninety nine?” Do you ever day, “Four bucks.” We’re all so easily trained. Welcome to the “Lemming” universe.
The major point I want to make here is what are we going to do about it? Lemmings are braver than we are and a lot tougher. Lemmings may follow their front row of brothers and sisters right off a cliff, but when challenged they are aggressive, dangerous little beasts. Are we?
Howard Beal (“Network”) said it best: “I’m as mad as Hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”
I didn’t think I’d reach this level of anger & frustration. But I have. I’m strapped to this gas pump and I’m watching it get fatter almost every day, while my wallet is losing weight at the same rate.
This is not a political call to rally. Just to have you pay the clerk and casually ask for your change. Just look at the amount and figure is out. For every ten of their ” round up” dollars they owe you a penny. You’ll blow him away.
Aug 26th, 2011 | Future, Sustainability | Comments Off
Recycling—it’s a noble thing to do. And it’s getting harder and harder to tell people—maybe even your kids—that you don’t recycle. However, the national recycling rate is only about 30 percent, according to the EPA.
Learn what to do and get your business or house recycling program going. The time has come for many people to do some things rather than for one person to do many things. Whatever you do will make a difference.
Some more ideas:
- Plastic—Since it doesn’t break down in a landfill and it’s a great recyclable item from which many products can be made, try to recycle all plastic waste. But not all plastics are created equal. Plastics #1 and #2 are used for things like milk jugs, liquid detergent and plastic soft drink bottles. Most recyclers want you to rinse these containers out and remove the lids. Lids are not recyclable and should be put in your garbage. Plastic #5 is the least recyclable and is used for packaging items such as cottage cheese,, margarine and vitamins. These containers may have more value for you to reuse than recycle. So how do I know the number of my plastic item? The number should be stamped on the container.
- Glass is recycled according to color—clear, green and brown. Most recycling centers prefer donated glass separated by color. It’s okay to leave the paper labels on the glass, but you should rinse the bottles and put the lids in the trash. But not all glass is created equal. Light bulbs, Pyrex and mirrors, for example, have a different composition from glass bottles and will be accepted for recycling. These items just shouldn’t be mixed in with regular glass items.
- Last, but not least, are the metals—aluminum, steel and copper. Everything from aluminum cans to car engines can be recycled. Aluminum cans, foil and foil packaging are all recyclable items. Paint cans and aerosol cans are recyclable, but the former contents are considered hazardous. So be sure to leave the labels on paint and aerosol cans so recyclers know what used to be in there. Copper is one of the most recyclable of all the metals. In fact, it’s 100 percent recyclable. Since bronze and brass are alloys, they’re totally recyclable, too.
- Go through the house and find all those pairs of old glasses and sunglasses and donate them to a local charity that distributes them to less fortunate people. If you don’t know where to donate them, simply call a local optometrist who should be able to hook you up with an organization or take your old glasses for you.
- Avoid disposable batteries and make the switch to rechargeable ones. Go even further and buy a solar-powered recharger.
- Send e-cards instead of paper ones. This saves you paper and money.
- Buy products like condiments, liquids and cleaning products in large quantities instead of in smaller sizes to reduce packaging that you just have to throw away anyway. And most times, purchasing in bulk is less expensive.
- Have reusable food storage containers on hand for leftovers and wean off the plastic storage bags.
By Julie Vincent, APR and Bob Dittmer, APR
From: Shades of Green, available at Amazon.com
Aug 19th, 2011 | Future, Sustainability | Comments Off
Recycling—it’s a noble thing to do. And it’s getting harder and harder to tell people—maybe even your kids—that you don’t recycle. The truth is, though, if it’s inconvenient it’s a deal breaker.
Done well, it doesn’t require much time or effort and it sure can make a big difference for you and the environment. However, the national recycling rate is only about 30 percent, according to the EPA. Let’s face it—most folks won’t drive across town with a car full of recyclable items just to make their contribution to the cause. But more and more community and city leaders are taking a proactive stance and have pushed through local initiatives like curb-side recycling and established drop-off points. And there’s every reason to believe the trend will continue.
So, join the cause, learn what to do and get your recycling program going. Hopefully, this series of ideas will make it easier for you than you think. Go at your own pace, but get movin’! The time has come for many people to do some things rather than for one person to do many things. Whatever you do will make a difference.
Many regular day-to-day activities produce materials that should be recycled. But what to recycle and what to just throw away? Here are some quick and easy ideas:
- The first thing you need to do is “think recycling.” Energy savings do add up. For instance, it takes 95 percent less energy to produce an aluminum can from recycled aluminum than from bauxite ore. It takes 40 percent less energy to make a glass bottle from recycled glass than it does to make one from sand, soda ash and limestone. An added bonus? Recycling means less littering.
- The second thing you need to do is understand the entire recycling loop. It’s just not enough to send items away to be recycled. You must also purchase recycled products or the process just doesn’t work. Read the packaging and do your homework and you can find recycled products and materials.
- Now you’re ready to recycle. Set up containers for the following recyclable classes of items: paper and cardboard; plastics; glass; and metals.
- Let’s talk paper and cardboard first, since paper takes up about 50 percent of all landfill space. Newspapers should really be saved in its own container as newspapers go directly into newsprint recycling. Recycling a four-foot stack of newspapers saves one 40-foot fir tree! Corrugated cardboard is a highly valued recyclable. But please keep it dry. Plastic or waxy coated cardboard, such as pizza boxes, cannot be recycled.
- Magazines, glossy paper, envelopes, phone books, computer paper and paper packaging can be saved together in one bin. Paper with staples still attached is okay, but remove all rubber bands and plastic overwrap.
By Julie Vincent, APR and Bob Dittmer, APR
From: Shades of Green, available at Amazon.com
Aug 12th, 2011 | Future, Sustainability | Comments Off
So here’s a big problem: We waste a lot of water outside our homes and businesses. Watering the lawn and gardens. Washing outside. Etc. By taking some simple actions we can save water usage significantly. Yep, save money too.
Here are some thing that are easy:
- Most lawns need to be watered only an hour a week. Limit your grass watering to just that.
- If you get into a drought situation, remember that most lawn grass can survive dormant for up to 6 weeks.
- If you use an irrigation system, and these can be very efficient, make sure you install a rain sensor that tells the system when to water and when not to (as in, it’s raining!). Depending on your climate, you could save as much as 30 percent of your water usage per year.
- Always use a mulching lawnmower. The grass clippings are returned to the lawn as fertilizers and the clippings actually serve as mulch for the lawn to help it retain water in hot, sunny weather.
- → continue reading
Jul 22nd, 2011 | Future, Public Policy, Sustainability | Comments Off
Save Water – Save Money.
Nearly the entire country is experiencing a significant heat wave. Here we experienced the first day at 100 degrees since this day in 1988. And while we suffer these temperatures, the water company is pleading with us to save water.
Our local water company is pumping nearly twice the normal volume of water daily, straining their systems nearly beyond capacity.
Water is THE absolute necessity of life. We cannot survive as a species or as a planet without it. We use water everywhere. In the house. Around the house. At the office. In all kinds of businesses everywhere.
Yet in many parts of the country water is becoming more and more precious and expensive. And while it’s renewable, we still have to clean it to use it. And in many parts of the country it more and more difficult to obtain. In coming few weeks we will demonstrate how to save water or use less of it. And thus, save money.
If you haven’t experienced a water shortage yet, you will. We waste clean water at a prodigious rate. Did you know that about one-third of the water we use during the summer goes on grass – not to people?! In the average large city we use 50-75 million gallons of water a day just to water our grass. Yet a few states away, water is scarce.
Did you know that most of the world gets by on only 2.5 gallons of water a day per person? Yet in the United States the average person uses 400 gallons a day!
Yet even in this country, Florida is experiencing fresh water shortages and they are common as well in the Southwest. Experts agree that if we don’t get a handle on this simple problem some cities will be importing water within 20 years. Los Angeles already has to import water to support its population. Las Vegas is a water sponge as well.
And spending on water continues to increase. Not just for the water, but for building and maintaining the infrastructure to deliver it. All of this costs increasingly more money. Anybody noticed their water bill actually going down lately? I didn’t think so.
Next Friday we’ll begin sharing some ideas on how everyone can help alleviate the water issues are – or will be – experiencing. Save water = save money.
By Julie Vincent, APR and Bob Dittmer, APR
From: Shades of Green, available at Amazon.com
Jul 1st, 2011 | Future, Management, Sustainability | 2 Comments
The Energy Challenge
People sure know how to use—and waste—energy. In fact, nearly half of all energy used in our homes and businesses is wasted. Heating and cooling inefficiencies are the major cause. But don’t despair! There are many inexpensive ways to save energy costs without compromising comfort or operations.
Here are some more tips for reducing energy use for heating and cooling of business facilities:
- Install a programmable thermostat to adjust the times the building is heated or cooled throughout the day and night. You can save as much as 10 percent of your heating costs by turning down your thermostat 10 to 15 percent for eight hours a day, especially those hours when no one is occupying the facility.
- → continue reading
Jun 24th, 2011 | Fundraising, Future, Social Media Marketing | Comments Off
Charitable giving is NOT what it used to be!
Social media has changed the landscape of communication and relationships with non-profit donors, benefactors and patrons and will for decades to come. It’s one of the most important tools for non-profits to voice their mission statements and nurture its support base.
It allows the non-profit world to connect with their supporters more often and in a much more personal way than through traditional methods such as a direct mail piece or large event. It is also a two-way communication platform that provides opportunities for immediate feedback.
→ continue reading
