Category Archives: Housekeeping

5 Tips to Green your Baby’s Nursery

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on February 27, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

Making sure your nursery is a nontoxic environment is especially important because newborns spend most of their life in the nursery—an average of 16 to 17 hours a day.

The following in an excerpt from the book “The Ultimate Guide to Greening your Home”.

By following the tips below, you can help ensure a safe, eco-friendly environment for your nursery.

✔ Paint with low- or no-VOC latex paint – Painting with low- or no-VOC paint may cost more than conventional paint but it will release fewer or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into your home.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids including paints. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. 

As with other pollutants, the extent and nature of the health effect from VOCs depend on many factors including level of exposure and length of time exposed. These may be more severe in infants. Continue reading →

Shop with one of our partners – Macy's | Ssense | Kohl's | My Wardrobe | Bloomingdale’s | Ella Moss | QVC | Canon
Posted in Green Living, Home Improvement & Decor, Housekeeping, Tips to Green Your Home | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

SCA First to Offer Verified Compostable Paper Towels and Napkins

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on February 16, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

Certification Fortifies Tork Brand’s Position as a Leader in Sustainability

PHILADELPHIA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SCA, a global hygiene company and makers of the Tork® brand of away-from-home (AFH) paper products, announced today all of its paper towel and napkin products have been deemed “accepted” for commercial composting using Cedar Grove Composting standards. SCA obtained acceptance of its paper towels and napkins from Cedar Grove Composting, a nationally recognized commercial composter and pioneer of compostable testing and product review, to ensure the product lifecycle from development, production, use and disposal remains environmentally responsible. This documentation of all its paper towel and napkin products continues to strengthen SCA’s industry leadership in compostable AFH products following the recent certification of Tork Universal and Advanced napkins by the Biodegradable Products Institute in August 2011.

“This testing coupled with our previous compostable napkin certification shows how these scientific and independent audits are important examples of SCA’s market leadership in innovation that benefits multiple areas of our customers’ business while maintaining our value of creating a smaller environmental footprint”

“Verifying that our paper towels are compostable is the latest step in SCA’s ongoing commitment to sustainability,” said Mike Kapalko, sustainability marketing manager, SCA AFH Professional Hygiene. “As our customers across North America continue to incorporate sustainability into their operations, we want to ensure our products anticipate their needs and give them the ability to safely compost our paper towels and napkins in large scale facilities ultimately helping to lessen landfill waste.” Continue reading →

Shop with one of our partners – Macy's | Ssense | Kohl's | My Wardrobe | Bloomingdale’s | Ella Moss | QVC | Canon
Posted in Business, CSR, Goods, Services & Product Design, Green Business, Green Facilities, Green Living, Green Marketing, Green Supply Chain, Housekeeping, Pollution, Recycling, Recycling & Waste, Sustainability News, Sustainability Practices | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

P&G Teams with the Alliance to Save Energy to Educate Public on Benefits of Cold Water Washing

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on February 14, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

Partnership to Promote Energy Savings and CO2 Reductions from Change in Laundry Habits

CINCINNATI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) today announced a strategic partnership with the Alliance to Save Energy (the Alliance), a nonprofit organization that promotes energy efficiency worldwide through research, education and advocacy, to publicize the environmental and energy savings benefits of washing laundry in cold water. Through this agreement, the Alliance will work with P&G’s natural resource education initiative, Future Friendly, to provide consumers with the information they need to convert from hot/warm water washing habits to cold water washing.

“We look forward to working with the Alliance to Save Energy to showcase how little acts like switching to cold water washing can create enormous benefits for the environment”

“Energy efficiency doesn’t always require huge investments or new equipment, but it often requires education,” said Kateri Callahan, Alliance to Save Energy President. “If we can overcome consumer barriers to cold water washing, consumers would find it easy to be more energy efficient and to reduce their home energy bills. With just the switch of a dial, cold water washing is one of the simplest ways to save energy and money and benefit the environment.” Continue reading →

Shop with one of our partners – Macy's | Ssense | Kohl's | My Wardrobe | Bloomingdale’s | Ella Moss | QVC | Canon
Posted in Appliances, CSR, Energy, Energy Management, Environment, Goods, Services & Product Design, Green Business, Green Facilities, Green Living, Green Marketing, Heating & Cooling, Home Energy, Housekeeping, Sustainability News, Sustainability Practices, Water Usage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

gNappies: Eco-Friendly Hybrid Diapers

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on February 8, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Adopting eco-friendly practices doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking, according to gNappies, maker of the eco-friendly hybrid nappy. If getting to grips with being kind to the environment by ditching disposable nappies is too daunting a thought, parents can take baby steps – as a small change can really make a big difference. Adopting a hybrid nappy system for just one or two days a week can make a significant impact to the environment without being a drain on your time or finances.

“Changing nappies from old school disposables to gNappies or mixing the two is a great way for parents to do their bit – and we urge them to take up the challenge!”

The gNappies system combines both cloth nappy and a disposable element in the form of a biodegradable ‘refill’, offering parents interested in eco-friendly nappies a viable solution. Parents, who want to try gNappies without the initial financial outlay or on a part-time basis, can buy single little gPants with individual packs of gCloths or gRefills. Continue reading →

Shop with one of our partners – Macy's | Ssense | Kohl's | My Wardrobe | Bloomingdale’s | Ella Moss | QVC | Canon
Posted in Business, Goods, Services & Product Design, Green Business, Green Facilities, Green Living, Green Marketing, Housekeeping, Pollution, Recycling & Waste, Sustainability News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

7 Tips How to Green Your Home with Houseplants

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on February 6, 2012 by CGR Staff Writer

Houseplants, besides being a relaxing hobby and providing beautiful aesthetics to your home, can also help reduce indoor air-pollution, which is ranked as one of the top five health threats in America.

The following in an excerpt from the book “The Ultimate Guide to Greening your Home”.

By following the tips below, you cannot only make a beautiful addition to your home, but you can also make your home a healthier place to live.

✔ Choose low-water, low-light houseplants – By choosing low-water, low-light houseplants, you will not only save water, but you will increase the likelihood your plants will live longer.

One of the most common reasons that houseplants die is because people forget to water them. Some of the most common low-water plants include the ponytail palm, china aster, potted marigold, globe thistle, ivy-leaved geranium, natal palm and the blue marguerite daisy. Continue reading →

Shop with one of our partners – Macy's | Ssense | Kohl's | My Wardrobe | Bloomingdale’s | Ella Moss | QVC | Canon
Posted in Green Living, Home Improvement & Decor, Housekeeping, Lawn & Garden, Tips to Green Your Home | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Green Chemicals Will Save Industry $65.5 Billion by 2020

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on November 1, 2011 by CGR Staff Writer

In the last decade there has been a great deal of activity in the development of renewable feedstocks for a variety of chemical processes.  Compared to conventional petroleum-derived feedstocks, these new materials offer greenhouse gas emissions and reduced toxicity.  More importantly to the companies that use chemicals in their industrial processes, they offer significantly lower costs.  In contrast to the consumer market, where choosing green products usually entails paying a premium, greener is cheaper in industry.  Most renewable feedstocks are produced through biological processes or thermal and chemical processes applied to cellulosic materials, such as wood, agricultural waste, or non-food plants like switchgrass – all of which are less costly than the purchase of petroleum products.

According to a recent report from Pike Research, the use of green chemistry in a range of industrial activities will grow rapidly in the coming decade, offering significant direct cost savings as well as indirect savings in the form of avoiding liability for environmental and social impacts.  The total amount saved, the cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts, will reach $65.5 billion by 2020. Continue reading →

Shop with one of our partners – Macy's | Ssense | Kohl's | My Wardrobe | Bloomingdale’s | Ella Moss | QVC | Canon
Posted in Green Business, Green Facilities, Green Living, Health, Housekeeping, Janitorial, Pollution, Sustainability News | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

11 Tips to Green your Refrigerator

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on October 31, 2011 by CGR Staff Writer

Refrigerators use more electricity than any other kitchen appliance.  Although, in the past several decades, advances in technology have cut refrigerator energy use by more than 60 percent. 

The following in an excerpt from the book “The Ultimate Guide to Greening your Home”.

By following the tips below, you can begin to reduce your energy consumption and the effects your refrigerator has on the environment.

✔ Choose an EnergyStar rated refrigerator – EnergyStar qualified refrigerators are required to use 20% less energy than models not labeled with the EnergyStar logo. By choosing an EnergyStar model, you could cut your energy bills by $165 over the lifetime of your refrigerator.

If you are still operating a refrigerator which was purchased in the 1980s, replacing it with an EnergyStar rated model could save you over $100 a year on your electricity consumption. Replacing a refrigerator bought in the 1970s could save you nearly $200 every year. Continue reading →

Shop with one of our partners – Macy's | Ssense | Kohl's | My Wardrobe | Bloomingdale’s | Ella Moss | QVC | Canon
Posted in Appliances, Electronics, Green Living, Home Energy, Housekeeping, Kitchen, Tips to Green Your Home | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Will Sustainability be mainstream by 2020? New Report says yes.

by CGR Staff Writer
Posted on October 10, 2011 by CGR Staff Writer

Household brands and retailers will play a key role in supporting sustainable lifestyles, helping them become mainstream by 2020, according to a new study.

Sainsbury’s and Unilever launched the Consumer Futures 2020 research in partnership with Forum for the Future, in order to gain insight into how sustainable products and services will impact on global trends and consumer behaviour over the next decade.

As part of the 18-month study, designed as a practical tool to help retailers, brands and manufacturers plan for the future, four fictional scenarios that consider how sustainable consumption could become mainstream were explored, with the aim of ascertaining whether social and environmental pressures drive sustainable goods into the mainstream, or whether consumers actively demand them.

It found that global challenges such as climate change, scarcity of key resources, rapid population growth were likely to affect consumer attitudes and the consumer goods industry. As a result, sustainable practices will become more mainstream as key resources become more highly valued, while and recycling and re-use would increase, the study concluded.  Continue reading →

Shop with one of our partners – Macy's | Ssense | Kohl's | My Wardrobe | Bloomingdale’s | Ella Moss | QVC | Canon
Posted in Appliances, Business, Goods, Services & Product Design, Green Business, Green Living, Green Marketing, Green Supply Chain, Home Energy, Housekeeping, Sustainability News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments
Page 1 of 212