What do you think defines your business as Eco Friendly?

danmaull · #11 (**permalink**) 15-03-2008, 10:25

Your products don't just need to be green for you to be able to class yourslef as a green business in my opinion, to start of with if you dont make good use of waste paper then you should get recycling bins immediately. Also i like the sound of a business powered by solar energy, more and more business should start to think about the way they produce products and services before it is too late for this amazing planet.

andysv1k · #12 (**permalink**) 18-03-2008, 17:59

Renewable energy installations and sales is a big part of what we do.

Obviously we practice what we preach with solar, rainwater harvesting, low energy products, recycling, friendly printing (thanks Ray!) etc etc

Andy.

fpojohn · #13 (**permalink**) 29-03-2008, 01:02

There is always ISO 4000 to answer this question, it comes down to what you have in your mind when approaching each task. I think it should be; Safety, Security, Efficiency and the Environment in that order.

Do not say 'CARBON FOOT PRINT' 'CARBON POSITIVE' Etc. Carbon is good, carbon is natural, carbon "is a girls best friend". If we consider the atmospheric pollutants of note from combustion they are oxides of; carbon, nitrogen and oxygen (I am not sure I can call ozone an oxide of oxygen, artistic licence?). My point is they are only pollutants when oxidised, and this is avoidable I believe and hope to prove within the next couple of months with a pollution free petrochemical fueled piston and subsequently, gasturbine engine.
All our engineering designs are inspired by ecological motivation, not our t-shirts of course, they are just inspired. We are working on an organic waste digestor that turns organic waste into ....CARBON! Great for the garden. No external power is used, no gas given off. I hope to be installing a test plant on a land fill at the end of the year, yes I could do it sooner but who wants to be on a land fill site in the summer. How about a computer power unit that does not double as a room heater? I have been running tests today still to early to make claims. I would like to do the same for the processor, what is the point of making the CPU the size of a postage stamp, when it then requires a Peltier chip, heat sink, fan and sometimes water cooling adding up to a block the size of a litre tub of ice cream, only, slightly warmer? Point is, just make it a hybrid IC, modular design for easier development, less heat generated without overstressed pico gates, less power wasted to generate that heat and run a fan etc to shift it, with less power being used less heat generated by over sized power supply unit and less noise, bliss!
A bicycle with electric motor! I have a big old 4X4 but I only use it when I have loads to carry, I cycle to work (no electric motor!) with my weeks worth of uniform on my back. I do not take the4X4 off road (not intentionally) the tyres might get dirty. The tyres are of course a compromise between road and off road so they are not much good at either. The same is true for cycle tyres that are not road race style. That is another item on the 'to do list' tyres that do both jobs excellently and a bicycle that is safe to ride without causing yourself harm.
Wind power, any idea how many shipping accidents have occurred off the coast near wind farms? Check out the Department for Transport (can some one tell me why they changed the 'of' to a 'for')? Have a new improved design for that too.
Our last little gem is a big transparent plastic bag with a little plastic ring in it that we will hopefully be posting with all our customer orders, that will save the environment. I should mention it has a post paid label on it so they can post it back to us, .... with the packaging in it so that we know it will be recycled. Awaiting replies from delivery companies to see if we can get a deal for being eco friendly.

Spiderden · #14 (**permalink**) 29-03-2008, 07:26

Google seems to think that changing the colour of their homepage helps.
http://www.google.co.uk/

danmaull · #15 (**permalink**) 29-03-2008, 08:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spiderden

Google seems to think that changing the colour of their homepage helps.
http://www.google.co.uk/

It might be something to do with this thread Earth Hour but not sure. Also im sure a freind told me something about a black google would be better for the environment because the screen doesn't use as much energy displaying black or something like that but i didnt really beleive him

GreenSquid · #16 (**permalink**) 29-03-2008, 10:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by danmaull

It might be something to do with this thread Earth Hour but not sure. Also im sure a freind told me something about a black google would be better for the environment because the screen doesn't use as much energy displaying black or something like that but i didnt really beleive him

Not the case for modern screens - as per the link on google:

Quote:

Google users in the United Kingdom will notice today that we "turned the lights out" on the Google.co.uk homepage as a gesture to raise awareness of a worldwide energy conservation effort called Earth Hour. As to why we don't do this permanently - it saves no energy; modern displays use the same amount of power regardless of what they display. However, you can do something to reduce the energy consumption of your home PC by joining the Climate Savers Computing Initiative.

G4B · #17 (**permalink**) 05-04-2008, 00:34

You should have used us for your viral game, much better service! Oh darn!! You are using our service

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenSquid

We shred everything we can paperwise which then gets recycled, however as an online company we are trying to utilise that to the most and become paperless. Sometimes it seems like a never ending task as there is always someone (normally HMRC or bank) that have to send things via paper!!

We are also using some company (

) to create a viral game as a form of marketing.

Also in the process of setting up to to be carbon neutral as we can be. Not an easy task in hosting but we are working on it. And to coin a phrase, every little helps!

Chris Straker · #18 (**permalink**) 08-04-2008, 18:17

As a carpet cleaner, i now use detergent and bleach free solutions

This makes quite a difference and does help me stand out from the rest

CWS · #19 (**permalink**) 15-04-2008, 18:47

At BoBelle all our products are produced under fair trade conditions with the vast majority being hand made using natural and/or recycled materials. Our range of hand made jewellery, for example, is carefully crafted in Wales using recycled aluminium and tin http://www.bobelle.co.uk/Fair-Trade/Kate-and-Nia.html - even the paint is eco-friendly! In addition, our hand made photograph albums and frames are crafted in India using recycled cotton and banana skin http://www.bobelle.co.uk/Fair-Trade/Nkuku.html and they come in a recycled cotton gift box. Our new bath range from Isabella Smith is also carefully produced under fair trade conditions using natural ingredients and no parabens, SLS or SLES http://www.bobelle.co.uk/Fair-Trade/Isabella-Smith.html. The packaging is also recycled and is fully recyclable making this range completely luxurious yet guilt-free.

At BoBelle we endeavour to be as ‘green’ as we can. This is why we offer complimentary gift wrapping on all purchases made using acid free tissue paper and raffia. Goods are then sent in a 100% recycled/recyclable envelope/box which is filled with 100% biodegradable filler to protect http://www.bobelle.co.uk/OUR-PACKAGING.html. We feel it is important to set an example and be as ethical and eco-friendly as possible and to support other companies who also share our same ethos.

Claire Watt-Smith
www.bobelle.co.uk
Fair Trade Fashion
Organic Baby Clothes
Hand Made Gifts

CWS · #20 (**permalink**) 15-04-2008, 18:48

At BoBelle all our products are produced under fair trade conditions with the vast majority being hand made using natural and/or recycled materials. Our range of hand made jewellery, for example, is carefully crafted in Wales using recycled aluminium and tin http://www.bobelle.co.uk/Fair-Trade/Kate-and-Nia.html - even the paint is eco-friendly! In addition, our hand made photograph albums and frames are crafted in India using recycled cotton and banana skin http://www.bobelle.co.uk/Fair-Trade/Nkuku.html and they come in a recycled cotton gift box. Our new bath range from Isabella Smith is also carefully produced under fair trade conditions using natural ingredients and no parabens, SLS or SLES http://www.bobelle.co.uk/Fair-Trade/Isabella-Smith.html. The packaging is also recycled and is fully recyclable making this range completely luxurious yet guilt-free.

At BoBelle we endeavour to be as ‘green’ as we can. This is why we offer complimentary gift wrapping on all purchases made using acid free tissue paper and raffia. Goods are then sent in a 100% recycled/recyclable envelope/box which is filled with 100% biodegradable filler to protect http://www.bobelle.co.uk/OUR-PACKAGING.html. We feel it is important to set an example and be as ethical and eco-friendly as possible and to support other companies who also share our same ethos.

Claire Watt-Smith
www.bobelle.co.uk
Fair Trade Fashion
Organic Baby Clothes
Hand Made Gifts