Product Reviews

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Green Planet Bottled Water - Not a Sustainable Option

At the 2011 San Francisco Green Festival, Green Planet Bottling Company was handing out free bottles of water. They are producing  organic 100% plant based compostable bio plastic bottles which are petroleum and BPA-Free.

The shape of the bottle is attractive and reusable when hand washed. The water is vapor distilled with minerals added for taste. The bottle will commercially compost in approximately 84 days. It’s a good bottle of water and you should start seeing it in groceries stores such as your local Safeway as well as schools, corporate campuses, hotels and airports. If you have to buy bottled water this isn’t a bad option.

But……. is it a sustainable product when you think about the production process it takes to get that bottle in your hands. Think about the resources that go into bottled water production.

Green Planet  is working at reducing their carbon footprint. They claim their bottle uses 60% less green house gasses and 50% less non-renewable energy. They are setting up regional suppliers and distribution centers ensure less fuel is wasted during transport.

It’s nice to know that they are considering the whole picture in their business model. I would still like to encourage people to not buy bottled water unless absolutely necessary. We live in such a disposable world and in order to reduce our waste we should work towards being responsible by carrying and refilling our own bottles

Interesting Side Note:

By the way, I don’t know if I’d build a catamaran like the “Plastiki” with “compostable bottles. The “Plastiki” is a catamaran designed by David de Rothschild. 12,500 plastic bottles where used and the boat sailed from San Francisco, California to Sydney Austrailia last year.

Simple and responsible E-Waste solutions with Blue Star Electronics

Our computers are such a personal item. They are our lifeline, They contain a lot of secure information about us and we are always upgrading them to the latest greatest equipment about every 3-5 years.

So what is one of the most responsible ways we can reduce the clutter in our office, closets, warehouse or garage? Use a reputable and responsible company to dispose of all your e-waste as you do not want to throw it into your trash and you don’t want it going into the landfill.

Blue Star Electronics is a very reputable company located in Hayward, CA. They specialize in responsibly disposing, repurposing or recycling all your e-waste. In a nutshell, the highlights of their service include: picking up your e-waste, your items get sorted back at their Hayward facility for either destruction, re-marketing, and or the products are broken down and recycled. Blue Star Electronics supports a zero landfill policy and  nothing is shipped overseas to become another countries problem.

An extra benefit that they provide is erasing hard drive data utilizing software approved by the United State Department of Defense. Any proprietary materials are shredded or destroyed and you are issued a certificate of destruction.

They pick up all types of electronic equipment

Computer Systems Components (all types)
Monitors Keyboards and Mice
Printers Power Supplies
Circuit Boards Media - All Types
Data storage units- all types Sun//Cisco/SGI Equipment
All types of Test Equipment Raw Metals and Materials
Proprietary Equipment Semiconductor Equipment

TV’s VCR”S, DVD, CD Players and gaming consoles.

They have  several ways to pick-up e-waste. You can coordinate a community fundraiser. Delta Community Presbyterian Church recently had their youth group coordinate a E-Waste drive by passing out flyers and barbecuing hot dogs. Their efforts filled almost two semi trucks with computers, TV’s and various other electronics. The money they raised in collaboration with Blue Star Electronics is helping fund their Winter Youth Retreat.

If you are a large corporation Blue Star Electronics will bring a truck to your location and if computers can be refurbished they can be sold back to your employees on a private weblink.

Check out Bluestar Electronics here.

They are located at 23196 Foley Street, Hayward, CA 94545

Office: 510.259.1879 Fax: 510.259.0550

Or you can email them at recycle@bluestarco.com

You can request a pick-up by clicking here.

Have you ever lit a soy wax candle from Tierra Verde Soy Candle Company?

Don’t you hate lighting a candle that doesn’t have any scent? Does it take away the ambiance or mood or make you feel like you are missing an integral part of the candle experience? Have you ever lit a soy wax candle? If you haven’t got any worthy candles to light, you should investigate the titillating soy wax candle scents created by Jeanette Maurer, Partner and Co-Founder of Tierra Verde Soy Candles

Tierra Verde Soy Candles was conceptualized in June 2010 by Jeanette and her brother Bill. The economy and favorable circumstances brought the two of them together in realizing a vision that they wanted to step away from corporate America and be different by creating a quality sustainable product that was useful and kind to the earth. Tierra Verde means “green earth.”  The soy wax candles are produced locally outside Turlock in a 3,000 square foot “pour room” as creating soy wax candles is difficult without a controlled temperature.

A portion of Tierra Verde’s profits are donated to a non-profit horse rescue farm called “Heaven Can Wait” which is located outside  San Luis Obispo. It is home to many retired race horses or horses that are injured or abused.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Jeanette at the San Francisco Green Festival in April 2011. I had to stop at her booth as my eyes feasted on the beautiful array of recycled alabaster glass. My nose enjoyed following the wafting scents as I inhaled the high quality aroma of each candle. I received an extra benefit from Jeanette as she educated me on the benefits of purchasing soy wax candles from Tierra Verde Soy Candle Company

Soy wax candles purchased from Tierra Verde Soy Candle Company are:

• produced from a natural and renewable resource.

• non-toxic and water soluble so it is easy to clean up.

• contained in stunning recycled alabaster glass

• clean burning candles that burn longer at a very touchable temperature

• eco friendly the lid is biodegradable with flower seeds that you can plant

• refillable so you can continue to use your favorite candle glass

Their candles are a versatile product that sells well in spas, salons, casinos and gift shops. They make affordable and memorable gifts. You can catch Jeannette at various spa shows or order on-line. If you can’t wait to try them you can purchase them at the following local Bay Area locations:

Artistic Edge (925) 454-0369
21 S Livermore Ave
Livermore, CA 94550

Charlottes Web
2160 Railroad Ave
Livermore, CA 94550

http://www.ci.campbell.ca.us (408) 866-2119
51 North Central Avenue
Campbell, CA 95008

Frizelle Enos
265 Petaluma Ave
Sebastopol, CA

Skinsense (925) 283-7546
925 Village Center #1
Lafayette, CA 94549

Good Vibrations 530-258-GOOD (4663)
278 Main St.
Chester, Ca 96020

KURE Wellness Retreat 925 837-7600
145 E. Prospect Avenue Suite 202
Danville, CA 94526

Patio Fireplace 925.648.0293
3426 Camino Tassajara
Danville, CA 94506

Sonoma Home (707) 939-6900
497 1st Street West
Sonoma, CA 95476-6608

Trinidad Trading 707.677.0711
460 Main Street
Trinidad, CA 95570

University Art Annex Palo Alto (650) 328-3500
267 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301

El Camino Hospital Gift Store (650) 940-7000
2500 Grant Road
Mountain View, CA 94040

The Gardens at Heather Farm Sustainable Gardening in Walnut Creek

If you are embracing the fresh spring breezes and are looking for an ongoing display of the beauty that spring bestows upon Contra Costa County, then it’s time to visit The Gardens at Heather Farms in Walnut Creek.

The Gardens have received several accolades. First, the non-profit organization was established in 1972 as a volunteer educational facility with a focus on creating and maintaining a sustainable environment. Their primary mission is “to educate and inspire the community about sustainable gardening and stewardship practices that preserve and protect our environment.”

The Gardens at Heather Farm has a wide variety of environmental education field trips and classroom presentations that can be interweaved into grade school curriculum. The text book teachings are brought to life through interactive presentation and hands-on activities. To access youth programs, click here.

Adult gardening programs are also available. You can learn how to design your garden, how to attract pollinators to your yard and flower arranging. to access the calendar. Click Here

Second, they are a certified wildlife habitat. You have the opportunity to see many different species of wildlife such as river otters and many different waterfowl such as bufflehead and other birds like the white breasted nuthatches. Of the many garden settings one that is worthy of mentioning is the waterfall garden. If you look closely you will see Caddisfly larvae on the rocks bottom which is an important bio-indicator that the water is pollutant free, clean and fast flowing.

Third, they are a certified Contra Costa County Bay Area Green Business. They are associated with many other like minded individuals, and businesses that continually strive to protect, preserve and sustain our environment.

This purpose driven organization is mainly supported through many volunteers and various fundraisers. You can be a garden volunteer or an instructional docent.

Third, they are a certified Contra Costa Bay Area Green Business so they belong to a network of like minded individuals, groups and businesses that share a common goal of continually working towards protecting preserving and sustaining our environment.

The Gardens at Heather farm have over 20 different types of gardens for your viewing pleasure. Probably one of the most spectacular one to view is the Cowden Rose Garden featuring 1000 roses. You can even have a wedding in a gazebo right next to this garden.

The Gardens at Heather Farms are definitely a Contra Costa backroad you should keep plugged into your GPS as you will want to visit the gardens each time the seasons change to get the full scope of what this location offers.

The Benefits of Installing a Radiant Barrier in Your Attic

Radiant Barriers are a cost effective way of reducing energy cost in your home by reflecting the heat away from your attic space therefore making your air conditioning run more efficiently. The radiant barriers also helps keep the second story floor of your house maintain a closer temperature to the first floor temperature.

The radiant barrier is to reduce cooling loads in warmer or hot climates, It is primarily a thin but extremely durable thin sheet of highly reflective material usually aluminum applied to one or two sides of a substrate material.

There are two different types of radiant barriers installation a rafter installation, which is when the radiant barrier is attached to the faces or bottoms of the rafters or top chords of the roof trusses. It is important during this installation that air can flow at the roof peak about 6″ and 3″ at the bottom of the rafter.

The second type of installation is a floor installation where the barrier is laid across the floor of the attic on top of the existing insulation. The effectiveness of this type of installation depends on two variables. One, if it is reflective on only one side it needs to be facing up towards the roof. The second variable is a long term accumulation of dust may reduce the effectiveness of the method of installation.

In my opinion it makes sense to attach the radiant barrier to the rafters because if you have duct work and piping up in the attic you are going to be providing additional temperature control and “insulation” instead of leaving them exposed to the outside elements of extreme heat and cold.

If you want to “Do it Yourself” click here and order your own supplies. By the way, if you decide to do the rafter method you should probably order 50% more material than the square footage footprint of the attic space.

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