Herman Miller the company behind those AMAZING chairs, one of which I happen to be sitting on as we speak, did a write-up of our sugar cane paper. From the article,

While treeless paper can certainly make a dent you won’t be walking into your local office supply store to purchase it just yet. However, demand will eventually drive supply. Until that time, shopping online is your best bet. Aaron Schiff of Ecopaper.com says their sugar cane office paper sales are second to the banana paper, which is used for invitations. “For the office, sugar cane paper is almost identical to regular paper and has 80 per cent tree-free content.” Schiff, who sees the paper industry slowly becoming greener, is confident that sugar cane paper will be a popular brand for Ecopaper in the coming years.

Via lifework blog at Herman Miller.

We always think of things which we could give our children long after were gone, why not start by      leaving them with a greener and healthier planet. Going green is simple; we don’t have to big things or go great distances just to make our little place of the world greener.

1. Use energy efficient lighting

  

Most of the electricity produced in regular incandescent bulbs is lost thru heat energy. Using the more cost effective fluorescent bulbs reduces your lighting bills by around 25 percent. The newer fluorescent bulbs also produce brighter and easier on the eyes lights compared to the yellow glow of incandescent bulbs. In fact a well placed fluorescent could replace two similar incandescent bulbs which significantly lower your electric bills even further.

2. Use recycled paper products

Another product which leaves a huge impact on the environment is paper. Millions of trees are cut every year just to produce virgin paper. Using recycled paper products at home reduces the need for cutting down more trees than what is needed to. There is ample supply of used paper products. In fact, used paper products take a huge chunk of wastes products in our landfills.

 There are a lot of paper products used in the home, this includes table napkins, tissue paper, paper towels and writing paper just to name a few. Enrolling in a recycling program could help you make these available for reuse and help the planet breathe a little bit easier.

3. Switch to eco friendly cleaning products

Cleaning products contain chemicals which have direct effect on the environment and especially on a person’s health. Chemical poisoning is always a constant danger, kids are vulnerable to this and parents are always reminded to keep these chemicals away from their reach.

There are a lot of cleaning products which does not contain harmful chemicals or those whose concentration is not as much. Remember that these cleaning products run to our sewers and drains which eventually end up in rivers or underground water reserves.

4. Houseplants and gardens

 

What better way to express your eco friendly side than to place plants at home or build a small garden. Starting a garden is simple even in you find yourself living in a high rise apartment. There are a lot of garden kits which could be tailored made to fit everybody’s specific needs. Grow roses all year round or plant your own vegetables.

The Environmental Protection Agency studies show that indoor air is significantly more polluted than outdoor air. Building materials such as paint, furniture and cleaning products contribute to the higher amount of pollution contained at home. Plants are great home ornaments but their true benefits are not visible to the eyes. Plants and trees are great air filters and placing them at home could reduce the amount of circulating pollution.  

5. Conserve water

 

We all know the importance of conserving water, saving water could be done in many different ways. Checking on water usage preserves this valuable resource for future use. Some wimple ways of conserving water includes who we use it when we take a bath or brush our teeth. House activities which use fair amounts of water are car washing and lawn watering. Making sure that these activities are down with minimal water use does not only protect valuable water resources but also help cut water bills.

Going green is certainly not easy. Often, using green and recycled materials could be more expensive than using virgin materials such as paper directly coming from trees. There are many benefits to using recycled paper. One of the best reasons for using them is they save trees and helps keep the environment a little bit greener.

Using environmental paper saves trees but could be a little bit more expensive than using conventional paper. The long term benefits of using recycled paper to the environment are numerous. They help preserve precious rainforests and prevent the release of  pollution to the atmosphere. Paper is one of the most used products in the world and large amounts of  it could be located in our landfills. Using recycled paper saves them from landfills and helps the earth breathe a little bit easier.

Paper does not only use wood in trees for processing but also utilizes large amounts of water during manufacture. Recycling paper requires less energy and reduces overall pollution. Living a green life is simple by just choosing recycled paper products for a start.

Home Use

Recycled paper products for home are readily available and are used for a wide variety of purposes. It would be surprising to see the recycled symbol on some paper products we commonly use daily. Some of these recycled products include, paper towels, toilet tissues and some of the dinnerware. Teaching our kids how to appreciate the beauty of recycling is easy by just using recycled paper products whenever possible.

Simple Steps in Making Recycled Paper at Home

Step 1 Drying Screen

Make a simple drying screen by shaping first shaping some wires into a square or rectangular shape, you could also fashion out a simple frame from wood. Secure a fine wire or plastic mesh over the frame, the number of drying screens depend on the number of papers you will be making.

Step 2 Shred the Old Paper

Cut your old newspapers or any paper products into small pieces. If you have a shredder, use this to cut the paper into fine strips.

Step 3 Mixing the Paper with Water

Mix the shredded paper with water, using a blender could make the task easier. Initially mix the paper with water in another container and place the paper in the blender for a better mix. Place this inside the blender and be careful to keep the water level at least 1 inch above the paper. This ensures a smoother blending action and does not put too much stress on the blender. Once the mixture turn gray, run the blender for a few more minutes.  

For those who want to add a touch of flair into their finished paper, add a few drops of coloring in the paper mixture. This is great for making a simple stationary or greeting cards. Show your creative flair by adding other materials such as twigs or flowers  

Step 4 Adding Glue

Place the blended water and paper mixture into another container. This should contain a mixture of water and a few drops of glue. Empty the paper mixture into the container and bled them using your hands. Continue mixing until you are sure that the paper pulps are even mixed with the glue.

Step 5 Straining the Paper Mixture

Pour the mixture into the drying screen. Let the mixture stay on the screen for a few minutes to let the liquid exit naturally. Gently lift the screen or move it from side to side to let the liquids exit faster.

Step 6 Dry the Paper

After removing as much liquid from the paper pulp mixture, evenly spread this over the drying screen. Spread the pulp into an even thin layout over the screen. Bring it out to let it dry under the sun. Iron the dried paper (optional) to remove some wrinkles and get a finer finish.

Last Christmas I received an E-card or electronic mail from a high school friend who has been working overseas for about ten years now. The letter was quite nice and entertaining – a Christmas greeting from a choir made up of all possible Christmas characters you can think of: Santa and his reindeers, Frosty the Snowman, the Christmas Elves, a group of angels, the New Year baby – all singing to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”

I found the gesture surprising as we have not talked or seen each other for quite a while. However, I received another similar email like the one my high school friend sent me. Upon careful review of the card, I noticed a link saying, “If you like this card, send the same one to a friend by just clicking the link below”

Greeting cards have been around since people celebrated any occasion and knew how to print on paper. They have been a popular way of sending messages to people long before computers or the internet. It is true that there is no such thing as a one of a kind Hallmark card which we could readily purchase in a bookstore. A single print may run in the thousands but receiving the same card twice is a chance in a million.

Simple Facts about Greeting Cards

The Greeting Card Association says that people in the US purchase around 7 billion greeting cards, generating around $7 billion in revenue each year. Below are some facts about credit card use in the US (suite101.com)

• Women purchase 80% of all greeting cards
• Men spend more on a single card than women
• Average retail greeting cards range from $2.00 to $4.00 (specialty cards higher)
• The average person receives 20 cards
• 90% of American households purchase greeting cards
• The average household buys 30 cards

The world is changing so fast that choosing between greeting cards and electronic cards sometimes boils down to convenience. Sending out messages to friends is sometimes as easy as a click of a mouse button. This experience has got me thinking about how we have made our lives so simple that we sometimes forget the reason why we send out these messages.

Nothing beats a greeting the old fashioned way – by handling it personally or by sending it through post. A gift is always welcome but letters and cards contain thoughts and special feelings.

Today’s Christmas rush allows many people to prepare letters and cards as early as November. Most of the time Christmas cards are available by the end of October, offering us a wide range of choices and sufficient time to choose.

Another great way of sending out greeting cards is by simply making one yourself. A computer, printer and your imagination are the only materials needed for this one of a kind greeting card. It only takes a few dollars to make a printed inkjet greeting card. The cost of these cards includes paper, envelop and ink. There are a lot of software’s available in the market, and the only limit to creating a greeting card is your imagination.