Goal For The Green

Para-education and green living information

For small business owners, every decision is an important one. For responsible small business owners, this means making responsible, environmentally-friendly choices and growing the business in sustainable, sound ways. However, it can be difficult for small business owners to focus on the environment when they’re so busy worrying about their bottom line. After all, entrepreneurship can be very risky, and small experts estimate that half of all small businesses will fail within the first year. Fortunately, there are small, easy, and affordable ways to be more ecologically minded that won’t be bad for business at all. Here are a few tips to help get you started.

Reduce Waste

First of all, take a look at your business and see if you’re not creating unnecessary waste. A lot of paper waste can be eliminated by switching to email or other online communication. Use social media to reach your audience instead of flyers and other paper material. If you’re in the food industry, look at steps you can take to be more efficient, since food waste is one of the most destructive and unnecessary things you have to deal with.

Start Recycling

This is probably the easiest step you can take since most towns, counties, and municipalities already offer some recycling services, both for businesses and for individuals. Find out what recycling programs are offered in your area and do your best to take advantage of them. Separate your paper waste from cans, plastic, and other materials and recycle them at the appropriate facilities.

Use Green Technology

You don’t need to go it alone when it comes to becoming more environmentally friendly. There is now a whole industry devoted to helping people make more ecologically sound choices, and there is a great deal of new technology available to make it easy to be green. For example, Donaldson filtration systems, sold by a reputable company like Green Leaf Filters, can cut down on environmental waste and destruction. Do some research and find out about new technology that can help your small business do better.

Shop Locally

For your small business needs, look around your neighborhood before turning overseas. A lot of environmental destruction is caused by transporting goods across long distances. You can fight that pollution by shopping locally for your business whenever possible. As a bonus, you’ll be helping your local economy succeed!

 

Chemicals and the Environment

Apr-26-2017 By Barbara Zak
Many of us don’t give a second thought when it comes to the laundry detergents we use to get our clothes clean.  As you stroll the aisles of the grocery store looking at different laundry detergents, each one competes for your attention and your dollar. You are left with a variety of different choices without realizing that many of these heavily scented detergents that are supposed to get your clothing clean can leave behind many different problems for both your health and the environment.
Sweet Fragrances Stink…
Before you pick up that sweet smelling laundry detergent on the grocery aisle, understand that no matter how great that linen scented laundry detergent smells, it’s probably not very good for you.   Artificial fragrances are well-known irritants to the mouth, throat, and eyes, not to mention the fact that they can cause flare ups with allergies. To add insult to injury, many of these detergents can be carcinogenic (cancer causing).
A Basket Full of Health Problems…
Many chemicals prevalent in laundry detergents can create a whole host of health problems, even birth defects. Unfortunately, the ugliness doesn’t stop there.  Many of these chemicals have even been known to create problems with the hormones, liver, and kidneys.   The chemical cocktails that go into making laundry detergents do more than clean your clothing.  They leave a trail of health problems and negatively impact our carbon footprint on the earth.
These Chemicals aren’t Nice to the Environment Either
The chemicals present in many laundry detergents can be unhealthy for both our bodies and mother earth. Chemicals like linear alkyl sodium sulfonates (LAS) are harmful to aquatic animals and produce toxic fumes during production.  This is just one of the popular ingredients found in many detergents.  Imagine the damage that many of the other chemicals can do to our health and the earth.  The damage can be devastating given enough time and opportunity.  As we expand our knowledge, we must learn to question everything from the utility pole supplier to the composition of the plastic containers used to package our foods.
Commercial detergents don’t always have our health or the wellness of mother earth in mind.  This is why becoming familiar with the dangers of certain prevalent chemicals found in laundry detergents can be a huge help when it comes to being proactive about your health.  It also helps us to keep our ears to the ground in helping us take a more green approach in or normal day to day tasks.  It pays to become familiar with the dangers that many chemicals pose for our health and the earth.

Central America has so much to offer visitors. It is no wonder why thousands of people from around the world make backpacking trips throughout Mexico and Central America every single year. In addition to just having countries that are great short vacation destinations, individuals will spent months at a time traveling through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama.

One of the reasons why Central America is such a great backpacking destination is because it offers a lot. It has volcanoes, rivers, rain forests, beaches, mountains, large cities, and almost anything that you could possibly want. If you want to get away from everything, Central America is for you. If you want modern cities with movie theaters, malls, and fine restaurants, Central America is also for you. And the really great thing is that it is really inexpensive, especially when compared to the United States and Europe.

When you visit Central America, you are going to see that you can find great inexpensive place to stay. If you are looking for something extremely cheap, you can stay in a hostel for just a couple of dollars a night. Or more you can spend a little bit more and get your own room and have air conditioning. No matter if you are looking for some privacy or you are looking to meet new friends and other travelers, Central America has great opportunities.

There are definitely a couple of things that you are going to want to take on your Central American journey. First, you should know that there are a couple of different mosquito borne diseases that people can get when traveling throughout these countries. For this reason, it is important to wear long-sleeved clothing and use mosquito repellent. A lot of efforts are being made in these countries in order to prevent mosquito borne diseases, including using mosquito water tablets to kill eggs. You should also know that you will need to protect yourself from the sun. Using sunscreen, a hat, and other protective clothing is important, especially if you are going to be outdoors enjoying the beauty of Central America.

Depending on the area where you visit, you may also need to prepare for the heat. If you are from the United States, you know that Arizona is one of the hottest states. Some places in Central America can reach the same temperature levels as Arizona. However, if you visit some places, particularly in Guatemala, you could experience very cold temperatures. Do your research and prepare your clothing accordingly.