Earth Day 2010 at Rubbermaid

 
Here at Rubbermaid, this Earth Day has been really exciting! Fellow blogger Shannon Joyner is heading up a new group of people here that are passionate about the planet... We call ourselves the Green Team! Obviously, this is a big day for us, and we are celebrating in several ways:

We're hosting a Chuck the Cup Day
Don't be caught with a disposable cup! We're encouraging everyone here to use their own coffee mug or Rubbermaid water bottle instead of a disposable cup. Reducing waste is a pretty snazzy way to celebrate Earth Day, eh? 

(If this poster looks familiar, its because Brianna M., accomplished Industrial Designer, was so inspired by the Starbucks signage that she borrowed the look from it, to create the interoffice poster for the Chuck the Cup event (once again, Starbucks not only provides good coffee, but inspiring design!)  

Today also, prizes are being randomly awarded for being caught in a Green Act  (recycling or using a water bottle or coffee mug instead of the disposable cups... the Green Team is on the move.. they are everywhere... look out!)

We are having a Sustainability Video viewing (helping communicate the idea of sustainability and how everyone can be do small things to make a big impact)

Today is the premier of Battery Recycling receptacles in our building (which ROCKS, because those babies have a crazy long life after you toss them, and our normal recycling centers do not take them. Now we will have an easy way to recycle batteries)

AND we created new signage that we posted around the building! (Gooooo Design!) These communications promote recycling, communicate green messages and encourage everyone do their part. Obviously, this step is the closest to my heart, since I worked on them :). As a designer, I strongly believe in the power of design to provoke change. Hopefully, this is a good start as our Green Team grows and continues to help make this world a better place for all of us.

Happy Earth Day from all of us at Rubbermaid!





 

 
 
    

Organize to Lift Your Spirits Using Feng Shui

When I was looking online for some interesting organizing tips or methods, I came across this article that talks about feng shui. This has a history that dates way back. It translates to organization by focusing on arranging things in your home to foster positive energy and eliminating things that put out negative energy. To me, it is a way to harmonize your space and your life. I love that word...harmony.

The article sited four types of clutter that affect the energy in your space:
(1) Things you do not use or love
(2) Untidy or disorganized items
(3) Too many items in a small space
(4) Any unfinished project.

No. 4 hit home with me. The article says: "The last category...is the hardest to see, therefore, the easiest category to ignore...These items are a constant drain on your psyche, always lurking in the back of your mind. Your conscious mind will suppress them for you but uses a lot of energy to do so..."

Anytime I'm at home I am surrounded by our unfinished walls. I believe this "unfinished-ness" reflects my nervousness about doing home projects all together - I'm always nervous that I'm going to mess something up or really ruin a part of our house. 

It all started when we scraped the popcorn off of our ceiling (which we did last summer). We want to put up crown molding in our living room. We can't do that until we paint the walls, we can't paint the walls until we lower the height of the bar in the kitchen, and we can't do that project until we get new counter tops, and we can't get new counter tops until we save the money to buy them. (Do you seem my major home project snowball forming?) I'm excited to get started and work through all of these unfinished things that surround me at home....and gain back the energy that I'm using now trying NOT to think about it.

For some, feng shui might seem a little "out there," but I think it is very interesting...but I am also someone who thinks about what kind of energy I put out into the world (and do my best to make it positive!). Feng shui here I come.

Spring Cleaning? Don’t Dump. Donate!

This guest post was written by Aleigh, @GoodwillSP, from Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont.

Spring is almost here (the official start to the season is March 20)—and with it comes the perfect excuse to freshen up your home. Spring cleaning isn’t just about cleaning, though; it’s also about organizing and de-cluttering, so that when the weather gets warm, you can spend your days enjoying the sunshine, instead of indoors getting your house in order!

Once you’ve scanned your home for that extra stuff you no longer need, don’t head for the trash can—instead, gather up those gently-used items you no longer want, and help them land in the hands of someone who will use them. That’s where we come in. When you donate to Goodwill, you keep items with lots more use in them out of the landfill, to be sold in our stores for amazingly affordable prices. And the best part is that the proceeds from the sales in our stores fund our job training and employment programs that help thousands of people go back to work each year. Not sure where your closest Goodwill is? There’s a handy locator on the web at http://locator.goodwill.org/.

Here are some easy ways to pull together a donation that will help the environment and your community at the same time.

DO: Wash or dry clean clothing. (Goodwill doesn’t accept donations of broken or soiled items.)
DON’T: Leave your donations unattended outside a collection center; they can be stolen or damaged by bad weather.
DO: Test electronics equipment to be sure it’s in working order.
DON’T: Donate building materials, food, live plants or animals, mattresses, newspapers or magazines, pianos, or used auto parts.
DO: Donate household items, furniture, and sports equipment. We even take electronics equipment and used cars!
DON’T: Forget to ask for a receipt—your donations to Goodwill are tax-deductible. We’ll even help you decide how much to declare; click here (http://www.goodwillsp.org/priceguide.html) for a price list for items sold in our stores to use as a guide.

And the biggest DO of all:
DO: Think before you donate. Cities across the United States are seeing a sudden appearance of unattended collection bins in parking lots and roadside. Donations placed in those boxes don’t benefit licensed charitable organizations and don’t qualify for tax deductions—plus, they’re often left open to weather damage and theft. It’s important to make an informed choice and know to whom you’re giving.

Drink More Water, Save the World!

 

60% of our bodies are made of water (mine must have some percentage of coffee in there...). The interwebs say you should drink about eight 8oz glasses of water a day (roughly 1.9 liters). I know I need to drink more water daily, but for some reason getting a glass out of the cabinet, filling it up and then downing it, sometimes seems like too much trouble (I'm pretty lazy). I need convenience!
 
At the height of convenience, is bottled water... But I just can't do it, though crazy convenient, my environmental guilt overwhelms me.

Solution? Get a bunch of water bottles, fill them up, and stick em' in the fridge. Reusable, zero guilt, and it keeps this lazy gal (and her hubby) hydrated!

You don't have to shovel sunshine!

Well, I was hoping that the Ohio weather would hold off until Christmas, give a slight dusting, and then melt away to nothing.  A girl can dream, right?

With going to class at night, I have found that I really need to make sure I have a Winter Survival Kit in my car.  There have been a few scary nights in a barely lit, unbelievably icy parking lot that I thought I was going to have to camp out in my car.  And then, I thought, how would I make it through the night?

I drove home, or more like skated home in my car, and decided that I needed some basics stored in my car for the Ohio winter season. Suggestions for a kit include:

• blanket
• granola bars
• flashlight and batteries
• kitty litter (to help find traction on ice)
• First Aid kit
• candles and matches
• a small shovel
• a coffee can to melt snow for drinking
• gloves, hat, other warm apparel

This kit can be "adjusted" as needed, depending on the types of winters you may have.  I have the majority of the items listed above kept in a small Rubbermaid Roughneck Tote in the hatch of my car.  An important note is to keep the kit where you can easily access it - if your trunk isn't accessible from the inside of your car, you will want to keep it in the backseat.

You may want to contact your state's Department of Transportation for further suggested items in a Winter Survival Kit.  Other websites that offer suggestions are:  http://www.wilderness-survival-skills.com/car-survival-kit.html , http://family-travel-safety.suite101.com/article.cfm/winter_car_survival_kit , and http://www.ehow.com/how_4594748_pack-winter-survival-kit-car.html

Some pre-manufactured and packaged kits are available for purchase on www.amazon.com and http://planitsafety.com/productDetail.cfm?pid=83&cid=18.

Have a great winter and drive safe! And to all my warm-weathered friends, I envy your mild winters.  You don't have to shovel sunshine!
 

Rubbermaid as Take Out Containers

I recently stumbled upon a blog I found really cool on using Rubbermaid containers for takeout.  It is an idea we have heard a lot from our consumers as a way to reduce the waste caused by disposable containers.   However, really enjoyed Jason's "social experiment" and also the reference to soup Nazi since I am a Seinfeld fan. 

I commend Jason on his diligence to using durable reusable containers to encourage others to change behavior step by step.  Please continue to share any stories you have on reducing waste!