Sustainable Soap

Used soap bars create millions of pounds of waste in landfills each year. When you add to this pile by discarding your own leftover soap slivers, you’re not only increasing the amount of waste and pollution in the world, you’re also throwing your own money away.

What can you do with pieces of soap that are too small to use? More than you would think! Leftover soap slivers can be used to make liquid soap, new soap bars for your own use, or even soap bars for people in developing countries.

How to make liquid soap out of used soap bars

Josh Baum of eHow.com outlines several easy steps for making new liquid soap out of used bar soap.

1. Let slivers of soap bars that are too small to use dry completely (to discourage growth of mold or mildew). Keep all your slivers of soap in a plastic zip-top bag or a Tupperware container and seal them. Continue collecting soap slivers in your bag or container until you have at least a half dozen slivers.
2. When you have enough soap slivers, put them in a blender. Add just a tiny bit of water. Then blend the soap on a medium setting for about 20 seconds.
3. Add more water a little at a time as needed to achieve a smooth, creamy consistency. Blend the mixture for about 20 seconds after each added dose of water. Only add water in small amounts to avoid diluting the soap too much. Blend thoroughly.
4. When the soap is of a good consistency, empty it into a plastic squeeze or pump bottle (such as a leftover empty bottle from a store-bought brand). Now you have your very own bottle of free hand soap!

How to make new soap bars out of used soap bars

Another eHow.com contributor details how you can create new soap bars from your used soap slivers.

1. Just as you would with making liquid soap out of used soap slivers, you’ll want to gather up all your completely-dry soap slivers in a plastic zip-top bag or a Tupperware container.
2. Once you have a good number of soap slivers, dump them onto a cutting board, mincing them into very small pieces with a chef’s knife. Transfer the minced pieces to a Pyrex container and add just enough water to coat the bottom of the container.
3. Cover the container with plastic wrap, and microwave it in 15-second intervals. In between the intervals, stir the mixture with the butter knife until the water is very hot and the soap has formed a paste.
4. Pour and scoop the soap paste into a muffin tin, soap/cookie molds, or cupcake wrappers. Once the molds cool, you have yourself some free new soap bars!

Donating your used soap bars to help sanitation needs in developing countries

Are you up for a noble cause? Why not donate your used soap bars to needy people here and abroad?

Clean the World, a nonprofit charity based in Orlando, Florida, can take your used soap and turn it into safe, sterilized new soap at its Recycling Operations Center, to be shipped to domestic homeless shelters and impoverished countries around the world.

Families, students, corporations, churches, and civic groups can get involved by participating in a community soap drive. It is simple, inexpensive and helps saves thousands of lives.

Get a soap drive started by registering at www.cleantheworld.org.

Clean the World suggests a 7-14 day collection program. They also encourage groups to:

• Gather friends and family members to help support the collection efforts.
• Set up teams to see who can collect the most soap and to make it fun and challenging
• Set up a high-traffic collection area and give periodic updates on the amount of soap collected to encourage more contributions.

• Alert the media, create awareness for collection efforts, and contact local news organizations to help spread the word.

After you have collected all your soap, send it to the Clean the World Foundation (400A Pittman St. Orlando, FL 32801). Box it, weigh it, and include this product donation form with your shipment. Clean the World does not pay for your shipping costs but notes that encouraging others to help cover these costs can be part of a successful soap drive.

Networking with Trail Business Owners: Recapping This Year’s GAP SBN Networking Event

This year’s GAP SBN networking event, held this past Tuesday, November 8 at the Levi Deal Mansion Bed & Breakfast in Meyersdale, provided a friendly and supportive forum for sustainability-minded business owners to discuss the current progress, ongoing challenges, and future direction of the GAP SBN. The event began with a short update on the network from project leader Phillip Wu, who discussed the new assessment-based rating system, the recently-launched website, and the new members that have joined so far this year.
Next, project leader Emma Strong introduced Carl Knoblock, director of the Pittsburgh office of the U.S. Small Business Administration, who discussed how co-operative purchasing can help businesses save money while curbing their environmental impacts. In a case study, Carl presented the system that his own manufacturing company created, which he called “cluster purchasing.” This system involved a small group of businesses, decided by geographic location, size, and needs, that agreed to order common products together, trade hours of specialty staff (like HR or marketing personnel), and exchange materials and utilities based on need. For example, one company within Carl’s system was paying to discard lightly-used rags similar to what another business was paying to have delivered. By assessing what businesses where ordering and paying to discard, they were able to save money by ordering and disposing together. Then, could have more leverage and negotiate better rates with their suppliers when their orders are large.
After hearing Carl’s insights, attendees discussed their own business’ needs that could be met by a co-operative system and what it might look like. Because the GAP SBN is geographically spread out, it was decided that a regional or town-by-town approach would be most effective. Also, attendees agreed that cardboard recycling and reuse was daunting and recognized this as a good place to start. The discussion was productive and informative, and Phil and Emma came away with good ideas of the major needs of the business owners. After the discussion, Levi Deal Mansion co-owner Jan Dofner led the group on a tour of the historic house that began with an overview of the business’s sustainability efforts. The tour ended with delicious appetizers and desserts brought by the attendees. Discussion continued over the food and included more thoughts on co-operative purchasing as well as anecdotes about working in trail-related businesses. The event provided a lively forum for getting to know fellow business owners along the trail and for sharing stories and tips.
After the event concluded at the Levi Deal Mansion, Morguen Toole Company (a recently-opened lodging, dining, and event facility in Meyersdale) invited attendees to visit and tour the historic building. The tour, led by co-owner Andrea Hoover, gave attendees the chance to ask questions about the building’s impressive renovations and how the owners manage the many and varied facets of the business. Again, discussion turned towards the successes and challenges working in the tourism industry, and the business owners found that they shared many of their concerns. Each attendee left with contact information from the other attendees, a better sense of camaraderie between the Trail Towns, and excitement for the future of the GAP SBN.

Green Cleaning 101

Cleaning is something we do in our daily lives, so the cleaning methods we use can add up pretty quickly. Commercial cleaning products can be expensive to so making some Clean Green mixtures will be easy on the environment and your pocketbook. The most common ingredients you will need for these green cleaning supplies are water, vinegar, salt, baking soda, and lemon juice.

Wood Polish—Mix 2 parts olive oil and 1 part lemon juice. Apply with a soft cloth.

Vinyl—Straight lemon juice rubbed on the stain.

Windows—4 tablespoons of lemon juice in a gallon of water. Some people say to use old newspapers but a lint-free rag or old cotton t-shirt will do.

Paint Odors—Small dishes of vinegar randomly placed in the area where you are painting will absorb the fuses.

Metal Cleaning—For copper or brass antiques make a paste of equal parts salt, vinegar, and flour. Rub on, let dry, rub off—it’s that easy! A slice of lemon dipped in salt then rubbed onto tarnished metal, and then rinsed and dried is another easy way.

Fireplaces—Soot stains on the exterior can be lifted away with a paste made of cream of tartar and water. Rub it on, let it dry, and rub it off! Throwing some salt in the burning fire will also help loosen soot and make maintenance cleanings easier.

Bare Floors—1 cup of vinegar to 1 gallon warm water. If your vinyl or linoleum still needs a little shine boost straight club soda is the ticket for a little extra shine.

Improving Your Paper

Improving Your Paper
It’s pretty well known that we use paper on an everyday basis. From work to school to home, it is used everywhere and quite frequently. It’s time to think about how we can improve our use of paper.
Let’s start with printing paper. Depending on your type of business or organization, use of the printer can vary each day. A simple change can come from looking at the description on the ream of paper before purchasing. Many paper suppliers are now selling at least 30% recycled paper but to go for that extra step in greening your business, and try for 100% recycled paper. If you buy in bulk or work out co-operative buying with other businesses, check with your paper company to change your order to a better, more sustainable choice in paper.
Now that you have a better paper product, it’s time to make the change to improve your printing process, and it will only take a few seconds. Correct your printing preferences and properties to “draft,” “grayscale,” and “double-sided.” You are not only saving money in reducing the amount of paper you use, but as well asalso prolonging the life of your ink supply.
Now that you’ve printed, is there room leftover on your paper? Perhaps there’s enough room to take a few notes, write down a telephone number from a customer, or jot down today’s errands. We’re still not done! Once you have finished with those notes on your 100% recycled printing paper, it’s time to recycle it again. Check out www.earth911.org for the closest paper recycling pickup or center near you.
What other kind of paper do you use on a daily basis? Even “green” toilet paper is now available. Just like printing paper, toilet paper is made with recycled products. Toilet paper is not just paper – there’s also the cardboard roll. We recommend saving the cardboard tube and reusing it for possible craft projects or recycling it. Also, a more recent development in toilet paper has been released – tubeless rolls. Released just last year, it’s the newest thing in toilet paper for decades. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/environment/2010-10-27-1Atube27_ST_N.htm
This everyday necessity is getting a little bit greener. For more ideas check out the following link:

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/green-toilet-paper-tips.html

Another everyday paper is the newspaper. The newspaper is useful to hear what’s happening in and around town, but it can be useful to reuse it as well. Newspapers are unique way to dress a gift package. They can dress up a bag or a box with colorful photographs, comics, and headlines. Newspapers are also often used in gardening to control weeds. While going through your cleaning supplies consider using newspapers for cleaning dirty windows. Also, you can place newspapers down with your grass clippings and other mulching to deter weeds from growing. This also composts the paper into the soil. And once again newspapers can be added to the recycling pickup or center to continue the reuse of paper products. http://www.ehow.com/how_2341342_reuse-newspaper-.html
These are just a few simple ideas to save money as well as trees while improveing the health of your business and the community.

Understanding Earthships

As human understanding of the Earth’s limited natural resources, pollution, global climate change, and other environmental problems has increased, we have begun to live in more environmentally sustainable ways. We are more conscious of energy use at home, we buy local, we try to drive less and bike and walk more. A culture striving toward sustainability has opened the door for entrepreneurs and innovators across the world. Those working at Earthship Biotecture LLC. have taken sustainability to the next level by creating sustainable homes made from recycled materials that are capable of being completely self-sufficient in terms of energy and water use.

These self-sufficient homes called Earthships, are built using recycled materials such as used tires, used cans and bottles, and dirt! The water collected on the roof of an Earthship will be used four times through the home’s system! It is channeled through silt catches to cisterns where it is purified and pressurized in a Water Organizing Module. Water is first used for things like bathing and doing dishes. This water is then filtered through interior botanical cells (plants that filter water based off of a wetlands approach), and used to flush the toilet. Then the resulting toilet water is contained and filtered through exterior botanical cells which purify the water a second time. Water is heated primarily from the sun. Natural gas is used as a heat source only when the water is not hot enough.

Electricity for Earthships is produced by using Photovoltaic (PV) panels, or solar energy. The PV panels convert the sun’s energy in DC power which is then stored in batteries. The Power Organizing Module (POM) converts energy from the batteries to AC power when it is needed. The POM can be connected to the traditional electricity grid or can remain off grid.

Earthship Biotecture LLC. offers internships to those who are interested in learning firsthand how to construct Earthships. They must pay a housing fee and are responsible for food and transportation, but are able to live in an Earthship for a month and work on the Earthship for the Greater World Community.

In addition, Earthship construction drawings are for sale. Check out this website for a much more detailed explanation of Earthships, awesome photos, the internship program, and how to purchase the construction drawings.

Easy (and Free) Ways to Go Green and Save Green

Doing things that are good for the environment does not have to mean shelling out a lot of your hard-earned money. In fact, you can save a lot of your money by helping the environment—and you won’t even need to spend a dime. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Replace your expensive chemical cleaners with your own homemade mixture of baking soda and vinegar. You’ll not only save money, but you and your loved ones won’t have to breathe in all those toxic fumes. Clean drains, sinks, ovens, floors, and more. See http://www.natural-healthy-home-cleaning-tips.com/vinegar_baking_soda_cleaning_recipes.htm for some tips.
• Reduce junk mail while conserving trees by visiting CatalogChoice.org to stop unwanted catalogs from reaching your mail box. Also, most junk mail you receive will have an 800-number listed. Call and simply request to be removed from the mailing list.
• Save your old coffee grinds—you can mix them into the soils of both your indoor and outdoor plants to make a great fertilizer. Also, water your plants with leftover coffee from the coffeepot; the coffee provides your plants with much-needed nitrogen.
• Get an energy audit done on your home to find out where you could save money and be more energy-efficient. Some utility companies provide energy audits for free or at a discounted rate. To find an energy rater near you, visit http://www.resnet.us/trade/find-raters-auditors. Also, browse the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency to find out what incentives and grants you could be qualified for to reduce your energy use. You can also perform an energy audit yourself—see http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/DIY-home-energy-audit.
• Save an average of $90 a year on your electricity bills by shutting down your computer at night. If your computer takes a long time to start up and shut down, choosing the “Sleep” and “Hibernate” modes on your computer will save you time and are almost as good for your pocketbook as shutting down your computer entirely.
• Use cold water when washing your clothes and linens to save $60-$100 a year on energy costs. 90% of the energy used by washing machines goes into heating, and most loads do not need hot water to clean effectively. In situations where hot water is necessary, for example, to kill dust mites in bedding or to clean heavily soiled items, you can still use cold water in the rinse cycle.

For more information:

http://www.squidoo.com/easy-green-tips

http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/latest/green-tips-10-easiest

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/beat-the-heat-wash-in-cold.html

http://www.livescience.com/6082-energy-saving-tips.html

“Home Energy Checklist” from the U.S. Department of Energy: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/services/energy_aware_hec.html

“Office Checklist” from the U.S. Department of Energy, for your small business: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/services/energy_aware_oec.html

Image: Salvatore Vuono (http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=659)

How to…….Compost

How to…….Compost

As a business (whether retail, restaurant, or lodging, etc) you may think that the only way to dispose of  your waste is through trash collection and recycling.  Start today and look around your business (personal home too) and you may find something you never thought compostable before.

First off – where to compost? As a business owner (or owners if you can get neighboring businesses from Main Street on board) you may choose to invest in a compost bin or tumbler.  These usually cost from $80-$200 depending on material and size.  But for a less expensive and more natural approach you can compost on the land.  Composting can start as a simple pile of biodegradable matter in the corner of your yard or lot.  Fallen tree branches or even leftover bricks or cinder blocks can be used to contain your compost pile.  Another option is to distribute your compost into the soil of established gardens. 

What to add to your compost?

                Some of the more common items usually added include: eggshells, grass clippings, coffee grinds, flowers, fruit peels, and leaves.  (Fall is just right around the corner.)

But here’s a list of things you might find around your business that you may want to add to your compost pile or bin:

• Used paper napkins
• Tea bags
• Stale pretzels
• Pizza Crusts
• Paper towel/toilette paper rolls
• Dryer lint
• Shredded Newspaper
• Used Matches
• Jack O Lanterns (Halloween is approaching)
• Dog/Cat fur
• Sticky notes

For even more suggestions check out:  http://ecospree.com/75-things-you-can-compost-but-thought-you-couldnt/ and http://www.plantea.com/compost-materials.htm

To learn more check out these links:

http://www.howtocompost.org/cat_products.asp

http://www.composting101.com/compost-bins.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_5608055_make-homemade-compost-pile.html

 

Composting can ultimately benefit your business, your community, and the environment.  Start composting today and see how much less trash goes to the local dump. 

Two New Members!

The Great Allegheny Passage Sustainable Business Network welcomes its two newest members, ArtWorks Connellsville and El Canelo Mexican Restaurant, both prominent Connellsville businesses.

ArtWorks Connellsville sells a wide variety of regional artwork including jewelry, handmade soap, watercolor paintings, photography, handmade bowls, and more.  In addition, ArtWorks Connellsville holds a summer art camp for children ages 6-14.  ArtWoks Connellsville will also be the site of a Re-Create/Re-Use store opening in October.  The Re-Create/Re-Use store will collect items that would normally be discarded, such as fabric scraps, foam, and promotional items.  The Re-Create/Re-Use store will hold classes where students will learn about various artists and will use materials at the store to create art.

El Canelo Mexican Restaurant in Connellsville, PA serves local residents and is a destination for trail users.  The authentic cuisine offers a delicious selection for many dietary types, serving vegetarian and gluten free meals.  Service at El Canelo is hard to beat, with staff always going the extra mile to make dining there a pleasant experience. 

Next time you are in Connellsville, PA stop in at these two businesses to learn about their commitment to the Great Allegheny Passage and sustainability.

Make sure you have a roof over your head – and double check that it’s green!

Green walls are the way to go!

To keep your business and home safe, you must put a roof over your head, but what about a green roof.  Over the last few years, green roofs and now green walls have been a trend in helping improve the environment as well as your business.  Adding a green roof to your business can also add new life to your community.  Literally! Green roofs create new gardens and ecosystems on places that one would never think to find growing produce or even a butterfly sanctuary. Green roofs are set up to help control rainwater, but also increase the diversity of the concrete jungle.  By definition, “green roofs are the result of a complete underlying roof build-up system, providing continuous, uninterrupted layers of protection and drainage.  Free drainage covers the entire roof surface, avoiding problems associated with walls and pillars built off a roof deck.” http://www.greenroofs.com/Greenroofs101/concept.htm

Investing in a green roof will help reduce the costs of your heating and cooling bills, reduce storm-water runoff, and bring new life to your building (both wildlife and new customers as well!).

In more recent years, green walls have been popping up on buildings in addition to roofs.  Green walls take the same concepts as roofs but make them vertical.  Both roofs and walls help insulate buildings for sound and remove pollutants from the air; making your business that much fresher! Depending on the size of your building, green walls also offer the opportunity to create artworks using various designs made out of natural green plant life.

Check out these sites for more info:

http://agreenroof.com/

http://greenroofs.org/index.php/about-green-roofs

http://www.greenroofs.com/

Rainwater 101

Rainwater 101

In the hot summer months, learn how to harvest the rainwater we are lucky to receive.  This will not only save you money, but will help to reduce water pollution in bodies of water and will aid in water conservation. 

Problem 1: You have probably noticed the puddles of water that form on sidewalks, roads, parking lots when it rains, or water rushing down streets during a heavy downpour.  Since impervious surfaces, or solid surfaces, prevent water from penetrating through the ground to groundwater, rain water has nowhere to go but down.  Rainwater washes down these impervious surfaces, carrying debris and pollutants (oil, salt in the winter, litter, cigarette butts, etc.), and ends up at the lowest point, usually a stream or river. This water also often flows into storm drains which drain into nearby bodies of water.

Problem 2: Rainwater often causes sewage overflows into streams and rivers.  This can happen because of two different phenomena.  First, many sewage pipes are old and cracked, and when it rains heavily, rainwater can leak into the pipes, overload them, and cause sewage overflows.  Another culprit of sewage overflows are combined sewer systems, where rainwater and sewage flow in the same pipes.  When it rains heavily, or these pipes are overwhelmed quickly (because of water rushing into them from impervious surfaces), they overflow sewage. 

Problem 3: As the effects of climate change are becoming more and more pronounced and the world population continues to grow, conserving our fresh water supply is becoming more important than ever.  Droughts are becoming more severe, and many of our fresh water sources stored in glaciers and ice caps are melting, reducing our supply of drinking water.  In addition, larger populations mean less water per capita.   Water conservation needs to become part of our everyday lifestyle.

The easiest way to begin using rainwater is by installing rain barrels.  Rain barrels attach directly to downspouts, diverting water from stormwater drains to your lawn or garden.  You can buy ready-to-use rain barrels (search online) or you can craft your own out of old food barrels (pickle barrels, etc.) You can save rainwater by closing the spigot until you need to water, or you can follow common practice and simply keep your spigot open all of the time, allowing water to freely drain onto greenspaces.  Check out some of these websites for helpful tips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGFDlkJOdaM

http://www.rainbarrelguide.com/

http://www.aquabarrel.com/

http://www.ninemilerun.org/rain-barrel-initiative/

In addition to rain barrels (or even as a complement to rain barrels), you can plant a rain garden near a water source (gutter, runoff area in your yard, etc.) in order to keep rainwater out of your sewer system.  Rain gardens are usually a shallow basin garden planted with native plants and grasses that like wet feet.  Divert your overflow or your hose into your rain garden or simply disconnect your downspout and let rainwater flow into a rain garden. 

http://www.raingardennetwork.com/build.htm

Bioswales are another form of stormwater management which can either function as a more narrow, long rain garden, or a more complex filtration system which slows the flow of water into sewer systems.  Like rain gardens, they are planted with native plants and grasses that can handle a lot of water, but do not need to be watered often when during dry spells.

http://www.upperdesplainesriver.org/bioswales.htm

Some people get creative with their rainwater use, including those who use rainwater to flush their toilets!  Jump on the bandwagon and begin using your rainwater for good.