Catalog Choice to opt out of receiving paper catalogs
Catalog Choice is a free service for US residents who wish to opt out of receiving paper catalogs through the mail. Whilst it relies on the merchants to voluntarily honour the requests their list of endorsements is long. You simply sign up for free and then select the catalogs you wish to decline. If the catalog isn’t listed then you can suggest it for inclusion. The benefits are for both the senders and the receivers because the senders get to reduce the number of catalogs delivered (by only sending to people interested in them) and hence the cost of production whilst the receivers get less clutter in the mail boxes.
Environmentally speaking the benefits are huge. According to the site, there are more than 19 billion paper catalogs delivered each year. Just imagine the lost sforests, carbon emission in producing and delivering them and then the problems of what to do with them once they have been used. Annually it accounts for 53 million trees and around 53 billion gallons of water discharges from the volume of paper required. that’s 81000 Olympic sized pools. The power used in production is roughly the same as the annual power usage of 1.2 million homes. Truly staggering.
Of course they have a strict privacy policy and you can find out all the details at Catalog Choice.
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Leather and denim sandals by begoodesigns
begoodesigns makes use of excess leather from other manufacturing processes and turns it into stylish products such as the sandals as shown. These are the leather and denim model and are made from recycled cream leather upper and insole lined with denim.
begoodesigns sources excess materials and claims a massive 99% of inputs are excess leather. Rather than seeing this going to waste it is being turned into stylish eco-friendly products. In addition, 100% of their waste is reused. By producing smaller producs such as jewellery they ensure nothing goes in the bin. And what doesn’t go into their products is used as packaging which also means 100% of the packaging is made from excess fabric.
More details at the begoodesigns website.
MBT Chapa GTX Pumpkin sports shoe
MBT or Masai Barefoot Technology have a range of sports and casual shoes and sandals. The featured shoe is the Chapa GTX Pumpkin sports shoe that uses their patented technology based on the Masai walking tribe from Africa. There are a range of benefits to using these shoes including improved gait and posture, increased toning of the legs when walking because they help to use neglected muscles and reduced stresses on the knees and hips.
Better still, the company has a very strong corporate responsibility program. Footwear manufacturers have received a lot of bad publicity and MBT addresses each of these concerns on their website. They support the International Labor Organization’s efforts and have established their own code of conduct covering issues such as forced or convict labour, child labour, remuneration and maximum working hours.
From an environmental perspective, their boxes are made from cardboard and designed such that they don’t require any glues or staples and are fully recyclable. Shoes are shipped with an environmentally firendly picro-pack patch to reduce bacteria and mould. They operate a clean manufacturing facility in Korea, keeps harmful emmissions to a minimum and doesn’t use chemicals with benzene structures. Finally, they use chrome-tanned leather to produce a strong, flexible product using the most energy and water efficient method.
The full range of MBT shoes can be seen on their website.
Nature’s Avenger organic herbicide
Nature’s Avenger Organic Herbvicide is a pleasant change the the toxic chemicals we have been using in our gardens for years. The majority of people probably give little thought to where it all ends up as longer as the weeds and bugs are killed. This organic herbicide is made with natural citrus-oil, is approved for use in organic production, OMRI listed and EPA registered.
The makers claim it is just as effective as the synthetic glysophate based herbicides and results appear within a couple of hours. The idea is very simple. The citrus oil stips the plant of its waxy cuticle and it ends up dehydrating. The patented technology affects the plant but doesn’t leave a lasting impact on the soil so you can be planting again within hours. Obviously it affects all plants so overspray should be avoided and protect plants that you don’t wish to kill. Emulsion technology helps you see where has been sprayed.
It is available in a 24oz ready to use spray bottle, or better still, buy the 32oz or 1 gallon concentrate and help reduce the number of containers .
More detals of how Nature’s Avenger Organic Herbicide works at their website.
Moltex Oko disposable diapers
The Moltex Oko disposable baby diaper is marketed as am eco friendly disposable diaper that is also better for your baby. There are no added chemicals as found in the mainstream brands. These chemicals, such as lotions and deodorants are used to keep odours away. Unfortunately these can cause rashes and other problems such as fungi and viruses. The Oko diapers use a green tea leaf extract to help with odours.
Twenty percent of the absorbant gel has also been replaced with a totally biodegradable absorbant gel made from maize (corn) starch. Being a natural product this also tends to prevent for formation of ammonia which can also cause skin rashes. Of course the diapers are also 100% chlorine free. These diapers might take a bit of getting used to because they aren’t the traditional white colour. Using 50% unbleached cellulose and b leaching with hydrogen rather than chlorine it gives them a natural brown colour.
The breathable backsheet is made from 100% biodegradable materials as is the packaging. All this means a fully compostable diaper without the need to add to landfill or be burnt, which just causes a bunch of other issues.
For details about the range see the Oko Loco website.
Flora organic jeans by Del Forte
The Flora jeans by Del Forte are a relaxed leg jean made from 100% organic cotton. They are available in the Azul medium wash of dark Estrella wash if you are looking for a stretch denim version.
Del Forte is a USA brand using 100% organic cotton for their products that are mainly made from denim. The clothing is made in Los Angeles, a city pushing for sweatshop free labour in the fashion industry. They have also partnered with The Sustainable Cotton Project and a portion of their proceeds go to supporting The SCP.
Non-organic cotton farming is one of the most harmful agricultural industries with around 2/3 of a pound of pesticides used to make a pair of jeans and 1/3 for a t-shirt. This accounts for about 10% of all pesticide use globally. As you can imagine, most of this then ends up in the soil and streams and further down the food chain. It takes three years for a field to be considered pesticide free and suitable for organic farming.
Plus, thanks to the Del Forte Project Rejeaneration, you can send back your used jeans once you have finished with them and the fabric is used in the Rejeaneration range. You are also rewarded with a 10% voucher off your next purchase or they will donate your 10% to The SCP.
The full range and further details can be found at the Del Forte website.
