Doing Our Part as a Business

San Francisco has placed a ban on plastic grocery bags. A local home furnishing store charges ¢5 so you can pack all those trinkets in your car.

Having your own reusable grocery bag just makes sense these days.

• Pre-Recorded Information for San Diego (PDF)
• California E-Waste Recycling Facility List
• The Green Guide

E-Recycling

Hundreds of thousands of computers, monitors, televisions and other electronic items are replaced in California every year. This 'e-waste' contains valuable materials and can be hazardous if not disposed of properly. When you 'e-recycle' you're helping to protect our environment and create new jobs in California. To find where you can discard your old, unused, or broken electronics, simply fill out the form at this site which will direct you to the nearest disposal location.

Cell phone Recycling

Mobile phones and PDA's account for a large quantity of E-waste. Current estimates show that more than 1 billion unused cellphones have made their way into landfills or are collecting dust in America's closets and drawers. Because of their small size consumers may hold on to phones or simply throw them away thinking that they don't pose a threat to the environment. However, cell phones can contain dangerous substances like lead and chromium, as well as valuable metals like copper and easily reusable plastics. Industry officials have been trying for years to get consumers to recycle their old phones without much luck. That's why we're a collection site for "Cell Phones for Soldiers", a 501c3 charity that turns old and unwanted cell phones into pre-paid calling cards for U.S. Troops stationed overseas. Clean out your closet or drawer and help a soldier stay in touch with their family. You can find out more about the charity and how to donate your old phone near the bottom of our home page.

Lenders Cultivate the Green Market

While energy-efficient mortgages have been available from many lenders for some time, they are receiving renewed attention. They allow borrowers to qualify for bigger loans because lenders permit the estimated savings on utility bills to be added to the borrower's qualifying income.

For example, energy-efficient improvements could save a homeowner $50 a month. The $600 extra a year could allow a person to borrow about $10,000 more on a 30-year mortgage, depending on the interest rate, says Mark Wolfe, executive director of the Energy Programs Consortium, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that helps coordinate state and federal energy policy. More on lenders and the green market.

Paper or Plastic?

Central to our campaign is an attempt to kill the demand for non-necessary plastics at the source, by encouraging the development and use of “alternatives” and reduction of packaging. We aim to transcend (rise above!) the knee-jerk acceptance of single-use plastic bottles or ubiquitous plastic shopping bags (or other “do-dad” plastic junk created for new, introduced “needs”) when better robust, reusable and sustainable options exist. More on the paper or plastic discussion.

Business Green Page

Simple Steps We Take as a Business

• A/C kept above 75 degrees
• Coffee grounds taken home for composting
• Office lights on sensors
• Reduce - Reuse - Recycle when possible
• Re-use of one side used paper for incoming faxes, and as scrap paper
• Re-cycle copier ink cartridges, and other large items, boxes etc. / space
• Use of RELAY, a transaction management system, that cuts down on the amount of faxing and printing formerly required during an escrow
• Used cell phone collection site
• Use of filtered water system instead of bottled water

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