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7 Commonplace Life Hacks That Put Sustainability Within Reach

“Thoughtful, Committed Citizens,” Indeed

In the recent past, suburbanites thought nothing of littering in public spaces. People would throw empties out their car windows without a care, or leave their paper picnic plates and napkins, and other trash in public parks for someone else to clean up. After a while, we got tired of it, and anti-littering campaigns popped up here and there, particularly in the mid-seventies. These mostly disconnected efforts turned into one big cultural shift, and now littering is widely considered to be a no-no.

The same can be argued of the sustainability movement. Home recycling has become almost a given for many families, thanks to things like deposits on beverage bottles, the upcycling movement, grocery discounts for shoppers who bring reusable bags, and even good old-fashioned peer pressure from your tree-hugging grandkids.

Japan has embraced recycling like a boss. Here in the U.S. we’re catching up. Municipal recycling made its debut in New Jersey in 1980 thanks to a Girl Scout, and grew in the 90s, with California predictably leading the charge. This article provides a nice little timeline for your fact-checking pleasure. And that was all just the start. Since Y2K, home recycling has become a part of an ever-growing whole.

Social Media Strikes Again, But In a Good Way This Time

In March, an Algerian activist and conservationist posted a snap of himself in a littered wooded area, and an accompanying selfie of the litter having been collected up into nine bulging trash bags. The pair of pics sparked a viral campaign, a TrashTag call to action encouraging bored teens to follow suit and post their own clean-up efforts. The ensuing activity across platforms was certainly an improvement over people eating laundry detergent or whatever other silliness social media users are getting up to these days.

Of course, this, like any viral event will run its course, but there are things we can all do at home and in our professional lives to make a difference.

For Your Consideration

  • Fair Trade Products: If you need an excuse to feel good about your environmental accomplishments while enjoying a rich cup of coffee with a chocolate covered banana, the Fairtrade (apparently it’s one word!) movement has you covered.
  • Recycled Content Paper: By now, many paper products are labeled with their post-consumer (recycled) percentage, making it pretty easy for the eco-conscious consumer. As for your business activities, we’ve got that all hammered out. Marketing so rarely requires pristine stock that you can pretty much go as green as you like with our cards, and be certain you're making a quality impression. Click To Tweet
  • Reusable Bamboo Straws:  These little packs of personal straws you can get on Amazon are the bee’s knees!
  • CFL & LED Lights: These are really getting popular, so they’re not as expensive as they once were. The beauty is that they’re energy efficient without sacrificing illumination.
  • Reusable Shopping Bags: Many markets will take a nickel off your groceries for every reusable bag you bring, and if you keep these things stashed in your car, you’re likely to find they’re handy for all sorts of uses.
  • Community and City Single-Use Plastic Bans: Vanautu, a tiny South Pacific nation surrounded by a very large ocean has completely banned single-use plastics for good reason, and to great effect. These bans are cropping up in towns and cities across the U.S. Talk to your local lawmakers and find out if such a movement is right for your community, or just institute a ban of your own in your household.
  • Wind Power: This one’s a little trickier, you can’t always choose where you get your power from. Having said that, you can find products and use services powered with wind and other renewable energies. You’ve found us, so you’re halfway there!

 

 

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A sweet little treat for Christmas, 3832

Christmas cookies are always a welcome treat. So we’ve served up these personalized sweets just for you. Card 3832 is a collection of gingerbread cookies personalized just for you or your office.

Sometimes just the right amount of sweetness is perfect for anyone’s diet. This holiday card will fit right in.

We can add your company name in the font of your choice and it will create the perfect composition in combination with the rustic barn wood. On the inside you can select your verse of choice, fonts and colors.

In addition, if we have your logo on file, we can add it for free in the same color as your verse.

We look forward to working with you this holiday season to make the perfect treat for your office!

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Cartesian Winter 2446

Architects, Engineers and Contractors know one thing for sure~and that’s math. Especially when it comes to resolving complex forms and designs.

Armed with this knowledge, it’s easy to see why Cardphile’s Cartesian Winter has become a customer favorite. The card is a photograph of the artful tillage in a field with precise parallel lines yielding only to the monolith in their way. The result, a series of concentric rings which buffer the monolith until they concede to the cartesian plain. A light dusting of snow further enhances the quiet presence of the geometric patterns and results in a simple but elegant composition.

Throughout history, man has encountered unyielding natural features, often incorporating them into design and art. Without really knowing, our suspicion is, that in this particular example of environmental design, the farmer has, over years, seasonally perfected his art, resulting in a perfect canvas year after year.

This is just one example of how we have incorporated nature into our lives. This could be the farmer’s personal Petra.