Comments on: VBW Day a guest post by Michael, aka terrible person http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/02/vbw-day-guest-post-by-michael-aka/ Think we can't live without plastic? Think again. In 2007 I committed to stop buying any new plastic & I've almost succeeded! Won't you join me? Let's see what plastic-free looks like in 2012... for the health of our bodies, our oceans, our planet. ~Beth Terry Fri, 17 May 2013 22:46:06 +0000 hourly 1 By: thinker http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/02/vbw-day-guest-post-by-michael-aka/comment-page-1/#comment-1536 thinker Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:15:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2008/02/vbw-day-a-guest-post-by-michael-aka-terrible-person/#comment-1536 wel i agree dat plastic is dangerous for our eco system…but we shud take soem serious steps towards handling it intelligently n sensibly…

]]> By: Freak Magnet http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/02/vbw-day-guest-post-by-michael-aka/comment-page-1/#comment-1528 Freak Magnet Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:18:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2008/02/vbw-day-a-guest-post-by-michael-aka-terrible-person/#comment-1528 I just wanted to congratulate you Beth on making a difference in the world! Hopefully more people will take up the challenge! Keep up the great work!

]]> By: little e http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/02/vbw-day-guest-post-by-michael-aka/comment-page-1/#comment-1492 little e Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:37:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2008/02/vbw-day-a-guest-post-by-michael-aka-terrible-person/#comment-1492 Hey there,
I just dropped in from ‘blogs of note’, so perhaps you’ve discovered this already, but you should check out No Impact Man. He’s at http://noimpactman.typepad.com/
Very inspiring…
Good luck with it,
Cheers,
e.

]]> By: CindyW http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/02/vbw-day-guest-post-by-michael-aka/comment-page-1/#comment-1460 CindyW Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:25:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2008/02/vbw-day-a-guest-post-by-michael-aka-terrible-person/#comment-1460 When I did consulting work in a large networking company in the south bay, I too noticed how many bottled water gets consumed every day. We are talking about more than 25,000 employees on that campus alone. 2 bottles a day per person. That’s over 1 million bottles a month!!! And if my 4 months of observations could serve as valid data points, 95% of the bottles get tossed into trash, though every employee has two bins – trash and recycling. Apparently they tried to switch off the bottled water habit (to reduce cost), there was a employee revolt – “right to drink bottled tap water”. So now 1 million bottles are tossed in trash every month just on that campus. It takes political will to do the right thing.

]]> By: Jane http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/02/vbw-day-guest-post-by-michael-aka/comment-page-1/#comment-1442 Jane Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:35:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2008/02/vbw-day-a-guest-post-by-michael-aka-terrible-person/#comment-1442 Congratulations on persuading your firm to take such a positive step. I’m in a UK law firm and we occasionally need to instruct overseas firms so, if I need a firm in California, I’d certainly prefer an aware firm over the competition.

]]> By: Julia http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/02/vbw-day-guest-post-by-michael-aka/comment-page-1/#comment-1441 Julia Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:02:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2008/02/vbw-day-a-guest-post-by-michael-aka-terrible-person/#comment-1441 Congratulations, and good work to Betsy and Aline for moving forward with the idea! I, too, work at a college (in the UK, so it’s more like a late-high-school), and, like the biscuit queen, the students here are completely unaware of their rubbish. I’m trying to start up a student group to get them a-changin’ as well!

What about looking into options for going paperless in your office? It does require investment of time, money and training, but if the office could reduce its paper use by even a small percentage, and perhaps switch to recycled paper for the rest, well, that’s something!

]]> By: Tanya http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/02/vbw-day-guest-post-by-michael-aka/comment-page-1/#comment-1439 Tanya Sun, 24 Feb 2008 20:47:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2008/02/vbw-day-a-guest-post-by-michael-aka-terrible-person/#comment-1439 Hurrah! Yippee! Congratulations on achieving a major victory! I love the term ‘eau de phthalates’ :) Tee hee hee.

As you requested other environmental ideas for your firm, here are some suggestions:

* Have Beth come and give a presentation at your firm

* Form a ‘Green Team’ to generate ‘green’ initiatives – We have one at the Fortune 500 company where I work – see my comment on your previous post… (don’t know how to make a fancy link back)

* Host a ‘Bring your own mug to work day’

* If you have a dishwasher at your firm take on the responsibility of loading it and unloading it every day to encourage people to bring their own dishes (have people write their name on the bottom of their dishes and then unload clean dishes into an empty cupboard. Then everyone can come and get their clean stuff when it’s convenient for them.)

* Post signs reminding people to turn off conference room lights when not in use

* Post signs on how to print double-sided by all printers

* Post pictures in your cubicle of rivers with trash, Beth’s pics of trash in Hawaii, bottles of plastic water bottles, turtles strangled by plastic etc. and don’t say anything about them unless people ask…

And lastly set a good example! And again congratulations!

]]> By: Green Bean http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/02/vbw-day-guest-post-by-michael-aka/comment-page-1/#comment-1437 Green Bean Sun, 24 Feb 2008 16:45:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2008/02/vbw-day-a-guest-post-by-michael-aka-terrible-person/#comment-1437 Awewsome! What wonderful news. I’ll have to suggest that to my husband for his work. Great firm, btw, I enjoyed my time there several years ago. ;-)

Aline and Besty, you guys rock.

]]> By: Anonymous http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/02/vbw-day-guest-post-by-michael-aka/comment-page-1/#comment-1436 Anonymous Sun, 24 Feb 2008 15:57:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2008/02/vbw-day-a-guest-post-by-michael-aka-terrible-person/#comment-1436 Major kudos to you and your firm Michael! I’m impressed that the office managers decided to take this big step – and hopefully they’ll realize how it positively impacts the companies bottom line. …I love that their providing employees with reusable bottles too!
If they are looking for other ideas, they should check out:
http://www.responsiblepurchasing.org/
This is the “Responsible Purchasing Network” at the Center for a New American Dream. This member-based institutional procurement program provides resources to institutions of all sizes. Your firm may not want to spend money on a membership – but RPN does provide lots of info. for free (including their guides to cleaners and water). The main thing they do is put together “Purchasing Guides” that help companies not only buy better products, but information on things like best practices, and how to write policies and specifications for what you need. What immediately comes to mind for your company is their guides to things like computers and office electronics. They give lots of great information on how to use your equipment more efficiently and decrease energy usage as a result – again all ideas that will positively impact the company’s bottom line.

]]> By: just ducky http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/02/vbw-day-guest-post-by-michael-aka/comment-page-1/#comment-1435 just ducky Sun, 24 Feb 2008 15:52:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2008/02/vbw-day-a-guest-post-by-michael-aka-terrible-person/#comment-1435 Congratulations! To show my appreciation I’ve created this:

Awesome
Leader
Intelligent
Neat
Environmentally-minded

Bodacious
Eco-friendly
Top-notch
Smart
Yipee!

OK, so it might be a little juvenile of me…but I really appreciate their efforts!

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