10 Ways I Keep PHD Green
Being a good business woman means not only doing what is best for my customers but for the communities in which they live. Here are 10 ways (some of which are quite simple) I keep my business green. 1. A Creative, Fun, (and Green) Solution to Moving Boxes
The problem with moving boxes? They are impossible to find and quite expensive when you do. They also, of course, require needlessly cutting down trees, the use of thermoplastic polymer based packing tape to seal them, and they use a massive amount of water to recycle them.
This is why I was excited to learn about Rent a Moving Box. Rent a Moving Box delivers durable and re-usable plastic moving boxes right to your front door. These boxes do not require any tape (hooray!), are far better at protecting your belongings than cardboard, are picked up from your door step when you are finished, and do not require any trees to be cut down in the process. I think we could call that a Win-Win-Win-Win, no? We can’t wait to use them for when we relocate PHD headquarters this Friday!
2. All Handbag Tags and Paper Supplies are from 100% Recycled Paper
Recycled paper requires less energy and less water, and produces less waste and less greenhouse gases than traditional paper. For this reason, PHD uses 100% recycled paper products for our handbag tags and for all of our office supply needs.
Interested in using recycled paper in your office? We buy ours from OfficeMax.
3. We Use Recycled Paper, then Re-Use it and Recycle it
We solved the problem of always needing yet never having scratch pads by cutting up our used paper and stapling it together to make in-house notepads. Martha Stewart would probably not be impressed, but we always have paper to write on and it helps reduce waste while saving us quite a bit of money.
4. We Use (and Re-Use) Paper Burritos
The secret to making the PHD handbags display well at trunk shows? We stuff them with our handmade tissue paper burritos. When we are done using them for one trunk show we save them for the next!
5. We Drink Filtered not Bottled Water
After exhaustive research, the Environmental Working Group rated filtered water far better for your health and better for the environment than bottled water. For this reason, we use a reverse osmosis filter serviced by Rayne Water Systems to make sure what we drink is not only good for us, but is also the best choice for the environment. Brita water filters are another good option.
Want to see how your favorite brand of water fared in their research? See their 2011 Bottled Water Scorecard.
6. We Use Less Electricity
A recent article in SFGate stated, “The EPA estimates that if every household in the United States replaced just one standard incandescent light bulb with an energy-efficient one, the nation would annually save about $600 million in energy costs --- enough to power 3 million homes for a year.”
Our office is 100% lit using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Although CFLs are more expensive than their traditional counterparts, they only use one-quarter of the electricity and as such far make up for their initial expense in the savings in our electric bill.
7. 100% of Our Fabric is Purchased in Europe
Often, fabric produced outside of the US, Canada, and Europe comes with repercussions that are dangerous to the people who both manufacture it and wear it. To ensure our fabric is the best quality not only for the people who make our bags but for those who use them, we purchase 100% of our fabric from Europe.
8. Our Handbags Do Not Require Warning Labels
The State of California’s Proposition 65 requires all products that contain chemicals that are known to cause cancer and/or reproductive toxicity to be labeled accordingly. Although many products unfortunately do contain such toxins, PHD handbags are, and have always been, 100% free of these dangerous chemicals.
9. All PHD Bags are Made in the USA
For numerous human rights, health, environmental and business concerns PHD bags are 100% made in the USA. This means our handbags are not shipped from half way around the world but just a short distance from our local US manufacturer. This keeps our carbon footprint and our overall impact on the environment low.
10. I Brown Bag It
There seems to be more plastic, paper and packaging involved with carryout than there is actually food. Additionally, although some restaurants take great care in serving food that is both healthy and good for the environment, many do not focus on purchasing products that are organic, local and/or good for their customers. Bringing my own lunch means I not only ensure I eat food that is good for me, but good for my local and global community.