REDUCE
Presentation by: Julie Crane
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Reuse plastic bags for dog and/or kitty litter.
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Reuse the large kitty litter plastic tubs to refill, as buckets around the house or take them to the fishing docks – those guys love them!
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To expand on Cristina’s white paper reuse tip…cut them into smaller sizes & staple for handy notepads |
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Reuse paper bags to keep your paper recycling separate from your cans & bottles, etc. Cat and/or dog food bags are also great for recycling separation or yard waste pickup.
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Order water bottles by the 5-gallon and reuse your small water bottles for refills rather than buying new ones.
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Aluminum foil – reuse it if it isn’t dirty.
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Plastic baggies – bread and/or cookies often don’t dirty up a bag enough to toss it (especially in lunch boxes). These can often be rinsed and air-dried for multiple reuses.
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Packing peanuts – stores that ship or sell glass will often pay for these!
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Use kitchen towels for hand drying rather than paper towels. Use paper towels only for messy cleanups and such.
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Cut up old t-shirts and towels for cleaning rags.
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When printing, either double-side or print two pages on each sheet.
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Purchase eggs in cardboard cartons (vs. non-recyclable polystyrene) |
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Carry a reusable mug for coffee and fountain drinks. |
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Use rechargeable batteries. |
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RECYCLE
Presentation by: Jody Smith Williams
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GOING GREEN AND FINDING BLACK
Presentaton by: Cindy DeRocher
As General Manager of the Gardens Hotel, going green was not only the responsible thing to do, it saved us money. In just 8 months, the Gardens Hotel has saved nearly $12,000 in expenses by going green. Some examples:
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Recycling is less expensive than garbage. By taking the time to sort and recycle, we have saved over $300 per month on our Waste Management bill and over 20,000 pounds of garbage ending up in a landfill. |
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By using a bottless water cooler, we have eliminated 19,000 water bottles, gone to a reusable glass and give each of our guests a Gardens Hotel souvenier and reusable water bottle. We saved $6000 in water not to mention the savings in labor. |
Light Bulbs |
The average American home has 30 lightbulbs. The Gardens Hotel has 250. By switching to CFL’s (compact fluorescent bulbs) in the hotel, we are saving $1200 off of our electricity bill plus our labor costs have dropped since we now only need to change our lightbulbs every three to five years instead of every eight months. |
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While everyone loves the little plastic bottles filled with shampoo, conditioner and lotion, the bottles end up in a landfill for the next 500 years, and more often than not, with unused product. We installed customer dispensers which will last a lifetime and will only need to be replenished about every 30 days. Our savings in product and labor is $2500 a year. |
e-business |
By doing our invoicing, reservations, and bill paying online, we save on stamps, paper and ink for a cost savings of $300 per year. |
As you can see these are all simple things that can be done at home just as easily as in your business. It’s good for the environment and your bank account.
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WHAT YOU CAN DO
Presentation by: Julie Brown
Make one change today and make that a new, good habit!
Start to “Think Green” and pay attention. It’s up to us so pick up a piece of trash from the sidewalk, turn lights off and purchase recycled products. This is our paradise!
Challenge yourself to Reduce in one way today, Reuse one thing tomorrow, and Recycle one thing the next day. Then the following day Repeat the message to someone else and offer that person the same challenge.
THINK. ACT. DEMAND.
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THINK- |
about the impact your actions make on our island.
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ACT- |
accept this challenge and start today. |
DEMAND- |
challenge someone else and keep Green thoughts moving forward |
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