Natural Environment Blog

A green home is a happy home. Not only do you feel better about yourself for trying to do what you can in order to preserve our planet, but it is a great way to help reduce your carbon footprint.

There are a lot of extremely easy ways that you can help to make your home greener friendly. It does not always cost a lot of money, and a lot of times it takes little to no effort.

Below is a list of the top 10 ways that you can easily make your home green friendly.

1. Recycle- This is extremely easy, and most cities even provide you with a bin to do it. All you have to do is throw your cans, bottles, papers, and cardboard into a separate bin. Most cities will pick the bin up from the curb, and they do not even require you to clean out the recyclable materials.
2. Green your Appliances- You may think this is an expensive investment, but few appliances last forever. When it comes time to replace them look to the energy efficient version. You can purchase water saving energy efficient washing machine for close to the same price of a standard one. More often than not your utility supplier will even give you a rebate for investing in these appliances.
3. Limit Your Utilities- You may think that the house feels perfect at a cool 72 degrees, but you could really live with it at 78. Make these small adjustments. Not only is it better on the environment, but it also is easier on your wallet.
4. Conserve Water- It is important to be conscientious of your water use. You may enjoy hand-washing your dishes, but if you leave the water running at full blast and have an energy efficient dishwasher chances are it is better to wait until your dishwasher is full and run a single load. Limit how often you water your lawn, and keep up with your plumbing. Small leaks in plumbing can waste a great deal of water every day.
5. Clean Friendly- There are quite a few products that were created in order to be a little more friendly to the environment while still being able to clean your home. Invest in these green friendly products.
6. Conserve Paper- Most places will take digital copies of pieces that you formally had to print. These include tickets, passes, coupons, or even directions. When there is a digital option take it. Save the paper and save some trees. This includes using towels and cloth in place of paper versions too.
7. Rinse & Reuse- Instead of investing in a huge case of water every week invest in a water filtration system and carry reusable bottles. There is quite a large variety of travel mugs, glasses, and cups that you can pick from that will help reduce the amount of plastic that is used on a daily basis.
8. Light the Way- Change your lighting in order to be more energy efficient. This could mean reducing the amount of lights that are on in your home, installing energy efficient lighting, or simply using natural lighting whenever possible.
9. Use Your Green Thumb- Not only does growing your own fruits and vegetables save on the amount of pesticides that are used in order to produce a larger group in the grocery store, but you can fertilize your own garden with leftover waste from your home. Compost is created through placing your leftover scraps such as eggshells, banana peels, coffee grounds, tea bags, etc into a compost bin. You can create fertilizer through your own kitchen waste and grow a delicious garden that can keep you in fruits and veggies through the harvest season.
10. Shop Bamboo- Bamboo is considered to be the greenest of the woods. When you are considering installing hardwood floors or purchasing furniture opt for the bamboo option.

Author Bio: By this article Jason Phillips has described various steps to go green. He also prefers using a recycling bin at his home. Jason is guest author at many sites.

Once upon a time, the average person didn’t create over 1,600 pounds of garbage in a single year, and there wasn’t a behemoth heap of trash the size of Africa floating in the Pacific Ocean. Those were the days. . . the Middle Ages?

Ok, ok, so maybe the Middle Ages doesn’t conjure the most delightful of images for everyone. They did have the Black Plague and the crusades and the perils of a feudal system under an absolute monarchy, but they also got a lot right behind-the-scenes.

Modernity doesn’t always have to equal superiority, and the wisest people are those who learn from history adapt what works and improve on what doesn’t.

However, somewhere between The Greatest Generation and the laziest one, our country became infected with over 1,305 Superfund sites- and our world is rapidly running out of resources. Colonizing Mars or finding a new planet to sustain us seems a bit more costly and difficult than simply looking to the past for green solutions that have been right in front of our faces all along.

The Medieval Times were far from perfect, but they did have some earth-friendly practices worth learning about.

Garbage Reduction

Researching trash collection in Medieval times is a difficult task, because they didn’t produce very much trash. Granted, towns and large cities struggled with terrible sanitation issues, they didn’t actually produce very much disposable rubbish. One of the most complete Medieval rubbish pits, discovered in Southampton, England revealed little more than seeds, fruits, pottery, glass and fabrics.

A rubbish pit that lasted years held only a small amount of organic, biodegradable material. This is a practice most of us could learn a thing or two from, considering the U.S. uses and disposes of approximately 1,500 plastic water bottles every second, according to TreeHugger.com. Although it’s nearly impossible to live a total biodegradable life in today’s world, there are some minor changes you can make and teach to others that can have a massive, positive impact in the long run.

• Try not to use disposable dishes. If you do, don’t throw away after one use. Wash and re-use them.
• Look for clothes made from natural fabrics like cotton or wool, not poly-something (they’re also better for your skin).
• Cleanwith washable, cloth rags. Papertowels aren’t as biodegradable as they might seem.
• Avoid products with excessive packaging, there’s no purpose for it whatsoever except to grab your attention. Don’t fall victim to marketing gimmicks!

Toxin Tamers

While Medieval ladies may have endured the unfortunate trend of slathering their faces with poisonous lead makeup, toxic substances at large weren’t much of a factor or a byproduct in Medieval times. Their food wasn’t jam-packed with unintelligible ingredients, and they were much more self-sustainable than most of us can imagine. Their lifestyles didn’t require billion-dollar clean ups by remediation companies like Sevenson Environmental, or any sort of EPA or Greenpeace-esque organizations.

We’ll never be able to get back to that point now that more than 11 million people live within one mile of a Superfund site. We can, however, make changes in our own lives and, most importantly, educate our friends, children and neighbors about environmental concerns in our areas. Knowledge is power (which would have been very helpful for plague doctors) and we can use it to our advantage before it’s too late. The EPA provides some excellent information that can help you educate and protect your community against potential effects of toxic Superfund sites in your area.

• Play an active role by learning the national priority list (NPL) of clean-up schedules.
• Check out the publication Superfund Today for insights into what you can do and what’s going on.
• Make calls, send letter, post fliers (on recycled paper of course) in your area to help spread the word.

This article was contributed by Patric Kowalski. Patric is a full-time high school environmental sciences teacher and a part-time novelist, Patric gets his inspiration from being a single dad.

A growing concern for many home owners when developing a new property, is how their new build may have a negative effect on the environment. Around the world, many forward thinking property developers have turned to ‘green building’, a term coined for adapting the products and materials used around the home to reduce the normal rates of power consumption.

By incorporating eco features into the home, it’s possible to see a large annual reduction in the normal fuel costs associated with living, and for eco orientated home owners, it’s another step towards building a clearer conscience.

To combat an increasing interest in eco development, many industries have increased the availability of green products in the market, including the swimming pool industry.

The demands of a swimming pool are high, they traditionally use a a great deal of energy to remain heated, and water consumption is another point of concern. These concerns however, may soon be alleviated by a growing number of construction alternatives and products that are being used to reverse their energy consumption.

Natural Pools

When planning the construction of a swimming pool, a growing trend in the eco market is to build a natural pool. With the popularity of natural pools spreading from Europe to American markets, they have become a viable green option for many home owners.

The main concept behind a natural pool is the construction of more pond-like habitat, that blends in with the surrounding environment. Their construction is generally a simple process, a hole with sloping sides is dug at a variety of depths, and is then lined with eco friendly materials such as compacted clay or a synthetic liner that uses rubber as aposed to PVC.

The term natural pool is used because the filtration system consists of biological filters and plants rooted hydroponically into the system. Because these systems have biological equivalents in the natural world the the whole process becomes entirely eco friendly. Natural filtration systems can include copper or silver ion disinfection, or the even the simple use of UV light.

Water Consumption

In terms of water consumption, in hot climates evaporation can be the main concern. An increase in evaporation can lead to large amounts of water consumption when refilling pools. To combat this there are now a variety of inventive products entering the market.

One such product a solar powered pool cover, harnesses the energy of the sun by transmitting the solar rays through sealed air cells, specially produced to both retain warmth by up to ten degrees and produce power. In some cases the increase in warmth can extend the outdoor swimming season by up to six weeks.

Solar Pumps

Solar pumps can also be seen as another cost effective and logical use of solar energy. Swimming pools combined with a normal pump system are usually seen as the second largest and most expensive electrical load after air conditioning.

By using solar pump which sits on the surface of the pool and harvests solar energy to run, you can effectively reduce the cost of pumping completely.

Another bonus to a solar pump, is the lack of sound, reducing the noise pollution associated with running a pool.

This article was contributed by Thomas Jones. Thomas works for Falcon Pools, a swimming pool construction company who are making the utmost effort to embrace and improve their eco-credentials.

Another year has begun and the personal New Year resolutions are already almost forgotten. If this sounds like you, why don’t you set your aims a bit lower and start taking a greener step towards home improvement.

As with any new initiative, there is always the risk and issue of how much money will be involved versus the actual outcome. People are open to make a difference, but sometimes the costs involved are not affordable. There are many schemes to help fix this problem, such as ‘green loans’ or the Green Deal Initiative in the UK.

But don’t worry if you find it too difficult to find that extra cash from your budget. Here are five simple tips on making a positive impact on the environment without spending ridiculous amounts of money:

Curtains

Installing curtains instead of blind will keep your house warm, before you consider turning up the heating system. High quality curtains can trap the heat in your home rather than letting it escape through your windows. So if you are on a low budget, this slight change can make you save money in the long term, when winter hits again.

Turn your lights off

An interesting fact: about one in every four homes in the US has electronic products running on standby. This includes leaving unnecessary lights on during the day, keeping computers on overnight or leaving the heating on while the windows are open.

People need to change those habits as many homeowners believe that they themselves as an individual wouldn’t make the difference. That’s WRONG –saving energy on something as easy as flicking a switch is better for the environment.

Green electricity

As we all know, studies have shown that there is a significant relationship between the output of carbon dioxide (CO2) and global warming. However, over half of our electricity output is supplied through the burning of coal, which produces CO2 as a waste product. Nevertheless, you can register to a ‘green’ electricity supplier, who uses electricity sources that do not have a negative effect on the environment.

U-Value Doors

Fun Fact: Over 10% of heat losses in your homes are accounted through windows and doors. Eventually this starts adding up in your energy bills. In order to avoid those unnecessary losses, you can buy composite doors, which will keep your home sufficiently heated. These doors have a U-value of 1.8, which is now a legal requirement. U-value is a simple measure of heat loss in your door.

Insulation

People always underestimate the savings that results from home insulation. Studies have shown that one fourth of your heat is lost through the roof. Insulating your roof is therefore vital and in turn it helps keeping the heat in your room and reducing your bills.

This article was contributed by Sachi Jayatilleke.

A world embracing of greener living alongside powerful and comfortable automobiles once seemed like a distant and unreachable object. Whilst stepping stones still mar the path of progress, the concept is beginning to become less and less blurred in the new millennium. Hybrids rolling off the assembly line in 2012 are being snapped up by forward thinking consumers, but it’s been a painful marriage between renewable living and the automobile industry.

After the electric car suffered its untimely defeat in the 1990s, the carpet has been rolled out recently to welcome it back to the fore. Approaching it with a new mind set, the automobile industry has looked upon electric cars now as they look upon family saloons, sports coupes and utility vehicles. Addressing them with the same expectations and intentions as their other cars bring them into the 21st century and away from their stained reputation as pedestrian and unsightly plastic cars.

This was something that was unheard of when electric cars where first being built in concept models. Today, it has all changed and there are production models that connected to the grid or V2G.

How the Auto Industry is Going Green

The auto industry is not yet green by any measure, nor are the methods of manufacturing. A gradual change in the demand for environmentally friendly cars and increased performance is plotting an attractive upward scale on the graph.

The Nissan Leaf and Ford Focus Electric are enjoying great success in North America, whilst even the luxury market is being catered to with Tesla brand vehicles. Powered by renewable electrical energy sources, one piece of the puzzle in the connection between eco-auto is being slotted into place.

Powering a Mobile Society in the Future

The need for speed also has a need for energy, and it is becoming more obvious that petroleum as we knew it in the twentieth century will be a thing of the past in the not-so-distant future. Will electricity alone be able to power the transportation needs of the future, or will society as a whole need to be less mobile?

There is still the question of power the millions of cars on the road, and it is obvious that we will not wake up tomorrow and see a charging station to power-up your vehicle on every corner. Some metropolitan areas are beginning to install these power points at some of the larger and busier fill-up stations, but it’s a slow and arduous transition.

The city of London has a network of recharging points for EVs (Electric Vehicles) that is steadily growing, and will continue to grow as the need to get away from petrol continues. Many of these places offer free charging with the purchase of a yearly parking permit. Wholly aside from the issue of the environment, the soaring fuel price in the United Kingdom is going to sell this green charging syndicate itself.

London and its Boroughs are a great example of people getting away from the need for petrol. The problem is not only related to petrol, the electricity that is produced for London is not enough to support all the transportation needs of the people who live there.

Combing Technologies with the Auto Industry for Renewable Living

The words auto and renewable seem to clash when talking about manufacture. There is an urgent need to get away from dependence on petrol, but it cannot be done with electricity or alternative fuels alone. It will take a combined effort using many different technologies to overcome the need for petrol.

Alternative fuels, in their fledgling existence, have sky-high prices which many companies are unwilling to pay. With all the goodwill in the world, businesses exist to make money and shifting their perspective to environmental savings is normally of natural detriment to their profit.

The combined technologies will be the solution to energy needs and the transportation industry. It is a cycle where everything is related, and it is time to look past the auto, and find real solutions to these problems. The good news is the public at large are more concerned than ever about the need to live in a world the uses renewable resources for its needs.

This article was provided by Matt Bonner. Matt has been a car mechanic since he left school, but has recently been introduced to the need for a greener living. He currently irritates co-workers at EasyWheels to improve their eco lifestyles.

Have you ever thought about making a green change in your lifestyle? We have all heard of reduce, reuse, and recycle. Well, we are going to show you some quick ways to use these three in your daily routine. With these few changes, you are sure to be on the green track!

1) Shop with reusable bags

Nowadays, it’s routine for a grocery store clerk to put your groceries into a thin bag or two as you’re on your way out. However, have you ever thought about how much of a negative effect those plastic bags make on earth? Plastic bags are not biodegradable, and cause harm to animals. If you are someone who has been using plastic bags for all of your life, do not fret! With one simple change, you can be on your way towards a greener life –swap those plastics out for canvas or cloth tote bags. Such bags are reasonably priced, stylish, and can be reused again and again. The use of tote bags can save you, and our environment, approximately 20,000 plastic bags a lifetime.

2) Light up your home!

Ever get tired of those increasing energy bills? Well, there is good news. Switching to fluorescent light bulbs (known as CFLs) not only lowers your light bills, but CFLs are also more efficient than regular light bulbs (known as incandescent light bulbs) that many people use in their homes currently. Fluorescent light bulbs also have 10 times the lifespan than incandescent light bulbs. This means that instead of purchasing ten regular light bulbs, you will one fluorescent bulb. Now that is a cheap way to get your life on a greener track!

3) Keep those switches off.

Sunlight is not useful for plants, but it is also a great way to become more planet-friendly. If you are at home and it is very bright outside, then turn off that light switch and open up some blinds. Letting the natural sunlight illuminate your home during the morning and afternoon is a great way to cut down on the amount of electricity you use. Remember this one rule: If it’s bright, then turn off that light!

4) Bye-bye bottled water!

Bottled water is very convenient these days for people who are always on the go. However, the effects of these plastic bottles are quite harmful to our planet. It may take around 450 to 1,000 years for one water bottle to fully decompose! Plus, the quality of water in bottles is not actually as pure as we may think. Most of the time, there are more impurities in bottled water than there is regular tap water. If you do not like the idea of contaminants in your water, than there is a solution. Use reusable water bottles and fill them up with tap water.

5) Buddy up.

Carpooling with a fellow friend, classmate, or colleague is probably one of the most efficient ways to get going on the green path. Cars release harmful emissions that can lead to smog and even health problems. With the use of carpooling, you are cutting down on the number of cars on the road, and therefore the toxins released into the air. Plus, carpooling is also beneficial to those who take part in the act! Not only are you saving money on gas, but by carpooling, you are allowed to use the carpool lane, getting you to where you have to be in a shorter amount of time. Carpooling is a “win-win” for both you and the environment!

This article comes to you from NerdWallet.com, an unbiased, quantitative decision website.

Environmental issues and lack of places to dispose garbage are primary reasons to figure out a greener cleaner and cheaper way to deal with trash. We don’t want to let our future go to the trash can. Do we?

There are many ways to deal with the garbage in a environment friendly manner. One of the best possible ways is composting the trash. It saves money and is eco friendly.

Everyone living in towns or cities is making an effort to recycle their garbage to protect the environment. In order to deal with garbage in a green way you first need to categorize how to dispose in the right manner.

Here are a few ways to get rid of the garbage in heaps.

1. Decrease and eliminate

Make lesser trips to the supermarket. Buy products in more quantity, for example buy a bigger pack than three small packs. This way the amount of garbage to be disposed off reduces. Avoid over buying else your product will expire before it finishes.

Also opt for paper free newsletters and mails. Use the internet and emails.

2. Reuse

Reuse things which can be reused. Have a garage sale for your electronics or clothes that you no longer want. Antique dealers might be very interested in garage sales.

3. Recycle

Recycle your garbage. It is a method to process material considered as waste and then turning them into other products. This avoids wastage of material that can be changed into something useful. It is an eco friendly method and saves energy and decreases pollution. You can buy separate garbage bags for different material, keeping place for recyclable materials. Plastic cans, cardboard, paper, metal cans etc are recyclable.

4. Swap non reusable items with reusable stuff

One of the best examples is using a environment friendly bag whenever you go shopping in place of collecting shopping bags from all the stores you go. Cloth napkins and cloth bags last longer and are easier to handle and are environment friendly. Rechargeable batteries can be used in place of batteries which can be used only one time.

5. Helping Trash collectors

There are some things that cannot be reused or recycled. They need to go in the garbage can and disposed. This kind of trash should be kept separately in the garbage collection area. Remember not to dispose of hazardous material in these garbage bags. Take them to the local companies who will help you in getting rid of them in an eco friendly way. Some of the hazardous materials are paint cans, chemical based products, rat poisons, old batteries and even nail polish removers.

6. The latest product to deal with garbage in a greener cheaper way

Jim Poss the founder of BigBelly presents the BigBelly solar powered trash compactor. The product is designed to be eco friendly, alternate energy powered and carbon reducing.

Jim had worked in solar and electric vehicle fields and was amazed by the overflowing garbage cans and not so efficient carting trucks. He thought if the garbage could be made compact on the site, carrying them and disposing them would become more efficient for trash collectors.

This device starts compacting from 1200 pounds of force, reducing the volume. It fills up slowly and hence does not need to be emptied very often. This makes it a money saving product.

7. Repair products

Try repairing your products before you go ahead and replace them. It reduces the garbage to be disposed and also costs less.

8. Avoid toxic waste

Avoid using lot of toxic materials. Limit the use of paint cans, chemical products etc.

9. Compost

Have a compostable garbage bin outside your house. Some materials used are paper products, biodegradable plastics, part of fruit vegetables, matches etc. It mainly contains decomposing organic material.

10. Sanitary landfills

Some products as we mentioned earlier cannot be reused or recycled are sent to a place called landfill. The garbage is dumped in a landfill without polluting the groundwater. A protective layer is placed beneath the waste to prevent harmful chemicals to seep in the ground. Landfills are mostly in areas without flooding or high groundwater levels.

11. Rent a good dumpster

Find a good dumpster which can collect your garbage in an environment friendly way and within your budget. The dumpsters come home, pick the garbage and dispose in a green way. It is also managed in a very affordable price. The package is customized according to your needs and the type of garbage disposal.

Disposing waste is our responsibility and an important task like other household chores. Doing it the right way makes our environment healthier and the world a better place to live. The green methods are actually cheaper and definitely better to deal with garbage. Recycling most of the time saves up lot of money. Be environment friendly and try to give more than you what you got.

Author Bio: Jason Phillips writes on the social causes and the topics related to the environment. He wrote on recycling bins and its benefits to the environment.

In this day and age when everyone is conscious about how their actions impact on the environment, there is still plenty to room to improve - especially when it comes to rubbish removal. Hiring a professional rubbish removal service for large scale junk removal jobs is one way you can help save the planet.

Whether you’re landscaping in your backyard, renovating your home, or merely reducing an accumulation of clutter, the easy option is often just to leave the rubbish out for weekly collection. Much of it ends up as landfill though - not always a good thing, especially if it’s metallic elements found in an old stereo or refrigerator, or old paint tins. A professional rubbish removal service will have specific practices in place to dispose of rubbish in a safe and ecologically responsible manner.

Enjoy the satisfaction of environmentally responsible rubbish disposal

Many junk removal services will endeavour to reduce the amount of rubbish that ends up as landfill, reusing or recycling a significant amount of rubbish they collect and converting an amount of waste into energy by way of incineration. Much of the rubbish they collect is recyclable, and includes household items, metal, glass and plastic materials among many other items. Many of these professional rubbish removal services abide by strict environmental guidelines which they aim to either meet or exceed. It is practices and policies like this that have caught on with other professional rubbish removal services across Australia and throughout the world, making them an environmentally responsible option for cleaning up and disposing of the rubbish and junk in your home and yard.

So next time you’ve got a load of rubbish to get rid of, whether it’s from your backyard, from within the house, or if it’s hard rubbish or the biggest pile of leaves, stop and consider the way in which you intend to get rid of your waste. Instead of leaving it all on the side of the road for the council rubbish collectors to pick up, how about using a professional rubbish removal service and doing your bit for the good of the planet? That way, everybody wins.

This guest post was contributed by Sapan Modi on behalf of 1800-Got-Junk – The World Largest Rubbish Removal Company. Visit Website or Call on 1800 468 586 to know more about our services.

You would not normally class the sector of industrial and office supplies at the forefront of environmental awareness. Over at Central Source we have recently decided to turn ‘green’ in order to set a good example to both customers and other companies within the same industry. Our initiative on being green has been primarily focused on improving our head office to make it a better environment to work in and also reduce our carbon footprint. From a business perspective we have already increased our sales on recycled products and try and search for locally sourced products as much as we can.

The amount of paper used in our head office has been reduced by approximately 40% - part of the reason for this is that we purchased a new double-sided printer helping us use one piece of paper rather than two (the previous printer did not have this feature!). We also make sure that all our paper and cartridges are recycled. In summer 2012 we purchased an energy efficient main server decreasing approximately 60% of heat being given out of the machine. Our energy consumption has also been reduced by switching off the air conditioning and using the good old fashioned method of ‘opening a window’! With the new printer and server producing less heat, it really does make a difference to the energy consumption of our head office.

When thinking about the transportation side, The Workplace Depot staff have been encouraged to use public transport because not only is it saving energy, its saving money! Also several staff car-share which does not take a lot of effort at all. The all new pool car is a Toyota Prius – a part electric, part petrol engine. This car is one of the most ecologically friendly cars on the road to this present day.

From a business point of view, The Workplace Depot has reduced the number of printed paper catalogues by approximately 50% over the past 5 years. Rather than sending out bulky catalogues we came up with an idea to promote far more of our business online through websites, online video, and email. Not only are we heavily investing in our website but we also plan to improve our email software package in order to have better communication electronically with our customers. To this day we have made about 400 product videos in which we want to increase to 1200 which will all be available online - hence our reductions in posting and printing costs.

The Workplace Depot’s two main selling products are our range of cable protectors and speed ramps. Both of which are manufactured using recycled rubber and where possible we have kindly asked other suppliers to use recycled materials. In terms of clients, the majority of our orders are now taking through phone, email and internet (previously via post). Our company also runs several key promotions which are of course environmentally benefiting products such as bike racks, recycling bins, and accessories.

It is rather difficult to give an precise idea of how much our green project has actually cost the business, the reason for this is because some of the high spend equipment such as the old printer, main server and car, were very near to the end of their usable life and would have needed replacing soon. Also, so far we have not yet gone through a full year of being green, but we are already seeing the advantages. Some of these consist of noticeable drops in electricity bills through more energy efficient PC, printers and a main server. Similary with paper reduction we have discovered that this has saved thousands of pounds.

The price of being environmentally friendly for the Workplace Depot has not been an issue and we hope that it will be a good example to other companies sending a message out to them that every little counts.To find out more information on our company taking the ‘green’ route please visit our  Think Green blog. Steve Miller, Managing Director of The Workplace Depot said, “We are very pleased as a company that our hard work has been acknowledged and hopefully this will persuade other companies within the industrial sector that their businesses can also become more environmentally friendly”

There will be an upcoming awards ceremony in the House Of Commons , Palace of Westminster, London on Monday, November 12th, 2012.

This article was contributed by Shaun Older. Shaun is the website administrator for www.theworkplacedepot.co.uk

Green logistics, a term that sounds particularly evocative, is a form of logistics that aims to improve efficiency whilst ensuring minimal environmental impact.  Green logistics in particular, does not require incorporation of expensive, high-tech tools for increased sustainability. On the other hand, it can emphatically drive more profits while helping in environmental protection.

Entailing environmentally responsible means throughout supply chain operations may seem a bit too inconceivable, especially in a business known for its high energy consumption.  World Economic Forum report states that these logistic activities generate almost 5 percent of the 50,000 megatons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Why should green logistics be implemented?

The external costs of logistics associated with climatic changes, noise and vibration are on a rise. Green logistics are supply chain management practices and strategies that significantly reduce energy and environmental footprint of freight distribution. With the focus mainly on material handling, waste management, packaging and transport, you may wonder why you should switch over to green logistics just for environmental concerns. Some other benefits of adopting green logistics are:

1. Lower demand of more batteries and motors - Green logistics can significantly reduce the requirement to buy more batteries and motors. You would hence, need to buy, maintain, replace and dispose fewer batteries or motors. This will also help you evade the costs of buying these items.
2. Less Energy Consumption - Due to lesser demand of motors and batteries, lesser energy would be consumed to manufacture batteries and motors. You would therefore, be able to save money and energy at the same time.
3. Life-cycle cost and maintenance of tugs and carts - You can also save money and evade responsibility of maintaining your tugs and carts, if you adopt green logistics practices.

How to incorporate ‘Green’ practices in logistics?

You can easily include some green practices in your logistics. While being beneficent for the environment, these practices require fewer efforts and can help you save money in the long run. Some efficient ways to apply these ‘green logistics’ methods in your logistics business are:

1. Wait every few days to collect orders - You can reduce consumption of energy to a great extent by skipping overnight shipping. Make it a point to collect orders after every few days instead of placing them every day. This will help in minimizing logistics transport costs and fuel consumption. It is always better to ship your stuff using ground shipping, instead of air. It is because shipping by air shall involve more fuel and energy consumption.
2. Combined shipping - It is advisable to pack multiple items together, so that trucks can also be filled more efficiently. It will require fewer trips and hence, lead to less consumption of energy.
3. Reuse packaging materials - It is recommended to reuse packing materials like packing peanuts, bubble wraps and cardboard boxes. This will be an effective step in the direction of waste management.
4. Invest in old trucks - Buying old trucks instead of newer ones will not only be cost-effective but also environment-friendly. Consider using old trucks for transportation. This will lead to a significant drop in production of trucks, which will help in conservation of energy as well. You can also consider buying recycled trucks.
5. Reverse Distribution - A rising concern about activities and movements related to taking back consumed goods and recycled or discarded waste has opened up a new market related to waste management and physical distribution. The environmental benefits in this case are not direct, but mostly derived. Though reverse logistics adds further to traffic load, but the manufacturers and domestic waste producers are the ones who help in efficient waste management. This later on goes to create a lasting, positive impact on the environment.

With these green practices, you can surely go a long way in conserving environment and reaping profits. Most of these practices are aimed to curtail your expenditure while also protecting the environment.

This article was contributed by Niamh Allan from storeitall.co.uk, which provides professional storage, fulfilment and logistics solutions to some of the best-known companies in the UK.