For the last few years we have been plagued by natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, tropical storms, forest fires and earthquakes. We all hope that there won't be any more but the chance of natural disasters disappearing from our world is little or none. Expect them. Prepare for them. Knowing how to protect yourself and your family after a disaster is essential. All services will most likely be cut off after a disaster. There will be no electricity. There will be no gas. Possibly there will be no shelter. And most important of all-- there will be no clean water! It may take days before disaster relief and first responders can come to your aid. You need to know how to protect yourself and your household for survival during those critical hours or days. We offer here a few suggestions for preparing for disasters.
1.) Prepare a household disaster plan. On a floor plan of your home draw escape routes from each room and make sure that every member of the household is familiar with them. Plan two meeting places in the event that you are separated from each other. One meeting place should be near your home and the second a distance away in case the area near your home is dangerous. Important phone numbers should be posted by the telephone. Make sure your children know how to dial 911. Know where and how to shut off your gas, water and electricity at the main source. Select a friend or relative in a distant community whom you all agree to call to let them know you are okay or to leave messages.
2.) Make arrangements for pets. Make sure your animal companions are micro chipped and have sturdy collars and ID tags Add your pets food to the family emergency supplies. Make a special disaster kit for your pet that includes a strong lead, first aid kit, pet's latest photo, vet's name, medications, copy of medical records, and bottled water. You will need your pet's cage, crate or carrier. It will help calm your pet if you have a favorite toy, bedding, or bowl. If your pet is used to being in a crate he will be less apt to panic. Keep your pet's emergency gear right next to your own or even include them with the family's disaster kit.
3.) Have at least basic supplies in your home, your work place and in your car. Water is the most important and stocking it is a top priority. At least 2 quarts of water per person is need for drinking. Store water in thoroughly clean plastic containers, label them with the date and keep them in a cool dark place. Change stored water every 6 months. Add canned foods, dried food, cans or boxes of juice, cans of ready-to-eat meats, vegetables, fruits, soup, instant coffee and powered milk. You may want to add peanut butter, jelly, low-sodium crackers, trail mix, granola bars and the like. Mark the date on each item and keep the oldest products at the front. Use them and replace them so that the supply is refreshed every 6 months. Don't forget to include a hand-held can opener in your kit. As you may have to leave your home you should have your supplies in a carrier such as a duffel bag or back pack or several if you want to share the load. (By : Anne Reade )
Friday, November 5, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Recycling Boxes: Everyone is Doing the Deed
We now lead a lifestyle that reforms our responsibility to the environment. We tune in to wellness activities which promotes balance unto our lives as well as to our environment. We, thereby, make choices and execute ideas that save, restore and protect.
The most common and utterly regarded method which anyone can practice is recycling.
From the simple segregation of non-biodegradable materials to reusing old boxes for storage and moving, we are doing our fair share of the advocacy. Not only does it help the environment, but it can also cut a chunk to our domestic expenses. Although it is not a big amount, those who favor reusing old stuff for another function is quite happy with the deed and not its monetary equivalency.
Here are some of the reasons why people use recycled boxes for storage and moving:
1. It cuts down on waste because boxes are used more than once. Thus, it can be recycled.
2. Using recycled boxes saves approximately 17 trees and millions gallons of water (U.S. Department of Energy).
3. Recycled boxes has the same quality and strength of new boxes unless it is physically damaged and irreparable.
4. There is a growing demand of old boxes, which can economically benefit social communities or non-profit organizations.
And here are some recycling statistics* gathered in the United States alone:
1. 251 million – tons of trash in the United States
2. 53.4 – percentage of all paper products recycled in the United States
3. 32.5 – percentage of total waste that is recycled in the United States
4. 100 – approximate percentage of increase in total recycling in the United States during the past decade
5. 8,660 – number of curbside recycling programs in the United States in 2006
6. 95 – percentage of energy saved by recycling an aluminum can, compared with manufacturing a new one
7. 4.6 – pounds of trash per person per day in the United States (most in the world)
8. 1.5 – pounds of recycled materials per person per day in the United States
Imagine the product figures if you factor the days and the population in the United States... and what more if you sum it up with the rest of the world.
Thankfully, it is not just us that is doing the share. Companies that manufacture paper products like notebooks, news prints, and corrugated cardboard boxes has taken a corporate social and environment responsibility by manufacturing recycled items for sale.
Companies like Discount Box Supply, a boxes Chicago company engaged in manufacturing and recycling corrugated boxes, packaging boxes, shipping supplies and the likes advocates in the recycling concept and selling it.
Particularly, aside from the environmental benefits, buying recycled boxes is a lot cheaper than buying a new box made with real tree pulp.
According to a representative of the company, their products are called RECYCLED CORRUGATED. And he, Jeff Giedt, shed us an information about the composition of their recycled boxes:
“These corrugated boxes have the image of being 'environmentally correct' because they can be recycled into new boxes and other products. That image is to a large extent justified, since the recycled fiber content of corrugated is
generally the highest of any paper product—as of 1997 it was 66 percent and still climbing. While corrugated products are often reused and the majority is recycled, some corrugated boxes do end up as waste in landfills.
To produce recycled linerboard and recycled corrugating medium, many paperboard mills use both preconsumer and postconsumer old corrugated containers (OCC). Preconsumer waste is corrugated materials such as off-rolls and trimmings from box plants. Postconsumer waste includes boxes that have been used for shipping and subsequently discarded. In 1997, pulp and paper producers used more than 16 million tons of OCC to make new containers, while another 3.7 million tons of OCC were exported.
Standard corrugated boxes are fairly easy to recycle since they are printed lightly and require little or no deinking. The pulp made from OCC needs little cleaning and does not need to be bleached. Unlike many grades of recycled paper, OCC suffers a minimal loss in fiber strength and other physical properties. However, there is a limit to how many times fibers can be recycled. For example, Asian corrugated boxes, which have been recycled many times due to chronic virgin fiber shortages in those countries, tend to be weaker and less resistant to water than U.S. corrugated boxes. The fiber quality of Asian OCC is so low that many American recycling mills exclude it from their processes.”
Indeed, recycling is indispensable. And I do hope that we take part in this engaging and saving endeavor for us, our family and our environment. ( by: Phoebe Elgin )
The most common and utterly regarded method which anyone can practice is recycling.
From the simple segregation of non-biodegradable materials to reusing old boxes for storage and moving, we are doing our fair share of the advocacy. Not only does it help the environment, but it can also cut a chunk to our domestic expenses. Although it is not a big amount, those who favor reusing old stuff for another function is quite happy with the deed and not its monetary equivalency.
Here are some of the reasons why people use recycled boxes for storage and moving:
1. It cuts down on waste because boxes are used more than once. Thus, it can be recycled.
2. Using recycled boxes saves approximately 17 trees and millions gallons of water (U.S. Department of Energy).
3. Recycled boxes has the same quality and strength of new boxes unless it is physically damaged and irreparable.
4. There is a growing demand of old boxes, which can economically benefit social communities or non-profit organizations.
And here are some recycling statistics* gathered in the United States alone:
1. 251 million – tons of trash in the United States
2. 53.4 – percentage of all paper products recycled in the United States
3. 32.5 – percentage of total waste that is recycled in the United States
4. 100 – approximate percentage of increase in total recycling in the United States during the past decade
5. 8,660 – number of curbside recycling programs in the United States in 2006
6. 95 – percentage of energy saved by recycling an aluminum can, compared with manufacturing a new one
7. 4.6 – pounds of trash per person per day in the United States (most in the world)
8. 1.5 – pounds of recycled materials per person per day in the United States
Imagine the product figures if you factor the days and the population in the United States... and what more if you sum it up with the rest of the world.
Thankfully, it is not just us that is doing the share. Companies that manufacture paper products like notebooks, news prints, and corrugated cardboard boxes has taken a corporate social and environment responsibility by manufacturing recycled items for sale.
Companies like Discount Box Supply, a boxes Chicago company engaged in manufacturing and recycling corrugated boxes, packaging boxes, shipping supplies and the likes advocates in the recycling concept and selling it.
Particularly, aside from the environmental benefits, buying recycled boxes is a lot cheaper than buying a new box made with real tree pulp.
According to a representative of the company, their products are called RECYCLED CORRUGATED. And he, Jeff Giedt, shed us an information about the composition of their recycled boxes:
“These corrugated boxes have the image of being 'environmentally correct' because they can be recycled into new boxes and other products. That image is to a large extent justified, since the recycled fiber content of corrugated is
generally the highest of any paper product—as of 1997 it was 66 percent and still climbing. While corrugated products are often reused and the majority is recycled, some corrugated boxes do end up as waste in landfills.
To produce recycled linerboard and recycled corrugating medium, many paperboard mills use both preconsumer and postconsumer old corrugated containers (OCC). Preconsumer waste is corrugated materials such as off-rolls and trimmings from box plants. Postconsumer waste includes boxes that have been used for shipping and subsequently discarded. In 1997, pulp and paper producers used more than 16 million tons of OCC to make new containers, while another 3.7 million tons of OCC were exported.
Standard corrugated boxes are fairly easy to recycle since they are printed lightly and require little or no deinking. The pulp made from OCC needs little cleaning and does not need to be bleached. Unlike many grades of recycled paper, OCC suffers a minimal loss in fiber strength and other physical properties. However, there is a limit to how many times fibers can be recycled. For example, Asian corrugated boxes, which have been recycled many times due to chronic virgin fiber shortages in those countries, tend to be weaker and less resistant to water than U.S. corrugated boxes. The fiber quality of Asian OCC is so low that many American recycling mills exclude it from their processes.”
Indeed, recycling is indispensable. And I do hope that we take part in this engaging and saving endeavor for us, our family and our environment. ( by: Phoebe Elgin )
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