TotallyOptical

Green And Save on Printing

Written by Cathy on October 21, 2009 – 7:17 pm -

Eye Bogglers
  • 5% of the worldwide wood harvest ends up as paper
  • The United States threw out 20% of all the paper made in the world
  • One fifth of all the tropical rainforests in the world disappeared between 1960 and 1990
  • Europe and America have less than one-half of their original forest cover
  • Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, New York is the highest mountain on the east coast, south of Maine
  • It takes about 31 million BTU’s to make a ton of paper enough energy to power a U.S. home for 2 months
  • According to IdealBite if 10,000 printed most documents in Draft Mode, we’ll use 20,000 fewer ink cartridges per year.
  • In a PC World test, a typical inkjet printed 12 ppm (pages per minute) in regular mode but cranked out 36 ppm in Draft.

The Green Factor

  • Less waste. Each year, the world’s discarded cartridges, stacked end-to-end, could circle the planet three times.
  • Save Money Printing double-sided, you’ll buy half as much paper,
  • Print in Draft Mode- 100 pages in Draft Mode instead of regular mode, you’ll could save as much as $2 on ink.

What To Do

  • Set your printer (or print software) to Draft and Double-sided. (see how to print double sided)
  • Print only the pages you need- use preview and shrink to fit
  • Refill your own printer cartridges
  • InkSaver - software that lets you control the amount of ink your printer uses, helping you save up to 75% of your ink. Windows-only ($35).
  • GreenPrint – software that weeds out pages you don’t want to print. For Mac or Windows (free for Windows, $29 for Mac). Saving up to $100 per year
  • Ecofont - a free typeface for Mac or PC that’s designed to use as little ink as possible but is still totally readable.

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Eco-nomeyez-Saving Energy

Written by Cathy on August 3, 2009 – 7:52 pm -

Office Equipment Power

Source: Office Equipment Energy Saving Calculator, LBL

The good news about ‘going green’ in your eyecare office (whether or not you believe in global warming) is you can save money!  Who doesn’t want to save money! The best thing of course that you can do is turn off lights and any other electrical devices and buy EnergyStar Office Equipment.

If you are concerned about saving money (energy) consider using a device called P3 International P4460 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor ($35) which monitors the amount of energy you are using which in turn helps you identify ways of saving energy and thus money.


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Green and Save-Water Savings and Rationing

Written by Cathy on June 18, 2009 – 7:56 pm -

drought Monitor

We start water rationing here in San Diego July 1, 2009. As you can see by the above drought monitor, San Diego is not the only city/county that has a water problem. As much as we hate to water ration, the benefit to you, the optical professional, you can save money as well as the environment at the same time. Where to start? Cool California has a step by step program in which a business can instigate a water saving program.

Improve Water Conservation Awareness

  • Make Sure You Can Answer the Following:
    • How much water is your business using now and for what purpose?
    • How much does your business pay for water?
    • Do you know how to read your water meter?
    • Are all employees aware of the goal to conserve water?
    • Is there a contact person for water use questions?
    • How will employees know when they have been successful in conserving water?
  • Initiate an Employee Water Conservation Program
    Provide water efficiency information to employees so they can incorporate water efficient retrofits and landscaping into business practices and homes and schools. For a sample program, see this checklist by the North Carolina Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance.
  • Promote Employee Participation
    • Provide background information about the water conservation policy and its implications for business and person operations.
    • Initiate your awareness program with a letter directed to each employee from the head of your business. The letter should describe the established conservation policies, identify the water efficiency coordinator, express full support for your business’s conservation plan, and invite feedback.
    • Continually emphasize the need for individual responsibility as part of a team effort to reduce water consumption.
    • Establish a ‘water-saving idea’ box or listserv and encourage all employees to submit ideas. Respond to each suggestion offered.
  • Spread the Word about Water Conservation Awareness
    • Incorporate water conservation policy and procedures into training programs.
    • Use office communications (staff meetings, e-mail, newsletters, paycheck stuffers) to transmit ideas, policies, progress reports and achievement announcements.
    • Include financial savings resulting from water conservation programs in progress and achievement announcements.
    • Post water conservation stickers, signs and posters in bathrooms, kitchens, cafeterias, conference rooms and other places where employees congregate.
  • Establish Employee Incentives
    • Recognize and reward those employees who submit water-saving ideas.
    • Include water consumption measures in employee’s job performance reviews.
    • Consider motivating employees by rewarding them with a percentage of the first year’s direct savings.
    • Allocate water and sewer costs to each individual department to create responsibility for water efficiency.
    • Organize and promote water conservation competition between divisions or teams.

Challenge Employees to Use 20 Gallons Less Water per Day

Eliminate Unnecessary Water Use Inside

Is water being used in places where it is not really needed? What tasks could be easily accomplished with less water?

  • Designate a water efficiency coordinator
  • Educate employees on water conservation measures like turning off water while washing hands and dishes.
  • Post signs to encourage water conservation in restrooms or work areas where water is used.
  • Seek employee suggestions of water conservation ideas.

Simple, Low-Cost Investments to Save Water

Detect and Repair Leaks

One way to detect leaks is to shut down all water-using facilities for some time period and read the water meter before and after. Did the reading change at all? Are there dripping faucets, toilet tanks that don’t seal, or leaking hoses? Toilet tanks can be checked with a few drops of food coloring. After 15 minutes without flushing, does any color show up in the bowl? Given that a leaky toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water per day, repair running or leaking toilets as soon as possible.

Install Water Efficient Devices

Install the following devices at your business where appropriate – faucet aerators, low flow showerheads, on-off valves on showerheads or hoses, toilet tank displacement devices, low-flow or vacuum flush toilets, and/or water-efficient chillers. As appliances wear out, replace them with water-saving models.

Eliminate Unnecessary Water Use Outside

Does water from sprinkler systems reach the plants that need it or does much of it evaporate in the air or run off? Evaporation is especially high for sprinklers that make small droplets, spray them high into the air, and operate during the hottest part of the day. Are some plants getting more water than they need? Could drought-resistant landscaping provide an equally attractive look?

  • Avoid runoff. Set sprinklers to cover only lawn or garden, not sidewalks, driveways, or gutters.
  • Mulch around plants and trees to retain moisture and prevent weeds.
  • Minimize lawns. Lawns use more water than any other landscape plants.
  • Plant native plants adapted to local climate and rainfall.
  • Use drip and other low-flow irrigation devices.
  • Employ electronic controllers with precise individual timing, multiple irrigation zones, multiple cycles, and attach smart landscaping irrigation equipment such as rain shut-off devices, moisture sensors, and weather based irrigation controllers.
  • Use Xeriscape landscaping. Xeriscape landscaping combines planning and design, soil analysis, selection of suitable plants, practical turf areas, efficient irrigation, use of mulches, and appropriate maintenance in landscaping. Contact your local nursery to obtain more information about xeriscape (“zeer-i-skape”) landscaping.

Longer Term Investments to Save Water

Reuse Water

Water reuse and recycling require following local regulations and are most relevant to businesses using large amounts of water for irrigation or to industries that generate large quantities of wastewater. More intensive reuse systems involve collection of graywater. Graywater recycling includes capturing wastewater from bathtubs, showers, bathroom sinks, washing machines, and laundry tubs; it does not include wastewater from kitchen sinks or dishwashers. Consider determining alternative management options for blackwater (sewage) that allow the water to eventually be reclaimed.

  • Reuse wastewater or reclaimed water for other industrial uses, landscape irrigation, agricultural irrigation, aesthetic uses such as fountains, and fire protection, and other non potable uses.
  • Recycle water for the same application for which it was originally used.
  • Collect rainwater or irrigation runoff for reuse, called water harvesting.
  • Use the same water to perform several cooling procedures.

Plan to Save Water

Conduct a Water Audit

A complete understanding of your business’s water use is needed to identify potential water efficiency opportunities. A water audit is the process that identifies the quantities, characteristics, and uses of all water on the site. Call your local water utility to determine whether or not they provide water audit services. For information about conducting a water audit, see:

Other Resources


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Green and Save-Updated Paper Calculator

Written by Cathy on May 15, 2009 – 6:28 am -

Updated Paper Calculator Helps Businesses Better Understand – and Minimize – their Environmental Footprints

New Data Ensures Greater Accuracy of Impacts throughout Paper Lifecycle

(Washington, DC – May 14, 2009)  Today’s re-launch of the Paper Calculator includes the most up-to-date scientific information about the environmental impacts of paper production and disposal.  Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today announced a comprehensive update to the underlying data of this interactive tool that remains popular with thousands of companies across the country.

The Paper Calculator, available at PaperCalculator.org, helps businesses and individuals quantify the benefits of better paper choices by showing the full lifecycle impacts of different papers.  The latest version of the Paper Calculator features a number of improvements to enhance its accuracy and fully reflect the lifecycle of paper products.  These updates include the impacts of fillers and coatings, methane release from decomposing paper in landfills, electricity cogeneration and national recycling rates.

“Time and again, businesses have praised the Paper Calculator for helping them quantify the environmental benefits of smart paper choices,” said Gwen Ruta, vice president of corporate partnerships at EDF.   “By regularly updating the underlying data of this tool, thousands of users can be assured that they are making the best purchasing decisions for the environment – and their businesses.”

Since its debut in 2005, the Paper Calculator has proven to be a robust tool for a wide range of users, from corporate purchasers to NGOs to paper suppliers and merchants, with nearly 27,000 uses in the past year.  By showing the environmental impacts of different papers across their full lifecycle, the Paper Calculator is the most comprehensive tool available to help companies quantify the many benefits of better paper choices.

For more on how paper selection impacts businesses and the environment, as well as valuable content, practical yet impactful tools and a dynamic online community to help you improve both your company and the planet, visit the EDF Innovation Exchange.

Rachel Beckhardt, Paper Calculator Project Manager at EDF, and Greg Schivley, Environmental Engineer with Eastern Research Group, will be hosting a webinar at 11:00 am (EDT) with an inside look at what changes have been to the Paper Calculator and to answer questions.   

###

Contact:
Julie Stofer, jstofer@edf.org, 202-572-3369
 
Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. Environmental Defense Fund has a 20 year track record of success in partnering with business. To maintain its independence and credibility, EDF accepts no money from corporate partners; generous individuals and foundations fund its work. For more information, visit www.edf.org.


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Green and Save- Carpooling Tax Benefits

Written by Cathy on May 14, 2009 – 6:11 am -

Eco Eyecare-Car Pooling

Did you know, as an employer you can receive a Tax Advantage by offering a commuter benefit program to your employees? Think of how much money you would save by car-pooling. 

Eye Bogglers

  • Sightline Institute, the average car with a single driver emits 1.10 lbs of carbon dioxide per mile. When you carpool, an average car with three passengers naturally decreases that number by one-third – to only 0.37 lbs of carbon dioxide per mile.
  • In the US, 78% of all trips to and from work are made by single passengers 
  • 57% of commuters expressed interest in working for an employer that offers commuter benefits. 
  • AAA says it costs $9,641.00 to drive a car yearly, excluding car payments (medium sedan, 15,000 miles per year) based upon $2.256 per gallon 

What do you save? 

  • Driving fewer miles reduces insurance rates, maintenance, parking costs, etc. 
  • Figure out your savings using this online Car Pool calculator- 

Why is it good for Employer’s? 

  • Not hassling in traffic leads to more productive employees. 
  • Fewer cars results in less demand for employee parking. Especially good if an employer has to lease parking 
  • Reducing commuting costs allows an employer to recruit from a larger geographical area. 
  • Retain Employees by offering a commute benefit package. 
  • Tax Advantages- Federal law lets workers receive up to $230* a month in employer-paid tax-free transit costs, or take up to $230 a month in tax-sheltered payroll deductions for transit costs. The law allows employers to give their workers up to $230 each month for transit or vanpool commuting costs as a tax-free benefit. It also allows employers to give employees the option to use payroll deductions to avoid paying taxes on up to $230 a month in commuting costs. Alternatively, employers can share these costs with their workers by paying part of their monthly commuting costs and letting workers pay the balance using pre-tax dollars. Either way, both employers and their employees can save money by participating in this simple plan
  • Commuter Choice is a valuable addition to employee benefits. 

Where to Find Car Pool Resources  From Masable

  1. Avego.com - Avego is a service via the iPhone or an average cell phone that allows you to get rides at a moment’s notice. The service uses GPS to allow drivers and riders to find each other.  Via the GPS function you get exact directions indicating where to pick up and drop people off, and also get a running tally of how much the ride costs.  
  2. Car Pool Connect- State State Directories of car poolers.
  3. CarpoolWorld.com - CarpoolWorld has been around since 2000, and continues to provide matching services for those looking for drivers and passengers. Also offers the ability to set up carpool groups for your company, club, sports team or just about anything else you can think of.
  4. Craigslist
  5. DivideTheRide.com - A carpooling site designed to get your children around to their activities. One person starts it, they invite people they trust, and then a calendar is created. Reminders are sent via email and text message.
  6. eRideShare.com - Assists you in finding rides for daily carpooling, cross-country travel, running errands, or even to special events & club meetings.
  7. GishiGo.com - A ride sharing system that charges $.99 for creating a post as either a driver or passenger, and allows you to post reviews of the experience after it’s over.
  8. GoLoco.org - A social network style carpooling site that makes sure everyone pays their share of the expenses. Each mile of a proposed trip is calculated at $.50, then split between the number of people and then GoLoco receives a 10% share of the transaction.
  9. GooseNetworks.com - A service focusing on corporate websites to allow your employees to find people they can share rides with, providing them with public transit schedules, and more.
  10. iCarpool.com - Assists you with finding carpooling partners for work, long distance trips, events and more. Works for members in Australia, Canada, Europe and the USA.
  11. NuRide.com - NuRide offers sponsored carpooling. Set up your ride, confirm that it actually occurred, and you can earn points towards rewards such as gift cards, discounts and more. All members must belong to a company or organization so as to remove some of the anonymity.
  12. PickupPal.com - Sign up for carpooling for work, long trips, to events and more. Focuses heavily on reducing your carbon footprint on the Earth.
  13. Pooln.com - A car pooling site with a social networking structure. Give it a try by entering the zip code where you live and the one for your office to see if there are any members who match up with your needs.
  14. RideAmigos.com - Use the RideAmigo’s RideMatcher system to enter your trip or commute, and find people with a matching schedule that you can share a ride with. The service also shows the environmental impact reduction of the people sharing a ride. Also offers a corporate version, which restricts results to people within your company.
  15. Ride Search- helps to find commuters near you for a safe rideshare experience. – offers benefit package for employers. 
  16. RideShare- lists carpooling by state
  17. Ride Share Optimizer- allows users to search for others with similar routes and schedules, and provides a listing of other users whose routes and schedules are most compatible.
  18. RidePro - A white label solution for companies and cities looking to set up their own carpooling site.
  19. RoadSharing.com - Enter the route for your proposed road trip and find people to share the ride with and split the costs. Has lots of international members, and it’s easy to spot who has the vehicle and who is looking for one.
  20. TrafficBulldog.org - Billed as a commuter advocacy site, TrafficBulldog offers up news and suggestions on reducing traffic congestion via carpooling and other suggestions.
  21. Zimride.com - Zimride offers carpooling for just about any distance you can think of in the USA. They have a Facebook application and have already built an app to be released to work with Androi

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Green and Save- Water Rebates and Incentives

Written by Cathy on March 23, 2009 – 6:38 am -

Water Rebates and Incentives

Did you know that many cities, counties and states offer business and commercial rebates for Water Saving? As an example of what you can save go to MDW (Metropolitan Water District of Southern California) which lists all sorts of rebates through it’s Save A Buck Program. 

Eye Boggler

  • At least 36 States anticipate a water shortages by 2013 

I went to Save Water America (by Kohler) just to get a brief overview of Water Rebates and was surprised at how many water districts are listed. These are not all the State Rebate Programs. You should check all local sources from your water district, city, county and state Water Rebate Programs. 

Water Rebates by State 

Alabama- None

Alaska- None

Arizona- Cochise, Payson, Peoria, Scottsdale, Sierra Vista, Tempe, Tucson 

Arkansas- None

California- (89 Cities) Anaheim, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Burbank, Burlingame, Burbank, Carlsbad, Carson, Central Basin, Chino, Chino Hills, Clovis, Citrus Heights, Coastside County, Concord, Contra Costa, Corona, Corte Madera, Del Mar, Dublin, East Bay, Eastern Muniple, Escondido, Fair Oaks, Folsom, Foster City, Fresno, Los Angeles, Hayward, Helix Water, Inland Empire, Irvine, Joshua Tree, La Virgenes, Lompoc, Long Beach, Mammoth, Marina, Metropolitan, Mid Peninsula, Monte Vista, Mountain View, Napa, North Marin, Northglenn, Novato, Oakland, Redwood City,  Oceanside, Santa Clara . Santa RosaSanta Barbara 

Colorado (30 cities, counties) Aurora, Bonvue, Borrego Water, Boulder, Cherry Creek, Colorado Springs, Crestview, Denver, Edgewater, Glendale, Greeley, Green Mountain, High View, Ken Caryl, Lakehurst, Lakewood, Lefthand, water, Longmont, Louisville, Medadowbrook, Northglenn, North Pecos, North Washington, Pagosa Area, Roxborough, Thornton, Valley Water, Westminister, Willowbrook, Willows Water 

Connecticut- None

Delaware- None

DC- None

Florida- (15 cities, counties) Clearwater, Charlotte, Florida Keys, Ft. Lauderdale, Lakewood, Melborne, Miami-Dade, Pinellas, Port Orange, Sanford, Sebring, South Dayton, St. Petersburg, Titusville, Tamarac 

Georgia- (17 Cities/Counties_ Atlanta, Austell, Clayton County, Cobb County, Dallas, DeKalb Country, Fairburn, Fayette, Fulton Couny , Gwinnett County, Hapeville, Henry County, Marietta, Roswell, Smyrma 

Hawaii- (1) Honolulu

Idaho- None

Illinois- None

Indiana- None

Iowa- None

Kansas- None

Kentucky- None

Louisiana- None

Maine- None

Maryland- None

Massachusetts- (4 Cities/Counties) Concord, Dedham- Westwood, Sharon, Reading 

Michigan- None

Minnesota- (2) Victoria, Eden Prarie 

Mississippi – None 

Missouri-(1) Springfield 

Montana- -(1) Bozeman 

Nebraska – None

Nevada – None 

New Hampshire- None

New Jersey- None

New Mexico- (1) Albuquerque 

New York- (1) NYC 

North Carolina (2) Durham, Cary

North Dakota- None 

Ohio- None

Oklahoma- None 

Oregon- (7 Cities/Counties) Ashland, Beaverton, Clackamas, Corvallis, Portland, Sherwood, Tualatin Valley 

Pennsylvania- None

Rhode Island- None

South Carolina- None

South Dakota- Sioux Falls 

Tennessee- None

Texas (9 Cities/Counties) Allen, Austin, Bexar Metrop, Dallas, El Paso, New Braunfels, San Antonio, San Marcos, Sunset Valley 

Utah- (1) West Jordan 

Vermont- None

Virginia- (5 Cities/Counties) Albermarle, Charlottesville, Virginia Beach, James City, Purcellville

Washington- (7 Cities/Counties) Cascade Water, Everett, Issaquah, Ken, Pullman, Seattle

West Virginia- None

Wisconsin- (2) Madison, Waukesha 

Wyoming- None 




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Green and Save Water in the Optical Office

Written by Cathy on March 19, 2009 – 7:16 am -

 

Eye Bogglers: 

  • You can save over 3.5 gallons of water just by recycling a single newspaper
  • It takes 24 gallons of water to make 1 pound of plastic, meaning about 1.5 gallons of water are used to produce the average plastic soda bottle!
  • Americans consume over 3.5 billion gallons of water every day to run our households

If you are in the same situation as we are in Southern California on the verge of water rationing, or already have water rationing- try checking out the Water Footprint Calculator from H20 Conserve. (It’s FREE) With the price of water going up, and fines going into place for overusing water, you might want to start now with a water conservation program. 

I took the test (It is for households) and even though I conserve water, have WaterSense Faucets, a Dual Flush Toilet, Native Drought Tolerant Plants I didn’t fare as well as I thought! (See above Results) How I could save more is listed below! 

  • Your household uses over 15 gallons per person per day just for the laundry. Consider doing your laundry less often, and make sure that you only use your washing machine when it is completely full.
  • Your household uses more than 1 gallon per person per day on the dishes, which is the national average. You may want to consider getting a low-flow dishwasher, and try to use fewer dishes when you cook and serve meals.
  • By carpooling, riding a bike or public transit, or switching to a car with a higher MPG, you can save several gallons of water (and gasoline) each day.
  • You eat meat and dairy foods like an average American, which means you indirectly consume over 1,000 gallons of water each day. By eating meat and dairy less often, you can reduce your water use by hundreds of gallons a day.

For More Information on Saving Water- H20 has some great tips or check out Green Eco Services- 50 Ways to Save Water


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Green and Save- Water Usage Monitor

Written by Cathy on February 22, 2009 – 5:52 am -

US Drought Monitor, February 17, 2009

 

We have a drought here in California, even if we don’t have water rationing yet in San Diego, it will come about very soon. As you can see by the above map, we are not the only place that has water problems. 

 

bware-water-usage-monitor_EbzOs_69

 

 

To save those precious drops of water, designer Ariel Drach has designed the Bware Water Meter. Made from recycled ABS, this small device can be attached to a shower head or the kitchen water tap, where it generates electricity using the stream of water and uses it to power a small display. The display shows how much water is being used in real time. The designer hopes to include a Wi-Fi connection and log software so that water usage can be tracked wirelessly.

 

Source: Greener Gadgets


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