You know the green movement has gone mainstream when an industry giant Clorox launches a whole line of more eco-friendly cleaners. Greenworks hit the shelves just one year ago, but has already become the #1 line of natural cleaners with 42% of the market. One factor in Greenworks growing sales is their lower prices. Some estimates show many eco-friendly cleaners charge 50 percent to 60 percent more than regular products, while Greenworks is priced only 10 to 20 percent higher. (Although the main reason for the huge success of this brand likely has as much to do with Clorox’s huge distribution network)
Greenworks cleaners claim to be 99% natural, made primarily with coconut oil, corn and lemon. Perhaps most surprisingly, they contain no bleach. They are not tested on animals, and use recyclable packaging.
So are Greenworks cleaners as eco-friendly as less mainstream alternatives?
According to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) from Clorox, and data posted on the Treehugger website, hazardous or non-natural ingredients include Alkyl polyglucoside (lowers water surface tension, enabling chemicals to spread and penetrate easily) Ethyl alcohol, preservative (Kathon) and colorant (Milliken Liquitint Blue HP dye and Bright Yellow dye X).
There are ‘greener’ cleaners out there, (Seventh Generation, for instance, boasts only 0.05% non-natural preservative) but the bottom line is, Greenworks is a great choice for anyone who wants to clean green on a budget.
Look it up on londondrugs.com here.
February 20th, 2009
People who want to clean green for less drive Clorox Greenworks line to the top in just one year.
February 16th, 2009
Green Upgrades – How new computers, printers and scanners are lowering their carbon footprint.
Every generation of computers and peripherals are smaller, faster and more versatile. Now that evolution is making them greener as well.
First the size – less is more when it comes to material use. Safer, more recycled and less-toxic materials are being incorporated throughout many new designs, and more and more Energy Star labels are showing up on our shelves, as the newer generations of equipment perform with less environmental impact throughout their lifetime. Here are a few specific examples to look for if you’re thinking about upgrading:
HP Elite laptop models, and the Macintosh MacBook Pro line use recyclable aluminum instead of a plastic finish, and look for mercury-free energy-saving LED screens on Apple, Sony and HP laptops.
Smart surge protectors, like the Conserve from Belkin at $49.99, come
with a remote control that turns off up to six of its eight outlets for
non-essential overnight items like TVs, stereos or computers.
Printers are working on getting greener, too. Canon has a number of printers that offer automatic duplexing, which automatically prints one page, retracts the paper and prints the other side. HP has a free universal duplex driver for many of its laser printers, (including older models) that allows printing on both sides of paper, although using a driver to achieve duplexing means you have to manually take the paper out and turn it over to print the other side. In the last 7 years, Epson has reduced the total power consumption of its new printers by 78 per cent, using more energy-efficient ready and sleep modes.
Scanners (stand-alone, or those included in multi-function printers) are
using less power, too, thanks to LED light technology that allows them to be ready to scan almost instantly instead of having to warm up for a few minutes.
If you want to find out more, visit your local London Drugs and look for the What’s the Green Deal feature signs in our Computer Department.
February 7th, 2009
What does ‘Organic’ really mean, anyhow?
These days, you see the term ‘organic’ on everything from shaving gel to energy bars. So it’s important to understand what that word means, and what it doesn’t. Organic has been defined as “…a form of agriculture that relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and control pests, excluding or strictly limiting the use of synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed additives, and genetically modified organisms.” (source: Wikipedia)
It is generally accepted that reduced chemicals and pesticides in food is beneficial to human health, while reduced synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and genetically-modified organisms in the biosphere (at the growing stage) is better for the environment.
The best way to ensure a claim of ‘organic’ is to look for certification from a third party. This means that a recognized association has researched the product and put their seal of approval on the organic quality of the source.
Some organic certifications you’ll find on London Drugs products include:
USDA Organic
British Columbia Certified Organic
Oregon Tilth Certified Organic
California Certified Organic Farmers
Soil Association
OCPP / ProCert
QMI
Quality Assurance International
BDIH – Certified Natural Cosmetics
(Click on the links above to learn more about the methodology and criteria of each)
Look for these certifications on products like Lavera Cosmetics/Skincare, (BDIH Certified) Organic Wear Cosmetics, (Certified by Eco-Cert) and Kicking Horse Coffee, (Certified organic by QMI)
Now, just because something is organic, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily good for you. And vice versa. (A non-organic carrot is probably better for you than an organic chocolate bar) Also, organic may only apply to certain ingredients used in production, from oils to grains to cotton.
So whether you believe in natural farming, like the idea of less pesticides in your diet, or just like the sound of it, get to know your organics. Chances are you’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the future.
February 1st, 2009
What’s the Green Deal? Welcome to our blog.
For those of you who haven’t seen our in-store program or visited our web site, ‘What’s the Green Deal?’ is a London Drugs program designed to give our customers more information on how to shop a little greener. This blog is our way of highlighting timely information on products, issues and our corporate commitment to reducing our impact. We also hope it’s a way for you to talk to us – about what you see out there, the environmental challenges we all face and what you want to see in our stores to help deal with them.
Most importantly, we recognize that sustainability is a journey. What is green today, may not be so tomorrow, and we must keep moving forward.
From time to time, we will make mistakes – we’re only human – but if we keep the lines of communication open, we can help our customers shop a little greener, before, during and after their visit to London Drugs.
