Lessen your environmental footstep. Little changes can be big strides forward. In this article we explore recycled jewelry. We look at blogs with tips for creating crafts and jewelry with reused objects and findings. We look at ways to reduce our impact on the Earth with tips and a link to calculate your personal impact. We want to leave this beautiful planet a beautiful place for our children and their children.
Go Green! Go Extreme! Soft Flex Company is the first beading wire manufacturer to go GREEN! Soft Flex® Extreme™ Wire is free of heavy metals and can be recycled. We love this planet and want to leave it a better place for our children and future generations of beaders. Renewable resources are the answer. Soft Flex® Company supports reducing, reusing and recycling. Even the spool our wire is packaged on can be recycled.
We are excited to share that our wire is environmentally friendly!
All stainless steel used in the construction of Soft Flex® products is 100% recyclable. Our nylon coating is derived from renewable resources and can be recycled. Our spools show the recycled logo on the underside, they can be recycled along with the clips. Just tear off the label as you would with any recyclable item in your very own kitchen and put the empty spool into your recycling bin.
Soft Flex Company's Eco-Friendly Practices
Soft Flex Company's green practices:
Soft Flex Company has explored the green work environment for some time, one-third of the staff telecommutes. This means a strong reduction in vehicle emissions and fuel consumption, as the employees are not adding to the congestion on the road. The home-based offices are typically paperless as the majority of the work is performed online. Home-based employees also add to the conservation aspect by not packing lunches or eating out, waste incurred here includes: food containers, plastic baggies, cups, plastic eating utensils, and paper waste, such as napkins. Textile waste is also reduced as the telecommuting employees are not required to wear a uniform.
Soft Flex Company strives to use the safest and least polluting materials in producing our printed marketing materials. Our marketing materials are printed with soy-based ink instead of traditional petroleum-based ink. Soy ink is safe and environmentally friendly because the simple process to make the ink consumes very little energy. Soy ink can also be easily removed from paper, which is helpful in paper recycling. We utilize unique Aqueous and UV coatings, which consist of very low to zero traces of volatile organic compounds (VOC's). In addition we use paper with 50% recycled content for all cardstock products.
Soft Flex Company conducts business in an ecologically sound manner. We recycle all paper, metal, glass, ink cartridges, electronic waste and all packing materials. Our packing peanuts are made from a 100% cornstarch base and are 100% biodegradable. When working trade shows, everything is shipped in totes and boxes that are continually reused. Additionally, we try to be energy efficient and maintain a healthy work environment. The majority of our employees also choose to live environmentally conscious lives away from work - composting, recycling, crafting with antiques, and shopping second hand. Reduce, reuse, recycle - it's a great way to clean up and help the environment.
Recycled Jewelry Art
Article written by Charlene Gary.
Ever since this past Earth Day, I am even more inspired to reduce, reuse and recycle. I've continued with that thought in my jewelry. To take something that on the surface, to first look at it-seems obsolete and useless, and to turn it into a piece of art, is very exciting. I'm inspired to do more with ordinary objects I find around the house, in the junk drawer, the studio or workshop.
Trash to Treasure Craft Ideas
Check out these neat blogs and websites. We love trash to treasure craft inspiration!
Simple ways you can go Green:
Recycle
Buy products in returnable and recyclable containers and recycle as much as you can.
- The energy saved from recycling one aluminum can will power a television for 3 hours!
- If your community doesn’t provide containers for recycling, designate a bin in your garage for recyclables to make it easy for you and your family to recycle.
- Recycle your newspaper, glass, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, empty Soft Flex® Craft Wire spools and as always, Soft Flex® remnant wire and spools!
Packaging
You can easily reuse the packaging your order arrives in (and reduce waste) for:
- Gift-wrapping
- Shipping
- Storage
- Soft Flex® Company packing peanuts are made from a 100% corn starch base and are 100% biodegradable. If you pour water on them, they melt and are 100% eco-friendly.
Reduce plastic bag usage
Place reusable bags in your car so you have them handy on your next shopping trip.
- An average family of four accumulates 1,460 plastic shopping bags a year.
- Takes up to 1,000 years for a plastic bag to break down in the environment.
- It takes four times more energy to make paper bags then it does plastic bags.
- Soft Flex® Company plastic bags are heavy duty and can be reused.
Switch to compact fluorescent lights (CFL) light bulbs
Nearly 20% of all home electric costs stem from lighting. CFL lowers the usage of energy and greenhouse gas emissions.
- The more CFL bulbs you use, the more money you save; CFL bulbs last 6-10X longer!
- Installing one CFL, because it lasts longer than a conventional bulb, prevents 10 conventional bulbs from being produced, transported, and discarded in a landfill.
- Did you know that if every U.S. home bought one CFL bulb, it would be the equivalent to taking two million cars off the road!
Stop buying bottled water
Use reusable water bottles instead made from materials like stainless steel or aluminum that are not likely to degrade over time.
- Did you know that it takes 26 bottles of water to produce the plastic container for a one-liter bottle of water, and that doing so pollutes 25 liters of groundwater?
- If you choose a plastic water bottle, check the number on the bottom first: Plastics numbered 3, 6 and 7 could pose a health threat to you, so look for plastics numbered 1, 2, 4 or 5.
Switch to reusable towels
No matter how you look at it, paper towels create waste. Buy some reusable microfiber towels instead, then toss the towels in the wash and reuse them again and again.
- Great for counter tops and mirrors.
- When you absolutely have to use disposable towels, look for recycled products.
- If every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber paper towels (70 sheets) with 100 percent recycled ones, we could save 544,000 trees.
Green Travel
Every footstep leaves an imprint. Make sure you travel more efficiently. Million Mile Secrets has tips for making your next trip less taxing.
- Travel light. Carrying less baggage means more fuel efficiency.
- Rent a hybrid or electric car.
- Book your stay at a LEED certified hotel. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a movement to make modern buildings more green.
Calculate your impact at Global Footprint Network
Visit the Soft Flex Company YouTube Channel!
Blog contributor Thomas Soles loves Jazz Age writers and crunchy french fries. His favorite gemstones are Lapis and Pietersite. His favorite hobby is day dreaming. And his favorite mustache is Freddie Mercury's. As you can see, he has a healthy (or possibly unhealthy) sense of humor. You can write to him at Thomas@SoftFlexCompany.com