Stamping & Scrapping with Jen

The End to Earth Week - Some More things Stampin' Up! is doing for the Environment

To round out this BEAUTIFUL weekend and Earth Week, here are a few more things Stampin' Up! is doing to be more "green".  Click here for an earlier post with a few other things.

Since the weather here in NJ was like summer this weekend, things are looking greener around here - FINALLY!!!  People (like my kids!!) are already complaining about the heat, and my neighbors are running their A/C (Is that really necessary in April in NJ???), but I say BRING ON THE HEAT!!!  I love 80 degrees!!!!  I am so sick of being cold that these 80 degree temperatures can stay 'til October and I would be the happiest person around!!! 

Before I get any more sidetracked, here is the continuation of the list of ways Stampin' Up! is helping the environment:

our buildings

We are very fortunate to have wonderful facilities at Stampin’ Up!
that help us reduce our environmental impact. First, systems in both
the Riverton and Kanab buildings filter any pollutants that may
result from stamp production. Second, our buildings were designed
with energy conservation in mind. Both buildings have geothermal
wells, which help us maintain building temperature, cutting down
on our use of heating oil or natural gas. In addition, all lights are on
sensors and timers, so we don’t waste electricity when employees are
away from the office.

In our desert climate here in Utah, it’s also extremely important that
we watch our water use. For this reason, we’ve incorporated native,
water-wise plants in our landscaping. If you’ve visited the home office,
you may have noticed that we have wildflowers growing in front of our
building instead of grass! Our sprinkler system is timed to minimize
evaporation, which helps reduce the amount of water we use to
maintain our landscape. Indoors, artificial plants mingle in with the
live ones in the area around our atrium water feature. This allows us to
have a lush garden while minimizing the amount of water we use.

carbon footprint

At Stampin’ Up!, we strive to reduce our carbon footprint as much
as possible. This means that we try to engage in shipping practices
that will require fewer greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, to
be released into the atmosphere. First, UPS picks up shipments from
our Distribution Center each day during nonpeak traffic hours. This
cuts down the amount of gasoline UPS needs to use to get our orders
out the door. You can learn about what UPS is doing to make their
practices more eco-friendly at http://sustainability.ups.com.
For stamp shipments from Kanab to Riverton, we “carpool” with
companies who are sending shipments from the Salt Lake City
area to Kanab. For example, Sysco delivers food to Kanab and
surrounding towns and, normally, their trucks would return empty
to Salt Lake City. Instead of driving back without cargo, Sysco trucks
bring stamps from Kanab to Riverton!

There are some pretty cool things, huh?

Be sure to sign up for my FREE Stampin' Up! e-Newsletter to receive coupons, stamping tips, ideas, and subscriber-only contests!

More on "Going Green": What is Stampin' Up! Doing?

Every month we get a fabulous color magazine full of creative ideas, organizational tips, interviews, and a variety of other articles on stamping & scrapbooking.  Back in January, Stampin' Success featured an article on what Stampin' Up! does and is doing to stay green.  Here are a few excerpts:

rubber

Rather than dumping our excess rubber in a landfill, we donate it
to Courage Reins, a nonprofit organization that provides horseback
riding therapy for physically or mentally challenged children. They
take our ground rubber and sell it to groups and individuals for use
in playgrounds and horse stables. The money they receive from the
sale of this rubber goes to fund their programs. You can find more
information about Courage Reins at www.couragereins.org.

wood blocks

Our wood blocks are not only created from a renewable resource,
we engage in a sustainable practice to get those wood blocks. We
work with a tree farm in which the maple trees are grown specifically
for the purpose of harvesting wood!

card stock and paper

You’re probably already aware that the paper we use for shipping is
100 percent recycled. But did you know that our card stock includes
recycled material? It’s true! Our card stock includes recycled paper
that’s left over from other paper runs, which would otherwise end
up in a landfill. The darker the color of card stock, the more recycled
material is in the card stock. (Who would have thought that Basic
Black was our greenest color?)

In addition, we work with a paper broker who ensures that the
mills we use for our Designer Series paper and card stock engage
in environmentally friendly practices. Our broker is even certified
through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), the Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC), and the Program for the Endorsement of
Forestry Certification (PEFC). These certifications help us know that
our paper comes from sustainably managed forests and mills that are
taking steps to lessen their carbon footprint. One of our mills even
generates its own power.

And believe it or not, there is more!!  I'll post more green tips from Stampin' Up! as "Earth Week" continues.  (Sounds like a Discovery channel series, huh?)

Be sure to sign up for my FREE Stampin' Up! e-Newsletter to receive coupons, stamping tips, ideas, and subscriber-only contests!

It's Earth Day: What will you change? A Few Tips for Crafters...

If you have listened to or read any media today, you know it's Earth Day.  So I thought about how Earth Day relates to rubber stamping & scrapbooking and came up with a few "green" things that I already do and a few that I will be more conscientious about starting today.  Here is my list:

• Save your scraps.  I already do this and have them in hanging files by color.  If I need a small piece, I often go through this drawer before cutting a larger sheet.
• 
• Recycle your scraps.  When scraps get too small, or you have those 1/2" strips of paper that you'll never do anything with, recycle them!  They can go right in with your junk mail recycling.
• Buy reinkers.  Once you buy an ink pad, you'll never have to throw it out!!  Just buy the reinkers to make your ink pad "like new."  This saves you money too!!!
• 
• Reuse Stampin' Up! containers.  You know the ones that brads & buttons come in?  Don't throw them out - reuse them!!  Decorate them & use them for jewelry or candy.  Or store household items like nails, screws, bolts, buttons, hair clips, Advil, vitamins, etc. in them.
•  
• Although we will NEVER admit this to our husbands, there are probably a few pieces of paper or other supplies laying around that we'll never use.  Donate them!!  Preschools, camps, elementary schools, church schools, and sometimes even libraries will gladly accept them!!!
• Recycle your plastic bags.  I've seen more & more places accepting plastic bags lately.  Check your grocery stores for bins.  Here is a link with more info on plastic bag recycling. 

Now here are a few things you can do around your house to save energy while you are crafting:

• Turn off the lights when you are done or even if you just leave the room.  Click here for more info.
• Unplug your appliances (or your cricut, heat gun, and camera charger) when you are not using them.  Click here for more info.
• It is better to turn off your computer at night.  There are some arguments both ways if you set your computer to hibernate or sleep mode, but you can read all about that here.
• Order supplies online.  This reduces the amount of gas you burn back & forth to the craft store.  Chances are you can find better deals online anyway.  If you do need to go to the craft store, incorporate it into another errand.
• Use a Big Shot!!!  It uses (wo)man-power - not electrical power!!!

I'm sure there are many, many more things we can do - these were just a few off the top of my head.  I'd love to hear your comments on what you do now, what you're going to change, and maybe a few new suggestions I didn't mention.

Be sure to sign up for my FREE Stampin' Up! e-Newsletter to receive coupons, stamping tips, ideas, and subscriber-only contests!