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Public concern for Wasteful food packaging
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A recent Internet-based survey conducted by the Nielsen Company in 48 nations assessed attitudes to climate change, water shortages, air and water pollution and use of pesticides.
Results showed that New Zealanders were the most concerned by trash from food packaging (and the most willing to go to great lengths to curb it) followed by People in Finland, Ireland, the Czech Republic and Norway. The numbers showed an improvement from a previous poll.
Half of those surveyed said they did not mind switching to “convenience packaging”, as well as re-sealable containers or plastic packages used during cooking. Only 30 percent said they were willing to abandon packaging meant to keep food clean and labels with instructions for cooking and use.
Overall, Nielsen said consumers showed an inclination to demand paper, board or glass of recyclable material, rather than plastic or polystyrene.
Incidentally, packaging specialists Multivac as well as retailers such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour or Tesco are either simplifying or cutting back packaging.
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Lighter products, a lighter earth
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With warning bells ringing about the kind of energy required to create packaging and its contribution to the landfill, packaging has become a hot topic and has a bearing on company supply chains and product life cycles.
Companies are constantly worrying about the impact of smaller packages products but branding experts believe size is immaterial as long as the concept is great, then they would not lose their power over consumers. Besides, extra packaging makes the product heavy and dull, adds to shipping costs, both in terms of fuel costs and carbon emissions and leads to extra end-of-life waste and speculation about waste material used.
In the U.K., Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations has made it mandatory for companies to take full end-of-life responsibility for their products and packaging by fulfilling the clause that those that use 50 tons or more of packaging each year in their products must contribute towards a U.K.-wide recycling scheme.
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Litter menace
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The often underestimated cause of environment pollution is litter on city streets and alongside highways. One thoughtless act by a single person who tosses off an empty soda can add to an already large mass of litter. Contributing to that litter are trillion cigarette butts littered worldwide every year especailly in the most picturesque of places, beaches, nature trails, gardens, and other public places. The toxic residue in cigarette filters can take decades to degrade. Littered butts have caused numerous fires every year.
Litter pollutes waterways and leaches toxic chemicals into soil and groundwater when it breaks down. There are simple ways of doing your part. Never let trash escape from your vehicle. Be alert and remember to take your garbage with you upon leaving a park or other public space. Seal household garbage bins tightly so animals can’t get at the contents.
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Solar power: an affordable reality
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Some solar panel installers have devised a way to give more people access to solar energy in their larger aim to make solar energy as accessible and cheap as the energy we get from polluting sources.
These companies are offering a scheme for customers to lease, rather than buy, the photovoltaic solar panels for their roofs.
SolarCity, based in Foster City, California, has started this scheme so that people who want to use clean power will not be intimidated by the formidable cost of buying solar panels, which on an average is about $20,000.
Under SolarCity’s lease program, customers with a small home will be set back by only as little as $70 a month for a 2.4 kilowatt system. The company is also offering an incentive to customers who sign up before July 31st- they will not be required to pay any money down on their system. The upfront costs finally should be between about $1,000 and $3,000.
SolarCity means to serve as a one-stop shop for both installation and financing.
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Earth Day
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Companies are going all out with their green ideas and oodles of useful information on recycling, reuseability, etc.
Verizon Wireless is offering customers tips on how they can celebrate the Earth Day. Newsweek readers can receive a reusable tote bag by turning the cover of the April 14 issue into an envelope they can use to send old plastic bags to Target.
Office Depot is all set to launch a new brand on Earth Day called "Office Depot Green" that will specialize in green products.
The company will also start programs for small businesses that will offer strategies and tips for energy efficiency. Designer Kelly LaPlante will set up a site later this year that will grade the greenness of building materials.
Some of the company's prudent steps to reduce its carbon footprint include swapping high-output fluorescents with regular bulbs and testing out low-emission vehicles for deliveries and building a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified building in Austin, Texas.
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