It seems Kellogg’s is using the old saying, “good things come in small packages,” in a literal manner with their new packaging strategy in which they are reducing the inner package lining of several of their products. Yet, this is not the first step the Kellogg’s company has taken in an attempt to reduce their carbon footprint. Last year the company announced that its CSR (Corporate Sustainability Report) has shown significant results since instituting additional sustainable policies in 2006, including reduced packaging and increased recovery of post-consumer recyclables. One of the results has been a 26% decrease in the package to product ratio. In return, Kellogg’s has reduced the amount of fossil fuel used to deliver their products across the US, along with the amount of post-consumer waste. In addition, last year Kellogg’s began reporting it’s water usage data to the Carbon Disclosure Project to further its progress toward its’ sustainability goals. What a great step towards a better environment! Now if only other large companies could follow Kellogg’s lead! What are other companies doing to reduce their carbon footprints?

Written by: Karly Poole

If you celebrate birthdays, you are aware of the gift giving rituals that are involved with them. Everyone goes out and spends a certain amount of money on their friends and family for their special day. After that, they take it home and wrap it up beautifully until it is ready to be opened. Here is where the think-outside-the-box part comes into play. When wrapping up those gifts for that birthday boy or girl, try and get creative. Use newspaper for packing material if you have to send gifts to another state or country. Reuse gift bags you received from previous celebrations. Be sure to keep this in mind when you are opening gifts too, so that you can prepare for birthdays to come! If you have any other ideas for how you can be green about your gift wrapping, do share!

Written by: Jen Ebenrick

Something Good to Say?

Those of you that saw the movie Super Size Me probably don’t think very highly of McDonalds, and those of you that didn’t probably still don’t think very highly of them. Well although they don’t serve the healthiest of foods, perhaps after reading this your view of them may change a little. According to the SEAC – Student Environment website, McDonald’s saves 68,000,000 pounds of packaging per year just by pumping soft drink syrup directly from the delivery truck into tanks in the restaurant, instead of shipping the syrup in cardboard boxes. So tell us, does that change your view of McDonald’s? Is that enough to consider them environmentally friendly or is there something you’d like to share that contradicts that idea? Is there another fast food joint that is better at being green? Let us know!

Written by: Jen Ebenrick