In celebration of Earth Day’s 40th Anniversary, InkCycle, announced a whitepaper regarding Barkley’s recycling efforts.

Barkley’s Green Recycling Diverts Electronic Waste From Landfills

Currently, Barkley has sponsored four Green Solutions Electronic Waste Drives, diverting more than 8,000 pounds of waste from area landfills. The company has worked hard to remain true
to its commitment to be green by reducing its waste via recycling, utilizing eco-friendly products and incorporating daily operational energy-saving tactics.

To learn more, check out Barkley’s Whitepaper.

The fear of a double-dip recession may be lessened after reports from March show the largest gain in payroll jobs for one month since 2007. I would like to share an article written by Diane Stafford from the Kansas City Star, about payroll jobs increasing during the month of March, and how InkCycle was a part of the increase in payroll jobs.

Payroll jobs rose in March

In the third straight month of gains, manufacturers added 17,000 jobs.

Among them was InkCycle in Lenexa. The producer of aftermarket toner and inkjet cartridges brought about 15 employees on board last month and reached 304 on payroll.

“We’re working hard to staff a second shift based on a 20 percent increase in orders,” said Robb Urschell, who is recruiting for the company. “We have 86 actual openings right now, some of which we’re using temporary staff to fill.”

To read full article

Mark Rogers, a material handler at InkCycle in Lenexa, was hired by the ink recycling company full time in March.

Here is an article I wanted to share from CNET about China’s renewable energy news.

China introduces law to boost renewable energy

A new Chinese law requires power grid operators to buy all the electricity produced by renewable energy generators, in a move that will increase the proportion of energy that comes from renewable sources in coal-dependent China.

(read more)

Here’s something I found interesting and wanted to share with our readers. There’s a man in Texas who takes recycling and reusing to another level. He takes supplies and other items that would end up in a landfill and uses them to build very creative and inexpensive homes for people who wouldn’t be able to afford one otherwise. Check it out for yourself!

60 Minutes Follows America’s Toxic Electronic Waste As It Is Illegally Shipped To Become China’s Dirty Secret

(CBS) This story was first published on Nov. 9, 2008. It was updated on Aug. 27, 2009.

60 Minutes is going to take you to one of the most toxic places on Earth — a place that government officials and gangsters don’t want you to see. It’s a town in China where you can’t breathe the air or drink the water, a town where the blood of the children is laced with lead. It’s worth risking a visit because, as correspondent Scott Pelley first reported last November, much of the poison is coming out of the homes, schools and offices of America.

This is a story about recycling – about how your best intentions to be green can be channeled into an underground sewer that flows from the United States and into the wasteland.

Source: Ipsos Green Technology Study, October 2009; Base: US respondents owning/ using tech devices with internet access

The survey results show that the proportion of consumers who claim they investigated or considered the environmental aspects of their purchase remains low overall, with fewer than half saying they considered these issues in their most recent purchase. Consumers remain more inclined to consider the environmental impact when purchasing big ticket items, such as automobiles and large household appliances.

We use the term research in the broadest possible sense. We do not perform an audit, nor do we analyze the data for accuracy or reliability. Our intention is to inform you of the existence of research materials and so we present reports as they are presented to us. The only requirements we impose are that they are potentially useful and relevant to our readers and that they pass the rudimentary test of relying on acceptable industry standards. We explicitly do not take responsibility for the findings. Please be aware of this and check the source for yourself if you intend to rely on any of the data we present.

There are many steps a company can take to sustainability such as; conserve energy and resources in the workplace, and in product manufacturing. Comply with all the necessary environmental regulations. Carbon emissions offset programs. Use of clean energy and natural resources are just a few.

Anna Clark, President of Earthpeople lists five stages companies can be classified under as sustainability advances in corporate culture:

Awareness: Company becomes aware that environmental concerns are permeating discourse, though sustainability as a value is absent from corporate culture.
Resistive: Company becomes aware of its own environmental impact of doing business, but demonstrates no commitment to environmental responsibility and possibly some reaction against it.
Legalistic: Company strictly focuses on compliance to minimum environmental regulations, with no commitment to raising standards for conservation or energy efficiency.
Reactive: Company recognizes strategic value of sustainability opportunities, but pursues only opportunities that do not create new risks.
Strategic: Company uses proactive approach to sustainability opportunities and evaluates the impact of sustainability initiatives on the long-term value of the enterprise.

Clark states that by simply adopting a pro-environment policy, your company can generate profits, provide positive social impact and reduce environmental impact. She states this as, the triple bottom line–“a paradigm that weighs a company’s social and environmental contributions along with its financials as a measure of success.”

The cost of going green should be looked at as an investment. A little bit of spending now will result in future financial gain for your company, while benefiting the environment. It is important to have an understanding of what you are spending and how it will be energy efficient.

There are many benefits your company can receive from this and the ROI of going can be exponential. This can lead the way to building relationships, increasing sales, company exposure, more qualified job candidates and a better future, all while benefiting the environment.

Going green is no longer just a benefit to the environment, but it also has become economically beneficial.  By jumping on this trend your company can benefit in numerous ways.  Being green or “sustainability” is still a fairly new concept in the business world and is something that can get your company the positive exposure that it maybe looking for.   Many consumers look to help the environment by buying environmentally friendly products.  There are also many highly qualified candidates looking to work with an environmentally conscious business. This also allows you to separate your company from your competitors.

Total e-waste (cartridges, etc): 265 tons
Plastics (converted to energy): 5.2 tons
Used Toner Dust (recycled): 5.4 tons
Office Paper (collected/shredded/recycled): 5.025 tons
Corrugate and other paper products: 113 tons

That’s why we created the Carbon Neutronics Index. It’s a proprietary software program that we share with those who purchase and use grenk products. It helps customers calculate the tonnage they’re keeping out of landfills by choosing grenk.

Far too many businesses don’t get the credit they deserve for their exo-initiative. The Carbon Neutronics Index makes it easy to track and record the effect one company can make in reducing landfill waste and keeping cartridges in circulation for reuse.

It’s also a great tool for comparing the cost difference of using remanufactured grenk cartridges over original manufacturer print cartridges, and can provide measurable case studies to help customers build support for other environmental initiatives while improving their bottom line.

Carbon Neutronics™ is made up of three words: Carbon + Neutral + Electronics. CNI makes it easy to track and record the effect one company can make in reducing landfill waste and keeping cartridges in circulation for reuse. The Carbon Neutronics™ Index was created to provide companies with an accurate account of their potential e-waste that has been diverted by using grenk™ products.