Eco-friendly trends continue to bloom throughout the world. From one person to another, the seeds of sustainability are being planted each day. Likewise, each month our supply of environmentally-friendly products grows. It's clear that people are eager to incorporate eco-friendly items into their lives and into upcoming promotions.

However, many of the materials used in environmentally-friendly products, and even more of the terms used to explain them are not yet common knowledge. When you choose a biodegradable item we want you to know that it's got the ability to safely and quickly break down into the raw materials that nature embraces. Similarly, we want you to know the difference between organic giveaways and recycled giveaways.

To help every customer to understand the perks to any given environmentally-friendly product, we present this list of eco-friendly terms originally from Halo/Lee Wayne Green Promotions, 2010.

Bamboo – Bamboo is 100% naturally grown and sustainable, it is also naturally antibacterial & Bamboo fiber is 100% biodegradable. As the fastest growing plant in the world, bamboo grows to its maximum height in about 3 months and reaches maturity in 3-4 years. Bamboo is known to improve soil quality in degraded and eroded areas of land.

Biodegradable – The ability to break down, safely and relatively quickly, by biological means into the raw materials of nature and disappear back into the environment.

Bonded Leather – A recycled synthetic material containing elements of recycled leathers, leather scrap & tannery leather fibers, which otherwise would go to a landfill.

Compostable – A product made of materials that will break down over time in a landfill.

Corn Plastic – Derived from corn & 100% biodegradable

Cotton-Organic – Organic cotton is grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, growth regulators, chemical pesticides, irrigation or genetic engineering.

Green – The movement that incorporates environmental awareness, social responsibility, bioregionalism, and nonviolence.

Organic – Products created through a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers.

Organic Leather – Made from skins that are tanned using only vegetable extracts and chemicals approved by TUV. All possible by-products are also re-used. Non allergenic.

PET – Polyethylene terephthalate is the most popular thermo-plastic packaging material used for drinks and food. It is lightweight, transparent, and has a good moisture barrier.

Polypropylene & Non-Woven Polypropylene – Made from carbon and hydrogen, and manufactured without any dangerous emissions. Can be recycled, incinerated, or land filled without any harm to the environment. When burned, polypropylene will give off only water vapor and carbon dioxide, which is converted by photosynthesis. Sometimes known as “pp”.

Post-Consumer Material/Waste – Term used to describe material that is being reused/recycled after it has been in the consumer’s hand (i.e. soda bottles, yogurt containers).

Post-Industrial Material – Term used to described scrap or excess material that a manufacturer reuses or recycles throughout the manufacturing process.

Recyclable – Materials that can be reused. Includes glass, paper, aluminum, asphalt, iron, textiles, plastics and biodegradable waste.

Recycled – Term used to describe material that has been separated from the waste stream, reprocessed into a new product and then brought back to the consumer as a new item.

Recycled Cardboard – The material is made from cardboard that has been discarded or once used by a consumer.

Recycled Content – The amount of pre- and post-consumer recovered material introduced in a material production process, usually expressed as a percentage.

Recycled Leather – Material is untreated and is made with leather scraps – recycled to save waste. (As opposed to scraps going into a landfill, they are recovered and reprocessed to make leather material.)

SAFE Plastic – Truly biodegradable in landfills & composting, environmentally safe, no toxic effects, can be recycled.

If you see this post it means that BlogEngine.NET 1.6.0 is running and the hard part of creating your own blog is done. There is only a few things left to do.

Write Permissions

To be able to log in to the blog and writing posts, you need to enable write permissions on the App_Data folder. If you’re blog is hosted at a hosting provider, you can either log into your account’s admin page or call the support. You need write permissions on the App_Data folder because all posts, comments, and blog attachments are saved as XML files and placed in the App_Data folder. 

If you wish to use a database to to store your blog data, we still encourage you to enable this write access for an images you may wish to store for your blog posts.  If you are interested in using Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, VistaDB, or other databases, please see the BlogEngine wiki to get started.

Security

When you've got write permissions to the App_Data folder, you need to change the username and password. Find the sign-in link located either at the bottom or top of the page depending on your current theme and click it. Now enter "admin" in both the username and password fields and click the button. You will now see an admin menu appear. It has a link to the "Users" admin page. From there you can change the username and password.  Passwords are hashed by default so if you lose your password, please see the BlogEngine wiki for information on recovery.

Configuration and Profile

Now that you have your blog secured, take a look through the settings and give your new blog a title.  BlogEngine.NET 1.4 is set up to take full advantage of of many semantic formats and technologies such as FOAF, SIOC and APML. It means that the content stored in your BlogEngine.NET installation will be fully portable and auto-discoverable.  Be sure to fill in your author profile to take better advantage of this.

Themes and Widgets

One last thing to consider is customizing the look of your blog.  We have a few themes available right out of the box including two fully setup to use our new widget framework.  The widget framework allows drop and drag placement on your side bar as well as editing and configuration right in the widget while you are logged in.  Be sure to check out our home page for more theme choices and downloadable widgets to add to your blog.

On the web

You can find BlogEngine.NET on the official website. Here you'll find tutorials, documentation, tips and tricks and much more. The ongoing development of BlogEngine.NET can be followed at CodePlex where the daily builds will be published for anyone to download.

Good luck and happy writing.

The BlogEngine.NET team

I know that my last product recommendation was a photo bookmark, but what can I say? I like photo frames in all shapes and sizes, but I love photo frames if they're eco-friendly. And these promotional cardboard picture frames definitely fall into that category.

When I first saw that we were carrying imprinted recycled cardboard picture frames, I had my doubts. I mean, cardboard picture frames? How sturdy could they be? The answer is very. These promotional cardboard picture frames are put together quite well and as definitely designed to stand up to the test of time. But, the good test of time, not the test of time that diapers in landfills stand up to. These items will showcase your branding and your cherished memories for years to come, and they will look good while doing so. And speaking of looking good, that was my second doubt. After all, how good could a cardboard picture frame look? Brown and boring right? Think again. These imprinted recycled cardboard picture frames were designed with...design in mind. They're avilable in a variety of colors, any of which will bring out your branding just nicely. Personal favorite? The Terra Recycled 4" x 6" Photo Frame.

 

So if you want an eco-friendly promotion that's affordable and that will send a personal message to clients and employees, definitely consider these promotional cardboard picture frames.

Eco-friendliness was just offered a back stage pass to the Florida Marlin's baseball stadium. As the old construction is ripped away, plans for a new and more sustainable stadium are in the making. But as they prepare with new ideas and innovations for the new stadium, they're making sure to make the demolition of the old stadium sustainable.

90% of the construction that includes cardboard, concrete, metal, wood and others is being recycled. This is a tremendous act on their part and will help to secure eco-friendly solutions for stadium construction in the future. Green building, like all environmentally sound practices have been increasingly popular as people are made more aware of the problems and motivated to do something about it.

Plans for the new stadium will include the use of 20% pre and post consumer recycled content. To help stimulate the local economy and keep their carbon foot print down, the recycled content will all come from within 500 miles of the new site. What a wonderful concept.

Many of our environmentally friendly products are made from the very pre and post consumer recycled content that the new stadium is to be built from. One of the clearest uses of post consumer recycled content is our wide variety of promotional eco-friendly coasters. These fantastic items are made from post consumer recycled tires.

Next time you get a flat on the side of the road, remember to bring it with you. Just imagine the amount of these cool recycled coasters you could've made from your one tire. Likewise, the community surrounding the new Marlins stadium construction site will be challenged to live with the values of sustainability as this project gets on its feet and leads the way towards an even greener world. With such great sustainable goals set for their new stadium, it's likely that they'll use eco-friendly items on giveaway days. With a capacity for 37,000, you can expect a ton of green supporters.

One of the most important things to have when traveling is a toiletry bag. It's the best place to keep essentials like shampoo and body wash safe from spilling onto your clothes. You can house all your necessities, from toothopaste to deodorant and be organized while traveling. There's no doubt that a toitry bag is an absolute must. So why not use this knowledge to brand you business in an eco-friendly manner?

The Leeds Eco 100% Recycled Owl Utility Kit is a great item to give to clients and employees. It's personal enough to be considered a gift, but its not too personal to make the wrong impression. It's made of 100% post consumer recycled material so you can take pride in the fact that your giveaway will not be harming the environment. Recipients will most definitely appreciate this well designed item, too. It's large main pocket boasts a mesh pocket and a velcro strap for hanging. For extra organization purposes, it has a front pocket as well as two side pockets for extra storage. Users will be able to easily organize their items without fear of not being able to find them.

 

The best part of this item, after its functionality and eco-friendly nature is its imprint area. With a 4" x 3" imprint area available on its front pocket, your message will be seen clearly and by everyone who sees this bag.

Too often, eco-friendly items get the label of being unattractive. Certain items lack color because the dyes used are not eco-friendly. When your left with drab color options of a seemingly non-descript product the benefits of being eco-friendly don't seem to stand up against the possibility of having your logo on an item that won't attract potential customers. And that's where this next product recommendation comes in.

 

This attractive custom photo bookmark is both eye-catching and eco-friendly. Made completely of recycled material, this bonded leather bookmark comes in 5 attractive colors (black, lime green, pink, red and royal blue) features a slot at the top to add a photo. Recipients will appreciate such a thoughtful item and your logo will be seen by them everytime they use it. It's a great giveaway for trade shows and conferences and it even makes a thoughtful holiday gift. And the best part is that for every order placed for any of our eco-friendly promotional products (including this one) Motivators will plant a tree. It's a simple way of giving back to the environment while you get the logo exposure you need and want.

It's clear that eco-friendliness is the trend in promotional items today. The latest major release of eco-friendly products happened this week at the famed International Consumer Electronics Show 2010 convention. The huge event has drawn in a record number of new exhibitors and has already showcased Google's brand new Nexus One mobile phone. But the best big eco-friendly reveal of all is the awesome Grass Roots Collection from iWave. Steven Scaba, of iWave said, "We firmly believe in the importance of embracing a greener lifestyle and practicing responsible behaviors, not only for ourselves, but for our loyal customers who don't want to feel guilty about using products that they love." To make this possible, iWave revealed there eco-friendly electronics collection at CES. It includes awesome promotional ear buds, headphones and other iPod accessories.

Like many of our environmentally friendly products, these products are all made from completely recyclable and eco-friendly plastic and bamboo. Steven Scaba added, "The Grass Roots Collection is our way of bringing fashion- and eco-conscious consumers together to stand for a common cause we all have the power to support. Because we believe in the same values of eco-friendliness, Motivators offers awesome incentives to use our Earth friendly items. Through the American Forest's "Re Leaf Fund," a tree will be planted somewhere in the American forests with ever eco-friendly purchase.

As we bring in the New Year, it's important to make eco-friendly resolutions. iWave already made theirs. Now what will be your business's sustainable resolution?