Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/142672
comfortable for me, happier planet, and reduced costs for the spa. Purchase from suppliers who use recycled or biodegradable packing materials. Then locate a business that will reuse your packing peanuts and bubble wrap. Reduce packing material by buying in bulk. If purchasing a large quantity of an item is not feasible, consider a joint order with other practitioners or businesses. Providing clients with a plastic bottle of water has become a convenient way to remind clients to drink water after massage. However, plastic bottles negatively affect the environment in a number of ways. Nonrenewable and toxic compounds are used in the manufacturing process. If the bottles are not disposed of properly, they can end up in our water systems where harmful substances are leached into the water. Alternatively, plastics release toxic fumes when incinerated. Glass and nonepoxy-lined stainless steel provide today's favored options. Encouraging your clients to carry their own bottles provides them with incentive to continue guzzling water long after any thoughts of trigger points evaporate. To remove contaminants from the water that will fill those bottles, install a filtration system or use a filtration pitcher or faucet mount variety. Rebecca Arends of Excelsior Massage Therapy, Ann Arbor, Michigan, suggests removing your name from credit card and other mailing lists. She only shreds documents with sensitive information. Other Lighten the Load According to www.ecocycle.org, you will spend more than eight months of your life sorting through junk mail. Following are some simple steps to reclaim your time back and stop production of the estimated 41 pounds of junk mail you receive each year. Visit www.ecocycle.org/junkmail, and follow the 10 steps to remove your name from lists of the most habitual offenders. End credit card solicitations, stop junk promo products, catalogs, and contests, and dial out of unwanted phone books. items proceed directly to recycling, saving electricity. Recycle And Reuse Recycling decreases water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, conserves resources, supplies raw materials with less environmental impact than virgin materials, slows the filling of landfill space, and reduces the amount of combusted waste. Furnish your office from thrift and consignment stores, garage sales, and your family attic to bring in personality to your facility (and no Styrofoam!). My office mate just added a funky pink rocker to her room. It transmits style and personality to her space and it was free from a friend who was ready to discard it. Donate your usable discards to thrift stores and receive a tax write-off in the process. Move beyond traditional office recycling bins for paper and plastic. Grant linens a second life. Arends' old sheets become paint drop cloths and rags. Homeless shelters, thrift stores, and massage students welcome donations of lightly used sheets. Towels and blankets can find a new home at animal shelters. Gather with fellow therapists to exchange supplies, like the bolster that sits in the closet or the CD that you cannot bear to hear again. Many towns offer curbside recycling for paper and plastics. Other items such as computers, latex paint, batteries, hazardous chemicals, and Styrofoam may be recycled in some areas. Return computer printer cartridges to the manufacturer or check out a business that refills the cartridges. Find sources for used books and CDs when you are in the market to buy and sell or donate those you aren't using. Clean Green Read the labels of common cleaning products. They are a soup of potentially hazardous chemicals. Besides, they stink. Fortunately, safer and bettersmelling options are available. Health food stores and distributors of "green" products have a number of options. Preparing your own cleaning products can be simple and inexpensive. Books