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New Ways to Give
For those of you whose employers do not offer environmental choice in their charitable fund drives, Earth Share of Georgia now offers you the most convenient way to give 'green' outside of payroll deduction. Visit the Ways to Give page on our website to make your recurring credit card pledge for a 'One Earth' gift to be shared among Earth Share's more than 60 local, national and international member organizations. Or, if you prefer, you can designate your gift to the 501(c)(3) organization of your choice. You can even offer your direct support to Earth Share so that we may continue our mission to work for the day when all employees throughout Georgia can choose a smart and simple way to care for the environment.
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Giving Green at Work
Your workplace charitable campaign is just around the corner...can you give 'green at work?' If your answer is 'no' or if you're not sure, ask your human resources department today about adding Earth Share of Georgia to your charitable fundraising drive. We'll make it easy for your company to get started by providing you with an online tool kit and access to educational materials and guest speakers that will bolster your fundraising drives. It's good for the environment, good for employee morale, and good for your corporate image when the community sees that you've taken the next natural step to strong community investment. Visit our website to learn more or contact Elicia Fritsch, 404-873-3173. [back to top]
Unleaded Please: Hewlett Packard & Dell Offer Free Computer Recycling
After years of pressure from environmentalists, two major computer companies are now offering free tech recycling for individuals. Through September 6, Hewlett Packard is offering free recycling of computers, monitors, fax machines and more at Office Depot--one piece of equipment per person, per day. Dell Computers recently launched an extended program for its customers where they will actually pick up your old PC at your home. Improper disposal of PCs and monitors leaches hazardous chemicals such as lead and mercury into our landfills and contaminates ground water, whereas old PCs can be refurbished and donated to non-profits or recycled to recover materials like aluminum, cadmium, copper, glass, gold, lead, mercury, plastics, silica, silver and steel. (U.S. EPA, 1999). Details on these programs are online at www.dell.co
m/recycle and www.officedepot.com/recycle.
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A Decade's Worth of Achievements for Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
2004 marks the 10th Anniversary for Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. A celebration to mark this momentous occasion will be held on the evening of Friday, September 17, 2004, at The Foundry at Puritan Mill. The event will honor Ted Turner and Robert Kennedy, Jr., the leader of the national Waterkeeper Alliance, for their steadfast support of Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and their life-long commitment to the environment. This is a well deserved reception for UCR. In ten years, they have compiled a substantial list of accomplishments that have protected the Chattahoochee River, its tributaries and watersheds. One of the first orders of business was to establish a Stream Monitoring Network and a Citizen Response HOTLINE Program, which annually provides assistance to 300 callers. In 1998 they initiated a fish consumption survey on the River to identify contaminant levels i
n fish and public health threats. In ten years they have advised local governments on soil erosion control, as well as held them accountable for violations of the Clean Water Act. And most recently, they led the Water Coalition in its defeat of legislation allowing water speculation for private gain. Considering the Chattahoochee River provides Atlantans with 70% of their drinking water, many of us have much to be thankful for. Thank you, Riverkeeper, for all you do to protect one of Georgia's most precious resources.
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Business Unusual at CH2M HILL
There are few companies out there willing to change the way they do business for the sake of improving their environmental impact. Fortunately, the trend is catching and Earth Share Partner CH2M HILL stands as a model for how businesses can care for the environment. Through their Corporate Environmental Performance Program, CH2M HILL seeks to improve all aspects of their internal operations through waste reduction, employee education, resource conservation and accountability. Program manager, Andrea Ramage-Seattle, envisions a CH2M HILL that helps to improve the quality of life for people and the planet by leading the engineering industry in corporate environmental responsibility.
As a first step, the Atlanta office green team (an all volunteer organization) has used technology to successfully implement programs that drastically reduce paper consumption. They replaced all internal printed materials, such as paychecks, memos and newsletters, with electronic versions. They eliminated hard copy faxes, and have stocked printers and copiers with recycled paper and programmed them to make double-sided copies.
Additionally, they have a rigorous recycling program which currently recycles cardboard and white/colored paper, magazines, aluminum, rechargeable batteries, toner cartridges, phone books, cell phones, PDAs and pagers. Even coffee grounds are collected for employees to use in their compost bins at home. They also eliminated all paper cups and plastic cutlery and replaced them with ceramic mugs and metal cutlery.
And what workplace environmental plan would be complete without an employee alternative transportation program? Theirs includes subsidized transit passes, a commuter rewards program that provides gift certificates to employees who take alternate forms of transit (carpool, mass transit, telework, walk, bike, etc.), and the use of flex schedules whenever possible. The Atlanta office has been a part of the EPA/DOT 'Best Workplaces for Commuters' program since 2002.
Tell us how your company is caring for the environment. Send an email to annie@earthsharega.org [back to top]
Earth Share Partners with P2AD
We are pleased to announce that Earth Share of Georgia has joined the P2AD Partnership Program. As a White Ribbon Partner, we are working with the Pollution Prevention Assistance Division (P2AD) to encourage businesses and organizations across the state to reduce pollution at the source. P2AD is a non-regulatory division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources that provides free, confidential environmental technical assistance in the areas of pollution prevention, resource conservation, waste reduction, by-product reuse, and recycling to employers across the state. We encourage you to consider joining us in the P2AD Partnership Program. Partnership is free and open to any business or organization that operates in Georgia. For more information on the P2AD Partnership Program visit www.p2ad.org.
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