Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Go Green, Go Goodwill!

Go Green, Go Goodwill.

So it’s February, 2011. Businesses are changing rapidly and the internet and its capabilities are expanding faster and faster each day. And what is one of the number one topics lingering in the minds of both consumers and business owners? Going Green. Being Eco-Friendly. Watching Their Carbon Footprint. Doing What They Can For The Environment. If black was the new red, then green is definitely the new black. In fact, Entrepenuer.com lists Green Initiatives as one of the top 10 driving forces for businesses in 2011. http://www.entrepreneur.com/trends/index.html

Here at Goodwill-West Texas, we believe recycling is one of the most important aspects of the green initiatives. Sure, it is valuable and important for us to invest millions of dollars into projects that look at harnessing new forms of energy, but why not also focus on reusing the resources we have already harnessed and transformed into consumer goods?

At Goodwill, there are several ways you can help us Go Green! You can see in the list below, that buying new items, compared to buying used items is not only more costly to you, but also to the environment. When buying used items, you eliminate the carbon footprints that are made when new items are manufactured. The list below shows items you can buy at Goodwill compared to the energy used to manufacture them. To put this in perspective, the energy has been translated into the number of miles you would need to drive your car to make the same carbon impact (1 mile = approx. 1 lb C02).

  • Leather Handbag – the equivalent of driving your car 700 miles
  • Sweater – the equivalent of driving your car 359 miles
  • Glassware – per glass: the equivalent of driving your car 48 miles
  • A Watch – the equivalent of driving your car 140 miles

By purchasing used, you help reduce the carbon footprint of manufacturing a new item by 95%! It is amazing and stunningly simple how you can help reduce your carbon footprint by buying used items.

You can also help Go Green by donating used items. By doing so, you help begin the recycling process and by making purchases at any of our stores, you help finalize the recycling process. By participating in this process, not only do you help support a Green Initiative, you also help provide jobs, support and training for people with disabilities and disadvantages.

So do the right thing and Go Green with your local Goodwill today!

For additional information on Carbon Footprints, please visit the sites below: