Have you gone green?  Going green or living green have become common terms in the last few years.  The terms refer to making lifestyle changes for a better planet.  When many people hear going green they think recycling.  Recycling is a huge part of going/living green and has grown tremendously in the last decade.  Many of the products we buy come from recycled paper, plastic, and glass.  A company in California uses recycled glass to made over 2.5 million wine bottles a year.

People always ask why should I recycle or can it really make a difference.  Here are a few fun facts that may change your mind.  Recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a tv for 3 hours.  As a country we use over 80 billion cans a year.  Americans on average use about 680 pounds of paper per person per year.  Over 2.5 million plastic bottles are used every hour and most of them are thrown away.

The newest trend in going green is green business practices.  Next week the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the Top 10 Green Practices to encourage local businesses to join the green trend.  Many local businesses have already started making strides towards going green.  These businesses include Springmaid Beach, Kingston Plantation, Ocean Lakes, Lee’s Inlet Apothecary, and Ripleys Aquarium.  Examples of local businesses green practices are: installation of low flow shower heads, donating discarded sheets, blankets, furniture and partially used sham to charity, replacing small plastic bottles of shampoo and conditioner with dispensers in guest rooms, giving employees reusable cups for drinking, changing to more efficient light bulbs and using solar power to heat water.

A few simple ways to encourage your employees to go green is to reuse and recycle paper, recycle/reuse drink cans and bottles, and turn off computers and other electronic devices at night to reduce energy use.