June 29, 2010
Written By: Ken

Little Big Steps - simple ways of greening your life

You do have the power to change the world.  Maybe not all at once, but little by little you can make this a better place.  It turns out the little choices add up.

Naked Binder encourages you to do one thing a day to help lower your impact on the planet. One thing. It is crazy to think that everyone can change to super green overnight, but we can all start down the path.

A couple of ideas for today:

Bring your coffee cup to work or the coffee shop

Use the last few pages on that pad of paper instead of recycling it now.

Go to lunch with a co-worker instead of all driving separately.

Use a water filter instead of plastic bottles.

Today, recycle everything.

What will this do??

Using less is a huge win win situation.  Lets say you save 2 gallons a week in gasoline.  That isn't huge.  Now lets say, 150 million people do that. That is 300 million gallons of gas a week, 15.6 billion gallons a year. Consider the impact on the environment of not extracting, transporting, processing, transporting and then using 15 billion gallons of gas. Hmmm....

Every item you use takes energy to get the raw materials, create, transport and dispose of.  By eliminating just a few things that you can do with out you can see what the potential impacts might be!

So who are you?

Us?  Naked Binder believes the products you use should be better designed to last, inspire and do better in the world and the workplace. We make recycled 100% post consumer waste 3-ring binders, folders and tab sets that last longer, look better and have a much smaller impact on the planet. 

We are a part of 1% for the Planet, donating a part of our sales to saving and creating wilderness and open spaces.

 

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June 25, 2010
Written By: Ken

We all get cought up in the minutia of our lives - lists, deadlines, rushing, stressing. Remembering that these things are NOT our lives is the hard part.  Developing the skills to see these for what they are is important for mental and physical health.

Naked Binder has been getting caught up in the stress, the crazieness and the worry also.  Yesterday, was an eye opener when we all realized that we were fueling the same unhealthy and not very productive stress.

So here is our advice to you.  Deep Breath. Go outside.  It doesn't matter if it is raining, or sunny (it may matter if there is a tornado warning).  Once your brain has slowed down a bit, then you can take a moment to go over those lists for what is really important and find smarter ways of doing the things you need to do.

While not everything can be solved by calming down and rethinking what we are doing and how, it allows you to be smarter about what needs to be done and when. 

Remember why you do the things you are doing.

And take a deep breath.

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June 11, 2010
Written By: Ken

In the mindset of  #followfriday on twitter where people shout out about people they think are great, we at Naked Binder would like to give a shout to groups we think are doing amazing work for you and the environment.

Leave No Trace - For everyone who has carried 20 pounds of other peoples trash out of the mountains and especially for those new to the back country, Leave No Trace has a clear and beautiful message. An educational and community reasource they teach  how to Plan Ahead and Prepare, Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces,  Dispose of Waste Properly , Leave What You Find, Minimize Campfire Impacts, Respect Wildlife, Be Considerate of Other Visitors. 

Your mother if she was John Muir.  If you are new to the back country or just want to know a whole lot more - check them out.

 

Rainforest Action Network - Rainforest Action Network campaigns for the forests, their inhabitants and the natural systems that sustain life by transforming the global marketplace through education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent direct action. Protecting forests, tracking corporate responsibility addressing global warming and more RAN is super active.  Your rainforests are not forever unless you do something about them.

 

 

 

Surfrider Foundation - Not just for surfers, Surfrider Foundation protects our beach access, clean water, protects special areas and works on beach preservation.  Every tried to find access to the beaches in certain areas of California? Oddly impossible and yet the beaches are not private property.  They are in parts of New England. Surfrider advocates for free, low impact access to beaches and waves for everyone.

 

 

Follow them, support them, celebrate them.  These people are working so you can get out and do the things you love easily and in beautiful places.

Much love,

The Naked Binder Team.

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May 3, 2010
Written By: Ken

I know a lot fo people are worried about the wildlife dealing with the oil spill.  A lot of organizations are mobilizing to help.

If you're interested in making donations to help with Gulf Coast wildlife, here is a list to make searching for organizations a little easier.

 

Mobile BayKeeper: http://www.mobilebaykeeper.org/support-join/donate
 
National Audubon Society:https://loon.audubon.org/payment/donate/OILSPILL10.html
 
Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana: http://www.crcl.org/getinvolved.html
 
TriState Bird Rescue and Research: http://www.tristatebird.org/donations
 
Alabama Coastal Foundation: http://www.joinacf.org/
 
Pascagoula River Audubon Society: http://pascagoulariver.audubon.org/
 
Mobile Bay Estuary Program: http://www.mobilebaynep.com/
 
National Wildlife Federation:  http://www.nwf.org/
 
Southeastern Wildlife Conservation Group:                http://www.southeasternwildlifeconservation.org/alabama_beach_mouse.htm
 
Louisiana Department of Environment Quality: http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/portal/
 
Nature Conservancy: http://www.nature.org/
 
US Fish & Wildlife Service: http://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/2010/r10-004.html

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October 20, 2009
Written By: Naked Binder Admin

Naked Binder says over and over that we don't use plastics or vinyl. The reasons are many, but here is one. Plastic does not disappear.  It degrades into smaller and smaller pieces which are then eaten by fish and birds.  Unfortunately, there is no nutritional value in them and so they merely harm the birds/fish which get eaten by other animal/birds/fish.

These pieces will kill the animal that ate them, and then go right back out and do it again.  they do not disapear at a rate that makes any sense.

Chris Jordan has been photographing the huge mess that is the Pacific Gyre - the immense patch of garbage floating in the Pacific ocean. He provides unstaged, untouched proof of the damage to birds in his photos.  These are baby albatross who have eaten a whole lot of plastic pieces and died.

These problems are not limited to Midway where he is photographing, but are everywhere.  Every step you take to eliminate the use of disposable, plastic items helps. And when you do get rid of them - recycle. Keep them contained in the system. We all recognize the benefits of plastics, but it is time we recognize the harm it does also.

 

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August 18, 2009
Written By: ken

Many people ask why I moved to Iowa to help start Naked Binder. In this case a picture is a better answer.

Last week a friend and I hopped over the Lamark Col in California's Sierra Crest over to the Darwin lakes.  I didnt take this photo (we both forgot cameras) but you get an idea of the beauty. This is from the col at about 12,880 feet.

We saw marmots, pica, deer, golden trout, frogs, many different birds and not a lot of people.  We did descend into the Evolution Basin, which is more crowded, but spectacular.  We trotted up to Lake Wanda (which somehow in my head I had renamed Muriel and still prefer) and back up to the Darwin basin and then out over the Lamark Col again.

So what does this have to do with moving to Des Moines, Iowa away from these mountains? 

One of the first things I helped institute, even before the business was open was joining the 1% for the planet. Naked Binder donates at least 1% of its sales to preserving wilderness area, wild areas and restoring areas that have been damaged.

Naked Binder is designed to stay out of landfills, use only recycled paper, and be 100% recyclable - agian helping preserve our resources and put less pressure on the wild places. I work everyday to try to keep us on track - clean green and better.

So why?  Wild areas give us focus.  Here you carry what you need, you walk where you want to go and live quietly on the planet.  The icy water you dive into wakes you up and clears your head. The silence you hear quiets the jumbled thoughts in your head.  The exercise you get stimulates your mind and body, and the proximity to bears, rock fall and ever changing weather put you firmly back into the food chain - keeping you thinking and humble.

To help preserve, conserve and rebuild such areas is a Quixotic quest, but one worth doing. Even if it means being away from my favorite haunts.  Naked Binder is possibly the best 3-ring binder on the market - strong, handsome and recycled - but on top of that, it is helping eliminate toxins and waste while protecting our most precious wilderness.

 

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August 6, 2009
Written By: Ken

I don't remember who said that you need to get out in the wilderness to give a sense of perspective on life.  I no longer care, really.

I'm on my way.  First to visit some friends, then 4 days in the back country of the Sierra Mountains in California.  I have spent a lot of time out there, but I am going a new area and looking forward to granite landscapes and shooting stars.

For those of you who are starting to feel discontected from the natural world, I just want to say, take the big step and get out of town.  Sit in a prairie, walk in the desert or hike in the hills. The double sense of smallness and fitting in to the greater puzzle will help put your life back in focus.

At the very least, you will get a walk, and into a new place.

I'll post pictures when I get back. Take care in your lives.

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July 1, 2009
Written By: Ken

While there are a few people denying climate change (there are also a few flat earth people out there too), it seems that the vast concensus among those who actually know is that we need to do something now. As people argue and argue, only slow progress is happening.

On a personal level, I know a lot of people conserving, recycling, using less, growing more - generally doing all the right things.  I believe this will help - the biggest change is in personal habits.

As a guy who runs a business, I understand that change is hard in a set culture, but the businesses need to lead the way - offering solutions rather than stay the course and hope for the best.  Naked Binder is a small company pushing hard for corporate accountability. Corporate habits are hard to break, but the possibilities are amazing.  We can use less water, energy, materials and create a better product. We can educate, help schools, donate to fundraisers and protecting wildlife. Business needs to get out of the comfort zone and start to lead the way in creating sustainable future.

Go get inspired, help prod your government and the businesses you buy from to become more sustainable now.  We can't wait forever.

 

 

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February 23, 2009
Written By: Naked Binder Admin

There is a new satellite tracking carbon creators and "sinks", areas that absorb carbon to see what is affecting both.  Apparently, some years, some of the excess is absorbed, some years none is.  No one knows why.  With luck, the new satellite will give us some clues.

Another way to zoom around looking at Carbon Dioxide has also come online.  I admit to liking Google Earth remember the Prado post?), so this should be no surprise to you. Want to check out you city, county, country by carbon dioxide emissions?  Zoom around the U.S., checking in on per capita v. overall emissions thanks to the folks at Perdue University and Google Earth.  I would like to see this expanded to the whole world eventually, but it is an interesting look at who is producing what where.

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February 10, 2009
Written By: Naked Binder Admin

A bit off topic for this blog, but pretty interesting nonetheless.  I was reading in the NYTimes that the quake in China which killed 80,000 people (80,000!) may have been triggered by the huge  reservoir built four years earlier.

The reservoir which held 320 Million gallons of water was located very close to a major faultline.  The theory is that the weight of the water might have triggered the quake.  The scientists seems to admit that the quake would have happened anyway probably at a later date but huge ammount of water can speed things up.

It seems this isn't a unknown thing. And I quote, “The earthquake research community outside and inside China has widely accepted the notion that the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake was a huge natural disaster caused by massive crustal movement, because no reservoir triggered-quake with a magnitude eight has ever occurred in history,” said Pan Jiazheng. And also," the best known example was a 1967 earthquake triggered by the Koyna Dam in a remote area of India, with a magnitude of about 6.5 and a death toll of about 180 people"

I lived in CA for 23 years, and there are reservoirs, cities and a lot of things built on fault lines - it is almost impossible to miss them.  The scariest thing was the proposed nuclear power plant which got quashed, but keeps poping up.  Think what fun that would be...  All of this does push me farther in my belief that we need to live more lightly on the planet. - both literally and figuratively. 

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February 3, 2009
Written By: ken

There are hundreds of definitions of sustainability and sustainable development, but the best known is the one first coined by the United Nation's World Commission on Environment and Development. It suggests that development is sustainable where it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

It is time people starting taking a longer view of the world again.  The current economic meltdown happened, much like the S&L debacle and numerous other 'crisis', because, it seems to me, of the idea that if a person has enough short term gain, that person will be fine for the future. And the rest? ...

Naked Binder is working to develop our products with an eye to the future.  Using only post consumer waste (and recycling the manufacturing waste), trying to eliminate travel, extra steps in creation and toxins, we are working to create a product that will not harm the planet.  This is, by definition, almost impossible, but is a goal worth striving for.  Each Naked Binder that replaces a vinyl binder is a step toward a better, cleaner planet for our children with less toxins in the air and earth, less landfill.

We are looking at the future to decide how to run our business today. It is our idea that the needs of the future include open, wild spaces teaming with life. I would like my child to have the opportunity to hike into the wilderness and not see a person for days at a time, but rather bears, coyote, amazing birds, marmots, tiny flowers, amazing views. 

For Naked Binder, sustainable leaves the wonder in the planet.

I will sing the praises
Of this exalted to peak
As long as I have breath.

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November 20, 2008
Written By: ken

Take a little walk through your life to see how much footprint you really do leave.  I thought I was reasonably green - but according to this - I have to do a lot better. 

This is a fun animated version of the carbon footprint tests I have seen before.  How accurate is it?  I have no idea.  But it does make you think a bit and that is the point.

Go to earthday.net's footprint and try it for yourself.

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November 14, 2008
Written By: ken

This one is a direct steal from Inhabitat.

A company called ADDI Concepts has created concept products from protecting endangered species to bring attention to Global Warming and the extinction of the animals. Taking the concept of animal preservation literally they have developed a life preserver for polar bears and a bullet proof vest for Bengal tigers.

It is a serious issue, folks, and the planet is changing at an alarming rate.  Cutting down on your part of the emissions and pushing to get your government, city, neighborhood, friends self involved and active in searching out ways to take action is key.  Even reprinting other peoples really smart take on it to reach more people is a start.

We will keep posting ways to help.
 

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November 7, 2008
Written By: ken

According to the BBC and researchers from two Scottish Universities, living near even small parks in cities can lower your chance of strokes and heart disease.

The report in the Lancet, states that generally, people in poorer areas are more likely to be unhealthy and die younger for many reasons.  But living near open spaces or parks helps reduce the health gap no matter what your income.  The more greenery, the healthier the people.

Why? you ask.

"The change was particularly clear in areas such as heart disease and stroke, supporting the idea that the presence of green spaces encourages people to be more active.

However, the researchers, Dr Richard Mitchell from Glasgow University, and Dr Frank Popham, from the University of St Andrews, said that other studies had suggested that contact with green spaces also helped reduce blood pressure and stress levels, perhaps even promoting faster healing after surgery.

They wrote: "The implications of this study are clear - environments that promote good health might be crucial in the fight to reduce health inequalities."

For those of us who have long sought out open spaces, this makes sense, but hopefully it will encourage cities to create more space for people and fund them (park budgets are being slashed across the country).

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