A startup selling surfboard bags created from old billboards is perhaps the latest social enterprise to use recycled material in products. Called Rareform, the Ventura County, Cal., company was founded recently by Alec Avedissian and two fellow surfers, Ryan Judy and Sho Rust.  How Avedessian came up with the idea is quite a story. When he graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara in 2008 with a degree in economics and business, Avedessian decided to work for a fishing cooperative in El Salvador helping fishermen sell their catches. He lived and worked in a poor community and he noticed many residents used material from old billboards for roofing, because it was waterproof and mildew-proof. And he started pondering the question: Was there a product he could make using the same material back home? When he returned to LA after a year, he realized there were billboards everywhere. And then it clicked. A lifelong surfer–he says he started surfing when he was a kid–he saw the material would provide the makings of the perfect surfboard bag. Plus, because they would be made from different billboards, each would feature its own, unique design, So, he started calling up billboard companies, asking if he could have their used material. He found a lot of takers. Then came the process of figuring out to take 14 by 48 foot billboards, wash them, and turn them into bags.  Avedissian’s first attempt at finding a manufacturer was to approach a car upholsterer; the finished product, he says, wasn’t what he wanted. He went back to looking for manufacturers and, at the same time, figuring out how to improve the prototype. To that end, he added a zipper to the tip, for easier removal of surfboards, for example. “We wanted to make it eco friendly and a superior product,” he says. It took about a year to find the right manufacturer and, in fact, he ended up finding two in Ventura County. Avedissian had worked full-time as a market analyst for a renewable energy company, spending weekends and evenings on his business idea. About five months ago, he left to devote himself to his startup and, about two months ago, officially launched it. The product now is in 10 retail stores in California and also is available online at swell.com, a platform for action sports. According to Avedissian, he’s about to start working with a distributor in Australia. Sales, in fact, have been so good, he’s been able to change his financing plans. The startup was going to sign on some angel investors but it looks like “we don’t need to take anybody’s money,” he says. Ultimately, Avedissian figures that aiming at surfers has a few benefits. For one thing, many of his comrades, he says, are very aware of environmental issues. Plus, surfers tend to set styles in fashion. If he can get them to adopt his product, then that could start a wave of adoption elsewhere. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist). Surfboard bags, also, are the first step. He plans to make other products, like a backpack and tote bag already in the works. “Our goal is to make creative products that sustain the environment,” he says. Rareform certainly isn’t the only social enterprise selling products made from recycled material. One of the best known may be Terracycle, which got its start selling fertilizer from worm poop and now has all sorts of backpacks and the like created from recycled juice pouches and other used stuff. Uncommon Goods includes in its online catalog a lot of products made from recycled material. So, Rareform is in good company, so to speak.

Ayer, volviendo a mi casa de la oficina, escuchaba por la radio cómo la segunda compañía tabacalera más importante del mundo, la British American Tobacco (comercializadora de las marcas Lucky Strike y Pall mall en España) quiere aprovechar esos restos de colillas que tanto afean nuestras calles para crear abonos y papel.

Todos nosotros separamos, en mayor o menos medida, los residuos que generamos para que se puedan reciclar. Sabemos que el vidrio va por un lado, los plásticos y envases por otro, que el papel se debe tirar al contenedor azul… pero seguro lo que seguro que no sabemos es hasta qué punto las cosas que menos imaginamos pueden ser recicladas para elaborar nuevos productos.

From flirtations in the copy room to after-work drinks that lead to a walk down the aisle, office romances can be an exciting, if risky, proposition. Some bosses say they’re not worth pursuing at all. “It’s always better, if you can fall in love with someone, fall in love with someone from a different company. It’s distracting, it’s disturbing, people don’t like it, and it’s not good for a company,” Donald Trump said in a recent interview with “20/20.” Still others say that dating in the office may actually be good for business, particularly when such relationships make workers happy. “I think happy employees equal higher profitability,” said Tom Szaky, the CEO of the New Jersey-based recycling company Terracycle. “Isn’t that what every CEO is in the business of?” If you do decide to mix business with pleasure, here are some tips on how to do it while minimizing the impact on your career, from workplace author Caitlin Friedman: 1. Do take it seriously — a workplace romance can have serious consequences for your reputation. “It just makes people uncomfortable,” Friedman said. “Even if they say they are O.K. with it, they’re not.” 2. Don’t have public displays of affection. “Trust me, nobody wants to see it,” Friedman said. 3. Don’t travel for business together — it can lead to troubling questions. “Your receipts for the dinner out is questionable. How much you spent on a bottle of wine during that dinner out is questionable. You just don’t want to go there,” Friedman said. 4. Don’t talk about your relationship with your colleagues. Although from a gossip perspective, your co-workers want all of the details but no matter what you say, you will be judged. 5. Do think about who will be impacted if the relationship goes south. Are there clients you both work for? People who report to you who would feel their loyalties tested if you broke up? 6. Don’t change your public persona when your partner is in the room, especially during meetings. Everyone will be watching your dynamic, especially in the early stages of your relationship … so try to behave consistently. For instance, don’t suddenly start agreeing with your partner if you hadn’t done so before. 7. Do check in with each other as the relationship progresses to see if it’s time to make a professional change. If you are in this for the long haul, then maybe one of you should consider looking for a new job? 8. Don’t date someone who reports directly to you. Even if it is consensual, you will be vulnerable to a sexual harassment suit. 9. Do consider keeping it secret for as long as possible. It can be really satisfying and really fun to have a relationship that is just between the two of you. 10. Don’t move too fast. Sure, you have lots in common already — you share a company and colleagues. But on an emotional level and on a personal level, you are still getting to know each other. Would you ever pursue an office romance? Tell us how you feel by voting below and watch the full story on “20/20: Workplace Confidential” Friday at 10 p.m. ET.

Durante los próximos tres meses los fumadores del edificio madrileño de Torre Espacio, donde trabajan diariamente cerca de 2.500 personas, y que ya es un emblema entre los rascacielos españoles, tomarán parte en un proyecto pionero en toda Europa de reciclado de residuos de cigarrillos. La compañíaBritish American Tobacco España, que tiene su sede corporativa en este edificio desde 2010, pone en marcha este proyecto bajo el lema 'Apaga y Recicla'.

Los desechos del tabaco son un residuo urbano que apenas se recicla. La muntinacional del reciclaje TerraCycle, junto a la tabaquera british American Tobacco, ha puesto en marcha "Apaga y Recicla".

Duurzaam ondernemen bij BIC: ‘The BIC Impact’!

Sinds de oprichting in 1950 door baron Marcel Bich heeft BIC zich altijd weten te onderscheiden door het aanbieden van inventieve, betaalbare en eenvoudige producten. Deze unieke positionering heeft ertoe geleid dat BIC, tot op de dag van vandaag, zowel Belgisch als Europees marktleider is in het segment van de schrijfwaren. Of om het in cijfers uit te drukken, élke dag worden er wereldwijd 24 miljoen BIC schrijfwaren aan de man gebracht!

Onder de naam NOT-Innovatieroute worden tijdens de NOT 2013 een drietal routes over de beursvloer uitgezet waarop exposanten hun innovaties kunnen presenteren. Deze innovatieroute is een initiatief van de Stichting NOT. Routes Op deze routes worden nieuwe ontwikkelingen onder de aandacht gebracht. Dat kan gaan om leermiddelen, en ook om hulpmiddelen die het onderwijsproces kunnen verbeteren of krachtiger ondersteunen. De nieuwste dingen, de innovaties, verdienen alle aandacht en daar wordt ook deze editie werk van gemaakt. De NOT-Innovatieroute is een krachtig instrument om innovaties een bredere bekendheid te geven. Iedere beursdag wordt er een Innovatieroute voor primair onderwijs gehouden. Publieksprijs Naast de innovatieroute zelf worden de deelnemende producten/ diensten op de website aangekondigd. De bezoekers kunnen één stem per doelgroep af geven op hun favoriete product/dienst tot en met de eerste beursdag. Het product/ de dienst met de meeste publieksstemmen is de winnaar van de Publieksprijs. De Publieksprijs zal op de tweede beursdag uitgereikt worden. De Innovatieroute voor primair onderwijs bestaat uit: 6. BIC Netherlands BV BIC&Terracycle Terracycle is een bedrijf dat recycleprogramma’s ontwikkelt voor moeilijk te recyclen producten. Het ingezamelde afval wordt er veranderd in betaalbare groene producten.BIC en Terracycle hebben de handen ineen geslagen om alle schrijfinstrumenten, ongeacht welk merk, te verzamelen en nieuw leven in te blazen. Voor alle schrijfwaren die zijn ingezameld schenken BIC en Terracycle 2 cent per gram. Vijf kilo is dus bijvoorbeeld 10 Euro waard. Dee school kan kiezen om dit bedrag zelf te gebruiken of te schenken aan een goed doel. Het programma leer kinderen om bewuster om te gaan met het milieu en duurzaamheid.

EXPERIENCIA DE CANADA.

British American Tobacco (BAT) pondrá en marcha en España el primer proyecto de reciclado de residuos de cigarrillos de Europa con el fin de que puedan ser reutilizados como materia prima en la producción de materiales y elementos que tengan una nueva vida útil, ha informado la compañía tabaquera. Así, la ceniza y los residuos de tabaco se convertirán en fertilizantes y abonos naturales para la agricultura; el papel que rodea al filtro en nuevo papel o cartón reciclado; y el filtro, en elementos plásticos de uso industrial como palés, o de uso cotidiano como carcasas de bolígrafos o nuevos embalajes.