Posts tagged "green"

Do right by Mother Nature as well as have a stylin' pooch with Dublin Dog eco-Lucks collars and leashes. Each eco-Lucks collar is made from one and a half recycled plastic water bottles; each leash is made from two and a half recycled water bottles. The ink is water based and ecofriendly, and all products are made in the USA. Win, win, win!

And speaking of winning -- this week, one lucky Paw Nation reader will win the Dublin Dog eco-Lucks leash and collar in his or her choice of size (collars come in small, medium and large) and color/design (there are 11 from which to choose).

And the giveaway doesn't end there. The winner will also receive Dublin Dog's new ecominded dog toy, the Roxxter. Made from dog-safe, recyclable materials and available in three colors, the Roxxter is vanilla scented and, in addition to a treat chamber, has a counter-weighted roll to keep your furry friend fully engaged.

To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us how often you walk your dog.

The comment must be left before 5 p.m. EST on Fri., Feb. 11, 2011.

You may enter only once.

One winner will be selected in a random drawing.

One winner will receive a Dublin Dog eco-Lucks collar and leash in choice of size and color, as well as a Roxxter toy in choice of color (valued at up to $66.95).

Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.

Click here for complete official rules. Winner will be notified by e-mail, so be sure to provide a valid e-mail address.

Cats might be a little mysterious from time to time, but there's one thing we know they love -- a place of their own to scratch and stretch and sleep. And we love when that special place also looks cool, since it's generally somewhere in the middle of our space.

Imperial Cat Scratch 'n Shapes scratchers are interesting to look at, coming in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and colors. Composed entirely of recycled materials, they're ecofriendly and they even come with a baggie of organic catnip.

And this week, one lucky Paw Nation reader will win the Vogue Imperial Cat Scratcher for his or her feline friend -- as you can see in the picture, this is a fun 2-in-1 nesting scratcher!

To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us about the strangest place your cat likes to curl up.

The comment must be left before 5 p.m. ET on Friday, December 17, 2010.

You may enter only once.

One winner will be selected in a random drawing.

One winner will receive an Imperial Cat Vogue Scratcher (valued at $48.95).

Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.

Click here for complete official rules. Winner will be notified by e-mail, so be sure to provide a valid address.

Shelters are the true salvation of many homeless and abused animals. More and more of these facilities are going green to improve the environment, as well as the health of their animals, staff and guests.

Eco Shelters
Here are a few of the rescue organizations that are leading the way.

Dallas, Texas: The city of Dallas opened its eco-friendly animal shelter in 2007. The kennel area sports a ventilation system that minimizes disease and odors by drawing clean air from outdoors. Glass windows let in natural light to cut down on electricity costs. And a waste-water-filtering system reclaims water for kennel wash-downs, the Dallas News reported. The $16.3-million shelter has twice as much space for animals as the city's old shelter.

Middletown, R.I.: The Potter League for Animals was the first animal shelter in the United States to earn a Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Gold rating for its energy-efficient facility that opened in 2008. But the Potter League isn't hugging trees at the expense of the pets. Last year, the shelter found adoptive homes for 91 percent of the animals it took in.

Patricia Heller, Director of Development and Outreach at Potter League tells Paw Nation, "One of the biggest benefits to the Potter League's new 'green' shelter is that green buildings are designed to be healthy places for both people and animals. And our green building is a far healthier place for homeless animals. They've seen a reduction in disease in their animals, thanks to their efficient ventilation system and other stress-reducing improvements such as soundproofing and increased natural light.

Milpitas, Calif.: In 2009, Humane Society Silicon Valley opened its sparkling new Animal Community Center, where cats, dogs, rabbits, and other creatures live in sunny, cage-free spaces. With solar panels, a reflective "cool roof," and water-saving synthetic turf in the outdoor dog runs, the shelter is scoring points for pets and the planet.

Laura Fulda, VP, Marketing and Communications for HSSV tells Paw Nation that one of the biggest changes they've noticed is a major reduction in upper respiratory infection in their cats. "Before, there were 30–40 cats in one room. If one of them got sick, they all did," she says. "Now, we have maybe three cats in the sick room at a time." And while they haven't done any scientific studies on this, she says they can see their animals feel better and are happier due to the 100 percent air exchange and natural light, not to mention the soundproof condos for the cats and areas for walks and playtime for the dogs.

Dogs might have a larger eco-footprint than an SUV, but that doesn't mean you can't take measures here and there to reduce your environmental impact. One possible step to greener dog ownership is walking your pooch with an upcyled leash, like those offered by Krebs Recycle.

Krebs Recycle offers dog leashes made of pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled nylon climbing rope. Presumably, if it's strong enough to hold a 250-pound man climbing a mountain, it's strong enough to hold your golden retriever. The rope remains in its original form, eliminating the need for any carbon-intensive processes, and nothing goes to the landfill.

This family-owned company washes ropes from gyms, rope manufacturers and guide services, cuts them to one of the three lengths (the 6-foot "Reggie," 4-foot "Ruby," and 2-foot "Heeler"), then sews them into leashes.

I sampled the Reggie and Heeler leashes, and was very impressed. For one thing, they're cool. I haven't seen anybody else carrying anything similar at my dog park. And even though I like the bright colors, the rope looks rugged and tough, so my husband prefers carrying this leash to anything else hanging on our wall.

The Heeler is perfect for training the foster dogs that come through my home, while the six-foot length is perfect for leisurely strolls with my constantly curious Lab mix. She can sniff to her heart's content without dragging me off the path. And at just $14, $15 and $16 each, it won't break your pocketbook to buy a couple of lengths!

It's not often that being a responsible pet owner is profitable, but some dog owners in Ithaca, N.Y. have found a way to make that happen (and clean up their dog park in the process).

The Tompkins County Dog Owner Group has teamed up with Cayuga Compost to find a useful solution for all the poo left behind in the city's dog park, reports the Associated Press. Considering some 50,000 dogs visit the park throughout the year (leaving about 1,000 pounds of waste monthly), it only made sense that the group not only wanted to find the best way to rid the park of the waste, but make money doing it.

Leon Kochian, a spokesman for TC DOG (the not-for-profit volunteer group involved in funding the project), biology professor at Cornell University and owner of a yellow Labrador retriever, told the Associated Press, "There was a large Dumpster at the park, and it was just always overflowing with plastic bags of dog poop. The amount was unbelievable."

So sure, it makes sense to compost the doggy doo. But why hasn't this been done before? The Associated Press reports that, according to an assistant program director for the U.S. Composting Council, dog and cat waste isn't suitable to use for vegetable gardens and topsoil because of parasites and pathogens.