About Us - Green
When I started my first business I was what you’d call "green"! No, not the same type of green we are talking about
now, almost 20 years later! Wow, how things have changed and how much I’ve learned. When I first opened that business
I did what was easiest and cheapest, I bought the shampoo on sale, bought cheap scissors, and didn’t think about the
environment at all.
After years of being in this business I’ve learned so much. I have gone to classes, seminars, networking meetings.
I do whatever I can to gain knowledge and this time I was going to start this business right. One way I decided on
going green and keeping the environment in mind was how much flooring I was going to need – A LOT! So I investigated
what would work for daycare and grooming and as you may have guessed there aren’t that many choices. Instead of going
with a new commercial tile floor I decided on rubber flooring made from recycled tires.
Twenty years ago, most used tires sat in landfills. Obviously this was not the best situation since tires have a
degradation period estimated to be in the thousands of years and could lead to environmentally devastating landfill
fires. I have heard many estimates about the amount of tires once stored in landfills but the general consensus was
that there were around one billion tires in landfills at one point in time. Today there are around 250 million. That’s
Progress!
Now those tires were not all used for flooring but were also used to make rubberized asphalt concrete for roads,
anti slip mats for the shipping industry, synthetic turf infill, and even as a fuel derivative by pulp and
paper mills – you learn something new everyday! Nonetheless, recycled rubber flooring is an excellent outlet
for those used tires and can help to save the environment one tire at a time.
Advantages of reclaiming and recovering rubber
Rubber recovery can be a difficult process. There are many reasons, however, why rubber should be reclaimed or recovered:
- Recovered rubber can cost half that of natural or synthetic rubber.
- Recovered rubber has some properties that are better than those of virgin rubber.
- Producing rubber from reclaim requires less energy in the total production process than does virgin material.
- It is an excellent way to dispose of unwanted rubber products, which is often difficult.
- It conserves non-renewable petroleum products, which are used to produce synthetic rubbers.
- Recycling activities can generate work in developing countries.
- Many useful products are derived from reused tires and other rubber products.
- If tires are incinerated to reclaim embodied energy then they can yield substantial quantities of useful power. In Australia, some cement factories use waste tires as a fuel source.
- Whether rubber tires are reused, reprocessed or hand crafted into new products, the end result is that there is less waste and less environmental degradation as a result.
The flooring I chose is from RB Rubber. The Rubber flooring provides a durable, resilient surface for dog play, agility
practice or competition while allowing easy
clean up for accidents. Anti-fatigue qualities reduce the amount of stress on the dog's joints, back and muscles as well
as protecting the joints of their human caretakers. Using rubber flooring gives added traction, joint protection and shock
absorption to the dogs while running and jumping. Animals and humans alike have benefited from RB Rubber's resilient
matting since 1985. The mats have been used by top trainers for dog agility practice centers and competitive arenas.
RB Rubber Matting is the recommended flooring for Doggy Daycares by the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals (SFSPCA) for use in the "Play Room" and obedience training rooms.
Other Green notables:
We NEVER use flea dips or pesticide shampoos! These are toxic to us and your dog and there is no need for them!
We only use all natural shampoos and conditioners. These products cost much more but it’s worth it!
Speaking of GREENies, you may have noticed that the dental chew greenies has changed a little. They have changed
their formula to break up easier. Now if you leave one in a glass of water overnight it will break up. The old ones
didn’t do that and dogs had problems with them and obstructions. So this is good news! Still not something I use with
my dogs, but maybe once in a while now that they’ve changed them!
Another way we’ve gone green was to use as many recycled products for decorating as possible. Almost all of our
decorations, paint, etc., was bought 2nd hand at places such as consignment shops. Instead of going out and buying
new items, we got creative! You’d never guess that’s what we did, but most of the items hanging on our walls are recycled!
We also use all natural products that do not harm the environment, people or dogs, and we will be using a bathing
system that recycles water!
We will always try to keep you, your pets, and our environment in mind when choosing products! If you have any
questions please let us know!
|
