TheCleaners.net

We only have one planet to live on, and so we've got to take care of it. Each year we celebrate Earth Day to remind us of the importance of the "Three Rs" that will result in a better planet for everyone. We've rounded up some helpful reminders for you this week, and hope you'll find inspiration to do what you can to Reduce, Re-use and Recycle.

You may not realize how much drycleaners do to protect the planet. Our industry has dedicated itself to the concept of safe cleaning for decades. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you in this way.

See you soon!
Jim Nixon

PS: The "official" date of Earth Day is April 22nd.

Roll Up Your Sleeves COUPON!

Since we're encouraging you to roll up your sleeves and make a difference for the environment, we'd better help you get cleaned up afterward. This week, have $10 in regular drycleaning done, and we'll launder and professionally finish a shirt at no charge. (Include first page of this newsletter with your order. Offer expires 4/23/05. Cannot be combined with other offers.)

Reduce = Use Less!

The great thing about making a commitment to the first of the "Three Rs" of environmental action -- Reduce, Re-use, Recycle -- is that reducing your use of things almost always results in direct savings to you. Who doesn't want to save money? Often what looks like a small savings in materials or energy becomes a substantial savings when practiced over and over again.

Reducing strategies:

Use less electricity.

• These days, you can have lights on and still be saving, by replacing bulbs in often-used lamps with the curly-looking fluorescent ones available. They cost a bit more to buy, but save you money on electricity along the way.
• When replacing appliances, really read those energy consumption tags and take them to heart. Go for the most energy-efficient you can get.
• Run full loads of laundry, rather than partial loads, and consider air-drying on a line outside. The wonderful smell of sun dried clothes is a nice benefit, too!
• Turn down the temperature on your hot water heater. It should be no higher than 140 degrees for safety sake, but can be even lower and still give water hot enough for your taste. If it doesn't have to keep the water so hot, it saves energy

Reduce water consumption

• Purchase low-flow shower heads to conserve water.
• When replacing toilets, get those with smaller tanks. This is a big savings, because every flush empties the entire tank no matter what its size.
• Put sprinklers on timers for automatic shut-off, and go with low-water-usage landscaping.
• Don't let water run -- whether you're brushing your teeth, doing dishes, washing your car. Turn it on when you need it, then shut it OFF.

Save gasoline

• As gas prices climb, we're all eager to use less. Combine errands to reduce the number of trips you make.
• Ride with friends when possible -- it's more fun, and saves gas.
• Only run your gasoline-powered equipment when necessary. If the grass can wait a few more days, do it and stretch out the gas you put in the mower.
• Aim to save at least a gallon of gas a week. Depending on your car mileage, that's 20-40 miles saved (which is also a savings on wear and tear of your auto.) With gas at $2.50 per gallon, in a year you'll keep an additional $130. And once you begin to conserve, you'll make a habit of it and probably save much more.

Learn More Online: Drought-Buster Recycling Tips -- learn from the Australians, who've battled the water conservation issue for years.

Re-Use = Use Again!

In "the good old days" before we had a WalMart on every corner and abundance of things at our fingertips, people re-used and repurposed things out of necessity, and took pride in doing so. It's again fashionable to re-use whatever possible for the sake of the environment. It's also a great way to save money and have some fun, too.

Re-Use Ideas

• Donate used clothing. Twice a year, go through your closet and drawers and weed out what you'll not wear again. Donate to charity and get a tax write-off next year!
• Yard Sales Rule! Hold or participate in a neighborhood yard sale at least once a year. It's a great way to keep clutter to a minimum, keep items moving to others who can use them. Making a little extra cash is fun, and getting a bargain at someone else's yard sale is delightful.
• Repurpose furniture, rather than discarding and getting new items. You can find great ideas for how to do this creatively and effectively by watching shows on TV like Merge (Lifetime channel) or those on Home and Garden TV (HGTV).
• Hold onto packing materials. Items like cardboard boxes, styrofoam, "peanuts", grocery bags and other packaging materials can all be reused in a variety of ways.

Learn More Online: Lots of tips for reusing and repurposing!
                                   Pioneer Thinking -- tips for reusing just about anything!

Recycle = Reclaim materials for remanufacturing

You almost can't go anywhere today without spotting a recycling bin or collection point. This means there's no excuse for being wasteful. It only takes an extra moment to rinse out a can or bottle, or bundle up some papers and put them intoyour recycling can.

Items to Recycle:

• Newspaper
• Office/home office paper
• Metal (cans or other items)
• Glass
• Plastics (stamped #1 or #2)
• Cardboard
• Automobile batteries
• Cell phone batteries
• Junk mail (hurrah!)
• Laser/Inkprinter cartridges
• Computers
• Eyeglasses

Learn more: The World's Shortest Comprehensive Recycling Guide -- it's all on one page for easy posting on the refrigerator or in the garage.

Drycleaners and the Three Rs

What We're Doing

The drycleaning industry has been actively recycling and working for environmental improvement since long before the first Earth Day was declared.  Getting your clothes clean is important to us, but not at the expense of the world we all live in.  We live here too; we have families; we live in your community; we breathe the same air and drink the same water.  We're as concerned as you are.

That's why...

• Our equipment recycles the drycleaning solvent that is used to clean your garments.  We distill out impurities and recover the clear, clean solvent for reuse over and over again.  In fact, drycleaning machines have improved in this area by over 90% efficiency in the past few decades!
• Our industry is studying and experimenting with many different technologies that will continue to make cleaning your clothes more environmentally friendly all the time.
• We recycle anything we can -- hangers, used polyethylene garment bags, even clothes.  Some people never return to pick up their clothes, and we contact organizations that can redistribute them to needy people.

We're proud to do our part, and we thank you
for all you are doing, too.