Month: March 2017

Sustainable break room options in Arlington VA

Sustainable Options in Arlington, VA

by

Sustainable break room options in Arlington VA

In 2017, there are many different ways to practice sustainable living at home. Individuals often use less water, think twice about who they are purchasing goods from, and reuse as many things as possible. Recycling at home also falls under the sustainable living umbrella, and is a relatively easy thing to do. Most communities offer their residents different ways to recycle paper, plastics, metals and used electronics, and many individuals actively use those resources.

Recycling

Recycling at home is an easy way to contribute to creating an environmentally sustainable community. However, if you were at an Arlington, VA local park, it wouldn’t be so easy as your recycling options would be extremely limited. Keep America Beautiful (KAB), a nonprofit organization that educates and encourages individuals to take care of their local environment, found that “only 12 percent of surveyed public locations had recycling infrastructure in place to recover the containers.”

KAB and the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) have developed a partnership that offers grants to local governments and community organizations to help them purchase new recycling bins. In its fifth year, the program has awarded 3,400 recycling bins to organizations in 38 states. Vicki Draughn, vice president of corporate affairs for DPS, explained that “providing choices and options is central to our commitment to our consumers. That not only means making and selling a wide range of the brands they love but also increasing the convenient recycling options available to them in their favorite parks and community spaces.”

Placing additional recycling bins in public spaces such as parks, stadiums, airports, building lobbies and office break rooms is a great way to keep building sustainable communities in Arlington, VA.

Energy

Sustainable break room options in Arlington VAA different, but just as important, approach to reducing the use of important resources is to consider different ways to decrease energy consumption, especially in the office environment. Reevaluating the different types of equipment and appliances, such as computer monitors, copy machines, and vending machines, from an energy usage point-of-view will provide a more complete picture of the cost of each item. Choosing equipment that meets Energy Star ratings will not only lower electricity costs over the life of the machine, but it will also use less energy. That’s a plus for both the company’s bottom-line and the environment.

Another way to decrease energy usage is to determine which type of light bulbs are currently being used. Switching away from incandescent and fluorescent bulbs to light-emitting diode (LED) light bulbs will not only decrease energy consumption but will also likely decrease energy costs. Unlike most lighting features that turn off when not in use, lighting in vending equipment remains on. Compared to other types of light bulbs in vending machines, LED light bulbs emit light in a specific direction without substantial loss of light, and emit less overall heat—two positive features. The U.S. Department of Energy states that “today’s LED bulbs can be six-seven times more energy efficient than conventional incandescent lights and cut energy use by more than 80 percent.” Regardless of how you look at it, that’s a positive impact.

Whether you offer your Arlington, VA employees recycling bins throughout the office, or healthy snacks and beverages from Energy Star vending machines in the break room, your organization is helping to create a more sustainable community. To learn more about our state-of-the-art vending equipment and product offerings, contact SunDun Office Refreshments at 800.466.2731.

Healthy Ingredients in McLean, VA

Tools for Better Health in McLean, VA

by

Healthy Ingredients in McLean, VA

What are the ingredients in your favorite vending machine snack or beverage? Do you know? If you do, you belong to a growing group of consumers who not only know which ingredients are in their food but also know the number of ingredients. According to Andrew Mandyz, Director of Strategic Insights at Nielsen, “There’s a shift in how people are thinking about ‘better for you.’ People are looking for back-to-basics, simpler ingredients.”

Ingredient Labels

Seeing the recipe for your snack or beverage would be the best way to learn about what is in it, and how much of each thing was used. But since that is rarely an option, there is another way for McLean, VA consumers to learn about what is in their food and drink—by reading ingredient labels. Ingredients are listed in a very specific order. The largest ingredient is listed first, followed by each ingredient until the smallest ingredient. For example, a ready-to-drink cold tea that lists the ingredients tea (water, tea), sugar, and lemon is letting the consumer know that there is more tea than sugar, and more sugar than lemon in the beverage. Nielsen found that “about 61 percent [of consumers] said that the shorter the ingredients’ list, the healthier the product.”

Online Resources

In addition to reading ingredient labels, consumers are researching health information online. Mandzy found that the number of consumers who went online for information went from 48% in 2014 up to 68% in 2016, a 20% increase. With the large amount of health information available online, and more McLean, VA consumers using the internet, it is important to know how to determine if a website contains reliable information. Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center offers some tips:

  • Don’t search the entire Internet. Start with the Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Library [or other hospital website] or MedlinePlus.gov.
  • Evaluate commercial (“dot com”) sites carefully for bias and conflict of interest.
  • Check to see if the information is current (less than three years old).
  • Look for the credentials of the author (i.e. doctor, nurse, psychologist) to make sure the information is written by a health professional.

Healthy Ingredients in McLean, VATechnology as a Tool

Using technology to track health-related activities and numbers are also on the rise. There are apps that are worn during activities such as running or walking, ones that track the number of hours slept and the quality of sleep, ones that track what an individual has eaten and count calories, and others that track heart health or healthy habits. With so many apps available, it can be challenging to find one that meets a McLean, VA user’s needs. Harvard Health Publications recommends several things to consider when looking for the right app.

  • Have realistic expectations of the technology and watch out for unrealistic claims.
  • Read reviews. Try out a few different ones.
  • Read the fine print.
  • Ask for recommendations.
  • Look for ones “sponsored or created by established health advocacy groups, medical organizations, or universities”

Reading ingredient labels, researching health information and monitoring one’s own health-related activities are just a few of the many ways that consumers can become more knowledgeable. Sharon Allison-Ottey, MD and health educator, recently expressed that “the overall trend of a more-educated consumer is excellent” especially when it comes to a person’s diet. Which snack and beverage ingredients do your consumers want to see in their McLean, VA healthy vending machines?

Contact SunDun Office Refreshments at 800.466.2731 to learn more about our vending options.