The bag blog is an open exchange of ideas on sustainable packaging, green initiatives and the earth in general. Pull up a chair, have a read and have a say.
You’ve probably heard that familiar adage that the only constant in today’s world is change. In many ways, life is all about change. Adapting what’s old and improving with what’s new. Keeping things fresh to avoid becoming the “there” or “that” of “been there, done that.”
For the record, we’re not talking about Lady Gaga’s existential transformation of the week, or Katy Perry’s hair color du jour.
Instead, we’re talking about good, old fashioned, (AND new fangled) renovation and renewal. Building upon what’s already great to make it even better. Like getting the world’s best haircut: one that’s not hugely noticeable at first, and succeeds in making you look so much more like…well, yourself. Only better.
Like taking a cereal bag and making it stand on its own, without that clunky box. Like implementing award-winning lighting renovation to create a lighter and brighter workplace. Like investing to build and expand our high tech “kitchens.”
That’s the kind of change that the Malt-O-Meal Company is all about. Taking the serial out of cereal: challenging the status quo to make things better. So we’re taking it one step further, and changing our name.
MOM Brands brings Malt-O-Meal brand cereals together with our whole house of brands under one name. While our company name is changing, our cereals are staying the same. You can find all your favorite bagged cereal brands in the same spot in stores, and online.
Watch the video, check out our new website, and let us know what YOU think. Have you ever made a change to become even more “you”?
Happy Presidents Day weekend, everyone. Monday also marks George Washington’s birthday (he’d be 280), who, legend holds, chopped down his dad’s cherry tree. While that’s not a very earth-friendly move, US presidents throughout history have been great stewards of the earth…some moreso than others.
In honor of this Monday’s holiday, let’s take a look at some of the eco-friendliest presidents in history:
1. Teddy Roosevelt: This particular president is often the first who comes to mind when it comes to being the planet’s pal. Conservation efforts were a foundation of his presidential policy, and he made great strides to protect all our natural resources. This president founded the National Wildlife Refuge System. Many people also attribute Teddy Roosevelt for creation of our National Park Service, however, this was actually a different president. Which brings us to…
2. Woodrow Wilson, who established the National Park Service in 1916. How many of you have enjoyed a family vacation in Yellowstone, or Yosemite? The breathtaking beauty of these and other national parks is thanks to our nation’s 28th president.
3. Franklin Delano Roosevelt: not to be outdone by a previous president with the same last name, FDR also showed a great presidential commitment to environmental awareness. He established the Civilian Conservation Corps, which was sustainable in more ways than one: it’s primary focus was creating new jobs in the wake of the Great Depression.
4. Richard Nixon: Not a very popular guy in terms of presidential history, but an important leader in national environmental policy, nonetheless. Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency and signed the Clear Air Act into law. The eco-fun doesn’t stop there: other environmental laws created during his administration include the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the Ocean Dumping Act.
5. Thomas Jefferson: Our third president is a great example of the innovation and exploration that’s so key to new developments in sustainability. After all, he’s the guy who sent Lewis and Clark on a mission to discover more about our nation’s natural abundance.
These are just a few examples of eco-forward leadership from five of our nation’s great leaders. Who do you nominate (president or otherwise) as the most inspiring environmental leader in our nation’s history?
…That’d be Green Valentines Day, a new twist on the annual love-fest that happens every February 14th.
While pink and red dominate the color spectrum right now, we’re here to add a little green (and not just the minty-flavor conversation hearts). We’ve got three great tips for our Valentines across the blogosphere for you:
1: Fresh flowers can be a little bit spendy, so for those looking to impress their Valentine with a handmade gesture of love, look no further than the always adorable Tristin and Tyler who are here to show you how to make their latest “Kwik Craft!” Bonus: these flowers will NEVER wilt!
2: Still stuck on what to give that special, eco-fabulous someone? Tiny Green Mom to the rescue with this list of 5 unique green gifts for the person who makes your heart go pitter patter.
3: Flying solo this V-day? Not to worry, sustainability sweethearts. Earth911 reports that a new study from Timberland shows that going green could significantly increase your chances of snagging a date! Check it out.
You might want to sit down for this one, folks. As unbelievable as it sounds, a recent study suggests that sweets for breakfast (as part of a balanced diet) could actually lead to weight loss.
If this is true, it’s the best thing since sliced bread…that’s been made into French Toast.
Online magazine The Week published this article that outlines new research from Tel Aviv University showing that subjects of a weight loss study who were given a little bit of chocolate with their breakfast as part of a reduced calorie diet lost more weight during the study than those who had low-carb, sweet-free morning meals. One of the researchers, Daniela Jakubowicz, shares that “The group that consumed a bigger breakfast, including dessert, experienced few if any cravings for these foods later in the day.”
Our area of expertise is great tasting cereal, not scientific research or weight loss, but what a delicious prospect. A touch of sweetness within a wholesome breakfast sounds pretty good to us.
What do you think? Too good to be true? Or too tasty to be false? Weigh in! (Sorry, pun intended).
It’s time to talk about office space. Not the epic comedy movie starring Ron Livingston, but the place you spend an average of 44 hours a week.
There are a lot of helpful hints about being more green at home, and in the community, but what about at work? No worries: Eco18 blog has sustainability solutions for your office space.
There are seven tips in total and, just like a bag with no box, they’re all pretty common-sense, practical ideas. No extra elbow grease required.
While you’re greening up your cube, take a quick coffee break to check out this hilarious clip from a famous workplace: NBC’s “The Office”. Fan favorite Dwight takes eco-consciousness to a whole new level:
You already know that Malt-O-Meal makes 24 tasty varieties of cereal, but you might NOT know that all these flavors fall under one of five main types of ready-to-eat goodness.
Any guesses? “Tastiest”, “crunchiest”, “wheat-iest”, “marshmallowy” and “spoon-friendly” all come to mind, but these distinctions sound more like five of the seven dwarves from Snow White.
In fact, the five types of cereal relate to how the grains become little morsels of cereal goodness. Some cereals are made by “puffing” wheat out of a gun. (Very double-oh-seven sounding, right?) The other four types are flaked, sheeted, shredded, and direct expanded (DX).
Cool fact: Malt-O-Meal is the only cereal company to make all five types! As you’re all cereal experts in the making, we thought we’d give you a “behind the cereal” peek at each type:
Puffed: No magic dragons here, kids. Just crispy, light bursts of wheat. Like Golden Puffs, for instance!
Flaked: No, this cereal isn’t like some reality TV stars, it’s literally flakey in an awesome way. This cereal is made by cooking the finely-ground grains under high pressure, breaking into flakey pieces, the running them through a drier. Check out Frosted Flakes for an example of this cereal science in your bowl.
Sheeted: Just like it sounds, these cereals are baked on sheets. Not the kind that are impossible to fold in your linen closet, but the cookie-baking kind! Speaking of tasty baked treats (with a wholesome breakfast twist): Cinnamon Toasters are a sheeted favorite!
Shredded: What do secret memoes, snowboarding paths, and Mini Spooners have in common? They’re all shredded, of course! Malt-O-Meal’s shredded technology is a cut-above: ours have twelve layers of crunchy wheat.
Direct Expanded (DX): Sounds complicated. Good news: it’s not! The uncooked cereal mixture is pushed through a hole at high temperature, and then dried. Presto! Berry Colossal Crunch is born.
Do you have any behind-the-scenes questions about cereal? Let us know what you’d like to see in the next installment of “Behind The Cereal”!
Last April, we put on the Greenest Classroom Contest as an ongoing Earth Month party of sorts. And you, our fantastic community, nominating so many awesome classrooms that we’re STILL inspired, almost ten months later!
Their entry proposal outlined plans to expand a school-wide garden that doubles as an outdoor classroom. They also created re-usable worksheets for students.
The fun has not stopped there, however! Titan Gardens has a great blog, which allows community supporters (which we’re thrilled includes Bag TheBox!) to follow along with their events and accomplishments. Check it out!
Did you nominate a classroom last April? Are you a member of one of the winning groups? Let us know what you’ve been up to, we’d love to feature your efforts on an upcoming blog post!
Today’s post is contributed by our eco-fabulous friend, Tom Szaky; founder and CEO of TerraCycle. Check out Tom’s roster of environmental all-stars–those who inspire him as an environmentally focused entrepreneur–then tell us who your sustainability heroes are!
When I started out in the environmental business, I was more “business” than environmental. As I came to realize the viability of my “worm poop” fertilizer as a mainstream product, I was fascinated by the idea of making a viable, affordable consumer product entirely from waste and finding value in what everyone else considered “trash.”
While I had the help of my friends, family and my first interns (who all worked for free), I also had the inspiration – and eventually the pleasure of working with – pioneering authors, entrepreneurs, and capitalists from a wide range of industries. I learned both business acumen and social impact from these visionaries, and they inspired me to keep pressing on with TerraCycle even when our challenges seemed insurmountable. I am excited to share some of the “giants” whose shoulders I have stood upon:
William McDonough: An architect by trade, McDonough works by the philosophy of cradle-to-cradle design, which minimizes negative environmental impact. He wrote Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things in 2002 with chemist Michael Braungart, detailing the cradle-to-cradle and upcycling concept that TerraCycle strives to embody in its processes, programs and products. Dr. McDonough even graced TerraCycle’s factory and continues to stay in touch.
Photo courtesy of DiscoverMagazine.com
Paul Hawken: Hawken is the author of two of my favorite books, Natural Capitalism and Growing a Business, and focuses on “natural capital,” which is capital gleaned from the ecosystems and the goods offered naturally by the Earth (what would be considered sustainable practices). He makes the argument that there is value in these practices and that this will truly be what sustains us. TerraCycle, is, once again, based off this idea, and I had the honor of having Paul write the foreword to my book, Revolution in a Bottle, in 2009.
Photo courtesy of TreeHugger.com
Gary Hirshberg: Gary Hirshberg former CE-Yo of Stonyfield, is a long-time friend and inspiration. When TerraCycle started upcycling food packaging in 2007. He was one of the first people I went to with the idea, and the Yogurt Brigade was born. Gary’s approach to the triple bottom line, and his dedication to socially minded business that is good for people and for the Earth sets a prime example for TerraCycle as well as other green businesses.
Photo courtesy of SierraClub.org
As TerraCycle has evolved over the years, the places from which I take inspiration and encouragement has not changed. I’ve also been inspired by the work of my peers, such as Adam Lowry, co-Founder of Method. Method runs a Brigade with us for cleaners packaging, and Adam has dedicated his skills to making gentle, eco-friendly cleaners. The way Method approaches business as a vehicle for social change, embodying this in every aspect of their work (they even use recycled plastic from the Pacific Gyre!), is an example for TerraCycle to work by and also highlights the values we strive to work for at TerraCycle. Also Seth Goldman, Founder and Tea-EO, of Honest Tea, with whom TerraCycle partners, is other great sustainable business leader, whose growth, success and commitment to social responsibility is an inspiration to all!
Who are your environmental all-stars? What can we do to support each other in recycling and sustainability?
For those of us in wintery climates, it’s a little tricky this time of year to literally stop and smell the roses. So we resort to the next best thing: indoor house plants that remind us of the verdant outdoor greenery while its hibernating under the snow and ice.
What you might not know is that in addition to putting a smile on your face, these happy house plans are also generating cleaner air to breathe! Check out this excellent run-down of plants that specifically help to detox particular pollutants from your home, courtesy of the great blog Moms Going Green.
Any tips for keeping house plants happy? Will you be adding to your indoor garden after reading this list?
Ditching the box is just the tip of Malt-O-Meal’s sustainability iceberg. You know about a lot of what we do that makes our cereals a brighter idea but here’s an example of an equally awesome “lighter” idea.
Literally, we’re talking about lighting renovation, not just the metaphorically lighter environmental impact.
Recently, Murphy Energy Systems presented Mark Suchan, Plant Manager, and Alex Fowler, Senior Project Engineer, at Malt O Meal’s Tremonton Utah facility, with an Environmental Stewardship Award in recognition of the positive environmental impact resulting from a major lighting renovation at the facility.
The project involved upgrading and retrofitting interior and exterior lighting as well as the implementation of lighting controls to dramatically reduce the energy required to light the facility while significantly improving overall light quality and quantity, resulting in a “lighter and brighter” workplace environment.
The fluorescent technology has increased light output throughout the plant by 20% to 30% on average, yet costs 60% less to operate than the previous technology.
“When we implement major energy efficiency projects such as this lighting upgrade, we are able to make a significant contribution to both our operational efficiency and our company’s commitment to proactively pursue more sustainable business practices for a better future.” said Suchan.
The savings are substantial. Over the new technology’s lifecycle Malt-O-Meal will save nearly a quarter of a million dollars in energy costs annually while removing over 3,000,000 kWh from the grid and reducing CO2 output by over 4,500,000 pounds every year. This is equivalent to planting 560 acres of trees, removing 432 cars from the road, and saving 277,994 gallons of gas each and every year.
Those are quite some savings, and just one more example of how we pursue our mission to find better ways to make better breakfasts at a better price.
Flaked: No, this cereal isn’t like some reality TV stars, it’s literally flakey in an awesome way. This cereal is made by cooking the finely-ground grains under high pressure, breaking into flakey pieces, the running them through a drier. Check out Frosted Flakes for an example of this cereal science in your bowl.
Sheeted: Just like it sounds, these cereals are baked on sheets. Not the kind that are impossible to fold in your linen closet, but the cookie-baking kind! Speaking of tasty baked treats (with a wholesome breakfast twist): Cinnamon Toasters are a sheeted favorite!
Shredded: What do secret memoes, snowboarding paths, and Mini Spooners have in common? They’re all shredded, of course! Malt-O-Meal’s shredded technology is a cut-above: ours have twelve layers of crunchy wheat.
Direct Expanded (DX): Sounds complicated. Good news: it’s not! The uncooked cereal mixture is pushed through a hole at high temperature, and then dried. Presto! Berry Colossal Crunch is born.
Do you have any behind-the-scenes questions about cereal? Let us know what you’d like to see in the next installment of “Behind The Cereal”!
