"Live Green, Give Green" is our own environmentally responsible seal of approval. Most of the products that show this seal in our catalog have been tested by a third party, verifying their greener attributes and the safer processes of their manufacture.

Similar earth-friendly seals used by many large chemical manufacturers can be very costly, ranging in fees of $750 to $5,000 per product per year, even when the exact same formula is being used under a different brand name.  The fees can really add up, making these greener products much more expensive than they need to be.

Our goal with "Live Green, Give Green" is to provide products with the strictest green standards at a competitive price and to donate a percentage of the sale of these products to a few approved "Environmental Charities" that effectively use these funds to support the environment.

For each "Live Green, Give Green" product purchased we will donate a portion of the proceeds to the following charities:

• Humane Farm Animal Care, a national non-profit 501(c)3 organization based in Herndon, Virginia created to improve the lives of farm animals by setting rigorous standards, conducting annual inspections, and certifying their humane treatment. www.certifiedhumane.org/
• The Turtle Hospital is an organization dedicated to rehabilitating and re-releasing injured sea turtles back in to the wild. www.turtlehospital.org
• The Elephant Sanctuary is a refuge in Tennessee for endangered asian and african elephants. www.elephants.com
• Wounded Warrior Project, An organization dedicated to raise awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members. www.woundedwarrior.org

"Going Green"

We at Solutex, Inc. believe that "Going Green" should not just be the current fashion "statement". We should always evaluate the impact that our actions and spending habits will have on people, our planet, and all the living organisms that inhabit it. It is a constant and evolving effort that changes with the arrival of safer and greener alternatives.

It is exciting to see that many of the technological advances and a greater public awareness have allowed "Earth Friendly" products to compete in both their productivity and price.

Solutex's approach to "Going Green" has been to examine all of the products we market and evaluate which products already meet the highest "Green Standards" established by experts within our industry and scientists working to protect the environment. We were pleasantly surprised that many of our products surpassed these standards. Other products needed a slight modification in which we substituted a safer ingredient for one that was removed.

We are also carefully adding "greener" product alternatives to fill the void where an environmentally friendly product was not previously available.

Finally, we will discontinue any product that can be replaced with a safer alternative that performs just as well and is competitively priced.

Solutex has also increased its commitment to the environment through our own reduction of paper usage, fuel consumption with smaller, yet efficient trucks, energy efficient lighting, and the recycling of paper and all cardboard packaging and boxes.

Our "Live Green, Give Green" program highlights certain products for which Solutex donates a percentage of the sales price to non-profit environmental organizations.

Our "Green in Action" products enable customers to more easily recycle their compact fluorescent bulbs and fluorescent tubes which contain mercury and should not be disposed of in a dumpster.

Things to Consider When you "Go Green"

Performance - Many "greener" products exist that can clean or perform as well as conventional products with little or no extra effort.

Cost - Although some "greener" products are more costly than others,  many are well priced and still use superior ingredients to those with less safe alternatives.

Usage - Some paper dispensing systems can actually save on paper usage while keeping restroom patrons happy with the quality. Foam soap can outlast conventional soaps by 2-1.

Packaging - Reduction of packaging means fewer wasted resources and less in the landfills.

Misinformation - Be careful of misleading statements on labels.

100% Natural - Arsenic, mercury, and uranium are also "all natural".

Chemical Free - Water is a chemical and all living things are made of chemicals.

100% Biodegradable - In ten days or ten years?

Resources - Solutex maintains and has access to manufacturer information and test data to prove "greener claims".

• Scorecard: www.scorecard.org/chemical - Profiles allow you to enter the CAS numbers found on Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) to review their environmental or health impact.

• Greenblue: www.cleangredients.org/about/glossary - a great resource and glossary for customers to better understand terms like "bioaccumulation".

• LEED-EB: www.usgbc.org - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - Existing Building has a program that lists 80 possible points a building must earn to receive certification.