The Happy Beast - Blog - Sustainability

Eco-friendly pet products at The Happy Beast

Our Favorite Eco-friendly Pet Products

As part of our ongoing efforts toward greater sustainability, we’re always searching for the best environmentally-friendly pet products. After rigorous product testing (thanks Loki!) and careful consideration, we’re super excited to be expanding our selection of eco-friendly products, including toys made from natural and renewable materials, durable bowls that can be composted, and collars made from recycled water bottles. Read more about some of our favorite brands or stop by the store to check them out for yourself. We’re sure that your pet (and the planet) will thank you.

Throughout August, you can also save 10% off Planet Dog, EarthDog, Aussie Naturals, Lupine and CycleDog!

Toys

  • Beco Pets
    • These guys use natural, recyclable or renewable materials whenever possible. Their rubber toys are biodegradable and made from material that contains rice husks, which is a by-product of rice farming. Beco plush toys are also stuffed with material made from recycled plastic bottles.
  • Planet Dog
    • Planet Dog’s Orbee-Tuff toys are 100% recyclable and made in the USA from 20-100% recycled material. The company uses minimal packaging to reduce waste and emissions from shipping. Since their toys are so durable, they also rarely need to be replaced, which means less waste in landfills.
  • Aussie Naturals
    • This great company reduces their carbon “pawprint” by using natural materials like jute, wool, cotton, coconut fiber, natural gum rubber and leather.
  • CycleDog
    • Another favorite, CycleDog collects used bicycle tires from around the country and re-purposes them into super tough toys that squeak and float. That’s some amazing up-cycling!

Collars

  • LupinePet Eco Collars
    • These stylish collars are made from recycled plastic bottles and are amazingly soft! The collars are machine-washable and durable, but if anything happens to yours, Lupine will replace it for free – no questions asked!
  • Earthdog Hemp Collars
    • Earthdog chose hemp because it requires less water than any other fiber crop and the plants improve soil health and absorb CO2 during photosynthesis. That’s some powerful stuff – kinda like these collars!

Bowls

  • BecoBowl
    • The biodegradable BecoBowl is made from natural bamboo resin, which means that these bowls will stand up to dogs and the dishwasher for years to come. When it comes time to replace your bowl, just toss it in the compost bin instead of the landfill.

Poo Bags

  • Earthrated Poo Bags
    • Dog waste is an environmental hazard, so it’s important for us to clean up after our dogs. This almost always requires plastic bags, so we searched for the most responsible ones. We like Earthrated’s Poo Bags because they contain EPI, a chemical that breaks down plastic in the landfill. If you live in a city that accepts pet waste for compost, try their vegetable starch-based biodegradable bags.
Our Journey Toward Greater Sustainability (Part 1) - Making a Pawsitive Impact

Our Journey Toward Greater Sustainability (Part 1) – Making a Pawsitive Impact

We’re excited to announce that we’ve started working with Partners for a Clean Environment (PACE) to conduct a sustainability audit and provide recommendations to help us measure and improve our use of energy and water resources while reducing our overall waste stream. Like all PACE Partner businesses, at The Happy Beast, we’re committed to supporting a strong local economy, implementing environmentally sustainable practices, and demonstrating leadership in our community. We’re extremely proud to have already achieved our water usage certification, but we’re still working toward our energy reduction and waste diversion goals. We’re including a list of the steps we’re taking below, but please let us know if you have any other ideas or suggestions. We want to share these goals and achievements with our customers at every step and we always welcome your feedback.Partners for a Clean Environment | The Happy Beast

If you’d like to to learn more about what sustainability steps you can take for your business or home (and what rebates may be available) please contact PACE or Eco-Cycle for more information.

 

The Happy Beast: Steps to PACE Certification
(Audit conducted on May 15, 2015)

  • Water: CERTIFIED
    • Install low-flow faucet and dog wash sprayers: COMPLETE
    • Install additional drain screens for dog washes: COMPLETE
    • Install water efficient toilet: COMPLETE
    • Install dual-flush toilet conversion kit: Pending
  • Energy: Work-in-Progress
    • Update thermostat programming: COMPLETE
    • Use smart power outlet strips: COMPLETE
    • Use sleep mode for all computers: COMPLETE
    • Install Energy Star certified washer and dryer: COMPLETE
    • Upgrade all remaining lighting to LEDs: Pending
    • Install occupancy sensors in bathrooms: Pending
    • Upgrade to energy-efficient water heater: Pending
  • Waste: Work-in-Progress
    • Establish composting and recycling, including packaging film plastics: COMPLETE
    • Provide reusable shopping bags and $.10 bag credits (stop by the store to get yours!): COMPLETE
    • Track monthly waste stream (recycling, compost, plastics, and trash): Pending