Our interns this year were asked to write about how they celebrated Earth Day and the effort they made to make a change this year. Follow along with us as we discover how our interns invested in Earth!
Elimination of Single-Use Plastics – Alyssa Barton
Earth Day can be celebrated in so many ways! No matter the way it is celebrated, Earth Day is meant to remind us how important it is to take care of our planet. By choosing greener products or reusing products we already own, we can help the environment a little at a time.
This Earth Day, I strived to eliminate all single-use plastics in my house. I did not throw them out, I gifted them to my sister who still uses them so they did not just all end up in the landfill all at once. By striving to replace single-use plastics in my house, I have found alternatives as simple as taking metal utensils for packed lunches and using small glass containers instead of plastic baggies for snacks. Although I started this on Earth Day, I have kept up with the trend and I hope to continue it for as long as possible. Hopefully, by next Earth Day, I will be a year successful in removing single-use plastics from my house and I will be able to find another way to decrease my impact on the Earth or help contribute to making it healthier.
Another lifestyle change I made this Earth Day was to commit to using public transportation. As a commuter student, I used to drive to campus at least five times a week. When I found out my school offers free bus passes for students, I decided to begin to use the bus to commute to school every day. Not only does this save me money but it prevents having another car on the road polluting the air just for one person to drive to campus. I’m hoping to continue this commuting trend for as long as I am a student.
Earth Day can consist of helping the environment for the day or making a lifestyle change to help better the environment. However, it is celebrated and helps us get to the goal of becoming greener one step at a time. No matter how small the change or action is on Earth Day, the most important thing is to celebrate and give back to the environment in some way. Happy Earth Day!
Appreciating the Earth – Ayanna Cooper
This year on April 22nd, 2022, I spent additional time giving my plants a little more TLC, letting some natural light into my place, and eventually going on a little walk to take in the sun a bit more—something I appreciate daily from sunrise to sunset.
This year I also found myself scrolling through social media to see what other people were up to as well along with which companies were participating and how. I enjoyed looking at all of the collage-like post or photo dumps that people shared of the trees, plants, and the overall environment they were spending time in to celebrate Earth Day. Seeing how many people were uniting to celebrate and bring awareness to environmental issues brought me so much joy. While I do see differences being made daily, it’s always nice to see others taking the pledge to become more aware!
Picnic in the Park – Alex Lemen
Earth Day has always held a special place in my heart. As someone who has enjoyed being outside and who has loved and valued nature my entire life, an entire day dedicated to the appreciation and celebration of the Earth means so much to me.
This year, we were so lucky to have great weather in Cincinnati. I spent a large portion of my day outside, enjoying the sunshine. My partner and I made a picnic and sat in a park, taking in the beautiful scenery of trees, a lake, and all of the pollinators that were buzzing about. It was a beautiful day that I will always cherish.
I decided that I wanted to get more involved with planting trees and flowers specifically for pollinators in my community. While we have many gardens and parks, I feel there has been a lacking of plants that benefit these crucial creatures. I have started to construct a plan for a “pollination station” at both my apartment complex and at local parks.
We need to ensure that we are doing all that we can to keep our planet clean and beautiful.
Reducing Emissions on Earth Day – Valerie Smoliakova
For the celebration of Earth Day, my ideas included avoiding utilizing cars for transportation and showering for over 10 minutes. I successfully followed both rules for the entire day, walking to a nearby coffee shop to study and showering for only around 8 minutes.
To be honest, it was a bit difficult not to use my car, but I’m glad that I did it just to prove to myself that I do not need to depend on it. Even though the rules I followed that day were very minuscule in the grand scheme, it was fun to follow these rules and know that I do not necessarily need to always use my car or shower for more than 10 minutes.
This Intern Took a Bus – Zoe Laub
This Earth Day, I celebrated by taking the bus in Los Angeles. I live about 500 feet from a bus stop that can take me from Downtown Los Angeles to Glendale and connects directly to a light rail system which I frequently use to travel to the city of Pasadena, 15 miles away. Despite many Angeleno’s negative perceptions of public transportation, I hope we can transition away from car culture as more people become aware of our environmental impact on Earth Day and every other.
Why don’t more people use the bus?
Earth Day shouldn’t be the only time we think about car culture’s impact on our environment. However, using public transportation is something that many in the United States would never consider despite many other countries making great use of bus and rail systems.
In the early 20th century, car prices dropped dramatically post WWI, and freeway projects received large dollar amounts from the federal government. As a result, transportation systems’ ridership rapidly declined, and growing cities such as Los Angeles developed around the private car. At the time, most couldn’t predict the repercussions this would have on the environment.
History of transportation in Los Angeles
By the mid-20th century, Los Angeles was the car capital of America, known for its horrible air pollution problem. The city of Los Angeles went from having one of the largest early light-rail systems in the world to having smog so severe that you were often unable to see the San Gabriel Mountains from the city, let alone its urban sprawl. In 1950, Cal Tech scientist Arie Haagen-Smit determined that the car boom and hot, sunny climate were to blame for the smog, mainly made up of emissions from the vehicles zooming down the 405 and past rows of palm trees.
How LA Metro celebrates Earth Day every day
Today Los Angeles is working to get back to its light rail beginnings to supplement the bus systems that resulted from their initial destruction. Multiple projects are underway to expand the Metro rail system, including a rail connection to LAX, but bus transportation remains essential for many Angelenos.
The environmental impact of buses is also much less than if each rider used a private car for their commute, with even seven passengers in a gas-powered bus being more fuel-efficient than the average single-occupant vehicle. LA Metro’s CNG-powered clean-air fleet also happens to be the largest bus service in the country to move toward zero-emission.
Taking the LA Metro feels rewarding both for the pocket and the Earth. With fares costing $1.75 for most rides and gas prices soaring, many of my car-owning friends have begun to take advantage of the Metro. Hopefully, as construction advances and ridership become more normalized, Angelenos can inspire other cities to invest in clean-air transportation systems as well.
Happy Earth Day 2022! Here’s to a future where we celebrate 364 more per year.
Want to learn more about Earth Day?
Ecolink has many resources about Earth day and eco-friendly practices at your disposal. To learn more about Earth Day over the years, click here to discover more!
Differences Between Deionized Water and Distilled Water
/in Industrial Cleaning Solutions, Water Treatment Chemicals/by Industrial DegreasersWater is a tricky topic. From filtration method to purity level, it’s hard to know exactly what type of water is right for your needs. Two specific kinds of water, deionized and distilled, are very similar in some ways but also hold several key differences. Both deionized water (aka DI water or demineralized water) and distilled water are extremely pure types of water.
However, their production is very different. Depending on what water is selected for purification, DI water may actually be less pure than distilled. That being said, purity does not always equal better water, and there are pros and cons to choosing deionized water versus distilled water for certain processes.
What is Distilled Water?
This type of water is boiled into purification and thus contains no impurities or contaminants. Unpurified water contains things like:
While this sounds like a great idea for safer drinking water, it may actually do more harm than good in the long run. The distilling process removes most of the natural, helpful minerals from water, making this an unideal candidate for daily consumption.
Although it’s not the best option for daily drinking, distilled water can be used around the house for many things. Some common uses include:
What is Deionized Water?
Like distilled water, DI water is very pure. Demineralized water is stripped of all ions. This is done through a process involving electrically charged resins and involves rinsing the water through these resins to completely remove all cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negatively charged ions). Usually, DI water is created using both the charged resins and a process called reverse osmosis to completely eliminate the desired contaminants.
DI water is sometimes referred to as demineralized water because, like its distilled counterpart, most of the minerals found in water are stripped during the deionization process. This means that this type of water, like distilled, is not the best option for drinking use because it does not contain the beneficial nutrients we get from unprocessed water.
Demineralized water is typically used in laboratory settings or pharmaceutical settings when it is necessary that the water be 100% pure. The reason for this is that pure water yields predictable and repeatable results. It can also be used in the home in the same ways as distilled water.
What’s the Difference between Deionized Water & Distilled Water?
Even with all this information, it can still be tricky to pinpoint the exact differences when it comes to deionized water versus distilled water. The main difference is that distilled water contains fewer organic impurities and contaminants because the boiling process kills molecules like viruses and bacteria. Deionized water also has a cleaner production process and leaves behind less residue when used in the desired applications.
Need Water Treatment Chemicals for Deionized Water?
Ecolink offers the highest quality products at affordable prices in bulk, eco-friendly quantities. For more information, contact our team here!
Industrial Degreasing Solvents
/in Industrial Degreasers/by Industrial DegreasersAre you interested in learning about industrial degreasers and how they can benefit your business? This blog post will discuss what industrial degreasers are, what kinds of surfaces they can be used on, how they are typically applied, and where you can purchase them. Read on to learn more!
Definition of Industrial Degreasers
Industrial degreasing solvents are heavy-duty cleaners that can be used to remove dirt, oil, grease, and other contaminants from surfaces. Generally, industrial degreasers are employed when mixed soil has accumulated on a surface. Mixed soil consists of a mix of organic soil (soil that originates from living matter, such as grease, fat, and oil) and inorganic soil (soil that originates from non-living matter, such as minerals and rust). These mixtures of contaminants can be quite challenging to remove, and thus require a high-quality industrial degreaser.
What Can Industrial Degreasers Be Used On?
There are a wide variety of surfaces that industrial degreasing solvents can be utilized to clean, such as:
Always read the label of your industrial degreaser before using it on a particular surface, as some industrial degreasers may not be safe for certain materials.
Applying Industrial Degreasing Solvents
There are a few ways that industrial degreasers can be applied to surfaces. Two of the main methods are:
Looking for Industrial Degreasers?
If you are interested in purchasing industrial degreasing solvents for your business, look no further than Ecolink. We offer a variety of high-quality industrial degreasing solvents in several bulk sizes. We also emphasize the use of environmentally friendly chemicals in our manufacturing processes, so you can feel good knowing you’re not only benefitting yourself, but also the planet. Finally, our team of chemists is available to answer any inquiries you may have. Want to learn more? Please contact us today!
Valerie’s Internship Experience
/in Interns/by Industrial DegreasersNow that the spring internship is coming to an end, I am reflecting on all the skills I have learned and the connections that I’ve made while interning for the company. Before this internship, I knew very little about SEO and did not have any formal experience with writing outside of academics. Learning about the utilization of SEO has been fascinating to me, especially how much it can increase traffic and benefit a blog/company.
How Did Valerie Contribute?
Writing blogs and doing research for Ecolink has also been very exciting, mostly because of my interest in chemistry and sustainable chemicals. I immediately knew I wanted to work for the company when I realized that they are prioritizing the manufacturing of chemicals that are progressive in terms of environmental harm and worker safety.
Valerie’s Internship Final Thoughts
This internship has provided me with valuable experiences and knowledge that I know I will utilize in my future career. I am very excited to continue the internship in the summer as well.
Wanting to have an internship like Valerie, click here to apply today!
Zoe’s Internship Experience
/in Interns/by Industrial DegreasersAs an English major specializing in Creative Writing, I often faced judgment from peers and older adults in my life for not picking what they would call a more lucrative area of study. Although I respect teachers and have experience as a writing tutor, my passion has always been writing for an audience to further a mission. I knew from my past internship and my time spent writing for various topics and styles that writing copy would be an excellent position for me, despite the doubt presented by outside parties.
Ecolink’s remote structure and friendly, accommodating team made the experience even better; we even received an email from Brandon, the CEO, at the start of our internship letting us know to reach out whenever we’d like. Although I did not have experience in chemistry or the chemical industry, my internship with Ecolink solidified my opinion that writing copy will always be about research and execution.
What Zoe Learned
Within about two months, I simultaneously learned and wrote about:
Our company leader, Carolyn, taught us so many lessons on SEO Writing, Google Analytics, WordPress, keyword research, product naming, and, most importantly, how to capture the attention of our readers. What people want most when they search the internet are answers, and why not work to ensure Ecolink clients can get information directly from their chemical supplier?
My favorite part of my internship was researching and writing about eco-friendly alternatives, both for chemicals and daily practices. My Earth Day blog, which focuses on riding public transportation in Los Angeles as a way to celebrate the Earth, was such an excellent opportunity for me to channel my passion for eco-friendly solutions and writing.
Zoe’s Internship Final Thoughts
Although only an intern, my experience with this company made me feel genuinely valued as a member of the Ecolink team. We even pitched ideas about how the company could celebrate Earth Day and received the company Earth Day T-shirts in the mail. If you’re wondering if you should apply for an internship position with Ecolink, I could not give you any answer other than an enthusiastic YES!
Wanting an internship experience like Zoe, click here to apply today!
Acetone For Cleaning Metal
/in Earth Day/by Industrial DegreasersOur interns this year were asked to write about how they celebrated Earth Day and the effort they made to make a change this year. Follow along with us as we discover how our interns invested in Earth!
Elimination of Single-Use Plastics – Alyssa Barton
Earth Day can be celebrated in so many ways! No matter the way it is celebrated, Earth Day is meant to remind us how important it is to take care of our planet. By choosing greener products or reusing products we already own, we can help the environment a little at a time.
This Earth Day, I strived to eliminate all single-use plastics in my house. I did not throw them out, I gifted them to my sister who still uses them so they did not just all end up in the landfill all at once. By striving to replace single-use plastics in my house, I have found alternatives as simple as taking metal utensils for packed lunches and using small glass containers instead of plastic baggies for snacks. Although I started this on Earth Day, I have kept up with the trend and I hope to continue it for as long as possible. Hopefully, by next Earth Day, I will be a year successful in removing single-use plastics from my house and I will be able to find another way to decrease my impact on the Earth or help contribute to making it healthier.
Another lifestyle change I made this Earth Day was to commit to using public transportation. As a commuter student, I used to drive to campus at least five times a week. When I found out my school offers free bus passes for students, I decided to begin to use the bus to commute to school every day. Not only does this save me money but it prevents having another car on the road polluting the air just for one person to drive to campus. I’m hoping to continue this commuting trend for as long as I am a student.
Earth Day can consist of helping the environment for the day or making a lifestyle change to help better the environment. However, it is celebrated and helps us get to the goal of becoming greener one step at a time. No matter how small the change or action is on Earth Day, the most important thing is to celebrate and give back to the environment in some way. Happy Earth Day!
Appreciating the Earth – Ayanna Cooper
This year on April 22nd, 2022, I spent additional time giving my plants a little more TLC, letting some natural light into my place, and eventually going on a little walk to take in the sun a bit more—something I appreciate daily from sunrise to sunset.
This year I also found myself scrolling through social media to see what other people were up to as well along with which companies were participating and how. I enjoyed looking at all of the collage-like post or photo dumps that people shared of the trees, plants, and the overall environment they were spending time in to celebrate Earth Day. Seeing how many people were uniting to celebrate and bring awareness to environmental issues brought me so much joy. While I do see differences being made daily, it’s always nice to see others taking the pledge to become more aware!
Picnic in the Park – Alex Lemen
Earth Day has always held a special place in my heart. As someone who has enjoyed being outside and who has loved and valued nature my entire life, an entire day dedicated to the appreciation and celebration of the Earth means so much to me.
This year, we were so lucky to have great weather in Cincinnati. I spent a large portion of my day outside, enjoying the sunshine. My partner and I made a picnic and sat in a park, taking in the beautiful scenery of trees, a lake, and all of the pollinators that were buzzing about. It was a beautiful day that I will always cherish.
I decided that I wanted to get more involved with planting trees and flowers specifically for pollinators in my community. While we have many gardens and parks, I feel there has been a lacking of plants that benefit these crucial creatures. I have started to construct a plan for a “pollination station” at both my apartment complex and at local parks.
We need to ensure that we are doing all that we can to keep our planet clean and beautiful.
Reducing Emissions on Earth Day – Valerie Smoliakova
For the celebration of Earth Day, my ideas included avoiding utilizing cars for transportation and showering for over 10 minutes. I successfully followed both rules for the entire day, walking to a nearby coffee shop to study and showering for only around 8 minutes.
To be honest, it was a bit difficult not to use my car, but I’m glad that I did it just to prove to myself that I do not need to depend on it. Even though the rules I followed that day were very minuscule in the grand scheme, it was fun to follow these rules and know that I do not necessarily need to always use my car or shower for more than 10 minutes.
This Intern Took a Bus – Zoe Laub
This Earth Day, I celebrated by taking the bus in Los Angeles. I live about 500 feet from a bus stop that can take me from Downtown Los Angeles to Glendale and connects directly to a light rail system which I frequently use to travel to the city of Pasadena, 15 miles away. Despite many Angeleno’s negative perceptions of public transportation, I hope we can transition away from car culture as more people become aware of our environmental impact on Earth Day and every other.
Why don’t more people use the bus?
Earth Day shouldn’t be the only time we think about car culture’s impact on our environment. However, using public transportation is something that many in the United States would never consider despite many other countries making great use of bus and rail systems.
In the early 20th century, car prices dropped dramatically post WWI, and freeway projects received large dollar amounts from the federal government. As a result, transportation systems’ ridership rapidly declined, and growing cities such as Los Angeles developed around the private car. At the time, most couldn’t predict the repercussions this would have on the environment.
History of transportation in Los Angeles
By the mid-20th century, Los Angeles was the car capital of America, known for its horrible air pollution problem. The city of Los Angeles went from having one of the largest early light-rail systems in the world to having smog so severe that you were often unable to see the San Gabriel Mountains from the city, let alone its urban sprawl. In 1950, Cal Tech scientist Arie Haagen-Smit determined that the car boom and hot, sunny climate were to blame for the smog, mainly made up of emissions from the vehicles zooming down the 405 and past rows of palm trees.
How LA Metro celebrates Earth Day every day
Today Los Angeles is working to get back to its light rail beginnings to supplement the bus systems that resulted from their initial destruction. Multiple projects are underway to expand the Metro rail system, including a rail connection to LAX, but bus transportation remains essential for many Angelenos.
The environmental impact of buses is also much less than if each rider used a private car for their commute, with even seven passengers in a gas-powered bus being more fuel-efficient than the average single-occupant vehicle. LA Metro’s CNG-powered clean-air fleet also happens to be the largest bus service in the country to move toward zero-emission.
Taking the LA Metro feels rewarding both for the pocket and the Earth. With fares costing $1.75 for most rides and gas prices soaring, many of my car-owning friends have begun to take advantage of the Metro. Hopefully, as construction advances and ridership become more normalized, Angelenos can inspire other cities to invest in clean-air transportation systems as well.
Happy Earth Day 2022! Here’s to a future where we celebrate 364 more per year.
Want to learn more about Earth Day?
Ecolink has many resources about Earth day and eco-friendly practices at your disposal. To learn more about Earth Day over the years, click here to discover more!