Mokhtar Maghraoui – Peace with the Environment

The following verse from the Qur’an also helps us to understand the importance of avoiding waste and over-consumption.

O Children of Adam! wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters. (Qur’an 7:31)

Change is never easy, but we hope this information has inspired some. The Prophet (SAWS) advised us to always make changes that are easy and easy to maintain, so we suggest the following small changes that can have a large effect if we all participate.

• Recycle your paper and switch to recycled paper products – Paper waste accounts for approximately 1/3 of all household waste. This paper would otherwise go to the landfill.

• Change to electronic billing – This will also help us to minimize the amount of paper thrown into landfills.

• Use only the amount of water necessary to make wudu, shorten showers, and water lawns at night – Fresh, clean water is becoming more and more scarce, and we can help by not wasting this valuable resource.

• Turn off lights and electronics when not utilizing them, and change to energy efficient light bulbs – Remember that power plants create waste and pollution to provide that unused/wasted energy.

• Walk or ride a bike when performing local errands – Not only does this save gas and wear-and-tear on your car, but it’s also healthier.

We hope you find this helpful!  Please share your ideas and suggestions with everyone!

With Peace and Tranquility.

We were curious if our business decisions have done anything to help our planet. So we looked at our choice to use 100% post-consumer waste (PCW) recycled paper versus “regular” paper. Could we really have an impact in such a short time?

Thankfully, our paper company provided us with a convenient calculator to help us determine our impact. Just by choosing to use 100% PCW paper, we have saved:

Because the paper was also made with 100% renewable energy, we saved:

Source: Neenah Green Eco-Calculator, Savatree.com, H2Ouse.org, EPA.gov.

I recently came across the following information at

Indoor chemicals contribute to allergies, asthma, birth defects and learning disabilities in children. While plants can’t cure major indoor pollution problems on their own, they are an ideal antidote to the minor contamination introduced into our indoor environments through everyday household products and building materials. As few as 15 houseplants in an average-size home can offer a significant reduction in the number of indoor contaminants.

Here are some common indoor air contaminants and the plants that can help remove them:

Formaldehyde: The Boston fern (Nephrolepi exalta “Bostoniensis”), Florist’s mums (Chrysanthemum morifolium), the Gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) and the Dwarf date palm (Phoenix roebelenii) reduce indoor levels of formaldehyde, a contaminant present in particleboard, carpet backings, some grocery bags, facial tissues, paper towels and permanent- press clothing, and released by gas stoves.

Toluene/Xylene: The Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens), the Moth orchid (Phalenopsis) and the Dwarf date palm remove xylene and toluene, harmful volatile organic chemicals which can be emitted from gasoline, adhesives, ceiling tiles, computer screens, paints, inks used in photocopiers, stains and varnishes, and upholstery.

Other hardworking and beautiful indoor plants include bamboo palm (Chamaedorea), Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema), English Ivy (Hedera helix), the indoor dracaenas (Dracaena “Janet Craig,” D. marginata, D. massangeana and D. warnekii), and the snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata laurentii).

When choosing houseplants, remember that many can be toxic if ingested, so be extra careful if you have young children or pets in your home. Staff at the local garden center should be able to advise you on nontoxic choices.

Photo Caption: Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa’, Peace Lily—one of the most hardworking plants recommended by NASA.

Being eco-friendly usually costs more and requires more effort, while it may not be appreciated in the end. So why do it?

O children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: but waste not by excess for Allah loveth not the wasters. (Qur’an 7:31)

It is reported that the Prophet (SAWS) once saw Sa’d performing wudu and he (SAWS) said to him: “Why are you wasting all this water?” Sa’d said “Is there wastefulness even in performing ablution?” The Prophet (SAWS) said “Yes, even if you were performing it from a river of running water”. Ahmed (7025) [2/291]

With this in mind we utilize our resources to the best of our ability. For example, not only is Sakina Design wall art framed in recycled wood but it is manufactured entirely in the USA, to reduce wasted fuel and pollution. The plant that produces these frames shares our philosophy and uses the leftover sawdust to power the furnace that heats the plant and produces the wood frames.

Additionally, our greeting cards are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, processed chlorine-free. The inks are soy-based rather than petroleum-based to reduce pollution and make the recycling process easier. We also avoid any inks that have toxic heavy-metal dyes. Finally, the packaging has been minimized to reduce waste.

We ask our customers to help us in this endeavor. Please help us and earn some good deeds by recycling the packaging at your local recycling center.

Packaging	Recycling Instructions
Polyethylene Plastic Bags	Recycle with Type 4 plastics
Cardboard Boxes	Recycle with corrugated cardboard products
Chipboard Envelope Liners	Recycle with cereal boxes, shoe boxes and similar products
Paper Envelopes	Recycle with similar paper products