Happy Earth Day 2012!

Yayyy! It is finally here, one of Rubber Bark's favorite days of the year, Earth Day!

Today, take a moment (preferably more) and thank good ol' Mother Earth for being the surly, unwavering matriarch that she is, and think about ways that you can help her out in her old age.

One way for certain, is the replace that old wood mulch with some Rubber Bark™. Rubber Bark™ keeps millions of tires out of landfills every year, because it is made of 100% scrap tires. We believe in the reduce, reuse, recycle mantra, heck, our company is based around the concept!

Not to spoil the specialness of the day, but every day at Rubber Bark™ is kind of like Earth Day, where we want to empower consumers to make responsible choices in everyday purchases. Getting some Rubber Bark™ is a great first step (or second, or third) on the path to living a more sustainable lifestyle. Plus is looks great, and of course, is safe for the kiddos!

So, happy Earth Day all you buzzers and Rubber Bark™ friends!

NSPX3- "Good vs. Bad Rubber Bark"

We came across this interesting tidbit (and video!) the other day when we were perusing the interwebs for rubber mulch related news and were so excited to see NSPX3 give a shout out to Rubber Bark™!

BAD BARK! 

The company was right in saying that there can be two very different kinds of rubber mulch in playgrounds throughout the country. Some rubber mulch companies can leave in harmful metal from the tires and, once dyed a certain color, can fade rather quickly. Some mulches also let their "true colors" show, with the nylon of the tires left exposed, which may cause skin irritation.

GOOD BARK! 

However, Rubber Bark™guarantees its color will stay true and goes through quite the rigmarole to ensure that no metals or other harmful substances are hiding in the rubber. Plus, Rubber Bark™ has a consistency to it, with its colors, size of the bark, and its texture, that other mulches may overlook.

Rubber Bark's other wonderful products

We spend a lot of time discussing all the benefits of Rubber Bark™ on thee ol' buzz (and there are many!), but because it's April, the month of Earth Day, we want to give a shout out to Rubber Bark's other wonderful products, all of which are just as environmentally friendly as our signature mulch.

Rubber Bark™ is great for animals, but so are Ag Mats, also made of recycled tires, and come in two varieties, flat or pebble top. Horses love these mats, as it protects their hooves against moisture on the ground, and is flexible enough to support their weight.

Then there are the fabulous outdoor tables and benches. They are also made of 100% recycled scrap tires (see a pattern here?) and are made to last at least ten years, as opposed to wood, which can deteriorate due to acclimate weather and use. No staining or preservatives needed, the sturdy outdoor furniture looks great in a community park or small garden.

The last of the recycled tires lot is infill crumb rubber. You may have seen it being used as a part of asphalt for roads, in outdoor tracks for synthetic ground cover, or any of the other numerous ways this durable product can be used. Considered as safe as it gets by the EPA, infill crumb rubber is not only a smart choice, its a eco-conscious one too, as no new resources are being used.

And last, but definitely not least, are Bender Boards. These futuristic landscape liners are made of recycled plastic, and add an aesthetically pleasing look to gardens, yards, edging, and walkways. They are water resistant (which means they won't rot, crack, or splinter!) and can take multiple meetings with lawn mowers and weed whackers. 

Countdown to Earth Day!

With less than a month until this year's Earth Day  we at Rubber Bark™ are getting excited to let our customers know about Rubber Bark's eco-friendliness.

Rubber Bark™ not only is a recycled product, made from 100% scrap tires, it also is durable, lasting more than 10 years. It reduces the customer's carbon footprint by almost 95%. That is a lot, especially in places such as California, where landfills are grossly full and resources (such as trees for wood mulch) are vastly over cut.

We believe that one of the ways that modern consumers can show support for recycling, their environment, and their own spaces is by supporting businesses that practice what they preach. Rubber Bark™ uses refurbished almond extracting equipment to make our wonderful rubber mulch, and we frequently donate to community projects.

We will be celebrating Earth Day the entire month of April (heck, we celebrate it all year-round). We don't want you to forget the actual day though either, so we figured a nifty countdown is in order.

Rubber Bark in the Merced Sun-Star

Rubber Bark™ recently released a news item about a new partnership with Garland, Texas based artificial landscape company Synthetic Greenscapes. The Merced Sun-Star liked the story so much, it decided to publish last week. Here is a link to the article. Below is a quote from the story about the new distribution and why the partnership is, as they say, a match in artificial landscape heaven. 


Scott Moore, a spokesperson for Synthetic Greenscapes: 

“The overall quality and beauty of the products is second to none in the industry which is what drew us to Rubber Bark. The products are long lasting and a very high grade just like our grass products so it makes sense to use Rubber Bark.”

Moore said he believes that because Rubber Bark doesn’t fade, float or blow away, it will become a top seller, due to its low maintenance and an increased demand for water have made organic mulches and grasses costly to preserve.

Moore said he believes that because Rubber Bark doesn’t fade, float or blow away, it will become a top seller, due to its low maintenance and an increased demand for water have made organic mulches and grasses costly to preserve. “A synthetic solution is the best route to keep your home beautiful,” Moore said.

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/03/08/2260877/rubber-bark-forges-partnership.html#storylink=cpy

"A synthetic solution is the best route to keep your home beautiful."

Color Coordinating With Rubber Bark™- UPDATED

Most style magazines would tell a person not to wear too much of one color, to mix it up and find colors that complement each other. However, there is the rare exception (such as a signature black dress) that looks great BECAUSE it is monochrome. 

Case in point: Napa Auto & Truck Parts' new look. Napa added blue Rubber Bark™ to the edges around its building, and the end result is an eye-catcher. Blue on blue adds some fun to the environment, and definitely moves the eye across the space to the highlighted name. Something the Napa folks appreciate, to be sure. 


Here's what Jana, the CEO of Rubber Bark™, had to say about the decision: "Blue is not the typical landscaping color but this is a great example of how Rubber Bark™ can really add to a colorscape." 

If Napa Auto & Truck Parts were a person, it'd be on the "best dressed" list. 

Got some cool ideas for how to use color with your Rubber Bark™? Let us know! 


UPDATE: Guess what?! NAPA thought that the blue was a little too blue, and decided to one-up itself by sprinkling in its other signature color, yellow. What do you think of the results? VERY STYLISH! 

Check out more photos of NAPA's new look on Rubber Bark's Flickr page! 

Photos from the World Ag Expo

Here are some great photos of Rubber Bark's recent appearance at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA. They are also available on our Flickr page, where all the rest of the wonderful Rubber Bark™ photos live as well.