GreenPepper Blog

Mistress Mary, Quite Contrary

By Beth Starkin, GreenPepper

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been somewhat fascinated by the idea of growing my own produce. Maybe it’s the corn my brother planted in the backyard as a child, which my mother is constantly reminding me of (he will always be the better child), or maybe it’s the tomatoes and zucchini we would get from friends’ gardens, which were always so yummy, but I’ve always wanted my own garden. Alas, my adult life has been spent in urban or suburban apartments, where growing vegetables never seemed like an option.

There was a failed attempt years ago at having an herb garden on the fire escape. But apparently, only chives were hardy enough for the harsh summer sun on the fourth floor (those chives do still reappear annually, though).  Now that I’m in California, I have a renewed interest, and have started a small garden in my living room. It’s yet to be seen whether my efforts will yield any fruit, but I’m trying my hand with tomatoes, blueberries, basil and rosemary.

Seems I’m part of a larger trend of urbanites gardening, either in small yards, on fire escapes and decks, in sunny corners of their living rooms, or even in actual farms on city property. And though I didn’t do it to be part of a movement, it’s exciting to be part of this greening of our cities.

Personally, I was inspired by the Hayes Valley farm, a surprisingly large farm where the former freeway ramp was. Watching asphalt turn to lettuce was amazing and I wanted to get in on the action and see if I could turn my apartment into a farm. And while I may not having a huge impact on the planet, I feel like I’m doing what I can to make both the earth and my apartment better places.

Planting veggies on the living room floor may not be for everyone, but for me it’s been a fun adventure and a lesson that we can all have an impact, no matter how small. Have you had a similar experience? Tell us about it.

Pack it In, Pack it Out

By Trish Taylor, GreenPepper

While at the beach this weekend, I was drinking a can of Fat Tire beer that had a couple of sayings that caught my eye. The first was Wind Powered and Employee Owned. New Belgium, the maker of Fat Tire, sounds like my kind of company. Who knew beer could be so sustainable?

The next saying on the can I noticed was Pack it In, Pack it Out. I said it out loud and then asked, “wonder what that means?” My beachmate said, “You don’t know what that is? That means anything you take with you – hiking, camping, etc, you should take back out with you.” I knew I loved this beer but then I became really intrigued by the company.

New Belgium Brewery, based in Ft. Collins, CO, states on its website that they are alternatively powered. They have been wind powered since 1999; they have a process for treating wastewater to get two byproducts – methane and nutrient-rich sludge. They use that methane to power an onsite heat and power engine to create electricity and heat for the brewery.

They even made their brewery process more efficient by using a brew kettle that heats thin sheets of wort (key beer ingredient) rather than the whole kettle at once. They soon plan to reduce their water usage by 10 percent – hmm, couldn’t they use that to make more beer?

The best part is the culture New Belgium has created among its fans. With its main beer named Fat Tire, you can only guess that many carbon conscious cyclists are big fans. Each year, the company hosts Tour de Fat in various cities celebrating bicycling as a viable form of alternative transportation. They power the stage with solar power and serve beer in compostable cups. Plus, one attendee who donates his/her car gets a New Belgium cruiser.

It just goes to show simple choices, even beer, can lead to a more sustainable way of life.

BP, Aquarium for the Pacific Partnership Could Prove Detrimental

By Ann Barlow, GreenPepper

The environmental impact from the Gulf oil spill has just taken a whole new direction. Unlike the danger to marine life, this one isn’t so direct or destructive – but over time its effect could nonetheless be highly damaging.

It seems that, like many companies and conservation/environmental nonprofits or NGOs these days, BP and the Aquarium for the Pacific have formed a partnership that would benefit both, thanks to a $1 million contribution from the former to the latter. BP would demonstrate its commitment to the preservation of marine life, and the aquarium could build on its programs.

As always, timing is everything, and this week, the aquarium is scheduled to unveil its new BP Sea Otter Habitat, with BP as a featured guest. Ah, AWKWARD, as my teenage daughter would say. Nonetheless, the aquarium has been very gracious about BP. And hey, maybe the otters can make room for some Gulf transplants just as Californians did with some displaced New Orleans residents following Katrina.

I doubt other nonprofits or NGOs would be quite so forgiving as the aquarium has been. Their mission is to conserve what we have and fix what we’re destroying. It’s only been in recent years that companies and NGOs have warily come together to solve problems, recognizing that they could achieve their respective goals more quickly and effectively if they partnered rather than battled. But it’s an uneasy alliance, particularly on the part of the NGOs, which fear the loss of their reputation and supporter base if they ‘sell out’ to greenwashing corporations.

There are precious few corporations that have achieved anything approaching perfection on the environmental front, but many NGOs have in good faith come to appreciate the genuine efforts some companies are making, and have forged alliances to undertake very important projects. My fear is that NGOs will in fact be criticized for these partnerships following the BP disaster and as a result will return to the old days of us vs. them.

If that happens, it will be another tragic loss to the environment at the hands of BP.

Green Diesel Not So Smart For Autos

By Beth Starkin, GreenPepper

When I think of doing wrong by the environment, it’s typically in terms of non-sustainable practices, greenwashing and the like. But this interesting article  from the Irish Times has turned those ideas on their head a bit.

Turns out, some unsavory folks have been swapping in low-sulfur green diesel for traditional diesel and calling it the real thing. My first thought was, well, that’s not so bad. It’s a clever, albeit ethically questionable, way to get green diesel into more wide-spread use. Or, not so much, as this diesel is not actually meant for use in cars, but rather tractors.

This is damaging, not just to the cars it’s being put in, but to the overall adoption of green diesel fuels. There is now a contingent of auto owners who have had a very bad experience with green diesel fuel, in the form of a ruined motor.  My guess, is that many of these folks now become outspoken advocates against the adoption of greener fuels, lumping all options in with the ones that have caused them so much stress, taking the movement one step backwards.

While any long-term impacts of this are tough to say, and in all likelihood, rather minimal, it does make our jobs trying to advocate for these advances in clean energy that much more difficult. And it adds a new layer to the ever-growing list of activities that are having a negative impact on our environment. I can only hope stories like this remain the exception, rather than the norm.

Traveling? BYOB

By Trish Taylor, GreenPepper

Whenever I travel to a hotel I feel bad for those little bars of soap that get used for just a day or two. I’ve even been to hotels where the hotel staff replaced used soap with a brand new wrapped soap each day. What happens to those bars of soap? I’m guessing they go into the trash. My grandma used to collect her whittled-down bars of soap and once a year boil them making one big, multi-colored, multi-scented soap. I always loved that new, recycled bar of soap.

Then of course there are the bottles the hotels give you. You have the shampoos, conditioners, shower gels and lotions. If I use any of them I take them home and use them until I can recycle the bottle. But even more often, I try to use tiny bottles I refill at home. Again, what happens when someone uses just a small portion of a bottle? Does the hotel staff refill? They likely throw them in the trash.

As I pondered a hotel stay a few weeks ago I thought why don’t they have a soap dispenser at the sink and refillable dispensers in the shower like gyms? Nah, people will steal the dispenser and fill gunk in the shower dispensers. But finally I stayed in a hotel this week that had shower dispensers. It is possible!

The Hotel Carlton in San Francisco was the first hotel in the U.S. to become a LEED EB O&M Gold hotel (not sure what all that means, but it sounds wonderful) and they’re ENERGY STAR certified.  And the key, they have shower dispensers. They can improve on the soap dispenser at the sink, but at least the packaging was biodegradable and small enough that it wasn’t going to last too long.

Next time you travel, besides hanging your towel to reuse at your next shower (another trick from the other grandma), be sure to pack your own bottles. BYOB is still cool after college.

Happy Earth Day!

By Erin Howard, GreenPepper

This morning, while commuting on the PATH to work, Ivoverheard the following conversation:

Man 1: “Hey man its earth day, recycle today. Do something good for the earth.”

Man 2: “Oh really? Today? Yeah, I recycle.”

Man 1: “Yeah. A lot of people they recycle at home but not at work.”

Man 2: “Yeah, at home we recycle.”

Man 1: “Yeah at my home we recycle, but at work they just throw everything into one place. By law they don't have to recycle.  So they just don't want the hassle.”

The conversation left the wheels in my head spinning: was recycling a law? Was it not a law? How did I not know for sure? While we recycle at Peppercom, and we did at my last company as well, I realized I didn’t actually know the state’s laws for businesses. Could this man be right?

Turns out he – and his company – are wrong. This helpful handbook put out by the New York City Department of Sanitation titled “Recycling: It’s Not a Choice, It’s the Law” lays out what’s expected of businesses loud and clear, with pictures to illustrate, instructions on how to recycle, signs to post, and guides on how to avoid getting fined by following the law.

What is interesting, however, is that offices only need (by law) to recycle the following items: corrugated cardboard; office paper; magazines, catalogs and phone books; newspapers; and textiles (if over 10% of your waste stream.) No mention of aluminum cans, bottles or other waste that frequently fills up trash cans and is easily separated out.

For Earth Day, the Greenpepper team has a call to each of you that’s twofold:

1. Make sure your office is following the law. Find your recycling cans; make sure they’re being used properly.

2. Ask your company to go above and beyond. Offer to take the lead in contacting your trash collection provider to see if they will take separated cans/bottles. Chances are, they will. Add a new, clearly-labeled can to a common area and encourage your co-workers to recycle their cans, bottles and aluminum. We – and your mother earth – will congratulate your efforts.

What is your office doing to observe Earth Day? Let us know!

Greening Your Wardrobe

By Mari Abe, GreenPepper

Like many women who live in New York, I consider shopping to be a weekend ritual – just like brunch. On a recent trip to H&M, I noticed the increasing number of “organic” t-shirts and tank tops on the racks. Sure, I’d seen organic cotton at stores like J. Crew, Gap and Anthropologie, but seeing it at a clothing retailer known for fashion-on-the-cheap was a bit of a surprise.

Cotton covers 2.5% of the world's cultivated land yet uses 16% of the world's insecticides, more than any other single major crop. According to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment.  Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture.

While buying organic used to be for the privileged who could afford it, the increasing consumer demand for green products, regardless of income bracket, has made it more accessible to all. Seeing that people were buying organic from the pricier chains, H&M is following suit demonstrating the impact of collective buying power from green-conscience consumers who are voting with their checkbooks.

Today, organic cotton fiber is used in a bevy of products from personal care products like cotton pads and ear swabs to home furnishings like towels and sheets to clothing and even stationery and note cards. While the clothing industry – as with most other industries – has a long way to go to green its processes, I applaud manufacturers for offering organic options. While it may not make an immediate impact, it’s certainly gotten one shopaholic thinking green for her wardrobe.

Hollywood’s Golden Night Goes Green (Sort of)

Sunday night will undoubtedly be a night to remember. With the red carpet, black tuxedos, teary-eyed acceptance speeches, and oh yes, that iconic gold statue all present and accounted for, one might ask, where is the green? Or should I say, where does the green movement fit in? Two years ago, the Academy Awards made a splash in the eyes of greenies, designing the telecast to be carbon-neutral and environmentally friendly for the first time ever. Apparently, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Prius just wasn’t cutting it anymore for the Hollywood scene.

Producer Laura Ziskin led the Academy’s first-ever green movement with help of the nonprofit Bonneville Environmental Foundation to offset the estimated 250,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions that are associated with the event and affairs that lead up to it (i.e. the Oscar telecast, the Governor’s Ball, the Road to the Oscars Pre-Show, and the Red Carpet Event).The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) also got in on the act by helping to redesign the green rooms (no pun intended), equipping them with environmental fixtures, recycling bins, and even providing the ballots themselves, which were crafted from recycled paper products.

Flash forward two years and what do we have? Eco-Oscar swag bags. Rice Works®, the rice crisps chip snack (which claims to be naturally healthy), will be among the marginally green products tucked away in the ultra-classy, designer-done, swag bags set up for celebrities, fashionistas, and celebutantes to pick and probe over.

While the non-profit Global Green also tried to provide a soap box for celebrities to preach their green movements from this year by sponsoring a pre-show green event, one must ask, is Hollywood really going green? Or is this just another example of ‘green washing’? I have a feeling that Roger Ebert won’t be giving this year’s ‘Oscar green movement’ two thumbs up.

Although accusations of green washing, which is defined by the Sustainability Dictionary, as "any form of marketing or public relations that links a corporate, political, religious or nonprofit organization to a positive association with environmental issues for an unsustainable product, service, or practice,” may be a bit harsh, I’m still calling a bluff on the Global Green and Academy Awards preaching a green movement.

While The Oscars and Global Green have made noble attempts at converting celebrities into eco-conscious citizens, I am still plagued by the question of how you convert an event into an eco-friendly experience without losing entertainment value? I agree that recycle systems and natural snacks are a step in the direction, but I’m still left feeling that Hollywood’s green movement is lacking the push it needs make a permanent change -- especially at the Kodak Theatre. Let’s see the place lit up by solar panels or run off of generators fueled by biomass before we tip our hats to Hollywood. If The Academy really wanted to erase their carbon footprint, they could start by forbidding gas guzzling limousines and provide alternative forms of transportation. While I’m not holding my breath, I guess we’ll have to wait and see who turns up wearing the same dress as last year to determine what celebrity really believes in the green movement.

The Blue-Green Angels

By Matt Sloustcher, GreenPepper

Watching The Blue Angels soar over the San Francisco skyline this weekend was an amazing sight, one that I look forward to annually. This year, however, there was a new sound in the air. Since practice sessions began on Thursday, greenies have been grumbling about wasted jet fuel and the general environmental degradation caused by the event. I witnessed most of this online, but others mentioned it as we stood on my roof watching the sky. It should come as no surprise; in this new era of social responsibility, everything is being called out. There was tremendous fallout last week when the President and first lady took separate jets across the Atlantic to lobby on behalf of Chicago’s Olympic bid, for example.

On gut reaction alone, my feeling is that the tradition should live on. In addition to pure entertainment value, arguments can be made that the show boosts the Navy’s recruiting potential and inspires people to think about public service. But I wonder, shouldn’t the Navy use this opportunity to educate people on the efforts it is taking to clean up its act? For example, the Navy is pouring millions into researching alternative fuels and other forms of energy, but the Website makes no mention. If I had my way, the Navy would showcase its current efforts and make a pledge that they will work to make the event carbon neutral within a decade. That’s leadership.

Convenience and comfort before going green

It’s probably no huge surprise that while most of us like to talk the green talk, we’re a lot less likely to walk the walk if it’s inconvenient.  In fact, a study from the Shelton Group released this week found that when purchasing products, 38 percent of respondents would choose convenience, 35 percent would choose comfort, but only 26 percent would choose the environment when making a choice.

I’ve always been a strong believer that if you want people to go green and make environmentally sound decisions, you have to make it easy for them, and small steps should be rewarded and encouraged.  Green products need to be of equal quality to their non-green counterparts, or it’s just not going to work, and this survey shows that.

With this in mind, companies that are taking the steps to encourage greener behavior should be rewarded, not disparaged for not doing enough.  For example, Scott’s Naturals products only contain a portion of recycled paper material, a fact that has brought the ire of many environmentalists.  But if this keeps the TP softer and makes people more likely to buy the product, it’s a huge step up for someone who used to use triple-ply Quilted Northern, and a huge win for the environment.

Finding that sweet spot, in business and communication, where you pull at the environmental goodness heartstrings, while still selling a product that everyone can enjoy, is going to be critical if we’re going to make any real change for our planet.  It simply can’t be an all or nothing proposition.