Earth Blog

This week Greenpeace released their sixth seafood sustainability scorecard for grocery retailers. They have had their eye on the industry since 2008 and have released a report ranking twenty popular stores since then but Greenpeace has always had their eyes on marine life since its birth in 1971.

The scorecard is part of an ongoing project known as Carting Away the Oceans (CATO) where they not only rank retailers but examine conservation efforts,discuss better practices or habits retailers and consumers can do to protect marine ecosystems.

Earlier this month Whole Foods Market announced the early implementation of a drastic change to their seafood departments: they would no longer sell “red-rated fish” or fish that are unsustainable. The new policy went into affect on Earth Day and there has been a bit of opposition.

Senator Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts) sent a letter to the CEOs of Whole Foods asking them to reconsider the decision because their actions were going to hurt the New England fishing industry. Despite the outcry the store has moved forward with the policy and released a statement in defense of their actions.

There is another chain following Whole Foods’ lead: the Michigan-based Meijer also announced this month they are starting a “comprehensive seafood sustainability initiative” in their giant retail stores that sell everything from flip-flops to breakfast cereal.

Over the weekend Whole Foods Market announced that they would be making a major change to their seafood departments. They are going to stop selling certain species of fish because they are unsustainable. This new policy comes a whole year before Whole Foods’ original deadline to begin the practice.

The change will start on April 22nd or Earth Day and it means there will no longer be red-rated, wild caught fish sold in their stores. Examples are: Atlantic halibut, grey sole, and skate. Instead customers will be directed to purchase fish that are similar but sustainable like Pacific halibut which is a Marine Steward Council (MSC)-certified fish. The MSC-certification is on any wild caught, sustainable fish that doesn’t have the color-coded label the store also uses.

The seafood departments stoplight colored rating system, which works well at a glance for quick decision making, was set forth in 2010 by Whole Foods and two non-profit organizations: Blue Ocean Institute and Monterrey Bay Aquarium.

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) is a non-profit organization with a mission “to provide innovative strategies, working models and timely information to support environmentally sound and equitable community development.” They work with communities of varying demographics to spur effective growth and lessen a town’s environmental impact.

One of their areas of focus is the big-box retailer and where there is talk of big-box retailers there is talk of Walmart. 

The ILSR released a report analyzing Walmart’s attempts at sustainability. Needless to say they think the retail giant’s attempts are insincere. Stacy Mitchell, the report’s author and a senior researcher at ILSR, is calling it as she sees it: “greenwashing.”

"Walmart's sustainability campaign has done more to improve the company's image than to help the environment," says Mitchell who is also the author of Big-Box Swindle.

SC Johnson is pulling nitrogen from the air we breathe to make environmentally friendly aerosol products.  

Now we can breathe in fresher, more pleasant smelling air or spray down every wood surface to a high-shine in our homes knowing their method of production “has reduced volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by approximately six million pounds in its first year of operation. This is the equivalent of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 1,600 passenger vehicles per year – or the CO2 emissions from 915,000 gallons of gasoline consumed.”

Valentine’s Day was a shopping holiday we covered on the blog and we urged shoppers to buy local and ethical, if possible, when hunting for last minute gifts. Ethical consumerism and the effectiveness of “voting with your money” is being debated and discussed over at treehugger.com and at least one other green blog.

The debate started when Sami Grover posted: ““Why Corporate Fat Cats Love Ethical Consumerism.” He set out to explore the concept of: "Every time you spend a dollar, you are casting a vote."  The widely-accepted idea is this: If you don’t agree with the way a company does business simply stop shopping there and they will change or go out of business as they see their revenues drop. But is that wishful thinking? Grover argues that real change occurs at the political and cultural level. He cautions that ethical consumerism could erode the political activism he believes to be more effective at getting at the core problem. Is he right or wrong or somewhere in between?

Did you know that white chocolate isn’t real chocolate? White chocolate contains no chocolate liquor which is the main ingredient the treat would need to be considered real chocolate. What it does have is cocoa butter and the FDA says it must have at least 20% cocoa butter and no more than 55% sugar to be called white chocolate. Who other than Willy Wonka could have known that chocolate is a complicated confection?

Dark, bitter and semisweet chocolate is required to have 35% chocolate liquor while milk chocolate must contain 10% chocolate liquor.  Anything less is not up to the FDA’s standards and is likely labeled “chocolate flavored” or could be made of carob. 

Carob has a different texture and taste than chocolate but contains the same amount of calories. It is commonly used in gourmet dog treats to give them a harmless taste of chocolate.

Grocery stores, cafeterias and restaurants, all shapes and sizes, must abide by federal laws to stay in business. Most of these companies also set in-house policies to boost sales and provide superior service and products. These directives and laws could be seen as a hinderance to workers but the core of these policies are the same: to lead consumers in the right direction and to the cash register.

Last week, Walmart debuted their “Great for You” label, a green stamp of approval for healthy groceries, and it was even applauded by First Lady Michelle Obama who said, “Just over a year ago, Walmart committed to save shoppers a billion dollars in their cost of fruits and vegetables and the fact that Walmart exceeded this number is a real accomplishment and a milestone in our efforts to support families eating better. In addition, the healthy seal will be another tool for parents to identify the best products for their kids. Giving parents the information they need to make healthy choices is a key piece of solving childhood obesity.”

Today’s championship game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots has something for everyone. “Manning Face” enthusiasts will be delighted to count the number of times the camera catches Eli Manning scrunching up his face and Tom Brady fans can analyze his most controversial feature- his hair. It’s all so exciting you may even forget there is a game being played! 

Lucas Oil Stadium (LOS) is the home of this year’s Super Bowl XLVI (46) and as a multi-purpose stadium it’s used year-round for sporting events and functions. It’s managed by the same company as the Indiana Convention Center which is connected to LOS. The stadium seats anywhere from 15,000 to 70,000 people depending on the requirements and size of the event. LOS' ability to house that many people is a great power and with that comes a great responsibility to sustainability.

In the past sustainable and socially conscious fashion was a bit bland. The misconception must have been: “Eco-conscious people like the Earth so let’s make everything look earthy!” or “Let’s put a whale on it!”  There is nothing wrong with earth tones and t-shirts, plain or printed, but sometimes a shopper is looking for an item that provides more color or fit. Fashion designers have stepped in to fill the need but their items can be expensive. Eco-fashion is a certainly a trend but it’s not trendy: meaning it’s here to stay. 

The company with the corner on the macaroni & cheese market, Kraft Foods, released a fact sheet today to highlight the ways they are minimizing their environmental impact through waste reduction and recycling at their manufacturing plants. The company credits their employees for making “steady progress” across the globe. Overall, Kraft recycles or reuses about 90% of their manufacturing waste.

"We're waging war on waste, one plant at a time," said Christine McGrath, Vice President, Global Sustainability.  "Today, we have 36 facilities in 13 countries that send zero waste to landfills, and we've reduced our manufacturing waste by 50 percent since 2005.  Our strategy is simple: generate less waste and find new uses for the waste we do produce.  And our employees are doing just that."

Is there a packaging material more delightful and entertaining than Bubble Wrap®, especially for children? Perhaps a giant cardboard box? But Bubble Wrap® is an instant hit and can provide hours of fun by popping individual bubbles, rolling around in it or stomping on it gleefully. Now you can bust out the bubbly-wrap for a celebration because today is the 12th Annual Bubble Wrap® Appreciation Day! 

Sealed Air Corporation, a global provider of packaging for a variety of industries, is the maker of official Bubble Wrap® and they have created bubblewrapfun.com to highlight their most popular product. 

Ford Motor Company sure does love their EcoBoost^™ technology. Have you recently seen a Ford commercial that hasn’t mentioned the EcoBoost^™? If that guy they use as a spokesperson, with the hat and non-confrontational manner, appears you know he is certainly going to mention it. At least that set of Ford commercials are more tolerable than the “Drive One” surprise press conferences set which could lead a viewer to wonder: Is there a Ford driver out there too busy to participate in a fake press conference and has pushed the cameras away?

But back to the EcoBoost^™ and why does a mall shopper in one of the commercials love the sound of it even if she doesn’t know what it is. 

San Diego residents will want to start saying, “Stay smart, San Diego.” Instead of the over-used “Stay classy, San Diego.” quote favored by the main character, Ron Burgundy, of the movie Anchorman.

Smart City San Diego is a cooperative effort between the city’s government, organizations, and businesses to support and increase sustainable programs. They hope the model will be an inspiration for other communities to start their own initiatives and projects. It’s still a young collaboration only a year old this month- but has accomplished much so far. 

Timberland, whose boots were made for hiking and working, will be at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah to promote their brand as the Official Footwear and Outwear Sponsor. The company will provide their winter shoes and apparel for the filmmakers to wear and an estimated 2,000 pairs of winter gloves to all volunteers and staff. Support of film festivals, like Sundance, is part of Timberland’s Fade to Green program.

Fade to Green is an ongoing commitment to raise awareness of environmental issues and promote sustainability. By working closely with film festivals, like Sundance, they hope to inspire change the way filmmakers have with famous documentaries (and Sundance winners) like Super Size Me and Waiting for “Superman.”

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has been a busy little public utility lately. The company is launching green programs for the 3.5 million people it provides electricity and gas services to faster than you can say “corporate sustainability.”

This week alone SDG&E announced their “Green Button” tool for customers and opened their Energy Innovation Center in San Diego. It all looks like a lot of fun so let’s go in for a closer look!

Perhaps you missed the 2012 People’s Choice Awards on Wednesday which was televised on CBS. The Internet is still buzzing with commentary on who was there, who wasn’t, who wore what and just how did Kim Kardashian manage to win favorite reality star when her recent actions have not been favorable? But if you are sad you missed the awards show and need to see people being handed accolades to tide you over until the Golden Globes this weekend you can read about the eight winners of the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance's (MEEA) 2012 Inspiring Efficiency Awards.

This year’s winners were announced yesterday at a dinner and gala during a three day conference hosted by the MEEA at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago. This year marks the tenth annual conference and they began handing out the Inspiring Efficiency Awards in 2005.

The United States restaurant and fast food industry in particular are juggernauts in today’s economy. The fast food industry employs millions of workers and most citizens will be employed by it in some aspect during their lives. Recent focus on the unhealthy aspects of fast food eateries hasn’t managed to bring them down but has forced them to adapt to the market to meet the demand for healthier options. As it is with every industry being sustainable isn’t only about the product sold to public. In response, businesses to help streamline and “green” operations have expanded.

Today BlackGold Biofuels and SLM Facility Solutions Nationwide announced their partnership to assist restaurants in the recycling of kitchen grease. It’s one of those dirty jobs, but someone has to do it.

Yesterday, the retail giant Walmart announced the 2012 beneficiaries of their Acres for America program. 

Acres for America is a partnership between the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and Walmart that began in 2005. Walmart has agreed to purchase and preserve one acre of wildlife habitat in the United States for every acre of land they develop through the year 2015.  So far Acres for America has projects in twenty-four states and is protecting more than 687,000 acres of land. The program protects migration routes and connects fragmented ecosystems while providing access for people to experience nature to foster a love of the outdoors. Walmart hopes to help rural economies that depend on the land for forestry, tourism and recreational purposes.

Do you know how much water is used in the manufacturing of a single car? According to Ford Motor Company they used 9.5 cubic meters in 2000 and one cubic meter is equal to 264.2 gallons of water. That means Ford used approximately 2,509 gallons of water per vehicle in 2000. That same year the company began their Global Water Management Initiative and the program, over a ten year span, has reduced Ford’s total “global water use by 62 percent, or 10.5 billion gallons. That's the equivalent of how much water 105,000 average American residences use annually, based on figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”