Whole Foods LondonThe Brits have never been known for their culinary instincts, but Whole Foods is putting this to the test. The mega retailer opened its doors last week to lots of eager consumers and a flood of press. Everyone has a point of view of Whole Foods’ impact on the ethical consumer, true level of sustainability and “Whole Paycheck” pricing. The big question is how Whole Foods will fare in a country where the standard dietary guidelines of meat and two veg translate to potatoes with potatoes on the side.

In March, I wrote Whole Foods would usher in “trickle-down organics”. By emphasizing the luxury in eco luxury, Whole Foods would only encourage growth in the growing organics sections of Marks and Spenser, Tesco and Sainsbury. Within public dialog, we are seeing this. However, it’s not necessarily being seen as an elevation of non-ethical supermarkets. As one reporter from the Times pointed out, it’s more about the downfall of Whole Foods and other social entrepreneurs:

But however socially responsible these entrepreneurs remain as individuals, we can’t pretend that, once a critical mass has been reached, and they go public, that their companies are that different from say, Wal-Mart or Tesco (especially now that Sir Terry (Leahy) is so competitive, I mean so green, that he is carbon-labelling and has copyrighted the Tesco Wholefoods brand).

Don't let mosquitos get in the way of your summer outdoor fun. Here are a few tips on keeping you bite free.

Remove standing water sources. This is prime mosquito breeding ground. Dump water from anything in your yard or outdoor area that is collecting it. For things you'd like to keep water in (birdbaths, wading pools, pet water bowls) change it often.

Turn on a fan. Mosquitos prefer still air. A nice breeze will deter them and keep you cool.

In 2016, the UK will implement new standards for efficiency in residential homes. Nine years in advance, though, they’ve already got a complete demo home that complies with the future regulations, designed to “lose 60% less heat than the normal home,” according to the BBC. The Lighthouse, as it’s called, was constructed by Kingspan Off-Site, a company that specializes in sustainable integrated building systems and products. It’s on display at OFFSITE2007, a biannual event in Watford that “explores how modern construction and advanced technologies are coming together to deliver higher performing, more sustainable and smarter buildings.” The materials used [for the Lighthouse] include highly insulated, airtight building fabric which has been designed to provide generous daylight levels and includes effective solar control, together with integrated building services based around a platform of renewable and sustainable technologies. These include water efficiency techniques, renewable energy technologies, passive cooling and ventilation, as well as mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR). OFFSITE2007 is keeping a photo blog documenting the building process and the reactions to the completed zero-energy home during the course of the summer event. Right now, the cost of building such a home is undeniably higher than building a less efficient one… (more)

(Posted by Sarah Rich in Green Building at 11:20 AM)

Networking is at the heart of any conference and at some point the question inevitably arises: how do we carry the momentum forward? Beyond trading business cards, how do people follow up on conversations started over breakfast or crazy ideas hatched at 2a.m.? At the Gaining Ground Sustainable Urban Development Leadership Summit in Victoria, BC (now in its second year), I learned about some new tools to help address this. The newly launched WiserEarth (World Index for Social and Environmental Responsibility) offers a virtual environment for the massive and unbounded global population of changemakers we often call the “sustainability movement.” Paul Hawken, who spoke at the conference, describes the movement in his recent book, Blessed Unrest. In development for the past two years by the Natural Capital Institute, the site amalgamates wikis, social networking, resources, and a job board that intersect at topical hubs (Areas of Focus). NCI seeded the site with about 100,000 organizations and the hope that more will join and create their own profiles, turning the site into an unprecedentedly large and singular aggregation of the world’s progress-oriented and do-good organizations. Much like Zaadz, individual profiles on Wiser Earth promote transparency by including users’ first and last… (more)

(Posted by Katie Kurtz in Community at 8:47 AM)

Terrence Williams from UC-Davis (Team Fate) plug-in hybridI had the opportunity last week to visit General Motors' headquarters in downtown Detroit for an event with the ChallengeX program. ChallengeX is a program co-sponsored by GM and the US Department of Energy. Teams from universities across the US (and one from Canada) were given a stock Chevrolet Equinox to use as the base vehicle platform and were challenged to improve its efficiency and reduce its fuel use. "Seventeen teams have been challenged to re-engineer a GM Equinox, a crossover sport utility vehicle to minimize energy consumption, emissions, and greenhouse gases while maintaining or exceeding the vehicle's utility and performance."

This is a multi-year program, which has already gone through two years of evaluations and awards. And, while the initial information I had about the program was that this was the conclusion of the challenge, I learned that there is going to be a fourth year to the program, which will focus on consumer acceptability issues.

The top three programs for this year's competition were Mississipi State (1st place), University of Wisconsin (2nd place), and Virginia Tech (3rd place). The vehicles went through a multi-day testing at GM's proving grounds, and were judged on numerous criteria. More information about the ChallengeX results can be found on GM's FYI blog.

Nice looking truck, isn’t it? And it runs well too, without an engine, radiator, or those other amenities, although there is a five-speed manual transmission. You’re looking at a Florida man’s lifelong dream: his first electric vehicle.

62-year-old Kenneth Watkins is an electrical engineer in Orlando, Florida. Ken said he’d wanted to build an electric-powered vehicle for years, but raising a family came first and now that everyone’s grown, he has the time and resources to make his dream come true.

He bought the truck off a used car lot for what he said was a good price, since the engine was in pretty bad shape and the truck was anything but a “prize”. Nonetheless, it was “just what I wanted,” so he drove it home and began stripping the engine compartment.

Editor's note: Green Options is pleased to welcome Heidi Strebel to our writing team! Heidi is a language and literature teacher, and freelance journalists, living in Paris, France. She'll be covering the continental beat for us here at GO.

Only left-wing anti-growth idealists believe that, because of human activity, our environment is in disastrous, ever-worsening condition. Such statements are a thing of the past, you might think, vestiges of an ignorant age before the advent of An Inconvenient Truth. But, despite a growing number of bipartisan and non-partisan activist groups, many environmental initiatives across the developed democratic world are still hampered by their partisan affiliations, promoted by the left and pooh-poohed by right.

If the ‘inconvenient truth’ about our environment rings true on just one side of the political spectrum, then yet another country will be putting climate change on the back burner, taking notice only when it blazes uncontrollably in the front yard of people’s lives. Just over a month ago voters elected Nicholas Sarkozy, former leader of the moderate right-wing party the Union for a Popular Movement, to the chief executive office of France. Now with his party’s clear victory in the first round of legislative elections, Sarkozy’s mandate has received further endorsement, leaving the trail open for blazing with a full agenda of promised reforms.

Former president Jacques Chirac established the Union for a Popular Movement when he was running for re-election in 2002. Since we can expect a certain degree of continuity amongst party members, Chirac’s environmental report card provides an idea of what to expect during Sarkozy’s term.

Genesys Conferencing is global provider of web, audio, and video conferencing services. It does business in 25 countries, including with nearly half of the Fortune Global 500 companies. Genesys has also made a strong commitment to energy efficiency and to cutting its global warming emissions. Last month, it appointed a Green Officer to drive and manage a sustainable development strategy and implement the ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems Standard.

This standard is a series of international benchmarks on environmental management. It providers a framework and structured process for a company to develop its own green goals, establish a planning phase, implementation phase, and measurement and management procedures. Its development came about as a result of the Earth Summit in 1992.

I was interested in why and how a teleconferencing company is getting so involved in efficiency and fighting global warming. The public relations and marketing possibilities don’t seem as obvious as they would be for a retailer or for a brand more well-known by the general public.

So I spoke with Genesys’ Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, Denise Persson, on May 30th.

Green Options: Why is Genesys Conferencing focusing so many resources on efficiency?

Denise Persson: It all started about five years ago. As a European company, we are more environmentally conscious. I’m Swedish, and in Sweden we recycle every single thing. We would never dream of throwing a piece of paper in the trash. So this direction for the company was very natural for a lot of us. We wanted to do all that we could to make it more efficient and more responsible in terms of climate change.

 

The new book A Slice of Organic Life might be better described as A Gigantic Slice of Organic Life. This is not your average-sized serving of tips on how to incorporate more green into your life; it is super-sized. While he book itself is not overly large (it will fit nicely on a bookshelf), it's the content that overflows.

Editor-in-chief Sheherazade Goldsmith packs A Slice of Organic Life full of tips and diy projects for living more naturally, or organically, if you will, whether you live in a tiny New York City apartment, a moderate abode with some outdoor space, a large suburban house with a big yard, or a big ol' farm with a few acres. There are a variety of different suggestions complete with easy, step-by-step instructions and guidelines. Also rampant in this volume are beautiful, colorful photographs which make a simple flip through the book enjoyable, and give a hearty visual representation of each tip presented.

The book is sectioned off into three parts: 1) No Need for a Yard, 2) Roof Terrace, Patio or Tiny Yard, and 3) Yard, Community Garden, or Field. Within each section, however, are ideas for both small and large spaces: from making and freezing baby foods, to collecting rainwater, growing chili peppers, making summer fruit jam, using renewable energy, planting herbs indoors, keeping honey bees and raising your own chickens.

I live on the Palouse (a region of eastern Washington and northern Idaho), which is famous for its rolling hills and crops such as wheat and lentils. When I think of eating locally-grown foods, lentils instantly come to mind. In fact, lentils are taken quite seriously here. In nearby Pullman, Washington, there is even an annual Lentil Festival celebrating the lovely legume. No, I'm not kidding.

The Palouse is known as the most important lentil growing region in the United States, producing about a third of all lentils grown nationally. So obviously, local lentils are easy to come by around here, and thankfully they don't have to travel far, which makes them a very sustainable option. There is a large lentil farm just a few miles east of me, and many varieties of local and organic lentils abound in the Co-op's bulk bins. Lentils are a great vegan source of protein, fiber, and other nutrients, so they are one of my favorite kitchen staples.