Yesterday, you likely noticed our Green Life Guide entry on "Eating a Whole Foods Diet." That piece of content was the first of many we'll be featuring from our newest partner Natural Path.

Like Green Options, Natural Path is a relative newcomer to the Green Web. Their focus: the intersection between green living and wellness:

Our food and environment have dramatically changed over the last fifty years to a degree that personal, community and planetary health are inextricably bound. This strong interrelationship between health and environment drives our vision for Naturalpath.

We believe wellness and environmental sustainability are a function of the choices we make every day. Naturalpath.com is a platform for sharing information and perspectives to better understand these choices.

We're excited about this partnership, and will be featuring Natural Path content every Tuesday, either on the blog or in the Green Life Guide. They, in turn, will feature items from Green Options: here's the first. If you like what you see here, check out their site… and sign up! They've created a gorgeous site with many opportunity for user contributions.

Welcome, Natural Path. We're looking forward to a long and mutually-beneficial relationship!

Editor's note: This week, Chris Baskind from Lighter Footstep takes a look at overpackaged goods — and what you can do about them. This post was originally published on May 15, 2007.

Maybe this has happened to you. A desk pen set which comes in shoebox-sized packaging. One aspirin, shrink-wrapped on a six-by-six inch card. A small electronic part that arrives wrapped in more plastic than the device itself.

What a waste! It's over-packaging, and your local landfill is bursting with it.

 

Why all this packaging?

There's nothing wrong with reasonable packaging; we all want the stuff we buy to be clean and undamaged. But retail packaging has a dual purpose — protecting a product, and getting you to buy it. The latter case is where things get out of hand.

The aisles of your local grocery or department store are a battleground. Vendors spend big money fighting for shelf space. Once they have it, they want to be seen. Hence the millions of dollars spent annually by companies in the design of over-the-top packaging with high "shelf appeal."

 

Trashing the environment

The problem with over-packaging is twofold: it wastes raw materials, and most of it ends up in our already overburdened landfill systems. A lot of packaging is made of plastic, too, meaning it will be around for centuries.

To make things worse, much of the plastic used in packaging isn't marked for recycling. It'll be a treasure trove for future archeologists — assuming we all don't drown in garbage first.

 

What you can do to fight over-packaging

You are the consumer. You're the end user. Ultimately, what you say goes.

So don't take over-packaging lying down. We've rounded-up five ideas to help you fight the glut of unnecessary garbage. Pick a few — and help wrap-up a big mess!

 

Vote with your purchase

You can be assured that big companies pay very close attention to the relationship of packaging changes and sales. Thanks to modern inventory systems, product movement can be traced right down to the shelf of your local big-box retailer.

Make this work for the good. When confronted with several equivalent products, choose the one with the least (or most environmentally friendly) packaging. This is the slow boat to change, but it strikes directly at the root of over-packing: profit.

Can't find something with reasonable wrapping? If possible, put off your purchase and chase one of the following options.

 

Tell companies what you think

Direct customer input is a powerful thing. Done right, a phone call or a well written letter can have real impact on the way a product is presented.

It's always helpful to take a pen and pad of paper when you shopping. See a horribly over-packaged product? Jot down the customer feedback info on the sidepanel and take action.

Be polite, but be very specific. Say where you were, what you saw, and why you didn't buy. If you bought a competing product, say so. Then challenge them to do a better job. If you keep a blog, write it up and include a link with your communication. Just stick to the facts and avoid heated rhetoric. It's true about honey catching more flies than vinegar.

Don't have a blog of your own? Send your story to OverPackaging.com.

 

Recycle your packaging

It's not always possible to avoid buying over packaged goods. When that happens, make the best of things and recycle properly.

Not recycling yet? Now is a great time to start. Pick up some beginner's tips from RecycleNow. For a list of your local recycling centers, visit the grandaddy of "how to" recycling website, Earth911.

Recycling can also mean repurposing. Hang onto those styrofoam peanuts — they'll come in handy. Can a box be put to some other use? And platic food containers make great drawer organizers. Get creative!

 

Buy in bulk

This is a great way to stomp out over-packaging. Those warehouse stores really manage costs, which means you'll find goods taped are shrink-wrapped together, rather than sold separately. Why buy three boxes of macaroni when you can buy a big one and save a lot of cardboard?

Opportunities to buy unpackaged goods fall under this umbrella, also. Food co-ops usually expect you to bring your own containers to distribution, which is great. Veggies at your local farmer's market are unlikely to be packaged at all, and you'll be saving all that fuel and carbon dioxide used in transporting groceries cross-country.

Bulk buying demands organization at home. Arm yourself with plenty of airtight storage containers. If you're buying frozen goods, consider a top-opening chest freezer. They use less energy than refrigerator models, and are the ideal place for frozen storage.

 

Buy used

As the saying goes, "Why buy new, when used will do?" In this case, buying used would ideally be done on the local level (to avoid the burden of shipping).

Newspapers, weekly shoppers, your local craigslist board, Freecycle^TM, thrift stores, flea markets, and garage sales are all likely places to find what you want. Almost nothing you find will be packaged, and you're putting an item to use which might otherwise have been discarded.

In a way, this is a bit of retro-recycling for the product's original packaging. Every time an item changes hands and makes a purchase unnecessary, you've diluted the impact of its original manufacturing, transport, and packaging. So don't keep a good thing to yourself — take those useful items and pass them on!

Copyright © 2007 Lighter Footstep Media

Providing financial support to Fair Trade producers moves beyond simply paying fair price for products. Many times financial support simply means pre-payment on at least a portion of placed orders to allow the producers to secure raw materials. Remaining payments are to be made promptly, unlike large corporate counterparts which typically wait 60-90days.

While purchasing items on several months’ credit is commonplace in business making an artisan or farmer to wait several months before receiving his/her only income causes undue hardship on producers and their families. Beyond payment for goods, Fair Trade relationships are based on a long-term goal of mutual success. Fair Trade importers are therefore invested in the growth and success of their counterparts, and will frequently give small micro-loans to help with product expansion, capacity building, quality control and funding for certification.

These micro-loans can be integral to the success of small businesses, yet are hard to come by through conventional means. Typical banks shy away from loaning money to assest-less poor, and many charitable organizations are focused only on massive undertakings and will not involve themselves in small loans. Loans and financing are a business necessity that Western operations take for granted when starting up or expanding. Micro-financing has been proven to be a successful development tool. One of the pioneers of micro-financing, the Grameen Bank, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the resulting publicity has brought such micro loans and their high return rate into public awareness.

Kiva was created to help bridge the gap between people with a small amount to loan and those which need it. Kiva is a Swahili word meaning “agreement” or “unity” and their website allows you to enter into this agreement quite easily. What sets Kiva apart is that it allows average-income individuals to lend small amounts (as little as $25). Kiva is a non-profit and supported solely through additional donations, so you’re assured 100% of your loan is in the hands of the person requesting and thus far Kiva has experienced a 100% repayment rate on all business loans. The individual stories and progressive journal entries allow you to personally connect with those you wish to help.

It is through financial assistance rather than blanket charity that small businesses and this poor communities will be able to grow and thrive.

This is the fourth in a series of posts discussing the Fair Trade criteria. Also check out Fair Trade: Transparency, Fair Trade: Fair Wages and Fair Trade: Environment.

 

As you’ve probably already heard, Paul Wolfowitz has announce he’s resigning from the World Bank at the end of June. While some are still lauding his ‘accomplishments‘ and others pondering the man’s next career move, mostly folks are anxious to know who’s replacing him.

Daniel, one of our political advisors, has a few ideas. Here’s his two cents:

In 2005, I was asked what I would say to Paul Wolfowitz, if he called for my advice as the new president of the World Bank. I could only think of one word: “Resign“. Last week, he finally did. The champagne having been drunk, the chase is now on for who shall replace him on July 1st.

Tradition has it, that the World Bank president is always American, personally chosen by the US president. Of course, this “tradition” simply reflects global power relations when the Bank was founded 60 years ago. It has no place in the 21st century.

Together with over 200 other organizations, I therefore think that – shock, horror – the World Bank President should be chosen by merit.

Continue reading Wolfowitz gone – who’s next at the World Bank?…

Filed under: Hybrid, MPG, Ford

In the wake of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s announcement that all taxis in the city would be hybrids by 2012, Ford is doing their part to make sure they keep a significant market share after the Crown Vics are phased out. The Escape Hybrid first entered service as a cab in San Francisco in 2005 and there are now 40 there and another 288 in New York City. Cabbies in Escapes can save over $6,000 a year in fuel costs or $30 per shift.

The Crown Victoria has been a staple of big city taxi fleets since the old Checker cabs were retired twenty years ago, and Dearborn obviously wants to keep that revenue stream going. So far the Escape has proved reliable in taxi service with the first batch of eighteen all accumulating over 175,000 miles in the first year and a half of service. The only problem with the Escape is the limited rear seat room. Ford has a hybrid Fusion coming later this year and if they create a hybrid version of the Taurus it could be the ideal replacement for the Crown Vic.

[Source: Ford]
FORD ESCAPE HYBRID TAXIS

• Ford Escape Hybrid was the first hybrid taxi to be put into service in the country. It was introduced in San Francisco in early 2005.
• New York City and Chicago followed and formally approved vehicles like the Escape Hybrid for taxi use; New York City has 288 Escape Hybrids in its fleet, San Francisco has more than 40.
• Over the course of 100,000 miles, an Escape Hybrid taxi will save approximately 1,666 gallons of gas or 32,000 lbs. of carbon emissions compared with a conventional cab.
• Cabs in New York City have accumulated more than 175,000 miles with no major mechanical problems, attesting to the durability and reliability of the Escape Hybrid.
• Escape Hybrid taxi drivers report they may save more than $6,000 on gas per year.

DEARBORN, Mich., May 22 – Today’s announcement by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to change taxi policy toward increasing fuel economy standards, highlights Ford’s leadership in hybrid taxis. The Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid meet the existing New York City taxi requirements and the proposed new fuel economy policy.

In early 2005, San Francisco was the first city to feature gas-electric hybrid-powered taxi cabs. The city chose Ford Escape Hybrid. Later that year, New York City added a small fleet of Escape Hybrid taxis based on the New York City Council decision to pass the Clean Air Taxis Act. In June 2006, Ford embarked on a nationwide tour promoting the advantages of the use of Escape Hybrids for taxi service, and since, Chicago and Austin have also introduced Escape Hybrids into their taxi fleets.

With hundreds of thousands of miles accumulated over the past two years in New York City, there has been an estimated fuel savings of $250,000 for the initial fleet of 18 Escape Hybrid taxis. Now there are 288 Escape Hybrids in taxi service throughout the city, and drivers are reporting that the hybrids are delivering on the durability requirements and fuel-saving advantages that make them a great choice for taxi use.

Ford Escape Hybrid Taxi Facts

• Most fuel-Efficient SUV on Earth: EPA rated at 34 miles per gallon in city driving, the front-wheel drive Escape Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient SUV on earth, and can provide drivers 500 miles to a tank.
• Taxi Drivers Save $30 Per Shift: According to San Francisco cab driver Paul Gillespie, driving an Escape Hybrid saves him up to $30 per shift. Working four shifts a week for a year could equal more than $6,000.
• Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV) Certified: The Escape Hybrid dramatically reduces smog-forming emissions, as it meets the cleanest emissions standard available for a vehicle that uses fossil fuels – California’s AT-PZEV standard. Over 100,000 miles the Escape Hybrid will conserve approximately 1,666 gallons of gas over a traditional cab, effectively preventing 32,000 pounds of carbon emissions.
• Reliability and Durability is Key for Taxi Use: The Escape Hybrid is proving to be remarkably durable, capable of surviving around-the-clock use in one of the most severe driving conditions any vehicle will face. This durability is backed by a standard 8-year / 100,000-mile limited warranty for unique hybrid components, including the battery pack.
• Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner Hybrid Have Highest Tax Credits: Because the real world fuel economy of the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner Hybrids increased for the 2008 model year, the Federal income tax credits available now are $3,000 for FWD models (up $400) and $2,200 on 4WD models (up $250). The Ford and Mercury Hybrids now have the highest tax credit of any hybrid – up to $900 more than the closest competitor. For both vehicles, the new EPA-certified fuel economy for FWD models is 34 mpg city and 30 mpg highway, and 29 mpg city and 27 mpg highway for AWD models.
• Insurance Discounts for Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner Hybrids: Travelers, one of the largest providers of personal insurance products in the United States, offers hybrid drivers in the states of California, New Jersey, Texas, New York, Maryland, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia and Washington discounts of up to 10 percent on certain coverages. The company estimates their hybrid policy business grew by 200 percent in 2006.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors

Yesterday we told you that Tesla Motors was establishing a group within the company to share their proprietary battery technology with other manufacturers. Tesla uses off-the-shelf lithium ion cells in their battery packs but everything else is unique including the packaging, thermal management and control software.

Tesla’s first customer is Norwegian electric car maker TH!NK and their second generation City car. The initial deal is worth $43 million with $3 million of that this year and the rest in 2008. The new TH!NK was originally planned to have a Zebra molten salt battery. TH!NK will instead use a custom-designed lithium ion battery pack from Tesla.

[Source: Tesla]

Tesla Energy Group, a New Division of Tesla Motors, Signs Development and Supply Agreement Worth $43 Million with Think of Norway

New Division of Tesla Motors to Develop and Market Battery Packs for Clients in Automotive and Other Industries

SAN CARLOS, California — (May 22, 2007) — Tesla Energy Group, a newly formed division of Tesla Motors, recently signed an agreement to supply Think Global with lithium-ion battery packs for their line of “TH!NK city” electric cars. The supply agreement covers the development and delivery of battery packs starting in December 2007 and continuing through 2008. The supply agreement represents up to $43 million in revenues, of which approximately $3 million is expected to be realized in 2007 with the remainder in 2008.

Tesla Energy Group was formed in December of 2006 to develop and market custom designed battery packs for customers in a wide range of industries, utilizing Tesla’s patent pending technology for the development of high-power, high-capacity battery packs with superior performance and safety characteristics. Tesla Motors created Tesla Energy Group in response to demand from outside companies for advanced lithium-ion battery pack technology for automotive and other industrial use.

“The establishment of the Tesla Energy Group adds a significant new dimension to the business of Tesla Motors,” said Martin Eberhard, CEO of Tesla Motors. “Tesla Energy Group will provide additional sources of operating income for Tesla Motors while accelerating our competitive advantage in battery pack design and manufacturing. Both of these support our core business of developing and marketing extraordinary electric cars such as the Tesla Roadster.”

“Tesla Energy Group provides Think with an advanced battery pack design with impressive performance said Jan-Olaf Willums, CEO of Think.

About Think

Thinks mission is to create the most environmentally friendly vehicles in the world in a commercially successful way. The second generation TH!NK city vehicle combines award-winning design with comfort and convenience features that make it a pleasure to drive. The new vehicle is expected to be launched in Norway in 2007, and selected international markets in 2008. More information about Think can be found on http://www.think.no/.

About Tesla Motors

Tesla Motors develops and manufactures vehicles that exemplify “Design, Performance, and Efficiency” while conforming to all U.S. safety, environmental and durability standards. The company has taken over 400 reservations for its first car, the Tesla Roadster, a stylish, high performance sports car that accelerates to 60 mph in about 4 seconds with extreme energy efficiency. Tesla expects to start shipping Tesla Roadsters to customers in the fall. Tesla Motors was founded in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning to create efficient electric cars for people who love to drive. Tesla Motors currently employs more than 200 people, including teams in California, Michigan, the U.K. and Taiwan. For more information, visit www.teslamotors.com.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Organic Gardening With a ToddlerIt is a busy time of year in the garden, and young children (and puppies) can make growing food a challenge. Overcoming this challenge is well worth the effort, as the benefits of growing your own organic food are numerous for your family. For example, organic gardening with children helps establish healthy eating habits, as children are more prone to taste and enjoy foods they have grown themselves. In fact, in my opinion, the best natural toy for children is a garden. Luther Burbank wrote,

Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, water-bugs, tadpoles, frogs, and mud-turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb, brooks to wade in, water-lillies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, various animals to pet, hayfields, pine-cones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries, and hornets; and any child who has been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part of his education.

The garden provides a unique environment for children to explore the natural world and combat nature deficit disorder. There are many tiny creatures to explore and the wonders of plant life never cease to amaze a child. Children also love to explore the garden with their friends. Here are ten tips for organic gardening with small children I have collected from experience and gardening friends:

1. Wear Your Baby: All over the world women can be seen working in the fields while wearing their babies. In The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, a Chinese peasant delivers her baby in the field and goes back to work! Backpacks and other baby-wearing devices aren't just for hiking, as they can provide a secure place for your baby to rest while you pull weeds, hoe, water, etc.

2. Provide Child Size Garden Tools and Gloves: Children love to imitate their adult models, and imitation is an important part of their play development. By providing children with appropriately-sized tools, not only can they help in the garden, but also they work in their own garden beds.

3. Establish a Garden Bed Just For Your Child: One of the hardest parts about gardening with children is letting go of your perfect rows or plant spacing. By establishing a garden bed just for your child, you allow them their own space to experiment in, while you work on more delicate garden tasks. In addition, your child's garden bed will provide them with a sense of autonomy in the garden.

4. Plant a Strawberry Patch: This is my lifesaver in the garden! Not only does our organic strawberry patch provide us with delicious fruit, but also it entertains my children for countless hours as they hunt for strawberries. Children as young as two are quite capable of picking and eating their own strawberries in the garden. Plant everbearing varieties to have strawberries all summer long.

5. Read Children's Literature About Gardening: There are countless children's books about gardening. Connecting literacy to the garden will not only teach your children about growing food, but it will make them excited to work in the garden. My favorites are A Handful of Sunshine by Melanie Eclare, How Groundhog's Garden Grew by Lynne Cherry, and Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens.

6. Place Outdoor Toys in the Garden: Strategically placing outdoor toys in the garden allows parents to supervise their children while working with plants. A sand box is ideal for garden entertainment. Z Recommends suggests a plastic playhouse from Freecycle in their garden; however, aesthetics and ecofriendliness are to be considered before making this choice. A hanging art easel can be clipped to the garden fence to allow your budding artist another activity while you garden.

7. Get Dirty: One of the best organic gardeners and cooks I know provided this tip. Turn on a hose or sprinkler in a unplanted portion of the garden and let your children frolic in the mud. This is a great option when you already have a bath planned for your children.

A Seedling For Your Child8. Make Gardening Part of Your Daily Routine: Young children thrive on routines. By making gardening part of your daily routine, not only will your garden be beautiful and bountiful, but your children will look forward to this time of day. Soon your children will start to select their own tasks in the garden from their familiarity with this daily chore.

9. Wear Sunscreen, Hats, and Sunglasses: Protect your children from the elements. Your child will not want to return to the garden, if they associate it with getting sun burnt.

10. Involve Children From the Start!: If you start your plants in a greenhouse, be sure to include your child in this process. Young children love to fill up pots with planting soil and are quite capable of handling large seeds, such as squashes and melons. If you purchase plants and seeds, take your child with you to the plant nursery and let them select some of the seedlings and seed packets (including plants for their own garden bed). By being involved from planting to harvesting, young children will fully reap the benefits of organic gardening!

 

 

By Dr. Lisa Moore, Environmental Defense scientist. (Cross posted from Climate411.org.)

Photo: Green OptionsLast week, Yahoo! launched a new site that can calculate how much your carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions go down when you try their energy saving tips. It's fun to use, and I especially appreciate the snazzy interactive features because I know how hard people worked to build it. My colleagues and I provided the Yahoo! design team with the data they use in their calculations.

I hope you'll visit the site to see how simple changes in your house and car can save energy and lower emissions. But first, let me take you behind the scenes to the complicated world of carbon calculation.

• Which emissions do you count? For the Yahoo! calculator, we focused on emissions from home energy use, personal driving, and commercial aviation. We could make solid estimates of average emissions from these activities, and there are easy steps individuals can take to reduce those emissions. These three activities account for 9.4 tons of CO₂ per person per year, which is about half of the total CO₂ emissions per person in the U.S. Some people also refer to the emissions attributable to a person as his/her carbon footprint.
• How do you count those emissions? Greenhouse gas emissions are often higher when you consider gases other than CO₂, but non-CO₂ emissions can be difficult to calculate. Many carbon calculators ignore all non-CO₂ emissions. The Yahoo! calculator includes non-CO₂ gases for flying and dietary choices.
• How much information from the user? The more information I have, the better job I can do calculating your baseline emissions and your savings. What's your current average annual electricity consumption? What state do you live in? How long do you keep each of your light bulbs on every day? What make and model are your appliances? Obviously that approach can get ridiculously cumbersome to users. So instead we often use national averages.
• Do you include regional differences? Some factors, such as the amount of CO₂ emitted per kilowatt-hour of electricity, vary enormously from state to state. The national average emissions rate is 1.34 pounds of CO₂ per kWh. But in North Dakota it's 2.24, and in Vermont it's a clean 0.03! We accounted for these differences in our calculators on www.fightglobalwarming.com; Yahoo! uses the national average.

Designing a tool like this involves a lot of interesting discussions and decisions (and headaches from boring federal reports like the EPA's emissions inventory [PDF]), but the end result is very useful. Americans have a huge impact on global warming, there are many things we can do to make a difference.

So click around the site, get a sense of which changes will have the biggest impact, and pledge to do something. Did an item on the list surprise you? What have you already done? What do you plan to do next?