|
The flip side of going green - "green wash"
... and, care to take the no more bottled water pledge?
The recent 'green' articles have generated a huge response from you, so obviously this is a subject that is important to many. Even so, I promise next week there will be a new topic!
One thing that caught my eye was the flip side of going green - things that are marketed in that vein, but perhaps are not all they are cracked up to be. I recently attended an online Rotary meeting and read this PDF program about "green wash." Basically, green wash is about marketing a product as "green" or "eco-friendly" or any other term to make a buyer think that a particular product is better for the environment than the competition. The only problem is, it isn't always true.
How many times have you bought something because it appeared or was marketed to be green, even though it really wasn't? Here a 'for instance" that I found: "PepsiCo puts Aquafina water in more eco-friendly bottle." (Click here for article). In other words, PepsiCo is taking one of the truly environmentally detrimental products and "improving" it's "greenness." Taking something truly terrible for the environment and making it merely horrible. The marketing department must be working overtime at PepsiCo!
Stopping our use of water bottled in disposable plastic is one of the easiest ways each of us can have a significant impact on the landfill. After all, it wan't that long ago that we didn't even have bottles water! I certainly didn't grow up with it; did you? (OK, maybe I am dating myself).
12 Reasons to Stop Drinking Bottled Water (from The Good Human)
- American tap water is among the safest in the world.
- As much as 40% of the bottled water sold in the U.S. is just filtered tap water anyway. Be sure to check the label and look for “from a municipal source” or “community water system”, which just means it is tap water.
- By drinking tap water, you can avoid the fertilizer, pharmaceuticals, disinfectants, and other chemicals that studies have found in bottled water.
- Tap water costs about $0.002 per gallon compared to the $0.89 to $8.26 per gallon charge for bottled water. If the water we use at home cost what even cheap bottled water costs, our monthly water bills would run $9,000.
- 88% of empty plastic water bottles in the United States are not recycled. The Container Recycling Institute says that plastic water bottles are disposed of (not recycled) at the rate of 30 million a day.
- Plastic bottles can leach chemicals into the water if left in the sun, heated up, or reused several times.
- Production of the plastic (PET or polyethylene) bottles to meet our demand for bottled water takes the equivalent of about 17.6 million barrels of oil (not including transportation costs). That equals the amount of oil required to fuel more than one million vehicles in the U.S. each year. Around the world, bottling water uses about 2.7 million tons of plastic…each year.
- Bottled water companies mislead communities into giving away their public water in exchange for dangerous jobs.
- It can take nearly 7 times the amount of water in the bottle to actually make the bottle itself.
- On a weekly basis, 37,800 18-wheelers are driving around the country delivering water.
- The EPA sets much more stringent quality standards for tap water than the FDA does for the bottled stuff.
- One out of 6 people in the world does not have safe drinking water, and about 3,000 children a day die from diseases caught from bad water…that we know of. This while Americans spend about $16 billion a year on bottled water.
Make the pledge to stop drinking bottled water, I did!
Want to have an even greater impact? Can you business commit to not using (or selling) bottled water? Have you already? I'd like to hear from you! I'll publish the name of any company that has committed to not using or selling any disposable plastic water bottles.
-Margie
______________________________________________________________
We always serve water from the tap in our restaurant as an automatic part of customer service. Bottled water (in extremely small bottles) is available but probably sell 6 bottles of this a year.
Maria
artisanwines.co.nz _____________________________________________
Margie - good article on bottled water - it does make you stop and think, doesn't it. I've used bottled water for 6 years - my tap water is chlorinated and I don't like the qualities as I perceive them to be - but it is simply justifying on my part.
Therefore, I am now going to give up bottled water.
Thanks for making me open my eyes.
Doug O.
________________________________________
No bottled water at The Inn, only fresh pure, well water.
West Livaudais, Jr. MD FACS
The Inn at Champoeg
St. Paul, Or. 97137
_____________________________________________
I am 100% with you on this one. I am appalled at the recyclable and non-recyclable waste generated by every take away snack, meal or even just coffee and a little something. Some people eat out like this once, twice or three times each day. Also, this includes all of the restaurants that don't have dishwashing capabilities and use disposables in their restaurants.
What can be done? I think the responsibility falls to us as consumers to make our desires known to use recyclables (and be willing to pay for it) but better yet, it sounds funky, but perhaps WE should bring our own containers for take out. Sure, it requires forethought and planning but if folks out there can remember their personal steins and coffee mugs, I think we can make it our priority to remember rather than be appalled by the mountain of waste after we've eaten our take out meal.....
_________________________________________
Hey I don't think you're going to get everyone to stop buying bottled water. It's just too darn convenient. I would like to point out that there is one bottled water whose business has a negative carbon footprint. I just read about this and am amazed. The water is "Fiji". It does not come straight from the tap. In fact it comes straight from an underground natural aquifer into the bottle without being touched by human hands.
Ok, it is still in a plastic bottle but they offset that with giving back to the environment in Fiji and elsewhere with the changes they have made to distribution. Also, water is more healthful than the sodas that most people would dring in place of bottled water, and you can't tell me that the soda companies are more environmental friendly than the bottled water companies
When wineries have as little impact on the environment as this company does, I'll give up my Fiji water until than you should do a little more homework.
Visit fijigreen.com and see for yourself.
Janelle Sarsfield
---------------------
Margie's rebuttal:
Thanks for contributing to the discussion. However, I have to respectfully disagree. In fact, I would go so far as to say the Fiji story actually makes my point for me - taking a product that is terrible for the planet and making it "sound better" than the competition - or than it really is. Says its alright because it's "convenient" for a person is certainly within their right, but it's also quite self focused.
I'll put the same challenge to you - do a little more homework. I try not to get my news on a company straight from their own PR Dept. Here are some links for you if you care to read them:
Survey on Fiji water's "greening": (http://www.treehugger.com/
files/2008/04/survey-can-fiji-
water-be-green.php)
The impact that plastic bottles are having on the world: (The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now twice the size of Texas)
http://www.sierraclub.org/
sierra/200905/message.aspx
A very in-depth article on the subject, including an interview with Fiji Water:
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/
09/25/is-it-green-fiji-water/
Another one:
http://www.
sustainableindustries.com/
foodandfarms/29712099.html
A CNN Article titled "The fast-food giant and Fiji Water claim customers are protecting Mother Earth when they buy taquitos and bottled water. Nice try."
http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/
07/news/companies/taco_fiji.
fortune/
-Margie
------------------
I read this information, now what research have you done to find out what the municipalities are doing to the water that comes out of your tap? I'm sure it isn't even close to green.
Janelle
------------
Here is the water quality report for my county:
http://ci.santa-rosa.ca.us/
doclib/Documents/SR%20CCR%
2008%20FinalHi.pdf
-Margie
_____________________________________________________________
A gutsy piece on plastic bottles: Bravo to you for including it!
Keep up the good work,
Leigh Pomeroy
Web Content Director for Tulocay Winery
_____________________________________________
Hi, Margie -
I for one am really pleased that you are calling attention to this matter! "Greenwashing" has been increasing at an alarming rate in so many areas of our modern lives...food, personal/home care & toiletries, "eco"-tourism, you name it...and well-intentioned people need the resources in order to spot it.
Thanks for your "12 Reasons to Stop Drinking Bottled Water." I've personally never been on that bandwagon (I don't mind dating myself), but this gives me more ammunition for those who insist bottled water is "better."
Thanks again, Margie. I enjoy your Ezine!
Sherry Howland
________________________________________________________
Hi Margie:
I just bought a house and have found little information on both, business and home “effective recycling” I am the kind of person that avoids plastic of all sort but there is so much of that out there!! I have started recycling aluminum, glass, plastic, paper and regular trash… do you know of sources or information on where and how to recycle these? I have found little or no support from our county
Catalina Monsalve-Chavarria______________________________________________________
Hi there!
In answer to your query, Tres Sabores has a “drink our water…. Please!” policy. Our well water probably is as pure (and delicious) as any source that could be found---there’s nothing between our well and miles of uninhabited Alluvial and Mountain territory. We’re working hard to substitute the water bottles that are usually provided by the terrific hospitality company/chauffeured vehicles who visit us –with our own pitchers of cool water.
If guests arrive with water bottles, we use that extra water for our gardens and always recycle the bottles.
Good for you for spreading the word. We agree—bottled water is an unwise waste of resources. We were the third property to be certified organic in the valley and we’re sticking with (and expanding on) our philosophically-driven practices here at the ranch.
Please come visit!
Julie Johnson
Owner and Winemaker
www.tressabores.com</span>
__________________________________________________
Great story on bottled water. Having done some traveling in Africa, I can say that there are places where it is very important - at least for now. I also noted that you attended an on-line Rotary meeting? Are you a Rotarian as well? I am a member of the Ithaca, New York club, past president, and now assistant district governor, district 7170! If you are, of course you know how important clean water is and I hope you are aware of the Water and Sanitation Rotary Action Group - WASRAG. Hope to hear from you. Thanks!
Dale Flinn
Triphammer Wines & Spirits
triphammerwines.com
_______________________________________________
I love your site I think it’s awesome! I twitter too! By the way, I’d like to extend to you, your friends, colleagues, anyone you send my way actually a 10% discount off of any vacation home/estate/cottage rental! Just have them contact me directly. Please see our site J I’ll add you on twitter. Be well and positive, Miko
Miko Carson
Director of Sales, Marketing + Business Dev.
Sonoma County Vacations
Healdsburg Property Mgmt. http://www.
SonomaCountyVacations.com
_____________________________________________________
Thank you for your article and I agree that as a whole Europeans are more
consciences of the environment and far ahead of the US in recycling efforts.
The decades old debate of paper versus plastic and which is best for the
environment really should be recycling versus land fill storage. Neither
will decompose in a land fill as land fills are designed to store waste.
The technology used is based on eliminating exposure to the elements which
allows items put into land fills to be mummified.
Both paper and plastic are easy to recycle when disposed of in a proper
manner. Recycling plastic requires much less energy than paper. But the
subject is moot unless the mind set is changed by consumers.
Population density in Europe is much higher per square mile than it is in
the US. This allows for more dollars per person per transportation mile to
be spent on public transportation programs. The shear size of the US
presents a completely different set of obstacles and cost structure than
what Europe is confronted with.
Mike Martin
_______________________________________________
We, at Rodney Strong Vineyards, are offering free water to our concert goers this season if they will use their own glass at the event. We tried this at our wintertime events this year, and it was enthusiastically embraced. We offered no bottled water at these events this year. We are offering steel water bottles at near cost pricing, and hope to reduce our bottled water use by at least three pallets worth during this season.
We are also offering a discounted price for wine by the glass at the concert series, if they will use their own container. Sadly, for safety reasons in the outdoor setting, we have to use recycled plastic cups, not glass. We expect to save at least three thousand plastic glasses this season compared to last. Wish us good luck!
Thanks for your post.
Joel Clark
--------
Joel -
Thanks for your comment. I am impressed that Rodney Strong is willing to forgo the profit of selling bottled water in favor on the environment. I wish more companies would follow suit.
Regarding your use of cups - there is an easy solution! Use corn based cups (look at feel like plastic) that are 100% biodegradable. If you need contact info to order let me know. I use only these and the corn based utensils for events and catering. No styrofoam, no plastic.
-Margie
___________________________________________________
I read your piece titled Green Eating and wanted to reach out and introduce myself and a company I recently co-founded, ReUseIt. ReUseIt is a rewards program aimed at getting U.S. consumers to shop with reusable bags by providing them a positive incentive to do so. Unfortunately, our society has become much more addicted to disposable bags than many European countries, and thus our habit will be harder to break. With that being said, we believe that there is a positive to solution to the issue that does not require taxing or banning disposable bags.
ReUseIt is building a new loyalty program aimed at getting consumers to use reusable bags by rewarding them with reward points every time they shop with their reusable bags. Participants can then use their reward points to redeem rewards from hundreds (eventually thousands) of different companies that support the program. In the end, everyone wins. Consumers are rewarded for their positive actions, retailers can offer a viable and attractive solution to the disposable bag issue, reward partners are provided access to a valuable marketing and promotional channel that has the added benefit of helping to create a more sustainable society, and, most importantly, the earth and environment benefit.
You can find out more about our program on our website (www.reuseitbags.net). ReUseIt has the ability to have a significant impact on the disposable bag issue as well as helping to change consumer behavior and consumption patterns while promoting a more sustainable earth.
We would love to tell you more about our business. Feel free to call or email me using the contact information below.
Logan Dickerson
ReUseIt, LLC
Co-Founder
704-281-6951
logan@reuseitbags.net www.reuseitbags.net
________________________________________________
I have been tweeting (@sslopes) for awhile about waste in general, primarily plastic. I am so upset about how much plastic we use – 60,000 plastic produce bags every 5 seconds. Aaah! I am actually researching the kinds of waste, comparable to plastic produce bags in grocery, in the foodservice arena. In your experience, do you know of anything that is that wasteful in finer restaurants, not just fast food take out?
I was really happy to see this article on your findings in Germany. I will be following you on Twitter and look forward to your insights.
Thanks. I’d love to stay in touch.
Susan Lopes
Thanks for your email and insights on Europe. Sustainable Napa County has just convened a task force to look at our hospitality industry.
Andrea Guzman
Napa Valley Wine Train
_________________________________________
Thank you for your wonderful news letters, love the one on green eating part I & II.
Here is my though on the matter. In Europe, we think collectively instead of individually in the USA, it is a basic difference in philosophy! Everyone has a right to a decent quality of life.
I live in Healdsburg and the community‘s consciousness is expending. At Big John’s you pay extra for a plastic bag, small changes are effective; as a result, people bring their own bags. If the government were to take a stand and regulate the food packaging industry requiring that all containers must be recyclable, it would provide a giant step forward.
I am up in Reno for a few days and still to this day, their recycling comes every other week and the small stackable containers cannot accommodate all of it. I use the large blue bin on wheels every week and the smallest one for the garbage. Make it mandatory and user friendly so the movement can follow.
In regards to the pedestrians, I do enjoy car free zone in France; check out Lille a wonderful city, very social and cultural, designed for the people who seem to spend their life in the streets and cafes.
Now in our neighborhood, the smart train is coming; it only took 10 years to implement a public rail transportation along the 101 corridor! However, it took forever to widen the freeway because the infrastructure lacked vision and interest. If you built housing, the people will come adding more cars on the road. Therefore, the project should have been in place 20 years ago.
We love living here and will keep moving forward in the right direction!
Warm regards,
Isabelle Adams
www.eventscapesonoma.com
www.zinscape.com ____________________________________________________
Loved your story on Green Eating. You are so right.
I was born and raised in The Netherlands and have now been living in the USA for 3 1/2 years and just astonished the way the US goes on about the environment. Just now are we are putting in a proposal in our city to pay for plastic bags at the super market. Hello...Europe caught on long time ago. I think the US can definitely learn more from Europe in the way of the environment.
Sabrina van Ekere________________________________________________
Margie:
I enjoyed your recent email regarding green wash products and bottled water.
Michael Donovan
Managing Director
ROXYANN WINERY | NORTHWEST WINE BROKERS
www.roxyann.com
_______________________________________________
Foil at all times...
Keara Donahu
____________________________________________
I just read your article about Green Eating, and it sparked my interest. I have spent some time in Europe, and having worked in environmental consulting, I've always been tuned into the differences between "being green" in the U.S. vs. in Europe.
Countries in Europe have limited land compared to the U.S., so I think it is natural for them to be more conscious of their natural resources. In the U.S., "green" is a recent trend and something that will likely take a while for people to get used to. Even when it comes to something simple like using reusable grocery bags, it has long been a habit for Europeans, while Americans are struggling to remember them when they head to the store. At least we started using them! I hope the environmental trend in the U.S. will continue and we will one day match Europe in our green efforts. It would be interesting to know more behind the differences in environmental attitudes in the U.S. and Europe.
I'm heading to Europe next week and will keep an eye out for everything "green." Thanks for your article!
Fiona Coll
______________________________________________________
I enjoyed your article in 4Hoteliers about Green Eating in Germany. I was an exchange student to Germany 30 years ago, and I go back every 2-3 years to see my friends. I am always impressed by their green ideas in Europe, and try to incorporate as many lifestyle changes as I can here at home. In the early 90’s I worked for a German company in the Chicago area, and we were already recycling all of our office paper and cardboard boxes then.
Thanks for a great article!
Sue Hovey
Food Safety Educator
Clemson Extension Service
__________________________________________________________
Margie, thank you so much for sharing that piece about your trip to Germany!
I was in Germany 15 years ago or so visiting my son and d-i-l and granddaughter. His wife was in the Air Force there. I was so impressed with how clean all the towns in Germany were that I visited. I don’t know where you went, but I’m sure you noticed that as well. Also how polite the drivers are. You stay in the right lane UNLESS you’re passing and only then. Not like our road “hogs” here, which my brother Ken and I witnessed to all the way from NC to MD Thursday and today when we came home. We were nearly run off the road, and were lucky not to have turned the car over. The only accidents in Germany are those that people pass but not fast enough to get out of the way of those really fast drivers in the fast lane, coming 125 miles an hour or more!
More on your topic. You gave me hope that if we as L. consultants, even, could make some waves with our government, perhaps we could do something to put the lobbyists out of politics in this “green” phase that we’d all like to be in. Can you imagine if 40,000 consultants all wrote our congressmen/women and our president and stated what you did in your letter how much more we could get done? Wow!
Thank you so much for writing it and thanks to Ann and Misti for sending it to us. I just know you had a wonderful trip! Let me know where you went. I’d love to hear.
God bless you,
Wilma
________________________________________________________________
Hi Margie, I sell food to restaurants and the number #1 reason restaurants don't switch to green containers is cost. The same goes with organics. For example, a foam 9x9x3" container costs about $.13 where a corn or sugar cane based one is easily double that price. The best thing to do is to keep demanding that the restaurant should use green items. Trust me, they listen. Many cities in California are starting to mandate compostable or the banning of styrofoam, however, the cities don't have enough man power to police it.
Chris Batti
|
Comment feed for this post