Superbowl Sunday promises to be a spectacular event this year. Practically Green offers 20 ideas worth a total of 360 points to make your Tailgate Party greener and more fun!
Giants vs. Patriots: Superbowl XLVI (nfl.com)
While the real action is on the field, think of the following as your very own game; the more actions you take, the more points you earn. Enlist your friends to do the same and get a friendly competition going. If we all take some of the actions below, we’re in for a great season where we’re all winners. Go Team Green!
We admit it! Obsessed with SustyParty’s compostable plates and bowls. Order in your team’s colors & toss into the compost without even scraping the food off!
Go Waste Free
Pack your own reusable plates, water bottles, glassware, and utensils: 20 points!
BYO cloth napkins or PeopleTowels: 20 points!
Or use recycled paper napkins and you’ll still get 10 points.
People Towels: We think Coach Belichick would go for the heart tree! Coach Coughlin: "Dream Green"?
Drink And Eat Sustainably
Fill your (reusable) bowl with organic or at least more natural chips and snacks, snag 10 points.
Drink wisely – celebrate touchdowns with organic and/or local beer (10 points), hydrate with filtered tap water in a reusable bottle (10 points), and stay awake and warm with organic coffee (20 points). You winos want to look for eco-friendly wine (20 points). Jack your score by 10 more points when you recycle the corks — and add a big 50 when you recycle the bottles!
Whew! Is it half time yet? If you’ve done ALL of those actions, you’ve got 180 POINTS already!
More:
Fire up your grill with eco-friendlier briquettes (10 points) and cook up some sustainably raised meat (another whopping 50 points!) and/or organic veggies (50 more!). Who knew eating guacamole could be SO extra-green?
Southwestern Layered Bean Dip: one of a zillion drooly ideas on EatingWell's special Superbowl recipe collection
If you’re a sausage fan, definitely throw some of Applegate Farms’ organic hot dogs (10 points) on the grill. Do you have a solar-powered grill/oven? Our friends Corey and Lynn of Celebrate Green swear by them — they’ve got another 20 points each!
Applegate Farms cheezy bacon organic hotdog: Yes, please!
Clean Consciously
Before you chow down, clean your hands with a natural hand sanitizer or hand soap and score another 10 points.
When the game is over, recycle everything in sight. We already mentioned bottles; beer cans count for another 20 points!
Wipe up spills and degrease the grill with a natural all-purpose cleaner for 10 points, not to mention reduced air pollution.
That’s a total of 360 points! Sounds like a nice round number to us. How’d you do? If you’ve got more ways to Green up Superbowl Sunday, please post them or drop us a line. (Hmmm, maybe Practically Green should give points for suggesting new actions?)
Not everyone can win a fancy Superbowl ring, but we can ALL be Practically Green!
Vegetarians, vegans, and pescatarians have the day off. But those of us who love eating meat from time to time are invited to Buy Meat that is Raised Using Sustainable Farming Methods: and boost your score by 50 points! (Vegetarians already have 200 points! And weekday vegetarians have 100 points! See dozens of Food actions here.) Leading up to Superbowl Sunday, we’re looking forward to buffalo wing platters, chili bowls, and an alternative boeuf bourgignon along with everyone. Today’s action encourages you to be picky about the meat in those tasty recipes: Buy Meat Raised Using Sustainable Farming Methods.
By the way, Practically Green’s actions are written by our editorial director Alexandra Zissu, the author of The Butcher’s Guide to Well-Raised Meat (among other books), so rest assured this is prime tenderloin info.
The word sustainable is widely used in natural food circles. Unlike USDA organic, it isn’t government defined or third party certified. It signifies a lot: healthy farming practices that don’t harm the environment, humane animal treatment, support of farming communities, fair wages and treatment for laborers. But in order to know what is truly meant by sustainable, and if you can trust it, you need to know your producers. Since sustainable meat is local meat, it’s pretty easy to ask questions of your farmer. Good subjects to raise include farming practices (i.e. if they’re using pesticides and fertilizers for the animal’s feed), drug use (i.e. are they administering hormones and non-therapeutic antibiotics to their animals), and general questions about how the animals spend their days. Just because something is local doesn’t mean it is automatically sustainable.
There are many benefits to meat from sustainably raised local animals: it’s usually safer and better for you and the environment, and its transportation footprint can be considerably less than its factory-farmed and mass distributed counterparts.
Smart shortcut: buy Applegate Farms meat products... totally know where each product came from (as in what farm, what town)... and enter their recipe contests on Facebook!
The biggest challenge related to buying sustainably raised meat is finding the good stuff. The process of figuring out what is truly sustainable and where you can buy it can take some time. But it’s very worthwhile. And well-raised meat is becoming increasingly available as consumer demand grows—in butcher shops, farmers’ markets, CSA-style meat shares directly from farms, natural food stores, and even in some supermarkets.
Get your grill on with healthy burger recipes at EatingWell.com!
Browse the recommended links to locate farms near you that are producing sustainably raised meat.
- Bookmark This Site: EatWild.com
- Grist: USDA Inspector General–Meat Supply Routinely Tainted With Harmful Residues
- Sustainable Table: Serving Up Healthy Food Choices
- Practically Green Book Pick: The Butcher’s Guide To Well Raised Meat
- Bookmark This Site: Farm Fresh Directory
- PracticallyGreen.com: Meat Advice To Live By–Alexandra Zissu Introduces Her New Book, “The Butcher’s Guide To Well-Raised Meat”
- Environmental Working Group: 2011 Meat Eaters Guide to Climate Change + Health
Reduce Takeout Meals to Once a Week or less
You’ve been working hard, you’re too tired to cook, it’s so easy to dial up a pizza or shrimp pad thai. We know. We love takeout too. It’s probably not a great idea for counting calories, and it’s not so economical either, but it is terribly convenient to have someone else make dinner — and deliver it, too. You don’t have to lift a finger! We know… but this action may encourage you to think twice before placing your next takeout order.
The National Restaurant Association states nearly a third of adults say takeout food is essential to the way they live. And a survey by the Institute of Food Technologists shows that while 75 percent of Americans eat dinner at home, half of those meals are fast food, delivery, or takeout. Fewer than a third cook dinner from scratch.
Shrimp pad thai recipe from Food52's "9 Takeout Classics, Done at Home"
Reducing how often you rely on takeout is a good green idea. It’s the rare restaurant delivering takeout made from carefully sourced ingredients—local, organic, free of hormones, antibiotics, and pesticide residues, and trans fats. When you make your own food, you control what’s in it. This is healthiest for you, your farmers, and the earth we all share.
Planning a Superbowl Tailgate? Whip up these Jalapeño Poppers from EatingWell!
Then there’s the waste. According to CleanAir.org, the U.S. population tosses out enough paper bags, plastic cups, forks, and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times. Many (often nonrenewable) resources go into making these, we use them for mere moments, and then they clog our landfills for hundreds of years. And questionable chemicals in these one-use items get into your dinner; some of the grease-repellant coatings used in pizza boxes contain PFOA, a likely human carcinogen.
Make your own meals instead of ordering takeout. If you prefer not to daily, try for once a week, then build up. Bonus: you’ll save money.
Imagine your 4-star takeout served from this spiffy stainless-steel To-Go ware... buy from Reuseit.com
To cook, you must grocery shop. Check out farmers’ markets and natural food stores near you. Make large batches so you can have takeout-esque leftovers to reheat the following evening.
When you DO order takeout, why not look for someplace that loves to use fresh local ingredients, like Dave's Fresh Pasta in Somerville, MA
What’s with all the plastic bags caught in trees and bushes lately?
Why not recycle them instead?
(Why not bring reusable shopping bags and stop using these altogether, as many places now require…. Seattle, Long Beach, San Francisco, Washington, Hawaii, New Delhi, Italy, France, China, Tanzania….)
From an illustration by Ben Katchor for "Bags in Trees" in The New Yorker, Jan. 12, 2004
Nearly 1 million bags are used each minute worldwide. Recycling rates of plastic bags hover near 10 percent (only about a third of paper bag recycling). Suffice it to say that we have a long way to go to reduce the number of plastic bags that are thrown in the trash and wind up in our waterways as well as our overstuffed landfills.
In 2010, D.C. businesses began seeing a drastic reduction in bag usage; environmental clean-up groups witnessed fewer bags polluting regional waterways
Unfortunately many curbside recycling programs don’t currently accept plastic bags. If this is the case where you live, seek out a grocery or retail store near you that will accept them for recycling. If you’re fortunate enough to be able to recycle them curbside, make sure your bags are properly secured within the bin. They won’t get recycled if they blow away.
Reduce the amount of plastic bags you need to recycle by not taking them at stores in the first place—use a reusable bag instead. You can even bring reusable produce bags to go inside your shopping bags! Reusing the plastic bags you do have stretches the considerable resources that went into making them.
Our friends at Blue Avocado ease the switch BYO bags, with zippy design & a passion for reducing plastic bag waste.
Check with your town or municipality to see if they recycle plastic bags. If they don’t, ask them to start.
Look online to find a store that accepts plastic bags for recycling near where you live. Double check to see what kind of plastic your bags are; some stores only take back plastic #2 and #4 bags. See if they take produce bags as well as shopping bags.
Keep in mind these guidelines from Waste Management:
Clean plastic bags are accepted in recycling containers at many grocery stores. However:
- Plastic bags are a major cause of litter and waste. It is much better to use a durable shopping bag.
- Plastic bags cause litter, slow sorting and jam machinery at recycling centers. Empty recyclables out of bags and boxes, and put them loose in recycling containers so that they can be easily identified and sorted.
From SimpleHuman: Mount this slim profile storage bin in pantry, under sink, or on wall to keep plastic bags organized & at the ready.
Earth911 makes it super easy to find a plastic-bag recycling drop-off.
At Earth911, choose an item, type your ZIP code...
… and presto! You get info on where to go and how to get there.
Or visit PlasticBagRecycling.org.
We’re not the only ones who see bags in trees everywhere; check out Beth Terry’s blog My Plastic-Free Life, or Windy, the story of the plastic bag caught in a Pennsylvania tree in 2008 (and disappeared during the freak snowstorm of October 2011).
OK… so you’ve already reduced your shower time to 5 minutes or installed a shower timer… now for a super challenge: Take Navy Showers—one of Practically Green’s 27 Water-Saving Actions, and worth 20 points.
We’re guessing the Navy Shower was invented before the Navy was coed, with long-haired sailors who require conditioning treatments and enjoy complex exfoliating regimens. But even the spazillas among us don’t have to take a long involved shower every single time. And, when you read the description of a Navy shower, you’ll see that the point is to keep the water running only when you actually NEED it to be running. Excellent products help… such as Weleda’s Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash, a current favorite (see photo).
The Clean Beauty Blog asks, "Every wondered what it was like to shower in freshly squeezed orange juice?" Exactly....
Taking shorter showers is an easy way to significantly reduce your water usage. The average shower length in America is approximately eight minutes. According to the EPA, standard pre 1992 showerheads use over five gallons of water per minute, while standard post 1992 showerheads and low flow showerheads average one and a half to two and a half gallons per minute. You know both how long you shower and your showerhead, so do math. Multiply it by one year. Wow, right?
Taking a Navy shower is no problem in the French West Indies... sigh. (Credit: Julie Warburton Design)
Navy showers (used on ships to preserve precious water) are a manual way to achieve low-flow showerhead savings without changing a fixture—a great option for the unhandy or for renters.
Using less water bathing allows more to stay in the ground or in a reservoir, which in turn helps maintain a natural H20 balance and saves some for future use. There are many parts of the country that do not have enough water to support the current population and levels of water usage. Even if you live in a place with ample rain, there may be a drought. At least 36 states expect shortages in the next five years.
Taking shorter showers will also save you money on water, heating, and sewer bills.
Hop in the shower, get wet all over. Turn off the shower, lather up. Turn it back on, rinse off. You’re done.
Navy showers are least painful in warm climates. For those who brave them in cold climates, at least they save hot water.
Fair trade, certified organic & rated highly by the Environmental Working Group? Yes, please! Dr. Bronner's body soap is free of synthetic detergents/preservatives--and it's a twofer: for hair & body.
If you’re interested in clean energy, here’s a simple one-time action: Sign up for green power from your local utility.
Click here for a map that shows you what’s available in your region – wind, solar, hydro.
Here’s another map showing the states that offer significant grant programs to reimburse your adoption of renewables—FYI some of these grants are quite significant, i.e., use the $ to take a nice vacation!!
One of many useful (and free) maps at DSIREusa.org
“It’s the simplest thing someone can do to change the dynamics of the electric power grid,” explains Larry Chretien of MassEnergy.org. “It’s the stroke of a pen. Once you sign up, you just enjoy having clean energy power.”
Wind Turbine at Portsmouth (RI) high school feeds into regional power grid
“The average American family uses 500 to 600 kilowatt hours of electricity every month. Our New England GreenStart mix of renewables costs 2.4 cents extra per kWh, so it’s an add of $12 per month to your bill. That extra amount is 100% federally tax deductible. “
According to Larry, the vast majority of Americans have access to green power. If you already take advantage of a program, don’t forget to add a nice fat 200 points to your score!
Purchasing clean and renewably generated power is one of the most effective actions you can take to minimize the environmental impact of your own energy use without purchasing a renewable-energy system for your home.
When you sign up for green power, you are telling your utility that they have to buy your annual usage (if you signed up for 100%) from a renewable source (wind, solar, etc). While the power delivered to your home may not be directly from that source, you have driven up the demand for that clean power, which in turn makes it more economically viable for large-scale renewable projects to be built.
What's powering the lights at your house? (TY Truex Cullins, Burlington Vermont)
Contact your energy utility or utilities (electric & gas) and inquire about purchasing 100% clean, renewably-generated power from them.
Ask as well about the additional cost of buying green power — it’s most helpful to speak with your utility service provider(s) in terms of additional cost, as a percentage based on what you’re paying right now for energy.
To find out which utilities in your state offer green power and what the price premium is for it, visit: http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/buying_power.shtml
Avoid idling your car. We know: It’s cold, you’re waiting to pick someone up, they’re late, and you don’t want to turn off the car and get out, or you can’t park it, or both.
Credit: Slate.com
Sometimes it seems easier to sit in that car with the motor on. But the next time you’re tempted to idle, keep this action in mind. That’s all we ask: avoid idling. Not: don’t idle your car under any circumstances! Simply think twice about it, even if you don’t own a car but use one sometimes. Even if you ride in a taxi or an airport shuttle occasionally—and, for example, you notice the driver has the engine running in seasonable weather, with his window open. This way, you’re informed. And you can add 20 points to your score!
Of course, if you have an electric car you can idle all you want. Right?
No gas: no fumes! Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid Concept
Idling is a common—and unfortunate—practice among drivers, although there is little evidence that it has any benefit. Some people claim that idling in the winter is good for warming up your vehicle, but gently driving your vehicle will warm up it up much faster than letting it idle.
Others claim that it takes more fuel to start your vehicle than to let it idle for a minute. This is a myth; according to the Department of Energy, the fuel used to start your vehicle is equivalent to amount of fuel your vehicle uses when it idles for a few seconds. When your vehicle idles, it gets zero miles per gallon.
Idling also pollutes. There are schools that have adopted idle-free zones for dropping-off or picking-up kids so they won’t be inhaling that much exhaust—both inside and outside idling vehicles.
Did you know that children breathe in twice as much air for their body weight as adults? Here's a sign that's available from the Portland (Oregon) department of transportation.
In London, a new campaign urges drivers to 'make a small switch' to help deliver cleaner, healthier air... see www.tfl.gov.uk
Reduce unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions by turning off your car if you’re going to be stopped for more than ten seconds.
During winter, try idling for ten seconds, then start gently driving to your destination.
Consider asking your school or local business district to adopt an idle-free zone.
How long do you typically spend in the shower? Is 5 minutes enough time to get cleaned up? Read on. We know of a few gadgets and even a bunch of songs that can make this an easy switch. And at 20 points, this action is obviously one worth bothering about.
Grohe's WaterCare program recommends 4-minute showers! So 5 minutes is LONG!
Taking shorter showers is an easy way to significantly reduce your water usage. The average shower length in America is approximately eight minutes. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, standard pre 1992 showerheads use over five gallons of water per minute, while standard post 1992 showerheads and low flow showerheads average one and a half to two and a half gallons per minute.
By cutting your shower time to five minutes, you’ll effectively save five to fifteen gallons per shower. This can add up to thousands of gallons saved per year for just one person. Get the whole family involved and you’re like a team of water warriors.
PG Tip: Organic Cotton Spa Robe like these ones from Pottery Barn will help you shorten your shower time!
Efficient water use allows more to remain in the ground or in a reservoir, which in turn helps maintain a healthier ecosystem by supporting wildlife and preserving H20 for future use. Even if you live in a place where it rains a lot, there may be a drought. At least 36 states expect shortages in the next five years.
Taking shorter showers will also save you money on water, heating, and sewer bills.
Cuddledown has organic cotton Turkish towels: reward for your shorter showers!
Keep track of your shower time. Set your watch alarm, use a kitchen timer, listen to two songs on the radio, or install a shower timer. Up the ante by turning the shower off while you shave, shampoo, or soap up.
FloWise® showerhead from American Standard
Some devices automatically shut off the water after five minutes and won’t allow it back on for a set period of time. No cheating allowed.
To save more H20, don’t shower daily if you don’t need to.
Free shower app: Set your time, choose a wake-up or chill-out song, and presto!
Unilever Shower Ballad Unilever’s clever–and free–tool helps keep showers short. Visit their Facebook page, select your target shower time and music preference–wake up or chill out–and they’ll find your song. Press play and “sing yourself to a greener clean” until the music stops and time is up.
Five Minute Shower Timer This shower timer keeps it simple–and battery-free! Simply stick it to the wall, flip the hour glass, and when the all the sand slips through, your five minutes are up. Word is though that the suction function is not that reliable, so you might need to get crafty.
Water Droplet Shower Timer This digital shower timer is battery operated and beeps when your set time is up. The manufacturer says the strong suction cup will hold fast to any non-porous surface in your bathroom even the shower since it is steam and water proof.
Ripple: Tested by active kids to withstand everyday usage. Choose from Yellow Duck, Green House, Blue Star or Happy Turtle.
Ripple Water Saving Timers Get the kids in on the short shower wave with these fun, practical shower times. The water proof digital shower timer sticks to the wall and displays a real time clock with an easy-to-program count down timer that beeps when shower time is up.
Envirosax 4 Minute Timer Keep it simple with this basic hourglass timer–sands take four minutes to run their course, so your shower should follow suit. Bonus! With any Graphic Series Pouch, Envirosax will throw in a free timer to help encourage households to conserve water and energy.
Envirosax is a line of chic reusable shopping bags. When you order from the Graphic Series, founders Belinda & Mark David-Tooze will send you this free timer!
Close friends of Practically Green know the story: Susan’s son Hunter was diagnosed with myriad allergies, she went crazy trying to find reliable clear information to make her household healthy and green, and she decided to create a LEED for Life: Practically Green.
Challenges remain. For example: how to stock up on candy and special treats that are safe for everyone, family, guests, visitors. Ta Da! A few weeks ago, Susan found a wonderful site called the Natural Candy Store. This small California company is run by two sisters, Dawn and Irene, and their mom Molly. You can see their favorite candy here.
For example, Caramella Vegan Salted Caramels, $13.95. Ingredients: Organic unrefined cane sugar, organic coconut milk, organic agave nectar, organic cocoa butter, organic dark chocolate (organic cocoa mass, organic unrefined cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, natural vanilla), organic coconut oil, sea salt.
Our customers have a variety of lifestyle and dietary needs – natural, organic, vegan, gluten-free, allergen-free, corn syrup-free, kosher, food dye sensitivities, fair-trade, GMO-free, etc…. they pay very close attention to ingredients. We work hard to provide as much information as possible about each item, including a complete ingredients list…. We want to make it easy for anyone, whatever their special dietary requirement, to find candy they can eat and feel good about eating.
The increasing incidence of conditions like ADHD and autism is also a significant factor. Many parents find that a diet free of artificial ingredients reduces symptoms, with research suggesting artificial colors and preservatives do indeed increase hyperactivity in children. Sugar always gets blamed for making kids hyper, but the research has never supported that — it’s probably all the artificial, petroleum-derived artificial colors and flavors that usually goes along with sugar that’s the real culprit!
Find out what food you buy regularly that contains artificial sweeteners (5 points on Practically Green)
Find out what food you buy regularly that contains artificial colors and flavors (10 points)
Find out what food in your house has artificial preservatives in it (5 points)
Choose organic or natural candy as a treat (10 points)
What makes this frosting blue? Cabbage!
Surf Sweets Organic Jelly Beans w carrot juice concentrate
Let’s stop talking and start ordering and enjoying! Dawn promises excellent customer service, and expedited deliveries are available for last-minute types.
Bonus: choose free samples with every order.
Cruise through the Candy Store guided by this key
Did we mention salted caramels? From Dawn’s description:
Enrobed in award winning milk chocolate & sprinkled with grey sea salt. Wrapped in festive holiday label! This simple & beautiful caramel highlights the richness of true Madagascar vanilla beans. From the first and only organic & fair trade bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the US!
Size Information: Each 1.83oz/52g box contains 4 caramels.
Ingredients: Sugar**, cream (milk)*, non-GMO corn syrup*, cocoa beans**, milk powder*, butter (milk)*, cocoa butter**, grey sea salt, ground vanilla bean*. *Organic **Organic & Fair Trade
Organic info: USDA Certified Organic
Theo Salted Caramels, Organic & Fair Trade
Last but not least, the Hangover Drops from England are miraculous, according to Dawn: “These all-natural, curative candies taste like yummy fruit punch (non-alcoholic, of course!).” Ingredients: Sugar, glucose syrup, citric acid, ginseng, natural flavors: bramble, lemon, orange, raspberry, rosehip, natural color: beetroot red.
Find them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @cleancandy
The news of Chevy Volts catching on fire does not encourage us to buy one any time soon – regardless of GM’s buy-back offer. We hope it’s an easily fixable glitch (anyone know how to fix a battery-coolant leak?), because the idea of being able to plug in instead of fill up is extremely appealing.
Click here for all of Practically Green’s Green Car actions.
We asked Jeff Evanson of Tesla for the big picture. Jeff’s a former race-car driver. Do these early days of electric-vehicle (EV) development remind him of the early days of aviation, when the Wright brothers et al crashed into cow fields and could not seem to get off the ground?
Wright Brothers Kitty Hawk 1st Flight 1903, McMahan Photo
“It’s not really like aviation,” he explained, “because we’re transforming an existing industry.” It’s more like the invention of the iPhone, which has revolutionized handheld communications and so much more. Tesla launched a two-seat roadster in 2008 at an exorbitant price, and the strategy worked: it’s sold out and is being driven mainly by celebrities and other high-end types. “We wanted to prove that EVs don’t have to drive like a golf cart.”
Assuming electric cars are safe – and Jeff assures us they are – what is so great about EVs?
- they don’t use a drop of gasoline: they plug in
- cost of gasoline: zero
- emissions: zero
- cost of maintenance is also likely to be less, because there’s much less to break: “there are practically no parts replacements, no hot boiling pieces of metal under the hood; no bulky spark plugs…”
Chevy Volt
Battery range varies depending on the battery – and on factors like speed, cargo weight, climate control, and topography – it takes more oomph to drive uphill than on the flat. The Nissan Leaf can go for approximately 100 miles on a single charge; the Volt goes for 35 miles.
The Leaf has a partnership with SunPower solar for residential charging stations; this quick video is the simplest visualization we’ve seen of how the sun can easily power your EV.
Nissan Leaf: solar powered and charging
We’ll confess a crush on the Tesla S series, made in the USA, coming in summer 2012. It ’s available with a range of 160, 230, or 300 miles. Model S will be able to be quick-charged – 150 miles in 30 minutes. (Here is the New York Times’ story about Tesla fast-charging.) The Tesla S will also cost significantly more than a Leaf or a Volt: $57,400, or $49,900 after a federal tax credit for green vehicles. Jeff compares the sedan to a BMW 5-series in size, except it has more cargo space because there’s no engine under the hood!
Tesla Model S
We spoke with Camille Ricketts at Tesla to find out what it’s like to work there. No, everyone doesn’t get a free roadster. But Camille and others who commute to the Palo Alto headquarters can do so in a shuttle van; they can order fresh produce to be delivered at the office; and employees bring their dirty laundry to work, where it’s sent to an eco-friendly dry-cleaning service.
Of course, before you buy a new vehicle, consider a pre-owned one. And if you take an EV for a test drive, please let us know how it goes!
BMWi goes from 0 to 62mph in 8 seconds. Eta, 2013, price tba.
Sometimes when we want the advice of a chic, worldly, bossy big sister, and we mean that in the best possible way, we turn to blogs like Dominique Browning’s Slow Love Life, Zem Joaquin’s EcoFabulous, and Ronnie Citron-Fink’s EcoNesting, … and, Priscilla Woolworth’s Almanac.
These women are stylishly green, intelligently and brilliantly green: they’re strict about ingredients, family, and process; they seem to travel everywhere and know everyone; they always have fresh flowers; and they are ready with sharp poison daggers to stab greenwashers. Also, they almost always have a French grandmother.
From SlowLoveLife.com
We recently caught up with Priscilla for a Q & A. (The first in a series, if you like the idea!)
Q. How did you get started?
A. I started developing the concept for my store 6 years ago, when I couldn’t find the non-toxic cleaning products I needed when I was at my house in Maine in the summer. I started shipping them from Los Angeles to Maine a week before I was leaving! Just nuts! Also, my friends were always asking me where I bought things or asked for advice about my lifestyle. I never imagined having my own store, let alone online and I discovered it was the most natural thing for me to do. Maybe it’s in my genes…
(Ahh, yes… that Woolworth!)
Golden Rules painting by Priscilla Woolworth, 24" square, on wood
Q. What makes you bounce out of bed in the morning?
A. How did you know that I bounce out of bed in the morning?! I can’t wait to get to work, especially if I’ve just read something fantastic in the newspaper. I must share it right away. I am a compulsive sharer of good, inspiring, exciting information and all of it is connected to my mission of educating and inspiring the public to make changes they can feel good about.
Penguin egg cosy (or puppet?), made of carpet remnants. $12
Q. What’s your mission?
A. My mission is twofold: to provide my favorite practical non-toxic, organic, energy-saving, water-saving products in my store; and to be a trusted resource for information about living a more sustainable lifestyle. I am my own best customer and use most of the products I sell. The market bags, reusable produce bags, stainless steel compost pail, African kettle, olive soap, glass water bottles and Valentina outdoor composter are a few of my products I use every single day.
Here’s the “delightful Kettle”: “I keep it by my kitchen sink, where I pour water from unfinished glasses, or saved water from washing lettuce, etc. Do not put any soap in it, only water! When it’s filled up, I use it to water my potted plants outside my kitchen.”
African Water Kettle made of salvaged plastic. $12
Q. I’m interested in your big thoughts on why sustainable living is important. Why bother?
A. Sustainable living is the way we all need to live if we are going to have a chance at leaving our world a livable and hopefully better place for our children. People need to know that they don’t have to sacrifice their lifestyle but instead can transition easily to something as easy as using reusable market bags or water bottles. I have heard people say that anything we do won’t make a difference, and I strongly disagree. We all have the power to change the world by what we buy… if we all support, for example, the companies that make non-toxic cleaning products or the ones that use recycled paper for paper products, the more those products will become the norm rather than the exception. The awesome United States is a consumer society, so we as the consumers have a lot of power we don’t even realize. Everything we buy is tracked, and when more people spend their money buying non-toxic cleaning products rather than the traditional brands, those environmentally products will become more available and more affordable.
I am inspired so much by my French grandmother, who at 93 years old, has explained to me the way everyone used to live, decades ago: people bought local and produce in season, using market baskets or cloth bags. Very little was wasted and people lived more simply and were content with less. I feel there is a movement to aspire to this kind of lifestyle.
Priscilla's Valentina Outdoor Wooden Compost Bin
Q. We would love your personal recommendations for products and services that make the process easy and terrific.
A. The easiest recommendations are for things we do on a regular basis, such as shopping for food and personal care. Bring your own market bags with you, buy organic food whenever you can, and buy paper goods made with recycled paper. If you live in an area where water is getting scarcer, get in the habit of keeping a bucket in your shower to catch as much wasted water as possible and use it on your plants instead. EWG.org is a great resource when it comes to checking the safety of beauty products and suntan lotions. Check with your local DWP (Department of Water and Power) and find out what energy saving programs they are offering, and learn ways you can reduce the energy and water wasted in your home, and save money. Add indoor plants like a Spider plant, which acts as natural air cleaners, busting indoor air pollutants in your home or office.
Priscilla on a building, location TBA
Q. What are you doing posted on the side of that huge building?!
A. Just hanging around…
You can find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @ecowoolworth.
A Solidly Green PG-er from Chelsea called to point out this full-page ad in The New York Times on Black Friday; thank you, Nick Rockwell! Leave it to Patagonia to explain why Black Friday Shopping deserves a second thought.
The environmental cost of everything we make is astonishing. Consider the R2 Jacket shown, one of our best sellers. To make it required 135 liters of water, enough to meet the daily needs (three glasses a day) of 45 people. Its journey from its origin as 60% recycled polyester to our Reno warehouse generated nearly 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, 24 times the weight of the finished product. This jacket left behind, on its way to Reno, two-thirds its weight in waste.
It’s a classy reminder: Sometimes, the best Stuff is the stuff you already have. Which is why we have dozens of Stuff-related actions at Practically Green, including:
Give experiential holiday gifts (worth 10 points at Practically Green)
Attend a swap event or use a swap site (5 points)
Organize or join a neighborhood tool or equipment-sharing cooperative (10 points)
See all of them right here – and please suggest yours: http://practicallygreen.com/actions/stuff
Patagonia R2 Jacket
If you’d still like to get a Patagonia jacket, you might check the listings on eBay. We saw 205 pages of apparel there when we last checked 5 minutes ago.
Buy something used on eBay or Craigslist (5 points)
I’ve recently been on a whirlwind tour of major cities in the US for Practically Green. Which, I know, is not very green. As half of this travel was on the West Coast (and we’re headquartered in Boston), eliminating the flying burden wasn’t really an option. But I somewhat haphazardly decided that instead of jumping into a cab or renting a car, perhaps I could commit to trying out every other form of green ground transportation in the process. Yes, even in Los Angeles, that last city on this tour.
Knowing my Type A personality that could get a little over-zealous on this challenge, I did commit to three principles:
1. I would not risk missing a flight or being embarrassingly late to a speaking engagement or client meeting for the sake of this green traveling challenge. If time was unexpectedly tight, just suck it up and take a cab.
2. If it was dark and I was alone, in an unfamiliar town/place, I would use good judgment about transportation choices and safety.
3. Boston didn’t count. I live here. I know the options. Some work well (awesome ability to call for a hybrid taxi out of the line at Logan). Some not so great: public transportation from Newton to the airport at 4:30am.
With that, my first stop was Seattle, Washington. My birthplace. And a town not known historically for being super friendly to green transportation choices. Except that now it’s one of the greenest cities in the country and with that has come what might be my FAVORITE new train line in this country–the Central Link Light Rail, which opened in 2009. It’s a bit of a walk from the terminal, but it whisks you right downtown and is extremely clean and light. Had all my meetings and hotel been downtown, I would have been set. Except I was having lunch on Capitol Hill, dinner in Mercer Lake and had meetings in Redmond the next day. Could I get to all of these–and back–on public transportation? This is when I discovered that Google Transit is a green traveler’s best friend–and that Seattle’s bus system is really pretty good. I got to every destination with one transfer or less, the trips were on-time and I felt safe at all times. One city down, five to go!
Next stop was New York City and this is where I had to break the cab habit first. In 10 years of living in New York City, I had never taken public transportation back and forth from LaGuardia or JFK. Which is, in hindsight, totally embarrassing. Fortunately, I was flying into JFK which has the awesome airtrain that connects you into one of two subway lines–the A or the E. It also connects you to the Long Island Rail Road, which runs every 5-15 minutes during peak times. The first trip, I tried the E. It worked very well taking about 45 minutes from airport into the city. The second flight in was on a Saturday and I tried the A. That took forever—probably 1.5 hours–at least 20 of which was waiting for the A. The third trip I tried the LIRR and that’s by far the fastest and easiest. Will definitely choose that option from now on for the times I have to fly in. Once in Manhattan, the subway system is extensive and easy to navigate, if not extremely crowded at times.
Next stop: Austin, TX. This stop prompted one of the funnier responses to my attempts to navigate public transportation.
I arrived extremely late and was staying near the airport so had the shared hotel shuttle to use that night. However, the next day, I needed to get downtown. I asked the desk clerk whether I could get a train or bus into town and got back a completely blank stare. ”A what?” she said. ”A bus,” I said. ”Oh–we don’t have those.” Well, according to Google transit, yes they did. So I ended up taking the shuttle back to the airport and sure enough, for $1 I could take an Airport Flyer bus to a stop one block from my hotel. (For the record, Austin also has a train, but it doesn’t go to the airport).
Next stop: San Francisco. Now this city has not just one, but TWO train systems. BART, which goes to the airports in Oakland and SF and the Metro, which goes around San Francisco. And if the trains aren’t enough, there are also lots of Metro buses to get to and fro. However, San Francisco was also the scene of the first bailing due to being late. One $30 cab ride later, I was kicking myself for not planning better. Not only was green transportation better for the environment, but it was a ton better on my wallet!
Washington DC (Reagan National) came next and they win for “most convenient Metro stop to the airport terminal.” One thing I’d learned about all these public transportation options is that there is a trifecta for making it work as a business traveler: advance planning, flat shoes, and a light bag. I can’t figure out why it’s so hard to build these new stations closer to the terminals, but in many cases they are a 1/4 to 1/3 mile walk. So you do need to be prepared to log some serious mileage. Except at National. Heels allowed.
So now, I’m five cities down and the last stop is the doozy–Los Angeles–the car capital of America–for Opportunity Green. As our team was preparing a mobile application for the event, we asked several friends in LA about public transportation choices and the advice wasn’t particularly encouraging. Concerns were expressed about convenience and safety to the point where we questioned whether we should recommend it to attendees (we did), and I set out to see for myself. Google Transit directed me to the trains, but also said it would take close to 1.5 hours versus 16 minutes for driving. OK–that’s crazy. Landing in LA, the information-counter guy warned me off the trains too. But he explained that there was a non-stop, public bus called the FlyAway that would go to Union Station and from there, I could catch the LA Metro train to my hotel. Simple enough.
But now I needed to get to a meeting in Culver City and time was ticking—OK–resolution #1: don’t be late. So I asked the hotel for a taxi, preferably a hybrid. I didn’t get a strange look at all and a few later, was whisked away in a hybrid. On the way home, I did take the bus back from Culver City to downtown. It was relatively easy to navigate, fast and efficient, but as darkness started to fall, I will admit that it came the closest to feeling risky.
Six cities later, I am very encouraged about the improvements in public transportation in the major cities of America, at least for tourists and business travelers. Admittedly, it’s not Norway or China with rapid transit right into the terminal. And if it were not for Google Transit and nice people at airport information counters, it would be extremely challenging to figure it out. But armed with a smartphone and flat shoes, it is totally doable. It’s also fabulous on expenses. I estimate that I saved at least $500 in taxi and rental car costs for these six trips alone. Just think how much money an entire big company could save if their people were encouraged and motivated to use public transportation for conferences and other business travel! And for those people and companies tracking their footprints, the environmental impact quickly adds up.
If you are a member of Practically Green and want to green your business or personal travel, we’ve added a ton of new actions this fall to get you started:
Take public transportation between events
Take a hybrid taxi or limo service
Select a green hotel when traveling
And now, for the record, I’m signing up for this action for the rest of the year: reduce unnecessary air travel with phone and video conferences. Happy Travels!
SmallBizSaturday falls on November 26, and we can think of at least 12 great reasons to participate:
Shopping street in Carmel, California
1) Pump your precious bucks into the indigenous economy: the cash register rings where you throw down; and it rings throughout the entire network behind the proprietor – think about the bookkeeper, the recycling service, shop employees, employees’ babysitters, coffee shops where you go to refuel while you buzz through your gift list….
2) Get to know your local retailers: the dogged and inspired people who work hard to make their establishments better than the ones you find at the big-box mall or online.
3) Save on shipping and transport expenses — yours and the merchandise’s!
4) See, touch, feel, sniff instead of going online and clicking.
5) Avoid the stress (and time-wasting, gas-guzzling jams) of snarling crowds focused on Black Friday.
6) It’s a party! Many local outfits have chocolatey goodies, music, and other fun enticements – at least, the ones we know do…
7) Uniqueness: if it’s one-of-a-kind you crave, your chances are improved by shopping a stand-alone, one-of-a-kind shop.
8) Three gifts for them, one gift for me…. Enjoy a tasty local lunch or mani-pedi as a reward during your errands.
9) Get outside!
10) Save money: many SmallBizSaturday participants offer coupons, deals and other incentives.
11) Enjoy ancillary activities that your ingenious local retailers dream up. For example, KaightNYC is hosting a Wool and the Gang Knitting Party: “The holidays are just around the corner, what better gift to give than to knit that someone special, something special!”
See? Told you local shopkeepers are serious about having fun this season (refer to point 6 above).
12) Shopping local gives you another reason to bring your reusable shopping bags (see the fab selection from BlueAvocado) and earn Practically Green’s Green Shopper badge!
For more info, including a ZIP-directory, visit the Small Business Saturday Facebook page. And please post your stories and recommendations for Small Business Saturday!
Most of these points hold true for the other 364 days of the year: Shop local businesses regularly!
10 Rules for Conscious Eating, by Chris Keenan
Chris in action in the kitchen
- 1) Eat the colors of the rainbow. Not only is this good for your health, the more fresh fruits and vegetables you eat, the less meat and processed foods you eat, which are not as sustainable or environmentally friendly.
- 2) Plant a garden. You just can’t beat the taste of homegrown, garden fresh vegetables, but did you know having a garden is also environmentally friendly? A healthy garden is good for the soil, and it creates an environment for bees and other insects that play a huge role in our ecosystem.
Eat the Rainbow! (Photo credit: karimian @flickr)
- 3) Buy local. Organic is appealing to conscious consumers, but remember that the bulk of organic produce is grown thousands of miles away and must be flown in. Instead of buying organic, buy local, which traveled a much shorter distance.
- 4) Cook more. Preparing meals yourself is not only a great way to save money and eat healthier, it’s a great way to reduce waste. Plastic utensils, metal or paper containers, plastic bags and paper napkins can all be eliminated when you cook at home.
Rule 4: Cook More! (credit cheesy42@flickr)
- 5) Pack an eco-friendly lunch. Most brown bag lunches generate a lot of trash. The brown bag itself, plastic baggies that hold food, and the food containers themselves (i.e., yogurt). Use Tupperware containers instead of plastic bags and buy in bulk rather than buying individualized items. You can store your bulk items in the garage, just keep them away from the garage door and closer to the home. Also, keep everything sealed or you will attract bugs and rodents.
- 6) Kick your soda and bottled water habit. Recycling is good, but not having to recycle at all is even better. Say “no” to beverages that come in cans or bottles.
- 7) Participate in Meatless Mondays and eat more vegetarian meals. The less meat we eat, the greener we’ll be.
- 8) Buy green products. Whenever you have the option, chose brands that use recycled paper or are otherwise committed to environmentally safe practices. Support eco-friendly companies whenever possible.
- 9) Bake your own cookies. Instead of buying a bag of cookies, bake some. Processed foods, like cookies, are mass produced on equipment that uses a lot of energy. Then they are packaged in materials that you ultimately throw away and are then distributed all over the United States. Be green and bake.
Rule 9: Bake Cookies! (credit marshsu @flickr)
- 10) Buy free range, grass fed, and humane animal products. Factory farming is cruel and wreaks havoc on the environment.
Join in the discussion in the comments below and/or share the piece.
Chris & Rachel
About the Author: Chris lives in New Jersey with his wife Rachel and their baby boy. He works at a Mom & Pop operation.… He says “being middle middle class, living green and healthy can be difficult but we do our best. We mostly concentrate efforts on the mantra reduce, reuse, recycle; avoiding wastefulness; and keeping our energy consumption to a minimum — even if it means getting an earful from parents every time it’s cold out on why we won’t raise the thermostat higher. We run a food blog, thekeenancookbook.com.” Chris also writes for Precision Garage Door, and he maintains a personal house and garden blog.
Say you want to buy a new pair of jeans, and you’d like to be thoughtful about it. Consult the Good Guide, and you’ll find ratings for dozens of brands, from Tommy Bahama to H&M.
Top rank goes to Levi’s, so we called to find out more.
“Levi’s did its first lifecycle assessment in 2007,” Brianna Wolf told us. “We took two of our iconic products, 501 denim jeans and Dockers original khakis. Here’s what we learned: the greatest opportunity for improvement was at the beginning of the cycle – the raw materials stage — and at the end of the cycle, relating to consumer use.”
In the lifecycle of a pair of Levi’s® 501® jeans, we’ve found that the largest water impact comes from the cotton growing process and through the laundry habits of consumers, after they leave our stores. But we can’t ask our suppliers and consumers to change their behaviors unless we’re also willing to make some changes ourselves.
Life Cycle of a Jean
Levi’s came up with this consumer care tag, which points to four (ok, five) actions you’ll find on Practically Green:
Wash only full loads of laundry (20 points)
Wash laundry in cold water (50 points)
Donate clothes to a charity (20 points)
Line-dry laundry seasonally (25 points)
Line-dry laundry all year (50 points)
Levi's Customer Care Tag
“We identified another big opportunity area in the cotton field. We joined the Better Cotton Initiative, which makes positive change happen across the supply chain. Our goal is to get better cotton into 20% of our products by 2015. So far we’ve got it in 2 million pairs of jeans!”
This infographic illustrates the process:
Another great reason to wear Levi’s: the water-reducing strategies developed for the Water<Less collection.
Last year, we announced the Levi’s® Water<Less™ collection – denim finished in a way that uses significantly less water. Up to 96 percent less for some products.
As a result of this innovative process, we produced nearly 1.5 million pairs of jeans for this year’s spring line while saving 16 million liters of water.
But we knew we could do more. So we’ve been working with our suppliers around the globe to spread these water-saving techniques.
And we’re proud to say that the Levi’s® global collection now includes nearly 12 million jeans in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Since we introduced the Water<Less collection, we have saved 156 million liters of water around the world. That’s 60 million days of drinking water for communities in need.
Here’s something else you can do with old jeans: insulate your walls! (Levi’s estimates it has 25,000 jeans in the walls of its new San Francisco headquarters.)
Add insulation to your walls (100 points)
What do you think? Will you look for Levi’s the next time you buy a pair of jeans?
*** We’ll update this Corporate Gift Guide in the weeks ahead and hope you’ll continue to contribute your ideas – here, on Facebook, and via Twitter @practicallygrn. ***
From last week’s inbox:
Q: Quick question, what is an appropriate green sustainable corporate holiday gift? It is complicated. We don’t want to purchase sustainable goodies that have to make their way here from Australia. Additionally, we want to be sensitive to the state of the economy and our friends who have lost their jobs. Thank you, Robin Freedman, Waste Management, Inc.
Thanks for asking, Robin! Here are a few ideas to start the conversation.
- Restaurant meal: Especially in economically volatile times, who wouldn’t appreciate a nice meal out? Arrange a gift certificate to a local, sustainable restaurant! Metro New Yorkers will love a certificate to dell’Anima; got a favorite client in LA? Our sources say TrueFood in Santa Monica is the best. Mmm, in Kirkland, Washington, where Robin works, Café Juanita looks like a very good choice.
Eat at a dine green certified restaurant
Eat at a local, sustainable restaurant when traveling
Wine. Find a local wine shop who knows their organic, biodynamic, and natural wines. Ask if they ship or offer local delivery. Our personal vintner, the Wine Bottega in Boston’s North End, has a Farm to Glass case-of-the-month program that’s sure to thrill your recipients! You can request a mixed case to be delivered within metro-Boston or sent via FedEx. Owner Kerri Platt, a Yale-educated biologist, writes an informative brief to accompany each hand-picked selection, which can be delivered via Metro Pedal Power or shipped FedEx. If you can’t locate an inspired sommelier near you, contact the Wine Bottega team: staff@thewinebottega.com.
- Sparkling water maker. Speaking of beverages, we don’t know anyone who wouldn’t love to see a Sodastream Penguin in the office kitchen to make fizzy water from tap:
- Leafy Office Plant. What’s greener than this?! A local nurseryman can fill your order, or consider a super-legit source like White Flower Farm. There’s no more gorgeous (and foolproof) selection than an Amaryllis from White Flower Farm. One it’s bloomed, these can be set outside (once it’s frost-free) and practically neglected; they’ll set up a new blooming display next year. If the Amaryllis doesn’t grab you, review this gift section. Perennial = Sustainable!
- Old school: We called Tiffany & Co. to see if they have anything greenish to offer business accounts, and here’s what they said:
Tiffany IS vintage, Tiffany is durable, nobody throws out a Tiffany gift, nobody even throws out a Tiffany BOX!
We had to admit we agree… we even save empty Tiffany boxes. So, consider this planet paperweight. It might cost less than you’d imagine. And rest assured it won’t go into a landfill.
- Cards and Invitations: Paperless Post is our favorite online resource. Check out their designs – and don’t forget the envelope linings!
P.S. Our friends at The Family Dinner gave this plug on our Facebook wall – and we have to say, the book is amazing and should be in everyone’s kitchen… perfect for anyone on your list who has ever complained about having a decent dinner conversation with their teenagers.
P.S. As you make your selections, please consider these PG gift-giving actions:
Give experiential holiday gifts
Wrap a gift using used wrapping paper, boxes, bows, ribbons
And finally, don’t miss Lisa Borden’s tips for gift giving:
Susan Mazur-Stommen is a cultural anthropologist focusing on how people adopt sustainable, green behaviors. She conducts her research from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy as the Director of Behavior and Human Dimensions, renowned for their States’ Scorecard for Energy Efficiency (see image ahead).
Susan argues that “in order to achieve true, lasting, behavior change in the area of sustainability, we have to use a multi-layered approach, tackling the problem with various tools and media. It’s important to think about the ‘whole person’ when we discuss behavior change, and that includes things like emotions, physical well-being, and how our environment may be affecting us on any given day.”
“For example,” she told us, “some popular ideas for going ‘green’ aren’t always very practical in terms of people’s real lives. Take line-drying, for example. Proponents fail to figure in the cost of the person who has to stand outside for an hour putting all those clothes on the line and then taking them back inside. When you consider the cost of that person’s labor, standing in the heat or cold, line-drying is not the ‘free’ energy saving solution it is often touted as, at least in terms of the individual and their limited time and physical energy.”
Susan gave us a few further insights from the social and behavioral sciences to share with you.
1) Social norms:
Robert Cialdini tested messages about saving water on the cards you see propped up in the bathroom of a hotel. He found that the most successful was one that read, “Two-thirds of our hotel guests decide not to get fresh towels during their stay in order to save water, won’t you join them?”
Reason: People like to ‘stay in line’ or ‘tribe’ with their peers and neighbors, it is a powerful incentive.
Note: Practically Green’s leaderboards encourage you to choose more green actions!
2) Foot in the Door:
Robert Cialdini also tested the ‘foot in the door’ concept, which says that people are much more likely to agree to make a big change if they are first asked to make a very small change. It works like this: if you ask someone for a nickel, and then later go back and ask for a dollar, the people you asked for a nickel will be much more likely to give later (which of course widens the gap between givers and non-givers even more!)
Note: That’s why PG offers so many ’small’ actions, worth just 5 points but still very important! A handful from the Recycling section:
3) Reciprocity:
Offering someone something begins a relationship of give and take that people find extremely hard to resist. This is one of the reasons charities include those address labels in their appeals: they have already given you something, and now you are enmeshed in an obligation to return their ‘gift’ even if you don’t like it, want it, and did not ask for it!
A utility could utilize a combination of ‘reciprocity’ and ‘foot in the door’ in a message. Say at the beginning of summer you want to get people to raise their thermostats in general to reduce peak load, you would send an insert in the mail, or an email that would read:
“Dear John Q Customer, we here at utility X appreciate how you have worked to save energy in your home these past few years. To honor your commitment to energy savings, we have donated $50,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of America. All we ask in return is that you commit to turning your thermostat setting up by ONE degree this summer.”
Next summer….the follow-up…
“Dear Customer, we really appreciate how much energy you and your neighbors saved last summer, and to recognize that, this year we have DOUBLED our donation to Charity X in your name. All we ask in return is that you consider turning up your thermostat by FOUR degrees this summer. If you decide to take the pledge, please send in the enclosed BRC. Thank you for your support!”
Now, theoretically, the combination of social norming, reciprocity, foot in the door, and a pledge (whereby you can also evaluate level of intent) should result in some serious savings.
And this leads to the final insight,
4) Grant McCracken’s “Diderot Effect”:
Susan told us the story of the French philosopher Diderot’s new bathrobe:
“He received a lovely new bathrobe, cherry red silk, and he was sitting in his study one evening with it on, and feeling terrific but then he began to notice that the fabulous new robe made the rest of his surroundings seem shabby. ‘I need a better chair,’ he thought. ‘A nice desk…. New wallpaper. The bookcases are a mess!’ The idea is to introduce a disconnect between the consumers’ old selves and their new selves which can result in their wanting to bring all of these parts of their identity back into line, or what McCracken calls, ‘unities’. An example of this might be a new mom who carefully purchases Bisphenol-A free baby bottles, but at the same time drives a gas guzzler which pumps pollution into the air her baby breathes. The disconnect between her decisions begins to gnaw at her and pretty soon she considers replacing it. Thus a whole chain of actions goes into effect. Pretty soon this mom is evaluating her food choices, her indoor air quality, her household waste, inefficiencies at her job. The activity of bringing her lifestyle choices into ‘unity’ with one another is an example of the Diderot effect.
At Practically Green we see the Diderot effect every day: once people begin checking off actions on their dashboard, they begin to get addicted to the process, it takes on significance, they continue and eventually share their accomplishments with their friends and colleagues.
One more story from Susan, who says that simple social recognition can be a powerful driver for change:
“I once met an older gentleman named Frank, a retired maintenance worker. He likes to walk around town, and at the end of his block was a little pocket park that would have been a nice place to sit except that people were filling it up with discarded cigarette butts. He started cleaning it up every day. Eventually he won an award from the city council. They put a plaque up and named the park after him. It wasn’t that complicated, but it made Frank feel great so he got even more involved. He started working at the public library, going to city council meetings. So this social recognition was effective. It was very cheap for the city to recognize Frank’s good works, and at the same time, they reaped the reward of his intensified volunteer efforts!”
Bingo: Practically Green gives badges when you complete sets of actions. For example, here’s the new Conscious Consumer badge. How would you like to join the 12% of PG users who have already earned it!!
Click here for the complete playlist of actions: http://practicallygreen.com/badges/conscious-consumer
Check out the ACEEE 2011 State Energy Scorecard… where are you? Follow ACEEE ion Twitter @ACEEEdc and join them on Facebook.
Water: Got too much? Not enough? What are the coolest new products for conserving water? How do the experts view this precious resource?
** Please join our free webinar on November 16, 1-2pm ET to get expert advice and answers. **
Register here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/458003078
Practically Green has 51 Water-related actions, from Wash only full loads of laundry (99% of PG users have done this already; 20 points) to Install a shower timer (Only 1% of PG has done this one! Why is it the least favorite Water action?)
What would happen if the entire country decided to Turn off the faucets while brushing teeth? Or if every Fortune 1000 headquarters Installed a rainwater harvesting system? (150 points!)
We’re hosting an online event for a deep dive on the subject.
Panelists:
• Molly Hislop: Program Director, Green Education Foundation
• Michele Hudec: VP of Product and BizDev, American Standard Brands
• Stephanie Thornton: Community Outreach, WaterSense, EPA
• Martin Wolf: Director of Product/Technology at Seventh Generation
• Peter Yost: Director of Residential Services, BuildingGreen
• Alexandra Zissu: Editorial Director, Practically Green; Author, Planet Home and more
Moderated by Practically Green’s Founder & CEO, Susan Hunt Stevens.
As we all get pumped for the holidays, here’s a mantra to relieve stress: instead of buying new stuff that’ll go in the trash, why not shop on eBay, thredUp, Freecycle or your local thrift shop to get what you need? Alternatively, swap! And don’t forget Mom’s closet!
Buy or use vintage or second-hand stuff for the Holidays
Holiday Nutcracker Mouse
For inspiration, here’s a vintage mouse costume that’s 20 yrs old, perfect for Nutcracker duty. Thank you, Farrah Graham of Regina, Canada, who sent us this pic with the following story:
For Hallowe’en our daughter wore a mouse costume that has been handed down in our family for the past 20 years! (And she looked just as adorable as all the mice before her!)
What are your ideas for greening the holidays? Have you used EcoFreek.com or EcoSharing.net — they’re both recommended on Practically Green and await your rating!
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