Shiny Green Button

It’s Halloween! Hurray! We’re not costume kind of people here at AHA! That must be because as writers, we put our characters onto the page, we don’t dress up as them. We do have a serious candy habit though, so all of Halloween’s delights are not lost on us.

For you hungry readers, here’s a mixed bag of tricks and treats. Which is a trick and which is a treat? It’s up to you to decide.

Just in time for Election day. Goodguide shows you how you vote with your dollars with an application that lets you view the political contributions of your favorite companies. It’s something you may want to think about the next time you pop open that can of Coke, or pop a few Bayer aspirins.

Betcha didn’t know the $700 million bailout benefited bicyclists as well as big banks. Riding on to the bailout’s coattails was the Bicycle Commuter Act, sponsored by Oregon Senator, Earl Blumenauer. The act allows employers to offer $20 a month to employees who regularly commute by bicycle. The catch? If you’re a cyclist who also uses public transportation, you can’t claim benefits for a transit pass at the same time.

If Jimmy Choos don’t fit into your impending-recession budget, you’re in luck. Payless ShoeSource is launching an affordable line of green footwear. They’re calling it an attempt to “democratize green.” For less than $30, you can get a pair of shoes made from organic fabrics and recycled soles. For that price though, you have to wonder how much Payless is paying the people who make their eco-shoes.

It’s the coolest use for old keyboards that ever I’ve seen. TEXTile is an interactive sculpture created by Jean Shin, using thousands of recycled keyboard keys. It’s part fabric, part message, part technology and totally awesome.

Speaking of reusing keys, it seems there’s a quiet resurgence of interest in the typewriter these days. If you’re feeling too distracted by your technology to get anything accomplished, the typewriter might be your solution. No Internet, no playlists, no IM—it’s just you, the keyboard and a blank page waiting to be filled. I can hear it now … clackity, clack, clack, clack.

Every couple of weeks, I have a guest blogging gig over at JustMeans, the social networking site focused on sustainability. My post today asks whether requiring greater transparency of companies comes with requiring more of ourselves, the folks for whom transparency is intended. Check it out.

Google has a little bit of an image problem. The way they attempt to communicate their brand isn’t meshing with the way people actually see them. You could say the trouble all started when they decided to make “don’t be evil” the company mantra, and it’s only gotten trickier as the company has gotten larger.

The things I’ve heard and like about Google include their obsession these last few years on green buildings and solar panels, their employee perks (free sushi every day!), or just the fact that they give Microsoft a good, healthy scare on a daily basis. These things go right to my heart, but then I hear that other not-so-sunny stuff from newspapers, NPR and friends.

The stuff I’m kinda peeved about includes the fact that Google has started charging insane amounts of money for their in-house daycare, they way they caved to China’s censorship demands, and the fishy banning of some Scientology critics from YouTube a week before the sponsored Scientology channel launched.

Wired’s nifty Google evil meter, courtesy Wired magazine

So, when asked about all of this nasty stuff Google backpeddled: “’Don’t be evil’ is misunderstood,” Eric Shmidt said. “We don’t have an evil meter.” Interesting, because two years ago he said they did when the company debated whether or not to agree to China’s censorship demands, but since they did eventually agree it’s pretty clear that their meter was broken anyway. Good thing Wired made them a new one.

This is quite the conundrum. Google.org is doing all sorts of good, but the image of Google itself is getting bleaker. There’s the possibility that people are watching them closer because they made “don’t be evil” their goal in the first place. What’s the giant company to do? Well, learn from their mistake. They may still be raking in the money but people are starting to get suspicious. If you’re like me and you use heaps of Google applications (email, calendar, documents, youtube, blogger) you might be wondering if maybe it’s not so wise to have so much of your information stored on their servers, just in case they break their new evil meter.

Google needs to start paying attention to their image immediately and take a note from Microsoft, whose own image never has fully recovered.

Actually, this isn’t the greenest blog post ever. It might be the greenest post I’ve thought about in the last month. But definitely not the greenest ever. And who knows, maybe my next post will be even greener than this one.

Marketing campaigns claiming the greenest "fill-in-the-blank" ever are observable across many different industries. There’s Apple with their "greenest MacBook ever" and the Democratic national party with their "greenest political convention ever." Hi-tech companies claim they offer the greenest way to print, copy, scan and fax. Financial companies claim to provide the greenest way to manage your money. Breweries claim to make the greenest beer. You know the drill.

What I don’t understand is the importance of a "line-in-the-sand" claim like this. What effect does calling something "the greenest ever" have on public perception? What if tomorrow someone creates a product that conserves more resources, uses less energy, creates less waste and is completely 100% recyclable? Imagine someone comes along and makes a greener beer, bank, printer or laptop. Imagine the wasted time, energy and materials created by re-thinking a strategy or re-printing ads. Isn’t it enough to practice and communicate your own sustainable efforts without claiming to be the greenest?

So here’s my advice. Say it once, show what you do, why you do it, and how you’ll continue to improve. For example, Full Sail Brewing company claims to be "dedicated to operating our brewery in the most socially and environmentally sustaining manner possible." Is that the same as claiming the most socially and environmentally sustainable brewery ever? I don’t think so. Rather, it points to the future, to the continued commitment to bettering this world one beer, or environmental initiative, at a time. Maybe by then they’ll be no reason to distinguish green from greenest, because it will all be greenest.

Until then, I vote for leaving greenest off our vocabulary list.

Mercury in fresh water, lead paint on toys, BPA in plastic water bottles, PFCs, PCBs and VOCs. Yeah. Yeah. Blah. Blah. Who isn’t tired of hearing about all of the harmful pollutants that we breathe in and ingest every minute, every day, every hour? ME. I’m not. Here’s why.

A few years back when the nonprofit research and advocacy org Environmental Working Group (EWG) conducted a study as part of the Human Toxome Project to look inside newborn babies, they found a disturbing and extensive array of industrial chemicals, pesticides and other pollutants—an average of 200 manmade contaminants in the study’s 10 newborns.

How could this happen? My friends, it’s the result of laws that do not require companies to prove their chemicals are safe for human use and consumption. Luckily, the EWG has been working hard at raising public awareness and advocating on Capitol Hill for health-protective and subsidy-shifting policies to protect us and the environment.

And now a leader in the private sector has stepped forth in the name of transparency. Last month, Seventh Generation, the Burlington, Vermont-based cleaning products maker launched its “Show the World What’s Inside” campaign to specifically promote ingredient transparency. Pretty darn cool since Seventh Generation is one of those aforementioned companies not required by law to tell us what chemicals they use in their products.

Check out the website dedicated to this campaign. It includes a thoughtful video, a nifty label-reading guide to help folks understand potential risks and make informed purchase decisions, “Ingredient” t-shirts for purchase and a take-action area. Oh, and as part of the campaign, Seventh Generation joined forces with EWG’s Action Fund in its effort to ensure products are safe for kids.

IMHO, this is a completely worthwhile marketing effort. But just one suggestion for Seventh Generation (hello … is thing on … can anyone here me?): Put forth a challenge to others in your industry and beyond to join the “Show the World What’s Inside” campaign. Future generations might thank you for it.

This month’s Sustainable Industries details Fiji Water’s recent efforts to cleanse the contaminated image of the bottled water industry. I don’t know if the watershed moment came with the Fast Company piece or the city government pile-on, but somewhere along the line, the idiocy of bottled water became apparent to many. Fiji has responded with a bold initiative to reduce its overall environmental impact by 25% and become a carbon-negative company by offsetting 120% of its carbon footprint. According to SI, the private company is well on its way to meeting its lofty goals by using their offsets to replant large sections of a Fijian forest, shipping their product by boat—a significantly slower, but lower-CO2 option—and joining the Carbon Disclosure project, a nonprofit that facilitates transparency by using questionnaires to keep an online record of CO2 footprint for about 1,000 companies.

These steps are truly impressive. There’s just one thing: Did I mention Fiji Water fills plastic bottles with clean water and ships them more than halfway across the globe where they’re sold to people who—in most cases—already have perfectly clean water coming out of their tap? Oh, yeah. That.

The question is as clear as water from a South Pacific spring: Can a company that deals in what is widely regarded as unsustainable business make their product more palatable by employing certain tactics? They’re certainly trying. And I don’t begrudge them their efforts. But, in my humble estimation, here’s where they’ve gone wrong: In 2007, Fiji launched a multimillion dollar campaign, claiming on their bottles and on their website that “every drop is green.”

Really? Every last drop?

Here’s the bottom line: I applaud their innovative steps, I truly do. And I don’t expect them to stop doing business in an effort to save us from destruction. Bottled water is a luxury item. The industry might take a hit in this economic environment, but as long as there are $440,000 junkets to indulge in, the demand for water that’s more pure and exotic than the next guy’s is not going away.

Fiji’s corporate responsibility communication efforts, like many companies’ these days, are at once so close to resonating with consumers, but so, so far away. In an industry where facts speak louder than spin, they missed an opportunity here to be completely forthright with customers. Something like: Fiji, like every company that bottles drinks, has a profound impact on the planet. We recognize this impact, and we’re doing our best to mitigate it. Or, better yet: Obviously every drop is not green. But, you want the water and we’re doing our damnedest to provide it to you in a waythat lets us all sleep at night. Capiche?

OK, maybe that’s a little too straightforward, but you get the point. And, judging from the reaction to Fiji’s introduction of the Schwimmer-esque “Green Guy” on their blog, I’m not the only one.

David Schwimmer as Greenzo on 30 Rock, courtesy NBC

You know…a green lining. Why not? Green is so much more optimistic than that black cloud of bad deals hanging over Wall Street these days. As I think about the current financial crisis I’m feeling hopeful. Yeah, yeah I am one of those folks who runs around with a coffee travel mug that’s permanently half-full…and I know our stalwart wardens in Congress have just voted to bail out the very folks who were supposed to be guarding and growing our money…but really, what an opportunity for a green-collar economy to emerge NOW when we need it and not ten years from now when it really IS too late.

That’s the hopeful message I’ve found on the Web, in the papers, and on the lips of passionate people I’ve run into lately. Read Dennis Markatos who believes that pushing for green-collar jobs “would allow us to lower energy costs and carbon emissions at the same time as we increase our GDP.” Now, when our financial system is out of whack, is the time to rebalance by building a sustainable economy that doesn’t rely on oil, and is steeped in creative approaches to sustainable issues. That’s what an owner of a floating home marina told my husband and me when we toured a home built by a local green builder. This guy was so excited to show off his floating community. The docks and most of the homes were built out of composite recycled materials made to withstand the rigors of wind and water. No repainting or re-staining required. No yards, no chemicals, no lawnmowers required. People grew veggies in planter boxes; they shared tools and pressure washers. Many of the folks who lived there gave up one car and learned to kayak.

I choose to believe in silver linings. I hope that, as WorldWatch Institute’s Christopher Flavin urged in a recent speech to the United Nations, we can “build a sustainable low-carbon economy that meets all human needs and is in balance with the world’s natural resources.” I want to do my part to help jumpstart a greener economy by choosing to support local businesses like Organics to You a Portland area produce delivery service, by building a green floating home in a community whose bylaws require low environmental impact and by consulting with a financial advisor who specializes in responsible investing. I know we can all do more than just tuck our chins to chest, keep our pennies in our pockets and bide our time until the wind shifts. We can take this crisis and turn it to the world’s advantage.

Last Monday a small crowd of people from Carbon Disclosure Project, Merrill Lynch and some members of the general public gathered at the Merrill Lynch corporate headquarters for Carbon Disclosure Project’s 6th Global Forum. CDP broadcast the event (available at cdproject.net) for those of us who couldn’t make it.

James Cameron, the chairman of CDP came on stage first, sporting a suit and a bundle of nerves. “The first thing I should say is, you know, well done being here. It seems quite encouraging to have such a full audience. I wonder whether we ought to have the Elton John song “I’m Still Standing” as a backing track for the morning’s proceedings.” The audience chuckled good-heartedly.

In March Merrill Lynch signed a three-year partnership agreement with CDP and one of the key parts of the agreement was that Merrill Lynch would be the first “Global Partner.” This essentially means that they will be funding a large portion of CDP’s work. So, when Bank of America swooped in to buy an unsteady Merrill Lynch, I began to wonder: What will happen with CDP? Will Bank of America decide it’s just too expensive an agreement? They do have a promising CSR program themselves and it continues to improve. But there is the possibility that a bad economy and heavily wounded banking industry would make CSR seem like luxury, not a necessity.

Just the fact that the 6th Global Forum happened at Merrill Lynch headquarters makes me feel a little better. Then add the fact that James Cameron was willing to joke about the near disaster right from the get-go. If they’re addressing the buyout they have to have a plan, right? Right? I hope so. CDP’s work is important and if they had to narrow their scope or dissipate altogether it would be a sad day for CSR advocates everywhere.

So, cross your fingers and hold on to statements like this:

“Financial services firms recognize the long term impact climate change will have on the capital markets and cite the need to finance and invest in initiatives that could encourage ground-breaking changes in energy transmission and create a low carbon economy. They also consider reputation and the credit worthiness of investments in the portfolio as key risk areas.”
-Carbon Disclosure Project Press Release, September 21st, 2008

Can we have our environmentally and socially responsible cake and make money off it too? Can we do it even while the banking system is dismantled and slowly rebuilt? Say “yes”. I don’t want to think about what would happen to programs like CDP if the answer is “no”.

I ran across the I am Not a Paper Cup, yesterday, and I could not stop thinking about it. It’s re-usable cup, made from ceramic with a silicone lid, that’s camouflaged as your standard, white paper coffee cup—and it was sold out on site after site. What gives? “Why would anyone want to buy reusable cup that looks like disposable cup?” I wondered. What’s wrong with a reusable cup, that looks like, um, a reusable cup?

Is it all about image? That paper cup tells the world that you have expendable income enough to buy expensive (read: overpriced) coffee? The thermos is so blue-collar, and the travel mug is so … poor college student.

All this made the think about the luxury of waste. There’s a brilliant scene in a recent episode of Mad Men, where Don Draper and his Cleaver-esque family are picnicking. A emerald-green expanse of lawn surrounds them as they perch on their red-and-white checked blanket, picnic basket brimming with goodies. As they pack up to leave, Don hurls his beer can the way a quarterback throws a football. The family leaves a pile of rubbish behind as they pile into the car. Those were the days, huh? Once upon a time, you didn’t have to worry about garbage. There was so much verdant space in America that a little bit of litter was just no big deal.

I admit, I’m completely susceptible to lure of the paper cup. It’s a psychological mystery: coffee in a paper cup tastes better to me. Give me the same old joe in a ceramic mug, and it’s not as satisfying. The paper cup says the coffee is special.

And yet, there’s a certain luxury to being green too. Duke University recently released results of a survey saying consumers are listing environmental friendliness at the bottom of their list of priorities when purchasing new items, in light of the shaky economy. They perceive green products to be a luxury they can’t afford. And shopping at places like Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck) and putting all organic items into my cart certainly feels luxurious to me. I wonder whether their stock price will drop, now that consumers are feeling the need to pinch pennies.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not taking a pro-waste position or anything. I tote my water bottle to work each day, and use cloth napkins at home. What I’m getting at is that we’re often unwittingly two-faced about our green intentions. Product developers need to be more than engineers, they need to be psychologists too, making sure their green innovations not only help save the planet, but help us tell a good story about ourselves too.

So maybe that’s the deal with I am Not a Paper Cup. You get to have your cake and eat it too, by having the appearance of being able to afford expensive coffee in a paper cup, but the self-satisfaction of being environmentally responsible at the same time. Or, it could be what my partner said when I told him about it. He said, very matter-of-factly, “It’s funny.”