who will be the green referees?

the dozen blog has a great post on Brita and Fiji water options' fight over who's the most green.

read it here. i don't know if this is a relevant argument, but for me the relevance lies within the possibility that brand competition now will be including "who's the most green." i think it's easy to see that a reusable filtration system - when paired with a reusable bottle - is much greener than a disposable bottle shipped miles and miles.

more of a moral of this story might be what do you, as a consumer, view as the line you'll cross or the greenness you'll expect from your favorite brands. are you your own green referee? do you rely on companies to tell you they are greener?

Sustain Newsladder

got a note from Klara at Sustain Newsladder after Alternative Consumer featured Interwoven Threads yesterday. been playing with Sustain Newsladder today and love the resource. it's a Digg-like site for sustainability.

check it out and bookmark it. better yet, start posting stories. i think SN will be a great resource for green and sustainable research (and blog topics!).

do something

via I Heart Mountains, a great guide to addressing global warming. simple steps, set in a visual map...it's the perfect image to pass on to friends and family.

Introspection

Jeff Risley posted an insightful take on corporate social responsibility, greenwashing and consumer demand for greener business. i added to his thoughts on WoolardSpeak. check 'em out.

Yvon Chouinard on Treehugger

two things that inspire me, and have continued to shape Interwoven Threads: Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and Treehugger.

check out this interview with Treehugger Radio. audio or text available.

what does leading the "examined life" look like to you? to your consumption?

how green is your candidate

Outside Magazine and Grist remind us to do a little fact checking on our candidates, as Super Tuesday hits. i'm looking forward to caucusing in Kansas tonight, and though i know my candidate, this link helps define all candidates green positioning.

another bit of green thought: Green Marketing Manifesto author John Grant gives a stunning and hopefully empowering recap of green in 2007.

Green gadgets...a solution!

gotta love finding a solution to a previous blog post about totally not-green tech. here's the Greener Gadgets conference and competition. kudos.

check out the presenter list.

someone want to buy me a plan ticket?

early registration ends on the 15th!

a little green inspiration

for those literal folks out there, who need some numbers, facts, to back up the greening of their worlds, Epic Magazine, which I just found today, has a nice little fact farm.

1. If you replace just 10 100-watt light bulbs with CFLs, you will eliminate as much C02 as an SUV generates in a year.

2. For every 10 people who walk instead of drive a one-mile trip every week, we can reduce 500 pounds of emissions every year.

3. For every 10,000 people who print the majority of their documents in "draft mode" printer setting, we could reduce the number of discarded ink cartridges by 20,000 annually.

4. For every 10,000 people who use only recycled copier paper, we can save 12,000 trees.

5. On an annual basis, American use enough plastic wrap to completely cover the state of Texas. Switch to recyclable, recycled aluminum foil for a safer, eco-friendlier food wrapper.

6. For every 10,000 people who change their 1980s-style toilets to more
modern, low-flow ones, we could save 100 million gallons of water annually.

7. For every 10,000 people with one-quarter acre yards who change to non-toxic weed killers, we can prevent an additional 5,000 pounds of harmful herbicides from becoming part of our environment.

8. For every 10,000 people who stop leaving the hose on while washing their
cars, we can save up to 1.3 million gallons of water.

9. Every year in North America, people use enough disposable wipes to fill
up 9,000 tractor-trailers. You can help reduce this quantity by choosing
reusable wipes.

10. For every 10,000 people who empty their lint filters after every load,
we could save the energy equivalent of 670,000 load cycles.

green technology

continuing on the threads of consumption and waste, PSFK's Piers Fawkes posted an inspiring and frank opinion on the Consumer Electronics Show's lack of true green hues. granted, CES is promoting and featuring products that are in no way green and in every way replaceable and wasteful. it's the electronics industry. some companies like Apple have gone greener after much pressure, but most companies and consumers have no idea how to stop the toxic consumption and more importantly, what to do with their products after they go kaput or are shelved for a newer product or advancement.

Fawkes makes a number of great points, the most relevent in my opinion is that greening the electronics industry is a cultural change. it's going to take a shift in development, production and usability before electronics will be green. i also think it's going to take consumers rising up and being a bit more realistic in their expectations of gadgets. sure, the new iPod Touch is hot and yes i want one and could muster the funds to buy it, but my iPod Classic has been wonderfully reliable and i don't need to replace it.

i believe the answer lies within design. a word and theory and even more powerful practice that i believe will define the moving forward of sustainable consumption and greener retail. how can we design products to live through new software versions? how can we produce less toxic gadgets while still ensuring function, durability and sexiness? how can we integrate recycling and waste reduction into the lifespan of these products?

on a brighter note, the EPA and a number of cell phone manufacturers and wireless providers have launched a new cell phone recycling program. more at npr.

A lesson in green business: New Belgium Brewery

just posted a lengthy report from my tour of New Belgium Brewery over at my other blog, WoolardSpeak. check it out.

Clif Bar's Green Notes doing a bunch of good

i'm a big fan of Clif Bar, both for its nutritional help in my athletic endeavors and for its leadership in sustainability. the Clif Bar Blah Blah Blog today had post on a couple of my favorite musicians, The John Butler Trio and Brett Dennen, and their good deeds, which go along with Clif's Green Notes project. Green Notes helps bands make their tours - and the stops along the way - greener. via volunteer opportunities, community action and simple alternatives to the normal tour (organic T's (hoorah) offered on the merch table, alternatively-fueled buses).

if you're on the west coast, here's a calendar of the events JBT and Dennen will be involved with.

congrats, Clifkateers, for finding ways to cast a wider net and make your brand's core values go farther than the horizon line.

Give good green

Barney's New York is kickin' some carbon-lightening bootie this holiday season with a bold move to encourage green fashion. here's a nice video from NY Mag on the shop's window themes. and some news from AdAge. the brainchild of creative director Simon Doonan, the display and initiative puts some mainstream weight behind green gift giving.

i dig the way they've integrated the theme into the website and holiday mailer, and are furthering consumers' abilities to be fashionable, unique and forward thinking all while being green. kudos.

i should also thank those of you who are already buying Interwoven Threads for your holiday gift list...it warms my heart and more importantly the hearts of those who'll receive some fun threads on your behalf.

look for some great promotions come december to light the fire in your wallet....

What can Brown do for green?

loved this post from Citizen Brand on a corporation doing some good in their own way. UPS, or "brown" as we've come to know them have put a stake in the ground by leasing alternative fuel vehicles to transport ground packages in areas that will not only benefit from reduced congestion, but reduced emissions. UPS currently has 1,600 alternative fuel vehicles in its fleet. i applaud this as a powerful start and a nice bar raised for the industry.

i also value UPS' view of their role in the larger carbon footprint and its impact on the bottom line:
"Packages go from the airplanes, to the tractor trailers, to the delivery vans, then to the drop-off nodes. From there the ZAP trucks make the final delivery to the consumer in a zero-emission vehicle that costs less to operate," said ZAP CEO Steve Schneider. "It's a perfect example of how green technology can help corporate America's bottom line."

it's companies like this, which balance their environmental impact with solid business practices, that will grow and lead during this important time of business renaissance. yes, i said it. and i believe that's what we're experiencing. kudos to UPS not only for finding a green solution, but for integrating green into the solving of a business problem.

The Green Marketing Manifesto

John Grant's new book, The Green Marketing Manifesto looks great. I stumbled upon his blog this morning via the Talent Imitates, Genius Steals blog and got interested fast. I'm still digging through John's blog, but one thing caught my eye that I wanted to pass on. It's right in the mission of the Do Better Blog, and called (hilariously) The Nag. Check it out, you'll get it, and it's power to change the world, quickly and simply.

The Green Marketing Manifesto is available for pre-order on Amazon.

Also found on Talent Imitates, a great concept, cleverly called Unpackaged. Check it.

it's truly not easy being green

a number of people have asked me recently to comment on the "green" trend. first, I want to make a statement. though Interwoven Threads is printed on 100% organic cotton and made in America, i don't consider Interwoven Threads to be as green as it could be. I'm still playing with the availability and last of soy inks, that's the first major area for improvement. I work hard to limit the amount of material I use to ship and print. Our envelopes are made from recycled material and our soon-to-be-produced marketing and communication material is all on recycled or reused paper. Bottom line, Interwoven Threads is certainly greener than most T-shirt companies, but there's room for improvement.

"greenwashing" is the issue here. basically, greenwashing occurs when a company that is less than green (or socially responsible for that matter) follows a consumer trend and tries to play in the same sandbox. normally, greenwashing companies are only in it to ride the coattails of a trend, and partake in some new marketshare.

i was doing some research today and came across EcoAmerica's News Blog and found a nice, concise post on consumers' views toward greenwashing. some good tips and overviews too. Via GreenBiz, take a look at this study, which cites green fatigue caused by many indicators. though it is focused on a couple industries, its results can be translated throughout categories.

not only is the green fatigue a cause for concern, but it's a call-to-action for companies to be authentic in their do-better pursuits. consumers met the green movement with gusto, throwing dollars and loyalty behind companies for doing very little. oftentimes, companies, like Patagonia, which were "green" before there was a label for being so, were overlooked by companies throwing marketing dollars at the heightened consumer interest. as consumers get smarter, they ask tougher questions. they look at the companies that claim to be green and dig through their processes and practices.

greenwashing is not just an unethical marketing and business strategy, it's harmful to the environment. sounds corny, but it's true. i don't care how many jump on the rubber bracelet bandwagon, the fallout and fatigue doesn't harm the cause, but when a company claims to be green and tries to take marketshare away from companies that were founded on green and sustainable philosophies, they are harming consumer confidence and the environment.

i'm not saying consumers should scour the depths of annual reports to make sure soy ink is used on the return address envelopes, but consumers should seek authenticity. they should seek signs of effort, which proves a company is moving toward something on a holistic level. that being green is an investment that will evolve. that it isn't as easy as throwing a few solar panels up on the roof and introducing a line of products made from recycling.

it's not easy being green. that's why the rewards are reaped by companies that are authentic and committed. seek those companies. reward them with your loyalty and business.

green shopping resources

the wall street journal has a great story today on green resources online. here are the sites the paper reviewed:

ShopLime.com: "Green" online shopping
TheGreenGuide.com: Comprehensive product selection...whatever you want, if it's green, it's here.
Greenopia.com: Reviews of local green businesses
PlanetGreen.com: Features green products and why those products are "green."

and remember, your favorite green t-shirts are available (including the new design!) online for purchase at the Interwoven Threads site.

Chris Jordan = talent

wow - i was forwarded artist Chris Jordan's latest work today and am loving it. he uses numbers and objects to chart (beautifully, though frightening) various statistics - from plastic bag waste to uninsured children.

Barefoot Wine, please

On the topic of companies doing better, Barefoot Wine is doing it. They've partnered with the Surfrider Foundation to identify 7 beaches to renew to a level fit for activity. The cleanups have taken place across the U.S. Their next cleanup is Sept. 1.

Have a beach you'd like to see revived? Vote here. They've also provided 10 things you can do to keep the ocean and beaches clean.

Austin City Limits Fest goes green

I've always wanted to attend the ACL fest - now, after reading the steps the fest took to greenify the experience and lessen the impact, I'm darn tempted to up and trek down next month. Always the cultural and musical bar-setter, ACL is continuing its role as a force. Kudos.

Remarkable.co.uk

Remarkable is a, well, remarkable product design company based in the UK that reuses old products to create new, very cool products. From pencils to mousepads, I'm diggin' and wishin' I could buy these in the States. Great, er, remarkable work. My favorite part is the call-out on the products of what they used to be.


via Josh Spear.

EcoSeek: The search engine for all things green

I learned about EcoSeek via Josh Spear and quickly became excited with this new search engine. It is a user-populated search engine featuring green goods. It's just getting up and going, and is accepting new picks and submissions to fill its system. Interwoven Threads can be found in the men's shirts and women's tops sub categories. In true user-generated fashion (no pun), EcoSeek features recommendations and ratings from consumers. Interwoven Threads has a couple nice notes attached - thanks!

Bookmark EcoSeek and keep checking back - or spend some time sharing your favorite green brands so others can discover.

Green jobs and do-better employment

I had a conversation with a friend last night on jobs, companies and marrying the two to an employee's ethics...much of what I covered in this post. Browsing TreeHugger this morning, I noticed their job board. Check it out if you're interested in a diverse selection of "green" jobs. Also, idealist.org is another great resource for volunteer and employment opportunities in the U.S. and abroad.

Employment always stumps me...we humans seek out friends with which we have commonalities. Significant others who share our passions and beliefs. Places of worship that speak to personal theology. Even brands that seem in line with our moral fiber. But many of us do not seek to continue those standards into the jobs we do. And maybe that's because of, simply, the word job. It's a means to an end. A necessary evil. A have to. But it doesn't have to be like that. And maybe, as the attention on green moves ahead and the public conversation on social awareness increases, so will (as I posted before) the demand for a better work experience.

The bottom line is we human folk do better doing what we enjoy. Moreover we do better doing something that resonates on a level higher than ego, salary, fame and status. It's never too late to seek such an opportunity. Start by volunteering. Or by exploring the little gut feelings you might frequently ignore. You never know...that dread of skydiving one day may result in a dream career.

Also from TreeHugger, some tips to green your workplace. Even if you don't love your 9-5, you could love the impact (or lack thereof) your office has on the environment. This would be a nice link to send your boss. Or your HR dept.

Counting your carbon calories?

PSFK, which is quickly becoming one of my standby sources for green news and thoughts, had a nice post today on Tesco's (a UK grocery retailer) effort to embark on a labeling system for its products that will chart each product's carbon footprint. Wowsa. Now, the blog post argues that consumers may not really be interested in a product's carbon calories...I rebut that argument with the following: no one thought eating massive amounts of bacon was a good idea until a feller named Atkins came around. Just saying...I think we'd all be much better stewards of the grocery aisles and the world if we turned our attention away from carb counts and made some purchase decisions based on the carbon calorie.

I do, however, agree with the post's challenge to turn attention toward simpler fixes, such as focusing on local products.

So the question is, could you be conditioned to check carbon calories with the same attention as you check fats and such? Would it be enough to cause you to switch brands?

the better job balance

Triple Pundit has an intriguing post on socially-conscious employers and the demand of the young workforce. the debate is over whether socially-conscious young folks are able to find a job that pays, offers appropriate benefits, etc. without sacrificing their ideals and social values. the post pins the debate between saint and sell out: choose a job that allows you to do good for the implied lesser wage/benefit package/perks or tow the company line and make some more moolah. true, we can't all work at patagonia (darn it), but as my generation sticks its head out of the job pool we've been in for a while now - or completes grad school - and enters its 30-something years, i believe our expectations will not only shape our careers, but shape the workplace.

therefore, i'd contend the debate isn't saint or sellout, but create demand or don't create demand. capitalism works to the socially conscious employee's benefit here. in addition to late Gen X-ers and now Y-ers redefining job fulfillment (from changing the dress code and workday flexibility to finding employers of similar social stances), we could change the social standards employers must hit to even consider recruiting strong talent.

within the same vein, a great recruitment video from Connected Ventures, via Dustin. is web video the new career fair? i hope so. they've got four million views. how's that for reach, HR?



Lip Dub - Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger from amandalynferri and Vimeo.

The global warming brand

i'm hoping to start a conversation over at my other blog home, WoolardSpeak on the topic of the global warming brand. no use re-posting on Do Better when you can hop across cyberspace and see for yourself.
First post here.
Follow-up here.

have a great weekend, all. i'm pumped to be running in the psycho psummer 15 miler tomorrow morning. knee deep in the wyandotte county brush, just scootin' along the singletrack trails, thanks to a great local organization that's done a heckuva lot of better for the kc trail running community. check them out: KC Trail Nerds. went out with them last night to mark the trails and was assured that it's going to be challenging. but what better way to enjoy a gem within my area?

(UPDATE: recap of the Psycho Psummer on WoolardSpeak)

Tour de Green

The target(s) of my cheering in this year's Tour de France is the Discovery Channel team. Not only does DC host American greats like George Hincapie and Levi Leipheimer , the team is taking a unique stand against pollution by going green during the opening prologue.

In addition to some sweet green kits (wondering, though, where they were made/where the fabric came from), the team will be planing trees based on successful stage finishes and will offset the carbon output of the vehicles used in the race as well as the output created from its corporate employees and daily business.

This is a great effort on a world stage, to remind people that we can all truly do our part. Kudos to Discovery Channel for leading the charge and standing strong at third after today's crazy stage two.

More at Reuters.

the problem with water

while on vacation in Angel Fire, NM this week, i was able to catch up on some reading, including this month's Fast Company. in addition to an engaging feature on Al Gore (and his many pursuits), the magazine has a great article on the bottled water industry. you can access it in its entirety, as well as a few great blog posts/conversation threads associated. it's worth a read for anyone concerned about the origin of their beverages, environmental impact and social inequities related to such a simple product.

and while water is essential to life, and considered by most to be a right not deserving a second though, water - and bottled water in particular - is at the center of some of our world's biggest problems. the good news is, some simple life-change steps can make a big impact not just in your corner of the world, but our larger planet. so what's so bad about water?
1) increased consumption of bottled water has increased the threat of waste and pollution within the environment.
2) water continues to be one of the most poignant social inequities. while many of us waste water like it's our job, much of the world goes without clean (or available) water on a daily basis (one in six, actually). Fiji water's own backyard contains more than half a million Fijians who do not have clean water to drink.

what can you do? here are some very simple steps toward a better beverage:
1) carry a reusable bottle. i prefer my creatively-stickered Nalgene bottle and my dented Sigg bottle I've had for years. carrying a reusable bottle not only helps you avoid purchasing single bottles (and possibly discarding them in the trash), but it encourages increased water consumption - your body will love you!
2) drink tap water. i'm at fault for this one..but i'm coming around. across the US and most major international cities, tap water is highly tested (oftentimes more so than bottled) and even contains minerals that some filtered water strips away. one of the best ways to get into this habit is to fill a reusable jug or pitcher with tap water and throw it into the fridge for future use. it's refreshingly cold, and tricks your mind a bit.
3) recycle. if you're going to use PET bottles, just toss them into the recycling bin, instead of the trash. almost 80 percent of plastic bottles end up in the landfill. that's a scary-high number, and one that takes little effort to reduce through simple responsibility.
4) avoid buying major-brand water. your local grocery store has refillable water kiosks, brimming with local filtered water. buying bulk can save the amount of waste, but it also helps you avoid being part of corporations that conduct business with little to no responsibility.

i'm the first to admit i have a long way to go in being more responsible with my water consumption, but i'm taking steps. Nalgene's "Refill Not Ladfill" campaign has some great ways to take that first step and good links for finding out more about this issue.

back to my vacation (because i just can't seem to re-acclimate myself yet)...water was a major part of our week. from providing refreshment to our almost continous outdoor activities to being the centerpiece of beauty during hikes and sightseeing, i left New Mexico wanting to do a better job of conserving consumable and natural water. here are a few pictures from our hike up Wheeler Peak, NM's tallest mountain. if these don't make you want to advocate for our environment...



as we took a lakeside break before the final approach to the summit, i sat next to the clear water and remembered a statement from Patagonia's Yvon Chouinard, in which he told of always drinking straight from the streams and lakes he fished/hiked/played around and thought about how sad it is that we're so far from that opportunity now. and i was thankful that my CamelBak and multiple bottles were filled with the water i required to get through the hike.

happy Friday, all. raise your reusable bottles in a toast to the weekend.

cheers.

Guide to greener electronics

Greenpeace released its fourth edition Guide to Greener Electronics yesterday. The guide not only ranks electronics makers in green-ness, but judges the companies on manufacturing and disposal practices. One thing I found especially notable was Apple's rise from last place to 10th in one year's time, thanks in large part to Greenpeace's great "Green My Apple" campaign.

Wondering where to recycle your electronics? The E-Cycling Central site is a great resource.

a better blog

by better, i don't mean better than your blog. or anyone else's for that matter. i mean, this blog is going to focus on better. bettering, betterment, best. even some good. i may post on social issues that need attention. maybe throw in tips to green up your life. i might post on record labels that are integrating environmental stewardship into the music industry. the benefits of organic cotton. responsible mountain biking. businesses that make a difference. and those social entrepreneurs who are tackling big problems with business ideas. and sustainability in business. and fair trade products. maybe some thoughts on building better schools.

i will write a lot about my own project, Interwoven Threads, and provide updates on its growth as a socially-conscious startup. the successes. the frustrations. the ideas. the questions. the new designs and collaborators that make up the soul of this company. Interwoven Threads is my way of doing better. it's my baby. my inspiration. my nights and weekends. and i enjoy discussing the company with like-minded people.

most of all, i hope this blog ignites and participates in important conversations about doing better in our homes, workplaces, communities and world. i also hope it simplifies the steps necessary to changing our own lives for the better. baby steps, you know?

check back frequently and add The Do Better Blog to your blogroll, rss aggregator, bookmarks, blog - anything!