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Concord, Massachusetts: the First U.S. Town to Ban Bottled Water

Posted by krissy on August 27th, 2010

I'm not quite sure how I missed this tidbit of news, as it came out back in April.  

Concord, Massachusetts, home to Walden Pond and the original concord grapevine, has banned the sale of bottled water starting in 2011.  The measured will only allow the sale of refillable containers of water, which could still be sold and delivered in Concord.

The effort was lead by Jean Hill, an 80-something-year old activist.  She lobbied neighbors and officials on the serious environmental consequences of plastic bottles filling landfills and creating more pollution. 

The International Bottled Water Association released this statement about the ban.   I didn't even KNOW there was an International Bottled Water Association!  Their entire website made my blood boil.   Additionally, Joe Doss, president of the IBWA said:  "We obviously don’t think highly of the vote in Concord. Any efforts to discourage consumers from drinking water, whether tap water or bottled water, is not in the best interests of consumers. Bottled water is a very healthy, safe, convenient product that consumers use to stay hydrated." [source]  Oh, okay, Mr. Doss.  ... read more

Green Book Club

Posted by Tim Hale on August 26th, 2010

Green Book Clubs

There has been some discussion of using ‘Green” books like the kindle or using the local library.  I have another perspective and that is the green book club. I think discussion with others is a great way to expand your knowledge of topics.   To help people better understand or to just grow in appreciation for the environment I would suggest a book club.  Instead of discussing the most recent fiction best seller why don’t we concentrate on sharing the knowledge of the world around us with our friends and neighbors and talk about a real life issue?

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Green Book Review: The Blue Economy, by Gunter Pauli

Posted by Emily Golding on August 8th, 2010

The Blue Economy, 10 years, 100 innovations, 100 million jobs is a phenomenal book I have been reading lately by Gunter Pauli, founder of Ecover, and The Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives organization. The philosophy behind the book is the recognition and emulation of the interconnectedness of the five kingdoms of nature. Pauli presents an alternative economic system where human processes are modeled after natural systems, and work with nature, rather than against her. ... read more

Killing two birds with one stone (not literally)

Posted by sarahberon on July 27th, 2010

How about saving the planet and its animals, all at once?

Many people give up the consumption of animal products for numerous reasons, which may include personal health and well-being, ethical beliefs, food expense reduction, and more. Thinking today about the reasons why I choose to follow a vegan lifestyle lead me to considering the environmental impact of the lifestyle. For those of you who are opposed to giving up your cheeseburgers regardless of the information presented, this will at the least provide you with some food for thought (a small side order for your burger).

In the past, the United Nations issued a report, somewhat like a call-to-action, for the world to reduce its consumption of animal products (both meat and dairy). As quoted in the U.K. Guardian, the UN feels that a "global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change." Clearly, this is a pretty serious issue.

... read more

Check us out on Facebook!

Posted by Emily Golding on July 26th, 2010

Keen for Green will be doing giveaways and contests on Facebook so if you're not already one of our fans, like us so you can keep up with the green and stay involved! We will also have discussion ideas posted so you can share your questions and comments! 

Green Company Profile: ChicoBag!

Posted by Emily Golding on July 19th, 2010

To continue my "ban the bag saga," here is a Company profile on ChicoBag, my personal favorite in the reusable bag sector.

Why its Keen:

ChicoBag has a very inspirational start-up story: "In early 2004, Andy Keller, now ChicoBag™ president, took a trip to his local landfill after spending the day landscaping his backyard. He was horrified by what he saw. Single-use bags were the dominant article at the landfill that day, blanketing the landscape in a thin mix of white and beige plastic. On his way home he began to notice plastic bags everywhere, caught in trees and on fence posts, half drowned in gutter puddles and blowing in the streets like urban tumbleweeds. That day Andy vowed to stop using single-use bags. Inspired, Andy dropped a few bucks on a second hand sewing machine and began sewing what would ultimately become the first ChicoBag™ brand reusable bag."... read more

Costco and Unsustainable Fish

Posted by krissy on July 14th, 2010

I love Costco.  I get my eye exams there, I love their Kirkland organic peanut-butter, I greedily accept all of their free samples, and I even own lots of clothes from there.  They also are known to treat their employees well and they also tend to donate money to Democratic candidates. That's why I was so disappointed to hear about all of the unsustainable fish they sell.  Unsustainable fish includes Chilean sea bass, orange roughy, grouper, and more.  AND, AND, AND...they tell their shareholders that they support sustainable seafood!  Bad Costco!

Greenpeace has launched a website and campaign to urge Costco to stop selling those types of unsustainable seafood.  With the amount of food that Costco sells coupled with the number of locations they have, if they stop selling those varieties of fish it will really make a big difference with the over-fishing problems.... read more

Interview with Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, Author of AB 1998 - Ban the Bag

Posted by Emily Golding on July 14th, 2010

I have had the wonderful opportunity to connect with Assemblywoman Julia Brownley regarding the pending legislation bill that if passed, would BAN THE BAG!! This issue hits very close to home for me because UCSB friends and I have spent a lot of time and effort raising awareness of the detrimental effects single-use bags have on our local environment while also promoting reusable bags. Assemblywoman Brownley is taking initiative in addressing this issue through AB 1998. If passed, the bill will be a milestone California can be proud of in terms of environmental protection in the form of prevention instead of mitigation... This interview is a great follow-up to a recent post I made about AB 1998. (Keep your eyes open for an upcoming Company profile with ChicoBag!)... read more

Ban the Bag! California's effort to ban the use of single-use plastic bags

Posted by Emily Golding on July 5th, 2010

Over 19 billion plastic bags are used annually in California, and constitute one of the largest forms of urban litter pollution. Urban litter pollution is the primary component of marine litter, which feeds into the North Pacific Gyre - also known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.... read more

Dump the Pump Day is TOMORROW! 6/17/10

Posted by krissy on June 16th, 2010

Tomorrow (June 17, 2010) marks the fifth annual Dump the Pump Day in the United States. Dump the Pump Day encourages people to take public transportation instead of driving their personal vehicles. It's sponsored by the American Public Transportation Authority in partnership with Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Sierra Club.

Many different cities are doing different things for Dump the Pump Day. Greater Boston's MBTA is giving away commuter passes, Chicago's RTA is offering prizes, and DC's Metro is having a contest.  Check out your local public transportation's website to see if they have anything going on tomorrow!... read more

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