WHAT’S HAPPENING

• It may not be easy being green, but Latinos are giving it a try. That’s according to an Eco Pulse survey showing that Latinos are looking for greener products, having environmental conversations with their kids and feeling very responsible to change their purchasing habits in order to positively impact the environment, more so than other ethnicities (LatinaLista.com 4.15.10).
• There’s a basis for their behaviors: A National Resources Defense Council poll finds that of 81% Latinos believe global warming is happening, compared to only 69% of non-Hispanic whites (Poder.com 4.10). Some 62% of Latinos said they thought climate change was “very bad,” while only 41% of non-Hispanic whites thought so.
• In Denver, Latinos are putting their beliefs into action. Green Cleaning for Life, LLC, is a Latino worker-owned and -operated green cleaning cooperative. The business provides high-quality cleaning services with the use of green products and practices (LaVozColorado.com 4.21.10).

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• Many Latinos live in communities that aren’t the most environmentally secure. That makes them more aware that going green is not only good for the planet but also good for themselves and their families.
• Latinos, particularly those with agricultural roots, have a deep tradition of environmental protection, and they approach the issue with less cynicism than other groups. The climate debate is less politicized in their home countries and reported in a more balanced way by Spanish-language media.

RESOURCES

• La Onda Verde is the Latino Outreach arm of the National Resource Defense Council
• Green Cleaning for Life is a program of El Centro Comunitario

WHAT’S HAPPENING

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

RESOURCES

• Anybody Can Serve

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• Chile’s magnitude 8.8 earthquake and ensuing tsunamis left its 400 miles of coast particularly devastated. Surfers from around the world, passionate for the area known for its huge, rideable waves, are organizing relief and distributing aid.
• Chilean native and championship big wave surfer Ramon Navarro is leading efforts via his association with U.S.-based Save the Waves coalition. A first effort: supplying water filters for clean drinking water to communities where homes, restaurants and fishing fleets have been completely destroyed (SurfLine.com 3.7.10).
• Surfers worldwide forwarded donations after receiving solicitations for aid via Twitter and Facebook, helping to raise $50,000 (LATimes.com 3.7.10). Young Chilean and U.S. volunteers and environmentalists have descended on the ravaged coast to assist in relief efforts.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• Call it enlightened self-interest. Surfers rely not just on big waves to ride on, but also a safe and sustainable environment. Through organizations like Save the Waves, endangered areas and local economies dependent on the surf activity have an influential voice.
• Surfing’s economic value and impact on U.S. and global region are substantial. Raising awareness about the importance of surfing should be considered when coastal management decisions are made.
• Disasters bring out the best in people, even among competitors.

RESOURCES

• Save the Waves
• Ramon Navarro on SaveTheWaves.org

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• Once a farmer, always a farmer. In Iowa, Latinos raised on farms in their home countries are being encouraged to put their green thumbs to the test in the U.S.

• Through Marshalltown Community College’s eight-week, bilingual adult education class entitled “Start Your Own Diversified Farm,” students are given the institutional knowledge of growing sustainable truck crops. They’re given a plot of land to grow and harvest crops like peppers, corn and squash.

• The college program, part of an effort carrying the acronym for food in Spanish — COMIDA (County Of Marshall Investing in Diversified Agriculture) — also helps connect local farmers and buyers (DesMoinesRegister.com 9.13.09).

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• Immigrants bring skills and ambition that could benefit communities willing to give them the opportunity and the training.

• Wedding home-country growing traditions with sustainable practices and modern marketing techniques improves eating habits and the overall economy.

RESOURCES

• Marshalltown Community College

• COMIDA of Marshall County on Facebook.com

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• In June 2009, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a proposal for the most comprehensive mandatory recycling and composting law in the nation — part of the city’s effort to achieve zero waste by 2020 (SFGate.com 6.10.09).
• Beginning in fall 2009, every household and business must sort refuse into recycling, compost and garbage using three color-coded bins.
• City leaders insist they want to make recycling and composting as easy as possible, but those who don’t comply will be fined $100 (individuals) to $500 (businesses) … after receiving and ignoring several warnings.
• Some consumers have pushed back, calling the law heavy-handed. Others complain that it’s not heavy enough: Without enforcement (which supporters admit will be difficult), why comply?

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• One person’s trash is another person’s … landfill, carbon emissions and climate change. “Every man for himself” doesn’t cut it anymore.
• When it comes to living green, some consumers will do the right thing even if it costs more. Some will do it only if it costs them not to.

RESOURCES

• Confused consumers can visit San Francisco Environment Department for easy-interface how-to’s.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• For most dinner party hosts, the evening requires a trip (or three) to the grocery store. But for Doomer Dinner Parties there’s no shopping required — actually, it’s forbidden. The entire meal must be prepared from what’s on hand in the host’s fridge, pantry or garden.
• Doomers (a.k.a. peakniks) say society is entering the last days of oil (and, of course, other things). Doomer dinner parties evolved from “Prep Practice,” where families shut off their home breakers and live as if no gas is available (PeakOilHausFrau.blogspot.com 3.11.09).
• One part peak oil awareness, one part eat local challenge, a dash of whimsy: One green blogger, Crunchy Chicken, took the Doomer challenge on without telling guests what they were in for, and she was surprised by the relatively easy and delicious outcome (TheCrunchyChicken.com 3.23.09).

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• Cause Consumption is about more than corporate accountability. Local Beehiving^SM is especially popular in the food space as locavore buzz is mainstreaming and seasonal farmers’ markets are open for business.
• These days it’s not just the extreme-green quotient who are interested in making the most of pantry storage. Recession Stew is on the dinner table for many consumers as they look to make do with what they have to stretch every dollar.

RESOURCES

• Doomers forum

I was walking my dog along the Mississippi River the other day, enjoying the spring weather, sure, but also envying my friends who’d flown to Cancún or Aspen for their spring breaks — wait, no one I know flew anywhere this April. Most of us are staying close to home, trying to enjoy a few days off right where we live, and maybe hitting a few Earth Day events.

In recent years, Earth Day has been a truly global event with concentration on larger-than-life issues like global warming and nuclear waste. But this year, we’re seeing a lot of grassroots happenings bubble up. Why? Because with recession has come something of an emotional, physical and financial contraction: Consumers all over the world are simply spending more time (and less money) close to their roots. As they reconsider personal financial sustainability, they may also be more mindful of planetary sustainability. They understand that local businesses, community stores and farmers’ markets can be the basic building blocks for helping to create a brighter future.

Want to check out the most important Earth Day events this year? Start by simply opening the shades and peeking around the neighborhood. Throw the dog a stick. Get glocal.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• Fidgety feet? Now consumers can turn nervous energy into electricity with the help of the YoGen MaxT.
• The device, from Easy Energy, sits conveniently under the user’s desk, harnessing foot-tapping power into electricity with a pedal that’s ergonomically optimized to prevent tootsies from tiring (Easy-Energy.biz 3.09).
• People-powered energy sources for small devices aren’t new, but they need improving. The MaxT’s maximized output and increased user-friendliness makes it easier for even energy-guzzling electronics like laptops to go off-grid.
• When not in use, the MaxT folds into a flat, book-sized shape for easy traveling, expanding the portability of laptops and the people who lug them.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• Going off-grid is great, but not if powering up means consumers have to give till it hurts. Less pain, more gain gives SustainAbilities more staying power.
• Always-on consumers expect access everywhere, and have long been constrained by the mobility of their power sources and the life of their batteries. Products that put the power in consumers’ hands expand the portable possibilities exponentially.

RESOURCES

• Easy Energy

by Nissa Hanna

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• A Philadelphia development team is creating the 100K House project to prove that design-savvy, sustainable homes don’t have to cost a lot of green.
• The group is starting with two case study homes, and the project is named after the projected cost of the smaller design.
• The two LEED Platinum and Energy Star certified loft townhouses will incorporate various elements of sustainable living: solar-thermal hot water, rainwater collection, low or no VOC finishes, radiant heating and drought-tolerant landscaping.
• The 100K House aims to achieve its low price-point by excluding the “bells and whistles” that often drive up construction costs.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• While the interest and desire for fully integrated green homes is growing, they’re generally priced beyond the reach of many consumers. Developers that bring the price-point down while maintaining quality and design will fulfill the needs of eco- and cost-conscious consumers.

RESOURCES

• 100K House: the case studies are being built at 2100 – 2102 E. Susquehanna Avenue, Philadelphia, PA

by Nissa Hanna

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• Newly developed Seabrook is a mixed-use coastal community that provides eco-friendly living in a walkable urban environment.
• Located on the Pacific Coast between Seattle and Portland, the town promotes bikes as the preferred mode of transportation so denizens can do without cars when visiting Seabrook’s public spaces like the performing arts center, parks, amphitheater, chapel or plaza — features that are also designed to encourage community through gatherings.
• The development strategically preserves the natural habitat by huddling homes together (Seattle Times 11.30.08). Those abodes are made with sustainable building materials and equipped with energy efficient appliances.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

• We’re starting to see more consumers searching for an alternative to the spread-out suburban lifestyle. Mixed-use developments, especially those that beehive around shared values like sustainability and nature, offer the comfort of community.

RESOURCES

• Seabrook: home prices range between $235,000 and $900,000