Category Archives: Sustainability

A new bottom line for business: Corporate social responsibility

March 29, 2011 – 1:38 pm

by Tim Barlow KEY INSIGHTS With increased initiatives from both employees and management, corporate social responsibility is getting the business. In posts that reference “corporate social responsibility” and “corporate citizenship,” environment is a common theme, with words like sustainability, sustainable, green and environmentalism, all weighing heavily. Additionally, verbs surrounding these anchor terms leave little question […]

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AdVinylize turns companies’ used billboards into promo items

March 2, 2011 – 4:40 pm

by Jana Branch WHAT’S HAPPENING We’ve seen handbags made from materials like seatbelts, bike tires and rice bags. Why not billboards? AdVinylize does just that, targeting companies who’d like to repurpose their own ad spends instead of burying them in a landfill. The results are one-of-a-kind, brand-driven promotional items for employees or customers. Billboards are […]

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Fish leather helps fashionistas live the new sustainable luxury

February 17, 2011 – 11:44 am

by Jana Branch WHAT’S HAPPENING Fish leather is showing up in bespoke shoes, handbags, purses and anywhere else that conscientious fashionistas want an unusual texture without endangering exotic animals. Designer Marianne Kooimans creates high-fashion, handcrafted shoes and accessories made from custom-dyed tilapia, perch and salmon leathers. At $425, her shoes are a one-of-a-kind purchase of […]

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Glass tiles make sun power pretty

February 1, 2011 – 1:55 pm

by Cree McCree WHAT’S HAPPENING Who says solar roofs have to look like giant grids? SolTech makes sun power beautiful with glass tiles that sparkle in the light like ice while heating the house below. The award-winning Swedish design is not just attractive, it’s also highly efficient. Backed by black canvas that absorbs the sun’s […]

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Minipreneurs R us: Re-jigged upcycled kidswear

December 17, 2010 – 6:34 am

by Sairica Rose WHAT’S HAPPENING Clothing upcyclers Re-jigged put a quirky spin on reviving castoffs by snapping up damaged, discarded adult clothing from charity stores and jumble sales and transforming it into mini-couture for kids (Easier.com, 9 November 2010). The Hertfordshire farm-based company teams up with EnviroAbility — a charity that manages projects to integrate […]

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Walgreens goes greener with geothermal energy

December 14, 2010 – 12:12 pm

by Sarah Barker WHAT’S HAPPENING In suburban Chicago, the Oak Park Walgreens is the first drugstore to use geothermal energy for heating and cooling, reducing its energy usage by an estimated 46% (MatterNetwork.com, 11 November 2010). Walgreens worked with Evanston, IL-based Indie Energy to install the system. A kiosk in the store shows customers the […]

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Elkay fights the battle of the bottle the EZH2O way

November 30, 2010 – 3:49 pm

by Sarah Barker WHAT’S HAPPENING Don’t call them simple water fountains. Elkay’s EZH2O bottle-filling stations keep track of how many plastic bottles aren’t being used. As we filled our reusable water bottle at the Elkay EZH2O water station at the University of Minnesota, the counter at eye level turned over to 10,837 — the number […]

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Latinos taking green initiatives, attitudes to heart

May 11, 2010 – 7:25 am

by Abelardo de la Peña Jr. 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 […]

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Anybody Can Serve conservation kit helps homeowners save energy

April 20, 2010 – 10:29 am

by Sarah Fazio WHAT’S HAPPENING When it comes to home-energy conservation, we’re seeing more consumers embrace the idea that a little action goes a long way toward solution. The national Anybody Can Serve (So Let’s Conserve!) campaign arms homeowners with a kit full of energy-saving tools while also challenging them to lower their bills. The […]

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Surfers riding to earthquake-ravaged Chile’s rescue

March 29, 2010 – 8:50 am

by Abelardo de la Peña Jr. 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 […]

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Latinos get back to the land, contribute to local food economy

October 5, 2009 – 6:00 am

by Rocio Zamora Arzola 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 […]

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San Francisco to citizens: Recycle and compost or else

August 20, 2009 – 6:00 am

by Lisa Leonard 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 […]

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Doomers do dinner parties with what’s already in the fridge

May 15, 2009 – 6:08 am

by Sarah Fazio 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 […]

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JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF EARTH DAY

April 21, 2009 – 1:31 pm

by Hans Eisenbeis 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 […]

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Tap your toes, charge your laptop with YoGen MaxT

April 15, 2009 – 6:00 am

by Lisa Leonard 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 […]

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