2nd Green Revolution

Earlier this month on Public Radio International’s daily program The World, reporter Murray Carpenter highlighted “some of the new technologies that help consumers trace the global journey of their purchases and calculate their environmental cost.” If companies are going to argue their products are truly green, there needs to be independent verification. Greenwashing (making specious claims about the environmental impact of a product) and lifecycle analysis (a full accounting the energy consumed and materials involved over the entire lifetime of a product) are two topics gaining increased exposure in the upcoming regenerative economy. Read the rest of this entry »

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.”
- Ghandi

What is growth? If one looks at an organism, growth requires inputs (food/energy, micro-nutrients, water, etc). For the economy to grow, massive inputs are also needed, mostly in the form of energy and materials. Currently, the major difference is that the economy relies on nonrenewable resources (fossil fuels and minerals) whereas organisms depend on renewable sources of food. If the economy is to grow in a sustainable manner, nature may be the best guide. This regenerative economy could serve as a model going forward.

Unfortunately, the current model of consumption and increasing technological advancements make for a cyclical pattern of consumption and disposal. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday’s post about fake and real Christmas trees and menorahs developed out of several conversations during the holidays, but was precipitated by an article in The New York Times about the use of so-called rare earth elements in the manufacture of clean energy components. Cradle to cradle design would suggest that all materials used in consumer products ought to be capable of serving some function once the original purpose of the object has long passed. This design philosophy necessitates making components for consumer goods out of materials that can return to the ecosystem with toxification of the soils, water, or atmosphere. Read the rest of this entry »

A series of posts on 2nd Green Revolution have discussed Life Cycle Assessments (LCA). Companies ranging from New Belgium Brewery to Interface Inc. have generated these assessments for their products in order to determine the energy and material requirements to create, manufacture, and dispose of their goods. As the name implies, LCA considers all inputs from “cradle to grave.”

An article from The New York Times last week cited a study from Osram, a German semiconductor company, which found that “over the entire life of [a light]bulb — from manufacturing to disposal — the energy used for incandescent bulbs is almost five times that used for compact fluorescents and LED lamps.” Osram compared previous Life Cycle Assessments of compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) and found that the two lighting technologies yielded comparable results. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s post is about an off-the-wall and perhaps silly or gross but also clever way to use elephant dung. Yep, I’m not joking. Those straw-laden masses of excrement may wind up being processed into actual products thanks to the Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company. Anyway, squeamishness aside, the company’s unusual but creative way to turn a literal waste product into photo albums, paper, and the other stationary items found in their “Poo-tique” store has merits aside from the novelty of presenting your friends or family with a wacky present. On their website, the company states, “Our purpose is to successfully sell our goods in order to complete a truly creative sustainable cycle: where raw materials with little other use are utilized to make a useful and functional product all the while providing jobs and opportunity along the way and ultimately selling our goods at a profit from which a portion is directed to a worthwhile cause: elephant welfare and conservation.” Read the rest of this entry »

In 2003, Gregory Kats (of Capital E) conducted a thorough study of cost differences between conventional and green building techniques. The study served as the source for the Five Friday Facts post on October 23rd. (Click here for the PDF). He found that the differences range from no extra cost for basic and silver level LEED certification to more than 10% above building structures using traditional construction methods. Some additional expenses result from regional variations, but Kats found that the upfront price for green building has come in line with traditional costs over the past few years. Read the rest of this entry »

In a post from the other day, 2nd Green Revolution reviewed Paul Hawken’s groundbreaking 1993 book, The Ecology of Commerce. Throughout his work, Hawken provides insightful information that causes us to rethink our current resource management.

One example of his eye-opening exposé revolves around recycling. Hawken states the astonishing fact that “If the items used in households in America were all recycled, this would reduce our solid waste by only 1 to 2 percent.” How can this be? Estimates suggest that 70 times as much waste is produced upstream. For every kilogram of waste thrown out by consumers, manufacturers produce 70 kilograms. The consumer can only do so much, since they are at the end of the line. Companies must take design factors into consideration on the front end and work to produce goods that do not generate exorbitant amounts of waste or use toxins in the manufacturing process. Furthermore, these improvements could also include implementing changes for the product’s next iteration, the basis for “cradle to cradle” design. Read the rest of this entry »

Brad Pitt appeared on NBC’s The Today Show earlier this month showcasing the work his organization, Make It Right New Orleans, has done to help rebuild neighborhoods in New Orleans that were hardest hit after Hurricane Katrina nearly four years ago. Several of the parishes in the city remain devastated and have not benefited from investment and continued support. During his interview with The Today Show’s Ann Curry, the 15 home projects (with a goal of 150 by the end of 2010) already stands as the largest neighborhood of green homes in the nation. Furthermore, Pitt has teamed up with William McDonough + Partners to bring Cradle to Cradle design features to the homes being build.

Following up on a story from last week (on urban infill in Denver), Pitt’s project goes one step beyond the Denver development. In addition to building in the city with environmentally conscious products, the Make It Right New Orleans provides housing for those who cannot afford to rebuild after the storm. A few months ago, 2nd Green Revolution carried a story about toxic drywall, which was imported following the shortage that resulted from a post-Katrina building boom. Projects like Pitt’s help to ensure the health and well-being of the occupants by using products that do not leach chemicals into the ambient air.

In addition to Pitt’s efforts, Global Green, founded in 1994 by activist and philanthropist Diane Meyer Simon, has contributed to rebuilding New Orleans with a focus on sustainability. Global Green is “the American Arm of Green Cross International (GCI), which was created by President Mikhail S. Gorbachev to foster a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future by reconnecting humanity with the environment.” Their mission is “to address some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. In the United States our work is primarily focused on stemming global climate change by creating green buildings and cities.” In New Orleans, they have worked to build the Holy Cross project, which includes 5 single family homes, an 18-unit apartment building, and a community center.

By working together, private and public organizations can rebuild cities in a more sustainable fashion. What happened in New Orleans was (and still is) a tragedy on many levels. However, repeating the same design flaws and energy intensive behaviors do not help to ameliorate the situation. Now is the time for the time to implement bold, sustainable practices for the future.

- Eric Wilson

[image source: GlobalGreen.org]

Last year’s 60 Minutes exposé on electronic waste (also known as e-waste) recyclers may have sparked some corporations, including Costco Wholesalers and Apple, to fill the void of “responsible” electronics recyclers. A recent story in The New York Times also discussed the burgeoning recycled electronics field in light of the conversion to digital television signals.

Through the end of August, Apple’s Education arm will recycle old electronics. From their website, “Apple will recycle your school’s old, unwanted Mac computers, PCs, and qualifying peripherals from any manufacturer—for free. There’s no purchase required, and all accredited K-12 and higher education institutions with at least 25 pieces of recyclables are eligible to participate.” In order to qualify, schools must register by July 31, 2009. Read the rest of this entry »

Chef and hotelier Milan Doshi, who owns and runs the oldest Bed and Breakfast (B&B) in Denver, The Queen Anne, plans on converting the historic building into a sustainably managed B&B. Housed in an 1879 Victorian just steps from downtown, the structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. During the past year the bed and breakfast has undergone a renovation aimed to satisfy Leadership in Energy and Environmental in Design (LEED) certification for existing buildings. However, Mr. Doshi’s plan does not stop there. He intends to apply for C2C, cradle to cradle certification, with the goal of becoming the first hotel to achieve the standard. C2C is generally regarded as the most comprehensive certification, as it incorporates all facets of a business’ operations. Read the rest of this entry »