“The Apple shareholder meeting on Thursday was a telling example of just how difficult it is for a public company to go green, even if it really wants to.

Apple currently has a much greener reputation than it deserves according to the recent New Scientist study. Consumers rank Apple #3 in sustainability, even though the scientists rank them at #19. Yes, they have made efforts to reduce toxicity in their products and created an e-waste recycling program, but both of these green initiatives came as a response to activist campaigns led by NGO’s like Greenpeace.”

(via Good)

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“Beginning life as a market stall in 2006, Unpackaged is a unique and brilliant concept that is so simple it hurts, especially considering the sheer amount of packaging waste that is ridiculously filling our planet’s landfill sites. Within the beautifully designed shop, organic whole foods, dried fruit, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices, even refillable oils, vinegars and wines are all available to place straight into your own containers, that you will have brought along with you … if you haven’t then reusable bags are available. Zero packaging.”

(via Good)

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“In Ambitious Eco-Friendly Push, Sponsor Big Red Vows to Produce Zero Waste During the Vancouver Games”

Does this mean their farm lobbying arm will stop petitioning the government for corn subsidies (i.e., cheap high fructose corn syrup) that cause systematic overplanting and the accompanying water table depletion and overfertilization (not to mention an epidemic of obesity and skyrocketing healthcare costs)?  Or does their “greenwash” only extend to meaningless gestures?

(via Ad Age)

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Reblogged from benjamin palmer.

A huge move by one of the largest consumer food manufacturers, The Coca-Cola Company unveiled today a new plastic bottle made partially from plants.  The “PlantBottle™” is fully recyclable, has a lower reliance on a non-renewable resource, and reduces carbon emissions, compared with petroleum-based PET plastic bottles. The new bottles stand to cut down on carbon emissions by up to 25% compared to traditional PET bottles.

Nearly 1.6 billion servings of Coca-Cola-branded beverages are served each day.

(via Inhabitat.com)

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“It’s true that food production is an important contributor to climate change. And the claim that meat (especially beef) is closely linked to global warming has received some credible backing, including by the United Nations and University of Chicago. Both institutions have issued reports that have been widely summarized as condemning meat-eating.

But that’s an overly simplistic conclusion to draw from the research… it could be, in fact, that a conscientious meat eater may have a more environmentally friendly diet than your average vegetarian.

None of us, whether we are vegan or omnivore, can entirely avoid foods that play a role in global warming. Singling out meat is misleading and unhelpful, especially since few people are likely to entirely abandon animal-based foods.

Still, there are numerous reasonable ways to reduce our individual contributions to climate change through our food choices. Because it takes more resources to produce meat and dairy than, say, fresh locally grown carrots, it’s sensible to cut back on consumption of animal-based foods. More important, all eaters can lower their global warming contribution by following these simple rules: avoid processed foods and those from industrialized farms; reduce food waste; and buy local and in season.”

(via The New York Times)

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Garbage Island

I give VBS TV a lot of credit for creating this piece. The crew went to the Northern Gyre in the Pacific Ocean, a spot where currents spin and cycle, churning up tons of plastic into a giant pool of chemical soup, flecked with bits and whole chunks of refuse that cannot biodegrade.

Disheartening and absurd. I feel so small when I see video like this because there’s only so many ways for me to help. I would love to see #2 or #3 of Garbage Island to focus on how a citizen can help and change things on a broader scale.

Increasingly, the corporations that supply Americans with processed foods are unable to guarantee the safety of their ingredients.

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A lot of Americans think they’re eating a healthy diet these days. But it’s easy to be fooled by our assumptions and the ways that food manufacturers play on them.

(via Wall Street Journal)

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FRESH is a documentary that celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.

Some activists worry that their dreams of a less-processed American diet may soon collide with the realities of Washington and the financial gloom over much of the country. Even the Bush administration, reviled by many food activists, came to Washington intent on reforming farm subsidies, only to be slapped down by Congress.

“We think there’s a place for organic, but don’t think we can feed ourselves and the world with organic…It’s not as productive, more labor-intensive and tends to be more expensive.”

The Obama family is the first in 20 years to grow a vegetable garden on the White House lawn.

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