You may have a green message to share with your customers, but be careful. Many consumers — as many as 70 percent, according to one study — consider environmentally friendly, eco-green claims as marketing scams.

And with astonishingly good reason, according to TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, which analyzed 1,018 consumer products making 1,753 environmental claims in six categories of goods found in big-box retailers. Of the 1,018 products analyzed, all but one made claims that were, at worst, demonstrably false to, at the very least, misleading.

From that study, TerraChoice developed a list of what it calls the six sins of “greenwashing” — a relatively new term for the practice of misleading consumers regarding the environmental benefits or friendliness of products or services.

Those six sins are the hidden trade-off, no proof, vagueness, irrelevance, fibbing and the lesser of two evils, which is defined as a green claim that may be true but distracts from a greater environmental risk, i.e. “organic cigarettes.”

But honest and effective eco-messaging can happen. It starts with knowing your audience and speaking to them with honesty.

A study by TNS, “The Green Life,” categorized consumers along an eco-spectrum. Eco-Centrics (13 percent of population) are highly educated, high-income urbanites who take pride in doing their part to protect and nurture the environment. On the other end of the spectrum, Eco-Villains (7 percent) are Midwestern, middle-income men in small and midsize metro areas who have dismissed environmental concerns.

That just means businesses must figure out levels of knowledge and layers of concerns for their target audience.

For instance, Eco-Centrics want to know how products are made, is there animal testing and does the company make sure overseas workers aren’t exploited. But for the Frugal Earth Mother (17 percent of the population, characterized as practical prudent women in lower income, rural households), the focus should be on dependability and safety.

For Kansas City-based Indigo Wild, getting out the word on its environmentally friendly soaps, candles and lotions did not mean climbing the mountaintop and shouting “We’re green, green, green!”

Instead, Indigo Wild lets its products speak for itself.

“When people scream ‘green this, green that,’ that becomes their sole focus, and that’s not who we are,” said Sally Nielsen, vice president of public relations. “We’re very particular about our ingredients — it’s a culture that we’ve lived instead of a label we’re putting out there.”

But for Weston-based McCormick Distilling Co., nothing less than going to proverbial marketing mountaintop — Times Square — would do when it came to trumpeting a new eco-friendly 360 Vodka.

And vitally important, said Robert Tomei of TNS, is walking the talk, which for 360 Vodka means a number of initiatives, including bottles made of 85 percent recycled glass, labels made from recycled paper and printed with soy ink, and vinyl billboards that are repurposed into purses, handbags and totes.

•When developing an eco-friendly marketing message: Be honest. Be accurate. Be transparent.

•Learn more about the six sins of greenwashing at www.terrachoice.com.

•Know your audience — most marketers agree there’s no point in wasting time or money targeting Eco-Villains.

By JENNIFER MANN

http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/656540.html

EAST PROVIDENCE — All eyes shifted to 12-year-old Tray Thornton.

“I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,” he sang while busting his own choreographed moves. “I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind. It’s gonna be a bright, bright, bright, bright, sun-shiny day!”

The dance steps on stage were not a hand wave here and jazz fingers there.

He shook his shoulders in an on-beat spasm of sorts, dramatically covered his eyes on the word “blind” and fanned his arm out in a big circle to represent the sun.

The other 40 Edward R. Martin Middle School sixth graders smiled, but barely swayed as they also sung the Johnny Nash hit. Their House B teachers said they had never seen Thornton so animated before. He said it’s how he gets “into character” as well as the easiest way to get the audience’s full attention.

After all, the musical — titled Greensical — had an important message.

Through game show skits and songs, the students emphasized why it’s crucial for everyone to do their part to take care of the planet and environment. The children wrote the play themselves over the last six months and changed the lyrics, with some assistance from teachers, of a couple of songs to make them fit with the eco-friendly performance.

They performed the numbers twice last Thursday — in the daytime for the rest of the school’s sixth graders and for the community that evening. They hope to improve it a bit and take the show on the road — to the city’s elementary schools — next school year.

“We started a green team to increase our awareness early in the school year,” said Barbara Burns, one of four teachers who helped the children. “They did the research, we began to recycle more in the classrooms and they started writing the play in January.”

They took a field trip to Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, the state agency that runs the Central Landfill in Johnston and oversees Rhode Island’s recycling efforts. The students also used recycled goods for their props and had their programs printed on recycled paper.

In addition, “we did a school-wide survey of environmental practices and the students interviewed the janitors and cafeteria staff,” Pam Thacker, a science teacher, said. “We want to bring that message forward so the kids can see we need their help.”

The first song said just that.

Sung to the Brady Bunch theme tune, the students belted:

“… Here’s the story ’bout the careless humans, who were busy thinking only of themselves. Dirty smokestacks and toxic water, it was not so nice. Until one day when they all looked out the window. And they saw what they had done to planet Earth. Then they knew that they had to stop polluting. It was getting worse and worse and worse and worse.”

They also rewrote the lyrics to the Beatles hit, “Paperback Writer.” It was now “Paper Recycler.”

Using the popular Amazing Race show for inspiration, the opening scene was teams competing to find the cleanest water around the world. Oh Zone, the character played by Thornton, and his team went to Lake Ladoga in Russia because it’s a lake where some bottled spring water comes from. A test, however, showed the sample was dirty.

The winning team — which consisted of Patti Planet, Ethan All and Lauren Green (played by Debra Gomes, Corey Lopes and Gina Salisbury, respectively) — went to Antarctica for their water sample.

Said Gomes, “It’s so old and uninhabited that no one could have dirtied it.”

In other skits, the audience learned the benefits of hybrid cars, energy-efficient light bulbs and that Ohio’s Mt. Rumpkey, a giant garbage dump, towers over the state.

“Maybe if we had more people join in we could actually make a dent in Mt. Rumpkey,” said Roy Cycle, a character played by both Katie Bockes and Tyree Simmons.

Paul Lootion (in real life known as Ryan Almeida) responded, “I don’t think so dude, take a look at those trucks coming in to the landfill. They are all full of more trash. It’s never ending!”

The entire cast said, “Ohhh nooo!!!”

Salisbury ended the skit with, “People, we gotta do something because we’re destroying our planet one trash bag at a time!”

By Alisha A. Pina

http://www.projo.com/news/content/EB_EPROV_GREENSICAL_5_06-05-08_FLAD7D4_v23.3577d1d.html

The hippies are coming! The hippies are coming!

That may have been what the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival initially attracted in its first few years of existence. The four-day festival at Clinton Lake State Park in Lawrence, Kan., prides itself in bringing in plenty of big names from the jam band scene along with premiere acts in alt-country, Southern rock, reggae and bluegrass while raising awareness for environmental issues.

For its fifth year, Wakarusa is trying something different.

The festival, which takes place Thursday, June 5 through Sunday, June 8, is expanding its musical horizons even further. They are bringing in indie rock mainstays like Built to Spill, piano-playing singer/songwriter Ben Folds, country legend Emmylou Harris, goofy alt-rockers Cake, underground hip-hop acts like Blackalicious and Del the Funky Homosapien and Uncle Monk, a bluegrass duo featuring none other than Tommy Ramone, the last surviving member of the seminal punk rock quartet The Ramones.

These are just a few groups on a jam-packed lineup including headliners like The Flaming Lips, Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Keller Williams, Zappa Plays Zappa, Mickey Hart Band featuring Steve Kimock and George Porter Jr., Galactic, The Avett Brothers and a ton of others.

Brett Mosiman, co-director of Wakarusa, realized that this year instead of having similar genres competing for the festival’s crowd over the four-day period, it would be beneficial to the festival to do a little bit of counter-programming with the more than 120 bands on the festival’s lineup.

“I think of part of it was just getting a handle on the fact that we have 300 or 400 hours or music,” Mosiman says. “If we wanted to keep five or six stages, we had to broaden the booking.”

The festival’s five stages will have music playing nearly 24 hours a day, which will be perfect for attendees who pay between $129 to $169 for a four-day pass.

But this year, Wakarusa is hoping that their diverse lineup featuring several big-name acts will get more of a local audience from Kansas City and other areas close by to get the Wakarusa experience, even if it’s only for a night.

“We kind want to offer a little something more for the people here in the regional community,” says David Barrett, director of marketing for Wakarusa. “We want people just to come out to Wakarusa for a day and see what it’s like.”

Or a weekend. Wakarusa is offering its usual single-day tickets for $49 while also offering a weekender pass for $99 in case people couldn’t take off four days because of something silly like jobs or kids or things like that.

While you are at Wakarusa, you may notice how friendly the festival is to the environment it occupies. The generators run on biodiesel. Recycling also is a huge emphasis. Last year’s festival recycled 8,000 pounds of waste that would normally end up gracing local landfills. They are also instituting their first-ever composting program, so whatever food you don’t want (or think tastes like crap) can go towards growing a happy little plant. Bob Ross would be proud.

They will also have a sustainability meeting featuring the editor of Mother Earth News, Brian Welch, a campus tour of human rights awareness and a no-sweat fashion show to display clothes not manufactured in sweat shops.

If you ask Mosiman, these activities are an essential element of Wakarusa’s identity.

“(They’re) all the normal things for us, but I don’t think they are normal for most festivals,” Mosiman says. “We just consider that part of the brand now.”

And another characteristic of the Wakarusa brand is the vendors. The 75 food, arts and crafts vendors will be selling a little bit of everything. On the arts and crafts side, you could pick up clothing, glass marbles, art, glow-in-the-dark light covers, bottle holders and goods made of bee wax. As far as food goes, Madina Salaty, Wakarusa’s vendor coordinator, says they have everything from “healthy options to junk food.” You’ve got your pizza, hamburgers, fries, but you’ve also got organic and vegetarian options, Cajun, Indian, Middle Eastern, Mexican and Chinese food to choose from.

Salaty says that while the number of vendors has slightly increased this year, high gas prices have kept vendors who consistently travel many miles to sell their products at Wakarusa from making the trip.

“We have lost several vendors,” she says. “They have specifically told me that that’s the reason.”

The location of Wakarusa should be enough for people to ignore the prices at the pump. The festival will once again place at Clinton Lake State Park, southwest of Lawrence, Kan. The 1,500 acre facility has plenty to offer those who aren’t just there for the music, with beaches, an 11,000 acre lake, horseshoe pits and hiking trails.

“The amenities are really like no other festival that’s held in a field or a polo ground,” Mosiman says. “It’s really like a family vacation.”

Mosiman knows the traveling aspect of Wakarusa may be less tempting with gas prices so high, but he thinks that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying a unique musical experience, no matter how long you decide to stay.

“I think it’s impacting everybody, and our big message is that you still got to have fun. You have to cut loose,” Mosiman says. “Don’t let those greedy oil bastards take away your fun and your Wakarusa weekend.”

For more information, go to www.wakarusa.com.

by Blake Hannon

http://www.stjoenews.net/news/2008/may/30/loud-outdoors/?diem

The environmentally and socially responsible apparel company, hessnatur, was founded in Germany in 1976 and has a history of conscientiousness and commitment to earth and people. hessnatur will start to offer their products to customers in the United States of America via web this summer and via catalogue in the fall. For its US launch, hessnatur enlisted world-renowned fashion designer Miguel Adrover as creative director.”We are very pleased to introduce hessnatur to the US market. Americans, we truly believe, are ready to embrace a way of dressing that is kinder to the earth and the people who live on it,” said Managing Director of hessnatur, Wolf Luedge. “Miguel Adrover is a unique talent, whose dedication to environmentalism is apparent in not only his garments but in the way he lives his life. Miguel brings an exciting level of creativity and inspiration to us.”

Apparel for women and babies will be available - 100% organic clothing for babies and 100% natural for women, most of which is organic cotton, wool, linen and silk. Recognized as an organic pioneer, hessnatur initiated the world’s first organic cotton farming project in Sekem, Egypt, in 1991. hessnatur’s social and environmental work was recognized this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where the company was the recipient of the Public Eye award.

In 2002, hessnatur set the standard for humane labor conditions. With the Clean Clothes Campaign and the Fair Wear Foundation, hessnatur developed an innovative system for humane production. In 2005, hessnatur was the first German company to be certified by the Fair Wear Foundation. Recently, hessnatur embarked on a partnership with Dr. Muhammad Yunus, recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, and his Grameen Foundation, supporting its stellar work in fighting poverty. hessnatur is introducing organic manufacturing processes to the Grameen Knitwear Project, and is paying a bonus above fair purchase price for the goods, with the funds going directly to the Grameen Foundation.

http://www.earthtimes.org

http://www.organic-market.info/bio-markt/en_inhalte/inh_index.htm?link=Meldungen&catID=0&docID=645

The arrival of Earth Day next week, combined with the drop in retail sales numbers, seems like a good time to ask whether the age of rampant consumerism is over or whether it has just stalled.

Earth Day seems like an anti-buying-stuff kind of time, but retailers are working to make it the time to get consumers to switch over to green products. And there are plenty of green products on the market.

So with sales down across the nation, will consumers embrace the message and start buying green? It’s hard to tell. So far this year, it seems that consumers can only afford to buy food and gas.

The rampant consumerism blog, www.rampantconsumerism.blogspot.com, has not had a posting since November, about the same time retail sales began a free fall. Coincidence?

Last week, the International Council of Shopping Centers reported the weakest sales for the month of March since 1995. The ICSC tracks 80 retailers and takes into account sales at stores open at least a year, as well as total sales.

Gap Inc. saw same-store sales plummet 18 percent this year, while sales increased 6 percent in the same month last year.

Department stores Kohl’s and J.C. Penney also were hard hit, reporting double-digit drops in sales at stores open at least a year.

Even Wal-Mart and Target, where shoppers can buy food and health and beauty aids, were struggling. Sales at Wal-Mart rose 0.7 percent, compared with a 4 percent increase last year. Target saw same-store sales decline 4.4 percent during March, compared with a 12 percent rise a year ago.

While retailers blame the weather and the economy for slow sales, it might be wise to ask whether the thinking has shifted about buying.

It’s true that by and large consumers have less discretionary income, but there may be some weariness in consuming goods for the sake of it.

But for those who figure concern for the planet in their shopping decision, there are some retailers that are trying to get customers by “going green.”

Sur La Table, with a new store in downtown Sarasota, has a whole host of environmentally friendly products. From the low-tech micro fiber slippers that allow you to clean your floors while walking around the house to the high-tech sanitizing system that allows you to kill bacteria on food and countertops, Sur La Table is talking up its green products.

Perhaps the most astounding is a new chemical-free sanitizing system. The Lotus Sanitizing System infuses water with extra oxygen to create a sanitizing agent.

The company claims the water can “neutralize 99.9 percent of bacteria and pesticides on food and household surfaces, plus remove stains, mold and mildew and deodorize countertops and floors.”

I tried the system and was surprised to find that the water does cut through grease and does a really good job of cleaning, better than some cleaning products I have used.

The sanitizing machine is $169.95 at Sur La Table and comes with a bowl, in which consumers can sanitize fruits, vegetables and even meats, a spray bottle attachment, two microfiber cleaning cloths and the cartridge that infuses the water.

Once you own it, you might never have to buy cleaning products again. Of course, you do have to buy replacement cartridges.

So it certainly will not end shopping, but it might make some consumers feel good about what they buy.

Toni Whitt

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080415/COLUMNIST94/804150323/-1/newssitemap

Whether by lowering your thermostat or unplugging seldom-used appliances, chances are you’ve recently attempted to scale back on energy use.

In fact, you may be one of the consumers who have bought more than 1.5 billion Energy Star-qualifying products since the label was introduced in 1992. Last year, one in three people reported using the label as part of a purchase decision, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. If they’d bought an Energy Star-qualified commercial dishwasher, they might be saving an estimated $200 per year, according to the Department of Energy. Those that took home an Energy Star refrigerator can look forward to a 15% less expensive monthly electricity bill.

Other ways of saving energy include fixing a leaky faucet and checking your insulation levels. But the most comprehensive way might be to figure out exactly how much damage you’re inflicting so you’ll know how much to cut back.

Author Alexandra Shimo-Barry knows how. In her new book, The Environment Equation, Shimo-Barry, a national reporter for Maclean’s in Canada, teaches readers how to quickly calculate their carbon footprints, or the amount of greenhouse gases in units of carbon dioxide, they’re producing by using the following formula:

A.) Multiply your monthly electricity bill by 105

B.) Multiply your monthly gas bill by 105

C.) Multiply your monthly oil bill by 113

(if you don’t use either B or C, enter 0.)

D.) Multiply total yearly mileage by .79

E.) Multiply the number of flights–4 hours or less–by 1,100

F.) Multiply the number of flights–4 hours or more–by 4,400

G.) Do you recycle newspaper? If no, add 184. If yes, add 0.

H.) Do you recycle aluminum and tin? If no, add 166. If yes, add 0.

A+B+C+D+E+F+G+H = your carbon footprint. A number below 6,000 (reflected in pounds per year) is excellent. Over 22,000? Not so great. Good is anywhere from 6,000 to 15,999, while 16,000 to 22,000 is average.

If your number is higher than you would like, there’s good news–there are hundreds of ways you can shrink your carbon footprint, and many of them aren’t as sacrificial as you might expect.

That’s because Shimo-Barry says that lack of will, not austere alternatives, is the No. 1 barrier blocking would-be waste-reducers.

“There’s still inertia when it comes to making small changes,” she says. “But Americans emit 20 tons of carbon dioxide per year. Even if we cut that by a ton–which isn’t difficult–it would make a huge difference.”

Simple Steps
Eating locally grown food is one of the easiest ways to reduce your footprint. Whether you begin visiting the farmer’s market every Saturday to pick up local fruits and vegetables or, if you are able, dining at restaurants serving regional fare, eating locally allows you to eat well without funding the emissions used to import food from other countries and regions.

Jason Karas, founder of Cambridge, Mass.-based Carbonrally.com–a gaming Web site that challenges users to reduce personal emissions through online competitions–says that drinking locally microbrewed beer is another way to shrink your footprint, for much the same reasons as eating regional food.

“It’s also a great way to support local entrepreneurs,” says Karas.

Buying second-hand is another luxurious choice. For many, vintage shopping has become as chic as getting on the list for the newest pair of Christian Louboutins. Buying vintage clothing and accessories is more than looking sharp: These practices will reduce your carbon footprint by eliminating the energy it takes to produce something new. What’s more, you might get that Hermes Birkin for $2,000 instead of $8,000. Those not so used to buying second-hand should read “Shopping Tips for Vintage Clothing Collectors.”

How are you cutting back on energy use? Weigh in. Add your thoughts in the Reader Comments section below.

Sustainable wood furnishings are another smart lifestyle alternative. Before you redecorate your home by raiding the Conran Shop, consider buying pieces from eco-friendly shops like Vivavi and Environment Furniture. Both offer stylish, modern goods–like a mid-century-styled credenza or a curvy bamboo rocking chair–that are Forest Stewardship Council-certified, which means they’ve met 57 earth-friendly criteria established by the organization. These include minimal pesticide use, protection of local wildlife and unionization for loggers.

In the market for a second home? A penthouse on Central Park South might not sound like the most efficient way to cut carbon, but city living is often friendlier to the environment. That’s because many urbanites rely on public transportation. And even a two-floor penthouse in the Trump Tower uses far less energy than a sprawling seven-bedroom mansion. What’s more, when water, sewage and electricity are shared, less copper–which is found in plumbing and electrical systems and is one of the largest contributors to landfills–is needed.

All evidence that living grandly can do the earth well, as long as you know where to cut back.

Lauren Sherman

http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2008/04/15/green-carbon-living-forbeslife-cx_ls_0415carbon.html

By now, everybody knows the pitfalls of using disposable plastic bags. Happily, that means manufacturers are dreaming up better-looking (and much more environmentally friendly) alternatives for toting groceries, toys and books. Here’s a sampling:

Made from 100 percent recycled materials, the Great A&P Tea Co.’s bags feature imagery depicting seashells, fruit and animals. And they’re easy on the wallet, too: costing 99 cents at Long Island Pathmark, Waldbaum’s and A&P grocery stores. (Pictured at left.)

Dubbed the new “it bag” by Teen Vogue, this Earth-friendly Baggu tote will help reduce your carbon footprint. Available in a variety of colors and made from sturdy ripstop fabric that will carry up to 25 pounds. Sold for $8 each or $22 for a pack of three at baggubag.com. (Pictured  below)

Lightweight and waterproof, the Envirosax bag comes in a variety of unusual designs and colors, each sized just right for toting vacation souvenirs or beach gear. Costs $8.50 each or $37.95 for a pack of five at envirosax.com.

In Asia, they were used as rice and feed bags for transporting various goods. In New York, recycled totes by Gecko Traders can carry your groceries, beach gear or anything else. These durable bags are made by a fully certified Fair Trade Co-op in Cambodia. Plus, no two bags look exactly alike. The recycled totes have even been vetted by Treehugger.com, a blog dedicated to green living. They cost $35.95 at reusablebags.com (Pictured at left.)Made with 100 percent organic cotton and water-based inks, the oversize Beleaf tote can fashionably carry you through a weekend’s worth of errands but withstand the weight of bulky grocery items, too. It’s $36 at beleaf.com.

Read more about eco-friendly decorating, green celebrities and ways to reduce your carbon footprint on Newsday’s section on “green living,” newsday.com/green.

http://weblogs.newsday.com/features/home/cheap_thrills_blog/2008/04/green_shopping_the_best_of_the.html

HGTV is bringing viewers a full day of Earth Day programming and making it even easier for viewers to get their green on. Throughout the day the network will be highlighting different ways to embrace a greener way of life, featuring everything from easy, eco-friendly tips and trends to a behind the scenes look at some of the world’s most extreme ‘greenists.’

24 Hour Design - Episode 307- 6:30 AM - 7 AM ET/ PT
Kick off your Earth Day with 24 Hour Design as Angelo and crew serve up a master bedroom that’s green and serene.

Red Hot & Green - Special - 7:00 AM - 8AM ET/ PT
Learn how to “live green ” with out sacrificing style…Each home features cool design, innovative architecture and simple, but effective ways to incorporate green design into your home. Also woven throughout the special is a ‘green’ makeover led by a designer who creatively and colorfully remakes a room with the environment (and budget) in mind. It’s green without the guilt, proving that living ‘green’ is attainable, affordable and best of all, can be done with style.

Living With Ed - Marathon - 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM ET /PT
Check out Ed and Rochelle as they bring you a who’s who of Hollywood ‘green living.’

Store offers earth-friendly food and fuel

Dallas,TX - The Green Spot is not your typical gas station and mini mart – it is instead a biodiesel-carrying “ecovenience” store. Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil and animal fats that many vehicles use as fuel. The Green Spot not only serves customers this domestic renewable fuel, but also offers organic products similar to Whole Foods and Central Market.

Alvaro Garza, a previous owner of two Smoothie Factories, and Bruce Bagelman, a biodiesel enthusiast, are behind this operation. They recognized a need in East Dallas for a store that caters to health-conscious and earth-friendly consumers. It is an area that Garza says “is ignored by the natural industry,” even though it is considered a “greener” geographic area in the Metroplex.

Biodiesel options at The Green Spot include B5 and B99, mixtures with 5% and 99.9% vegetable oil, respectively. Although biodiesel is currently only compatible with unmodified diesel engines, Garza mentions that Audi and BMW have vehicles in the works that could eventually use biodiesel. Regular gas is also available for non-biodiesel engines.

“When people care about what they are putting in their vehicle,” Garza says, “they usually care about what they are putting in their body.” Certainly, there is a connection between those who use The Green Spot’s gas and shop their convenience store, but the store serves a wide clientèle.

Close to White Rock Lake, athletes regularly stock up on goods needed for an intense training session. Other customers span from vegans and people with gluten or peanut allergies to dieters and parents who are relieved their children have a store full of options they can feel good about.

Between its renewable resources, healthy foods and community involvement, The Green Spot hopes to continue acquiring loyal customers. The store is already involved with nearby schools and For the Love of the Lake, a group dedicated to preserving White Rock Lake.

So far, Garza has received positive feedback from people who are excited to have access to healthier options, support a local business, or “reduce their carbon footprint.” It is this positive feedback that Garza hopes will continue to bring business to the store. He says, “Word of mouth is best - giving back to the community is a great marketing plan.”

One especially distinguishing characteristic that may deter customers from visiting is the store’s lack of alcohol and cigarettes, a major source of profit for convenience stores. While the absence of alcohol is a result of location – the store is in a dry area – the lack of cigarettes is a conscious decision.

“We want to feel good about our products and promote a healthy lifestyle. We don’t feel that cigarettes fit that healthy image,” says Garza.

As for now, it seems The Green Spot is doing just fine without peddling those vices.

By Stephanie Parker

http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/apr/02/green-spot-works-enhance-community/

Of all the things to obsess about, toilet paper has never been at the top of my list. Or the bottom.

Then I met Jeff Wells, a pleasant, earnest ornithologist who lives in Maine and was visiting Philly. Wells and a few environmental groups say I should buy paper products made from recycled paper - not trees.

Now, Wells obsesses about birds, billions of which breed in Canada’s boreal forest, which he also obsesses about because he’s a scientist with the International Boreal Conservation Campaign.

The boreal stretches nearly from Alaska to the Atlantic; it absorbs tons of carbon dioxide and it’s a major summer nesting ground for birds that winter in backyards like mine.

But the boreal forest is being logged at the rate of 2.5 million acres a year, Wells says. Some is for lumber, sure. But also for paper. Toilet paper.

Paper giant Kimberly-Clark says all the leading consumer tissue brands in North America contain primarily virgin fiber.

In a longstanding dispute, the company says it mainly uses leftover tree pulp, but environmentalists insist that entire trees are being given over to toilet tissue.

The company said about 11 percent of its virgin pulp comes from the boreal - which is then reforested.

Still, environmentalists wonder why we are, in effect, flushing virgin wood pulp of any sort down the toilet when at the same time we’re sending nearly half of all the perfectly good paper left over from home and office use to landfills.

“It’s one of those things that just doesn’t make sense in today’s world,” Wells said.

At least half a dozen companies now make TP from recycled paper. I took a field trip to area grocery stores to investigate.

OK, then, talk about obsessed. In one paper goods aisle, there were 18 kinds of toilet paper - including one aimed specifically at children.

Every store also had at least one eco brand. I bought seven. Back home, I piled my loot onto the dining room table and took stock.

The eco-packages had pictures of trees and cute slogans: “Soft on Nature, Soft on You.”

And in case anyone should miss the “100 percent recycled” label, they had names such as Nature’s Balance, Earth First, Sunrise, Earth Friendly and Seventh Generation.

All were white, so I guess that matters to most people. (The eco brands touted a chlorine-free bleaching process.)

Many were embossed with flowers or butterflies, which seemed silly until I learned the designs hold the paper together after it has been air-fluffed to make it softer.

Traditional toilet tissue ranges from half a cent to 4.5 cents per square foot. The eco-brands were actually less: half a cent to 2.3 cents per square foot.

Seventh Generation contends on its packaging that if every household in the United States replaced just one four-pack of virgin fiber TP with recycled, it would save the equivalent of nearly a million trees.

The toilet paper awaited me. I tried them all.

I’m happy to report I have not had to seek medical attention for abrasions from scratchy paper - because it was fine.

Allen Hershkowitz is a proponent of recycled toilet tissue and a scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Now, he is obsessed. He has timed himself in the bathroom and says it takes less than five seconds to use up a piece of tissue.

And for that, he asks, we’re using trees?

Recently, he went to a swank French spa to give a speech. The TP was brownish, stiff. But, “the president of France goes there,” he said, “and everybody survives.”

Still, I recently had a bad cold, my nose raw from all the tissues, and I wasn’t even using recycled.

I told the spokeswoman at Seventh Generation, and she laughed. In cold and flu season, even they “concede to softer brands,” she wryly noted.

So maybe I’ll just go with the virgin pulp for my delicate nose. And I’ll take eco-paper for, uh, the other end.

No more trees for me.

GreenSpace:

For more about recycled paper and trees, go to: http://go.philly.com/greenspace

GreenSpace: Pointers for Paper Products

What’s in recycled: Environmental groups advocate paper products made from 100 percent recycled materials. Look for a high percentage of “post-consumer” material, made of paper recycled from homes and offices. Regular “recycled” can contain leftover paper from industrial processes.

Paper recycling update: Last week, the American Forest and Paper Association announced that in 2007, an all-time high of 56 percent of the paper used in the country was recovered for recycling. It totaled 54.3 million tons - more than 360 pounds for every person in the country. The group set a goal of 60 percent by 2012, which still leaves 40 percent more to go.

Historical note: Yo! Philadelphia is a cradle of paper progress. In 1690, William Rittenhouse and William Bradford founded the first North American paper mill along the Wissahickon Creek, making paper from old cloth rags. (Wood wasn’t used in the United States until the early 1900s.) Scott Paper Co., founded by two brothers in 1879 in Philadelphia, marketed the first rolls of toilet paper, and today Kimberly-Clark employees still make Scott products at the plant in Chester.

What’s ahead: Major manufacturers are making changes. Kimberly-Clark is test-marketing Scott Naturals. The line includes facial tissues from 20 percent post-consumer recycled fiber, TP from 40 percent, and paper towels from 80 percent.

By Sandy Bauers

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/sandy_bauers/20080407_GreenSpace__On_a_roll__Dead_trees_go_down_the_toilet.html