Barack Obama’s plan to pull the country out of recession has a strong green hue. Conventional wisdom says Washington won’t have the stomach or the dollars to tackle long-term issues like climate change or dependence on foreign oil when the economy is in the tank and oil prices have plunged. Wrong conclusion, Obama says. These problems, “left unaddressed, will continue to weaken the economy and threaten national security,” he said on Nov. 18 in a video message to a climate summit meeting in California.

His fix? Obama plans to set ambitious targets for reducing emissions that cause global warming—and to invest $15 billion or more per year in energy efficiency, renewables like wind and solar, biofuels, nuclear power, and “clean” coal. Beyond the environmental benefits, says the President-elect, the investment “will also help us transform our industries and steer our economy out of this economic crisis by generating 5 million new green jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced.”

Whether or not a “green” stimulus will create millions of American jobs is hotly debated by economists. On the one hand, the seeds of the transformation have already been planted thanks to market forces, such as overall higher energy prices, and government policies like tax credits for renewable energy. But there are also major questions. Many executives and experts say the most effective policy to push America toward a clean, efficient energy future is putting a price on emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, thus raising the price of energy. That’s a tough sell now to Americans struggling to pay their bills. There’s also a danger that the government could steer investments to the wrong technologies. Remember synfuels, President Jimmy Carter’s experiment to reduce dependence on foreign oil? Most important, a green stimulus plan from Uncle Sam may end up sending billions of dollars to foreign companies instead of to Main Street, since the U.S. lags in such crucial industries as solar panels and wind turbines. Will green technologies become today’s VCRs and flat-panel TVs, invented in the U.S. and commercialized elsewhere?

But the fear of enriching overseas companies simply makes a green stimulus more necessary and urgent, proponents argue. Without a plan like Obama’s, which would expand U.S. markets for new technologies, American companies may fall even further behind. Michael R. Splinter, CEO of Applied Materials (AMAT) in Santa Clara, Calif., is a believer in the need for government support. Splinter has seen his business of supplying equipment for factories to make solar panels soar beyond his wildest projections. But 97% of the company’s equipment goes to foreign manufacturers, who then sell panels in the U.S. It seems like the U.S. has “given up on manufacturing,” Splinter laments. “Right now we are on a path to being a second-tier player in clean energy technology.”

A plan like Obama’s could turbocharge American industries, Splinter and other executives say. Why have European companies become world leaders in wind and solar power? Because a number of governments guarantee that anyone who supplies renewable power to the electric grid will get a premium price for that power. That cost is then passed along to customers.

POLITICAL LAND MINES

Similar incentives could work magic in the U.S., says Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute. America already has a vibrant green-energy sector, so the transformation could be rapid. There are upward of 3 million Americans employed in green jobs, ranging from renewable-power startups to businesses with products that reduce waste and pollution or boost energy efficiency.

And even when goods come from foreign companies, some of the jobs will be in the U.S. One growing trend is for European and Asian manufacturers to build factories in America so they can be closer to what promises to be the world’s largest market.

Spanish wind company Gamesa is bringing 1,000 jobs to several factories in Pennsylvania and its North American headquarters in Philadelphia. In Memphis, Sharp opened its first plant outside of Japan for making solar panels.

Some green industries are homegrown by nature. Biofuel refineries need to be built near the crops that provide the feedstock. Even more jobs would be created by making U.S. houses and buildings more energy efficient, argues economist Robert Pollin of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. “There is about $26 billion in retrofitting on public buildings that could be done the day after legislation is signed,” Pollin says. “The job impacts are very high. Each $1 million in spending would bring about 18 jobs.”

What could Washington do to grow the green economy? Limit emissions of greenhouse gases, thus raising the price of using fossil fuel and steering the industry toward more environmentally friendly alternatives. Continue or boost tax credits for biofuels, wind, and solar. Make infrastructure investments, such as building transmission lines needed to bring power from large solar power plants in the desert or from North Dakota’s windswept prairies. And increase federal dollars for energy research and development, aiding programs that have withered during years of declining funding. All of this, proponents say, would foster enough innovation to help American companies leapfrog their overseas rivals. “America’s future depends on our ability to spark an energy revolution,” argues Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Susan Hockfield.

Skeptics wonder, however, if such a sweeping transformation is possible. “The optimist in me wants to believe it,” says Matthew E. Kahn, an economist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “The cynic in me asks, is this like FDR jobs creation in the guise of green jobs?” Kahn believes that rather than spending federal dollars, the best approach is simply increasing the price of carbon—which is politically difficult.

Passing Obama’s green stimulus package will be an uphill battle, and its success if implemented is far from certain. But the nation’s financial mess is so bad that the President-elect has a freer hand. He also needs to show action on climate change to help restore America’s reputation around the world—and to bring China and India on board. The surge earlier this year in oil prices (expected to rise again after the recession ends) even has brought traditional opponents of renewable energy and climate action to the bipartisan table, as long as they get expanded drilling rights. Says Thomas J. Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “Energy policy can create jobs, give an economic lift, and get us out of this ditch.”

By John Carey

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_49/b4111030857315.htm

             

President-Elect Barack Obama stands a better chance of advancing a green agenda in his first 100 days in office if he can continue mobilizing the country on a grassroots level around environmental issues and tie green initiatives to the economic stimulus package and recovery.That’s the consensus of a group of journalists and a business advisor that explored the future of the green economy in an Obama presidency during a panel discussion at the GreenBiz-Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) Leadership Dinner held Thursday in New York.

The panel, which included Fortune’s Marc Gunther, Business Week’s Adam Aston, The New York Times’ Kate Galbraith and BSR’s vice president of advisory services, Eric Olson, was moderated by GreenBiz.com’s Executive Editor Joel Makower in what he described as his version of “Meet the Press.”

“I think we’ve all heard the superlatives about this week in terms of just how extraordinary it was whether your team won or not, but now the question is: What’s next?” Makower said.

The economy is clearly at the top of the heap, as President-Elect Obama made clear in his first press conference. The news is grim: Job losses are escalating and he warned that if Congress fails to pass another stimulus package, he’ll make the move as one of his first actions in office. Marrying the environmental agenda to the economic stimulus package presents one possibility of advancement, according to Gunther of Fortune.

“You have to come up with a way to say the purpose of this is do two things: do something about climate change but also to stimulate the new green economy,” Gunther said. “If it can be packaged that way, as opposed to something that will raise gasoline prices or raise electricity prices — which it absolutely will do — then it has a much better chance.”

It comes down to politics and tapping into the excitement and energy he generated during his campaign, Gunther said

“One of the really interesting questions to me about Obama is what does he do with to whatever degree it is a movement - - he sent out his thank you email at 12:30 or 1 a.m. Tuesday night — what does he do to keep that group of people engaged and alive?” Gunther said. “If he says I need your support now because energy is my priority and here are things you have to do, if he can do that, I think he can get his agenda done.”

Galbraith, of The New York Times, pointed out that the appeal of green jobs, for example, extends beyond Obama’s Democratic platform.

“It’s not just Obama that’s been talking about green jobs,” she said. “It’s virtually every Congressman or Senator running for office so in a sense, green jobs is the ultimate centrist issue.”

The outreach must extend to the business community, which is ideally positioned to help move the agenda forward, according to BSR’s Olson, who noted its strengths in technology, infrastructure, intellectual property and equipment. He suggested giving the business community an “assignment” to help find the solutions to solve the big problems facing the country.

“One of the amazing things about business and why I think it is about an assignment is if you think about what we’re up against, businesses, in terms of resource allocation … an important part of our job, more important than usual, is going to be figuring out how to do more with less,” Olson said.

People in the business community need to be at the negotiating table in greater numbers to build off the efforts already started, Olson said.

Companies are hungry for the dialogue that will offer clarity in various aspects of green business, such as labels, greenwashing and carbon, said Aston, of Business Week.

“All of these things are areas where I have business people come to me and say, ‘We need standards. We can’t continue to create 50-state code books for all of our operations.” Aston said.

Gunther reminded the audience of the dreariness facing the business community at the moment but doesn’t believe that businesses will simply abandon sustainability because of the economic downturn.

“Once these companies go down the sustainability path and start asking questions and start looking at the science and start engaging their employees, I think it’s really hard for them to turn back, even if there are some short-term losses, and even as grim as some of the other things are,” Gunther said. “I don’t know of any company that’s said, ‘you know, we tried the sustainability thing and it just didn’t pay off for us so we’re not going to do it anymore.’”

He noted a grassroots push toward sustainability coming from the bottom of companies: employees. Tying green corporate initiatives to energy security or patriotism resonates more powerfully that the general green agenda, Olson said.

“If the assignment is we have the opportunity to harness some of the activates that our companies desperately need anyway in the direction particularly in efficiency, and put that in the context of service to country, the broader economic agenda and community agenda, I don’t think that’s something we need to wait that long for,” Olson said.

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/11/10/obama-must-tie-green-agenda-economy-panel

             

It may seem a little early to start thinking about trick-or-treating but you need only walk into your local grocery and retail stores to see that October is here and that Halloween is already in full swing. Consumers are expected to spend billions of dollars on candy, costumes, decorations and other tricks and treats this year. What all that amounts to, though, is a big pile of crumpled wrappers, disposable party props and plastic costume parts. With that being said, think of the impact we could make if just a small percentage of us committed to a greener Halloween. Have fun while you take care of the planet and let the bigwigs know you don’t want their crap by choosing these green options this year.

1. Organic candy. Due to recent demand, there’s a great selection of organic, fair trade and just-better-for-you treats out there. Try fair trade chocolate offered by Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates or organic berry-flavored lollipops by Candy Tree. Check availability at your local natural food stores or visit online shops SimonCandyShop.com, YummyEarth.com, PureFun.ca, and more.

2. Handmade costumes.Store-bought costumes often contain carcinogens and reproductive toxins like pthalates, lead and cadmium. Avoid costumes made of or packaged in PVC or vinyl. Most are made so cheaply anyway that by the end of the night your little princess may look like she’s ready to join Cinderella scrubbing floors. Get creative and make your own costume or buy one from a second-hand store. Sites like Etsy.com are a great source for handmade costumes if you don’t have the time to make one yourself. If you can’t see wearing that same costume next year or if your children will grow out of theirs by then, give them to a friend or donate them to a thrift store or charity.

3. Make your own face paint. Beware, face paint that you buy from the stores is derived from petroleum and may contain parabens, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), formaldehyde, lead and other potential and probable cancer-causing ingredients. The web is full of non-toxic, homemade face paint and Halloween make-up solutions. (Note that many of the DIY recipes you will find call for questionable ingredients, so substitute for greener options where you can.) Ready-made, non-toxic face paints such as Lyra Face Paint Pencils are less involved but still a more child- and planet-friendly choice.

4. Reusable trick-or-treat bags. Forget the cliche plastic jack-o-lantern heads and reach for something a little more chic. There are lots of reusable totes and baskets out there for you to purchase. For a great selection of the handmade variety, search “treat tote” at Etsy.com. Reusable trick-or-treat bags are also much more durable than regular plastic, which means they will keep your goodies safe while they help you protect the environment.

5. Eco-powered flashlights. Rechargeable batteries are easy to find and cost effective. Other great ways to light the way on your Halloween adventures are crank and solar-powered lights. Check out products from Solareagle, SunNight Solar and Choose Renewables. You can also find a variety of crank, shake and solar-powered flashlights at 21st-Century-Goods.com.

6. Walk, don’t drive. We all know the best subdivisions for trick-or-treating success but the less you drive, the better. If you have to drive, try to carpool. Also, when your little candy bags are full, call it quits. Only take what you need or will eat.

7. Mood lighting. Take advantage of this dark holiday. Pull out some candles or a string of energy-efficient pumpkin lights. If you have a driveway, consider lining it with portable solar lights, which can be found at many home and garden stores these days.

8. Carve local pumpkins.-Most pumpkins you see in grocery stores around this time have already traveled thousands of miles, resulting in the release of excess CO2 and a harmful contribution to climate change. This year, search for the jack-o-lantern-worthy pumpkin that was grown closest to home. If you can’t find any, maybe consider planting one for use next year. Apple season is also at its best during Halloween, so if you are bobbing for apples, be sure to buy those locally too.

9. Host your own green Halloween party. There’s no better way to spread the excitement of the holiday and share your green know-how with friends and family. Start with paper-saving e-mail invites and decorations that you can use year after year, much as you would Christmas ornaments. Avoid paper party goods and disposable cups and utensils. Serve organic and local food, drinks and treats. Have fun with organic apple bobbing and more. Be creative and think of clever ways to showcase your eco-friendly Halloween initiatives.

10. Reverse trick-or-treating. Global Exchange has organized a Reverse Trick-or-Treating program as a way to spread awareness of the cocoa farmers’ plight and showcase the benefits of Fair Trade, as reported on Treehugger.com. Despite promises from major chocolate manufacturers to improve these conditions, children are still forced into labor and cocoa farmers still suffer from poverty due to the minimal dollar offered for their crop. Sign up through the reverse trick-or-treating website (http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/reversetrickortreating/) to get your free fair trade chocolate samples and program cards.

On Halloween, encourage your children to participate by handing these chocolate samples and information cards to the adults when they go to the door. (Allow them to munch on the extras.) Or, trick-or-treat for UNICEF (See http://youth.unicefusa.org/trickortreat/ for information.). It is a selfless way to give to other children in need while your little ones still get to dress in costume and parade around the streets.

The site GreenHalloween.org is dedicated to the movement and has more ideas on ways to green your ghostly celebration.

By Keana Okuda

http://www.bigislandweekly.com/articles/2008/10/08/read/lifestyle/lifestyle01.txt

             

Flowers, chocolates and diamonds will top many people’s shopping lists as Valentine’s Day approaches. Unfortunately, the items most associated with romance are also marred by environmental and social justice concerns.

As the green movement gains momentum, and support from Hollywood heavy hitters such as Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio, consumers are becoming increasingly aware that the items they purchase might be obtained in ways harmful to the Earth and its inhabitants, according to experts in the diamond and flower industries. Frontline workers in Latin American countries, key suppliers of chocolate and flowers, and Africa, where the majority of diamonds originate, are most affected, dealing with hazardous working conditions and unlivable wages.

With diamonds, demand for conflict-free stones spiked after the 2006 movie “Blood Diamond,” which addressed the link between diamonds and political unrest and violence in Sierra Leone.

“People were shocked that for such a beautiful gemstone the history behind it could be so tragic,” said Beth Gerstein, co-founder of Brilliant Earth, a San Francisco-based company specializing in conflict-free diamonds. “More and more people are starting to ask questions about where products are coming from and demand a more socially and environmentally friendly product.”

The trend is rippling through the flower industry as well.

“People are getting more concerned about the broader implications of what they buy. I want to make sure my purchasing decisions don’t hurt someone else in another part of the world,” said Amy Stewart of Eureka, Calif., author of “Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful.”

There are ways to make Feb. 14 special for your loved one and still be environmentally and socially responsible. Here are some tips to consider.

Chocolates

Organic and fair-trade chocolate still has all the calories of regular chocolate, but at least it helps alleviate some of the guilt. Wild Oats-Whole Foods in Vancouver offers a variety of organic and fair-trade chocolate bars in several flavors. The store carries Alter Eco, a fair-trade label; Equal Exchange, organic and fair-trade chocolates; and Seeds of Change, an organic line. The bars range from $3.69 to $4.59.

Equal Exchange also offers a variety of organic, fair-trade certified chocolate through its Web site, equalexchange.com. Options include Organic Milk Chocolate with Ground Hazelnuts, Organic Mint Chocolate and Organic Very Dark Chocolate. A 3½-ounce bar costs $3.95, plus shipping, and a case of 12 bars is $40.50. The minimum order is $25.

Dagoba, an Ashland, Ore.-based company, also offers organic and fair-trade chocolate bars and syrup, hot chocolate mix and chocolate-covered ­coffee beans. Products can be ordered online at ­dagobachocolate.com.

Based out of Seattle, Theo Chocolate offers fair-trade, organic and vegan chocolate bars through its Web site, theochocolate.com.

The Uncommon Gift in Camas sells Moonstruck Chocolate Co.’s organic dark chocolate bar for $3.95. The regular bars are $3, but the extra 95 cents is worth it to some eco-conscious customers, said The Uncommon Gift co-owner Carrie Schulstad.

Flowers

Surprise that someone special with a bouquet not tainted by pesticides or imported from thousands of miles away. Many area florists buy from local growers whenever possible to support their community, know more about the products they’re selling and save on the fossil fuels and other non-renewable natural resources required to ship merchandise long distances.

Garside Florist Inc. in Vancouver gets its roses from Peterkort Roses in Portland, and buys tulips from Holland America Bulb Farms Inc. in Woodland.

Although most of Garside’s flowers come from Colombia and other Latin American countries, many of these farms are VeriFlora-certified for sustainable practices. Esmeralda Farms is one such operation, and supplies many of Garside’s carnations, poms and daisies.

For Valentine’s Day Wild Oats-Whole Foods will be offering organic roses from Biogarden.

To send blooms to a long-distance­ love, check out ­organicbouquet.com. The site sells certified organic and VeriFlora lilies, irises, roses and other flowers.

Diamonds

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but not if they come at others’ expense. Industry-wide, most jewelry manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers are aware of conflict diamonds and try through the Kimberley Process to maintain a pipeline of conflict-free jewelry, said Erik Runyan, owner of Runyan’s Jewelers in Vancouver.

Runyan’s has written guarantees from its vendors stating that their diamonds, to the best of their knowledge, are conflict-free. Most of Runyan’s diamonds are mined in South Africa and cut in Belgium, but Runyan’s also sells some Canadian diamonds.

Because it’s hard to track the origin of diamonds from mine to jewelry store, buying Canadian gems is the best way to assure an ethically sourced stone, Gerstein said.

All the diamonds Brilliant Earth sells come from Canada. Brilliant Earth also designs sapphire pieces using stones from small, family owned mines in Australia and Malawi. The yellow and white gold and platinum settings Brilliant Earth creates are recycled metals.

Other gift ideas

Give the gift of philanthropy. CharityChoice gift cards allow the recipient to choose a cause to support from among more than 100 charities. Charities range from the Sierra Club to the American Red Cross to Special Olympics International Inc. Electronic cards start at $5 and are tax-deductible for the purchaser of the card. For more information or to buy a card for your sweetheart, see ccgiftcards.org.

There also are many fair-trade gifts available locally and online created by artisans worldwide.

The Emancipation Network sells handicrafts made by survivors of human trafficking and slavery. The organization’s store, Made By Survivors, provides jobs for women and helps them become entrepreneurs. Products are available online at madebysurvivors.com and include beaded bracelets from Nepal ($10), batik scarves from India ($30) and handwoven cotton napkins from Thailand ($20 for a set of four).

Wild Oats-Whole Foods carries World of Good products, a line of fair-trade jewelry and women’s accessories handcrafted in Colombia and other South American countries. Prices range from about $15 for a bracelet to $40 for a purse.

Vancouver-based Organic Products Trading Co. develops and imports organic and fair-trade coffees from around the world. Its Café Feminino line is fair-trade, organic and shade-grown. Roasters have agreed to donate a portion of the proceeds to either local women’s shelters or the Café Feminino Foundation. The beans are available locally at Trader Joe’s and Café Sip-n-Play.

If your paramour enjoys a romantic dinner brimming with fresh, locally grown ingredients, try a gift certificate to Roots Restaurant & Bar in Camas or 360° Pizzeria in east Vancouver near the Camas border. These restaurants, both owned by Brad Root, feature produce and meat from Northwest farms.

Or visit Seres, a new, upscale Chinese restaurant in east Vancouver. Seres emphasizes organic, local ingredients and boasts an energy-efficient kitchen and menus made from recycled paper.

For an elegant and educational experience heavy on local fare, get a group of four or five couples together and sign up for a demonstration dinner at Applewood Northwest Cuisine and Catering in the Cascade Park neighborhood. The dinners are offered Tuesday nights at 6 p.m. They last about two and a half hours and include four courses and wine. Meals are prepared step by step, and recipes are provided. The cost is $75 per person.

For an inexpensive but poignant gift, try a love letter. The Paper Lantern in Camas sells cards made from recycled materials, so you can save a tree and give your honey a note to treasure. And though perhaps not as romantic as an actual card, virtual cards are environmentally friendly. Sites such as greetings.yahoo.com and 123greetings.com allow people to personalize and e-mail electronic cards.

Did you know?

Fair-trade certification means that farms receive a reasonable price for their products, and that employees on those farms work in safe conditions. Forced child labor is not tolerated. With fair-trade goods, importers work directly with farmers whenever possible. Farmers and workers also receive a premium to invest in community development projects. Harmful agrochemicals and genetically modified organisms are eschewed in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods. Fair-trade certification is available for coffee, tea, herbs, cocoa, chocolate, fresh fruit, sugar, rice and vanilla. Look for the Fair Trade Certified logo on products.

VeriFlora certification signifies that flowers and potted plants were produced in an environmentally and socially conscious manner. Look for the VeriFlora logo, or ask your florist if the wholesaler he or she uses works with VeriFlora-certified growers.

Kimberley Process certification regulates trade in rough diamonds. It aims to keep conflict or “blood” diamonds out of the retail market. Conflict stones, those that help fund civil wars, have been particularly devastating to central and western Africa. When shopping for diamonds, inquire about retailers’ policies on conflict diamonds. Ask to see a System of Warranties statement, a written guarantee that the diamonds come from legitimate sources and are, to the retailer’s and supplier’s best knowledge, conflict-free.

Products certified organic meet U.S. Department of Agriculture standards. Organic farmers emphasize the use of renewable resources, as well as water and soil conservation. Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic farming emphasizes biologically based pest management, as opposed to pesticides. In addition to the farms, companies that handle or process organic food on its way to restaurants and grocery stores must be certified organic. Any product labeled organic must be certified by a nationally accredited agency.

Sources: transfairusa.org; veriflora.org; kimberleyprocess.com; diamondfacts.org; ams.usda.gov/nop; David Granatstein, Washington State University sustainable agriculture specialist.

Mary Ann Albright

http://www.columbian.com/lifeHome/lifeHomeNews/2008/02/02062008_A-love-thats-sustainable.cfm

             

By JESSICA ROYER OCKEN
Gifts in the perfect shade of green – organic, nontoxic, sustainable and otherwise good for the planet – are everywhere this season. The best of the new generation of eco-friendly merchandise is beautifully designed and often understated. Unlike eco-minded merchandise of the more strident, Save the Earth school, these new products tend to lead with good design and relegate their eco claims to the fine print.

“Green is the new black,” says Anne-Marie Luthro, vice president at Envirosell, a New York City-based market research firm that studies the ways people shop. Luthro and other retail gurus believe there’s a growing awareness on the part of shoppers that the choices they make can have an impact on the world.

This season, more friends and loved ones on your list are likely to be captivated by a gift that indulges them and also walks softly on the earth. You won’t have to work hard to find lots of intriguing items.

“Green products, eco-friendly products are more widely available and more palatable,” says Gwynne Rogers, business director for The Natural Marketing Institute, a market research firm in Harleysville, Penn. that specializes in new product development. “They’re more enticing on their own, apart from being just green.”

A reduced environmental impact is not necessarily the main selling point here. The goal of gift giving is to match the people on your list with something they’ll truly enjoy. If your list is not comprised solely of Sierra Club members and Al Gore, you’ll want to consider more than carbon footprints as you shop.

Find gifts you’ll feel good about giving and that will delight the recipient, committed environmentalist or not. Everyone on your list – as well as the earth – will be thrilled.

Fashionistas

Although your mental picture of earth-friendly fashion may involve a lot of braided hemp, there are more-beautiful options. And, these items’ green-chic mystique will increase their appeal among makers of fashion statements. “Designers who are developing organic cotton [clothing] are spending a lot of time to be sure the fabric will be something people love,” says Straus. And that goes for other sustainable fibers and jewelry, too.

Bamboosa’s bamboo-fiber clothing is exceptionally soft and silky, and claims to be breathable and hypoallergenic, too. The bamboo is grown without the use of pesticides. The company behind the line, The M Group, Andrews, S.C., makes all its products in the U.S. and supports sustainability, recycling and nontoxic alternatives. Bamboosa clothing comes in simple styles to suit a variety of tastes. Its bamboo socks ($7-10), long-sleeved T-shirts for men and women ($26), and women’s sleep slips ($28) – touted as being as comfy as sleeping in the nude – fly off the store shelves around the holidays. Soft blankets ($25) and cuddly hooded towels ($28) from BambooBaby are also popular gifts. Bamboosa and BambooBaby products can be found at boutiques and gift stores.

Designers at Lucina Jewelry, Portland, Ore., collect a variety of natural materials from around the world – gemstones, nuts and seeds, and hand-forged silver – and transform them into captivating accessories. Fiery red jewelry made of the red, corn-like choclo seed from Columbia, like the top-selling Berry Coil Bracelet, made of the choclo strung on a coil of recycled Columbian pesos ($46), will please the most discriminating accessory-lover this holiday.

Foodies

Everyone likes to eat, especially during the holidays. Those who appreciate fine flavors may be naturally drawn to smaller farms and artisanal or organic options, notes Michael Straus, owner of Straus Communication and childhood resident of an organic dairy farm. Delight your hungriest friends and family with these delicacies:

Chocolate truffle tea blends from Mighty Leaf Tea, San Rafael, Calif., feature whole leaf teas, spices, herbs, and fruit, plus chocolate chips and cacao nibs, to produce rich, complex flavors like Mayan Chocolate Truffle that even cocoa-lovers will enjoy. Find them specially packaged in a handmade Abaca tea box ($42) or reusable mini tins ($28.95) for the holidays at specialty gift and food stores and upscale department stores.

For those who like to cook (not just eat), an assortment of organic spices, tsp spices from Baltimore-based The Seasoned Palate, will get the culinary juices flowing. Each tin comes with 12 packets, each with a 1 teaspoon of the spice (hence the brand name.) The line was awarded Best in Show at the 2007 Gourmet Housewares trade show in Las Vegas. Select a gift set ($20 to 45) to jump-start your favorite cook or mix and match flavors from lemon zest to ground ancho chile ($10 for 12 teaspoon-sized packets). Don’t forget to note in your gift card that the spices’ metal tins are the perfect size to be reused as iPod holders. You’ll find the line at high-end grocers and specialty stores.

Teens and Tweens

This group is notoriously hard to buy for and may also be unimpressed when you tell them their gift is “good for the earth.” But what if they happen to love an earth-friendly item?

Captivate your favorite young gadget hound with Solio, a portable solar-powered charger and backup battery ($99.95). Open the Solio’s wings to collect and store 10-12 hours of energy for cell phones, iPods, Game Boys, digital cameras, GPS systems and virtually any handheld electronic device. Once charged – either via the sun or a wall socket – the Solio battery holds its power for up to a year, so they’re great for back-country trekkers and emergency situations, too, as many a hurricane disaster relief worker can attest. Solios, by Better Energy Systems, Berkeley, Calif., are available at select sporting goods chains, department and specialty stores.

The Los Angeles-based Box Girls do their good deeds behind the scenes, contributing some of their profits to charities that support families and children and slyly sneaking topics that promote actual connection and communication into their “Box of Questions” games. Despite the do-gooding, all the recipient sees is fun! Choose The Girlfriends, The Slumber Party or The Girls Night Out question sets (“If you could trade a body part with someone in the room, what would it be and why?), with cards that double as coasters, or special editions just for the holidays. The Thanksgiving Box of Questions (“What are you most thankful for this year?”) features an added reason to give thanks: It’s printed on recycled paper with soy inks, and a portion of its proceeds will benefit the environment. The Hanukkah Box of Questions (“What miracle have you witnessed in your life?”) comes with two wooden dreidels. The Box Girls boxes can be found at Whole Foods, Saks Fifth Avenue and gift stores.

New Parents or Parents-to-Be

Newly minted parents are one of the fastest growing subsets of environmentalists. “As new parents, they are thinking increasingly about the world around their children,” says Christine Lim of Straus Communication, a San Francisco public relations firm that specializes in sustainable products and issues. But these gifts offer more than a brighter future:

Designed and created by nurse/herbalist/mama in charge Melinda Olson, Earth Mama Angel Baby products meet needs moms-to-be may not even know they have, and they soothe baby with organic ingredients. The Clackamas, Ore., firm uses certified-organic herbs and oils for teas, bath herbs, handmade soaps, salves, lotions and massage oils, all free of fragrance, dyes and preservatives. This holiday, find “special delivery” gift sets with natural stretch oil, Happy Mama aromatherapy spray, and herbal lip balm for moms or bottom balm, baby lotion, and baby oil for little ones ($15.95) at upscale food and department stores.

For Coyuchi, the Point Reyes Station, Calif.-based purveyor of organic cotton sheets and bedding accessories, any item designed for babies – from embroidered bedding ($55 to $139) to T-shirts ($18.75) to hooded bath towels ($44) – is a perennial best seller. Also popular are the company’s big-people bedding separates in shades of rich pomegranate or acorn sateen ($32 to 98). Coyuchi products can be found at specialty stores.

Party Hosts

How many little somethings are you going to need for the holiday gatherings on your agenda? These treats make great stocking stuffers, too.

Products from EO/Small World Trading Co., Corte Madera, Calif., include only essential oils (that’s the EO in the brand name) and other plant-based ingredients. The results are scents like calming French lavender, stimulating grapefruit and mint and refreshing lemon verbena in lotions ($7.99), shampoos ($7.99), and all-purpose soaps so gentle you can use them to clean vegetables, your pooch, or your vehicle ($7.99). Look for new bubble baths and foaming soaps this season, and find EO Products at natural food stores, independent grocers, salons and spas.

The snazzy design and delicious aromas of Method’s products will likely have their recipient hooked before she even realizes they’re non-toxic and biodegradable. The San Francisco-based company creates a wide array of cleaning sprays and wipes – all-purpose home cleaners, dish soap, laundry soap, hand and body soap – and accessories including candles, aroma sticks and cloths. Select from the latest scents of the season – cinnamon bark, hollyberry and peppermint vanilla – in soy candles ($9), air fresheners ($8 to 15), or hand wash ($4). Find these and other Method products at mass merchants and drug stores.

And take heart. According to the experts, in the coming years everyone will be giving and receiving green gifts. “Global warming is trickling down,” says Diana Dawson, senior project manager at Envirosell. “We slowly see that [awareness] broadening, and gift giving will start to reflect that. Green is around to stay.”

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/282-11282007-1447837.html

             

by Joanne Macdonald

SOUL sensation Joss Stone surprised pupils at a Linwood school by supporting their environmentally friendly work.

The chart-topper, whose hits include Super Duper Love and Tell Me ‘Bout it, gave her support to St Benedict’s High School’s Green Day last week.

The day aimed at increasing awareness among pupils of their duties as ‘good citizens of the earth’ and the singer/songwriter sent a special goodwill message on a signed poster of herself.

Her special message backed the school’s drive to promote Fairtrade, increase knowledge about the environment and our role in preserving it and raising cash for the Prince’s Trust Charity.

Events on the day included: a stall selling Rainbow Turtle Fairtrade goods; a talk on the problems plastic bags can cause to the environment; posters from the SPCA on the threat rubbish poses to wildlife; pupil displays on litter; quizzes and a display featuring a super-light, carbon fibre bicycle.

Pupils will also be building a shed in the school grounds to house tools which are being used in their eco garden.

Michael Canning, head teacher at St Benedict’s High School, said: “The school fully supports any initiative which increases our awareness of our duties as good citizens of this earth, to protect and enhance its potential.

“We encourage and work with the pupils to respect their environment and this day allows us to press home this message.

“Similarly our continued and on-going commitment to the Fairtrade initiative encourages both pupils and staff to be aware of the benefits of this wonderful project.

“We are looking forward to future participation in these events.”

Delighted second-year pupil, Daniel McIntyre, 14, said: “I wanted to be involved in Green Day because I would like to stop people polluting the Earth. I would like more people to walk to school.”

http://www.paisleygazette.co.uk/article.php?sec=1&id=16781

             

The 100-mile diet is a noble idea — eat only foods produced within 100 miles of your home. But is it really practical for urban dwellers?

That was the question asked by writer Susan Cosier, a New Yorker who tried the 100-mile diet and wrote about it in last month’s E/The Environmental Magazine. She found that buying local often is easier said than done. Diet staples like coffee and tea aren’t grown locally. She learned her grocery store buys produce from a distributor that carries goods from all over the world — pineapples from the Philippines, avocados from California and garlic, surprisingly, from China.

There’s no scientific evidence that eating locally-farmed food is better for you. But it does give you the sense that you have more control over what you put into your body. Eating local often means you can meet the people who produce your food because they are selling it themselves at the local farmers’ market. You can ask questions about pesticide use and farming methods, and sometimes you may even be able to visit the farm or dairy where your food is grown or raised.

Most people who follow the 100-mile diet do so because they like fresh food and because they want to help the planet. Buying locally means less fuel burned to transport food, which means less pollution. Local farmers often are organic producers who employ earth-friendly farming methods or raise free-range animals. Recently, the concept of the 100-mile diet has gained attention after the release in April of the book “Plenty: One Man, One Woman and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally.” The book chronicles the efforts of authors James MacKinnon and Alisa Smith to eat foods produced within 100 miles of their Vancouver apartment.

“Although I was inspired by these conscientious consumers, just deciding what I would eat for breakfast made me nervous,’’ wrote Ms. Cosier. “I prepared menus and talked to people who had tried the diet themselves, but since my success depended on my locale, out-of-towners’ advice wasn’t very helpful.’’

Local vegetables were easy enough to find at a farmers’ market. But the nearby organic market where she shopped no longer carried local dairy products. Surprisingly, she found local milk and butter at Whole Foods, whose Web site says the chain is “permanently committed” to buying local foods that meet its standards. At Whole Foods, signs above the food state its origin, but Ms. Cosier notes that most grocery stores don’t make it easy to find out where their products come from.

Being 100 percent loyal to the 100-mile diet meant tough choices. While cooking her bounty of vegetables purchased at the farmers’ market, Ms. Cosier had to decide whether to add brown sugar and cooking sherry that weren’t local. “I debated…and decided to use them anyway,’’ she wrote. “What good is any diet without a little wiggle room?”

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/a-new-yorker-tries-the-100-mile-diet/

             

As the weather cools down, it’s getting greener at one local church.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Midland is amid a two-year process to earn the “Green Sanctuary” designation from the national Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth. If approved, the church will add its name to Ministry for Earth rolls that show only three Texas Universalist churches have received the designation in the last five years, according to the ministry Web site.

However, getting the designation means changing the church from top to bottom, said Green Sanctuary Committee chairwoman Niki Widmayer.

“It entails everything from church building practices to what we do in our services, curriculum … and social service projects,” she said.

And in order to change those things, volunteers from the 74-member congregation had to look unflinchingly at their habits.

“We did a church audit (examining) everything from whether our water heater was turned down low to the type of cleaning products that we use; whether we have been recycling things,” and many other areas, she said.

The Rev. Jennifer Innis, church pastor, said the committee also examined another, very important aspect of the church — namely, the spiritual.

“Part of what is required is to address the spiritual needs,” she said. “Niki did a service:’How green is your chocolate?’ and (encouraged) letter-writing to CEOs of the major candy companies,” that might be exploiting both children and the environment while producing their goods.

“We’ve heard a lot about child slavery in terms of where the chocolate comes from,” Innis said. “That shouldn’t sit right with anybody.”

One of the fundamental principals of Unitarians is “respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part,” according to the church Web page.

“The very essential spiritual reason is that (church members) understand that everything is connected,” she said. “One of our values are to respect the interconnected web of which we humans are a part.”

Widmayer also said, ideals aside, all of the effort aimed at becoming green has a pragmatic basis, too.

“Reducing energy use reduces energy cost,” she said. And experimenting with alternative energy sources that don’t have a hazardous or negative impact on the environment means less human toll.

“The exhaust in the air is not getting any better until we do something about it,” she said.

It isn’t easy being green — at least at first — but members believe it’s worth the effort.

The church has already implemented numerous changes, including using both sides of paper while printing, replacing bathroom soap with eco- and bio-friendly versions, turning down the temperature on the water heater and unplugging appliances when not in use.

It also is making strides toward a two-year plan that includes creating a meditation/memorial garden with native plants and resurfacing the playground with earth-friendly materials.

However, members are waiting to hear whether they have earned the official Green Sanctuary designation, Widmayer said.

While the church submitted its official action plan to the Ministry for Earth at the end of August, they expect to hear “any day now” whether the ministry has approved its status.

The ministry has already received the go-ahead on the plan, however, she said.

In the meantime, the pursuit of earth-friendliness is both familiar and ongoing at the church.

In fact, said Emily Ulmschneider, a congregation member, it’s a way of life for many members.

“Even though we are actively pursuing green sanctuary status, the ideas behind (it) have been evident in our church for a long time,” she said.

While she said the church is still in the “initiation” stages of the master plan, its grounds have been landscaped with water-sparing native plants for 25 years.

“I have not yet donated an ink cartridge,” she said, referring to another of the church’s recycling projects, “but we are active in turning off the lights and things like that.”

And if other congregations want to be green, they should ditch the envy.

Ulmschneider said members of the church are eager to share what they are learning.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea and I don’t see why more churches of different faiths don’t adopt more of this same sort of idea — making sure that your views of the world are also reflected by your actions,” Ulmschneider said.

“I am hoping (our church) will serve as a model for other churches in the area, because these problems are global in nature.”

She said although the global pollution problems may seem overwhelming, “I think we can all impact it in our own way, if we are willing to make it a priority in our lives.”

She said that becoming a green sanctuary has also inspired church members to carry out green sanctuary principals at home.

Ulmschneider for instance, has installed a water harvesting system at home that uses roof water to power a feature for small birds.

At her job — she is a fourth-grade science teacher at Carver Center — she intends to help her students install a rain water harvester, too.

“We have a native garden here,” at the school, she added.

– — –

On the Net:

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Midland

www.Uumidland.org.

About the Green Sanctuary designation, bestowed by the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth:

www.uuministryforearth.org/grs_steps.htm

Jennifer Edwards

http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18962712&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_id=475613&rfi=6

             

Donna and Kevin Maltz, owners of the Fresh Sourdough Express Bakery in Homer, have perfected their recipe for success over the past 25 years. Scratch baking and environmental sustainability are the hallmarks this business, which just this summer became the first certified “green restaurant” in the state. The certification was awarded by the Green Restaurant Association, a nonprofit organization that bestows the title on restaurant owners who adopt sustainable practices, such as conserving water and energy, composting, recycling, and using non-toxic cleaning products and chemicals.

In an effort to encourage other area businesses to adopt environmentally friendly practices, the Maltzs started Sustainable Homer, an organization that works to unify Homer’s environmentally conscious citizens and make it a “green star” community. Donna said she hopes Sustainable Homer will persuade other Alaskan communities to take steps toward sustainability.

“We started Sustainable Homer to encourage business owners to ask questions like, how can I make my business more responsible? How can I be contributing to the economy by doing things that aren’t taking advantage of the resources?” Donna said. “Anything we do today can protect the future for our children - that’s sustainability.”

Originally from Washington, Donna had earned a degree in social ecology from Evergreen State College.

“I was an organic farmer and a hippy,” Donna said. “I was a true child of the ?70s. I was passionate about the environment and doing anything I could to walk lightly on the earth.”

Donna came to Alaska when she was 24 years old. She planned to travel the state, selling baked goods and soup from her van. So in 1982, she loaded her van with bags of split peas and organic grain, and set out along the Alcan Highway. It took her nearly a month to get to Alaska as she baked and drove through blizzards.

“I arrived on fumes and with only $43 in my pocket,” Donna said. “When I got to Homer I said, ?I ain’t leaving.’”

Donna took residence in a fish shack and slept on a bunk bed. Broke but determined, she called her dad and asked for a $10,000 loan. She used the money to purchase a little shop on 1316 Ocean Drive, where the Fresh Sourdough Express Bakery remains to this day. The original bakery van sits out front, a testament to Donna’s youthful determination. “I want people, and especially young people to know, you don’t need a huge amount of startup capital to start a business,” Donna said. “You need integrity and passion. Stand up for what you believe in, put yourself out there, and the rest will take care of itself.”

Donna’s husband, Kevin, was hired as head baker in 1984. They married in 1988, and their son was born three years later.

The bakery has evolved over the years, expanding from a fledgling 375-square-foot bakery to a fully remodeled full-service bakery and restaurant.

In 1991, Donna went national with AH!LASKA organic cocoa and chocolate syrup. The Maltzs still own a percentage of AH!LASKA, and Donna also works in brand management and consulting for new product development and concepts. Donna said she created the products as a way to heighten people’s awareness of food choices.

“Your food choices don’t just affect your body and environment, but the body and environment of the people who are growing, processing, packaging and marketing your food,” she said. “It’s a whole global picture.”

Eventually, the Maltzs would like to move their bakery from its current location to a larger lot with a view of Kachemak Bay and the Homer Spit. They would also like to focus more on weddings and catering, and Donna plans to do more brand management and consulting. But their main focus is, has and will always be sustainability.

When she arrived in Alaska 25 years ago, Donna estimates that 25 percent to 30 percent of her food was grown and harvested locally.

“Now it’s about 2 percent,” Donna said. “People are abandoning their gardens. Alaska used to be a much more sustainable state, but we’ve become complacent. We need to support local businesses to protect the wealth of resources that we have.”

In order to keep their green certification, the Maltzs will incorporate four new environmental measures a year. Their focus for next year will be energy and water efficiency.

In the meantime, they’ve changed all their incandescent bulbs to fluorescents, replaced paper towels with hand-dryers, replaced old seals and gaskets, and incorporated low-flow hoses.

For the Maltzs, sustainable practices are almost second nature. Donna said she was grinding her own organic grain, drinking organic coffee and driving fuel-efficient cars before it was fashionable.

“I was into sustainability before I knew what it was,” Donna said. “Now it’s about helping the community.”

By Carly Horton

http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/102107/hom_20071021073.shtml

             

When the formal portion of the third annual Clinton Global Initiative closed in New York on Friday, former President Bill Clinton announced that participants’ commitments will result in 170 million acres of forest protected or restored, plus millions of people with better access to health care, sustainable incomes, and education.

 ”Giving,” the title of Clinton’s new book, is also the theme of the Clinton Global Initiative, CGI. The program for the 2007 Annual Meeting concentrated on four focus areas - education, energy and climate change, global health, and poverty alleviation.

“I’m ecstatic about the work that’s been done here over the past three days. We have seen firsthand that one commitment of action inspires a myriad of others,” President Bill Clinton said. “The quality and level of commitments that we have seen this year are a testament to the positive impact our CGI members and initiatives are having around the world.”

Then on Saturday night at Harlem’s historic Apollo Theater, just around the corner from Clinton’s office, the former president was joined by Bono, Wyclef, Shakira, Chris Rock and Alicia Keys to wrap the philanthropic summit with a mantle of celebrity attention in a roundtable on the state of youth activism.

Jerry Lee Lewis and Solomon Burke opened the show with a musical celebration in honor of Lewis’ 72nd birthday.

Colombian star Shakira announced that her charity foundation, Latin America in Solidarity Action, would donate $40 million to helping victims of natural disasters in Nicaragua and Peru.

Keys, a spokesperson for the Keep a Child Alive foundation, said the organization is launching a “Good Cents Initiative” through which businesses make small contributions to help children with AIDS get the medicine they need.

Performances by Keys, Shakira and Wyclef topped off the evening, which was hosted by MTV.

One of the new commitments announced on Friday will benefit all nongovernmental organizations. YouTube will create a special section on its video-sharing website dedicated to NGOs. This will provide them with branded channels, a vehicle for advertising their organization and a link to a Google checkout donation tool to allow browsers to make donations. The project aims to help NGOs reach new audiences and educate people about the issues on they work on.

In addition to the long list of commitments made at this year’s CGI meeting, hundreds of commitments were made by more than 40,000 people who visited the newly launched website MyCommitment.org. Through this online tool, nearly 200,000 hours of volunteer time and close to $130,000 were committed.

To cultivate a new generation of philanthropists and citizen-servants, Clinton announced a new project called CGI-U, that will expand CGI to university and college campuses.

“I believe the world has never needed a community of givers more than it does today. CGI-U will serve as a catalyst for commitments of action by young people around the country to make a difference in their world,” Clinton said.

Like CGI’s annual meeting, the CGI-U meeting will feature panel discussions and commitments. This spring the first CGI-U meeting will convene at Tulane University with several hundred student leaders from around the country.

In a separate commitment that also will involve young people, in November, the Energy Action Coalition will bring together thousands of young adults in Washington, DC for Power Shift 2007, the first-ever national youth summit to address the climate crisis.

Participants will receive tools and training to increase youth voter turn-out and pressure politicians to offer bold climate solutions particularly around the 2008 elections. The Energy Action Coalition comprises 44 member organizations and almost 400 allied organizations and companies.

Young people in conflict and post-conflict situations need education most urgently, said actress Angelina Jolie during a panel discussion on Wednesday. In a heartfelt plea she said, “The children in conflict and refugee children have lost everything, they have nothing and they have been traumatized and they have been hurt and they have witnessed what we pray our children never have to see. All they have left is their minds. All they have left is a possible future. And what are they going to do and what are they going to be? They are susceptible to so much and they are feeling so much.” “And we can take these young people who are such great young people, survivors, and give them amazing opportunities and say we are going to help show you how to learn about reconciliation, we are going to teach you about what it is to be a teacher, a lawyer, an engineer. … We don’t want them to grow up and not have anything to live for and not feel that they are of any use and not know what to do,” Jolie said.

A $30 million pledge to help educate children affected by conflict, especially in Iraq and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and Norway’s pledge of $1 billion over the next 10 years to help improve maternal and child health worldwide were announced at the Clinton Global Initiative.

The Netherlands also has pledged $176 million for the effort.

“Today we launch a campaign to save millions of lives,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg at a press conference launching the pledge. Clinton was joined at this year’s meeting by 1,300 leaders of business, government and nongovernmental organizations, including 50 current and former heads of state, who traveled to New York from six continents.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame unveiled his country’s first national conservation park to promote reforestation and conservation, and research to enhance knowledge of the world’s diminishing number of great apes.

In collaboration with Ted Townsend, founder of Earthpark and the Great Ape Trust of Iowa, President Kagame announced at the Clinton Global Initiative a joint 10-year program called The Rwanda Forest Protection Project. The partners will develop both a national conservation park and field station for reforestation and conservation of great apes, including mountain gorillas, which currently number around 700 worldwide.

The government of Rwanda will identify, dedicate and protect in perpetuity a region of ecologically significant size to create the Rwanda National Conservation Park. Earthpark, a proposed 240 acre environmental center in Iowa, in partnership with the Great Ape Trust, will establish a field station in this park to research and promote reforestation and conservation of great apes. Rwanda is inhabited by about half of the world’s remaining 700 mountain gorillas and a small population of eastern chimpanzees numbering approximately 500.

Resources for the program will be mobilized from carbon trading and other potential sources in Rwanda, a country where 10 million people live in an area smaller than the state of Maryland. These factors have caused acute land and resource scarcity, and resulting pressure on natural habitats.

Africa needs clean energy, and with a $150 million commitment, a small European country that has expertise in developing geothermal energy will help African countries to develop their own geothermal power.

The Geothermal Power Company of Iceland will help countries in the African Rift Valley to develop their geothermal energy resources helping them to develop sustainably. The project will invest in comprehensive research into the geothermal potential of Djibouti and if successful will build a large power plant driven on geothermal power.

These newly announced and previously unannounced CGI energy and climate commitments cover a wide spectrum of projects from fresh water to energy efficiency, from environmental education to wines.

Apollo Alliance and the Office of the Mayor of NewarkThe Apollo Alliance, the City of Newark, New Jersey and partners commit to organize Newark’s Green Future Summit, to take place in Spring 2008, in collaboration with the Mayor’s office and other city leaders to identify best practices and mobilize the resources to make Newark a national showcase for clean and efficient energy use, green economic development and job creation, and equitable environmental opportunity. The aim of this effort is to ultimately engage and touch the lives of Newark’s two million residents, especially those in its most economically and environmentally distressed communities.

ASSET4 Over the next two years, ASSET4 will gather environmental, social and governance data on the world’s 3,000 largest corporations, working with academics, non-profit groups and investment organizations, to prove best practice environmental performance has a direct impact on financial performance. The findings will be published no later than September 2009. This commitment is worth an estimated $10 million.

Circle of Blue: Solving the Global Freshwater CrisisIn a $25 million commitment, Pacific Institute, an online journalism and research project, plans to increase the resources it dedicates to reporting on the causes and solutions to freshwater pollution. They will achieve this by increasing their editorial resources and providing more editorial staff to cover freshwater pollution. In addition, they will develop the resources needed to present an exhibition on freshwater pollution.

Cool GlobesWorking in Chicago with the Field Museum, Department of the Environment and public schools, Cool Globes will launch a $500,000 program targeting 35,000 students to educate them about the importance of environmentalism. Children participating in Chicago Conservation Clubs will take part in community activities, such as establishing recycling programs, composting, planting rooftop gardens and conducting energy audits.

Ceres/United Nations Foundation/Bank of America FoundationCeres is partnering with the United Nations Foundation and Bank of America Foundation to create a national Task Force on Energy Efficiency. Over a five-year period, the task force will bring business leaders together with consumers, labor, and environmental groups to build awareness and catalyze increased deployment of energy efficiency goals. A major component of this work will be the development and implementation of innovative policies that, by changing the relationship between public utilities and their customers, permit a doubling of the rate of improvement in US energy efficiency by 2012.

China: Training Chinese Mayors: Bringing Energy Efficiency to Cities NowJoint US-China Cooperation on Clean Energy (JUCCCE), working with China’s Ministry of Construction, will create a solutions-oriented course for mayors, including a roundtable assembly of international experts, which will be presented in Chinese. The goal is to give mayors a clear menu of possible next steps for energy and environmental change, and then partner them with solution providers.

China Lighting ConversionJoint US-China Cooperation on Clean Energy (JUCCCE) will invest $20 million over two years to distribute 10 million energy-efficient Compact Fluorescent Lamps for free in an effort to reduce greenhouse gases, predominantly CO2. Deploying 10 million lamps would save 3.5 million tons of CO2 over 4 years, and would eliminate the need for ten 50 mega watt coal-fired power plants. In other words, an investment of $20 million effectively eliminates the need for the equivalent of $500 million investment in new power plants. Also, the commitment will create 50 new jobs, involve thousands of volunteers, and accelerate a much needed energy efficiency awareness consumer campaign in China. JUCCCE hopes to eventually scale this program to 60 million lamps.

Cooler, Inc.Cooler Inc. commits to eliminate the global warming impact of over $600 million of goods and services next year. They will eliminate over 20 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions, enough to offset the annual emissions of 1.75 million US households over five years.

Eagle CapitalEagle Capital and its partners will build a school in the Dominican Republic. Additionally, the partners will set aside a minimum of 300 acres of undeveloped land on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic on which they will develop a research center, hiking trails and an organic farm to grow high-value produce and train local farmers to diversify their crops into areas that can earn them higher incomes.

Emergya Wind Technologies (EWT)EWT will commit to develop the technology to provide a 10 megawatt wind turbine for offshore use and to formulate partnerships with governments to develop wind farms and increase its order portfolio of megawatt production by 100%.

EnBW Energy Efficiency CompanyEnBW, a German utility company, is committing to share their energy efficiency expertise with customers to achieve sustainable reductions in energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

Energy for Development & EnvironmentOver the next five years, E+Co will invest $210 million to enable businesses in Africa, Asia and Latin America to deliver modern energy to 17 million people and offset 16 million tons of carbon. This investment is expected to mobilize over $1 billion of additional capital for local clean energy businesses. Further, E+Co will aggregate and monetize the carbon credits of E+Co supported enterprises, share these monetary benefits with the enterprises, and offer these third-party, independently verified carbon credits for sale to companies and others wanting to achieve carbon neutrality in a way that also promotes development. This commitment is expected to produce $20 million for small, local companies in developing countries.

Federal Climate Policy Portfolio Based on Scale-Up of State Level Best PracticesThe Center for Climate Strategies, CCS, will develop a blueprint for addressing climate change through federal government action. This $500,000 project, which is a scaling up of CCS’ state and regional work, will seek to reduce America’s emissions of greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020. These reductions will be made by implementing a cost-neutral to net positive portfolio of policy measures.

FourWinds Capital Management - Bio-FuelsFourWinds Capital Management, along with its local partners, will develop investment programs that focus on tropical bio-fuel production projects that maximize environmental and social welfare. The goal of the $300 million program is to establish an eco-integration program in which local communities participate at all levels in the planting, harvesting, and processing of novel sources of bio-fuels using emerging technologies that offer significant environmental and social benefits in addition to alternative energy sources.

FourWinds Capital Management - Environmental InfrastructureFourWinds will develop and institute a broad, global investment program that will assist large municipalities and concentrated rural areas in improving their environmental infrastructure, with a particular focus on waste and water management systems. Issues targeted will include for waste (sanitary landfill implementation, landfill mining, sorting and recycling, waste-to-energy and methane capture, bio-digestion, and composting) and for water (leakage reduction, pumping efficiency systems, filtering, disinfection, purification and clean water programs, waste water treatment, rainfall and runoff recovery, water table management, and recycling). The program, with an estimated value of $1 billion, will combine economic, environmental and social yield so as to produce a scaleable and truly sustainable long term model for development.

Green City IndexICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability) and its partners U.S. Green Building Council and CAP, commit to establishing the Green City Index (GCI) where US cities can rate certain measures, policies and actions they have taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their municipal operations and communities while advancing climate protection and sustainable development. The GCI will bring greater quality control, foster a high level of accountability, facilitate prioritized decision-making, and create a clear and informed roadmap to help them track and achieve their climate and sustainability goals. The $1 million project will initially focus on the United States but standards will be developed for application globally.

Hall Financial Group & Hall WinesThe Hall partners commit to helping cut CO2 emissions, employ conservation strategies and promote an economic approach in the development of their first green winery. The total cost of the project will be $2.5 million.

Infinity Bio-EnergyIn this $400 million, eight year project, Infinity Bio-Energy will reduce the levels of emissions produced during the production of sugar cane ethanol in Brazil and other ethanol producing countries. The project will lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 16 million tons-equivalent to the planting of 106 million trees.

IUCN-World Conservation UnionThe IUCN-World Conservation Union, the Swiss government, Mava Foundation and Holcim are partners in this $36.2 million three year program to build an environmentally friendly new headquarters for the World Conservation Union on Lake Geneva, Switzerland. The IUCN is aiming to set some of the highest environmental standards in the world. The new building will act as an international showcase for functional, affordable and attractive environmentally sustainable buildings.

Mexican Reforestation by Coca-Cola CompanyThe $6.2 million Mexican program will plant 30 million trees to restore 25,000 hectares of important natural habitat with native species, helping to reduce greenhouse gases and remove more than 350,000 tons of CO2 over five years. Coca-Cola has also made a reforestation commitment in Brazil.

New Orleans Energy Efficiency Blitz Ameresco, Inc., Global Green, Simon Foundation and Wal-Mart will work together to reduce utility costs for residents in New Orleans. The project aims to reduce energy costs by $250,000 by undertaking a high profile three day “efficiency blitz” setting out the steps to reducing energy consumption. As part of the program 500 New Orleans homes and one school will be retrofitted, directly impacting 2,000 to 2,500 people. Additionally, ten conservation teams will provide hands-on training to community members to teach housing conservation measures like lighting and bathroom retrofits, insulation, tinting windows, and other efficiency measures.

Nurture Nature FoundationThe Pace University School of Law has partnered with the Nurture Nature Foundation to create a teaching and research center promoting environmental protection. The center, which opens with a gift of $1.25 million, will help resolve “interest” disputes - those that can only be resolved by agreement or voluntary consent - as compared to “rights” disputes which address violations of law through the courts.

Sea Studios FoundationSea Studios Foundation will produce a $16 million integrated media initiative to help audiences understand the connections between seemingly unrelated problems-and solutions-in global health, poverty, climate change, and the environment. Using television, the Internet, and new media, Strange Days on Planet Earth “2020″ will include periodic primetime television events featuring Edward Norton; an interactive Web site hosted by PBS.org, an iTunes video Podcast series, ongoing “Search for Solutions” contests to foster user-generated content and showcase high-impact opportunities to make a difference, and live screening events involving the public, business leaders, opinion leaders, and policymakers.

Solar Thermal PowerPacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and Ausra’s $4 billion commitment will reduce the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere by delivering utility-scale, zero-carbon power generated by solar thermal technology that is cost-competitive with fossil fuel generation. Over the next five years, Ausra will build at least 1,000 megawatts of solar power plants and PG&E will purchase at least 1,000 megawatts of solar thermal. These actions will eliminate over 36 million tons of CO2 emissions in California and neighboring states over the next 20 years.

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)Over 78 million households in India lack access to electricity, causing an impediment to progress and development opportunities with a direct impact on the health, environment, and safety of millions of people. To remedy this, TERI commits to launching a four-year Lighting a Million Lives campaign based on an entrepreneurial model of energy service delivery designed to benefit both the user and the supplier of services. For instance, rural entrepreneurs can be trained to manage and run a central solar lantern charging/distribution center where lanterns are charged during the day and rented in the evening. The campaign has a total value of $30 million and in its first year aims to light 150,000 lives through a total of 30,000 lanterns spread over 300 villages.

Verdeo GroupWorking with Clean Carbon Consulting in a $500,000 project, Verdeo Group will educate and inform US business leaders about the risks and financial opportunities posed by possible US climate change regulation. The information will be provided during two free half-day workshops to be held for US executives.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Wal-Mart commits to reducing the water, plastic and cardboard used in laundry detergents, both by committing to stock only concentrated detergents, and by creating conditions that encourage other retailers to follow. By May, Wal-Mart will sell only concentrated detergent in all of its US stores. The impact of this effort will save more than 400 million gallons of water, 95 million pounds of plastic resin and 125 million pounds of cardboard.

World Vision The Southern Africa Water Initiative will ensure the supply of safe drinking water and the provision of hygiene training to around 500,000 people. Part of the program will also help 250,000 people access improved sanitation systems and increase the income of 100,000 people, mostly women, through the development of irrigation systems. SAWI will be implemented in Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Swaziland and at a total cost of $36 million.

More detailed information on all these and other commitments are available on the Clinton Global Initiative website at: http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/

The greenhouse gas emissions created by the CGI meetings will be offset 100 percent, Clinton has pledged. EcoSecurities is working with CGI to calculate 2007 emissions and Van Ness Feldman will assist CGI, the donors, and EcoSecurities to structure an agreement that allows donors to offset these emissions.

Donors will purchase rights to verified emission reductions from EcoSecurities’ emission reduction projects and transfer those rights to CGI. This commitment will offset $150,000 to $200,000 worth of carbon emissions through May 2008.

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/oct2007/2007-10-01-05.asp