HAPPY FRIDAY! I love Fridays. I remember the euphoric feeling I would get on Fridays when I was in high school. Maybe I was going away for the weekend on one of my youth group’s “conventions” and I was giddy with anticipation of the fun and flirting and camaraderie ahead. Or maybe I was just elated to know that I didn’t have to get up at the crack of butt for school the next day. Whatever the reason, Fridays made me happy. Now that I’m a middle aged mom and life can be a drag at times, I’m thrilled that Fridays still have that hint of excitement. Today I’m feeling generally excited about the direction of Sustainable Business. (OK, a little geeky, but true).
Over the past months, I’ve been very involved with a series sponsored by the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York’s Sustainable Business Committee called “Making Green from Green.” The presenters have been phenomenal and I sense a true commitment to sustainable practices from these industry leaders. Yes, I know, lately I have been skeptical, frustrated and generally down on big business and its ability to lead in this area. Why just a couple of blogs ago I was saying that the consumers need to be the ones to demand and drive change. And I do believe that. But I am also seeing a genuine effort by businesses to do the right thing.
I recently discovered this really cool company, CSRHUB, that ranks about 5,000 publicly traded companies on their environmental, employee, community and governance actions and performance. They have gathered data from 50 different sources of company Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) data and aggregated it for us all to use. In fact, one of their sources is the non-profit Climate Counts, one of EcoPlum’s environmental causes. So I decided to go through and pick some companies that scored well, and see what you all thought.
Company
Overall Score
Environmental Score
EcoPlum Gives a Thumbs Up for:
Hewlett Packard
70
71
The first major IT company to report GHG emissions associated with its supply chain
AstraZeneca
67
67
AstraZeneca Among Working Mother Magazine’s 2009 ‘Best Companies’
IBM
66
67
Provides Employees With 100% Primary Health Care Coverage,
Nokia
64
61
Named the world’s most sustainable technology company, by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for 2009-10.
L’Oreal
62
64
In 2009, L’Oréal’s plants in Clark, Franklin and Piscataway, NJ and North Little Rock, AK sent zero waste to landfill.
HSBC
59
57
n 2005 HSBC became the world’s first major bank to become ‘carbon neutral’.
It still amazes me – our obsession with plastic bags. Yesterday I was at Duane Reade (the New York version of CVS, Walgreens, whatever pharmacy/convenience store you have in your neck of the woods) and the guy ahead of me at the cashier buys a bag of chips, stands there while the clerk puts them in a plastic bag, takes the bag and walks towards the exit, takes the bag of chips out of the plastic bag, and throws the bag in the trash on the way out!! Seriously! I wanted to run after him and say – are you kidding me? I’m actually not sure why I didn’t, but some rare bit of self control held me back.
Then there are the folks I see every day, walking up Broadway with their groceries, plastic bags hanging from each hand – when I am SURE they have tons of reusable bags at home somewhere. I want to just sneer at them and say – why do you think it’s not your responsibility to take care of the planet? But I don’t. Why? Because they would think I was a complete whackadoo, for one. But more so because they probably just haven’t made the shift in their mind to thinking about the consequences of their actions. Or they might have just forgotten to bring their canvas bags today. Or maybe they have something important or very sad, or disturbing on their mind. It’s all part of the MIGG syndrome (which I haven’t mentioned in a while, but is really the theme of this blog). As a reminder, MIGGs are people who basically don’t take an active role in sustainable living because they are busy, have pressing things on their minds, feel like a drop in the bucket and are confused by all the conflicting data out there.
I’d like to make a challenge. This challenge is really for the MIGGS out there, and since many of the EcoPlum blog’s subscribers are reformed MIGGs, like me, or even true greenies, please share this with your MIGG friends:
I challenge you to do this ONE thing: try to stop using disposable plastic shopping bags JUST THIS WEEK. What will you use? C’mon, I’m sure you have some canvas or other reusable bags at home. No? Then the first 5 of you to email info@ecoplum.com with BAG CHALLENGE in the subject line get a FREE EcoPlum Chicobag.
Then, send us a picture of you with your REUSABLE BAG, and we’ll post it on our FLICKR site. Deal?
THANKS!
And here are some facts to inspire you:
Approximately 100 BILLION plastic shopping bags are used in the U.S. every year. Only 1 to 3% of these are recycled.
This costs retailers about $4 BILLION annually.
Plastic bags break down into small toxic particles that contaminate both soil and water and end up in our food chain. Hundreds of thousands of whales, dolphins, sea turtles and other marine mammals die every year after eating discarded plastic bags they mistake for food.
Wow, I had really worked myself into a tizzy by the end of 2009. I was feeling disappointed about the outcome of Copenhagen, and, well, worried about the future of our planet. Closer to home, I started to really take offense at all the waste associated with the holiday season. Add to that the dismal economy, and the fact that the sun started to set before my youngest child got out of her afterschool classes, well I was feeling pretty bummed. Luckily for my family, and for you (were you getting sick of my rants?) I snapped out of it. Not sure if it was the week I spent skiing in Vermont feeling closer to nature than is ever possible here in NYC, or the passing of the shortest day of the year mark, or the break from the school/work routine, but one thing is for sure – THIS IS A TIME FOR RENEWAL.
This is a time when we discard our failures and frustrations of the past year and start over. So many of you have written to me about your attempts to live a more sustainable life and the obstacles you’ve encountered along the way. You may have read about my attempt to participate in NO IMPACT WEEK only to throw up my hands and say – next time! Well it’s OK – it’s time for a “do-over” – just like the line from one of my favorite movies, City Slickers, when Billy Crystal’s character tells Daniel Stern’s character that he gets to wipe his slate clean and start over.
So for all of you out there who want to renew your commitment to greening your life, GO FOR IT. Let me help you, let all of us at EcoPlum help you. Send us your questions, concerns, let us help you find resources, tell us what you would like to read about, to have us investigate for you, tell us what kinds of products you would like to access, think of us as your personal green trainers. Let’s start by giving you a list of ways to start:
Here are 10 suggested Personal Sustainability Practices (PSPs) with some resources to get you started. Make a pledge to take on one, or more, of these for 2010. Or make up your own.
PSP #1: Stop buying plastic disposable water bottles. Carry around your own reusable bottle in your backpack, briefcase, shoulder bag, or purse.
PSP #2: Stop using disposable plastic shopping bags. Carry around at least one Chicobag with you – these definitely fit easily into your pocketbook, briefcase, even pocket.
PSP #3: Recycle at home and at work. Check out our “What do do with your stuff” page for where and how to recycle different types of materials.
PSP #4: Stop using disposable coffee cups. Carry around your own reusable coffee mug. Ask for a ceramic “for here” cup if you plan to hang around the coffee shop to enjoy your coffee.
PSP #5: Stop buying wrapping paper – use colorful newspaper, children’s art projects, reusable gift bags or cloth for your gifts.
PSP #6: Stop using disposable wrap and bags for your kids’ lunches. Instead purchase reusable bags and lunch materials.
PSP #7: Eat less meat. Reducing the amount of meat you eat can have a significant impact on the environment – methane from cows is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
PSP #8: Take public transportation whenever you are in a city. Check this out for a guide of public transportation options in your city.
PSP #9: Ask yourself “do I really need it?” when you are about to buy a new appliance. If you do need it, make sure it is Energy Star rated.
PSP #10: Stop using paper plates and utensils. If absolutely necessary, buy ones made of recycled and biodegradable material.
I hope you find these suggestions helpful. We are here to help you every step of the way. Please share your PSP pledges with us. And stay tuned for ways to measure your progress.
HAPPY NEW YEAR. Hoping you find a good balance of peace, happiness, contribution to society and personal fulfillment in 2010.
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