Sundance Channel

Women run the social entrepreneurship show

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:51:11 +0000

When Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work founding the Greenbelt Movement, the word "pioneering" got thrown around a lot, and often applied to the Nobel laureate's gender. Maathai was a pioneer, but not because she was woman: if anything, social entrepreneurship involves recognizing the value of activities often denigrated as "women's work." This year, the United Nations Environment Programme's SEED Award continued this fallacy with its creation of a "gender equality" prize: just a quick look at the 34 other social enterprises it recognized with awards this year shows that when it comes to creating businesses around activities that value people and planet while creating a profit, women seem to "get it" much more often than their male counterparts.

Organic farming in Uganda: can pineapples lead to prosperity?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:35:42 +0000

I admit that I know very little about Uganda: Idi Amin (gathered largely from THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND) and news reports of the bizarre "Kill the Gays" bill pretty much sums it up. I learned a bit in January about efforts to protect their coffee crop from the effects of climate change, but still wouldn't want take a test on the country. So perhaps my pleasant surprise at news of a growing organic agricultural movement in the country is just a sign of my ignorance, but it strikes me as a really positive development in a nation that has been torn by by political and social unrest for decades.

The Plant: Chicago meatpacking facility turned vertical farm

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:34:56 +0000

What's the Hog Butcher of the World to do when it's no longer butchering hogs? How about grow vegetables? That's the concept behind The Plant, a planned vertical farm in Chicago's Back of the Yard neighborhood (which is also home to Testa Produce's new - and very green - distribution center). When complete, the 93,500 square foot facility will house aquaponic growing facilities, and even help sprout numerous sustainable food businesses.

A new dating site for people who can’t have intercourse

Em and Lo — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:00:41 +0000

In contrast to the above post title, the title of the Time article we just read is "A New Dating Site for People Who Can't Have Sex." These are two very different things: you can have sex without having intercourse (hello, oral, manual, frottage, etc.), but if you can't have sex then that implies you can't do anything sexual. We thought this new dating site, 2date4love, was for people who can't or don't want to have any (or much) sex, be it because of illness, faulty equipment, low libido, asexuality, age, past trauma, religious reasons or whatever. But it turns out the site is targeted at people who can't have intercourse (says so right on the homepage).

Ray Anderson on film

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:00:54 +0000

Last week, sustainable business pioneer (and a personal hero of mine) Ray Anderson lost his battle with cancer. Founder and longtime CEO of Interface, Ray was a pioneer from the outset. A commercial flooring company, Interface brought the carpet square to the United States. At age sixty, after nearly two decades of success, Ray could've retired to a house on the golf course and lived out his golden years in luxury. Instead, after reading Paul Hawken's "The Ecology of Commerce," this established businessman had an epiphany (or, as he liked to call it, a "spear in the chest" moment): he had found success and made his fortune by plundering the Earth's resources. Ray committed himself and his company to big, hairy, audacious goals concerning their environmental impact, and made amazing strides in an industry that's traditionally been very resource and energy intensive.

Brooklyn’s Dekalb Market: a flexible business district built from shipping containers

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:26:25 +0000

Builders and architects have fallen in love with shipping containers and are using them to design and build everything from office buildings to prison space. It makes sense: they come in standard sizes (a bit like Legos), they're sturdy, mobile, and readily available. This also makes shipping containers ideal for temporary developments, and a new open-air market in Brooklyn is putting that notion to the test.

New Austin grocery store will be packaging-free

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:50:28 +0000

On our kitchen counter, my wife has a set of glass jars designed for storing staples: flour, sugar, coffee, tea, etc. Of course, we have to buy the products that go into those jars at the store, empty them from their packaging, and then either recycle or trash whatever they came in. Wouldn't it be great if we could just take those jars to the store and fill them?

Maryland nursery specializes in plants for green roofs

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:22:43 +0000

Green roofs are quickly becoming a standard for improving building energy efficiency and managing storm water run-off. Chicago became a green roofing hub during the Daley administration, and Toronto now mandates them for new buildings. But, unless a building owner has plans for a rooftop garden (and the care required for it), a green roof requires plants that can thrive under hot, dry, and sunny conditions. Farmer and management consultant Ed Snodgrass saw an opportunity here, and, in 2004, expanded his wholesale nursery into the green roof plants niche.

Upcycling a billboard into a bag: Relan

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:31:39 +0000

Vinyl, aka PVC, is everywhere... and, as we've noted before (and as the film BLUE VINYL argued), it's pretty nasty stuff. The best thing we could do is to stop making and using it, and substitute more environmentally benign materials. Second best... make use of all that vinyl that often goes to landfills.

Hydroponic farms on grocery store roofs: does it get any more local?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:26:42 +0000

The Story Of Lettuce from BrightFarms on Vimeo.

What's the maximum distance "local" produce can travel? 100 miles? 500 miles? How about 20-30 feet? That's the kind of "food mileage" startup Brightfarms is shooting for with its concept of onsite hydroponic greenhouses at grocery stores.

Riding a bamboo bike across America

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Bamboo's been touted as the ultimate green material, both because of its quick ability to renew itself, and its durability. While the environmental aspects are complex, the tropical grass has become a favorite material for everything from building materials to fabric to bicycles. A team of riders set off on a cross-country journey yesterday to tout the material itself, as well as the economic potential of growing it in the United States... specifically, in Alabama.

Recycling tornado debris: finding opportunity in disaster

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:54:30 +0000

As tornadoes have left wreckage across numerous parts of the US in recent months, a number of people are looking at all the debris left behind... and seeing opportunity. In Birmingham, Alabama, for instance, Southeast Renewables has set up station at the North Georgia landfill to sort our recyclable materials... a process that will make the company money, and save some for the city on disposal fees: the company claims it can recycle up to 80% of the tornado wreckage. In North Carolina's Triangle area, individuals are the ones taking the initiative: local television station NBC-17 reported on a couple collecting scrap metal debris and taking it to a recycler... and making about $300 a day.

Rotting fruit & vegetables: a growth industry

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:46:16 +0000

Did you know it's International Compost Awareness Week? Yeah, just found out myself... but agree that composting is a topic worthy of celebration and education. Most of us probably associate the word with backyard bins and piles (or smells coming from the neighbors' bins or piles), but it's also turning into a big business... largely because both large waste haulers and smart entrepreneurs are recognizing not only the demand for this "black gold," but also that the raw materials are available for free.

Home solar power offers affordable, safe electricity in Cambodia

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:00:54 +0000

In the developed world, renewable energy technologies have to compete with existing infrastructure based on fossil fuels or nuclear power. In the developing world, however, power grids and centralized power stations are often in poor shape or non-existent, so technologies like solar and wind play on a much more level playing field. Cambodia's grid was relatively primitive from the start, and decades of warfare have degraded it even further; as a result, over 11 million people have no access to it. In this kind of setting, solar power often works as a safe, affordable means of providing the most basic electric "luxury": lighting.

Mother-daughter team launches recycled vintage jewelry business

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 20:00:32 +0000

When William McDonough and Michael Braungart popularized the term "upcycling" in their 2002 book Cradle to Cradle, they were referring to industrial-scale recycling and production. The term, however, has really captured the imagination of the crafty community: you don't need to browse Etsy for long before coming across handmade products crafted out of used materials of some kind. And St. Louis' own Upcycle Exchange is just one example of an organization that's popped up to serve this niche though collecting and distributing materials that the more creative among us see as the basis of something new, useful, and likely even beautiful.

Coworking spaces thriving in San Diego

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 21:23:49 +0000

Early last month, I got the opportunity to spend some time at Ecohub, a green-focused coworking space developed by old friend Yeves Perez and partners. Opened last Spring, Ecohub is thriving, and has served as home to 27 green businesses and "in-kind" partners since its launch. It turns out that the concept itself is taking wings in SoCal: SignOn San Diego reported yesterday that many building owners are looking at coworking spaces as a way to make use of (and take rent from) otherwise unoccupied offices and suites. So far, six companies now offer shared space for budding entrepreneurs... and while not all green focused, you could argue that the coworking concept itself is quite green in the sense that it allows these tenants to share resources -- from utilities to office machines to the existing buildings themselves -- that they might otherwise procure on their own.

Distributed car sharing ready to blow up in California?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 21:34:49 +0000

Thus far, car sharing services have looked a lot like traditional rental programs. Sure, there are a few key differences -- cars located near potential drivers rather than the airport, membership models, etc. -- but Zipcar and WeCar still provided cars they bought to customers for set time periods. In February, I took note of a different model -- distributed or "peer-to-peer" car sharing -- in which anyone who owned a car could rent it out to someone else. RelayRides was just getting off the ground on the East Coast, but legal changes in California may make the Golden State the place where distributed car sharing really takes off.

Yak wool: the conscious cashmere?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:18:19 +0000

At the Source - Yaks, Nomads and the Himalayas from Khunu on Vimeo.

As the temperatures drop, you may be reaching for sweaters, jackets, and other garments made from some kind of wool... maybe lambswool, merino, or cashmere. If Julian Wilson and Aaron Pattillo have their way, yak wool may soon be a part of your cold weather fashion mix. Wilson and Pattillo founded Khunu, a company that makes apparel from this unique material, in 2009. The two discovered yak wool while trekking on the Tibetan plateau, and recognized an opportunity both to introduce this soft, warm fiber to a larger market, and to create a business that supports the impoverished people of Tibet and Mongolia (their main sourcing areas). Launched as a social enterprise, the company purchases the wool at fair trade prices, and returns 2 percent of sales to the communities that supply the raw material.

The ecovillage: a hotbed of conscious capitalism

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:18:11 +0000

Ecovillages don't get a lot of press coverage, so you can probably be forgiven if you automatically associate them with EASY RIDER and the word "commune." Those associations typically gloss over the diversity present in these communities (which continue to spring up), including their economic diversity. Nope, they're not all socialist utopias... while sharing is a big part of almost any intentional community, entrepreneurship and commerce also figures into the equation in many cases.

Vancouver entrepreneur set to launch “green Groupon”

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 21:49:30 +0000

"Deal-a-day" service Groupon has grown dramatically since it's launch, so it's no surprise that other entrepreneurs are figuring out ways to replicate this model. Today's Vancouver Sun tells the story of one BC-based entrepreneur looking to ride the group buying wave... but with a decidedly green tint.

NuRide rewards UVA community for green transportation choices

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:55:39 +0000

Colleges and universities are at the forefront of experimenting with transportation alternatives to drive and park: car sharing and bike sharing services are popping at campuses all over the US to provide greener transportation alternatives... as well as hold off on parking lot expansions.

Organic coffee shop funds fair trade… and missionary work

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:20:44 +0000

When you hear the phrase "mission-driven business," you likely think of a company dedicated exclusively to using commerce to address social and environmental problems. That's definitely the case with A Cup of Organic, a coffee company and cafe based outside of Tampa, Florida. But the owners of this company take the word "mission" much more literally, too: all devout Christians, they devote a portion of their profits to funding missionary work.

Reused t-shirt entrepreneur goes on tour

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 18:46:05 +0000

If you're looking for green t-shirts, you've got lots of choices: organic cotton, recycled materials, or even bamboo and hemp. To my knowledge, though, Alex Eaves' Stay Vocal is the only company out there selling reused t-shirts. That's right... buy one of his products, and it may be a shirt someone's worn before... though it's just as likely to be a shirt that a vendor would've have otherwise tossed if Stay Vocal hadn't purchased it. The company puts its own marks on these shirts through a variety of means: patches that go over existing printing, printing on top of printing, or even turning the shirt inside out and adding design.

Bartering services now available to cash-strapped green businesses

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:40:12 +0000

Bartering's been around nearly as long as human beings themselves; in recent years, the concept has gained new attention with the advent of services like Freecycle, Bookcrossing, and Swapstyle. It's a pretty green model, as people are usually swapping used goods... and, of course, it's cheap.

Can green fashion save our oceans?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:00:17 +0000

From the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to the Gulf oil spill, you don't have to look far for evidence of how heavily we pollute our oceans. The effects of this pollution are both environmental and economic: harming ocean life diminishes our capacity to make use of the many resources on which we rely provided by the planet's ample blue spaces. Just take a look at some of the numbers from NOAA, National Geographic, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute:

Five services that make compost for you

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:51:59 +0000

Composting is one of those green activities that may still scare you a little: after all, don't decomposing yard waste, food scraps, and other organic materials attract bugs and smell badly? Done right, you can compost just about anywhere with minimal problems. But if you're not interested in a worm bin in the apartment or basement, or shelling out relatively big bucks for an electric kitchen composter, the trash can isn't the only option left.

School fundraising goes green

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:50:33 +0000

Though the kids are probably home for the summer at this point, the PTA, band boosters, or other school organization may already be discussing fundraising plans for the coming year. More efforts to get the kids knocking on doors to sell wrapping paper and nasty pizza kits, right? Fortunately, a number of eco-entrepreneurs have gotten into the fundraising game, and created opportunities for either selling greener products, or leveraging activities like recycling to raise money for school activities and organizations. A few of the companies involved in this niche after the jump.

Michigan siblings upcycling aluminum cans into jewelry

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:17:57 +0000

Most of your aluminum can likely go into the recycling bin (because we're certain you don't just throw them in the trash!). Scott Bertelsmeyer, along with his sisters Sue, Sherry, and Shannon, thought something even more valuable could be done with those recyclables: they could serve as the drivers for economic redevelopment in their hometown of Vassar, Michigan (which, like the rest of the state, suffers from high unemployment: currently 13.7%), while still keeping them out of the landfill. Their company Cangles makes jewelry from the cans... which is now sported by celebs ranging from Paris Hilton to Kelly Rowland to Ian Somerhalder.

The corporate garden: good CSR, or cheap employee benefit?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 12 May 2010 18:20:22 +0000

It turns out colleges aren't the only ones jumping into the community garden craze: according to yesterday's New York Times, companies from PepsiCo to Best Buy to Kohl's are putting in gardening spaces for employees to use. So, what's driving this movement towards corporate gardens? A push from employees? Sometimes. A desire for fresh food for the company cafeteria? Occasionally. But the big motivator? "As companies have less to spend on raises, health benefits and passes to the water park, a fashionable new perk is emerging: all the carrots and zucchini employees can grow."

Major league baseball’s green season

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:03:30 +0000

As Robert Redford notes in the video above, the environmental footprint of major league baseball (or any professional sport) is "formidable": from the energy to run the stadium, to the gas consumed by fans traveling to a game, to water used in bathrooms and to keep field grass green, many resources go into the production of America's national pastime. Yesterday, the partnership between MLB and the NRDC announced a significant initiative to assess and address that footprint: "...a comprehensive software system to collect and analyze stadium operations data to develop and distribute best practice information across the 30 Clubs" that will go into use this season.

Walla Walla’s green junk yard

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:38:06 +0000

In 1929, Emory Stubblefield opened a salvage yard; in 1944, he moved it to Walla Walla, Washington. Like most junk yards, Stubblefield's was full of rusting cars, old tires, scrap metal... the typical detritus you'd associate with such a business. Just before Emory's death at the age of 94 in 2008, he and his children took the business in a new direction: metal and scrap recycling... plus nature habitat.

Pedal-powered recycling pick-up… and more

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:39:48 +0000

Recycling does create energy savings overall, but if you watch those big trucks rolling through your neighborhood on pick-up day, you probably realize that there may be even more efficient ways to handle the collection of these materials. A couple in Northampton, Massachusetts, has found one: pick up those recyclables by bike.

Green documentary news

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:01:00 +0000

Just came across several interesting tidbits on green-themed documentary films currently in the works, so thought I'd share them all at one time.

Crowd funding green films: Tree Media Group, which produced THE 11TH HOUR with Leonardo DiCaprio, is trying out a different mechanism for raising money for two planned documentaries: crowd funding. If you check out the sites for URBAN ROOTS, which follows the growth of urban farming in Detroit, or INTO EDEN, which explores environmental crisis from the perspective of human consciousness, you'll see NPR-like fund raising appeals. This is a model that's currently being tried for all sorts of media -- Spot.us is a great example of crowd funding for journalism, for instance -- so we'll be interested to see how well this works.

Recyclebank & eBay collaborate to promote reuse

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:33:26 +0000

Ever found it odd that, generally, you have to pay for recycling service? After all, the materials you place in those blue bins are commodities that your recycling service will sell. You might argue that paying people a cut of the revenues generated from the sale of such materials could work better to increase recycling rates (though, in fairness, the prices for such materials are relatively low... though they have been rising). Philadelphia-based Recyclebank was founded on this concept. While the company doesn't actually pay people for recycling, it offers a rewards program similar to airline miles or credit card points.

Green companies: sustainability may be in the eye of the beholder

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:00:07 +0000

Quickly: which company is greener? UPS or DHL? Stonyfield Farm or General Mills? Google or News Corp.? You may think all of these are no-brainers, but, in two of the three cases, your perception may not align with reality... at least in terms of action related to climate change. A new study, MapChange 2010, finds that, in many cases, there's little alignment between real action by a company, and its "green" public perception.

Peer-to-peer product service systems

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:58:11 +0000

Sustainability advocates generally love the product service system model because, in theory, it reduces consumption, and provides the owners of the products with incentives to maintain those items for as long as possible. You may associate this business model with movie rental (Netflix) or car-sharing (Zipcar), but the types of products offered on a "rental" model continues to grow: designer handbags and dresses, for instance, are now available in this manner.

“Picturing the Past 10 Years” by Phillip Niemeyer

Em and Lo — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:00:25 +0000

It doesn’t have much to do with love or sex, but it being New Year’s Eve and all we couldn’t resist pointing out art director Phillip Niemeyer’s “op-chart” from Sunday’s New York Times called “Picturing the Past 10 Years” (especially if you missed fellow Sunfiltered blogger Matthew Rodriguez’s post about it a few days ago). Read [...]

How to pay for making biodiesel: sell soap

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:07:31 +0000

Like many schools, the University of Florida has developed a number of programs and efforts to produce and promote renewable energy. Mechanical and aerospace engineering major Eric Layton saw an opportunity to learn in a proposed biodiesel plant, and threw himself into the project whole-heartedly: according to the Gainesville Sun, "He helped build and maintain the plant and served as the coordinator for more than 50 volunteers who learned about plant management and operations." He even received an award for his efforts. And then, last Spring, the funding ran out.

Hot guys + baby animals = genius

Em and Lo — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:00:13 +0000

Somebody must have done this before. There’s got to be a 1978 calendar buried in someone’s basement somewhere featuring topless guys in tight pants with lush mustaches and fluffy wittle kittens. But we’ve never seen it. So we’re kind of getting a kick out of Hot Guys and Baby Animals, the new Recess Peanut Butter [...]

Chatting with Ray Anderson, radical industrialist

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:36:16 +0000

Ray Anderson's epiphany about his own role in environmental destruction after reading Paul Hawken's The Ecology of Commerce has taken on mythic status in the fifteen years since. The "spear in the chest moment" he experienced transformed Anderson into a leader in sustainable thought and practice within American industry, and his company, Interface, Inc. (which manufacture modular floor covering primarily for business and institutional customers) is now recognized as a model of transformation. Named a "Hero of the Planet" by Time magazine in 2007, Anderson is constantly sought out for speeches, interviews, and even documentary film appearances (THE CORPORATION, and the new SO RIGHT SO SMART)

In September, Anderson (with Robin White) published his second book, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist: Profits, People, Planet -- Doing Business by Respecting the Earth. This wide-ranging work not only tells Interface's story in detail, but also provides a blueprint for how a large, well-established company can literally reinvent itself as both a profitable enterprise and a business that learns to operate in harmony with natural systems.

The word "confessions" in the title is very appropriate: Anderson is very frank about Interface's successes and setbacks in its climb up "Mt. Sustainability" (a phrase he coined). He also discusses the efforts of other companies, and makes bold, and hopeful, cases for environmental and social responsibility as pillars of successful business strategy in the 21st century. The book is an engaging and thoughtful read for business people, environmental activists, and consumers concerned about the impact of industry on the planet's future.

I spoke with Anderson on the phone on Wednesday, November 4, 2009.

So much of Interface's success in "climbing Mt. Sustainability" seems based in really common-sense approaches to design, manufacturing, and distribution. We Americans generally regard ourselves as practical, efficient, etc., yet we encounter such strong resistance on numerous fronts to these kinds of changes... they really seem to scare some people. In your experience, what's the best way to approach this resistance to new ideas?

It requires a considerable amount of patience, and also persistence. I know in bringing our people along, it was one mind at a time. It's not something you could dictate, and everyone accepted immediately. Or, it's not something you can dictate and everybody ever accepted, for that matter. It's one mind at a time.

How to build business sustainability from your cubicle: Tim Sander’s Saving the World at Work

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:58:53 +0000

What were you thinking about on September 16, 2008? Green business ideas probably weren't at the top of the list... September 15 was the day that Lehman Brothers went belly up, and you were probably more focused on your portfolio and savings. As such, Tim Sanders' book Saving the World at Work (released on -- you guessed it -- September 16) got buried under talk of a second Great Depression.

Sanders and publisher Doubleday decided to give the book another go, and relaunched it on September 16th of this year. I'm glad they did: while the title led me to believe I was going to be reading another "how to" book on greening the workplace (which is not a bad thing), Sanders goes well beyond tips on saving paper and electricity.

Green theatre comes to Berkeley

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:19:40 +0000

If you take a look at the current season for Berkeley's Aurora Theatre Company, none of the plays should strike you as particularly "green." Yet on September 29, Aurora became the first professional residential theater company in the Bay Area to be certified as a green business by the Alameda County Green Business Program and the Bay Area Green Business Program. The Company accomplished this not by staging plays on climate change and recycling, but by implementing some major changes in operations, including:

Compatible carpooling

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:38:48 +0000

Carpooling is a great way to cut both your transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, and your gasoline spending. You probably associate it most with commuting to and from work: a few co-workers get together and agree to share costs (and the headaches of driving in rush hour traffic). But what about trips into town for a museum visit, or a ballgame, or shopping?

Fill your water bottle on the go: TapIt

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:50:34 +0000

Bottled water contributes to a host of environmental challenges -- you know that. But, let's face it -- bottled water is also incredibly convenient, especially if you're on the go a lot. A refillable bottle is environmentally preferable, but if you're out and about, and run out of water, you may also find yourself out of luck in terms of refilling it.

Pope Benedict calls for sustainable business, development models

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:30:47 +0000

Pope Benedict XVI added to his growing reputation as the "green Pope" yesterday (July 7) with the release of a new encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth). A call for sustainable development in the broadest sense, the Pope's letter addressed the human and environmental costs of "business as usual," and established "doing well by doing good" as the business philosophy most consistent with Church doctrine and Biblical teaching.

Bottled water: can it ever be green?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:00:17 +0000

Still have bottled water as a regular item on the grocery list? Or just pick up the occasional bottle when you're out? It's so convenient... As you probably know, that convenience comes at an environmental and social price: documentaries such as FLOW and Thirst, organizations such as the Sierra Club and Environmental Defense Fund, and even a few of us lowly bloggers, have reported on the costs created by water's transformation from a freely-available resource to a multi-billion dollar commodity. That bottle of water you buy now contributes to the world's third-largest industry.

Twenty social enterprises tackling sustainability in the developing world

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:36:24 +0000

Can business save the world? Those who answer "Yes" don't just include industry trade groups and chambers of commerce: the SEED Initiative, a joint project of the United Nations' Environmental Programme and Development Programme, along with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, "identifies, profiles and supports promising, locally-driven, start-up enterprises" in the developing world that are focused on alleviating poverty and managing natural resources more sustainably.

Sell your energy savings?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:16:18 +0000

While many of us buy carbon offsets and similar products from companies like Terrapass and NativeEnergy to achieve “carbon neutrality,” producing and selling these credits has generally been limited to bigger players. Earth Aid Enterprises, creators of the Earth Aid Kit, would like to change that equation. A new service from the company allows Earth [...]