I have been to a lot of weddings. While most of them were beautiful and meaningful events, and a few were indescribably fun, a wedding last weekend was perhaps one of the best I have ever attended.

It wasn’t just that the bride was beautiful and overflowing with happiness (she was) or that everyone seemed to have a great time (they did).  What separated this from other weddings was that more than any other, this one was a true and perfect reflection of the happy couple.  It was authentically them.  In everything from where the reception was held, to the readings at the ceremony.  From the band selected to their first “dance.”  And, most importantly, to the public commitment they made in front of us, to us and with us.  And, because all of those things reflected and amplified who they are, it was a wedding that all who attended will never forget.  I was honored to be a part of it.

Why am I using my first posting here at Social Yell to write about a wedding?  As I sat down to write this, snapshots of the wedding floated through my mind, and I began to see parallels between this wedding and socially responsible brand marketing.  Like this couple, a socially responsible brand strives for authenticity in everything it does.  And, like this couple, that leads to those that participate with the brand to be loyal and have a sense of inclusion with it.

When brands express who they are, it is not enough to state it in a print ad, or on a website.  Everything that brings the “who we are” claim to life must be consistent.  In a word, authentic.  Take Patagonia for example:  The company’s mission to build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis is reflected and amplified in everything they do.  It is in how they design, manufacture and distribute their products.  It is in how they construct and work in their buildings.  It is in the information they provide to their customers on how to recycle their Patagonia products when they are done using them, and through the organizations they support.  And it is in one of the most impressive things they do – track the journey each item of clothing goes through from the raw materials to manufacturing to distribution.  As expected, they take credit for the things they do well.  But what is wonderful about Patagonia, is that they admit what improvements they still have to make.  And, by publicly stating that there is still work to be done, they have made a commitment in front of us, to us and with us.  As a result of this public commitment, Patagonia enjoys loyalty, passion and commitment from their consumers.  Isn’t that what every brand wants?

Authenticity and transparency is scary for many brands.  Brand leaders sometimes feel that if they open the doors, people will see that they are not perfect, or that they will get “caught” on the inconsistencies and the not-so-great things they are also doing.  So, how do you convince brand leaders to move forward to more authentic marketing?

1. Gather information:  Pull a team together and have an honest discussion about the good and the not-so-good you are already doing.  Put a plan in place to eliminate the not-so-goods.  What are the ways that you can “get the job” done in ways that you don’t need to conceal?

2. Define the “going forward rules”  – what do you strive to do?  What won’t you do?

3. Start small.  Pick a small brand or a product line and communicate your intentions: what you are trying to do, what you have already done and the work still do do.

4. Reach out to others for guidance and support.

– Who are the influencers in this area that can help stretch your thinking to “do good” and help you get the word out?

– When thinking about cause marketing or partnerships, what organizations make sense to solidify and enhance your message?

– When thinking about new products and new communication campaigns, how does this new thinking get integrated?

This is  a short and seemingly simple list and that is the point.  This does not have to be big, bloated and complex.  It does, however have to be well intentioned, purposeful and authentic.

Could the skills learned through growing marijuana be put to use growing sustainable food?  Treehugger kind of thinks so. “After all, growing illegal plants in illicit conditions requires a stealth and ingenuity that could prove useful as we try to figure out how to reintegrate food production into our everyday environments.”

The Acacia tree can be used to increase soil quality and decrease dependency on petroleum fertilizers in Africa, reported National Geographic.  The acacia tree drops its nitrogen rich leaves just when crop seeds need nitrogen. It also acts as a windbreak, provides wood for fuel and construction and prevents soil erosion.

Baby Snow Leopard! Via HuffPo Green

Elizabeth Ulion is a graduate student at Northwestern University. She needed an inspirational Tuesday after a Van Jones-less weekend.

Photos courtesy of HickoryHollow113/Flickr, Qfamily/Flickr and Neilsphotography/Flickr.

When leaving a footprint make sure it's a helpful one

Green travel can mean more than offsetting carbon emissions. Travelers should also think about where their money is going while on vacation. When the family takes a trip to Disney World where does the ticket price go? What communities are really impacted from the stops cruise ships make?

GoGreenTravel makes a distinction between eco-friendly travel and responsible travel. While eco-friendly adventures will have a smaller environmental footprint, responsible travel makes sure the footprint is beneficial in more ways than one. The triple bottom line approach they recommend focuses on the environment, culture and economics.

Instead of looking just at avoiding environmental impacts, try to make some positive impacts. Travel can benefit conservation efforts like with ecotourism trips. Through the International Ecotourism Society you can find a trip as adventurous as you’re comfortable with that funds efforts like wildlife conservation.

A highlighted trip on the blog YourTravelChoice is the Parque Natural de Madeira, Portugal. Visitors can explore, in a sustainable manner with a local guide, a unique island ecosystem of rare subtropical woodland communities and protected marine habitat. “The best way to be part of the local community’s conservation efforts is to visit Madeira, show your awareness of the issues and be a responsible traveler.” Money spent in the area will go back to the community and to local NGOs working to conserve the ecosystems.

Even a low key trip to a nearby national park will bring funds to much needed restoration efforts in your locale.

Many ecotourism companies also focus on the community of people, not just ecological issues.  A trip to Marmaris-Dtaca, Turkey is also highlighted in YourTravelChoice.  Villagers dependent on local resources and tourism have made an effort to preserve not only the natural environment but their traditional culture.Instead of inviting chain hotels and tour guides to run their tourism business, they do it themselves and the money made actually goes to benefit the communities people are visiting. Not only are traditions preserved but travelers will have an unquestionably unique experience.

Travel is one part of modern life that is difficult to replace with a smaller-footprint alternative. So when traveling make sure your footprint leaves behind something good for the communities you visited.

Elizabeth Ulion is a graduate student at Northwestern University. Her latest eco-travel experience was at Mono Lake, CA.

Photo courtesy of DavidSC78/Flickr

With the limited progress made on climate change thus far it’s hard to be optimistic for the outcome of Copenhagen. At the G8 meeting in July representatives agreed  that warming should not exceed 2 degrees Celsius, a statement applauded by the scientific community as a great step forward. They then failed to plan how this goal would be achieved.

President Obama, along with other G8 leaders, says he supports a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of 80 percent by 2050. Unfortunately the group has not outlined short term targets or committed to binding reductions.

Sigh.

It’s easy to get disheartened. But a post over at Grist (yes I’m all about the Grist links today) reminded me of something important. If we assume politicians or anyone else for that matter will bring about change for us, we are going to be sorely disappointed. “The president, even an extraordinarily popular president, can only do so much,” David Roberts wrote in his post Barack Obama is not Bagger Vance.  This was a vital wake-up call.

Sitting at home, reading blog post after news article about nations refusing to compromise on pollution reduction because of economic impacts does nothing but deflate any passion and motivation one might have about an issue even as monumental as climate change. That’s if we are to rely solely on the efforts of others. Roberts quoted Mike Tomasky via the Guardian:

“This is what movements do—they do the hard, slow work of winning political battles and changing public opinion over time. It isn’t fun. It isn’t something Will.i.am is going to make a clever and moving video about, and it offers precious few moments for YouTube. It takes years, which is a bummer, in a political culture that measures success and failure by the hour. The end of euphoria should lead not to disillusionment, but to seriousness of purpose.”

If you’re at home, like me, waiting around for the travesty you’re sure Copenhagen will turn into, get up and do something! It’s on us. It’s on you. It’s on me to create change.

Here are some ways to get involved:

350.org : Organize an action event for October 24 to promote the number 350 as in 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the highest level we will be safe at.

TckTckTck: Is the sound of the clock ticking down to the Copenhagen climate conference.  Members from around the world are uniting to show politicians that their efforts on climate change are supported.

Seal the Deal: A UN-led campaign to “galvanize political will and public support for reaching a comprehensive global climate agreement in Copenhagen in December.”

Elizabeth Ulion is a graduate student at Northwestern University. She apologizes if this post got a little too ‘go get ‘em!’ but go get ‘em!

Photo is courtesy of Oxfam International/Flickr

Michael Pollan Speaks at UBC Farm (June 6, 2009)

A guest post by Dave Mcdonald.

Dave is a Certified Management Accountant based in Vancouver, Canada.  Since 2007, he has taken a personal and professional interest in sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through strategy and responsible purchasing.  He believes that sound personal and professional purchasing strategies, integrated with our values and our missions, are the foundation for protecting the environment and our health while increasing community engagement.

On June 6th, I had the good fortune of attending a talk at UBC Farm by Michael Pollan – author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defence of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. It was a beautiful day out at the farm – the sun could have come out and burned us, but stayed nicely behind the clouds. I’ve yet to read either of Pollan’s books, but his talk resonated with me in several ways I’d like to share.

Food is a complex issue – on all of industrial, societal, and even psychological levels. Discussing food as a system, seemingly without variation, is painting some fairly broad strokes, but the key to this, if I read Pollan correctly, is through culture. Pollan began by stating his premise: That you can’t have a healthy population without a healthy diet and that you can’t have a healthy diet without a healthy food system. This makes sense on an intuitive level and even he admitted that the latter is a point that will take some convincing. Assuming Pollan is correct, there’s a chicken-and-egg paradox here: In order to have a healthy food system, producers need to be providing healthy, sustainable food options to consumers. But producers are not currently providing these options to consumers in any large number, so without these options, how does this all start on a meaningful scale? Because they act in the interest of sales and profits, it’s really not likely that producers will change their models for the sake of sustainability. In fact, I would speculate that most traditional food providers would not be able make these changes even if they wanted to because they are so deeply rooted in their strategies, supply chains and general processes that any change would be entirely profound and beyond the capacity of most. The onus is unfortunately pushed onto the “eater” to be diligent. This is where I have the most concern – we’re asking the masses to act independently and there’s no obvious compelling case to convey that there is a tipping point for most; that is, a reason that appeals to people’s pocketbooks and sense of value, to ensure they act responsibly. Appealing to intellect, values, and the general sense of what one ‘should’ do, versus corporate decision making on the scale of a half trillion dollar industry is a gargantuan task. Looking at a larger system, roughly sketched out below, there’s a significant vested interest in parties representing economic sustainability and growth to keep things as they are.

There is so much money being made at all these different layers, that no one has an incentive to change beyond the leap of faith related to what is generally good. Pollan notes that $283 billion in revenue is generated in the US thanks to food-related health care. I am someone who depends heavily on the British Columbia health care industry for my own sustenance and the thought of losing that scares me. Where’s my ROI for the right choice? I’m not certain that the people on the planet today are facing the most hardships seen on the planet in history, but I am sure there’s a case to be made for that. We certainly have one of the most difficult choices in the history of the planet – to take action against the corporate earnings per share mentality from 20 years ago and force change in supply chains we don’t even fully understand. It’s an interesting leap of faith, indeed.

Need a new car? Go green!

Turns out the answer depends more on your driving habits than technology.  “The manner in which a driver pilots their vehicle makes the most impact of all,” said Daniel Gray, editor of MPGomatic.    “As I road test cars, week-after-week, I never cease to be amazed by hybrid drivers that fly past on the Interstate highway, exceeding the speed limit by fifteen or twenty miles per hour. At these speeds, there is no environmental advantage to driving a hybrid.”

Whatever car is right for you make sure to be light on the gas since a lead foot will lower MPG and waste fuel.

Where you live will also impact how you drive your vehicle.  “If you live in smaller cities like Oklahama City, Buffalo, Santa Rosa, Butte, etc – then consider a vehicle that is gasoline powered and gets higher fuel efficiency,” said Lauren Fix of CarZen. “If you tow a trailer of any kind or tend to carry heavier loads then Diesel is your best bet. The diesel engine features the most successful efficiency technology in the world.”

“If you live in a major metropolitan city like DS, LA, NY, Chicago, Dallas – then a hybrid gas/electric is your best choice,” Fix said. “Sitting at zero equals zero miles to the gallon.”

Unfortunately for plug-in drivers not all localities are equal. Depending on how electricity is generated (coal vs wind, etc) a Prius may be greener than a completely electric car in some areas of the country according to the folks at Brighter Planet.

“The long and short of it is driving 100 miles in a Prius emits 40 lbs of CO₂e across all states whereas driving 100 miles in a Volt in Kansas emits 53 lbs, in California 19 lbs, and in Massachusetts 25 lbs. When electricity comes from burning coal, the Prius is hands-down greener than charging your Volt from the garage outlet.” They even have a handy map of where it’s better to drive either a Prius or a Volt.

New technology options can put unnecessary pressure on consumers to update what they have whether a cell phone or a car. Terra Wellington, author of The Mom’s Guide to Growing Your Family Green , reminds car shoppers that if they don’t drive a lot, less than 200 miles a week, and have an older vehicle they might not need a new car.  Once the cost, production impact and waste are factored in, the lower emissions and higher MPG might not be worth it. But if a new vehicle is a must think alternative.

“Many industry analysts believe that oil production has peaked, so the less dependent you can be on gasoline and diesel fuels the better,” Wellington said.  “Gas and diesel prices will continue to go up. So if a new car is in your future, go with the most fuel efficient, alternative fuel vehicle.”

Waste vegetable oil is probably the most alternative fuel one can get right now. Instead of pulling up to a gas station, stop at a fast food joint. Fuel is free, plant based and will just be thrown out anyway.

“Here is a sincere warning that goes out to anyone considering converting a car to run on Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) as I did: you are about to become a rock star,” said Tonya Kay at EcoHearth. “After only one visit, restaurants will know you by name, auto shops will call their friends to show you off, and people in the parking lot will want pictures with you with greasy hands.”

A used diesel car plus a few add-ons to heat and filter the veggie oil could have you cruisin’ and commuting in low-carbon style with the delicious scent of French fries wafting behind you.

What do you drive and why? Yell it out!

Elizabeth Ulion is a graduate student at Northwestern University. She dreams of a city with well funded pub trans and little need for personal vehicles.

Photo courtesy of footloosiety/Flickr.

Atrazine is a common weed killer used on farms, golf courses and lawns across the country.  The chemical can wash into watersheds and drinking water supplies are monitored for contamination. Officials are required to report increases in atrazine to consumers. The Times investigation found that in some areas concentrations had spiked but the rise was not reported to residents.

Studies on the health impacts of atrazine done after regulations for the chemical were put into place have shown new information. Exposure may cause serious developmental effects during times of fetal development.

“There are short, critical times — like when a fetus’s brain is developing — when chemicals can have disastrous impacts, even in very small concentrations,” said Deborah A. Cory-Slechta, a professor at the University of Rochester in New York who has studied atrazine’s effects on the brain and serves on the E.P.A.’s science advisory board. “The way the E.P.A. tests chemicals can vastly underestimate risks.”

“There’s still a huge amount we don’t know about atrazine,” she added.

Well, I’m going to pick up a water filter…Yell out your thoughts!

Elizabeth Ulion is a graduate student at Northwestern University.

Photo courtesy of lindyireland/Flickr

Slide a few aisles down in the supermarket and hit processed foods – for the purposes of this post, anything that isn’t a whole food (see aforementioned definition).  From crackers to frozen meals and everything in between, there is a seemingly endless variety of organic foods.

There are many reputable organic food manufacturers out there.  Keep in mind it’s also a growing industry which forces competition… and adherence to rules, but perhaps only the specific rules laid out to attain organic certification (through myriad certifying entities).  So, your picture of what is organic may not be an entirely full picture.

Consider this, from an LA Times article, USDA Organics Label Comes Under Fire:

Grated organic cheese, for example, contains wood starch to prevent clumping. Organic beer can be made from non-organic hops.

True organics are better for you and the earth and are better tasting.  We need to vote with our forks and purchase foods that are sustainably produced.  Take few extra minutes to be sure what you are eating really is organic and not fauxganic.  How do you do that?  Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. READ – Flip the package over and take a quick scan of the ingredients.  You may be surprised at what is actually in those crackers you are about to buy.  The list starts of with organic ingredients, but there could be other (very hard to pronounce) ingredients as well.
2. GET IN THE KITCHEN – Start with organic whole foods that are locally grown.  Starting from fresh ingredients that you put together is the best way to ensure you are eating the freshest food.
3. BE EDUCATED – Take steps like you are right now, reading blog posts, articles, and books.  Spend some of the time that you might be educating yourself on the latest tech gadget, on what you are putting in your body.
4. CONNECT – Connect with local farmers.  Find a farmers market or buy into a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  Surrounding yourself with like minded individuals will help you understand the food you are buying and eating.
5. FIND - Sustainable farms on SocialYell.  If you know of a great, local organic farm, add it!

Meghan Nesta is a sustainability and social media nut residing in the Philadelphia, PA metro area and loves to connect with other greenies on twitter.

There are many philosophies behind sustainability but the most prevalent stem from the fact that humans are dependent on the planet for survival. If we use up limited resources like fresh water and oil or destroy ecosystems that provide resources we can use like forests and farmland humans are out of luck. Without soil we can’t eat. So according to this reasoning we should use farming practices that conserve and create naturally nutrient rich soil.  This thinking goes along with the proverb: “Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children.”

For others nature has value separate from people. The philosophy known as deep ecology focuses on the intrinsic value of all parts of the planet. Animals have the right to live as they are meant to live and the natural systems of earth should be allowed to function as they always have.  For a brief comparison of shallow and deep ecology check out this video:

The trend of religious groups working towards sustainable systems has grown over the last few years.  Putting aside the focus on the “dominion” of people over nature, these new groups follow the belief that it is their duty to treat the planet created by a divine hand in a respectful and protective way. “At the core of Jewish and Christian ethics are the commandments to love God and one’s neighbor. Can we love the Creator without celebrating and caring for the creation? Can we love our neighbor without protecting the environment on which that neighbor’s life and health depend?”  states the Web site of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment.

In a post Why be Sustainable? the blog Sustainable Progress highlighted three simple reasons to strive for sustainability:

1. Help to avert major conflicts over dwindling resources
2. Increase the level of personal happiness and health within communities
3. Give people a sense of hope and an ability to focus on longer term visions for humanity

There are many reasons people try to live more sustainable lives. Yell out your reasons!

Elizabeth Ulion is a graduate student at Northwestern University.

Photo courtesy of woodleywonderworks/Flickr.

Waste Not, Want Not

Recycling itself is a creative way of dealing with our own waste as human beings, but some are taking this creativity to new levels of sustainability.  Greg Benson, CEO of Loll Designs, has turned recycling into a business.  His company makes outdoor furniture from recycled milk jugs!  He knows firsthand the impact of recycling plastic, but believes that we need to eliminate using plastic entirely.

“It seems what needs to happen is more people need to NOT use containers and materials that cannot be recycled or reused,” Benson said.  “The entire system for collecting recyclables is really an end of pipe solution and it is not very efficient. The responsibility needs to start with the manufacturers who create the packaging and products first, but the consumer needs to voice their desire for a change.”

Other companies similar to Benson’s also give up nicer materials in favor of biodegradeable or 100 percent recycled material just because it helps the environment.  Tina Hill, the owner of Kidzsack, sells eco-friendly backpacks for kids that are made from 100 percent recycled cotton and plastic bottles.  She purchases this unique fabric from a company called Ecotecyarn, and while this material is more expensive than canvas, Hill believes that our world is becoming greener by the day and that the idea behind recycled fabric far outweighs the price.

“I love the idea of using recycled fabric and doing my part to make a difference,” said Hill.  “How cool is it that kids can learn something from the craft/activity that they are using!”

And what about companies that use recycling as the basis for their products?  “Recycling is necessary and I believe it will open more industry as well,” Hill said.

Recycling Alternatives

The biggest problem with recycling is accessibility.  Some towns just aren’t close to recycling facilities.  Recycling actually requires us as consumers to be more active in the ways we dispose of our containers.  But others are even questioning the safety of recycling some products.

Ron Hayes of Pacific Steel and Recycling in Montana said it best: “If it puts more pollutants into the air and/or uses more energy to process and ship the material to a mill that makes new material, then we should re-evaluate whether it makes sense to recycle it.”

Others believe that recycling may not make the most of our energy efficiency at this stage.  Pablo Solomon, a  noted conservationist, believes that if we can find a way to cleanse smoke stacks in the first place, burning our recycled products could provide a nice energy source.

“The real weak spot in technology is smoke stack cleaning,” Solomon said. “We could burn our trash at high temperatures to generate cheap electricity and end the need for landfills–actually we can do it now. It works very well. The problem is the polluting smoke. There is technology being developed to cleanse the smoke released from burning coal that is very promising.”

Technology is definitely a factor that needs improving when it comes to recycling, but what else comes in to play concerning this green practice?  In the world of paper recycling, Verne Wheelwright, Ph.D. of the Personal Futures Network, identifies these factors as major players: transportation and fuel costs, supplier payments, politics, cheating (shipping trash or wet paper) and markets and market cycles.  But when it comes to all recycling, economy is the main factor across the board.

The Greenbacks in Going Green

Have you ever considered the true value of your recyclables?  Aluminum ranks at the top, while glass grazes at the bottom and paper and certain types of plastic float around in the middle.  Moving all of these around costs money, “but there is so much more than just what an item is worth on the open market,” Derrick Mains, president of Green Nurture, said.

So, should we recycle?

“As for energy, in some instances it is easier and cheaper to just go get new stuff, but again resources are finite – some day we will not be able to get that new stuff, so reusing and recycling today is better for the future,” Mains said.

“Some countries (like Mexico) have even gone as far as to start to mine their landfills, digging them up and sorting them looking for metals and plastics that can be recycled. This is a great step in the right direction. We can’t just keep using and expect those resources to always be there. We need to start closing the loop and using items over and over again. Today it might cost us a bit more than we like – but the true payout is in the future.”

People who are recycling know this to be true.  They see the results every day.  But common recycling has taken as big of a hit as the economy, although it is recovering.  Does this encourage others to recycle as well?  “Absolutely!” Lillian Brummet, “Trash Talk” columnist, author and radio host, said.  “In fact recycling has swooped the North American continent and been embraced like no other sport or past time. While it is true that not all ‘recyclable’ items are included in every region’s programs, the rate of recycling is increasing and technology and efficiency are continually improving with a goal to enable the industry to match the demand for these valuable resources. Enough energy is saved by recycling one single tin can to power a television for three hours!”

Becoming Aware of Our Actions

What seems to be increasing evermore is simple awareness, which brings about these innovations in the recycling industry.  SocialYell put out a discussion on the dangerous effects of Styrofoam at the beginning of the summer and now “a number of communities are banning Styrofoam in the next 18 months,” according to Michael Saltzman in California.  “20 cities in California, Seattle and Portland” are the first on a growing list to get rid of one of our most lethal containers.  Richard Feldman, of G4 Packaging, is ready for the shift, supplying food packaging that is made from sugar cane and has no impact on the environment.

We may not be diving into our landfills to pull out recyclable materials like in Mexico, but recycling could save you some money in the future.  Brigitte Casemyr, a member of her Westborough, Mass. Advisory Finance Committee, shared this fact about just how much cash you can save: “The Town saves approximately $108.00 for every ton of trash that is recycled. Increasing the recycling rate has a direct savings effect on the trash disposal budget. (Last year the Town saved over $70,000 by recycling).”

To recycle or not to recycle is your own personal choice, but in the end, I believe it has the greatest benefit that we can give back to our Earth.  Reusing our materials rather than taking up space with our trash will ultimately help us in taking care of our one home.

Ashley Strickland is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Georgia.  She is one of many recycle-happy college students at UGA.