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Walmart Going Ga-Ga with Organics

Pretty soon we’ll see a major push from Walmart going organic. Public relations stint or not, this is BIG news given that they have power across borders.

“They have huge potential because it’s not just Walmart we’re talking about, it’s their entire supply chain,” states Jeff Erikson, U.S. director of SustainAbilty Consulting.

What does this mean? That Wal-Mart, as a corporation, can push more on cleaning up the manufacturing side of the table.

What organic products are they offering? Well, the new Dallas Supercenter opened with 400 organic products, ranging from food to baby clothes to home decor. They will be doubling their organic products in the next month and be looking for new items ranging from food to apparel to paper and electronics. This means mountains for supply chains…

Baby, baby clothes, cleaning, clothes, decor, Eco-Chick, electronics, Food, Home, News, Organic, paper

To Buy or Not to Buy?

4 Comments

by Ann Benoit · 03/21/06

Two years ago I had the pleasure of attending the American Institute of Graphic Artists’ (AIGA) 2004 Gain Conference in New York. Although the bulk of the conference included motivational speech about a designer’s social and environmental responsiblity, one speaker—Christopher Hacker, the then creative & marketing director of Aveda jumped in and spoke about (among other things) how to make environmentally conscious decisions as a consumer (and as a designer).

In addition to his well delivered talk, Hacker gave everyone in the audience a small, well designed pop-up desk piece (printed on recycled paper) entitled, “The Thirteen Key Questions to Ask Before We Design Specify or Buy ANYTHING.” Although a self proclaimed minimalist, (and keeping in mind this conference was over 2 years ago) I kept that piece and still use it today when I am faced with the question, “Should I buy this”?

The Thirteen Key Questions to Ask Before We Design, Specify, or Buy Anything

01 Do we need it?

02 Can we do without it?

03 Can we borrow, rent or get it used?

04 Is the project/product designed to minimize waste?

05 Can it be smaller, lighter or made from fewer materials?

06 Is it designated to be durable or multi-functional?

07 Does it use renewable resources?

08 Is reuse practical and encouraged?

09 Are the product and/or packaging refillable, recyclable or repairable?

10 Is it made with post-consumer recycled (PCR) or reclaimed materials and how much?

11 Is it available in a less toxic form? Can it be made with less toxic materials?

12 Is it available from a socially and environmentally responsible company?

13 Is it made locally?

AIGA, design, designer, Eco-Chick, epa, liver, local, paper, recycle, recycled, resources, reuse, waste

Greenpeace TV

4 Comments

by Jennifer Cross · 02/21/06

According to a survey by Salary.com, the average worker admits to wasting 2.09 hours per eight-hour workday (not including lunch and scheduled break times). Participants in the survey sited “personal Internet” use as the biggest distracter from their workday.

It is well known that the Internet does have the ability to beckon us away from end-of-the-month budget reviews, proposals with a 5 p.m. deadline and other important work-related duties that we are actually paid for. It’s essentially inevitable. But at least now there is a way to waste away your 2.09 hours, be entertained, and become better informed about environmental issues, and it’s through Greenpeace TV.

The Friday the 13th ad that can be found on Greenpeace’s UK site urges us to “Tell Tony Blair nuclear power is not the answer to climate change.” We are encouraged to do so by watching a highly convincing act of terrorism whereby a highjacked plane flies straight into a nuclear power plant while a British family watches from the seashore.

Another great ad that will eat up three minutes and 29 seconds of your day is told to us from the perspective of some great apes. The spot begins when a family’s house is torn apart with a chain saw (an analogy to the ape’s ancient forest being sawed down by international loggers). The apes pose the great question, “Why destroy ancient forests for wood and paper when it could all come from responsibly logged wood and timber?” That’s a great question indeed.

In addition, you can eat up your time by watching clips about everything from E-Waste in Hong Kong to the fictional Greenhouse Olympics. They are well-produced, high quality and likely will bring you a better chuckle than skimming through listings on match.com

budget, climate change, Eco-Chick, Home, lunch, nuclear, nuclear power, paper, produce, reviews, tv, video, waste, wood

Ask Chicky: Vermicomposting

3 Comments

by Starre Vartan · 11/22/05

worms

Dear Chicky,
I went to a dinner party last week and the host had a tiny composter in her apartment’s kitchen; she said there were bugs inside that eat the food she deposits. It sounds gross, but I feel bad tossing all my leftovers in the garbage—how do these things work? Why don’t they smell?
—Curious about compost

Dear Curious Composter,
All compost systems rely on the same principle: stuff rots and then turns into dirt. If you do it right. The good news is it’s not that hard to replicate what nature does on a grand scale in your very own kitchen. Properly composted food is never smelly and can cut down on your trips to the garbage bin (and the inevitable filling of our landfills). In fact, if you get into it, you can compost up to 1/3 of your household waste.

What your friend most likely had was a worm composter, also called a vermicomposter. This kind of composting is great for an apartment because it doesn’t take up much space, is totally hygienic and the final product is humus. Not the middle-eastern bean spread, but the ultimate fertilizer for your organic container gardening.

The busy earthworms, called red worms or manure worms, (yes, they wiggle, but no, you don’t have to touch them) will keep your composter functioning and odor-free. These special guys eat up to their weight in food every day, and their excrement is the aforementioned humus. Their casts (a nicer name for poop) contain all sorts of good stuff like nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, meaning that the humus they produce will make your garden grow. And on top of all that, once your scraps are devoured by the worms, all the nasty pathenogenic bacteria (the kind that can make you sick) are totally neutralized.

But there are some caveats; you can’t just dump all your leftovers in a vermicomposter, but fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, old bread, coffee grounds, shredded computer paper (no colored ink) and newspaper, and houseplant trimmings are all OK. Go light on the vegetable oils, dairy and meat; all these things take more time for the worms to digest, so don’t throw a big hunk of steak in your composter, no matter how free-range and organic it might be. Some people say small amounts of meat or bone will break down just fine, but it might take some experimenting. It isn’t complicated, by you will need to read up on the subject. You will need to keep the whole operation moist, and you can make your own or buy a composter ready-to-go at a host of websites and garden centers. The worms are also available online or from your neighborhood plant store. Try wormdigest.org, cityfarmer.com and cityknowlege.com.

Wormily yours,
Chicky