IS AMAZON A GREEN COMPANY?

IS AMAZON A GREEN COMPANY?

...it came in the mail...

I've never really paid attention to the mail. I know I can count on it everyday. I don't get it on holidays. Half of it goes straight to the recycling. Stamps cost 41 cents (check out Yoda). I never know if I can recycle the clear film, and that's about it.

I recently set up a carousel widget on our Green MBA's social network. It included every title for the coming semesters booklist, all hosted by Amazon Associates. I had considered that Amazon might not be the most ecofriendly way of students getting their books, but it took an email from another student to pose the question for me to examine my assumptions.

It turns out Amazon is not such a bad deal.

They aren't screaming at the top of their lungs about their policies either.
Negatives:

1. No GRI report
2. No CSR report

Reporting is important! It communicates what the company is doing and it allows other companies to learn from. It raises the bar. It also tells the public what the company is doing, as long as it is not all BS and PR.

Positives:

1. Packaging- Increased recyclable materials and using less packaging. New software helps determine "right-sized" box.
2. Packaging- Corrugated containers are 100% recyclable and are made from 43% recovered fiber content.
   
3. Packaging- Air pillows are 100% recyclable and non-toxic.
4. Operations- In use is a Kaizen program used to inspire employees to take action. They call them "Earth Kaizens." "In 2007, 88 separate Earth Kaizen projects were completed."
5. Operations- In 2010, Amazon will open its new campus in Seattle which will meet LEED certification.

Read more about Amazons Earth Kaizen case studies and read the case study that explains some of the benefits of the online shopping model on Amazon.com and the Environment.

WHAT ABOUT SHIPPING?

The US Postal Service is thinking forward as well. They have a website for their green initiatives. Their packaging is Cradle to Cradle^SM certified. That's damn good! Also, they come to your door 6 days a week anyway, so they aren't making an extra trip.

Personally, I think Amazon needs an option for carbon offsetting your purchase, but I like what they are doing and where they are going. All this of course doesn't take into account getting a healthy bike ride in down to the bookstore, global dominance in retail, lack of personal interaction, and the materials going into what you buy.

Sustainability Profile - IKEA

IKEA's Vision:
Our vision is 'to create a better everyday life for the many people.'



People I know love IKEA. With good reason too, the furniture giant provides interesting, quality items with quirky names like, LAXVIK and VIBBYN, for low prices (But they add up!). Usually when I hear, "At low prices," I think 'ok, but at what cost?' IKEA see this different and makes it know in their tag line, "Low Price But Not At Any Price."

Have you seen Walmart: The high cost of low prices?

IKEA also stands for something else which should give buyers confidence in shopping there. They're in it for the long run, they get sustainability. Taking into account products and materials, suppliers, energy and transportation, and community involvement. Yet, only as of late with more talk about "going green," have they been making this known. Here is a brief snippet of their policies and then a list of "chatter" around IKEA on the web.

View the brochure, IKEA- People and the Environment

Products and materials - "we first decide what price the item will have when sold in IKEA stores. However, in offering low prices we must never compromise the quality or safety of IKEA products."

Suppliers -
"trading service offices are responsible for implementation and follow-up of our code of conduct and we have 70 specially trained auditors who audit suppliers."

Energy and transportation -
"we are going to make sure that all IKEA Group stores, warehouses, distribution centres, factories and offices are heated and cooled using renewable fuels such as wind power, solar power, biofuels and geothermal energy."

Community involvement -
"Our projects take a holistic approach: improving the health of women and children, creating access to a quality education, and empowering women to create a better future for themselves and their communities."

Blogs Buzzing about IKEA
Ecologic- Too Bad IKEA Doesn’t Sell….Solar Panels?
EcoGeek- Get Your Futon, and Solar Panels, at IKEA - 13 August 2008
Ecocurious - Sustainable shelves, furniture and flooring - 26 July 2008
Treehugger- IKEA Lighting The Way To Warmer LED Lamps

I like IKEA as the "Quite Green Leader," and I hope they continue to drive their supply chain towards sustainability. It will help other small scale furniture companies develop sustainability initiatives. I also hope they increase their transparency with their initiative as it helps others develop a guiding light for their own companies.

Amazon Green - Shop environmentally friendly products

A good step in the right direction. However I am a bit concerned over a how environmentally friendly some of the products are. I mean there are many shades of green, you know what I mean? But hey, if a light green, or a spring green, gets more people considering alternatives, then I guess it's not a bad thing. You could call it a gateway to moss green.


"Welcome! Today we announced "Green 3", a challenge to Amazon's customer community to help others go green by creating the most authoritative list of eco-friendly products available for purchase on the Web."

Pick 3 green products you wish everyone had by clicking below.



Comment back and share your Green 3.

EPA launches new website to help kids identify healthy fish to eat

The EPA has launched an interactive website, targeting families with young children, to educate which fish are safest to eat. The website uses story as a very effective way to deliver the fish advisories. Each story links to the fish advisory page on the EPA's website. Therefore giving parents a way to follow up after story time.


I like how they sliced it into categories such as the camping trip, shopping trip, and sport fishing trip. Each has a unique story and is relevant to different lifestyles. You do have to wait about 30 seconds for the site to load.


“Our new Web site is a fun way for kids and parents to learn about the importance of fish in a healthy diet and how to choose the healthiest fish to eat,” said Benjamin H. Grumbles,

You can check it out here:
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/kids/

EPA's Goals for the Nation

EPA's goals for the nation are to:

• Recycle 35 percent of MSW generated;
• Reduce waste generation to 4.3 pounds per person per day;
• Empower state, local, and tribal governments to better manage solid waste;
• Provide leadership in source reduction and recycling;
• Build stronger public and private partnerships; and
• Ensure the environmental soundness of source reduction, recycling, combustion, and land disposal.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/msw/programs.htm

About Organic Wines and Wineries

Almost every grocery store offers organic foods and the number of options are growing strong (Total U.S. organic sales, including food and non-food products, were $17.7 billion in 2006, up 21 percent from 2005. They are estimated to have reached $21.2 billion in 2007, and are projected to surpass $25 billion in 2008. Source: 2007 OTA Manufacturer Survey), but what about wines? Ever wonder why we don't see more organic wines?

More organic food statistics

Turns out we don't see more organic wines, because the requirements for certification and labeling are more rigid then other organic foods.

"Organic wine is unlike any other food and beverage category covered in the USDA’s National Organic Program." -Paolo Bonetti,President of Organic Vinters



Other foods require a 70% organic minimum to be certified organic. Wine however requires a 100% organic product compstition (Bonetti 2008). If the label says "organic," it means it has the 100% requirement and no sulfites, nitrates, or nitrites were added. Oh ya, and that green USDA logo is not allowed on the label.

Resources:
Organic Vintners
The Organic Wine Company

So if you are looking to "Green" your drinking habits, consider wineries that are working towards issues like soil depletion and erosion, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, energy consumption, ecological impact, packaging, and sourcing as well as organic farming.

A Few Good Green Choices

Parducci Ukiah, Ca- "Even soy based inks!"
Kunde Estate Kenwood, Ca - "Yes, Eco-Hiking Tours!"
Bonterra Ukiah, Ca- "Certified Organic"
Merryvale Starmont - Napa - "Composting, recycling, bird boxes, cover cropping, weather stations"
Benziger - Glen Ellen, Ca- "Biodynamics"
Fetzer Vineyards-Hopland - "certified by
California Certified Organic Farmers"

JibJab: Time for Some Campaignin'

So this is a little stupid, a little funny, and even more clever. Hey wait is that me in there?

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Watch The Story of Stuff! Gather the kids if you got em.

The Story of Stuff, by Annie Leonard, uses a beautiful flash movie to demystify the story of where all our "things" come from. It's a great wake up call to understand what we are buying. It's made to explain the process to kids as well so saddle up for the next 20 minutes, this is a good one!

What is the Story of Stuff?

"From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever."
-From Annie Leonard, at http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Watch the video here and then surf the site to see what you can do!

The Go Green Portal: A Great Sustainability Resource

The recently launched Go Green Portal is an attractive and functional website for people who are looking for a greener lifestyle. Worth checking out! The design is simple and easy to navigate, and they just launched a subscribe function so now you can receive their XML newsfeeds. Some of the popular stories covered on the site include the new eco-resort to be built by Pamela Anderson in Abu Dhabi, Britain's First Plastic Free Town, called Modbury and 'Green Automobiles' for the Beijing Olympics.

I'm back with a Green Amazon Store

I'm back and now have an Amazon store where I am featuring some books and items that I recommend. Check it out and look for more posts soon!