The Story of Bottled Water was released by the “Story of Stuff” organization, on World Water Day March 22, 2010 to tell the story of manufactured demand for bottled water. Why do Americans buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when we can get it practically free from the tap? Refilling a reusable bottle is cheaper and much more environmentally friendly, especially when you consider the following shocking facts:

Bottled water costs ten to 500 times more than tap water. According to OregonLive.com,  if priced by the gallon Dasani costs $5.76 a gallon (at 4.5 cents per fluid ounce); Fiji costs $7.55 per gallon. Celebrity-endorsed, electrolyte-enhanced Smartwater is $6.14. Meanwhile, Arrowhead, in an “Eco-Shape” bottle, is a relative bargain, at $4.48 per gallon. Remember the outrage when gas reached over $4 a gallon a couple of years ago?  The amount of petroleum used to manufacture water bottles each year is enough to power a million cars. Of all those water bottles created, only 20% is actually recycled into other products. The rest – some 4 billion PET bottles — is sent to landfills or incinerators. More facts can be found at the storyofbottledwater.org via their downloadable pdf.

This eight-minute video uses the Story of Stuff style to explore the bottled water industry’s attacks on tap water and its use of seductive, environmental-themed advertising to cover up the mountains of plastic waste it produces. Please click the “More” link to see the rest of the story and watch the video. » Read more

With a simple swipe, Starbucks customers can join Conservation International to help protect forests and the life that exists within them – as well as fight climate change. Starting March 9 and through December 31, 2010, every time a customer pays with their new Conservation International Starbucks Card at participating stores in the United States Starbucks will donate five cents to Conservation International to help protect forests.

Conservation International (CI) applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth’s richest regions of plant and animal diversity in the biodiversity hotspots, high-biodiversity wilderness areas and key marine ecosystems. The five cents donated by Starbucks with each purchase will provide contributions to support CI’s work to protect and restore forests, essential steps to addressing climate change. As a company that relies on coffee as an agricultural product, Starbucks knows firsthand the importance of protecting the environment. The company has worked with CI for more than 10 years to help support responsible coffee farming, protect biodiversity, and reduce coffee farming impacts on climate in an effort to sustain the supply of the world’s best coffee.

“The involvement of Starbucks and their customers provides a tremendous boost to global forest conservation and climate solutions,” said Justin Ward, Vice President of Business Practices at Conservation International. “We value our long-term relationship with Starbucks and we are pleased that support raised from the Preservation Card will benefit sustainable management of the world’s natural resources.” » Read more

After a Starbucks customer received her coffee from the Barista, she was so inspired by the employee who thanked her in sign language that she wrote a letter to the company suggesting that all employees should do the same.

Starbucks has posted a video response at MyStarbucksIdea.com and the reader commentary there is extremely supportive.

Should Starbucks Baristas be able to say Thank You in sign language? How should Starbucks best accommodate hearing- or speech-impaired customers?

Watch the video below, and share your vote at MyStarbucksIdea.com.

You don’t have to learn sign language to tell the world you’re eco-minded!
You can help the environment by recycling your used printer cartridges and cell phones. Your inkjets, toners, and cell phones are worth more than you think!
Why not recycle them at eCycleGroup.com?

I already love to eat Kettle brand chips. Ironically, I never even enjoyed potato chips until earlier this year when I absentmindedly snacked on a bag of Kettle Tuscan Three Cheese chips at a media event I was attending: From that moment on I was hooked. Since then, I’ve sampled many of the flavors in their line, always delighted by their wonderful crunch and delicious flavors.

Only recently, I happened to notice verbage on the packaging that drew my attention to the company’s sustainability efforts and was pleased to discover the company supports a variety of eco-friendly practices. In fact, green building, renewable energy, habitat restoration, recycling, and reuse make up the pillars of Kettle Foods’ environmental initiative! Awesome practices contribute to their awesome chips!

The new 73,000-square-foot Kettle Foods factory in Beloit, Wisconsin, is the first food manufacturing facility in the U.S. to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)  Gold-level certification for green building. On top, the building features 18 wind turbines that generate enough energy to produce 56,000 bags of Kettle Brand Potato Chips every year – or approximately 28,000 kilowatt hours.

The Kettle Foods headquarters in Salem, Oregon, is home to one of the largest commercial solar power arrays in the Pacific Northwest. As a producer of renewable energy, Kettle Foods’ 616 solar panels generate 120,000 kWh of electricity annually – enough to make 250,000 bags of Kettle Brand Potato Chips each year, and reduce Kettle Foods’ annual CO2 emissions by 65 tons.

When Kettle Foods’ headquarters moved to Oregon in 1999, the company set out to restore a federally designated natural wetlands on the company grounds.  Invasive non-native species including Himalayan blackberry bushes and Scotch Broom were removed and the grounds were replanted with native plants such as Aster, Camas, Red Alder, Lupine, and Sword Fern in addition to aquatic plant species such as Wapato and Marsh Pennywort which enhance biological diversity in the wetland pond. » Read more

An estimated 250 million registered vehicles drive more than 6 billion miles on America’s roadways, every day: how cool would it be if companies could generate electricity every time one of those vehicles pulled into their parking lot or rolled through their drive-up convenience window?

New Energy Technologies, Inc. a next-generation alternative and renewable energy developer, has created a system that does just that with its MotionPower technology for generating electricity from the motion of slowing cars and light trucks. It recently underwent durability testing at a Burger King in Hillside, New Jersey, throughout the busy Labor Day weekend

It looks just like a flattened speed bump with long levers across the top that press down when tires roll over them. That force turns gears inside, generating 2000 watts of electricity instantaneously, say the engineers who designed it. Watch a demo of it here at www.newenergytechnologiesinc.com

Designed as a roadway-based system for installation where vehicles are already required to decelerate or stop, MotionPower technology assists vehicles in slowing down, and in the process of doing so, captures the slowing vehicles’ motion (kinetic) energy before it is lost as brake heat, and creatively converts that energy into clean, ‘green’ electricity.

As millions of vehicles slow or come to a stop at toll plazas, rest areas, residential traffic slowing areas, drive-thrus, and countless other roadway points, their original motion energy, derived from the burning of fossil fuels, is dissipated into the brakes and lost as heat to the environment. I’m thinking that such systems could be even more functional than those speed humps meant to slow down speeding drivers in residential neighborhoods. » Read more

7UP invites consumers to enter for a chance to win seven days of natural fun and relaxation through the 7UP “7 Dias de Sevenisima” contest, running through August 2 nationwide. “Sevenisima” is a call to celebrate the flavorful moments experienced through a “natural,” real lifestyle. Nine deserving winners will receive a week of easy living, including fun prizes like a family vacation, and gift cards that can be used for home cleaning service and a shopping spree. Consumers can enter online at www.Sevenisima.com or at participating retailers in select markets. It’s a Hispanic campaign, so it will definitely help if you also speak or read Spanish.

“The ‘7 Dias de Sevenisima’ contest reflects the natural energy, fun and spirit of 7UP consumers — something we call the Sevenisima lifestyle,” said Rene Sanchez, associate brand manager for 7UP. “We’re offering fans of the ultimate lemon-lime flavor of 7UP the opportunity to enter the contest for a chance to win ‘7 Days’ of fun prizes for their families.”

Beginning May 18 through August 2, 7UP fans can nominate family and friends for a chance to win seven days of natural living for the whole family. Whether it’s mom for being an “everyday hero” or grandma for making every meal from scratch, “7 Dias de Sevenisima” gives consumers a chance to celebrate the people that make their lives more naturally flavorful. » Read more

Who doesn't love a donut?

Americans channeled their imagination and love of donuts into a culinary treat of their own design for Dunkin’ Donuts’ first-ever “Create Dunkin’s Next Donut” contest. From nearly 130,000 donut contest creations submitted online, Dunkin’ Donuts, America’s all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, has announced 12 finalists who will compete for the chance to win a $12,000 grand prize and have their winning donut sold in participating Dunkin’ Donuts locations throughout the country. The grand-prize winner will be announced on National Donut Day, June 5

Americans can view the finalists online at www.dunkindonuts.com/donut. The lucky dozen includes: (Click “More” to see the entire list of finalists) » Read more