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

According to the U.S. Green Building Council,   “LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.”

LEED is flexible enough to apply to all building types – commercial as well as residential. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners, operator, and builders a definable framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations, and maintenance solutions. Leed-certified projects are healthy, productive places to work and live while also being less costly to operate and maintain; with a reduced environmental footprint.

Being LEED certified means the contractor/owner has taken a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in the following key areas:

Sustainable Sites: The Sustainable Sites category discourages development on previously undeveloped land; minimizes a building’s impact on ecosystems and waterways; encourages regionally appropriate landscaping; rewards smart transportation choices; controls stormwater runoff; and reduces erosion, light pollution, heat island effect and construction-related pollution.

Water Efficiency: Builders are encouraged to use water smarter, inside and out, with more efficient appliances, fixtures and fittings, and to water-wise landscaping.

Energy & Atmosphere: LEED certified structures use a wide variety of energy-conserving strategies: commissioning; energy use monitoring; efficient design and construction; efficient appliances, systems and lighting; the use of renewable and clean sources of energy, generated on-site or off-site; and other innovative strategies. » 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

Watt Plaza, a twin 23-story office tower complex encompassing 900,000 square feet in the heart of Century City, has been awarded Gold LEED Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance (EB O&M) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the first office building in Los Angeles to achieve this distinction in this category.

Watt Plaza is one of five buildings in California and one of 12 buildings in the United States to be certified LEED EB O&M. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the U.S. Green Building Council’s primary rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient, and high-performing buildings.

The U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification system — which has become the nation’s benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings — provides a measurement of performance for commercial buildings in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. » Read more

This short documentary identifies how e-waste is handled by workers in India. Circuit boards are melted over open burners and copper cables are cleaned in vats of acid while workers handle the toxic materials without any protective gloves or masks. Piles of PVC wiring are burned in public fields while nearby children play under the noxious fumes.

It’s proven that exposure to such materials causes devastating affects on the workers’ health. Heavy metals like Lead and Mercury affect the nervous system and are especially dangerous to children. Cadmium affects kidneys, while other organic chemical byproducts can affect hormones and the neurological system.

Piles of e-waste are sent to India because the reclamation costs are so low there. While recycling a computer in the United States or Europe costs around $20, the same process in India costs only a couple dollars. Low labor costs and high profit margins in India attract hazardous materials from around the world. However, the enormous cost savings is tragically jeopardizing the health of those handling the materials.

This video demonstrates why such reclamation processes need to be better regulated. Here at eCycleGroup, our products are processed domestically by reputable companies dedicated to high-quality re-fabrication procedures. We create merchandise that is comparable with original equipment while keeping e-waste out of landfills. (please click the MORE link to watch the video). » Read more

As the 2010 Winter Olympics draw to a close and athletes from around the world count up their Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals, it is also important to honor the planners of the great event with their own “Green” medal for making the 2010 Vancouver games one of the most eco-friendly and sustainable Olympic games ever.

As reported at the British Columbia Renewable Energy Blog,  The David Suzuki Foundation awarded the Vancouver Olympics with a bronze medal for its “climate scorecard.”  The Vancouver-based foundation lauded Olympic organizers for creating innovative and energy-efficient venues which use clean hydroelectric energy as well as waste heat from refrigeration systems, landfill methane, and ground-source heat pumps.

“We feel like we’ve raised the bar,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. “Some of these technologies will be a legacy for generations to come, that will benefit cities all over the world.” Such eco-friendly concerns come naturally to 45-year-old former organic farmer, who earlier ran the Happy Planet juice company, and whose primary form of transportation is a well-used mountain bike.

Grouse Mountain, Vancouver’s most visited attraction (drawing more than a million visitors annually) constructed its very own 1.5 megawatt wind turbine. Dubbed “The Eye of the Wind,”  this 213-foot tower was installed this winter and was fully operational in time for the Olympics. The force of the wind will spin the blades to speeds as high as 160 mph at their tips, and is expected to offset up to 25 percent of the Grouse Mountain’s annual operational electricity needs.

Offsetters estimates the 2010 Winter Games will create 118,000 tons of carbon emissions directly attributable to the 2010 Winter Games through venue construction, facility heating, and athlete travel. Additionally, the site estimates the event will produce 150,000 tons of ‘indirect’ emissions from flights and accommodation for spectators, media, corporate sponsors and their partners. Visitors to the event can offset their carbon footprint while attending the Games by purchasing offsets at the venue. Eco-minded Olympics fans around the world can purchase one ton of carbon offsets for $25 (Canadian dollars) at the Offsetters site and receive a commemorative certificate and a special limited edition Offsetters 2010 pin. » Read more

Creating a living wall module from live plants.

Scott Hutcheon has a passion for turning creative ideas for sustainable environments and healthy living into reality. Growing up close to the ocean and being heavily involved in beach activities fostered his early interest in the environment, and after graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo University in 1998 with a degree in Landscape Architecture, he started his own landscaping business and soon set to work creating beautiful vertical wall gardens and green roofs.

Patrick Blanc was considered by many to be the "Godfather" of living walls and green roofs.

The first roof gardens and living walls were created by Patrick Blanc, who is considered by many to be the “godfather” of this creative form of landscaping. His beautiful plantings paved the way for a new form of landscaping artistry which also happens to be incredibly environmentally friendly! Living walls and roof gardens can expand the lifespan of the buildings they cover by protecting roofs and walls from the aging exposure of the weather, they insulate the building from sound and reduce the temperature of the interior of the building promising energy savings by as much as 25 to 50 percent, they help to reduce the urban heat island effect, and they naturally remove toxins and unhealthy contaminants from the air that we breathe. Functionally, they also create efficient garden space in places where room might not otherwise be available. Not to mention, that they’re quite beautiful!

Many living walls are outdoors on the exterior walls of buildings, but they can also be installed inside homes as well. They are typically irrigated using drip systems that water the plants from the top, and are usually not difficult to take care of. The most common systems available to consumers use modular plastic containers that allow the gardener to choose a variety of plantings depending on their personal interests and desired garden size. » Read more

California is setting the pace for a green schools revolution that reflects the state’s commitment to preserving natural resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Being held this week at the Pasadena Convention Center, The 2009 Green California Schools Summit will bring together leaders in this movement to share green strategies, eco-friendly practices, and results from green school programs.

Keynote speakers include Alec Loorz, the Founder of Kids vs. Global Warming and Bharat Patel, a LEED(R) accredited professional and the Director of Sustainability for URS. Alec, the featured speaker on Thursday, December 10 at 9 am, is a high school sophomore at El Camino High School in Ventura, California; perhaps you remember Alec’s video titled “iMatter” posted here a few months ago. Alec created Kids vs Global Warming to educate youth about the science of global warming, and empower them to take action.  A powerful and inspirational speaker, Alec has led workshops, given presentations, been keynote speaker and served on panels with PhDs, experts and professionals. He has addressed diverse audiences from school children to college students, green builders, and environmental activists to politicians and UN delegates, urging adult leaders to integrate the voices of youth into their climate change discussions and the youth, themselves, to raise their voices. Alec has also been trained by Al Gore to give the official Inconvenient Truth slide shows, and is currently the youngest trained presenter.

The 2009 Green California Schools Summit will also include hundreds of exhibitors displaying innovative eco-friendly products and services that can help schools or businesses attain their green goals, and attain long-term savings. While some of the Summit seminars and workshops do cost money to attend, the general public can attend exhibits and keynotes for free.  The educational seminars will offer in-depth training on a variety of essential green topics intended to help schools create energy efficient and sustainable educational facilities. » Read more

If there is one thing that Americans do a lot of, each year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it is spend money. Last year, according to an recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau, 19 billion cards, letters, and packages were delivered during that period. The Census Bureau also reports that, during December 2008 alone, $28.2 billion was spent in department stores. While all that spending, giving, and receiving may be good for the economy, it wreaks havoc on the environment.

“A lot of resources are being used, and a lot of trash is being produced,” explains Gary Null, an award-winning talk show host, notable author, and the founder of Progressive Radio Network (PRN). “We know the devastating effect that this has on our planet. It is important to do our part to try to keep the holidays as environmentally friendly as possible.”

With a population of 308 million in America alone, if each person tossed one extra piece of garbage, this holiday season, the additional waste would be quite alarming. There are things that we can do to achieve an eco-friendly holiday. Start by keeping the following tips in mind: » Read more

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