Smells Like Green Spirit

With Dreams of Sustainable Alternative Fuels, This is Kinda Frustrating

The federal government has called upon oil companies to buy 4.7 billion gallons of ethanol and biodiesel in 2007. Normally ethanol is more costly than gasoline, adding pennies at the the pump, but because of overproduction, ethanol is currently cheaper than gasoline by about 5-10 cents per gallon. Other pro-ethanol mandates in the past that are helping contribute to this overproduction include a 51 cent per gallon tax credit, subsidies for small ethanol producers and payments to corn farmers.

Although ethanol is higher octane, burns cleaner and helps engines last longer, it’s long been known that, contrary to the support it’s getting from the government, ethanol is not an ideal fossil fuel alternative due to its inefficiency (taking about as much energy to produce the ethanol as it burns), and it’s taking away from corn production for food sources, making corn products more expensive. It’s less fuel efficient than gasoline, because it contains only around 2/3 the energy content of gasoline.

So what’s going to happen as a result of this government mandate? It’s currently raising food and energy prices, and being that America consumes around 140 billion gallons of gasoline, is this mandate little more than lip service in the right direction?

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In yesterday’s post, I mentioned some information I’d read many times, online and in magazines. (A two-headed gorilla told it to me in a dream also, but that doesn’t seem so important, really.)

A geneticist named Dr. Patricia Hunt had found that when washing the (polycarbonate) plastic cages of her mice with an extremely harsh detergent, the plastic leached BPA, which led to chromosomal aberrations in the mice (a jump from an incidence of 1-2% to 40%).

Some then took this information to mean that Nalgene bottles made from Lexan (which is a form of polycarbonate, or plastic #7) were also leaching BPA and were disrupting our endocrine systems, putting humans at risk for birth defects.

However, Nalgene and those who sell Nalgene products want us all to be very clear on this issue:

*Nalgene bottles made from Lexan are composed of FOOD GRADE polycarbonate, which leaches minimal (read: basically inconsequential) amounts of BPA into our bodies. The cages for the mice were not made of food grade polycarbonate. (Who wants to eat food out of a mouse cage, anyways?)

*Hunt’s scientific data and conclusions have yet to be reliably reproduced by her peers.

*Nalgene-outdoor.com claims that Sierra Magazine allegedly made the leap from reading Hunt’s study to publishing an article warning consumer’s about Nalgene bottles without consulting enough sources.

IS THIS JUST NALGENE PROPAGANDA?

I don’t know. Maybe the amount of BPA that the bottles put into our water really doesn’t matter all that much. Maybe it does. I suggest you either switch from plastic water bottles to be more safe than sorry, or you trust Nalgene and stay abreast of scientific data as it is further revealed. Personally, I’m going to switch to nonplastic, so don’t come crying to me when you give birth to a two headed dog. (Just kidding, Nalgene.)

More importantly, plastic is a non-biodegradable material, and it is largely inefficient to recycle, so the less of it you purchase, the better.

Finally, here’s what Debra Lynn Dadd (hailed by the New York Times as the ‘Queen of Green’ and a leading consumer advocate) has to say about all this: debraslist.com

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My friends and I drove out to Berwyn yesterday to see the Spindle. Never heard of Berwyn? It’s a largely depressing looking suburb west of Chicago, that has about two cool things in the whole darn place, one of which is scheduled to be destroyed in about a month by the powers that be, because there just aren’t enough Walgreen’s in the world, and those that exist just aren’t big enough.

Located in Cermack Plaza, the now deceased former owner of the plaza used his own money to commission artists to create works of art for the shopping center. One of the most interesting of these pieces is the Spindle, created by Dustin Shuler.

Strip malls are the bane of the American landscape. Sure, they are functional, but they are depressing eyesores. Does it really take that much more effort and money to make a strip mall even slightly pleasurable to visit or look at? One of my favorite things I remember from art history classes was the strip mall that artist Vito Acconci was commissioned to make beautiful…which I couldn’t find an image of to throw here, but look it up!

The Cermack shopping center already has a Walgreens in it…but they are planning to tear down the Spindle to create a larger, free-standing Walgreens. It hurts the heart!

Visit the Save the Spindle website (www.savethespindle.com) and help save a tiny bit of culture and whimsy in this world!

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The EPA’s Green Power Partnership was created to encourage businesses to switch from conventional fossil fuel based energy systems to renewable systems. You can visit their website to find lists of companies who are utilizing renewable energy systems.

Say, what are renewable energy systems?

Know exactly what renewable energy sources are?

These days, our choices are solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass, and low-impact hydro generated green power.

Just a Bunch of Renewable Hot Air?

Looking at the list of companies that are using renewable energy sources, first I was suprised. So many companies whose products I would hesitate to buy (Pepsi, Johnson and Johnson, Starbucks), were listed as parters. Had I underestimated these companies?

Sure, every little bit helps, but some “award winning” companies listed on the EPA Green Power Partership website use as little as 3% renewable energy. Impressive enough to really be award winning? I’m not so sure. But, at least they’re doing something? Sure. We as consumers can let companies know that we appreciate what they are doing by supporting the products of companies that use renewable energy, and by encouraging companies to use more of it!

Goin’ All the Way: 100% Renewable

So, as some companies only use a small portion of renewable energy…what companies use 100% renewable energy? Well, the EPA has published a list appropriately called 100% Green Power Purchasers.

Some of those listed as 100% Green Power Purchasers are:

* Whole Foods
*Pepsi Co
* The EPA (Thank goodness, right?)
*NYU
*Coldwater Creek
*The City of Bellington, WA
*The City of Santa Monica, CA
*Burt’s Bees
*Tazo Tea

There weren’t a whole lot of places listed for Chicago or llinois specifically, but those listed are (none of which I’ve ever heard of):

*FPC - Construction
*Farr Associates - Construction
*Goodness Greenness - Food and Beverage
*Saint Xavier University
*PepsiAmericas

The website also lists the top 25 purchasers of renewable energy, which doesn’t by any means suggest they use even 50% green energy…

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All Business for Now?

When I first stumbled upon Indie Energy at www.indieenergy.com, I was looking for something that we could sign up for at our home. The website doesn’t clearly state whether or not it would provide renewable energy for a residential building, but it looks like it might be geared more towards businesses and larger projects. Which is still pretty cool, but do any of you know of a business that provides renewable energy to homes?

On Indie Energy’s website, they list several projects they are working for as the Hubbard Street office complex, the Church Street Village Apartments in Evanston, the Greenwood Live/Work lofts in Evanston, and, most interesting to me, the BooCoo Cultural Center and Cafe in Evanston, where one of my friends runs the cafe.

Boocoo Cultural Center and Cafe

Boocoo just opened in July, on 1823 Church St in Evanston. The founder of Boocoo played in bands for years, and now wanted to create a cultural center in Evanston where bands can record their music, where you can take all types of classes you’d expect from a top notch cultural center, and where you can eat delicious and healthful foods! Boocoo chose to use Indie Energy to save operating costs, using a combination of geothermal and energy recovery ventilation.

Support local businesses that use renewable energy! As the consumers, we are the ones with the real power (the power of our pocketbooks) to encourage change in businesses.

Check out Boocoo’s website at boocoo.org!

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My friend Alla just moved here from Decatur, Georgia, where she used to consistently shop at a huge, independent farmer’s market. Trying to find something similar here in Chicago, and sharing my dislike of Whole Foods’ high prices and sweeping takeover of independent stores, she asked me if knew anything about the business practices of Trader Joe’s.

Here are a few things I’ve discovered:

• Trader Joe’s does not take part in slotting fees like Whole Foods does.
  • Slotting fees are essentially little bribes that companies pay to have their products placed in key points in grocery stores, such as eye level, to ensure maximum selling power.
  • Slotting fees mean that items that might be better quality or price are often relegated to the lesser noticed areas and shelves, such as the very high or very low ones.
• Trader Joe’s endeavors to advertise more through word of mouth than through paper advertising, which creates less waste, and is far less annoying
• Trader Joe’s bases its product selection on customer demand and product quality, which is pretty cool, although (and I hate to say this!) sometimes the breadth of selection can seem a little lacking.
• On that note, the selection of fresh produce could be better. But hey, this gives more incentive to shop for produce at a Community Supported Agriculture farm.
• Some people get irritated by all the packaging on the fruits and veggies. (Though I sheepishly admit I don’t remember noticing this.)
• TJ’s is less expensive than Whole Foods. (but, honestly..what isn’t?)
• I hear TJ’s is anti-union, much like Whole Foods.

It seems like Trader Joe’s is a good option as far as grocery stores go!

www.traderjoes.com

CHICAGO LOCATIONS

• 1840 N Clybourne Ave 773-274-9733
• 3745 N Lincoln Ave 773-248-4920
• 44 E Ontario St 312-951-6369

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I am not suggesting than anyone boycott Whole Foods, or stop shopping there, I just think people need to know that the benevolent image of Whole Foods is in some ways, just an image. In fact, it’s been suggested that the entire market for, and standards for organic products has been created by Whole Foods. The CEO John Mackey has encouraged its suppliers and farmers to treat their livestock humanely. Sometime in the future, I’m going to write an article about the positive aspects of Whole Foods, just to be fair, because there are many positive aspects.

I first came across the notion that Whole Foods was less than a benevolent force while staying with some friends in London a few years ago. Their roommates were getting masters degrees in food studies at a London university…I wish I could remember which university this was…and studying such concepts as farmers’ rights, food politics, sustainable farming, and subsistence farming.

Let me preface this article by saying, the reason I don’t currently shop at Whole Foods is because I find the store to be exorbitantly overpriced. I actually must guiltily admit that I currently shop at inexpensive large chain grocery stores that might be considered more “evil” than Whole Foods on a “conscientious or not” spectrum, but hey! This blog is all about me changing one step at a time, not being perfect.

My friends suggested that Whole Foods is guilty of buying out independent, smaller grocery stores left and right, guilty of not always supporting farmers’ rights, and basically not exactly living up to its reputation of a conscientious, environmentally sound corporation, and so I’ve done some admittedly unscientific internet research to share here with you guys.

Negative things to consider:
Whole Foods is adamently anti-union.
Whole Foods has refused to support the rights of strawberry workers.
Whole Foods is speeding towards monopolistic control of its whole foods/healthy/organic food stores.
Whole Foods has encouraged methods of shrimp farming that encourages deaths of sea turtles.
Whole Foods leads to mom and pop’s shops going under. (Survival of the fittest? What about buying locally?)
Whole Foods carries few locally grown/locally produced items in many cities (but not all).

Sources:
Whole Foods Market Scandals: http://michaelbluejay.com/main/wholefoods.html
Sea Turtles Info: http://www.seaturtles.org/progMaterial.cfm?campaignMaterialID=37
A Discussion of Some Whole Foods issues: http://www.potrerohillsf.com/2007/03/economic-and-environmental-impact-of-whole-foods/

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