Green Options

So you’ve resolved to start the New Year with a focus on being more earth-friendly in your purchases. You want to make sure that you spend your money on businesses that produce their goods and services in sustainable ways. You’ve resolved to avoid the big box stores in favor of local businesses when possible because you know there are lots of reasons to choose small and local over the big chains (these reasons include everything from avoiding greenwashed products to supporting the local economy.)

The first problem you’ll face in striving to be a more conscious consumer may be finding the right places to shop. Where do you look for a local hardware or office supply or cleaning supply store that shares your emphasis on the environment? How do you go about finding a building contractor for that kitchen remodeling project that is knowledgeable about installing environmentally friendly materials? If only there were a “green pages” directory that listed all your sustainable shopping options in one place you’d have a lot easier time doing right by the planet, wouldn’t you?

Well, if you live in Chicago, MeGoGreen has you covered.

In 2007, the image of bottled water in the public consciousness underwent a huge shift.  What had been largely seen as a healthy lifestyle choice had, in just a matter of months, become recognized by many consumers as an eco-sin. (Click here for a Green Options post detailing the ways bottled water is costly, wasteful, and bad for public health.)  Now, a controversial new eco-sin tax, the first of its kind, has shined an even bigger spotlight on the ubiquitous bottled water.

As the New Year begins, Chicagoans are getting some direct encouragement to forgo buying disposable bottled water and switch to reusable bottles filled with fresh, clean water from the tap. In November, Chicago became the first city in the U.S. to pass a tax on bottled water sold within the city limits. The 5 cents per bottle tax went into effect on Jan. 1, and is expected to raise $10.5 million for the city this year.

In addition to producing revenue that can be used to maintain the city’s water infrastructure, the tax is designed to encourage citizens to shift their hydration habits from bottled to tap water, which is essentially the same thing you get when you buy most bottled water brands. (Filtration with a charcoal filter such as Brita or Pur is a common step taken to remove any chlorine aftertaste, though it I think it tastes fine straight from the faucet.) The tax will also help reduce the number of the plastic containers that wind up in landfills (less than 20% of plastic water bottles in this country are ever recycled) and reduce the greenhouse gas and other pollution created by trucking all that water to retail sites.

When trying to make your lifestyle more sustainable, there are lots of smart choices you can make around the house to lighten your ecological footprint. But what about when you’re away from home? When traveling for work or pleasure, you can’t be certain that the same eco-smart choices you make at home will be made in your hotel room. Is the cotton in your sheets is grown organically and washed in an way that conserves water? Is your garbage being recycled? Are the lights you turn off before going to sleep utilizing the energy efficient CFL bulbs you have in the lamp on your nightstand at home? The fact is, when you check into a hotel, you may be signing up for temporarily increasing your personal impact on the environment in a way you would never choose otherwise.

The good news is that more and more hotel chains are taking up the challenge of incorporating the values of sustainability into their operations. One example is the Hotel Intercontinental in Chicago, which last week announced plans to begin supporting renewable energy in a big way.

The agreement between Intercontinental Chicago Hotel and electricity supplier Constellation NewEnergy is a good thing for the environment, but it takes a little bit of explanation to understand why. That’s because the hotel won’t actually be using wind, solar, or hydroelectric power in its golden domed building on Michigan Avenue. Instead, it will support the operation of power plants that create green energy by purchasing renewable energy certificates (RECs) equal to 50% of its total electricity use. Not every business is able to change its operations to run on green electricity, but any company can buy RECs. For every certificate purchased, a unit of renewable energy is produced and fed into the power grid. The more renewable energy placed onto the grid, the less nonrenewable energy (such as coal, nuclear, oil, and gas) is required to fill the country’s energy needs.

This is the first of our Guest Posts through the Green Options network. Jason Phillip is a freelance writer and editor based in Chicago. He writes about the “green scene” in the Windy City for Sustainablog.

The urban fabric of Chicago is getting greener every year. Since 1989, more than 500,000 trees have been planted, more than 80 miles of landscaped medians constructed, and 2 million square feet of green roofs built or negotiated—more than all other American cities combined. But the more significant greening is happening in the built environment, where sustainable architecture is becoming a growing part of the skyline here in the birthplace of the skyscraper.

The push toward green building has been gaining momentum in the Windy City during the past few years. Chicago served as proud host to the 2007 GreenBuild Expo in November. The city already has the most LEED-certified buildings in the world. In the private sector, a number of large commercial projects underway will showcase some innovative design. One of the most dramatic of these is Santiago Calatrava’s Chicago Spire, a 2,000 foot twisting tower that will become the nation’s tallest building after completion in 2010. The commercial and residential tower will seek LEED Gold status based on many features including special glass to protect migrating birds.

The urban fabric of Chicago is getting greener every year. Since 1989, more than 500,000 trees have been planted, more than 80 miles of landscaped medians constructed, and 2 million square feet of green roofs built or negotiated—more than all other American cities combined. But the more significant greening is happening in the built environment, where sustainable architecture is becoming a growing part of the skyline here in the birthplace of the skyscraper.

The push toward green building has been gaining momentum in the Windy City during the past few years. Chicago served as proud host to the 2007 GreenBuild Expo in November. The city already has the most LEED-certified buildings in the world. In the private sector, a number of large commercial projects underway will showcase some innovative design. One of the most dramatic of these is Santiago Calatrava’s Chicago Spire, a 2,000 foot twisting tower that will become the nation’s tallest building after completion in 2010. The commercial and residential tower will seek LEED Gold status based on many features including special glass to protect migrating birds.

Part of the reason green building is gaining momentum is a big push from City Hall. The administration of Mayor Richard Daley has mandated the use of green roofs and other sustainable design in all city-financed projects. While commercial developers gradually find their way to building more sustainable design as the real estate market develops demand, the city has been able to spread green building throughout the city by requiring all new public buildings to achieve LEED Silver status. In addition to the creation of green schools, green police stations, and green libraries, two buildings that opened their doors this year to some of Chicago’s poorest residents show that green design isn’t just for the well-heeled.

If you follow politics in Chicago at all, you’ve probably heard that Mayor Richard M. Daley has been using his lock on political power to try and make the Second City a more sustainable one. Daley established the city’s Department of Environment in 1992, and in the intervening years, has made some big steps toward making the city look greener (by planting thousands of trees in median planters along streets) and build greener [...]

Last weekend, parents in Chicago had the opportunity to gather and learn firsthand about dozens of ways to raise healthy kids while protecting the planet those kids will one day inherit. As just one of hundreds of parents and grandparents who attended the Naturally Healthy Children’s Expo on Saturday, I was happy that I braved the throngs of tourists on Navy Pier on cloudless fall day to attend — and I was [...]

Chicago residents who want to get serious about eating local and organic food have a number of ways to get their hands on produce with low "food miles" that is grown in an earth-friendly way. In addition to the scores of different farmers’ markets to be found in different neighborhoods throughout the city, dozens of CSA options are available from organic farms in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. But what happens after [...]

One morning this summer, my family and I drove to a warehouse in an industrial park on the west side of Chicago to do our eco-duty. We were finally going to buy a composting bin for our condo building. I was delighted to see we weren’t alone in that dusty parking lot. Dozens of other Chicagoans turned out to take advantage of discounted composting bins and rain barrels on offer from the [...]

Editor’s note: Please join us in welcoming Jason Phillip to the Green Options writing team! A freelance writer and editor based in Chicago, Jason will be focusing on the "green scene" in the Windy City for us. Mayor Richard Daly has committed to making Chicago the greenest city in the country, so we’re looking forward to Jason’s reports on these efforts.

My idea of sustainable fashion has always been making sure the clothing [...]