Green Options

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What’s the truth about Santa Claus? Who is this large, jovial fellow with flying reindeer and hordes of merry elves? If the truth about Saint Nicholas can lay the commercial icon to rest, maybe it can also restore the true meaning of Christmas as a time of peace on Earth, love and goodwill toward all.

The German intellectual, Georg Lichtenberg, once said that “to do just the opposite is also a form of imitation,” but reversing Saint Nicholas’ image is certainly not the most sincere way to flatter it. Santa as a commercial icon undercuts the ideology of benevolence and humble giving. See this video on the chain of consumption for an idea of who gets left out when Santa goes corporate. A truer idea of the real Saint Nicholas and his current image around the world might reconnect us with the greater feelings of compassion and caring that should symbolize this (and every) season.

‘tis the season for “year in review” and “best of 2007” articles, which has me thinking about the many green and socially responsible businesses that have been launched in the past few years and which ones could be called out for being the best. I wouldn’t know where to begin. There are organic lotions whose lavender or vanilla scents I like best, but to focus on such personal taste would be a “favorites” list not really a best list. Best could mean most popular—the businesses with the best traction and most customers. Best could be evaluated on a scale of how truly sustainable and environmentally correct a business is, which I wouldn’t be qualified to evaluate.

So, it was interesting to open up the New York Times magazine this morning to see an article about S. Prakash Sethi, the founder of the International Center for Corporate Accountability, a consulting firm he founded to evaluate companies such as Mattel on their social responsibility. He, at least, is able to go inside companies to see what their operations are like. Mattel invites him in. Mattel’s lead-paint-in-toys problems not withstanding, it does encourage me that there is a move toward monitoring all aspects of a company’s operations, including sourcing.

I stumbled upon this image on the web, and I thought it was very thought-provoking. It amazes me how young children begin to recognize labels and logos (called “environmental print” by educators) and use them to make choices. What would our lives be like without such brand knowledge?

Do you know about StumbleUpon? StumbleUpon is a fun way to surf the internet based upon your interests and those of the friends you [...]

Even as many retailers are adopting the marketing slogan, "Buy Green," a backlash movement is emerging calling on people to "buy nothing" or, at least, "buy as little as possible and, preferably, buy nothing new."

Now, I can pretty well predict how free-marketers would respond to this ("Aaaagh! There goes the economy!"). But how effective is the buy-nothing strategy environmentally? I’ve seen arguments both pro and con.

I try to buy responsibly

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Remember the logic word puzzle from middle school: “Which is heavier, a ton of feathers, or a ton of lead?” Some of us answered with the obvious response: they are of the same mass. Others of us got stuck on the materials under reference. For those of you who relate to the latter, I’m here to tell you it’s ok, and there is help.

Many factoids that we hear throughout the

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We place our children in car seats to keep them safe, yet these very car seats may be full of toxic chemicals that could make our children sick. A new report from the Ecology Center was released on Wednesday. “Car seats save lives. It’s absolutely essential that parents put their children in them while driving,” said Jeff Gearhart, the Ecology Center’s Clean Car Campaign Director. “However, some car seats are safer than [...]

The nightmare of unsafe levels of lead in children’s products continues. Now, Wal-Mart is recalling baby bibs sold under the name “Baby Connection.” These bibs are cloth on the top, but they are backed with dangerous PVC vinyl. When you visit the Wal-Mart’s recall page, you are greeted with this smiling man..what’s up with that? Sorry, we exposed your child to dangerous levels of lead, but [...]

April 21-April 27 is National Downshifting Week, created by sustainable living writer and broadcaster Tracey Smith. What is downshifting (click here to see a video)? Downshifting is the process of slowing down the pace of modern life in order to live a more quality existence with our families. It is a path to simplicity. How can we slow down modern life? By going green and living sustainably,

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