Green Options » Global Green USA

Global Green USA Launches Cup-Recycling Program at Starbucks

Cindy Tickle — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:57:26 +0000

Do you get your java on the go? If so, what do you do with the paper cup once you’re finished? Throw it in the trash…recycle it…maybe you never gave it much thought. But did you know that 58 billion paper cups are used in the United States every year, and if all these paper cups were recycled, 645,000 tons of waste would be diverted from our landfills? We would be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2.5 million mtCO2e (Metric Tonne Carbon Dioxide Equivalent) similar to removing 450,000 passenger cars from the road. It’s amazing to think that something so simple could have such a big impact. Well, it sounds simple but actually the reality is quite complicated.

Global Green USA’s Coalition for Resource Recovery (CoRR) understands the complexity. Their mission is to help businesses increase profits by transforming waste into assets - ultimately, creating a win-win situation for business and the environment. However, CoRR can’t do it alone. It will take all stakeholders in the paper cup supply chain working in collaboration. And it all starts with one white, iconic coffee cup.

New Orleans Green Home Stands up to Gustav, Ike

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:55:38 +0000

Here’s a rare but welcome thing: good news from post-Katrina New Orleans. Global Green USA’s first ultra-green home in the Holy Cross neighborhood stood strong during hurricanes Gustav and Ike, both of which caused massive damage in parts of Louisiana and Texas, as well as elsewhere.

Global Green USA’s first house, which currently serves as a visitors’ center,”withstood the storm and is now open and ready to show others how they can rebuild stronger and greener,” said Beth Galante, director for Global Green USA New Orleans.

UCSB and Global Green events to focus on schools

Cassie Walker — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 13:30:49 +0000

If green office buildings provide important benefits, like decreased absenteeism and improved productivity of the workers inside, it only makes sense that schools and students reap these same rewards. Surely every parent would love for their kids to have fewer sick days.

To further this concept, Global Green, USA is hosting the 2007 Green Schools Symposium on Thursday, June 14th. You might remember Global Green from it’s pre-Oscar bash in February, which featured the likes of Orlando Bloom and Leonardo DiCaprio. This event, however, has a slightly different (and less famous) audience.

The Symposium will provide a forum for discussing case studies, new research on the benefits of green schools, and new design tools to help create resource-efficient, healthy, and productive schools. This year, the conference features a special focus on charter schools. The one-day event will be held at the California Science Center.

Global Green, USA, an affiliate of Green Cross (founded by former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbechev), works to address three of the greatest challenges facing humanity:

Stemming global climate change by creating green buildings and cities,
Eliminating weapons of mass destruction that threaten lives and the environment, and
Providing clean, safe drinking water for the 2.4 billion people who lack such access

Another event with an educational focus is planned slightly further afield later this month. The University of California, Santa Barbara’s 6th Annual Sustainability Conference is coming up June 24 – 27. With a spotlight on the best practices in sustainability at California campuses, the event brings together representatives of the UC campuses and other colleges, along with government, business, and non-profit entities. Schools and college campuses use a lot of resources, so efforts to make them more efficient are certain to have a big impact.

As the home of the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science & Management and a winner of a 2006 “Flex Your Power” award for Energy Efficiency, UCSB appears to be a leader in sustainable campuses. It even has a student-initiated foundation, The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF), which funds solar energy, water conservation, waste reduction, and other projects that reduce the universities' impact on the environment. Way to go, UCSB!