Eco-friendly Promos

Take a look at this picture from a recent Radiohead concert, which shows how celebrities are doing their part to make eco-friendly products and practices mainstream. Lead singer of Radiohead Thom Yorke is seen sporting an eco-friendly promotional water bottle imprinted with the band’s name and their 2008 tour information. The stylish bottle is made out of recyclable aluminum and eliminates the need for wasteful plastic bottles. We’ve all been to concerts where musicians pound down bottle after bottle of water, and now Thom is setting a good example by making the switch to a reusable alternative. You can find Radiohead’s SIGG water bottle at their merch website, or have reusable aluminum bottles imprinted with your information to run an eco-friendly promotion of your own.

(photo via Flickr)

Does this oil sands drilling pit look environmentally sustainable to you? In a recent, revolting example of green-washing, Shell oil company tried to claim it was. Fortunately, they were caught and reprimanded. Canada’s World Wildlife Fund took notice of the full page Shell ad, published February 1st, that boasted about new environmental progress made by oil companies, such as the “sustainable oil sands”. The group conducted research and discovered that no data backed up Shell’s claim that the plant was “sustainable”, or even managing carbon emissions effectively! Quite to the contrary, the only data that does exist suggests oil sand development is horrendously detrimental to the environment in terms of water conservation, greenhouse gas emissions, land disturbance and more! Eventually, Canada’s Advertising Standards Authority forced the oil company to stop using the ad. What’s the moral of the story here? Don’t believe everything you read; if it seems to good to be green, it probably is…

Earlier we published the “six deadly sins of greenwashing“, outlining deceptive tricks companies use to capitlize on green marketing trends. More and more, this issue is coming into the spotlight. Recently, Fiji water sparked controversy with it’s  new fiji green campaign. Promoted by billboards and print ads, Fiji has committed to a variety of supposedly “green” practices, including becoming “carbon negative” in the next few years. It sounds good, but is it possible? Some environmentalists are outraged, protesting that the bottled water industry is fundamentally environmentally damaging in the first place! What’s our take? For now, save yourself the money and the earth the risk: resist the pretty bottle and drink from the tap!

The green movement may give us a new excuse to make Friday a permanent holiday…Workspaces across the country are discovering the energy-conserving merits of implementing four day work weeks. A variety of sources out there cover this blossoming issue. According to the oil drum.com potential benefits of four day weeks include reduction of green house emissions, less crude oil imports, less traffic/road issues, and higher productivity and attendance! Just think, one day you may tell your grandchildren about the tough days when people worked five days a week!

It’s hard to believe that this gorgeous work of art was created entirely out of trash! Greenpeace created it to promote recycling. The promotion (and website featured) actually appeared in Poland but the USA Greenpeace site is very informative. Definitely Check it out. For those who don’t know much about Greenpeace, it’s a hugely influential environmental activism organization that has networks spanning the globe.

The media constantly swamps us with coverage of the latest concerns and problems about the environment, and it can be somewhat overwhelming. Hence, I greatly appreciated a recent New York Times article called “10 Things to Scratch From Your Worry List”. Suprisingly, many of their picks had to do with the environment! Here’s our synopsis of their suggestions concerning eco-friendliness. Consider stressing less about these issues and enjoy the last of summer!

Use your car A/C: Opening the windows does not save on gas, so enjoy some guilt-free relief when you crank up the cold.

Use plastic or paper: Despite the recent banning of plastic bags in California, this article claims they aren’t actually worse than paper, so don’t stress about choosing between the too. Of course, you should ideally choose cloth..

The North Pole’s still cold: Santa won’t be suffering any time soon, cause last year’s big media frenzy over melting ice didn’t pan out.

Use that Nalgene: The amount of BPA in plastic bottles is probably to definitely safe for human consumption. In terms of being green, you should still avoid bottled water though. Stick to that old nalgene and tap water!

Well, its already August, and in just one more month, the leaves will be falling and kids will be back in schools…Savor the last bits of summer in true green fashion and attend a farmer’s market while you still can! Locally grown food enormously cuts back on wasteful shipping costs, and the organic food offered at these events is better for you and the environment (and usually tastier too!) than international alternatives. Plus, outdoor markets can be peaceful, summery experiences. Not sure where to go? Check out this directory. National farmer’s market week falls August 3 through August 9 so it’s a great time to start going!