USPS gets with the program…finally.

I always wondered why there wasn’t a recycling bin in the lobby of the post office. I figured that privacy concerns were the main reason. I mean, I don’t throw my junk mail in the post office trash can for just that reason. I lug it home and put it, respectfully, in my home recycling bin.

But just last week, it seems that the post office in North Richland Hills had an epiphany.

I opened my mailbox to find a small postcard. “I would like to invite you to participate in our recycling program right here at the Post Office and help us as we work to preserve our environment.” Yada, yada, yada.

So I turned around to find the bin and there it was, small but convenient. I tossed in yet another tool equipment catalog that I did not request, snapped this photo and merrily went on my way.

But now that I look at the photos I took, it doesn’t seem to be fastened to anything. It’s locked, but it’s small. Looks to be easily removed from its spot right next to the doors. I’ll check when I go to the post office this morning.

Man, I was so excited, but I really don’t want my identity stolen…again. Especially when I’m recycling!

Great “green business” conference in Denton

Thanks to the Denton, Texas, Chamber of Commerce for hosting the “Green Your Business’ conference last week. Held in the environmental science building on the University of North Texas campus, this was a tremendous event.

The first session made the “business case for sustainability.”

I was invited to speak for the second session, “How to be a great business with a small footprint.” I spent 50 minutes explaining how The Natural Step can be used to help a business focus more on environmental, economic and societal aspects and still be profitable. It’s all about the four system conditions and measuring your business’ actions against them. The Natural Step is brilliant in its simplicity. Anyone can grasp sustainability as long as they keep the four system conditions in mind.

The third session featured a panel discussion on how to market your green business.

It was a fast-paced, information-packed day. I can’t wait for next year!

A pollution conspiracy? Get a grip.

Smog is a familiar part of the skyline on summer days in Dallas. Photo by Irwin Thompson/DMN

The Dallas Morning News article yesterday stated Texas’ problem very clearly: “nearly every Texan breathes dirty air, far more of the population than previously believed.” Duh.

But wait, there’s more. The EPA is releasing a second federal notice (perhaps today?) that will say that “Texas officials have let too many toxic chemicals fills the air through a permit system that ducked public scrutiny and skirted federal law.” Duh, again.

In the Dallas/Fort Worth area, we’ve long been an official non-attainment area because of our terrible, horrible, no good, very bad air quality. Most days you can’t clearly see either the Dallas or Fort Worth skylines.

Yet in 2009, then EPA Region 6 director Richard Greene stated that we were good to go. It took the state more than a decade to come up with a State Implementation Plan to clean our air. Then, almost magically, the problem was gone. Umm…really?

I knew then that DFW residents were being bamboozled. Guess what? I was right.

But wait, it gets better. The EPA – and the Obama administration –  is now being accused of being “hostile” to Texas. “It’s just an approach that is – I’m sorry to use the word, but hostile,” said Kathleen Hartnett White. She’s a former chairwoman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality under Gov. Rick Perry.

“This is far bolder than anyone can remember on any issue at any time,” said White, now a fellow at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, an Austin think tank.

White said she suspects that predominantly Republican Texas might be a White House target. “Call it paranoia if you’d like to – Texas paranoia,” she said.

You said it, lady. Paranoia. Plain and simple.

According to the article, “Texas has a particular stake in the new administration’s first-year flurry. The state burns more coal and emits more carbon dioxide than any other. It supplies the nation with oil, gas and chemicals. And it has millions of people breathing dirty air. Obama’s EPA is tightening limits on nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and ozone, or smog; targeting toxic emissions; and moving toward controlling greenhouse gases.” Finally and thank goodness.

Message to Kathleen Harnett White, Governor Rick Perry and all the other Republican ostriches in Texas: “Pull your heads out. It’s time to clean the air.”

New year and an anniversary.

Can you believe it’s 2010? A new year. A new decade. It’s also Blue Marble Media’s 6th anniversary today. Well, for about 54 more minutes. (It’s been quite a day!)

Everyone’s talking resolutions. So, I figured why not come up with a few that I can actually keep – for once.

1. Eat no beef. A few posts ago I told you about the movie, “Food, Inc.” and how it had changed my life. It looks like it really did.

2. Walk three times a week. I think that’s doable. I feel bad when I keep lapping the seniors at the mall, though.

3. Learn to cook simple meals. I’ve never been a good cook. But now that I’m changing my diet to more fruits, vegetables and plant-based organics, I’ve got to learn how to cook. I’m already tired of grilled cheese sandwiches and green salads. And I will not, ever, eat tofu.

4. Blog three times a week. There’s so much going on in the field of sustainability. This resolution is a no-brainer!

5. Teach at least 12 sustainability workshops in 2010. I have launched new sustainability workshops using The Natural Step Framework. I’m very excited to bring TNS to Texas!

What are your sustainability-related resolutions for 2010?

It shouldn’t be a surprise.

Last week, I saw a report on WFAA-TV, the local ABC affiliate, that didn’t surprise me at all. I just hope thousands of viewers learned about “The surprise inside your water bottle.”

The surprise? The water in that bottle comes from municipal water sources.

Duh.

Walmart’s brand, Niagara, comes from Grand Prairie, Texas. And it says it right on the label.

“Kroger’s bottles don’t say where their water is sourced, but it’s Dallas City water from Irving.

“Aquafina’s bottle says their product comes from “public water sources.” A company spokesman says it’s Dallas water from Mesquite.

“Tom Thumb’s brand, Refreshe’, doesn’t reveal its source. It’s bottled by Advanced H20 near Duncanville.

“Dasani, a division of Coca-Cola doesn’t give a clue where it comes from on the bottle. Headquarters says that its source is Dallas water mains.

“Nestle Pure Life’s label does say its source is public water supplies, Dallas, Texas.”

The main point of the story is that people are being duped into thinking they’re buying “better” and “cleaner” water. When actually what they’re paying for is plastic bottles, shipping costs and lots of advertising. And don’t even get me started on the fact that, according to the story, only about 25% of water bottles are recycled. But I doubt the recycling rate is even that high. It’s probably closer to 15%.

But here’s a great statistic: “North Texas bottlers are putting enough water to fill 60 Olympic swimming pools into 40 million plastic bottles every month.”

Now that’s a visual.

What am I supposed to do with this?

Salad container made from corn

I’m a super recycler. I even throw the little cards that fall out of magazines into the recycling bin.

But last week I ran into a problem. As I was getting ready to toss the empty container – that once held organic salad – into the bin, I noticed the small corn icon in the lower left-hand corner.

“Packaging made from CORN. A 100% renewable resource.”

Well, isn’t that just great. Now I can’t recycle it. And I almost start twitching at the idea that I’m going to have to throw it away.

Oh, sure, I could compost it. But we don’t have a composting facility in the area. The nearest one is in Melissa, Texas – at least a 50-mile round-trip jaunt. That’s not going to happen.

I guess I should be glad that the packaging isn’t plastic, but now this wonderful, renewable resource is going to be buried in a Subtitle D landfill where it will be mummified forever.

Sometimes being green isn’t as easy as it looks.

“Food”

Wanchai Ferry(TM)

Ever since I saw the movie “Food, Inc.” I’ve really been trying to be more aware of what I’m cooking at home and getting when I eat out. I’ve learned a lot…and it’s very scary.

The first segment on yesterday’s installment of To The Best of Our Knowledge on NPR featured Michael Pollan – food guru and author of In Defense of Food. He was also interviewed in “Food, Inc.” See the Eco-Tip for October 6, 2009 for more on that interview.

One of the main points he makes in the interview is that what is being sold on supermarket shelves isn’t really food. It’s “edible foodlike substances.”

So, of course I noticed this Associated Press article “Great time for US consumers: America is on sale,” by Rachel Beck. The article interviews Karen Wilmes, a mother of two in Hopkington, RI, who is loving the steals. “During a recent trip to the store, she bought a basketful of goods, including Eggo waffles, Kleenex tissues and Betty Crocker cake mix. The retail price: $63.89. Wilmes paid $7.31 by buying items on sale and using coupons.”

At first, I thought, “Wow!” But then I really thought about it. And picked up the three batches of coupons that came with my Sunday newspaper yesterday. Let’s look at some statistics, shall we?

• 53 “food” coupons
• 1 USDA organic food coupon – Oikos Greek Yogurt Makes me wish I liked yogurt.
• 1 Gluten-Free, Non-GMO (genetically modified) whole soy bar – SoyJoy (See Apple Walnut ingredients here) While most of them look okay, I want to know what’s hidden in the “Natural Flavors.” I’ve actually tried the Berry bar and I thought I was chewing on a piece of cardboard. But that’s just me.

So, where’s my $$ savings if I’m trying to eat only organic, healthy food?

Of the 53 “other” coupons, there were actually two for Wanchai Ferry – a frozen chinese entree from General Mills that contains about 50 ingredients. Looking at the Sweet & Sour Chicken page (simply because that’s the bag featured on both coupons) is pretty darn scary. Shoot, just the 850mg of sodium (per serving) should scare the bejeezus out of you. That’s 1,700mg per bag – 70% of your total daily recommended intake of salt!!

So I dug through the stack again and found a coupon for Nature Valley’s Granola Nut Clusters. “100% Natural” it says. Uh huh. Fifteen ingredients – one of which is “natural flavor” – isn’t natural.

Forget Halloween, folks. The supermarket is scary all year long.