L2ideas Green Blog

I've become a regular at Seattle Greendrinks. I like it because it is a gathering of working environmentalists, and entrepreneurs for a greener future. I also like the free beer and local wine... but we'll just keep that quiet, right?

Labels: green, me

A Vatican official, Bishop Crepaldi, seems to be harkening back to the old yarn about how Creation is intended to serve man. Perhaps the Catholic church is getting worried about how concerns for the environment may supplant the interpretation of the world offered by the church.

Two recent Los Angeles Times Opinion piece grapples with the idea that "environmentalism has become a secular proxy religion"

• Challenge

Response

Labels: government, green

It's not easy to know if you're being green when you go to stay in a hotel. This article calls for a methodology standardization in certification programs. I couldn't agree more.
CNN Article
Right now, the only standard with any credibility is LEED Certification.

Do you need help achieving LEED Certification? Contact L2Ideas: we can help.

Labels: green, LEED

Although I did not attend, ONE/NW had a recent event that I wish I had witnessed. The meeting minutes were posted on John Stahl's blog. Eldan Goldenberg alerted me to the discussion, and posted a very interesting response.

I am currently reading Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. One of the central points of the book is that we are biologically/historically built to live in Mediocristan (a world of average stuff), but modern life is actually Extremistan (of dwarfs and giants). The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The reason I bring up this book in this conversation is that I view social networking sites and some blogs as being examples of Extremistan. The A-list bloggers, and celebrity facebook/myspace-ers have a vastly disproportional presence. A new meme, fad, fashion, or celebrity can displace them... but it is important to realize that we're living in Extremistan when we participate online.

I may sound like an old fogie, but once upon a time I described Blogger as a "great democratizing agent" -- only later did I see that these social networking sites and tools have the potential to be king makers.

Of course, it is possible to harness this power for highlighting a cause. But let's not fool ourselves that it necessarily means that the amplified messages will be for the betterment of humanity. I have no doubt that these tools could amplify hate just as powerfully as love/peace.

So how can the power be harnessed? The incremental and the dramatic. This blog is incremental: another brick in the wall amplifying green messages for positive change. The dramatic can either be a singular, incremental voice that (for some highly improbable reason) gets elevated to extreme popularity, or because someone who already has the ear of a huge number of folks takes up the cause (ex: Al Gore).

Regardless: welcome to Extremistan. Please wipe your feet.

Labels: green

For Halloween, I bring you the concept of Green Funerals. Yes, you read that correctly, green funerals... the greener way to die. Everything organic is compostable, even you!

To some extent, this represents a successful marketing campaign. They have re-branding a combination of pre-existing product as green. Natural funerals are typically utilized by Jews and Muslims, who bathe the body but do not embalm. They also typically utilize modest wooden boxes and bury their dead in the ground. Cremation is in vogue again within the American funeral market. Combine and re-brand as green and voila! Labels: green

Ignore the anti-Walmart propaganda. Open your mind to the possibility that they really are a force for good. In terms of environmental policy, they are doing more than almost any other major international company right now. They really are leading the way in Sustainability.

The message that they are sending to their company and supply chain is clear:

• Walmart wants to be Supplied by 100% renewable energy


• Walmart wants to have Zero Waste


• Walmart wants to Sell Sustainable Products

Maybe they should re-color their logo: from blue to green.

Labels: business, green, sustainability, Walmart

Numerous industries report that consumers will prefer, and pay more, for items that are more environmentally sound.
Here are some links that ground this statement:

• Renewable Energy


• Publications


• Hormone Free Milk

Labels: consumer, green

OK, I guess we can forgive magazines for being the paper wasters that they are when we consider that many of them are, in fact, raising awareness of important issues. Last month, Fortune Magazine applauded green companies, this month's Vanity Fair is singing the praises of green celebrities and attempting to raise awareness of global climate change.
Check out the magazine --- and if you're interested in saving paper and ink, perhaps you can share one copy with a friend.

Labels: celebrities, climate_change, green

This month, Fortune magazine is highlighting 10 giant companies who are leading the green movement.
The companies listed are:

1. Honda


2. Continental Airlines


3. Suncor


4. Tesco


5. Alcan


6. PG&E


7. S.C. Johnson


8. Goldman Sachs


9. Swiss Re


10. Hewlett-Packard

Labels: business, green

SustainLane compiles the list of green tech incubators. And the winner is...
Austin, Texas, which has the following

• a Clean Energy Incubator (CEI) and


• the Austin Technology Incubator (ATI)

• San Jose


• Berkeley


• Pasadena


• Greater Boston

Labels: business, green, technology

Solar-powered cell phones may soon be coming to a purse or pocket near you.

The flexible solar cells are made from organic dies and organic materials, which sounds like an excellent "cradle to cradle" design idea.

Labels: consumer, green, solar, technology