We are excited to announce that the GreenBlue Board of Directors has appointed Nina Goodrich as Executive Director of the organization. Goodrich will also continue in her current role as Program Director for GreenBlue’s flagship project, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC).
“We are thrilled that Nina is taking on the role of Executive Director for GreenBlue, and we look forward to the benefits that her innovative thinking will bring to all of our programs,” said GreenBlue Board Chair Guy Gleysteen, a Senior Vice President at Time Inc.
Goodrich is an internationally recognized leader with expertise in sustainability, innovation, and organizational development. She was previously Program Director for PAC NEXT in Toronto, an initiative of The Packaging Association that strives towards a “world without packaging waste.” Goodrich also founded consultancy Sustainnovation Solutions to inspire industry to understand the business opportunity that sustainability offers and the role it can play in re-inventing competitive corporate strategy.
GreenBlue is working to build a world where businesses are leaders for environmental stewardship and products are designed from the start with sustainability in mind. Since its founding over 10 years ago, the organization has grown from a small start-up with a pioneering strategy of working directly with business on product design to a well-respected thought leader in sustainability. Through successful projects such as the SPC, CleanGredients, the Forest Products Working Group, and Advisory Services, GreenBlue has earned a reputation for its scientific credibility and technical expertise in helping businesses implement concrete sustainability solutions and innovations.
“Nina’s passion and energy make her the perfect leader for both GreenBlue and the SPC,” said Jeff Wooster of The Dow Chemical Company, who is a member of both the GreenBlue Board of Directors and the SPC Executive Committee. “We are excited about the benefits this alignment will bring to the organization.”
This appointment of Goodrich as Executive Director recognizes the importance of SPC within the GreenBlue family while continuing to support the broader GreenBlue mandate.
“I see this as a great opportunity to work towards the GreenBlue vision of making products more sustainable,” said Goodrich. “GreenBlue and the SPC have a shared vision to develop the sustainability strategies and tools that can mobilize industry to embed sustainable thinking into their product development processes.”
Category: GreenBlue
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Top Five Fun Facts: November
Eric DesRoberts continues his monthly series of facts and tidbits he’s uncovered during his research to better understand products and packaging. You can also check out his past Fun Facts here.
1. Roughly 35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced in 2012. This equates to roughly 9 billion individual pieces.
2. In 2011, the federal government provided $4.1 billion to Homeless Assistant Programs to provide for the more than 600,000 homeless people identified in the United States.
3. Forty eight million Americans get sick from eating tainted food each year. From January 2011 to September 2012, these illnesses led to 37 deaths and over $200 million in health related costs (including hospitalization, pain and suffering, and lost productivity).
4. The average shopper spent nearly $400 on Black Friday last year. Computers and electronics, clothing and shoes, and video games were the most popular items
5. Roughly 250 million turkeys were produced in 2011. This equates to roughly 7.3 billion pounds of turkey meat, or 16 pounds consumed per person. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, here is an interesting infographic illustrating the holiday.
This past September, we held the Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s 2012 Fall Members Meeting at the Sheraton Station Square hotel in Pittsburgh. Upon checking in, I was informed about Sheraton’s “Make a Green Choice” program. To participate in this program, I would be required to hang a special tag on my doorknob each day I wanted to participate and agree to skip all housekeeping for that day. In turn, I would be rewarded with either a $5 credit to spend in the hotel or extra Starwood reward points.
At first, I didn’t like the idea. I mean, I already reuse towels during my hotel stays, and isn’t one of the nice things about staying in a hotel that someone makes your bed for you? But after talking to the front desk staff, I decided to try it out. Reusing towels is great, but housekeeping changes your sheets every day whether they need to be changed or not. I don’t need clean sheets daily, and I can certainly make my own bed (and do so every day in my own house). According to Sheraton, participating in this program for even one night will save a lot of water, electricity, chemicals, and detergents. Multiply these conservation benefits by each night and each guest room and it can really add up.
So why is “Making a Green Choice” different than all the other hotel chains that post a placard in the shower suggesting you hang your towels and reuse them, or place a card on your bed to avoid having the linens changed? The daily rewards, for sure. But the really interesting twist is the public aspect of the doorknob tags. Leaving my room for the day, I made sure my hangtag was on the door, and as I walked down the hall to the elevator, I was able to see which of my fellow guests were also “making a green choice.” I think that the peer pressure aspect of the program encourages people to participate who would otherwise not think to do so. Maybe it was the fact that the hotel was full of diligent Sustainable Packaging Coalition meeting attendees, but on my floor, I would say that about 1/3 to 1/2 of the rooms sported the hangtag. That printed notice in the shower about the towels? Well, no one sees whether or not you dutifully hang your towels or have them all replaced every day.
The only downside I can see to this program is a potential negative effect on housekeeping jobs. So let’s remember to tip the housekeeping staff appropriately when we do use their services at check-out! But environmentally speaking, I like the peer encouragement and public awareness aspect of this program. What do you think about these new hotel programs that incentivize conservation through rewards and peer pressure?
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A Fond Farewell to Theron (and Pela!)
After nearly three years at GreenBlue, Theron Jourdan, Project Manager for GreenBlue’s Forest Products program, recently relocated back to his hometown of Portland with his wife, Kelsey, and their dog, Pela, a frequent office visitor. Theron came to GreenBlue as part of our acquisition of Metafore in late 2009, which was the foundation for GreenBlue’s Forest Products program. Theron worked across various Forest Products initiatives and projects. Notable, under Theron’s dutiful management, EPAT underwent numerous upgrades and has continued to grow, both in terms of companies using the tool to evaluate the environmental performance of the paper they use, and mills reporting data.
All of us here at GreenBlue are sad to see Theron go, and a few of us offered up some words to thank Theron for all that he has done for GreenBlue during his time here. First up, we interviewed Tom Pollock, Theron’s colleague from the Forest Products program, on what he has learned about Theron over the years and what he will miss most.
Tom Pollock
How long have you worked with Theron? What was your first impression when you first met?
I’ve been working with Theron for a bit over five years now. My first impression of him was that he was cool customer who was willing to ready to contribute to the work we were doing straight away.
What do you see as Theron’s greatest professional accomplishments to date, whether at Metafore or GreenBlue?
I’ve always been really impressed with Theron’s ability to take the time to understand a complex issue or technical problem and then apply what he learned into the context of what we’re working on. For example, getting into the detail of how water quality is measured at various pulp mills around the world and bringing that information into a business and sustainability context. A lot of what we do is around innovation and new ways of thinking about things, and Theron has been really impressive in his ability to move with the issues and learn what’s needed. Specifically, Theron has many accomplishments in his time at Metafore and GreenBlue, but I would have to say that his work on the Environmental Paper Assessment Tool (EPAT) and all of his work with forest certification has been impressive.
Have you come to learn any fun facts about Theron over the years that the rest of us may not be aware of?
Where do I start? There’s too many to tell. Theron is an accomplished kayaker for anyone who doesn’t know and has even won two “best director” awards for his kayaking films at a reputable film fest in Portland, Ore. Theron has fought off a bear. He doesn’t wear shoes unless he has to. He’s a pretty good fisherman. I would even say he is good enough to probably be the second best fly fisherman at GreenBlue.
Theron is pretty unflappable. Have you ever seen him get mad? (If yes, can you tell us what the reason was?)
Never have. He probably even reasoned with the bear that charged him.
As a friend (and former bartender in college), what drink would make Theron happiest to find sitting in front of him?
Probably any good IPA. But as an active guy, it would definitely be an IPA after a day rafting or kayaking.
What will you miss most about working with him?
There’s a lot, but at the end of the day, Theron is just a really great guy. He is fun to work with and it was a blast to share the challenges, successes, and accomplishments with him over the years.
Geneva Hodges
Good luck on the west coast, Theron! We will miss your calm demeanor, witty one-liners, and dedicated work ethic. You were an amazing addition to the team, and I wish you all the best at Nike! On a selfish note, hopefully there won’t be any random bear attacks at the office now that you are gone…fingers crossed!
Minal Mistry
I guess Pala was the ambassador for the Forest Products group…I’ll miss the two thumps from when she would run through the office. First, of her head bashing the door, and then of her head on my desk asking for a treat. Of course eventually Theron would come around looking for her and find her under my desk.
James Ewell
1. Obviously the bear story is a pretty riveting inside joke.
2. I appreciated how mellow Theron’s personality is and the calming influence he had on the office as a “Buddha Boy.”
3. Pela was our mascot and our “slobbery joy.”
Anne Bedarf
I will miss both Theron and sweetie dog Pela!
Anne also provided this picture of Theron and Pela (and some of Pela’s friends) taken at GreenBlue’s annual “Bring Your Dog” to work day:
While we will all miss Theron’s presence in the office tremendously, the work of our Forest Products program continues under Tom’s leadership. Look out for the first official report from the Forest Products Working Group, which will provide clear, science-based guidelines to inform decision-making for paper design, procurement, use, and recovery, to be released within the coming weeks.
Please join us in wishing Theron the best of luck in his future endeavors!
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A Need for More Context?
With significant interest around monitoring, collecting, and reporting sustainability metrics, a recent Sustainable Brands article draws attention to some of the shortcomings of conventional sustainability metrics. The article, which is largely based on research coming out of the Center for Sustainable Organizations, suggests that conventional (absolute and relative) metrics only “occasionally, if not randomly correlate with the true sustainability performance of organizations.” The alternative—context-based metrics—take social, economic, and environmental limits and thresholds into account, and can be used to truly understand an organization’s sustainability performance.
There is also an effort underway to get context-based metrics reporting guidance into the Global Reporting Initiative’s fourth generation of Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, G4. If you’ve read these articles, or even if you haven’t, I encourage you to weigh in on the discussion. Which metrics does your company use for sustainability reporting, and which are more useful in driving sustainability?
Eric DesRoberts continues his monthly series of facts and tidbits he’s uncovered during his research to better understand products and packaging. You can also check out his past Fun Facts here.
1. Back to school sales are the second highest consumer spending period for retailers behind the winter holidays. The average family with children in grades K-12 reportedly spends nearly $700 on back to school items. When adding the K-12 sales to college spending, the total sales are expected to reach over $80 billion.
2. In the US, roughly 480,000 school buses bring students to and from school every day. Cumulatively, these drivers log about 5.8 billion miles each year and save communities an estimated $7.7 billion that would have been realized if these students rode to school in private vehicles.
3. The cost of a four-year education has more than doubled (real values) from 1980 to 2010. The average price of a 4-year education in the US is just over $32,000.
4. On average, school systems spend just over $11,000 on each of the 50 million students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools. In the upcoming school year, this is anticipated to hit around $570 billion in total.
5. In 2011, about 32 million students participated in the National School Lunch Program at a total cost of nearly $11.1 billion.
The numerous services we receive from nature don’t typically come with a price tag that’s easy to see. Unfortunately, without that price tag, our economic system makes it difficult to appreciate these ecosystem services or take them into account when a competing business opportunity comes up.
Wetlands and mangrove forests provide us with (free!) flood control and nurseries for fish and crabs. Vegetation near streams provides (free!) nutrient filtration for our waterways. Forests and soils sequester carbon from the atmosphere (for free!) when we burn fossil fuels. Honeybees pollinate many of our food crops (for free!). But how can we value that flood control, those fish, tons of carbon sequestered, or crops pollinated? If we had to step in and provide these “free” services in lieu of nature, it’s obvious that we wouldn’t continue to consider these services “free.”
Tourism and recreation dollars are an incredibly valuable benefit for local communities that practice land and water preservation. For example, around the world, protected nesting beaches for sea turtles have drawn thousands of tourists who want to catch a glimpse of this amazing animal–along with millions of their dollars for local communities. Figuring out nature’s price tags is an increasingly effective way for scientists, economists, and conservationists to work with communities and convince them to forgo short-term economic gains in favor of a more lucrative long-term plan that preserves nature in the bargain.
We’re familiar with tradable permits designed to reduce air pollution, and markets around the world have started putting a price on carbon emissions. The latest in the effort to put a price tag on nature? Surfonomics. This article in the Washington Post explains how we have now started to put a price tag on a perfect wave, this time in Puerto Rico. You can find out more about Surfonomics from the Save the Waves Coalition.
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Brundtland at 25
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Our Common Future, commonly known as the “Brundtland Report.” Named for Gro Harlem Brundtland, former prime minister of Norway and Chair of the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), the UN-sponsored study almost singlehandedly put sustainability on the map. A quarter century later, how has it fared?
First, it was an important precursor to the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, eight ambitious objectives for the year 2015 that all developed nations have signed. More generally, Brundtland defined how we talk about sustainability. One line from the report has become possibly the most-often cited definition of sustainable development: “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” Many take this to mean we cannot squander current resources and leave nothing for our heirs. In his oft-cited 1992 address to the United Nations, Native American leader Oren Lyons urged societies “to make every decision on behalf of the seventh generation to come; to have compassion and love for those generations yet unborn.” Our legacy should be one of hope, not destruction.
Yet, the Brundtland definition invariably is taken out of context and rarely, if ever, discussed in terms of social and cultural implications, though the report itself focused on global community and human fulfillment in relation to the earth’s capacity, as another passage makes clear: “Sustainable development requires meeting the basic needs of all and extending to all the opportunity to fulfill their aspirations for a better life.” Brundtland intends everyone to have the opportunity not merely to subsist but also to pursue their ambitions, to live out their dreams.
These are very broad aims. Today, however, public discourse about sustainability defines both the questions and the answers narrowly—the problem is global warming, the cause is emissions from outmoded energy mechanisms, and the solution is smarter mechanisms. For example, the November 2009, cover story of Scientific American was titled “A Plan for a Sustainable Future,” which suggests a comprehensive look at improving the relationship between humanity and the earth. Yet, the subtitle was much more specific: “How to get all energy from wind, water, and solar power by 2030.” Does a “sustainable future” mean merely ridding the world of greenhouse gases?
So, while Our Common Future has been very influential in spurring public debate, its original aspirations seem to have been lost. Let’s hope the next quarter century embraces a more inclusive approach to sustainability.
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Top Five Fun Facts: August
Eric DesRoberts continues his monthly series of facts and tidbits he’s uncovered during his research to better understand products and packaging. You can also check out his past Fun Facts here.
1. The Federal Railroad Administration reports that there were nearly 1,500 train derailments in all of 2011. From January to April of this year, there were 389 derailments, which is an improvement when compared to more than 500 during the same period last year.
2. 3.6 million pounds of retired US currency gets shredded annually. Ford is looking for ways to use this material to reinforce plastics used for interior trim in their automobiles. This will help offset some of the estimated 300 pounds of plastic used in the average car.
3. Over 10 million tons of waste is generated every year by the 78 million dogs living in the US. Dog waste carries parasites that can be transmitted directly to humans. Two or three days worth of droppings from just 100 or so of these canines can contribute enough bacteria to temporarily close a bay and all watershed areas within a 20 mile radius of the waste.
4. Facebook generated 285,000 metric tons of GHG emissions in 2011. The same impacts could be realized from all Facebook users consuming about 3 bananas over the course of the year.
5. In 2011, the US Postal Service processed 167.9 billion pieces of mail, racking up 1.2 billion miles driven by letter carriers and truck drivers. This equates to about 48,000 trips around the world or 2,500 round trips to the moon.
The first year-long Charlottesville Better Business Challenge has officially come to an end. This year’s competition included 107 Charlottesville-area organizations competing in six categories: Waste Reduction, Water, Transportation, Energy, Purchasing, and Leadership. Organizations earning 150 points or more were eligible for the Winner’s Circle. GreenBlue finished in the Winner’s Circle, in addition to being nominated for awards in the categories for Kilowatt Crackdown, Biggest Loser, Green Leader, Top Innovator, and Overall Champion among medium-size organizations. We were, in fact, the only business to be nominated for an award in every category.
On June 21, the Challenge hosted an awards ceremony where everyone walked the “green carpet” at the Paramount Theater here in downtown Charlottesville. Several local area restaurants and wineries donated wonderful food and drinks for the event. I am very proud to announce that at the awards ceremony, GreenBlue won two awards: Kilowatt Crackdown and Biggest Loser (waste reduction).
In most cases being considered the Biggest Loser would not be cause for celebration. However, in this case we are thrilled to have won in this category. This title means our organization had the greatest reduction in waste generated in the office among all participating businesses. We accomplished this by increasing our composting and recycling efforts, and in total we were able to reduce our waste by 40%.
We strive to recycle as many products as we can as an office. Our current recycling initiatives cover not only the usual paper/cardboard, plastics, glass, and metals, but also CFL bulbs, batteries, ink and toner cartridges, electronics, and plastic bags. We have taken electronics and other products to our local Best Buy for recycling and have used Freecycle to find homes for no longer needed items. We’ve bartered items on Craigslist and offered unused lanyards and nametags to a local Girl Scout council. We’ve found that most things can be reused in some manner, it’s just a matter of finding the right place. Although this sometimes can take a bit of research to find the appropriate location, it is definitely worth the effort.
We also started a partnership with the C&O Restaurant to compost our organic waste together. Some of our food waste is taken home to feed a staffer’s chickens, and at times they can be some mighty well fed birds! The remainder of our food products, compostable packaging, and paper towels are now collected and combined with the food waste from the restaurant. We are very appreciative that the C&O houses the large compost collection can and agreed to share the cost with us. We believe this type of partnership could benefit other organizations and restaurants in the community and we actively encourage other local businesses to seek out similar opportunities.
Black Bear Composting recycles our compostable material into products for healthy soil. Once the organics have finished composting, the end product–finished compost–has several benefits:
- Returns nutrients to soil: nutrients derived from the soil in the form of vegetation are returned to the soil to restart the growing cycle
- Revitalizes soil: compost also provides structural and biological benefits to soil that improves soil health
- Reduces chemical needs: soil-amended with compost reduces the need for chemical fertilizing and pest control
- Retains water: compost enhances water absorption of soil, which reduces irrigation needs.
We would like to offer our congratulations to all organizations that participated in the Challenge and a heartfelt Thank You to the Challenge organizers and sponsors that worked so diligently during the past year. For more information on the awards and photos of the awards ceremony, please visit the Better Business Challenge website. You may also want to check out the media coverage sponsored this year by Earless Rabbit. Although sustainability can be challenging to implement, we are proud to have participated in this year’s Better Business Challenge and do our part in ensuring a healthy future for our planet and the next generations.
