Posts within ‘green consumerism’

72 Hours for Clean American Power

By admin / March 2nd, 2010 / Categories: earthkeeping, green consumerism
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Over the next three days, hundreds of thousands of people will be urging their senators to pass clean energy and climate legislation as part of a 72-hour call-in campaign – a national grassroots’ effort by more than 30 groups.

The campaign is organized by environmental organizations, labor unions, veterans groups, faith and business leaders who want to build momentum for climate action.  The urgency?  Congress is, right now, setting its agenda for the rest of 2010. We need clean energy and climate legislation to be on the table.

 If you believe that investing in clean energy can create jobs, protect our security, put America at the forefront of a global market and help us solve global warming, then add your voice to the 72-hour campaign: either call 1-877-973-7693 or use the campaign’s “click to call” tool.  Let our elected officials know who you are — and that you support passing clean energy and climate legislation now.

Modeling Corporate Climate Action

By admin / February 24th, 2010 / Categories: Corporate Social Responsibility, green consumerism
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It’s easy to get the impression that there is no hope for climate action. Perhaps you’ve heard that the recent DC snowstorms buried any chance to pass a comprehensive energy and climate bill. Or that hacked emails have set the climate movement back a decade. We have a completely ineffectual Senate, a gun-shy EPA, and a dysfunctional global climate community. Our political leadership seems to be paralyzed by fear to take on the climate crisis.

That’s not the impression you’d get reading the business news, though. There, you would have seen a year of climate momentum. In October, several major companies left the US Chamber of Commerce over its position on corporate climate action. Bill Gates has called for making climate change our #1 priority. Every week, another company seems to be launching a new effort to reduce its climate impact. The steady ticker of corporate action toward energy efficiency, renewable energy investment, carbon neutrality, and extraordinary technological innovation tells a remarkably different story than our stuck-in-the-mud politics and lightweight public discourse on climate.

We’ve launched a new project, Climate Counts Industry Innovators (or i2) that will help this momentum build. We heard from so many companies–even after our first year of company scoring in 2007–that simply got it. They understood that an external review of their climate actions made simple for consumers could have real long-term brand benefit in an increasingly competitive world. We found a forward-thinking group of companies that voluntarily wanted to go through our scoring process; they wanted to face Climate Counts’ scrutiny of their carbon management efforts to bolster an already strong spirit of environmental innovation with an outside point of view. Six of those companies now comprise our charter group of i2 companies: Amtrak , Ben & Jerry’s , Clif Bar , REI , Shaklee , and Timberland . They represent different sectors, different geographies, different sizes, and different corporate structures. But what they share is a commitment to making it clear to consumers that climate action is business leadership. They’re helping build markets for renewables, they’re testing new technologies, they’re helping employees and consumer make the link between their lives and climate change, and they’re doing the common-sense work of running their companies more efficiently.

This is yet more proof that businesses that are committed to their own long-term viability understand the realities of climate change, aren’t being misled by the climate deniers, and respect the steady evolution of consumers on issues as complex as climate change. They’re positioning themselves to out-compete the companies still dithering on climate.

Companies that are setting a high bar on corporate climate responsibility are increasingly faced with a critical issue: how to gain the consumer’s attention for that leadership. Since launching our Climate Counts Company Scorecard three years ago, we’ve always maintained that companies wanting to see real ROI from credible sustainability programs and investments need to make it abundantly clear to consumers what they’ve done and why.

When it comes to innovation of all kinds (technological, environmental, or otherwise), consumers want to be wowed. They are drawn to CEOs who have put the time and resources into developing meaningful solutions to problems. Consumers may not always know what to ask of companies about their climate and sustainability programs, but they want to be impressed by the innovation they represent. More importantly, though, they have to believe it. But it’s not just about who’s the loudest or more effusive or uses the best shade of green in a logo or ad campaign. In a world where recycling and light bulbs still define the consumer environmental conversation, companies have a unique opportunity, even responsibility, to lead consumers on the issues that really matter.

What’s the best news about the innovative actions of these companies? While they’re confidently preparing to put distance between themselves and climate laggards, they’re also helping us all imagine a world that’s both better for good business and better for the people and resources upon which they depend.

Wood Turner is the executive director of Climate Counts. To learn more about the Climate Counts Industry Innovators program, visit http://i2.climatecounts.org or e-mail i2@climatecounts.org

Coming Out of Copenhagen

By admin / December 21st, 2009 / Categories: Corporate Social Responsibility, earthkeeping, green consumerism
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The big question now, as the dust settles and media and world leaders alike bring their presence and focus back from Copenhagen to the world at large: what next?  Absent universal agreement and legally-binding legislation to show us the path forward on climate change solutions, where are we and where do we go from here?

The answers are as varied as the participants at Copenhagen themselves: some remain optimistic, others are discouraged and despondent.  It’s true that COP15 didn’t produce the real and concrete outcomes many were hoping for … but like many, we’re choosing to regard it not as the end of an effort, but the beginning of an important path forward.  Through the lens provided by our COP correspondent team of Olivia Zaleski and Gabriel London, we observed plenty of disparities of words and actions among leaders and nations … but we also witnessed the power of the individual demanding (sometimes violently) to have a voice.  By all accounts, the number of engaged citizens that gathered in Copenhagen over the last two weeks — some in the spirit of goodwill, others in animosity – was staggering.  Regardless of their view or voice, they were all there in the name of an issue they care deeply about …and that’s the kind of personal passion that gives us hope as we look to the future and contemplate what’s next.

Regardless of the climate conference outcome, there are things we can and should be doing as part of our commitment to Earthkeeping – from making environmentally-conscious decisions about the products we buy and the energy we use, to participating in local community greening initiatives, to urging our legislators to support climate change solutions.  For our part, Timberland will continue to push to reduce our impact on the environment — and continue to encourage others to do the same.  We didn’t entirely expect a global agreement coming out of Copenhagen, and we don’t need one to keep on as we have been, modifying our operations and our products to lessen our carbon footprint and create positive environmental action.  The lack of agreement in our post-Copenhagen reality doesn’t derail our efforts or stall our progress or diminish our passion for creating global standards for greenhouse gas emissions … nor does it prevent us from being optimistic that COP15 wasn’t the end of the road, but rather the starting line for an important journey still ahead of us.

Share your thoughts with us about all things Copenhagen here … how was our coverage, what are your thoughts about the outcome, how hopeful are you about the future?  And then please stay tuned — we look forward to sharing news of our progress and projects for 2010 with you soon.

Every Crawler Counts

By admin / November 30th, 2009 / Categories: Corporate Social Responsibility, earthkeeping, green consumerism
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This month, our friends at Seventh Generation launched the Million Baby Crawl , a new initiative to engage consumers in support of reforming the nation’s toxic chemical laws.

Million Baby Crawl is a virtual rally in which cyber babies descend on Washington, D.C. to make a stink (get it?) about all the toxic chemicals invading their bodies. At www.millionbabycrawl.com , you can create your very own crawler, watch videos of babies pontificating atop soap-boxes (like the one below), and spread the word. Every crawler represents a virtual signature on a petition which will be delivered to Washington, D.C. in January, 2010.

The federal law that should protect us from health-harming chemicals just doesn’t work: Since 1976, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has required safety testing on only 200 of the more than 80,000 chemicals on the market. We need a stronger chemical law to keep our families (and our environment) safe and healthy.

Seventh Generation has partnered with Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families , a growing and diverse coalition that includes nurses, parents, scientists, environmentalists and citizens from across the country who are united by their concern about toxic chemicals in our homes, workplaces and products we use every day.

Create your own crawler and support the effort for stronger chemical laws at www.millionbabycrawl.com .

Eco-dining at its Best: Primo

By admin / October 29th, 2009 / Categories: earthkeeping, green consumerism
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The following blog post comes from our very good friends over at Green Living Project (GLP), a non-profit organization that films sustainable programs across the world for inspirational and educational purposes.  In GLP’s two-year history, the organization has documented over thirty diverse projects in ten countries across Latin America and Africa.  This past August, Adrienne Rosenberg joined Green Living Project’s first domestic trip, which showcased a myriad of inspiring sustainable initiatives across the state of Maine .

As I sat on the back steps of the renovated Victorian house, a line cook caught my eye as he hopped over the salvia and lunged around the basil to snip a few sprigs of mint. At any other restaurant, if you are out of an ingredient, you are out of luck- but not Primo. Primo restaurant , co-owned by Chef Melissa Kelly and Pastry Chef Price Kushner, strives to pleasantly blend the ideals of sustainability with palate-savoring pleasures.

Like many students desperate for a quick financial fix, I have made my circulations in restaurants across the nation, often experiencing the same harrowing episodes: a chef with a large ego, quick hands to dump “waste” from plates, customers oblivious to the substandard food cultivation, piles of the same-ole, imported Sysco ingredients, and a sort of impassive, nightly performance by the wait staff. But at Primo, diners receive an unparallel experience of local, organic Portland fare.

The cuisine brilliance begins and ends on the four-acre garden. Unlike other restaurants, Primo’s gardeners decide each morning what seasonal produce is ripe for the evening’s delights. Pulsing with life, the garden also provides chickens, herbs, grapes, edible flowers, honey, and even hops. True to their commitment to local ingredients, Primo also purchases its seafood from Portland fishermen. By the end of the night, the pigs feast on the ensuing compost of uneaten food or organic waste from the kitchen.

Primo’s garden provides much of the bounty that ends up in its dining room

In addition, Primo invites guests to explore the garden so they may come into contact with the elements that will later arrive at their table. As Melissa remarked, so often chefs will put their ego on a plate. Her philosophy, however, is to fashion her dishes so they teach others about where food comes from and how it is grown.

Inside the kitchen, Primo hosts several line cook stations, a pastry prep area, expo tables, a wood fired oven, and a downstairs prep room complete with storage and a batch of brewing beer. The chalkboard-painted door at the top of the stairs lists the specials for the night as well as displays a flyer on “How to Become Green”.

Primo’s décor pleasantly complements the organic, robust flavors of each dish. Downstairs exhibits rustic merlot colored walls and a traditional dining set up along with several art pieces while upstairs has a contrasting chicness with wrap-around couches, rectangular shaped designs, and a copper bar. Primo also seamlessly excels at energy efficiency and water conservation through their use of Maine produced biofuel as well as dual flush and waterless urinals.

After a long afternoon of dodging the staff while filming the high action atmosphere of the kitchen, Green Living Project was able to relax to fork fulls of scrumptious fresh cuisine, such as the house special baked oysters and the black spaghetti with braised cuttlefish and heirloom tomatoes, knowing that a majority of the ingredients were sustainably harvested only yards away from our table.

Adrienne Rosenberg
Green Living Project

Warrior Wyclef

By admin / October 5th, 2009 / Categories: Corporate Social Responsibility, earthkeeping, green consumerism
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Our thanks to the Earthkeepers who came out to help us celebrate our partnership with Wyclef Jean in New York last week — we’re still recovering.  Those of you who missed it, never fear – we captured a few key moments on film:

For more information on the Timberland / Wyclef collaboration (and to register to be notified when the Yele Haiti boots hit stores), visit Earthkeeper.com .

Our Newest Earthkeeper Hero: Wyclef Jean

By admin / October 1st, 2009 / Categories: Corporate Social Responsibility, earthkeeping, green consumerism
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If a tree grows in the forest but no one is there to see it … do you still get credit for planting it?

Not according to Timberland’s board of directors, who for a long time have provided the not-so-gentle feedback that everything we do to make the world a better place matters very little if our consumers don’t know we’re doing it.  They’re not advising that we stop acting as a responsible corporate citizen, mind you – just that we need to work harder to connect our civic values with our business goals.  Fair enough feedback, which encouraged us to seek meaningful partnerships with credible voices to help tell our corporate responsibility story in a way that resonates with consumers.

Fast-forward to today, when we’re thrilled to announce a creative collaboration between Timberland and Wyclef Jean – a social entrepreneur, a humanitarian and an Earthkeeper Hero of the highest degree who has invested incredible time and effort in rebuilding and reforesting his native Haiti.  Wyclef also happens to be a Grammy Award-winning musician with fans and followers all over the world – the kind of “voice” that adds considerable volume to our story — but our collaboration runs deeper and richer than some rent-a-celebrity endorsement deal.  We’ve spent a good deal of time over the past year getting to know Wyclef and learning more about his passion for social and environmental justice — and sharing our beliefs and values with him — and we’ve come to the mutual realization that we’ve got the ingredients here for something that could be pretty powerful, and pretty good.  

Central to this partnership is our shared interest in reforestation; Timberland is involved in tree-planting programs all over the world, and working with Wyclef’s Yele Haiti Foundation, we’re going to build a tree nursery in Gonaives, a city in northern Haiti devastated by Hurricane Hannah in 2008.  Once up and running, the nursery will be managed by local farmers and trees will be sold (generating revenue with which to buy more trees) or used to reforest the hillsides surrounding the city.

As for telling the story in a powerful way to consumers, we’re going to start with what we know best: building boots.  Beginning next month, consumers will be able to purchase products from Timberland’s Yele Haiti footwear collection – made from recycled and organic materials and featuring design elements we collaborated on with Wyclef himself.  For every pair sold, $2 will be donated to Wyclef’s Yele Haiti Foundation to support the reforestation efforts.  I’m psyched about the collection; it’s a perfect proof point to a conversation we’ve been having for some time with consumers about the fact that you don’t have to compromise – you can buy a pair of good-looking shoes with a good fit at the right price and also help save the world.  The Yele Haiti footwear will allow consumers to do just that.

There are lots of other good ideas wrapped into our partnership with Wyclef – t-shirts designed by Haitian art students that we’ll sell (with a portion of the proceeds going to Yele Haiti); exclusive Wyclef music downloads on our website; other tree-planting events in the US and Europe.  Our hope is that cumulatively, all of these activities will raise our voice on the importance of community building and environmental stewardship, in Haiti as well as the rest of the world … and that by incorporating all these diverse elements – a boot, a shirt, a new music single, a tree-planting event – everyone who comes into contact with the Timberland / Wyclef Jean collaboration will find something to love, something that resonates, something that inspires them to take action with us.

Timberland makes boots, Wyclef makes music – and that wouldn’t change with or without this partnership.  But together we can make money, both for our businesses and for people and communities in need.  And we can make a difference.  This — the intersection of commerce and justice, collaborating for sustainable impact – this is Earthkeeping at its best.  We’re happy to share it with you.

Jeff Swartz
President & CEO, Timberland

Climbing for a Cause

By admin / September 17th, 2009 / Categories: Corporate Social Responsibility, earthkeeping, green consumerism
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It’s been a little quiet at Timberland’s European headquarters this week, and with good reason. 10 of our colleagues there just completed the 3 Peaks Challenge: climbing (and traveling between) the tallest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales … in a 24 hour period.

The challenge included conquering Ben Nevis , Scafell Pike and Snowdon … equivalent to climbing about 10,000 feet — or just over half of Mount Kilimanjaro .

Cornices on Ben Nevis by richie@merseyventure.

The Ben

Did we mention the 24-hour time limit?

Despite a couple of injuries, the agony of a 5-hour drive through traffic in a crowded mini-van and sheer exhaustion, Team Timberland did it – beating the 24-hour time limit by a full hour and 15 minutes.  (No doubt their high-quality Timberland gear made them faster and stronger.)

Scafell & Scafell Pike from Wastwater by richie@merseyventure.

Scafell Pike

Nothing feels quite as good as meeting and beating a physical challenge (particularly in breathtaking surroundings such as these) … but contributing to a cause greater than your own accomplishment is a near second.   The Timberland team participated in this year’s 3 Peaks Challenge on behalf of TRAID – one of Timberland’s non-profit partners, and an organization near and dear to many of us.  TRAID (Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development) operates over 900 textile recycling banks across the UK where consumers can donate clothing (less in the landfill!), which is then sold back to the public through one of TRAID’s shops or repurposed in designer original “TRAIDremade ” pieces.  TRAID’s proceeds support their UK work and also fund overseas development projects .

Our 3 Peaks Challenge team has a lot to be proud of: scaling three mountains in one day and raising nearly 6,000 pounds for the important work TRAID is doing to reduce waste and support developing communities.  No wonder they’re so tired.

Thanks to our UK team for sharing their story of extreme Earthkeeping with us.  To learn more about TRAID, including how you can contribute to their effort, please visit their website.

Wee Do!

By admin / August 6th, 2009 / Categories: Corporate Social Responsibility, earthkeeping, green consumerism
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Timberland’s brand-across-the-pond howies has taken the notion of commerce and justice a step further, launching “Wee Do” – a regular lecture series hosted in howies stores in London and Bristol.  Wee Do brings compelling stories — from community, social, environmental and cultural leaders who are driving real and positive change — right to the retail floor, in hopes of inspiring and connecting people who are looking to make an impact. 

And it’s working – the series has become a serious hit among howies consumers.  No surprise when you consider recent topics like urban farming, fashion in the cycling industry and “the science of the perfect pint” (this is England, after all).

If you’re traveling in the greater London area over the next several weeks, consider dropping in on one of these Wee Do lectures at howies in Carnaby (and, of course, check out their extensive line of incredible clothes):

11th August – The Hungry Cyclist: Five years ago, this guy decided to quit his job in advertising and cycle from New York City to Rio de Janeiro collecting recipes along the way.  He wrote a book about his experience by the same name.

25th August – Cooler Magazine: Mostly women’s magazine focused on the skate, surf, bike, action-sports with a conscience community.  

8th September – Prick Your Finger: Welshwoman Rachael Matthews promotes making (mostly knitting) and mending your own clothes using local / ethical / natural materials.

22nd September – Shared Interest: a micro-lending organization which provides financial services towards improving the livelihoods of the poorest communities in developing countries.

And to check out the entire 2009 Wee Do lineup, visit howies online.

Water is Way More Complicated Than I Thought

By admin / July 31st, 2009 / Categories: Corporate Social Responsibility, earthkeeping, green consumerism
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Two weeks ago, I announced here on Earthkeepers a new ban on bottled water at Timberland headquarters buildings globally.  I was psyched about the announcement, even more excited about the action.  You know what I’ve learned over the last 2 weeks?  It’s really exhilarating to want to run a more sustainable business … but to actually do it is really freaking hard.

Get rid of the bottled water – simple ask, right?  How hard could it be?  Little did I know.  First there’s a supply issue to contend with – our facilities team reports a 4-week supply of bottled water already in house and we don’t want to be wasteful, so can we continue to offer it until the supply runs out?  Sure, okay … makes sense.  Then the vending machine folks chime in, what about the plastic soda bottles in the vending machines?  Are we getting rid of those, too?  Wow.  Okay, sure.  No more plastic bottles in the vending machines.  But hold on, says the guy in charge of our dining services – we don’t have nearly enough glasses and cups to accommodate the increased demand from people who would otherwise be drinking bottled water.  We’re gonna have to add more dishwashers, or buy more glasses … yikes.  All I wanted to do was get rid of the bottled water, now I’m buying new dishwashers?  How come it’s never as easy as you think it will be to get something done?

That was the noise from our internal community – but we had a lot of valuable feedback from external folks, too.  Many of you rightfully pointed out that the bottled water debate is a lot more complex than I indicated in my previous post, and that it does in fact serve a good purpose – critical, even – in many areas of the world.  Chief among the arguments we heard:

  1. Tap water isn’t a completely “no cost, no effort” option – it costs money and energy to sufficiently treat public water so that it is safe to drink, and more money and energy to deliver it to people and businesses.
  2. In some instances – in crowded public places, on long trips, when you’re out in the middle of nowhere – it’s not realistic to expect clean, drinkable tap water will be readily available.

All this information made me realize that bottled water is about as hard to understand as it is to get out of our buildings … and also made me glad for the engagement with people who care enough about this issue to share their thoughts (even if their thoughts were, “Jeff you’re being stupid.”).

I have a better appreciation now for when and where bottled water is necessary, and I certainly believe that plastic has its place in the world, for all sorts of good uses.  But I hold on to the notion that in the corporate world, where tap water is clean and reuseable containers are (soon to be) plentiful, we can do better than bottled water.  And so we forge ahead with our plans to give the bottle the boot from our corporate offices, hopefully in the next few weeks.  I’m excited to see idea translate into real impact – however small – despite the few good headaches we endured in the process.

I’m also excited about the real-life Earthkeeping dialogue this project produced; we shared a big idea, you were interested enough to want to talk about it, we came away smarter and more evolved in our thinking.  That’s the power of engagement – bigger, better, smarter outcomes.  I’m appreciative of the effort from those of you who joined in.

I realize getting rid of bottled water doesn’t negate our environmental footprint as a company (if only …), nor does it solve the climate crisis.  But I’m of the mind that taking even one small step in the right direction is better than staying where you are … and that low-hanging fruit is there to be picked.

Now don’t go too far … my To Do list also includes removing all paper products from our headquarters cafeteria, save post-consumer paper napkins.  This could get ugly.

Jeff Swartz
President & CEO, Timberland

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