Green Girl

I thought this article from eMarketer was pretty interesting, discussing the greening (or “greenwashing”) of online advertisting. 60% of people polled in a DoubleClick survey say that it’s important to them that the products they buy are manufactured by environmentally-conscious companies.

The internet is a useful place for those of us who are concerned  about the environment because it opens up avenues of communication and investigation of what companies are actually doing when they claim that their practices are green.  While it is possible that the growing concern will encourage people to market their products as green even when they truly aren’t, we hope that consumers’ green desires will transform companies’ policies for a cleaner, greener future.

Here’s a few news links on some hot-button issues for the green crowd:

• Samsung is set to release two environmentally-friendly mobile phones. One is made from a recycled plastic, and the other is manufactured without BFRs and PVC. We think corporate responsibility is very sexy…way to go, Samsung!
• The G8 Summit , which gets so little press in the US, is being dominated this year by issues relating to the environment, world health, and food and water supplies.
• Affordable, sleek, and committed to taking care of the environment, Ikea has recently released a new website that will help them codify their “Ikea Way,” continuing to greenwash the brand and to promote its earth-friendly policies to those of us who care.

PETA has been on KFC for a while about their slaughterhouse practices, and apparently, the organization’s pressure is working! In a recent agreement with 461 KFC franchises, PETA has announced that KFC will begin selling unchicken products! While many of KFC’s franchises are not yet ready to take action, the fact that PETA has gotten 461 stores to begin to offer vegan products is amazing.

In my humble opinion, it will be a smart business move for KFC in addition to being the right thing to do. As more people become health and environmentally conscious, more people are switching to the veggie lifestyle. I’ve been vegetarian for almost 15 years, and I’ve seen the market change to be far more veggie-friendly in my time. The fast food industry still has a long way to go in capturing the vegetarian market, and it’s impressive that a company with such a long, devastating record on animal rights and the environment is possibly going to be a leader on this issue.

See more at The Globe And Mail and on the PETA site.

We’re all worried about the ways that the rapidly-rising gas prices are going to hurt our pocketbooks, so here’s some tips from a fellow Today.com blogger on how to save gas. Check it out to find out new ideas to help your pocketbook while helping the planet at the same time.

I also thought that these tips were helpful, as well as these . Give them a thumbs up if you’re a Stumbler, and help spread the word!

Going vegetarian or vegan isn’t just an animal-rights issue; it can actually help the environment. Look at British Meat’s statistics regarding the environmental advantages of becoming vegetarian, including the fact that it takes three to fifteen times more water to produce animal protein than it takes for plant protein.

Chloe Jo , the diva behind the Girlie Girl Army’s fantastic green-friendly email updates, recently sent out a list of easy ways to do your part to save the world. One of the updates was pretty interesting for those of you who like to eat and live the vegetarian way, offering a links of veg-friendly shopping and dining resources.

I looked into the links, and I thought I’d repost the best of them here for you. Thanks, Chloe Jo!

Thinking of going veggie, but not sure where to get started? Consider checking out these sites for a jumpstart on your new veggie lifestyle:

• Veg Dining offers a list of vegetarian restaurants around the world. If you’ll be traveling and you’re concerned about where to eat, or if you just want to check out something more exciting than the Subway Veggie Delite Standard, visit Veg Dining to get your recommendations before you go.
• Food Fight is an all-vegan online grocery store. If you want it and you don’t want it to have any animal products in it, Food Fight has it.
• Vegan Essentials is another great option for online vegan health care products, pet care goods, and vegan clothing.
• Herbivore Clothing offers books, clothes, wallets, and other merchandise with a promise of being animal friendly.
•  Urban Decay is fun and funky, and they sell animal-friendly, vegan cosmetics.
• Moo Shoes sells fashionable vegan shoes.

Here’s a few green stories that are hot right now:

• There’s controversy about a Wilmington, North Carolina cement plant that wants to destroy wetlands to expand its operations.  While it promises to bring millions of dollars in revenue and new jobs to the area, local residents have formed a “Fight Titan” group to try to stop Titan America from razing wetlands.
• Scholars studying energy consumption at the University Of California at Berkeley suggest that economic concerns outweigh environmental concerns in consumers’ shopping choices. While the rising price of gas is making folks reconsider their transportation choices, the high cost of alternative fuels and transportation often keeps us from making green-friendly changes.
• It’s Environmental Awareness week in Jamaica ! From protecting coral reefs to reducing carbon emissions, seminars and events across Kingston as Jamaicans come together to learn more about how they can do their part to help.