Dear Frito-Lay, 

I had to write and let you know that I really like your new SunChips commercial.  You know, the one that you hired Apple or Target’s marketing firm for.  It’s quite good and it makes me happy.  And I think it’s great you are going to launch the very first totally compostable chip bag by Earth Day 2010 (that is if no one beats you to it now that the cat is out of the bag); but why not give us the whole package and fill these biodegradable bags with chips made from organic ingredients? 

I really like your catchy tagline “you eat the chips. the earth eats the bag. and we all live in a cleaner world” - although it seems to me that our world would be even more clean if it wasn’t polluted by all the pesticides that are sprayed on conventional crops, especially corn.  You make a lot of chips, think of the impact you could have?!  And I would be willing to bet people would pay a little more for them.  

I hope you’ll at least consider it, afterall you have enough time to make the switch - a whole year! 

Happy Earth Day!

Sincerely,

Organic Fanatic

P.S. To watch the new SunChips commercial click here. 

Meet the first of its kind, the 360 Bottle concept said to be made from 100% renewable resources, food safe and a solution to our plastic water bottle problem.   Brandimage developed the concept, branding, prototyping, engineering and product design.  According to their site:

 The Challenge

Each day, Americans throw out 60 million plastic bottles. Only 14% actually get recycled—meaning 86% become garbage or litter. We looked at this as a radical problem requiring an equally radical solution. Could we design a container that would leverage sustainability, be easy to transport, and enhance the consumer’s drinking experience?

The Solution

The 360 Paper Bottle is a sustainable vision of the future. It is the first totally recyclable paper container made from 100% renewable resources. Versatile in its range of consumer applications and made from food-safe and fully recyclable materials, it decreases energy consumed throughout the product life cycle without sacrificing functionality. It is paper packaging that stands up to all liquid categories.

What are your thoughts? 

Sources: DieLine, Re-Nest &Amala.

Yoga instructor and environmentalist, Sophie Uliano is passionate about teaching women how to make small changes in their daily routines that can add up to big changes.  She’s quite aware that women, for the most part, do the majority of household shopping and are usually responsible for what clothing, food, skincare & cleaning products are purchased.  As you may have seen on Oprah’s “Green” episode for Earth Day with Julia Roberts (who wrote the forward for her book), she does indeed compost, but she is not a “granola girl” and doesn’t believe one has to be to go green. 

The book’s target audience is not women who don’t wear makeup, who could care less what their hair looks like or those who’s everyday attire is hemp and Birkenstocks.  But no matter if you’re just interested in what all the green fuss is about or if you’re a green purist, you’ll likely find her rating system useful as she rates recommendations from light to dark green (although still do keep reading labels yourself because I don’t agree with 100% of her recommendations, but then again I tend to lean more towards her “dark green” category).   

Since the book’s launch, her Gorgeously Green message has been spreading like wildfire as it resonates loudly with so many women who have embraced the idea that going green does not equal sacrificing luxuries.  The Gorgeously Green forum is a great way to connect with other likeminded individuals who have advice or questions to share.  Check out it, Sophie herself occasionally responds to the inquiries!   

To make your Thanksgiving celebration as eco-friendly as possible, follow the three Rs of conservation: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Reduce waste by buying only the needed amount of Thanksgiving supplies. Choose products with little packaging, recycled packaging, or—much better—no packaging at all.

Reuse your best silverware. Don’t buy disposable. They look ugly and a Thanksgiving dinner, tableware is far more refined.

Recycle paper, plastic, glass and aluminum containers. If you don’t already have a compost bin, use your Thanksgiving fruit and vegetable trimmings to start one. The compost will enrich the soil in your garden next spring.

76. Switch to low-wattage or compact fluorescent light bulbs. They last 10 times longer and use only one-fourth of the energy compared to incandescent light bulbs.

77. Eat vegetarian foods as much as possible. Meat makes less efficient use of land, soil, water, and energy - and cows emit/flattulate 300 liters of methane per day.
78. Dry clothes and linens on a clothesline rather than in the dryer. If you have to use a dryer, use an energy star one and clean the lint screen before use.

79. When running your tap to wash dishes, use cold water instead of hot. You’ll save a lot of energy.
80. Run energy efficient dishwashers only when full.
81. Take quick showers instead of baths.
82. Compost kitchen and garden waste, or give it to a friend who can.
83. If your lazy, don’t like to iron, or an environmentalist you can always hang your clothes in the bathroom while showering. They’ll be wrinkle free in 5 minutes of steam.
84. Install low flow showerheads and sink-faucet aerators. Low-flow showerheads can reduce the water flow up to 50 percent.
85. Collect rainwater and gray water for gardening use.
86. Start a garden; plant a garden instead of a lawn. Lawns use a huge amount of water.
87. Use natural fiber clothing, bedding and towels.

88. Insulate your water heater. Turn it down to 121°F.
89. Turn off all lights that don’t need to be on.
90. Try to be a localvore. Locally produced foods are better for the environment because they do not need to be trucked in from great distances.
91. Buy in bulk. Buy products with less packaging or buy in bulk.
92. Explore getting a solar water heater for your home.
93. Urge your local officials to start a convenient and even lucrative curbside recyclables pickup program.
94. Remove unnecessary stuff from your car. Each 100 lbs. of weight decreases fuel efficiency by 1%.
95. Use recycled products, especially paper.
96. Invest your money in environmentally and socially conscious businesses.
97. Bring your own canvas bags to the grocery store.
98. Limit your energy star air conditioner use.
99. Encourage your local auto centers to install CFC recycling equipment for auto air conditioners. Freon is released during servicing to become both a greenhouse gas and an ozone layer destroyer.
100. If you have to use fertilizer use an organic one. Home gardeners use up to 10 times more toxic chemicals per acre than farmers because home gardeners over use chemical fertilizers.
101. Spread the word.

Good luck and Godspeed.

42. Switch to Solar Energy.
In one day, the sun provides more energy than our population could use in 27 years. Make the switch to sunlight — it doesn’t pollute and it’s free.
43. Turn your thermostat up by three degrees in the summer. You can prevent the emission of nearly 1100 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
44. Use a notebook computer.
Notebook computers are 90 percent more energy-efficient than desktop computers. They run on rechargeable batteries, and have energy-saving features like low-energy display screens and automatic sleep modes.
45. If you’re really hardcore use an Energy Star certified notebook computer. Since 2001, all Apple computers and displays have earned the original (2000) ENERGY STAR® rating.
46. If you’re really really hardcore use an Energy Star 4.0 certified notebook computer. Apple Mac and the Apple MacBook Pro either in a 15.4 inch screen or 17 inch screen have already received the impressive Energy Star 4.0 certification.
47. Use rechargeable batteries.
We buy 5 billion batteries every year. Trouble is, they’re not biodegradable and they’re full of toxic heavy metals that could leak into landfills. Rechargeable batteries, can replace between 50 and 300 throwaway batteries.
48. Recycle your cans.
Every month, we throw away enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet. Recycled, that aluminum would be worth $600 million by year’s end.
49. Swaddle babies in organic cotton only.
It’s not only softer and toxin free—vital to a newborn’s extremely sensitive skin but also better for the environment.
50. Look inside the triangle .
Plastic can only be recycled a limited number of times. Plastics labeled with #1 or #2 are most easily recycled, so look for a number inside the triangle on the bottom of most plastic containers.
51. Buy a mulching lawnmower.
Take care of your yard without bagging or burning leaves and lawn clippings, get a mulching lawnmower that spreads the grass clippings back on the lawn, where they decompose and feed the soil.
52. Compost your raked leaves.
If you or your kids are raking them you might as well compost them and use the mulch for free lawn feed.
53. Recycle the news. Americans throw away 44 million newspapers every day. That’s 500,000 trees a week, which is a good reason to recycle your paper or read it online.
54. Buy organic food. Organic foods are grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers — a healthier option not only for you, but also the planet.
55. work and files to save paper.
56. Offset
Air travel is incredibly environmentally taxing. Offset your flying with a small donation to a company that invests in projects to reduce carbon dioxide. .
57. Donate your car to charity Your car doesn’t even have to be running and part of the proceeds will benefit the cause of your choice.
58. Invest in green companies.
These investments perform as well, if not better than alternative investment options.
59. Eat fish carefully.
Excellent choices: mahi mahi, Pacific cod
60. Donate old paint cans.
Most paints contain metals that are hazardous to the environment when thrown away. Donate your leftover paint to your local theater company instead. Your neighborhood recycling center can also suggest drop-off points.

31. Take the live earth pledge.
32. Keep your car tuned.
Keeping your car in good working condition will make it safer and more fuel-efficient.
33. Use glass instead of plastic.
Plastic packaging leaves chemical residues on foods stored or heated in it.
34. Use organic skin care products.
35. Clean up your spills with cloth.
Twenty-seven million trees a year are destroyed to support our paper towel addiction. Clean up your spills with cotton kitchen towels or old clothes.
36. Caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows.
37. Opt for small-oven or stove-top cooking when preparing small meals.
38. Compost kitchen and garden waste, or give it to a friend who can.
39. Clean the lint screen in clothes dryers.
40. Support Organic Cotton
41. Carpool
Most cars on U.S. roads carry only one person.