Be the Change Blog

It's not too late to make a green New Year's Resolution

The most popular New Year's Resolution at Treehugger:  To actually carry and use a reusable shopping bag! This is an easy way to help save the environment.  By now everyone knows that plastic bags kill sea turtles and other swimming creatures, and paper bags (even recycled ones) kill trees.  Plus, both create toxic chemicals when they are manufactured and shipped across the country. 

Reusable shopping bags are the best solution.  They are compact, easy to carry, and some are even stylish!  At Hoopla Traders, we sell reusable Chico bags for only $5 (3 for $10).  They fold up into a pouch with a clip to stash in your bag or belt loop.  Many grocery stores sell large canvas shopping bags that you can leave in your car for your weekly grocery trip.  Start now, develop a habit, and save some trees in 2007!

The good, the bad and the green

Now that I've whined about how hard it was to find green packaging for Hoopla, let me share some of the good news about going green.

First, it is pretty easy to get environmentally friendly office papers and supplies.  We are using Treecycle as our one-stop source for most of our office needs.  Our inkjet printer paper and fancy stationery for hang tags are both 100% recycled.  They also supply 7th Generation toilet paper and paper towels that are 100% recycled and 80% post-consumer waste. 

Even more fun, we have started using biodegradable accoutrements for our Second Saturday celebrations.  Spudware makes "silverware" out of potato or cornstarch, cute in a funny-looking kind of way.  Our plates are tree-free, biodegradable sugar cane fiber, and our plastic cups for wine are made of biodegradable corn. 

We also found a great online source for environmentally friendly printing.  At GreenerPrinter.com, we get our Second Saturday postcards printed on 100% recycled paper using soy inks, with great prices and turnaround times.  For larger printing jobs, a local Maryland company, Ecoprint.com, offers the most sustainable printing practices in the industry. 

A new company in DC called Clean Currents makes it easy to switch to 100% wind power renewable energy, and they claim they will save us money as well!  With each little change, we believe that Hoopla is making a small contribution to the environment.  It may not seem like much, but if each person makes just one small change, together we can make a significant difference. 

Small green challenges

When we made the commitment to switch to green packaging, I thought it would be easy.  Just ditch the plastic bags, find recycled paper, and voila!  Famous last words.  This simple project turned into a frustrating wild goose chase. 

First, there is the paper v. plastic debate.  Everyone agrees the bottom line is that neither are good for the environment.  We really need to encourage people to reuse their bags.  It was relatively easy to find good, affordable reusable bags.  We decided on Chico bags, and sell them at a good price right at our cash register.  Great, as far as it goes, but we still have to provide something to customers who don't want to purchase a bag. 

That is where the real challenge came in.  Most of the large commercial packaging companies don't offer recycled bags of any kind.  We found one small distributor who could get them for us, but we had to purchase 5,000 of each size.  We don't go through 5,000 bags in a year, much less 5,000 of one size.  So we settled on recycled paper bags from Treecycle.  We can get them in small quantities (100-250 of a size) and at an affordable price.  The problem is they are only 10 - 20% recycled content.

Not only that, we still haven't found an environmentally sound way to customize them.  We tried to find a printer who uses soy ink, but couldn't find anyone who would print in such small quantities.  So we invested in stamps with the store logo and symbols.  But we still haven't tracked down an environmental stamp pad (soy or vegetable based ink).  So right now we are just giving out plain brown bags with recycled brown tissue paper.  Kind of boring, and they're not even that environmentally friendly.

But all is not lost.  We are going to order 5,000 of our most popular size bags, which will be 100% recycled material and custom-printed.  And we found great eco-friendly resources for our printing needs.  More about that in my next post.

By the way, if you do use large quantities of bags, check out Earthpack in California.  They specialize in stylish, environmentally friendly shopping bags for cool retailers. 

It ain't easy being green

It's been a busy week at Hoopla Traders, where we are working on a number of fronts to make our business more earth-friendly.  We have always used recycled office paper, but now we are trying to find business cards, stationery, and shopping bags that are more friendly to the planet.

The challenge:  we are an upscale retail boutique and good design is an important part of our image.  Although we briefly considered using the new biodegradable plastic bags, our staff quickly nixed that idea.  Who wants to buy a beautiful $200 organic skirt and put it in an ugly white plastic bag?  So it was back to the drawing board, trying to distill the paper v. plastic debate and come up with a solution that will work for us.

The debate in a nutshell:  Paper bags destroy lots of trees, but they are recyclable and will eventually break down in a landfill.   Recycled paper is even better, especially if it is made of 100% post-consumer content.  Plastic is a petroleum-based product that comes from oil.  It does not require as much energy to make as paper, and it is easy to recycle, but it does not compost.   Most bags, whether paper or plastic, will end their lives in a landfill.

It is a Hobson's choice, and the experts don't agree on which is better.  But everyone agrees that reusable bags are far superior to either paper or plastic.  In Australia, laws have been passed that require retailers to cut down on their use of plastic bags.  Most retailers offer an incentive for consumers to bring their own. 

So what is a socially responsible retailer to do?  At Hoopla, we seem to be moving in the direction of paper bags with as much recycled post-consumer content as possible.  We are also trying to find a printer who uses soy or vegetable based inks that are kinder to the environment.  We have located some jewelry boxes that are 100% recycled and attractive at the same time!  It's not perfect, but it's the best we can do until technology brings us a better alternative.

We also plan to offer customers the opportunity to buy reusable bags at an affordable price.  Some of the best designs fold up into a small pouch that you can carry in your purse or backpack, so you are never without a bag.  Together we can look attractive and still reduce our impact on the environment. 

Please post a comment to let us know what you think!

For more info on the paper v. plastic debate, check the following links:

The Environmental Literacy Council

Greenfeet newsletter

Reusable Bags website

Can art save the planet?

Blogger Rose Fox posted an interesting story on Treehugger about a New York City exhibit entitled "2D-D-Detritus," the latest installment in a series of Art from Detritus.  This exhibit's theme is collage, and uses materials such as bark, fabric, rubber and string.  The series was started in 1994 by Vernita Nemec a.k.a. Nernita N'Cognita, expressly for the purpose of saving the planet. 

A comment posted by Misty makes the point that using found objects to make art is a very common practice, but what about the toxic paints and adhesives that are being used to make it all hang together?  Misty fails to see how this saves the planet?

What do you think?  Can art save the planet?  Does the answer to this question depend upon the materials used, or can art transform us in other ways?  Let us know what you think by posting a comment here. 

National Zoo chooses soy for plush panda

On July 9, giant panda cub Tai Shan celebrated his first birthday.  Thanks to the folks at Treehugger.com, the Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) chose South West Trading Company's SOYSOLK Pals to design the adorable, earth-friendly plush panda pictured here.  You can purchase the SOYSILK pandas at National Zoo gift shops or via its online store.