Unless your household cleaning and personal care products are homemade, odds are you are a patron of the Procter and Gamble corporation. Not used to seeing that label? Well, P&G is an umbrella company that owns over 70 well-known brands, 26 of which saw a net profit of over 1 billion dollars in 2011. Recognizable names include Bounty, Charmin, Crest, Dawn, Downy, Duracell, Febreze, Gillette, Iams, Oral-B, Pampers, Pantene, Tide, and Vicks, just to name a few.

Multinational corporations like Procter and Gamble often produce a diverse array of products with different names, packaging designs, and marketing campaigns to appear unique and specialized, but when it comes down to it, they are all made by the same folks. My guess is that it’s easier to charge someone ten dollars for a razor with fancy packaging and an exotic name than one called “P&G Razor #4″.

Procter and Gamble, the world’s largest consumer goods manufacturer, is usually heralded as a role model amongst Fortune 500 companies. With consistent growth, respected management, and profitability even in the face of recession, what’s not to love? While the functionality of its business model rarely falls victim to public criticism, its environmental impact has become a hot topic amongst conservationists and journalists alike. By the very nature of their business, can a consumer goods manufacturer not contribute to excess landfill material, rapid resource use, and general pollution?

According to Procter and Gamble, the answer is yes. Their corporate mission statement includes the claim “Environmental care is a top priority for us. We design sustainability into everything we do – our products, our processes, and our packages. We manufacture products that provide outstanding performance while simultaneously ensuring the highest standards of human and environmental safety”. Their marketing efforts reflect this green initiative as well, with many of their products being marked with the tagline “future-friendly”. Even their flagship website, pg.com, has a tab titled “sustainability” on the landing page, alongside “company,” “brands,” and “news and media”.

P&G’s message is clear – “going green” is a central part of its corporate culture. But just how accurate are these claims? A 2007 study conducted by Greenpeace International ranked Procter and Gamble at the top of a list of “Eco-Villains” based on its policies and products. PETA has largely criticized the company for its use of animal testing, and the Environmental Protection Agency has even taken P&G to court for the late installation of air pollution control equipment. These are just a few of the many conflicts and criticisms of Procter and Gamble’s environmental impact. On the flipside, there are also many parties that support and praise P&G’s self-proclaimed eco-friendliness. So which is it? A great, green business or a great, greenwashed public relations strategy? With reputable sources providing evidence on both sides of the argument, the conclusion is unclear. So let’s look at a few facts to get a better picture of what’s going on.

Green Biz

• Real Change: believe it or not, P&G has made some major changes that back up their green image. According to their 2011 Annual Report, between 2007 and 2011 they reduced energy expenditures by 16%, reduced CO2 emissions by 12%, reduced water usage by 22%, and reduced waste disposal by a whopping 57%. Wow. These are some serious numbers.
• Reputable Praise: amongst those who applaud P&G’s greenification are well-respected industry analysts. Joel Makower, a successful sustainable business strategist, pegs P&G’s sustainability efforts as highly superior to those of other major corporations. In 2010, the Associated Press called Makower “the guru of green business”. He knows his stuff! Also singing praise for Procter and Gamble is the China Entrepreneur Club, a research board of some of the most influential business leaders in China. After closely analyzing the practices of over 1000 companies, the CEC published its “2012 Top 100 Green Companies” list. Procter and Gamble ranked #7.

Green Wash

Like the above section, this part could be endless. From policies to practices to manufacturing techniques, environmental harming agents can be sought out along all parts of the supply chain. So for today, I’m focusing on products by conducting some unbiased primary research: I’m auditing my own stuff!

• Bounty: made from unrecycled paper. yikes.
• Pantene Pro-V detangler: no recycled packaging content, includes sulfates (creates air pollution)
• Tampax: non-biodegradable tampons, unrecycled packaging
• Downy: bottle made from 25% recycled plastic, not coldwater washing compatible, includes sulfates
• Oral-B floss: both unrecycled and unrecyclable

So this certainly isn’t a fair cross-section of Procter and Gamble products as they do manufacture some recyclable, energy-efficient, eco-friendly products (Cascade boxes are made from 90% recycled material, they have a line of Tide High Efficiency detergent for coldwater machines, etc.). However, the fact that some of their most popular and profitable brands are completely eco-unfriendly says something. Can they truly call themselves a future-friendly company just because some of their practices are green? They are still making over 1 billion dollars per year on brands like Bounty paper products that directly cause new and rapid deforestation and other environmental harm.

My conclusion is thus: Procter and Gamble has made significant strides toward becoming a more eco-friendly company, but they’re not completely off the hook when it comes to environmental practices. So I guess it depends on how you look at it. Compared to other major companies? Green. Compared to a few years ago? Super green. But “future-friendly”? Not entirely. If they reduce their energy and waste to close to nothing and start producing only eco-friendly products, not just some, I’ll stand behind them. Until then, I should probably make this collection of P&G products I found around the house my last!

A raised-bed vegetable plot from The Urban Farm Company of Colorado.

Setting up an urban farm can be as complex as planting crops across the entire rooftop of a large apartment building or as simple as creating a small garden on a patio. Organizations like the Urban Farm Company of Colorado help set-up gardens, educate and assist laypersons interested in growing their own food, and provide support and community for urban farmers. Bryant Mason, the company’s founder, explains how gardening is an eco-friendly practice. “The average calorie on your plate travels approximately 1,500 hundred miles. It uses a lot of fuel to transport, fertilize, and produce food, not to mention pesticide and chemical output. With gardening, you grow your own food and practically have no carbon footprint.”

In addition to being environmentally sustainable, gardening addresses economic and social needs. Many areas of The United States experience food insecurity, limited access to fresh produce, and financial distress that makes nutritionally rich foods virtually unaffordable. In fact, according to the USDA, 48.8 million people lived in food-insecure households in 2010, an average of 14.5% of the population of the United States. Urban farms and micro-gardens address these issues by providing relatively inexpensive access to an abundance of healthy food. Personal produce production also increases fruit and vegetable consumption and significantly reduces the risk of various leading health problems. “Food is an underlying issue that affects obesity, diabetes, economic development, environmental sustainability – you name it,” says Bryant. Urban farms address each of these needs. Interacting with nature even increases self-esteem, mood, and happiness.”

Beyond the visible perks of increased food availability and recreational gardening opportunities, urban agriculture provides environmental and societal benefits that extend far beyond the limited reach of the garden itself.

Environmental Sustainability

-Reduce carbon footprint

-Save water, energy, soil, and land

-Maintain genetic diversity

-Eliminate chemical use and run-off

Personal Gain

-No ingestion of pesticides and chemical carcinogens

-Increase in freshness, flavor, and nutritional value of food

- Financial benefit: while the initial set-up of an individual urban farm can seem costly and time-consuming, the investment provides vast returns in the form of financial savings. It is much cheaper to grow and harvest your own backyard food than to  continuously purchase it from the grocery store.

Between increased personal health and savings, environmental sustainability, and positive contributions to larger societal institutions, what’s not to love about urban agriculture? It seems that practicality can be a leading barrier for many would-be urban farmers. Folks with some extra cash can hire groups like the Urban Farm Company to provide materials, set-up, and guidance, as well as ongoing assistance. Those of us with limited resources can use manuals and free online resources to farm on our own, and even people with little interest or ability to garden can switch to healthier and more eco-friendly foodpurchasing habits like shopping at farmer’s markets and going in on gardens with neighbors and friends. According to Bryant, “gardening doesn’t take as much time and energy as people think if done right and well”. To contact the Urban Farm Company of Colorado and learn more about urban farming, visit their website and Facebook page. If your home is located outside of the northern Colorado area, consider finding a local organization or accessing courses and online consultations to personalize your crops to your region. Happy gardening!

It’s no surprise that this entrepreneurial and creative youngster grew up to be a ReUse advocate and well-respected environmental activist. Take a few minutes to chat with Alex Eaves and the importance of his life’s work becomes clear. Alex, a passionate and enthusiastic sustainability expert, advocates for the second ‘R’ in the famous recycling mantra: Reuse. But Alex isn’t all talk, he walks the walk as well. As the founder and owner of STAY VOCALclothing brand, Alex has turned his love of ReUse into a full-time career.

Alex modeling a STAY VOCAL design

Launched in 2003, Alex started the company as a skateboarding apparel brand, often screenprinting on second-hand t-shirts to cut costs. A self-proclaimed t-shirt fanatic, Alex’s passion for fashion began conflicting with his desire to be eco-friendly. At one point, Alex set out to wear a different t-shirt every day of the year to utilize his massive collection. “I had over 400 shirts. I even kept a list. At that point, I knew I had a problem and checked myself into Cotton Anonymous,” Alex jokes. “Not really, but I definitely saw t-shirt consumption as a real problem.”

Before running his own clothing company, Alex worked as a merchandising manager traveling with bands such as 311, Green Day, and Blink 182. Through his involvement in various musical tours, he had a first-hand look at the sheer volume of materials that would be disposed of on a daily basis. He recalls handing out thousands of CDs, flyers, stickers, and t-shirts, then seeing the materials all over the ground after a show. “I saw more new ‘stuff’ being made and sold than I ever imagined. I also saw a lot of this new ‘stuff’ being destroyed without ever having been used once.”

In March of 2008, Alex decided to no longer run STAY VOCAL as a skateboard and apparel company, but rather a ReUse company. Since then, STAY VOCAL has grown to be an influential company in the ReUse movement. The brand exclusively sells items made from already-produced merchandise and even uses existing packaging and shipping material. It’s not uncommon for a STAY VOCAL customer to receive their order in a cereal box. Along with the business practices, many of the products promote environmental and social change through positive mottos and images. One of the brand’s newest items, a bandana for dogs, bears the slogan “Adoption…think about it” to encourage the rescuing of animals from shelters. Like all products sold by the company, the items are made from 100% reused materials.

"Adoption...think about it" STAY VOCAL dog bandana

And the name? Alex attributes the STAY VOCAL title to the importance of engaging in discussion and conversation. “Our voice is the most important tool we have,” says Alex. “I talk a lot and get most of my ideas from talking”. An energetic, confident, and passionate individual, Alex’s inspiring work is supported by his engaging personality.

Alex speaking about the importance of ReUse

With the success of STAY VOCAL came speaker requests and consultation inquiries, and Alex soon began presenting at events and helping businesses incorporate ReUse practices in their work. Add motivational speaking and green event-planning to the resume and you’ve got yourself a true eco-warrior!

Alex’s work, personal story, and social media pages can all be found on his website, but his charm, passion, and personality really come out in a one-on-one conversation. A 30-minute chat with him is full of as much laughter as information.

To top it all off, I invited Alex to a Colorado TEDx event I’m involved with and when I offered to provide accommodation, he expressed a strong preference to crashing on someone’s couch due to the often-wasteful practices of the hospitality industry. Turning down a free hotel stay to avoid waste? Now that’s a sincere commitment to environmental care. From his eco-friendly career to his sustainable lifestyle, Alex Eaves is an undeniable leader of the ReUse movement.

Public information campaigns, word-of-mouth promotions, and grassroots efforts to spread the word about the dire importance of environmental conservation have opened the eyes of many, but truly transforming our society into one that focuses on sustainability as a whole must raise entire generations who practice sustainable living. Since spreading awareness of environmental causes is vital to the movement’s success, what better way to ensure impactful, positive change than to start by focusing on children?

Nature’s majesty provides incredible learning and enrichment opportunities, so it’s no surprise that environmental education programs have shown positive effects on mental and physical health, academic success, and critical living skills of participating students. In a world where children are becoming less and less connected with nature, emphasizing the importance of sustainability from a young age is more important than ever.

Greenschools, a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization, promotes eco-friendly ideals by providing environmental education programs and resources to schools. The mission of the Greenschools program is to “protect the health of every individual in our schools and our planet by teaching how to make more environmentally respectful and responsible decisions”. Greenschools offers assemblies, workshops, staff trainings, and community sessions in personalized kid-friendly formats. A youth band, The Green Rockers, and a reuse mascot named The Bag Monster are available to entertain at school events. The Green Schools Summit, a large-scale convention, and The Green Diference Awards allow community members to become personally engaged in the environmental movement. A unique aspect of the organization is the Green Student Ambassadors program, a project that engages students by providing them with opportunities to be activists as well as learners. Participating students learn leadership skills and environmental stewardship through service hours, meetings, and collective events, encouraging learning and teamwork through eco-friendly practices.

Programs like Greenschools provide an active solution to the growing problem of children becoming distanced from nature and widely unaware of the importance of environmental conservation. Through the work of Greenschools and similar organizations, meaningful change is being enacted at a primary level – with our children. To find out more about Greenschools and read more about environmental education, visit www.projectgreenschools.com.

Check out this cool video about the Green Schools Ambassadors Program: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we6An9xy4u4&feature=youtu.be

Kanu Hawaii, a group working to ignite positive environmental and economic change, launched a “No Waste Challenge”  in December 2011. By publishing a series of challenges and goals to their website, the organization was able to help divert approximately 33,000 pounds of waste through the collective efforts of those who joined the movement. Members were encouraged to audit waste, recycle, compost, and follow online guides and tips to use just one bag for the last week of December. Over 300 people reported recycling during the month, over 200 reported composting, and over 130 reported a reduction in waste during December, a typically waste-heavy month! Kanu Hawaii’s community involvement model of engagement has proven to be incredibly successful and will hopefully inspire other groups to work together to ignite change. To join one of Kanu Hawaii’s other fun challenges and learn more about their organization, visit their website!

Kanu Hawaii's "No Waste Challenge" Logo

Another group using goals and challenges to encourage waste reduction is RecycleMania, a national organization that pits universities against one another in a large-scale recycling competition. Each spring, hundreds of schools across The United States and Canada submit weekly trash and recycling reports and are ranked in various categories. Regular updates on school standingsallow participating colleges to follow their performances and compare them to their competitors. At the end of the 8-week period, national and divisional awards are given to winners in categories such as “Greatest Amount of Paper Recycled” and “ Most Waste Minimized”. Last year’s competition resulted in 91 million pounds of recycling and composting across 630 college campuses. The 2012 RecycleMania Tournament is currently underway and will run through March 30.

Compressed cans from RecycleMania2011

While environmental activism may not fit the classic definition of a sport, the fact that it is becoming an engaging and enjoyable activity is a great sign. By challenging participants to attain goals and offering prizes and rewards, waste reduction and recycling can be transformed into a desirable way of life that appeals to the masses. Thanks to groups like Kanu Hawaii and RecycleMania for leading the way!

We’re partnering up with TEDxCSU, a TED conference affiliate in Fort Collins, Colorado, to offer a free pair of tickets to a lucky Redefining Waste supporter!

How to Enter:

Just post a comment on any of the six Redefining Waste episodes between today, Monday March 19, and Monday April 9 (cut off time 11:59 p.m. MST). The comment can be a personal reaction to the episode, a story you have to share, links to related info, etc. Anything goes! Feel free to comment on as many episodes as you like (up to six entries per person). On Tuesday, April 10th, we will randomly select a comment from those posted between the given time frame, and the comment’s author will be given two free tickets to the event! Plain and simple. The purpose of this campaign is to encourage viewers to interact with the webisodes, relate to them, and spread the word about their messages.

Here are links to each of the six episodes. Watch, comment, and be automatically entered to win two free TEDxCSU tickets:

Trash to Cash

Recology Program

Earthships

New Belgium Brewery

Patagonia 

Junkman Music

About the event:

TEDxCSU’s inaugural sustainability summit “Grower Greener Generations” will take place at the Lincoln Center Performance Hall in Fort Collins, Colorado on Monday, April 23 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event features 12 speakers from diverse backgrounds presenting their unique ideas on environmental sustainability in an engaging 18-minute format. Notable speakers include former Colorado governor Bill Ritter and renowned animal sciences professor Dr. Temple Grandin providing a welcome speech. The event includes several intermissions, food, drinks, art, networking, and giveaways. For a full lineup of speakers and more event info, check out their website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Overview:

• Watch an episode
• Comment on it anytime between March 19 – April 9
• Read up on TEDxCSU and get excited!
• Check your E-mail on Tuesday, April 10 to see if you’ve won tickets!

Please feel free to write us on Facebook, Tweet us, or send an e-mail to wastedocumentary@gmail.com with any questions. Happy commenting!

First thing’s first – if you’d rather see your tee help out someone in need of new clothes or you’re just not into crafting, there are many opportunities to donate clothes to local thrift shops and charity drives. Non-profit organizations such as The Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries International, and the Vietnam Veterans of America Association have chapters across the U.S. dedicated to recycling unwanted clothes back into the community. Click on the links above to find a donation opportunity that’s close to you!

Old tees that are simply beyond saving can be saved from the trash can or the back of your closet by various creative projects. One cool way that crafters are “going green” is by using old t-shirts as fabric and knitting material! Mike’s T-Shirt Yarn, a company that turns t-shirts into yarn, hand-cuts once-loved t-shirts and stretches them into versatile ribbon. By using already-worn shirts (never purchasing new ones) and avoiding machinery by doing all creating by hand, Mike’s provides a great example of a truly eco-friendly company. Yarn can be turned into scarves, hats, decorations, and whatever else you can make using crochet or knitting! The great thing about a product made from t-shirt yarn is that it’s as easily washable as a t-shirt itself, making the product green from production to use. What an awesome, sustainable business model.

Another way that creative earth-lovers are saving old tees from ending up in landfills is by turning them into bags – a practice that doubly helps the earth by eliminating the need for plastic grocery sacks. A trendy example can be seen in a DIY blog post from Apartment Therapy! By taking a few minutes to cut and sew old t-shirts, you can fashion yourself a whole set of reusable produce bags that are – once again – easily washable! A great tutorial can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gmXMTUXiWA

T-shirts can also be made into beach bags, bath rugs, blankets, and pretty much anything else you can imagine! So, the next time you stain, rip, wear down, or outgrow and old tee, experiment with some crafty reuse projects before tossing it. You’ll do your part to help reduce waste, and you’ll make yourself a cool new accessory – at no cost! Happy upcycling!