ReGeneration Roundup - 2008-02-05
Whole Foods to Nix Plastic Bag Option by Earth Day 2008
Whole Foods has announced that the company will get rid of plastic bags as an option for customers in all of its 270 stores by Earth Day 2008. Paper bags made of recycled materials will be offered instead, and customers are encouraged to bring in their own reusable bags. BloggingStocks reports that “during its trial runs, Whole Foods found that eliminating plastic bags only led to a 10 percent increase in paper bag use, demonstrating that customers tend to switch to reusable bags.” If you’re like me and tend to forget to bring your reusable bag to the store, here’s an article with some amusing tips that might help.
WSJ Environmental Capital: A Daily Analysis of the Business of the Environment
The Wall Street Journal recently launched a blog that looks into how businesses today are changing to address growing concerns about the environment and green issues. The blog replaces the Energy Roundup blog, but will still focus primarily on environmental topics. It’s well written and very informative, and all the posts offer the same high quality analysis you’d expect from the Journal.
Fiscal 2009 Budget Goes Paperless
The Direct2Dell blog was pleased not only to report that the fiscal 2009 budget went paperless, saving over 2,800 pages, but that the president used a Latitude XT to unveil it. The blog also outlined the efforts Dell is making to minimize paper use as well, including an annual report that went paperless in 2007, Multipack - a new shipping method for servers that will save 300 tons of paper in the U.S. per year, and an ambitious five-year paper usage policy that will increase the amount of recycled paper used.
New Japanese Streetlamps Powered by Wind and the Sun
Ecogeek recently blogged about a very promising technological development from Japan. A streetlight outside the Panasonic Center in Tokyo is currently running completely off the grid. With solar panels on top and a body that is composed of a vertical axis wind turbine that work together to charge the battery during the day, the lamp is able to blaze throughout the night. Though EcoGeek lists a few issues with the lamp, they end the post by saying that “sometimes things must be done purely because they are beautiful, simple and convey a powerful message.” We couldn’t have put it better ourselves!
Dutch Architects Plan for a Floating Future
With more than a quarter of your coastal country under sea level and a 900 year history of keeping the ocean at bay, idle arguments about the causes and effects of climate change are a luxury you can’t afford. What you value is vigilance and action. Unlike their ancestors who reclaimed land from the sea, the Dutch today are preparing to cede portions of their lowlands back to the ocean. NPR reports that architects in the Netherlands are drawing upon the inventiveness of their fore bearers by designing houses that effectively float on water. The Dutch are even envisioning floating villages in their future. Clearly, this shows that climate change is no longer seen as just a threat, but an opportunity for innovation.
