thegreenroadshow.com

The New American Christmas

Susan Pomerantz — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 13:33:53 +0000

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with \ cheaply produced goods produced at the expense of American labor.

This year will be different.This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that nothing can be found that is by American hands. It’s about time to think outside the box. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

Everyone gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local hair salonor barber. Gym membership?. Who wouldn’t love getting their car washed or detailed? Small, local detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of paying for a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter,.

There are hundreds of owner-run restaurants — all offering gift certificates. And,it doesn’t need to be fancy……what about a half dozen breakfasts at Azafrom, or Rehoboth Diner or Crystal Restaurant. We are talking about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open (not national chains….sorry Starbucks).

How many people couldn’t use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy? Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would love the services of a local cleaning lady for a day or a home organizer…or better yet a masseuse..

If you are looking for something more unique, we have wonderful local stores that sell crafts, art, jewelry and pottery. Look at the Rehoboth Art League for their wonderful handmade Christmas gifts. All the local gallleries in Lewes and Rehoboth, as well as Milton, features painters, photographers and printmakers. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre like Clear Space?

Do you really need to be the most lit-up house in the block…..forget about the ten thousand Chinese lights from the box stores? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. Or put your tree in the windo with lights and leave it at that. Local groups like Lewes in Bloom make beautiful wreaths ypu do not need to go to Walmarts.

Just remember Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn’t imagine.
THIS is the new American Christmas tradition

PAY WHAT YOU CAN- Panera Bread, a restaurant chain that gives back and succeeds.

Susan Pomerantz — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:34:51 +0000

Ron Shaich, the founder and chairman of Panera Bread, has sculpted his company into one of the most successful small restaurant chains in the country. He’s also done something no other chain has done before.By creating a unique, pay-what-you-can model at three “Panera Cares” cafes around the country — and more are coming soon — he has proven an idea that seems revolutionary for a large corporation, but is actually very simple: trust people; they’ll often surprise you.

A few years ago, he was watching a news segment about the Same Cafe in Denver, Colorado.

“It was this community cafe without prices. You just paid whatever you could,” Ron said. “I remember turning to my wife that night and just saying, ‘We could do that.’”

Ron and his kids had volunteered at food banks before, and he knew he’d want his cafe to be brighter, more positive. At a time when close to 50 million Americans, according to FeedingAmerica.org, are living in “food insecure households,” the idea of creating a welcoming place was most appealing to him.

“I thought, if we do this, we’re going to give it the full Panera menu. We’ve got to create a place with better energy, where people feel happy to be there.”

The first Panera Cares cafe opened just outside of St. Louis, Missouri. Ron ran the restaurant himself for its first month; he created a self-sustainable business model and registered the organization as a non-profit. Customers were greeted at the door and told they could leave anything they wanted in exchange for fresh soups and sandwiches. There was a donation box by the counter.

“It worked,” Ron said. “20 percent would leave more than the suggested donation, 60 percent would leave the suggested amount, and 20 percent would leave less.”

Ron says that restaurant, as well as the two other Panera Cares locations — in Detroit, Michigan and Portland, Oregon — have reported revenues in excess of their costs. The extra money goes into an employment program, which, Ron says, trains at-risk youth to become Panera employees.

“We developed a program to take some of these kids no one else would hire and give them job skills,” Ron said. “They’re working in our cafes now.”

Panera plans to open a new Panera Cares location every four months in the next year, and the company will serve at least half a million meals through the program. Ron says more locations will be established as long as his model continues to work.

Taiwan Eco-City

Susan Pomerantz — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:31:52 +0000

Tianjin Eco-City is a fascinating, 30 square kilometer development designed to showcase the hottest new green technologies and to serve as a model for future developing Chinese cities. Designed by Surbana Urban Planning Group, the city is being built just 10 minutes away from the business parks at the Tianjin Economic-Development Area, making for a commute that should be a breeze with the development’s advanced light rail transit system. Even cooler, the community’s expected 350,000 residents will be able to choose different landscapes ranging from a sun-powered solarscape to a greenery-clad earthscape to enjoy.

Delawares Brownfield Marketplace

Susan Pomerantz — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:26:19 +0000

(A list of Brownfield sites available for redevelopment in Delaware.)

From the DNREC SITE

The Delaware Brownfields Marketplace is an interactive database that contains a list of market-ready Brownfield sites throughout Delaware. The inventory is designed to make it easier for potential buyers and developers to locate available Brownfield properties. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties protects the environment, reduces blight, and helps to create jobs for Delaware citizens, while preserving Delaware’s precious green space and natural resources.

Brownfields are real property that may be vacant, abandoned or underutilized as a result of a reasonably-held belief that they may be environmentally contaminated (7 Del.C. § 9103(3)). Productive use of these idle properties provides “new” areas for economic development, primarily in former industrial/urban areas with existing utilities, roads and other infrastructure. This is consistent with Livable Delaware and Smart Growth strategies – designed to preserve green space and improve the quality of life in our Delaware communities.

DNREC’s Brownfields Development Program has grant money available to support investigation and cleanup activities for sites contaminated with petroleum and hazardous substances. Non-profits and private parties may apply to DNREC’s Site Investigation and Restoration Branch for no-to-low interest loans and grants to perform Brownfield cleanups.

For more information, please see “Related Links” on this page, or contact Melissa Leckie at DNREC’s Site Investigation and Restoration Branch at (302) 395-2600 or by e-mail. You can also sign up for our Brownfields newsletter by sending a blank email here.

The Top GREEN Brands (or a reason to like Walmart)

Susan Pomerantz — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:25:22 +0000

In the U.S., where researchers conducted 1,200 interviews, consumers identified these Top 10 green brands:

1. Seventh Generation

2. Whole Foods

3. Tom’s of Maine

4. Burt’s Bees

5. Trader Joe’s

6. The Walt Disney Company

7. S.C. Johnson

8. Dove

9. Apple

10. Starbucks, Microsoft (tied)

One important caveat: Consumers chose these brands from a universe of 45 brands in limited product categories, including personal care, grocery, household products and electronics — which is why you don’t see the Toyota Prius or Stonyfield Farm on the list:

If you want to argue that (1) consumers are savvy, read the first four names and stop. They four are what the researchers call “born green” companies, that is, companies that from the get-go set themselves apart from competitors by touting their environmental credentials.

Seventh Generation makes non-toxic cleaners and household products, Whole Foods sells lots of organic fare, Tom’s of Maine uses only ingredients found in nature in its toothpaste and Burt’s Bees offers earth-friendly personal care products

Consumers get their authencity and they deserve to be on any list of green brands.

Which isn’t the case with Trader Joe’s, a privately-held company that doesn’t reveal much about its supply chain, doesn’t report on its footprint and has been a target of activists (like Greenpeace) Trader Joe’s ranking makes even less sense when compared with Walmart, which ranked No. 20. While Trader Joe’s seems green, Walmart, as a big box store is not associated with being green.

However Walmart really has a green corporate sustainability story to tell, but they are not reaching the consumers with it since much of Walmart’s work has focused on its supply chain, which is invisible to shoppers.

Many smart sustainability consultants believe that Walmart’s sustainability initiative has beens the best thing to happen to the environment in the U.S. in the past 10 years.]

From Greener Design, Mark Gunther