Over the past week, Whole Foods has got its share of press and blogosphere coverage on its discontinued practice of offering plastic bags at checkout. Slated to take effect by Earth Day (April 22), the company’s move has received a fair amount of criticism along with acclaim, since plastic bags take less energy to produce than paper bags (to be offered alongside Whole Foods’ reusable bags) and generate less waste.

The New York Times and Treehugger examine these issues and conclude that the announcement is still positive and noteworthy. The reasons cited are the paper bags Whole Foods uses happen to be made of recycled paper and the influence the grocer chain can yield to encourage mega-marts to reconsider the bag issue. Hopefully, it can also encourage more of us to remember to do the shopping version of BYOB.

Now I’ve done a quick summary of the recent buzz, I want to consider another green move Whole Foods has made which seems to have received less fanfare. Upon my recent visit, I noted the Bowery (NYC) location was also using hot foods and salad containers made from compostable materials.

I’m actually not familiar with “fibers of cattails” (not to be confused with “cat tails” since that might not be so animal-friendly) as an eco-friendly material. I am, however, impressed with the refridgerator- and microwave-safe properties of these to-go containers.

The boxes actually remind me of a similar product I was introduced to at the Columbia Social Enterprise Conference in October (2007). The product, VerTerra, is heat-resistant, disposable (but reusable), biodegradable dinnerware made from fallen, dried, organically-grown palm tree leaves. At the conference, I spoke to the founder, Michael Dwork, who at the time was only targeting the catering and event planning market due to the more favorable margins. I have since looked forward to VerTerra’s mass market debut, not only because the dinnerware is environmentally-friendly and healthy (free of bleach, plastic, wax, and chemicals), but because the company is committed to creating fair labor jobs and conditions for its craftspeople in south Asia. VerTerra is truly a triple bottom line company.

I’m not sure where Whole Foods has sourced its takeout containers, but I would be curious to know. I’d also like to know how the cattails’ fiber stacks up against other touted green materials. I’ll save the answers and accompanying research for another post…

Some blended value news picks of the week:

Green may be the latest shade of Apple, but green isn’t gold for MBAs, a new study finds. Speaking of Apple, after my recent (and virginal) trip to San Francisco, I could definitely see how San Fran had been leading the way to sustainability, but it’s nice to know New York is getting credit too.

On a triple bottom lined note, academics have named a new approach to sustainable business called S²AVE (Shareholder and Social Added Value with Environmental Restoration, emphasizing the importance of incorporating a triple bottom line into a company’s strategy, rather than tangential activities. And for those concerned with their own personal triple bottom lines, there are more socially responsible investment (SRI) mutual funds and products than ever.

Drawing on cause marketing tactics, MSN launched a new portal WhatOnEarthIsGoingOn, tapping into MSN’s existing user base to create an online community where members can learn about and act upon social issues, and receive targeted information from “like-minded brands.” While some cause marketing effort is directed at helping consumers connect to brands, another social marketing site has been created to help consumers evaluate marketer’s eco-friendly claims.

“I Am Generous,” my friends and I sang out to the waitress. We weren’t professing our own positive traits; we were actually using self-affirmation code to get us to some yummy guac. It was a good thing too, since I decided “I Am Elated” would go well with a side of guacamole. Aside from my enjoying my “elated” enchilada, I was experiencing a quirky approach to a triple bottom line business.

With my first visit to San Francisco this past weekend, my former New Yorker friend from high school recommended we go to Cafe Gratitude–a place that was “so San Francisco.” With at least three-fourths of our table New Yorkers, it was understandable we would squeeze out a few giggles as we ordered California-grown raw and vegan cuisine, chiming menu item phrases we imagined Rhonda Byrnes might concoct.

Though we had fun mocking the menu and our tabletop game (one card asked us to imagine receiving a parking ticket and then being thankful for said ticket), I was truly impressed with the restaurant. I enjoyed my appetizer, entree and dessert; knowing the ingredients were primarily locally-sourced and entirely organic left an even better taste in my mouth. The wait staff seemed genuinely happy to be working there and were exceptionally knowledgeable. Finally, as if the food served wasn’t already enough to reduce the establishment’s carbon footprint, Cafe Gratitude takes green eating a step further with compostable to-go containers (right down to the cornstarch labels!) and with deliveries by bio-diesel trucks.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get any food porn while I was there. The beautiful shot here I snagged from the New York Times review, which is also a fun read on the restaurant. It was really quite the experience.

And actually, I do believe gratitude can be a powerful force and an important human expression, so I was fascinated by its dining incarnation. During our visit, we were also asked the question of the day, “What is good in your life?” Admittedly, I did do some reflection and was happy to (internally) report I had a big list.

After much anticipation, I finally feasted at Back Forty. While I won’t be providing a review of this Greenmarket-inspired spot, I did want to point out something my beer-lovin’ taste buds had apparently been missing. Literally standing out from the rest of the beers on tap was an extra special beer…um, I mean, Extra Special Bitter…from Blue Point. I asked the bartender why this beer stood alone, and he explained it was a cask ale, meaning it was unpasteurized and “live.” A sucker for new experiences, I ordered one up and was rewarded with full-bodied flavor and a pleasant mouthfeel.

Since that transformative pint a few days ago, I cannot get cask ales out of my mind. I began thinking about the benefits of other unpasteurized products like the probiotic nature of yogurt and wondered if beer could have similar benefits. Some quick Google research yielded that drinking beer like this could actually save the world. In fact, CAMRA, the UK-based Campaign for Real Ale claims just that. CAMRA’s Chief Executive states on their website:

We’re all becoming more environmentally conscious and drinking a local real ale in a pub is one way of making a small but significant contribution to save the World and promote local economies in a food and drink market dominated by global companies. Draught real ale means no wasted beer cans or bottles and if you choose a locally brewed beer, you’ll help reduce unnecessary beer miles.

The article further describes the social and environmental returns as mentioned above, a few of which I highlight here:

• local economy-based job creation,
• reduced carbon footprint due to fewer “beer miles,”
• reduced packaging waste resulting from reusable casks (which last up to 20 years!)
• reduced energy usage since the beer is not served at unnatural “superchilled” temperatures and require no electricity for handpulled serving

According to Chris O’Brien, self-proclaimed beer activist and author of Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer and Save the World, these benefits fall under a sustainability model called “bioregionalism.” I haven’t read the book, but his article in The Guardian gives a nice overview of how microbreweries are leading the way in locally-driven sustainable business. If you want to break it down further, I would say it’s about “Drink Local, Act Global.”

And on that note, I think I will join the festivities of Blue Point’s upcoming Cask Ale Festival (see my Good Events calendar in the sidebar for more info on this January event). Who knows? I may be inspired to craft a few brews of my own…

Saving the world never tasted so good.

With even the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball going green, I know quite a few forward-thinking folks will devise eco-resolutions for 2008. As I also look forward to a year filled with green intentions, in keeping with the spirit of this site, I have triple bottom lined promises to keep.

My 2008 Triple Bottom Line: Improve my financial situation, using eco-savvy and socially conscious strategies.

• Go beyond, or change entirely, my job duties so I can increase my income and influence my company to work toward a triple bottom line.
• Limit restaurant, take-out, and grocery food decisions to options that reduce my overall carbon footprint and are socially responsible.
• Improve my home environment, by encouraging my roommates to switch to cleaner energy alternatives, reducing my junk mail intake, and making more sustainable (and overall fewer) purchases.

So, any thoughts on what you might do? There’s a good chance you might not be reading this on New Year’s Eve, but don’t fret! You can create some intentions right now that will take you throughout the rest of the year.

Though I had witnessed New York eco-fashionistas at ungodly hours snaking around the Whole Foods on Bowery, I decided Anya Hindmarch’s bag was not for me. Fortunately, I stumbled across the perfect paper-versus-plastic-bag-alternative, Envirosax, at Flight 001. Rocking the female lifestyle means I end up swapping my handbag daily to match my itinerary. With Envirosax, you can choose a multi-pack of five to roll down from the sack’s two-grocery-bag size to a small pouch, great for fitting into several handbags or coat pockets.

Aside from fitting into an international movement to discourage the use of plastic bags, the bag’s benefits include being waterproof, strong, and portable. Envirosax extends beyond a commitment to producing an eco-friendly product to ensuring fair labor conditions and supporting sustainability education in its business model–a true triple bottom line company.

I have decreased my plastic bag contribution to landfills, since I snagged my set. My only complaint is that it sometimes unravels out of its pouch-like mode. Dealing with this annoyance gave me another portable, and nearly free, idea based on the Envirosax product.

1. Take a canvas tote (I’ve been getting these free as promos from events)
2. Roll it from left to right (or right to left, for the lefties) into a strip
3. Roll that strip from bottom to top
4. Secure with a large safety pin

When you need to use the tote, just unhook and unravel, attaching the safety pin to the inside of the sack.

Did you try this or the Envirosax? If so, lemme know.

Nothing makes for a snappier and more fun summary of 2007, than the “Best of…” and “Worst of…” lists bloggers and journalists love to post. What particularly intrigued me this year was how my inbox found two polar opposite lists, published within a day of each other, that agreed on one very special nominee: British Petrolem (or “Beyond Petroleum” if you bought into BP’s forceful advertising).

BP was among the top five best “Greenwashers of the Year” and the “Five Worst CEOs of 2007″ by the liberal leaning Treehugger and conservative slanted Free Enterpriser (via Townhall.com), respectively. Who says liberals and conservatives can’t agree on anything?

BP’s criticism, from both green and business blogs, proves that embracing corporate social responsibility and going green cannot rely on glossy PR and slick ad campaigns. Stakeholders do not easily forget a recent record of human rights abuse and environmental and safety disasters. And stockholders will only support CSR initiatives that do not lose sight of profit. Corporations can receive acclaim from both sides–if they incorporate triple bottom line objectives into their operations first and let the good press follow.