Green Festival Report

I was out of town (Seattle) this past weekend and couldn't attend the Green Festival but never fear, my associate Karen made it down and files this report:

I had the good fortune to attend the “Green Festival” at the Washington Trade Show Convention Center this past weekend.

My boyfriend and I got there just after the Duwamish Indians had done their tribal ritual to welcome the day – I was sorry to have missed that – but we were in time to hear the first speaker- the honorable “Billy Frank Jr.” Billy Frank is a Snoqualmie Native American who is a panel member on the governor’s commission to protect the fish and wildlife in the Pacific NW. His expertise is the salmon. He spoke of how when he was just a young boy he would watch the rivers and there would be millions of salmon running upstream. Unfortunately, according to the latest research, that number has dwindled dramatically and the salmon now number in the 100’s. Billy Frank tells us that he is 77 years old. In essence, it took us nearly 75 years to decimate the salmon population with pollution and contamination to our rivers and streams. He points out that this is a staggering statistic- because if the salmon cannot survive – humans are not far behind. He concluded his speech with one of the well known quotes from Chief Seattle, “We are all one in the web of life” In Native American teachings this one statement- says it all.

There were other speakers - Jim Hightower who is often heard on talk radio and loves to use countrified story telling to get his point across. Jim drew one of the largest crowds. His book “swimming against the current - even a dead fish can go with the flow” has plenty of these little storytelling gems that comment on the present administration. Jim lets his sarcasm and humor do the talking. His message was clear “Get the idiots out of the White house”

The last speaker we saw was John Perkins who reminded me of Harrison Ford’s character in the movie “Patriot Games”. Jim has been to numerous war torn countries and he has his own stories about Iraq and Nicaragua and other hot spots. He spoke of economic hit-men who come to these politically downtrodden countries and offer them a chance at democracy “the proverbial brass ring” – in exchange for either their strategic location or their natural resources (oil) or in some cases both. These hit-men dangle the promise of a better life to these countries – when in reality all they really want is a foothold and a chance to rape them of their own resources. John spoke of these incidents in great detail, because he was at one point and time one of these economic hit-men for the government. His book “Confessions of an economic hit man” was on the New York Times best seller list for months. He states that our current government has become so powerful through huge corporations –that we, the people, believe we cannot stop them. John went on to say that we have to make a stand against the lobbyist –as well as special interest groups, not just the government – or war will become a way of life. His view of the future was frightening.

In between speakers we walked thru the Trade Center and checked out the vendors and their creative ideas for sustainable living. There were hundreds of booths. Some ideas were water heaters that use little or no electricity, wind powered fans, solar energy panels for the home and metal containers that could be used over and over again that would do away with recycling plastics. There were new ways to compost and save water. There was coffee and tea from certified shade tree countries. There were many booths filled with clothes and furniture made out of natural fiber. Hemp played a huge roll in these because this fiber is considered durable and easy too work with.

However, the most impressive idea, to me at least, was the Puget Sound Community Card called “interra” – this card cost no money to acquire. The idea behind “interra” is that various stores and shops sign up to offer kick backs to your community when you swipe the card at these stores. So the first step was to get vendors who were willing to accept the card. The list that we were given had mostly downtown merchants on it – although there were also health oriented stores like natural markets and PCC who would accept the card. The plus side is that you can add merchants that you feel would be a good fit for this community effort –and Puget Sound Community will contact them and tell them about the program. The PSC “interra” card seemed like an innovative and worthwhile concept– only time will tell if it will catch on.

All in all it was an enlightening day. We spent nearly 5 hours at the “Green Festival” – learning, growing and becoming a part of something greater.

The only downside to the day was the lack of a younger audience.
The average age group at the event was 40 to 60.
There were a few younger people – but not nearly enough.

And even though it is our job, as Elders, to protect and care for our planet for our children and our children’s children –The hard truth is - the next generation will inherit this Earth. And they will have to learn that we share space with many other creatures on this beautiful world, and that it is not just ours to do with as we will. As Chief Seattle says “We are all one, in the web of life.”

Also here's a link Video:An introduction and overview of the Green Festival, the world's largest expo on sustainable business, social justice and the environment!http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1078562403/bclid933187313/bctid932533530

Seattle Takes Aim at Paper, Plastic Bags

Seattle Officials Propose 20-Cent Fee for Disposable Grocery Bags
SEATTLE Apr 3, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press

Paper or plastic? Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and City Council President Richard Conlin say the answer is neither. The two are proposing a 20-cent fee on disposable shopping bags at grocery, drug and convenience stores. Their plan announced Wednesday also calls for a ban on foam take-home containers, plates and cups at restaurants. The proposal requires the City Council's approval. Conlin and Nickels say paper and plastic bags and foam containers are bad for the environment, and they hope charging a fee will encourage people to bring reusable bags when they shop. The 20-cent fee per bag would be divvied up — 5 cents for the retailer, 15 cents for the city. But retailers grossing less than $1 million a year will keep the entire 20-cent fee.
Seattle Public Utilities estimates that 360 million disposable bags are handed out in the city every year — most of them plastic. Plastic bags are virtually indestructible, taking years to break down and commonly ending up in landfills.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Who's deciding what's green? - Database of ecolabels

Since this site is supposed to be about directing consumers to environmental products, I thought I'd devote some time to the topic of what constitutes green. Along those lines, this seemed worth another look.

ecolabelling.org is the global, independent database of ecolabels (wait, what’s an ecolabel?).

They started this site because the sheer number of labels can be enough to make ytheir shopping trolley spin. Marine Stewardship Council certified fish. ENERGY STAR electronics. LEED certified buildings. Standards. Criteria. Verification. Assurance.
They found themselves asking who’s deciding what’s green, and what do these labels actually mean ?
Ecolabelling.org has 3 goals:
1. Useful
They’ve designed this site for people who want fast, accurate, relevant information on ecolabels.
This is a work in progress. They’ll continue to add fields and metrics over time, as They collect more data.

2. Neutral & Inclusive
There are no judgment calls in this database about what is — or is not — an ecolabelling scheme. They aim to include every single ecolabel out there, in any language.
So far They have over 200, but it seems that the more They look, the more They find! This database will grow — hopefully with your help.

3. Open. This data is licensed under a Creative Commons license. Grab it, mash it up, play with it (soon They’ll make this easy to do). Be nice — tell us what you’re using it for, and if you make something cool, maybe They can work together to make ecolabelling.org even more useful than it is.

ecolabelling.org is the first of many interesting things released into the wild by Big Room Inc., a company that builds big environmental solutions with big tools, like the internet.

the green festival is coming to seattle

We're excited to see what the green festival is all about.

Here's what they say about themselves "Join us at the nation’s premier sustainability events, where you will see the very best in green. You’ll enjoy more than 125 renowned authors, leaders and educators; great how-to workshops; cutting-edge films; fun activities for kids; organic beer and wine; delicious vegetarian cuisine and diverse live music. Shop in our unique marketplace of more than 300 eco-friendly businesses—everything from all-natural body care products and organic cotton clothing to Fair Trade gifts and beautiful kitchen tiles made from renewable resources."

It's apparently a group that's been doing festivals in SF, Chicago and Washington for a number of years. They claimed over 41,000 at the last SF event, that's a giant number for a city like Seattle for the first year.

We couldn't find a list of exhibitors, but the list in SF looked like this:
Green Festival San Francisco 2007 PartnersAdina, Amazing Grass, Annie’s Inc, Better World Books, Calvert, Care 2, Clif Bar, Cody’s Books, Dagoba, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, Earthsite, Enlightenment Card, Gaiam, GAP Adventures, Guayaki Yerba Mate, Honest Tea, Kimpton Hotels, Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods & Oil, New Society Publishers, Numi Organic Tea, Organic Valley, Planeterra, Rainbow Grocery, Gaiam Real Goods, Ranch 7 Creative, Sambazon, SevenStar Events, TS Designs, Working Assets .

They claim that a "stringent screening process ensures all exhibitors and sponsors meet the best practices and highest integrity standards for businesses on a green mission. " and "“At the Green Festivals we have created a definition for DEEP green business enterprise: a definition that includes a serious commitment to social justice and environmental restoration, in addition to financial sustainability,” according to Green Festival Executive Co-Producer and Global Exchange co-founder Kevin Danaher. “This is a triple-bottom-line model that will soon surpass the old single bottom line model.” Although we confess, we don't know what exactly what that means.

A joint project of two influential non-profit organizations, Global Exchange and Co-op America, Green Festival brings individuals, businesses and investors together to create sustainable economic solutions for communities and the environment.

It will be interesting to see who and what is at the event, we'll report back with what we find out.