I have mentioned Victoria's Dirty Secret before. ForestEthics.org was trying to stop Victoria from using virgin paper for their catalogs. Canada's ancient Boreal forest's bore the brunt of their procurement.
Victoria's parent company, Limited Brand, has finally decided to clean up their act. They will start using 80% post consumer recycled (PCR) paper for their clearance catalogs. They will also start using 10% PCR paper for their regular catalogs and will work with paper suppliers to get rid of virgin pulp in their supply chain. Kudos to the folks at ForestEthics for a campaign well executed. It might have taken two years to get through, but it was/is a cause worth fighting for. A clear example of consumer awareness and its power.
Hat tip: Shweta
Now only if we could get Kleenex to change as well. Check out KleerCut.net
As always, there are alternatives.
Stop buying Kleenex. Buy SeventhGeneration products instead. Get rid of junk mail. Give Greendimes a try.
Here in the US (probably in Europe also), it is getting easier to buy low footprint products. I am worried about India though. Can entry of green retailers like Whole Foods help India ?
6 comments:
>>Can entry of green retailers like Whole Foods help India ?
It will be a long time before that happens. Purchase decisions in India are made based on price, and price alone. At least among the common man, who constitutes the vast majority.
A green campaign in India, I feel, should not focus on more expensive recycled goods, but probably a lot of cheap things, (example, instilling a culture of recycling shopping bags) with strong monetary incentives to do them.
Surya,
I agree, a majority go by price. The emphasis initially should be on cheaper and common sense things. Plastic bags for one, should be hyper recycled :)
Recycled goods need not be expensive all the time. In the US, you get certain green stuff for almost the same price.
Large retailers like Whole foods and Walmart(with their new found love for green) can use the size of their operations to bring down the price. Walmart is largely responsible for the mass shift to CFL bulbs.
Having said all that, I am not entirely sold on the idea that entry of these giants will turn things around easily.
There are a growing number of operations in India promoting organic agriculture. (Ex Organic India) . However the organic produce is largely getting exported today. Hopefully someday there will be a large domestic market as well
Riot,
Organic India is doing a swell job with spreading word about sustainable farming...
Prakruti is an NGO I know, which is mainly involved with protecting the forests of Western Ghats, but they also work with sustainable farming (though mainly in and around Sirsi, Uttara Kannada region). The Appiko Chaluvali was started in the same region, and have seen considerable progress. You might also want to check Navdanya (founded by Dr.Vandana Shiva)out if you haven't already. They are working hard.
Shweta,
Many thanks for the links.
While I have read about Dr Vandana Shiva, I never knew about Navdanya. They also seem to have good information on the impacts of the river linking project. Thanks again
you're welcome!!
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Thanks again for the post!
Kendra at GreenDimes
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