A Reason to Root for New Jersey

If you've followed this blog at all, you know how I go on and on about how important collaboration is when telling your sustainability story. It forces a brand to think carefully about the company it keeps and reminds us all that we no longer can afford to think (or do) in isolation. I have highlighted some of our favorite initiatives, brands and partners here on this blog, including the Philadelphia Eagles' first-ever greening of a sports franchise. So I thought it was time to check in on the New Jersey Nets' efforts as the first NBA team to "go green" (don't tell the Boston Celtics). I was thrilled to see things catching on:

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6624383.html

Sports teams are huge environmental impactors. Think about the jets flying the teams around the country, the fans driving to the games, the electricity to power the huge stadiums and arenas, the plastic bottles thrown out (or in Philly's case, occasionally at the players). So it's good to see the Nets doing its part. And good to see them collaborate with some credible partners: Planet Green, National Grid, Carbon Neutral, GOOD Magazine.

The netsgogreen.com website was launched earlier this year and has some interesting facts, figures and "how to" tips for fans (although tips on a better free throw might be more appropriate and helpful). It also outlines the carbon credit programs it has supported to offset its carbon load. What I don't see are updated reports on what and how they are doing to reduce their carbon load. Now that would be real NBA leadership.

The outcome is sure to be, ahem, a slam dunk for all involved and will hopefully lead to more teams and leagues taking a hard look at their entire operations.

GOOD Climate Change

Check out what our friends at GOOD are up to...

A few months back they launched a daily news segment to talk about current events and hot topics in a way that is engaging and relevant to "people who give a damn". The result, Roger Numbers, an animated news anchor who reports in bite size, 2-minute segments on the GOOD website.

Over the past few months they have had several reports on climate change, all educational and important, but yesterday’s topic caused me to pause and think.

It's an interesting tidbit on perhaps a positive affect from global warming. Yes you read correctly, a good cause and effect...check out the clip yourself to see what I am talking about:



With all of the doom and gloom talk that's out there, it is always important to hear all sides and look at the problem from different angles. This is definitely not the golden solution to our problem, but what a fascinating learning. That being said, I am still all for the polar bears and despite the positive affect global warming may have on plankton, I still would rather a snugly polar bear be saved than to help some non-visible ocean organisms. So...here's to saving the polar bears!

And make sure to tune in weekdays at good.is to check out the latest news segment from Roger Numbers at GOOD.

The Greenery Lab™ - Part 1

At The Greenery, we believe that collaboration is the key to making sustainability a reality. That's why we've been working to build a network of sustainability experts, thought leaders and provocateurs who can help us get to original, breakthrough and most importantly credible ideas for our clients. These are not your mother's environmentalists; we like to think of them as the 'new breed' of sustainability thinkers, who share with us the belief that if the corporation is the dominant institution of the 21st century, it is also the greatest potential agent for positive change.

The people we are lucky enough to count in our network include David Barber of Blue Hill, John Grant, author of The Green Marketing Manifesto, Callum Grieve of The Climate Group, Ben Goldhirsh, founder of GOOD magazine, Jonathan Greenblatt, founder of Ethos Water and CEO of GOOD Inc, Mike Saltzberg, Director of Renewable Materials at DuPont, Shari Aaron, CEO of Fresh Marketing, Marc Alt, President of Marc Alt + Partners, Rick Field, founder of Rick's Picks, Jennifer McDonnell, an independent environmental consultant and host of Planet Diaries, a web-video series on eco-innovations, and Tamara Giltsoff and Rachel Simmons of OZOlab. This is a hugely energetic and inspiring group breaking new ground in the race to a sustainable future, and we plan to showcase some of their ideas and opinions going forward.

To give you an idea of the type of work they're doing, we direct you to OZOlife, a new daily guide to stylish green living from our partners at OZOlab, the people who also brought you OZOcar (and have some great new ideas up their sleeves, more at OZOlab.com). Of course, there's an ulterior motive here: besides giving you an excuse to spend a half hour gathering some great tips, we also offer up the chance to learn a little more about the Greenery's own Freya Williams, interviewed in this week's People section.

Spread the word....And check back over the coming days to learn more about our other Lab partners and their projects.

Good Sheets + Starbucks

The Greenery's partners at Good Magazine, have recently joined efforts with Starbucks to distribute "Good Sheets" to all Starbucks patrons for the next 11 weeks.

These one-sheets will focus on a variety of socially relevant topics, such as politics, education and health care to name a few.

This week was the first issue and it focused on carbon emissions. Stop by your local Starbucks to pick up your own copy. The "info-gram" is fascinating and will leave you quoting shocking statistics to all of your friends. (It makes for great conversation starters!)

A new sheet will be available each Thursday so be sure to go back every week for the new topic.