We’re very proud of our alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin for their energy and water efficiency program, named UTakecharge. Part of the $16 million effort includes replacing 193,000 light fixtures across the Forty Acres. Like many changes at the 125-year old institution, this one was initiated by students, who were concerned about the environmental impact of 47,000 students and 20,000 employees.

UT Austin produces its own electricity on campus

Al Lewandowski, the UT conservation program’s department manager told the Daily Texan, “After payroll, energy is the second biggest bill a university has to pay, and yeah, this affects the cost of education in some way. We can’t stop the prices of education from going up, but we can help keep the costs under control. It was successful at the University of Connecticut, and it will be here too.”

According to a May 6 news release from UT: “The University of Texas at Austin adopted a Campus Sustainability Policy to integrate sustainability in academic programs, operations, campus planning, administration and outreach, becoming one of the first Texas public higher education institutions to introduce such a rigorous plan, President William Powers Jr. has announced. Sustainability refers to societal efforts that meet the needs of present users without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability presumes the planet’s resources are finite, and should be used conservatively, wisely and equitably. Decisions and investments aimed to promote sustainability will simultaneously advance economic vitality, ecological integrity and social welfare.”

UT’s new policy is a great start. It will be great to see what specific pollution reduction goals and other conservation tactics are put in place. (hmm…about that Godzillatron) Students and staff are being asked reduce their own energy use by turning off lights and computers when not in use. As their slogan says, “What starts here changes the world.” Hook ‘em!

My prayers go out to all those killed (more than 22,000?!) by the Cyclone in Myanmar (Burma). Hopefully the junta government will accept international aid to prevent this number from rising higher. It’s criminal to think the government knew about the coming storm, but did little to warn citizens.

Whether or not you believe a massive cyclone (like a Category 4 hurricane) is caused by global climate change, perhaps we should debate this 2007 research: 

Fourteen months ago, Gordon McGranahan, a UK researcher, warned that 634 million people — one tenth of the global population — live in coastal areas that lie within just 32 feet above sea level. 

“It is too late to rely solely on a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change, although this is clearly an imperative,” says McGranahan. “Migration away from the zone at risk will be necessary but costly and hard to implement, so coastal settlements will also need to be modified to protect residents.” (Source: International Institute for Environment and Development. “Climate Change: Study Maps Those At Greatest Risk From Cyclones And Rising Seas.” ScienceDaily 28 March 2007).

Rangoon, home to 4 million residents was reportedly demolished. The city lies some 20 miles from the ocean, somewhat similar to Miami, New Orleans and Houston. Thankfully, American cities are far more prepared for natural disasters than poor countries.

[side note]: Remember, it’s too late to plan for a natural disaster when the storm is coming. Develop your family emergency plan today at www.texasprepares.org

As the cities like Austin consider a “zero waste” goal, it’s very important to discuss the idea of producer responsibility for product end-of life disposal or recycling. 

When we attended the UN Climate Change Talks in Bali in December, we interviewed 56 delegates representing industry, government and non-profits from 30 different countries. We asked them their opinion of the following statement:

“Manufacturers should be responsible for product end-of-life disposal or recycling.”

55% strongly agreed,

29% agreed,

14% disagreed, and

2% were unsure.

Learn more about producer responsibility in our first EnviroTV video podcast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlrLlcH2zSY

We’re personally very proud of a feature article, “Before Green Was Cool,” in the May/June issue of The Alcalde magazine, published by the Texas Exes association. Editor Avrel Seale wrote the piece about the 11-year history of our company, EnviroMedia Social Marketing. Of course we’re biased, but we think it’s a great story. It’s part of a special green issue dedicated to the environmental challenges around the world, and on the UT campus.

The most challenging part of our interview was when Avrel announced, “the speed round of questioning.” Before arriving at our office, he polled Texas Exes staff on their burning questions about how to be eco-friendly. We did our best to answer things like, “paper or plastic?” “gas or charoal grills?” and “cloth or plastic diapers?” You’ll see all 21 of our suggested tips to improve the planet in your daily life.
Click below to read the article.
http://www.texasexes.org/alcalde/feature.asp?p=3132

Reducing the weight of Honest Kids organic juice drink pouch bulk packs sold at Wal-Mart is one of the success stories highlighted at the April 30 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) “Eco in the Marketplace” public workshop on product packaging claims.

Amy Zettlemoyer-Lazar of Wal-Mart’s Sustainable Packaging Value Network and Sam’s Club Packaging explained how they reduced the Honest Kids packaging weight from 13.6 grams to 8 grams but pointed out that the quality of the product is just as key. She said, “The great thing about us stating our goals publicly is that our suppliers and our packaging suppliers are bringing us better items and better packaging… The challenge is how to make consistently better decisions.”

The day-long Washington, D.C. workshop was the second in a series orchestrated by the FTC as the agency spearheads the regulatory review of its environmental marketing standards. The first workshop, held January 8 and focusing on the carbon market and renewable energy claims, generated more than 70 public comments submitted by trade associations, corporations and other stakeholders.

“While the advertising trade associations have asked the FTC to slow its review process, virtually every speaker at today’s workshop acknowledged it is time to update the ‘Green Guides,’” said Valerie Davis, president of Green Canary Sustainability Consulting.

FTC Chairman William E. Kovacic spoke passionately about the agency’s historic focus on “state-of-the-art” consumer protection issues – noting the need for updated environmental marketing standards in today’s world is no exception.

The FTC has been “observing dynamic commercial responses” from consumers and businesses alike, and companies that “don’t get it right will pollute the marketplace,” said Kovacic.

According to the Environmental Defense Fund’s Michelle Harvey, vague environmental claims are one of the most pervasive areas in need of attention.

“That’s the area that’s most confounding,” said Harvey, who is based in Bentonville, Arkansas, and consults with Wal-Mart buyers on how to scrutinize packaging claims of the mega-chain’s vendors.

Harvey points to businesses who want to tout that they’re “a little bit better” because of the way they package products as an area that needs to be clarified in the Green Guides.

“There are bad actors, no question,” she said. “The majority are good, but they don’t know how” to go about making environmental claims on packaging.

David Mallen of the National Advertising Division of the Council of the Better Business Bureau spearheads a program that allows for voluntary self-regulation of advertising claims. He pointed out that cases that come through his office are initiated by competitors, and that claims of “we’re number one” are being rivaled by green claims.

John Kalkowski of Packaging Digest said packaging needs, like portability and shelf life, don’t always reconcile with today’s environmental trends – like claims on packaging that a company is 100 percent wind-powered.

“This makes me wonder how that message gets carried through,” said Kalkowski.

“Right now, the emphasis is on the packaging itself,” he added, “but I think the next phase will emphasize the process being used to make the packaging.”

The FTC’s public comment period for packaging issues is open through May 19.  To submit a comment, visit:
https://secure.commentworks.com/ftc-packagingworkshop/

###

What Corporate America Thinks About Updating FTC’s Green Guides — So Far

On the eve of the Federal Trade Commission’s second workshop held for the regulatory review of its environmental marketing standards, I thought I’d share a few of the comments submitted by corporate America.

First a quick primer. Because of the upsurge in green marketing of late, the FTC recently moved up the regulatory review of its “Green Guides” by one year. The agency kicked off the process with a standing-room-only January 8 workshop focusing on renewable energy credits and carbon credits. The second workshop, to be held tomorrow, April 30, in Washington, DC, focuses on packaging. Meanwhile, the FTC has invited public comment as part of its regulatory review.

As I prepared for my second trip to the FTC, I perused some of the 70+ commentaries submitted by corporate America, trade associations and other stakeholders.

From the Advertising Trades: Brrrr.
A 10-page commentary was jointly submitted by the American Advertising Federation, the American Association of Advertising Agencies, and the Association of National Advertisers.

Concerned that the FTC regulatory review process is moving too hastily, these three advertising trade associations said “… any significant changes to these well-accepted Guides … would be impractical, if not impossible, to implement and could have a chilling effect on an advertiser’s ability to communicate important and valuable information to consumers.” Apparently, this effect is so chilling, the ad trade associations incorporated that phrase no fewer than four other times throughout their joint commentary:

o “Significant Changes To The Guides Could Have A Chilling Effect On A Valuable Advertising Message”
o “Changes To The Guides May Be Impractical Or Impossible To Implement And Impose An Unnecessary Burden On Advertisers, Thereby Having A Chilling Effect”
o “This proposal would likely have a chilling effect by increasing the burden on advertisers and marketers, ultimately harming consumers who have a strong desire to know about the environmental qualities of the products they are purchasing.”
o “Based on the foregoing reasons, The Advertising Trade Associations believe that any changes to the Guides would be unwarranted, particularly in the absence of compelling evidence warranting such changes, and that changes could have a chilling effect on advertisers’ use of environmental marketing claims. Failure to allow truthful advertising may have an impact on product development since products with positive environment benefits may not be designed and built if the environmental benefits cannot be advertised. ”

As an agency member of the AAF for 10 years, I respectfully disagree with much of the commentary submitted by the ad trades. First, there is no need to slow down a process that is already slow. The FTC’s Green Guides haven’t been updated in a decade, and there will be an unknown number of these workshops during the regulatory review. Afterward, the standards have to be finalized, and who knows how well the FTC can enforce the Green Guides once they’re adopted? Second, we live in a world where claims of “100-percent wind powered” and “carbon neutral” have become as commonplace in advertising as “new and improved.” Onward already.

Constructive Input
As the ad trades stand for little to no change, other biggies are taking the opportunity to give constructive input on areas that need updating in the environmental world of 2008. For instance:

• “Concerns about global warming have caused an increase in related product or service claims (e.g. carbon offsets, carbon neutral, carbon footprints, renewable energy). The guides should be updated to provide guidance on the acceptability of claims related to global climate change or the production of CO2 and other greenhouse gases associated with the manufacture, use, and disposal of a product or service. Guidance on definitions and methodologies is needed.” – Procter & Gamble

• “We support FTC’s interest in developing policies in the emerging areas of carbon offsets and greenhouse gas emission reduction guidance. Since there are no global or U.S. standards for carbon offsets or calculating product lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, both transparency and the substantiation of any such claims are critical.” – 3M Company

• “As with RECs (renewable energy credits), certified forest products can be confusing to consumers, yet provide real environmental benefits. The use of all the major forest certification systems needs to be encouraged, as today only 10 percent of the world’s forests are certified and only customer demand will drive certification further to the other 90 percent.” – Weyerhaeuser

Check back here tomorrow for an update direct from the FTC workshop on packaging. In the meantime, you can read for yourself the commentary submitted to the FTC:
http://www.ftc.gov/os/comments/greengudesregreview/index.shtm

He was lost in Austin, separated from his sick wife, who was somewhere in a hospital in Louisiana. The elderly married couple had been separated during the Hurricane Katrina aftermath in New Orleans. When 80-year old Lysle L. last saw his wife, she was finishing the chemo treatment for her cancer at Mercy Hospital. When the floods came and the power went out, Medi-vac helicopters came to take the hospital patients away to other hospitals in the region. Spouses and other loved ones were left behind to survive the horrific conditions at the New Orleans Convention Center.

I met Lysle as a volunteer at the evacuee medical center at the Palmer Convention Center. He was still in shock, and didn’t remember exactly what part of Texas he had been shipped to. With a short interview and several cell phone calls, I was excited to locate his wife in the Baton Rouge hospital, and handed Lysle my cell phone so the couple could speak together for the first time in several days. We determined Lysle had some great-nephews who lived in Austin, who were more than willing to come by and rescue him from the shelter.

There were many similar stories during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that underscore the importance of having a family emergency plan. One element of that plan should include one out-of-state friend or relative who can be a point of contact for those looking for you during an evacuation.

It’s already time to be think about the 2008 Hurricane season. At 10 a.m. a the State Capitol Monday, several state officials will debut a new Department of State Health Services media and public outreach effort called, “READY OR NOT? Have a Plan.” The goal of the public education campaign is to invite all Texans to discuss emergency evacuation and communication plans with their families. A comprehensive Web site, http://www.texasprepares.org helps you create a family emergency plan, build a customized disaster supplies list and get information about hurricanes and other disasters.

I still keep in touch with Lysle. He and his wife are happy to be back in the New Orleans area. Their home wasn’t damaged too much.

Stop by the free DSHS April 28 event at the State Capitol from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Our clients and our staff will to show you how to assemble an emergency preparedness kit and a family action plan via the Web site.

Weird thing happened to me today. I was at Book Stop buying all the new green issues of consumer magazines when I saw a magnet for sale that read, “Be the Change You Wish to See in The World.” It reminded me of EnviroMedia’s mantra/slogan: “Change Starts Here.”

Seconds later I got in the car to head home, turned on the radio (KUT-FM) and a song by local artist Kat Edmonson came on called, “Be the Change You Want to See.” Spooky.

I like the song a lot. I like the video, shot around Austin, even better. It features dozens of people holding up cardboard signs with written answers to the question, “What Would You Do if You Were President?” Check it out on You Tube.

The is quote is from Mahatma Ghandi. If the magnet and the song were a sign to “do something” I thought I’d start by taking a few pics around my house to show where people can make some changes to reduce greenhouse gases.

Just a few small, but important things we can do in our home lives to conserve water and energy.

EnviroMedians bare fangs against electricity-sucking tech gadgets

Fourteen EnviroMedia Social Marketing employees today donned black capes, bared fangs and headed to downtown Austin to hand out information to passersby to warn them about the evils of “vampire energy” — wasted power sucked up by everyday appliances left plugged in.

According to the International Energy Agency, “vampire appliances” like cell phone chargers suck up about 5 percent of the electricity in the average American home. With an average of 40 of these gadgets in every U.S. home, the wasted energy adds up and polluting carbon dioxide emissions are needlessly sent into the atmosphere. The IEA estimates that vampire energy is responsible for 1 percent of global CO2 emissions. Worldwide, vampire energy consumes 200 to 400 terawatt hours per year. That’s pushing the equivalent of the energy consumed by the entire country of Italy, which burns up 300 terawatt hours per year.

The good news is consumers can arm themselves with one simple silver bullet that’s lethal to vampire energy — unplug it. In addition to cell phone chargers, certain appliances that can waste electricity nonstop include computers, printers, portable tool chargers, electric toothbrushes, microwaves, plasma TVs, VCRs/DVDs with digital displays, and coffee makers with digital clocks.

EnviroMedia’s lead “Dracula,” played by account assistant Chris Devidal, was accompanied by a mummy (aka: administrative assistant Kamon Sams) wrapped with electrical cords and power strips. To balance the evil with the good, Mother Earth (so cheerfully played by Kevin’s assistant Christine Vrem-Ydsti) offered tip sheets on how to save energy.

At EnviroMedia, we just can’t let Earth Day slip by without doing our part to make it relevant in some odd way. Over the years, we’ve observed Earth Day with a “No Shower Day” to promote water conservation, passed out litterbags to drivers near city hall, removed invasive plant species from the trails on Lady Bird Lake, and donated CFLs to low-income families via a local food pantry.

Greewashing Index on CNBC.COM
To top our Earth Day festivities, Enviromedia’s GreewashingIndex.com is featured today as one of the top 10 stories on cnbc.com — http://www.cnbc.com/id/24256583. Be sure to check out the story and our site, post an ad (good or bad), and rate the some of the featured ads. We’re up to 94 and counting.

“Five Things You Should Know About Climate Change (But Probably Don’t)”
No. 3 Water Just as Critical as Air and Energy.
By Kevin Tuerff, CEO, Green Canary Sustainability Consulting
What are the real impacts of climate change on delivering drinking water? Watch the EnviroTV™ video podcast on YouTube to find out.

At the December 2007 U.N. Climate Change Conference, thousands of participants from 190 countries were pointing their collective fingers at the United States. The reason? The U.S. generates more greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) than any other country; we consume far more energy per person than anywhere else in the world; and we never ratified the Kyoto Protocol calling for a collective 5 percent reduction in GHG emissions over 1990 levels. That treaty expires in 2012, and new scientific research reveals it didn’t go far enough.

With so much happening between the Bali conference, President Bush signing the Energy Bill, and the FTC green marketing workshops, we have learned a lot about climate change and have distilled our big take-aways into “Five Things You Should Know About Climate Change (But Probably Don’t).”

No. 1 Easiest path forward: Recycle more.
No. 2. Coal is cheap (so was leaded gasoline).
No. 3: Water Just as Critical as Air and Energy.

“Freshwater resources are highly sensitive to variations in weather and climate,” according to Dr. Kathleen Miller, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. “The changes in global climate that are occurring as a result of the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will affect patterns of freshwater availability and will alter the frequencies of floods and droughts.”

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that by 2020 in Africa, yields from rain-fed agriculture will be cut in half, but that in Asia by 2050, coastal areas, especially heavily populated mega delta regions, will be at the greatest risk from sea flooding.

A recent U.N. report calls on wealthier developed nations to help poorer countries vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The report says rich nations should provide $86 billion a year by 2015 for “climate-proofing” the infrastructure of developing nations, to “help the poor cope with climate-related risks,” and strengthen responses to natural disasters.

Here in the US, we’ve seen some areas go from the worst drought in 50 years one year, to flooding the next. Extending water supplies are as critical as extending our energy supply, and just like with energy, conservation should be considered as important as finding new sources of water and developing new technology like desalination.

What are the real impacts of climate change on delivering drinking water? Watch the EnviroTV™ video podcast at www.enviromedia.tv to find out. EnviroMedia and Green Canary Sustainability Consulting Co-founder Kevin Tuerff recently interviewed Debbie Gernes, general manager of Travis County Water District 17, and John Howard, partner of Vinson & Elkins, and chairman of the US EPA Advisory committee on Policy and Technology.

Look for the next two articles in this “5 Things You Should Know” series on this blog over the next few weeks, or read ahead by downloading the Change quarterly newsletter at www.enviromedia.com