If you have followed my blog for any period of time, you have read the high praise I have given to the fine environmental advocacy organization 350.org Their message of capping the average parts per million of carbon in the Earth’s atmosphere at 350 is precisely the goal which every major effort to reverse global warming should undertake.
Indeed, in its young life, the 350.org organization has implemented several campaigns with high visibility and symbolism designed to drive government officials and captains of industry in dozens of countries to strive for a cap of 350 parts per million of atmospheric carbon. The success of 350.org has been mixed but this sad reality is no denigration on the leadership or alliances of 350.org The tragedy is that the propaganda budgets of fossilized industries which favor the status quo make it difficult for any message, no matter how clever, to resonate with the necessary stamina to effect real change.
Never daunted, though, the leadership of 350.org has introduced its latest salvo in the battle to bring climate change under control and I would argue that it is their best ever. Meet PutSolarOn.it
When Jimmy Carter was President of the United States of America, he took many key steps to begin to break America’s addiction to petroleum, including the creation of a new cabinet secretariat, the Department of Energy, and installation of photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of the White House, the executive mansion of the government of the United States.
When President Carter lost reelection and was succeeded by a man who ardently embraced OPEC, the solar panels were removed. They haven’t been seen since. History is about to change, thanks to the message and partnerships behind PutSolarOn.it
PutSolarOn.it is a campaign website from 350.org and other key players in alternative energy advocacy which asks the head of state of every nation to install solar panels atop one or more prominent government buildings, preferably the executive mansion. President Obama has been asked to follow the lead of his predecessor, Jimmy Carter, and install solar panels on the White House. Needless to say, as soon as I learned about this new website, I visited it and signed the petition. You should, too.
No matter where in the world you live, you can sign the petition at PutSolarOn.it The White House is but one of dozens of government buildings in many countries which would provide ample symbolism with solar panels on the roof. I exhort you to sign the petition today. The URL is
Fomenting the Triple Bottom Line
Corbett Kroehler
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As I have shared several times, one-way beverage containers, especially plastic water bottles, are very harmful for the environment. Perhaps their worst impact is from discarded bottles which often find their way into the open seas where they gather in one of several swirling garbage patches. In fact, it is difficult to argue that even the most effective recycling campaigns surrounding these poisonous containers can do much good since so much energy is required to convert PET, the most common type of plastic in such bottles, into a reusable alternative.
PET bottles aren’t all bad, though. They are much lighter than glass and can be much more convenient to carry than glass because they generally don’t shatter. Additionally, innovations in recycling have given us materials which are suitable for garments and other textile applications which are significantly softer than their natural counterparts.
For this reason, the Coca-Cola Company, through its partnership with Nike, has succeeded in selling millions of their recycled athletic garments since 2007 with such catchy slogans as Make Your Plastic Fantastic. Although I vehemently support the adoption of 100% organic materials in beverage containers, PET plastic bottles won’t vanish any time soon and it is important to applaud organizations which, finally, after years of prodding, have begun to innovate in their use of recycling.
In the case of the Coca-Cola/Nike garments, the new variation of recycling is called upcycling since the results are applied in more sophisticated or stringent uses than originally. In the case of another fine garment innovator, Patagonia, it is called downcycling because Patagonia also sells textiles made from 100% post consumer materials but PET bottles comprise only a small fraction of the final blend.
As we close the book on the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, just remember that many of the uniforms which took the field were made of 100% recycled fiber, much of it previously used as PET in one-way plastic beverage containers.
Fomenting the Triple Bottom Line
Corbett Kroehler
jpg credit: Coca-Cola Company
jpg credit: Getty Images/Nike
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