EvolveShopping Blog

Organic Style Launches Online Store

Organic Style Limited issued a press release in November in which it announced the launch of OrganicStyle.com, an online store that offers a variety of products for socially- and environmentally-minded consumers, including bed and bath products, clothing, flowers (via OrganicBouquet.com), garden products, gift baskets, and pet products.

Organic Style was created by Gerald Prolman, founder and CEO of OrganicBouquet.com, a pioneer in the organic flower market. Prolman purchased the dormant brand "Organic Style" from Rodale Inc, which published a magazine by this name from 2001 - 2005. Prolman intends to re-launch an online version of the magazine in early 2008.

"Eco Gift Expo" Green Shopping Event is December 15-16

The Eco Gift Expo will take place from December 15 – 16, 2007 in Santa Monica, CA.  The event will feature 150 companies offering products for environmentally and socially responsible consumers as well as an organic food court and entertainment.  The expo will also be donating 10 percent of its gross event proceeds to Global Green USA and Whole Planet Foundation.  Tickets to the expo can be purchased online or at the door. 

For more information:

• Eco Gift Expo - Press Release
• Eco Gift Expo - Website

Clinton Climate Initiative Announces Partnerships with Mayors, Wal-Mart, and Manufacturers to Increase Affordability and Accessibility of Green Products

At the recent Mayors Climate Summit in Seattle, President Clinton announced two new partnerships for the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) - with the U.S Conference of Mayors and Wal-Mart - that are intended to Increase the affordability and accessibility of environmentally-responsible ("green") products to local governments and consumers in the U.S.

CCI previously created a purchasing consortium that provided volume discounts on energy-efficient and clean-energy products and technologies to the C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), a group of 40 of the world’s largest cities that are working to address the issue of climate change.  The newly announced partnership with the U.S Conference of Mayors expands this purchasing group to an additional 1,100  U.S. cities. 

Interested local governments will be able to obtain energy-efficient products such as indoor lighting, clean vehicles, traffic and street lighting, building products, advanced waste management technologies, water system components and alternative energy technologies at discounts of 5 to 15 percent for commodity items and 15 to 70 percent for non-commodity items.  The product suppliers include:

• Lighting - GE, Philips Lighting, Cooper Lighting, Lemnis Lighting, Osram, Sylvania, Acuity Lighting, Dialight, and Leotek
• Buildings - 3M Company, Solar Gard, Tremco, BASF Polyurethane Foam Enterprises, Optimum Energy
• Transportation - Scania, UTC Power, Ballard Power Systems, ISE Corporation, Siemens, Dynetek, EDrive, A123 Systems, Maxwell, and VOLVO
• Waste - GE Jenbacher

Through CCI's new partnership with Wal-Mart, the two organizations will explore ways to use their combined purchasing capabilities to reduce the cost of green technologies and products.  They will also work together to identify and examine new energy-efficient products and new methods to procure and utilize clean energy.

In discussing these partnerships, President Clinton said:

"Climate change is a global issue that we must address immediately if we are to reverse its catastrophic effects. I am pleased that the US Conference of Mayors, Wal-Mart and many businesses are working with my foundation to supply energy-efficient and clean-energy products. By offering these products at a discounted rate, we can ensure that more cities and citizens have access to them and that the market for clean-energy technology will grow. Together, I hope that we can have a measurable impact on greenhouse gas emissions around the world."

For more information:

• Announcement by the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI)
• Announcement by the U.S. Conference of Mayors (also available in Spanish)
• Announcement by Wal-Mart

San Francisco Green Festival is November 9 - 11

The San Francisco Green Festival will take place from November 9 - 11, 2007.  This event is organized by two national non-profit organizations (Co-op America and Global Exchange) and provides an opportunity for consumers to learn about products and services from hundreds of socially and environmentally responsible businesses.  The Green Festival also features speakers, workshops, organic food, and live music.  Tickets are on sale and volunteer opportunities are available.  Green Festivals occured earlier this year in Chicago and Washington, DC.

Kiplinger Highlights Green Investing and Living in October Issue

The October issue of Kiplinger personal finance magazine focuses on environmentally responsible investing, shopping, and living.  Articles include 25 Ways to Invest in a Cleaner World, Best Values in Green Cars, and 29 Ways to  Conserve & Save.  The Kiplinger website also features online extras associated with this issue including a "Behind the Green Issue" podcast and a slideshow with ratings of environmentally-friendly vehicles. Kiplinger has also posted some reader feedback to this issue of their magazine.

In addition, Kiplinger has recently added a "Going Green" section to their website, with articles and resources on environmentally responsible investing, shopping, and living.

San Francisco Opens First Biodiesel Fueling Station

Recently San Francisco opened its first biodiesel fueling station.  The station is located at site at the Olympic station at 2690 Third Street (at 23rd St) and will supply commercially licensed diesel vehicles with "B20," a mix of 20% recycled biomass and 80% traditional diesel fuel. Unlike "B100," or 100% biofuel, most commercially sold diesel engines can run on B20 without any adjustment or adaptation.

According to a press release from Office of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom this is the first viable biodiesel fueling station to open in San Francisco. A station supplying B100 existed for a short time in 2001, but there was no market for 100% biofuel at the time.

In addition, at the official launch for San Francisco’s first commercial B20 biodiesel fueling station, Mayor Newsom announced that 39% of the City’s vehicle fleet has converted to use of a biodiesel blend (ahead of the 25% goal expected by this point) and 100% of Norcal Recycling/Waste Management’s fleet has converted to the use of biodiesel.  Mayor Newsom also announced a new program beginning this Fall that will pick up waste oil from the City’s restaurants and recycle it as biodiesel for the City’s fleet.

For more information:

• Mayor Newsom Launches San Francisco's First Biodiesel Fueling Station (Office of the SF Mayor)
• San Francisco Opens First Commercial B20 Biodiesel Station (CNET News.com; includes link to photo gallery)
• San Francisco Biofuels Cooperative
• National Biodiesel Board
• Biodiesel (U.S. Department of Energy)
• Alternative Fuels and Hybrid Cars (EvolveShopping.com)

CNET News.com Interview with California Assemblymember Lloyd Levine on Lightbulb Legislation

Earlier this week CNET News.com had an interview with California Assembly member Lloyd Levine, who has proposed legislation that would ban the sale in California of incandescent lightbulbs for use in standard household lamps by 2012.  The bill is AB 722 (PDF) and there is additional information on Assemblymember Levine's website.

An increasingly popular alternative to incandescent lightbulbs are compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs).  You can learn more about CFLs in this article from the EnergyStar.gov website.