Ecotainus

So, one of my goals for 2010 is to get my local retailers that we frequent to convert their to-go ware to a more sustainable product. It kinda kills me when I go to get  my favorite chicken salad and it comes in plastic and their iced tea is served in Styrofoam. Ugh – painful! On the flip side, one of our go-to lunch places, Vickerys in Glenwood Park, is already ahead of the game and uses a compostable product that makes us want to go there every day. Believe me, I would – I’m a ridiculous creature of habit but the girls in the office might kill me if they had to eat the same thing every single day.

So back to my goal – we’ve been working with the great folks at repurposenow for the Opportunity Green conference in LA next week. Their products are made from 100% renewable sources – plants – and they’re 100% compostable. I’m setting a target for converting three food retailers by the end of 2009 to a compostable to-go ware option.

What’s your goal?

I’m the first to admit that I’m not a huge fan of Halloween but there are a few elements of the holiday that I find compelling and I’m certainly a fan of the season. Communities seem to unite as people dress up their kids, their animals and, of course, themselves and the look of Fall can be seen through the adorned front porches, fences and the occasional rooftop. Another tradition of this spooky season is, of course, the pumpkin. What better way to ring in the on-set of the holiday  than a visit to a pumpkin patch to procure your very own symbol of the season. To find a pumpkin patch near you, check out pumpkin patches & more where a simple click of your mouse can locate a farm in your city and state.  For other local farming resources, definitely visit Slow Food USA where you can search for your local SlowFood organization for more detailed information on local farms, farmers markets and more. Picking your own pumpkin adds a special connection…seeing growth in motion, if you will, and certainly helps to support your community. That’s the pretty cool aspect, if you ask me.

As we approach All Hallows Eve, the changing of the leaves seems to have sprung upon us as if the impending holiday serves as a cue for the trees to begin their transformation as well. The warm autumn hues in the trees frame the city in a different light and it really is a miraculous site to take in whether you’re walking, biking or driving through. I just love it. I also like to take advantage of the Fall(en) leaves to incorporate them into decor…a super seasonal and sustainable accent to any table. I happen to live across from a park and the breeze does tend to blow them straight into our yard so gathering a multi-colored bunch to create a table runner or even a selection of single leaves to use as place cards is a cinch.

One last compelling element of Halloween to share doesn’t come with candy, a costume or even a (green) cocktail…just a mere suggestion to tune into Regis & Kelly for their annual Halloween extravangaza tomorrow (Friday, October 30th). It’s the most hilarious hour of TV all year, in my opinion, and is filled with record costume changes, spot-on impressions and a belly aching tribute to the year’s most revered and most ridiculous. Trick or Treat.

Party themes can come in all shapes, sizes and, we believe, soda cans. Truth be told, we went a little beyond a soda can for inspiration at this year’s Vision for America Dinner, held by our inspiring client Keep America Beautiful, at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta.  As a subtle shout out to the honoree Novelis, a “world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling,”  we took creative license to infuse their product with the mission of KAB (preventing litter, reducing waste, beautifying communities).

During the cocktail reception, renown recycle artist Nancy Judd of Recycle Runway exhibited several of her eco trash couture creations including her aluminum drop dress originally comissioned by Novelis in 2004. Her jaw dropping dresses are fantastic conversation starters and a phenomenal display of how to turn your trash into a treasure. Imagine what a beautiful community we would have if we all repurposed our recycleables into a fashionable frock!

For the dinner tables, we repurposed Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Anheuser-Busch aluminum cans into flowers which sprouted from beds of wheatgrass, based in aluminum containers…a significant and sustainable centerpiece. Smaller versions, placed in soda cans, decorated the hi-boy tables for the cocktail reception. I think it’s safe to safe the guests “took to them” as there wasn’t a one that wasn’t taken at the conclusion of the event. Special thanks to our friend Mark Good with markandscott for the fabulous floral and our pal Courtney who spent tireless hours turning our trash into the evening’s treasures.

Lastly, the generous folks at Novelis gifted the guests with (adorable) aluminum peaches – symbolic both in composition and for the city (Atlanta).

Photos by Ross DeLoach of Northlight Photography

As we get ready to head to Los Angeles for Opportunity Green, the go-to conference for the “brightest innovators leading the growth of the new green economy” and then to Phoenix for Greenbuild, the world’s largest conference and expo for the green building industry, what better time to blog about the eco way to conference.

Let’s be honest, business conferences can be a huge eco problem. They are often located in cities that require most attendees to travel, leaving a massive carbon footprint. Luckily, once at a conference, attendees generally stay in or near all of the conference events, thus limiting more carbon emissions. But, there are many more ways to keep the environment out of harms way during your conference.

Pause on the printing. Info folders bursting with note paper, schedules, charts and speaker info are most likely tossed in a nearby garbage can when the conference ends. Yes, we’d love to think that at least it would help up in a recycle bin but why take the chance? Instead of wasting paper, give each conference attendee a USB port with the conference files loaded up on to them. Employees bring their laptops with them everywhere anyway, so the ports will provide a great convenience. Not to mention they are usable beyond the conference and employees will be happy to have a place to store their files and, of course, it’s a great branding opportunity for your company or for a sponsor.

Find me online. At Greenbuild, US Green Building Council offers a way for attendees & exhibitors to locate one another, communicate and network through Greenbuild Connect, their conference social networking site. Beyond attending their annual Greenbuild conference, USGBC also offers an opportunity to continue learning through their interactive green building learning portal, Greenbuild 365, where education is available to anyone, anwhere at any time.

Leave (the waste) behind. Ditch the company monogrammed pens, notebooks, and coffee mugs. Employees already have a stock of them and often the pens and notebooks find their way into the trash (with those bulky info folders). Instead, spend a little more and get employees something eco, cool, and useful. At Opportunity Green, attendees will be suited up with cool Kor water bottles and fantastic To-Go Ware that may become my new favorite thing.

On the official first day of the ecotainUS blog, I think it’s only fitting to tell a little bit about how I landed in the world of green.

Five years ago, I worked on a showhouse for a local Atlanta charity and had the good fortune to meet a charismatic chef named Scott Crawford. At the time, Scott was part of 101 Concepts and served as their Executive Chef & the main go-to guy for their catering division. Scott was also part of the Whole Foods Market Chefs Panel in Atlanta along with amazing chefs Michael Tuohy, Butch Raphael, Virginia Willis, Elisa Gambino and Mary Moore. The chefs hosted a series of cooking demos during the showhouse and Scott, along with his catering team, served up many a great dish in the over twenty events we produced in the showhouse. During this time, Scott opened my eyes to the ways of local sourcing including great Southern dairies, farmers and purveyors. Scott was responsible for introducing me to my first environmental client, Southface Energy Institute and, as we prepare for our 6th Visionary Dinner with the organization, I’m still incredibly indebted to my dear pal Scott. My relationship with Whole Foods Market has also expanded to include numerous environmental-based events through the U.S. including events in D.C., Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Chicago. I feel the early influence of all of these amazing chefs and environmental leaders has helped shaped the direction of eventologie and now ecotainUS.

Our Monday through Friday blog will highlight, feature, cheer for and educate our viewers on the people, places and cool things we encounter as we work to green the world one party at a time.

Thanks for joining us and stay tuned…

photos by Ric Mershon Photography