Needless to say, I try lots of green products. Since we are still in the second inning of America going green, new products are just now entering the marketplace in slightly increasing numbers. I do my quarterly big box runs to examine just how close we are getting to green alternatives of everyday products. Fortunately or unfortunately, I have had the opportunity to test drive many new products and quite frankly the results are mixed.

I worry about this because when curious but non-green citizens are ready to try a green product, it had better live up to its billing. Otherwise, those folks won't try going green again for many years, if ever.

While admittedly lots of the things I try are personal care products, here is an overview of what has worked well -- and what hasn't.

I tried Organic makeup, the Foundation product is just super, easy to apply, feels nice, right consistency. Other Organic makeup products, however, fell short. Especially the pressed powder packaging. While environmentally friendly, the paper containers virtually ripped apart after only two weeks, thus rendering the products useless. Cost is about on par with an average brand like L'oreal but longevity of the product and packaging did not match up.

EcoVer laundry detergent is a "must" as is their all-purpose cleaner. It is one of the few cleaning solvents that is comparable in results to Clorox Greenworks. Simple Green, I'd take a pass. It left an oily residue on my counters.

As for green shampoo and conditioner, the Burt's Bees items I bought seem better suited for my dog (who will use them as I sure won't) than a long haired woman. They left my hair frizzy and dry. Burt's Bees lip balm, hand cream and other products are really good on balance, it should be mentioned.

Time to dry your hair? Don't bother with an Eco hair dryer. Painfully slow due to reduced power wattage, it takes twice as long, thereby negating the power savings. Next. I tried sustainable cork sandals; they looked reasonably stylish, but the fit and comfort left a lot to be desired. So much so that cork shoes are off my list. And while I buy my clothes at second hand boutiques, I don't really want to wear somebody else's shoes...

We tried to decorate our living room with sustainable furniture. Overall, even from a high quality store like Cisco on the West Coast, we found it to be 30-40 percent more expensive, and the designs were, well, homely. Sorry but this category has a long way to go. On the other hand, we picked up some FSC wood outdoor patio furniture that is great looking, very affordable and seems to be weather resistant. Ours came from Target and other large retailers also carry FSC outdoor lines. Buy these -- a great way to test out some sustainable products that you will be happy with!

We also had to replace our wood deck due to termite damage. We told our contractor it had to be made of FSC wood, period, no options. After an exhaustive search, he finally located a suitable batch of FSC wood, which had to be sanded and sealed. The texture was quite rough. This added cost but otherwise, the raw wood cost was the same as normal pre-treated wood. This took a little extra work and expense but not too much, and the results are fabulous. I highly recommend that if you are building decks, fences, water bridges, and so on, insist on FSC wood.

A not so great home improvement experience came when using AFM Safecoat wood sealant. Our home is made of spruce, so, it needs to be sealed every two to three years. We had to do quite a bit of research but identified a San Diego-based firm that makes fully sustainable sealant which is water not oil based. We purchased it at a slight premium price, and upon first application it looked great -- we were thrilled. Then, it rained. And rained some more (we LOVE this in Southern California, the more rain the better!). Lo and behold, the sealant literally rinsed off the wood, which felt dry and looked "naked" after the rain. We had to re-seal the entire structure at great expense, Ouch! Another case of a sustainable product that cannot compete with its non-sustainable brethren. Too bad.

The list goes on but you get the idea. When it comes to green products you can use at home, there is some risk involved. Like most new Clean Technologies, there is still a lot to learn and overall quality will improve. Hopefully, these personal anecdotes will help steer you in the right direction. Comment back to us and we will advise you on which green products to try -- and which ones to avoid.

Follow Jennifer Schwab on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SCGreen_Home

When offered a chance to chat with Kathy Ireland, we thought, "why would Sierra Club Green Home want to talk to a Sports Illustrated cover girl?" To our surprise, Ms. Ireland has quietly become a clothing and furniture designer and built a $1.4 billion a year business. And that sustainability ecological thinking is a core value of her vast enterprise.

Those of you over 40 surely have seen Ireland's willowy, shapely physique on at least one of the three covers -- including the bestselling 25th anniversary edition -- of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She appeared in the SI cheesecake magazine for 13 consecutive years, which must be some kind of record. Ireland began modeling while attending high school in Santa Barbara, and says it was "good money for not a lot of work."

She prefers to be thought of as a designer and businesswoman first, an author second (she has written three bestselling children's books and two self-help books, most recently Real Solutions for Busy Moms: Your Guide to Success and Sanity) with acting and modeling a distant third. Ireland is also a wife since 1988 and mother of three. In 2004, Inc. Magazine named her one of the top five celebrity entrepreneurs, mentioned in the same breath with Paul Newman, Magic Johnson, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and Francis Ford Coppola. She believes in giving back, and has numerous philanthropic credentials including pro bono work for March of Dimes, PTA, Feed the Children and City of Hope.

Ireland does not just lend her name to products for a fee. She is a real designer and is intimately involved with products that bear her name, from raw materials through distribution. Her first big success was a line of socks (yes, socks) for K-Mart which ended up selling over 100 million pairs. That led to a series of other apparel and furniture lines, all of which are closely supervised by Ireland and must be produced using sustainable materials and processes.

Ireland's customers are basically the moms of America. She encourages them to think sustainably. Her furniture products are recyclable, and she uses only faux furs and skins to respect the animal kingdom. One of her furniture lines is made from sustainably harvested woods from Africa. A genuine outdoorsy type, Ireland was a long-time Sierra Club member and used to go on club hikes with her parents as a teenager.

Ireland faced obstacles on her way to mogul-dom. "Rejection is a gift, it gives you perseverance," she says. "Modeling was good training that way because rejection is part of the job." Not surprisingly, she had more than one instance of not being taken seriously as a designer or businesswoman because of the stereotype associated with modeling.

With more than 15,000 products including furniture, clothing, linens, candles and more, Ireland's company is one of the few highly-profitable ecofriendly and sustainable companies in America (it is rumored that Ireland personally hauls in over $10 million a year). Plus, she has a scandal-free record as wife, mother, philanthropist and corporate sustainability do-gooder.

Not bad for a cover girl, eh?

Follow Jennifer Schwab on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SCGreen_Home

How about a private lunch with Vera Wang, followed by a visit to her boutique for a $10,000 shopping spree focusing on Eco Friendly Fashion? Or lunch with Ted Danson, plus a painting from his personal art collection? Ladies, how about a day on the set with Hugh Jackman? Or for Yankee loyalists all over the world, dinner with General Manager Brian Cashman plus four game tickets? Want to find out what working for George Steinbrenner is really like!?

There were items available through May 6th at http://www.charitybuzz.com/abidtosavetheearth, which is the silent auction portion of Christie's first-ever green auction. The celebrity-rich live event, held at Christie's near Rockefeller Center in late April, offered similarly unique and desirable items and experiences, all to benefit environmental charities including Oceana, Conservation International, Natural Resources Defense Council and Central Park Conservancy. Indeed, these four charities will end up splitting a pot of around $2 million dollars, a wonderful windfall especially when contributions have been hammered by the Recession.

At the live event, guests entered an environment that looked more like something out of Babylon and Adam and Eve than an auction house. The theme was "a collision between art and nature" and the result was spectacular, especially after entering on the green carpet - literally - surrounded by a throng of paparazzi. A crowd of over 800 attended including a host of celebs such as Candice Bergen, Sam Waterston, Ted Danson, Salma Hayek, Brian Williams, and many more from Hollywood, business, the arts and government. Speeches were short, just a few meaningful words from Christie's Chairman Christopher Burge and Susan Rockefeller (she and her husband David were co-chairs of the event).

This was a great concept, taking what has traditionally been a bastion of the elite -- Christie's -- and putting their vast resources to work for a good green cause. Christie's was supported by Target, Deutsche Bank, NBC Universal and several other sponsors, which resulted in a super high end event that brought visibility to climate change issues and created significant revenue for the general funds of four deserving charities.

I really hope this becomes an annual event for Christie's and that other organizations and NGOs take advantage of this innovative green marketing strategy for fundraising. Everyone knows that the recession has been brutal on the budgets of most non-profit organizations, as donations are down and their own portfolios have been decimated. The green auction idea is a fun and ecofriendly way to raise consciousness as well as funding for the environmental movement. Come to think of it, also very appropriate for Christie's since their very business is sustainability as they sell old items which get "re-used" as they are handed down through generations.

A final anecdote: at risk of sounding like a celebrity hound (I'm not) and a TV fan (I don't watch much), a personal highlight was the chance to visit one on one with Sam Waterston of Law & Order at the after-party, held at the trendy Monkey Bar. I admit to being a bit of a Law & Order junkie, and got to ask him about the departure of Detective Goren, his thoughts on our clean energy future, amongst other tidbits around Oceana and the environment. All in all the Christie's Green Auction lived up to its hype in every way. Click on the link and enjoy your opportunity to participate -- http://www.charitybuzz.com/abidtosavetheearth

Follow Jennifer Schwab on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SCGreen_Home

Billions of dollars are at stake. Not to mention reputations of leaders in business, academia and government. Even the public image of our country on the world stage is hanging in the balance. 



Despite differing viewpoints on nuclear energy, coal-fired power plants, wind energy and a variety of important subjects in the world of green, one consistent theme emerged at the Fortune Brainstorm Green conference, held earlier this month at the sumptuous Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel Resort in Southern California. And that is: we need an official, approved and legislated policy on carbon reduction and we need it now. Not only careers, but also many thousands of jobs and potentially the future of our planet (not to mention Sierra Club Green Home.com) are all seemingly on "hold" until Washington can cobble together a bill on carbon reduction that will pass in the Senate.

Over 300 luminaries from the environmental world, as well as corporate America, Wall Street and Silicon Valley populated 
the conference. Listening to the panel discussions, I realized just how committed the big time venture capital groups are to the clean energy movement succeeding. It almost felt like we are all loaded into the same boat together, furiously rowing out to sea but without a compass. Environmentalists, corporate sustainability officers and the investment community look back in nostalgia to the 2009 conference when it seemed certain the U.S. would have an energy policy in place by now.

Some companies and investors cannot proceed without knowing exactly what the U.S. government will ultimately call law on carbon reduction. Be it cap and trade, cap and dividend, a straight carbon tax, or some hybrid thereof, it seemed most participants would be happy with any reasonable approach at this point. In my mind, it would be the start of an evolving framework that will take years to perfect. 



Aside from this glaring issue, a wide variety of provocative topics were batted about, including Lee Scott from Wal-Mart on how the company is going green (Wal-Mart's proposed Sustainability Index is truly groundbreaking as it requires their supplier companies to use sustainable practices or lose their accounts with the retaining giant); Fred Krupp of Environmental Defense Fund, Mark Turcek of Nature Conservancy and our own Michael Brune of Sierra Club trying to explain what environmentalists really want; "Electric Cars: Mass Market or Mirage?" featuring BMW Engineering VP Tom Baloga and David Sokol, who is Warren Buffet's point man on energy investing; legendary green guy Stewart Brand along with several power company CEOs on whether nuclear power is part of the answer (I am still very questionable on this); Aspen Skiing Co. CEO Mike Kaplan on whether sustainable business can operate without the usual hypocrisy and morality issues; "Chasing the Dream of Sustainable Consumption" with top execs from Dell, Starbucks and Wal-Mart, among many, many more.

A representative from Dell explained their commitment to going carbon neutral: they are changing their packaging from polyethylene to bamboo; powering down all corporate machines every evening; offering free recycling for all Dell computers among other initiatives. IBM's expertise in nanotechnology is being leveraged to improve the water desalinization process. Starbucks is feverishly working on making all their cups recyclable, as due to the high temperatures of the beverages, standard recyclable paper cups will not work. Bill Ford of Ford Motor Co. reminded us that no true economic recovery has ever occurred in this country without a strong industrial base. Manufacturing, he said, is critical to keeping America employed and productive.
 


Also way cool was a performance by rock keyboardist Chuck Leavell, best known for his work with the Allman Brothers and Rolling Stones. Leavell was on hand not only to entertain, as he is co-founder and primary investor in Mother Nature Network, the green news and information site.

Equally impressive was the true green practices utilized for the entire conference. The Ritz-Carlton offers extensive recycling; efficient watering systems for all landscaping; greywater recycling of washing machine water; and reuse of sheets and towels unless otherwise specified by guests. FORTUNE served organic and sustainable produce from local providers; organic wines, beers and teas; reusable water bottles provided by Dell; onsite shuttle service by electric and hybrid vehicles; and all leftover food was given to local shelters. These are things that ALL conferences and meetings should do, but kudos to FORTUNE for keeping it real -- I've attended too many green events that didn't even have recycling, much less green practices or sustainability management!


I'm already looking forward to next year's conference. At least by then, there should be resolution one way or the other about what legislation governing carbon reduction we will be working with. 



As always, we love to hear your comments, let us know what you think will happen in Congress and how it will affect green business and jobs.

Follow Jennifer Schwab on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SCGreen_Home

Anybody remember President Obama's recent State of the Union speech? We were watching it at the Sierra Club Green Home offices, excited to hear about his successes on the environmental front.

President Obama is one impressive orator but according to that speech, he plans to: fix the economy; implement a new health care policy; complete the war in Afghanistan/Iran; rebuild our standing internationally; help impoverished nations; among other important problems to address - not to mention, foster the green movement and bring renewable energy to America.

Noble goals all, but at some point I began to wonder, is it realistic to accomplish even a portion of this by 2012? Perhaps but knowing how monumental these problems all are, it is unlikely that even one or two of them will be solved in three short years.

The same thought occurred to me while attending a recent green conference, which shall remain nameless. The speakers talked about making recycling mandatory throughout the country; bringing wind and solar power to all municipalities; ending coal mining and replacing it with clean renewable energy; providing adequate supplies of clean water and air to all citizens of the world; retrofitting American homes with proper insulation, energy efficient windows, low flow toilets and showers, composting, and more. We need all of these things, no doubt, but at some point, it just won't work to say we can accomplish all of them simultaneously.

Consider this a plea for community leaders, politicians, non-profit executive directors and others in position to help fix our problems and affect change in America: please, let's try to take a more realistic approach to going green. This means PRIORITIZING our goals, if not nationally then by municipality or geographical area. This way, it might be possible to get one or two or even three of the mission-critical agenda items accomplished. Yes they ALL need to be addressed, but trying to do so simultaneously will most likely result in making a little progress on all fronts but completing none. Better to select one or two major issues and work them intensely to actually succeed -- then and only then move to the next ones.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about: instead of having each major city in America try to work on a full sustainability plan, why not assign a specific area of focus, and then share the solution with other cities in the form of a best practices template? For example, Chicago would work on indoor air quality since they spend so much time indoors; Las Vegas would work on water conservation since it is in the desert; Los Angeles would work on solar power since it has a high percentage of sunny days, and so on. Then at the end of three or five years, each city would have to share their completed template with other cities nationally and even internationally. In this way, we'd have a collection of significant successes instead of all cities recording varying degrees of success in many categories.

I know this is rhetoric but I have an innate fear that thousands of well-meaning volunteers who support these leaders will end up frustrated and unfulfilled. It is up to our leaders to choose a path that can lead to success, one goal at a time.

Thanks for reading; I'd love to hear your thoughts on this....

Follow Jennifer Schwab on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SCGreen_Home

How about a tour of Central Park with Candice Bergen? A day on the set with the world's leading action hero, Hugh Jackman? What about a private lunch and falconry lesson from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.? Or a cruise on David Rockefeller Jr.'s yacht with an oceanographer providing one-on-one commentary?

These are but a few of the items being offered in the Christie's Green Auction, "A Bid To Save The Earth," set for April 22 at Rockefeller Center in New York in honor of Earth Day. Christie's New York and a list of prominent celebrities, cultural and intellectual elite, along with several leading environmental charities, are behind this unusual, captivating event.

When you think about it, the entire auction business is green. After all, it's built around buying and selling valuable antiquities that are recycled, reused, and/or preserved. Many of the finest art, design and car auctions will only deal in pieces that are old and in good condition. Inherently green, beautiful, historic, it's all good for mankind and for sustainability. Owners of these items are mostly caretakers, preserving and passing them on to future generations.

The concept here is that leading artists, philanthropists, celebrities and businesses are donating artwork, experiences and other unique gifts - preferably ones valued at $100,000 or more - to be auctioned off at Christie's main showroom in this special event which benefits several sustainability-related charities. Oceana, Conservation International, Central Park Conservancy and Natural Resource Defense Council will receive 100 percent of the proceeds as Christies' is waiving commissions and fees, as well as donating its space and services. Corporate sponsors such as Barneys New York, Deutsche Bank, and Target are also supporting the effort. NBC Universal is the media partner who will be promoting the effort through on air and online assets.

Source: Damien Hirst's "All You Need is Jealousy," an auction item

"We are bringing together corporations, celebrities, non-profits and the arts community, all setting aside their individual agendas to go green," explains Toby Usnik, Head of International Communications for Christie's and a prime mover behind "A Bid To Save The Earth." This event will even have a "Green Carpet" as participants walk in front of major national and international media to support this worthy cause. "We feel like we are on to something here," Usnik said. "It's a total cross-section of participants all committed to honoring Earth Day and supporting the environmental non-profits."

Among the most desirable auction items are art pieces by Damien Hirst and environmental artist Alan Sonfist. "The Christie's auction is a wonderful concept. It also helps to validate and strengthen the environmental art movement, which I helped pioneer back in the 60s," Sonfist explained.

Source: Alan Sonfist's "Naked Earth," an auction item

Respected environmentalist/documentary producer Susan Cohn Rockefeller acted as adviser to Christie's in helping to choose the participating charities. (Selfishly, I wish Sierra Club could be included, maybe next year?) "This is a tool to generate significant revenue for the non-profits," Rockefeller explains. "This event is generating so much excitement, and generosity, far more than we ever expected in this economic climate." Rockefeller is donating jewelry from her own line for the auction in addition to her behind the scenes support.

Cameron Diaz, Arianna Huffington, David Duchovny, Christina Aguilera and Vera Wang, among others, are also donating personal, not material, experiences.

I spoke with Bergen about her involvement, which stems from her love of Central Park. "Central Park Conservancy has improved the park 100 percent over the past 20 years. I remember when you'd see hypodermic needles, rats...now we have the Shakespeare Gardens, it's wonderful for tourists, this is a great example of the "Adopt the Park" initiative," said Bergen.

Whomever makes the winning bid for the Central Park tour with Ms. Bergen, not to mention dozens of other unique items, will have a special experience. I plan on attending the auction on Earth Day and will provide a full report shortly thereafter. As always, thanks for reading and your comments are encouraged.... For more information, please check out www.abidtosavetheearth.org.

Follow Jennifer Schwab on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SCGreen_Home

Santa Barbara, Calif -- Talk about brains, power and money in one room. This was the ECO:nomics Conference, put on by The Wall Street Journal at the lush Bacara Resort. Legendary investor T. Boone Pickens; top venture capitalists John Doerr and Vinod Khosla; CEOs of Royal Dutch Shell, Rio Tinto and American Electric Power; Energy Secretary Steven Chu; the list goes on. This was almost enough business horsepower to warrant autograph seeking.

If there is one clear message coming out of this gathering, it's that we need to assign a price or cost to carbon emissions, and soon. Almost all the speakers agreed that be it through a direct tax on carbon -- which would affect the average consumer at the pump and on their energy bills -- or the cap and trade model, which auctions off "permits to pollute" to all businesses that emit carbon, we need to enact some serious legislation on this immediately.

Other provocative subjects discussed included wind energy, natural gas, nuclear energy, other types of alternative power, synthetic genomics (I will admit I had a hard time following J. Craig Venter's rocket science, but it involves using genomic research to discover new ways to produce energy) and not incidentally, water.

In fact, one of the best speakers was Patricia Mulroy, General Manager of Southern Nevada Water Authority. She explained that even with the winter rainfall we have been enjoying, Lake Mead (which supplies water for most of Southern Nevada) will be at dangerously low levels by 2016 and Hoover Dam may stop producing electric power. Scary stuff indeed. Mulroy added that water conservation efforts have been quite successful so far, including incentivizing citizens and developers to remove grass and replace it with low-water landscaping. Southern Nevada's water requirements have been reduced by almost a third since 2002, quite an amazing statistic. My comment is this: for those who think climate change is a myth, what do you propose we do about a situation like this? Even with strong conservation measures in place, we are running out of water...

I am one of many who were wondering whatever happened to T. Boone Pickens' wind energy initiative? Well, the answer is oil prices that were $125 a barrel ended up around $80 and thus the math no longer works. Pickens had 648 wind turbines on order from GE, he was able to negotiate that down to 324 and those will indeed be arriving on his doorstep. He will deploy them but the problem with wind energy remains transmission. Of course, Pickens has now moved on to natural gas as our savior. This concept had a number of supporters in the room but was far from unanimous.

Tom Albanese, CEO of Australia-based Rio Tinto, one of the world's largest mining companies, believes in clean coal and thinks it can be part of the energy solution. (As Director of Sustainability for Sierra Club Green Home.com, I must add that I strongly disagree.) Gregory Boyce, CEO of Peabody Energy which is one of the largest coal companies in the world, gave statistics showing just how married to coal American, Japanese, India and Chinese industrial companies are. Albanese made a very strong point that businesses and investors have been preparing for a cost on carbon for quite awhile now, and not having legislation in place leaves a giant question mark going forward for everyone. This point was echoed by top V.C. John Doerr, who ought to know since he has deployed hundreds of millions of dollars into Cleantech over the past nine years.

One of Doerr's early investments was Bloom Energy, which makes a fuel cell technology called the Bloom Box. This self-contained power unit runs off natural gas and provides enough energy, off the electric power grid, to run a large industrial facility and eventually, a smaller unit will power homes. Bloom has used up over $400 million of investor capital already and the audience was mixed on whether the Bloom Box will ultimately be commercially viable. Stay tuned on this one.

The final speaker was Energy Secretary Steven Chu. I was hoping he would address the important question raised by Rio Tinto's Albanese: now that the world's leading companies have braced themselves for assigning a cost to carbon emissions, when will that be, what will that entail, and how will it be administered? His answer: I am optimistic that energy legislation addressing this issue will be passed this year. And that America still can win the worldwide race to lead the green economy. "The Clean Energy movement is ours to lose. China is moving quickly; they see this industry as a huge export opportunity," he added. "This is an incredible economic opportunity for the United States. We have to rebuild our energy infrastructure to make us energy independent."

Follow Jennifer Schwab on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SCGreen_Home

The large box looked too heavy for my 115 pound frame to carry. "Jennifer Schwab, Sierra Club Green Home" on the label, yep, it was for me, but I hadn't ordered anything large like this??

After cutting open the yards of plastic packing tape, I was appalled to find acres of bubble wrap, then those absolutely impossible Styrofoam "peanuts" which will still be in the landfill 200 years from now. After all this, a nice glass vase from a relative who shall remain unnamed. She means well, and this lovely object d'art did survive the trip, but what do I do with this pile of unsustainable, non-green, mostly not recyclable, plastic and Styrofoam packing materials?

And so it goes for millions and millions of packages, not to mention one of the biggest culprits in this assault on the environment, electronics products. Think about all those big, dense pieces of Styrofoam that are used in almost every electronic product package to secure the ends of the item. Admittedly, they help keep the DVDs, TVs, stereos and computers in one piece. And what about moving? Most of the cardboard boxes can be recycled, but the reams of tapes, peanuts, foam and other packing material usually cannot.

What's a consumer, and for that matter a manufacturer or Green Small Business, to do? The answer can be found in some relatively new products and services that entrepreneurs are developing to address these problems.

To make moving a truly green experience, inventor Spencer Brown of Costa Mesa (Orange County) CA, has developed a totally recyclable moving system. The company is called, appropriately, Earth Friendly Moving. His concept is RECO-PACK, a sustainable bin that holds your stuff, they come in different sizes and can be delivered directly to your door, then picked up and moved or stored. When you're finished with them, Earth Friendly Moving retrieves the RECO-PACKs, puts them back in inventory and re-uses them.

This business has the earmarks of a winner. An idea that solves a problem, can be run profitably and is scaleable. "I am a product designer at heart, and I knew the moving industry was inherently wasteful. It seemed to me that we needed a sustainable solution," Brown explains. "We deliver environmental consciousness in a box. Our solution is cheaper, faster and easier. If you provide this, the consumer will choose the green alternative."

Back to my box of foam noodles. I happened to meet Brian J. Pio, an entrepreneur who is making his bet on IPG/ERi, a startup out of Phoenix which offers fully sustainable, recyclable packaging for all products including fragile items and electronics. The secret sauce is molded fiber and sugar cane-based, environmentally friendly material. It feels like a strong, yet light weight molded paper/cardboard to the touch. Pio claims his firm has done extensive testing on a variety of consumer electronics products with very favorable results. And in most applications, the cost to switch to molded fiber is the same or even less than traditional foam. However, his experience selling manufacturers on switching from foam to his new product has been mixed. Most of the mid- and upper-level managers he speaks with seem to consider making the switch to green packaging a low priority.

Pio had been involved in the packaging industry for years and as a green guy saw the need to move away from foam. "Where the rubber hits the road, companies continue to do what they always have done.... It's about established supply chain relationships and taking the path of least resistance. Disappointing but not surprising. The reality of course is that using foam packaging is a broken model that needs fixing. Styrofoam is not biodegradable, very difficult to recycle and almost always ends up in landfill.

Molded fiber products offered by IPG/ERi, BeGreen Packaging (which uses bulrush fiber to make a similar type of product) and other firms boast full recyclability, produce no off-gassing or toxic materials during manufacturing, can be made into virtually limitless shapes, and protect the contents comparably to foam. Clearly there is a place for this cost-effective, environmentally friendly material in most of the packages we receive or purchase every day. "Given that we can deliver molded fiber for the same or less than foam, it seems a no-brainer that industry would make the switch, and consumers would be thrilled to be able to recycle the packaging," Pio concludes. Sure makes sense to me, too.

So how do Pio and other green packaging pioneers persuade manufacturers of products that we buy to make the switch? It will probably take time, perhaps government regulation, and public opinion. The voice of the consumer must be heard. So, to help you join our "Packaging Police" and send a message to companies still using foam, feel free to poach this letter, below, and e-mail it to the VP of Marketing and/Sor CEO of the companies at fault.

"Dear CEO/CMO:

I recently purchased your (product name and model number) and was very disappointed to find it packed in hard foam packaging material. I realize you must protect this product during shipping, but there are cost-effective ways to accomplish the same result. (Name of company) really needs to investigate MOLDED FIBER packaging materials. They are fully recyclable, environmentally friendly and produce no toxins during manufacturing. They are also the same or even less expensive than traditional foam. And importantly, testing proves molded fiber will protect your product during shipping to keep it safe and secure.

As your customer, I am committed to reducing my carbon footprint and (Name of Company) needs to do the same to win my business going forward. I sincerely hope you take this to heart, as I plan to purchase my (insert type of product) in the future from companies that use sustainable packaging materials.

Thanks for taking time to read this. Please respond at (insert your e-mail address).

Sincerely,"

If you know of other companies doing innovative things to help the environment by changing our established practices, let me know as we may highlight them in future My Inner Green columns. Thanks!

Follow Jennifer Schwab on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SCGreen_Home

These days it's fashionable for celebrities to hitch their stars to the green movement. Many of them claim to be green, but in my experience, only a few are really doing substantive things to back up the PR flackery. Ed Begley Jr. rides a stationary bike each morning to power his coffee-maker, admittedly on the lunatic fringe. He is certainly the trendsetter in Hollywood, having made a second career out of going green. But a number of others who shall remain nameless don't have much on their resumes beyond a couple of PSAs or donations. I recently found a celebrity who is not only adjusting her personal lifestyle but has embraced the business of going green. Enter Eva Longoria Parker, the not so desperate housewife.

Pictured: Eva Longoria 2009

While attending the launch of Las Vegas' City Center project for SierraClubGreenHome and the Huffington Post a few weeks ago, I had a chance to catch up with the stunning actress. She is owner of Beso, a new Las Vegas restaurant/nightclub which occupies a very prominent spot in the Crystals retail center, across the bridge from the Mandarin Oriental.

Longoria Parker explains how she became an environmentalist: "Growing up on a ranch with lots of land and animals, I came to appreciate the beauty of nature and the simplicity of life. It is because of this that I have an intense love for the earth and mother nature. My father instilled in me the idea of conservation at an early age and it has stuck with me since. He would take us camping for days at a time and teach us how to eat and survive off the land. He taught us how to find water, what berries to eat off trees, how to plant our own vegetables. I remember my dad always walking around the house turning off lights constantly and always yelling at us if we left the water on while brushing our teeth. To this day, I cannot be in a house where there are lights on in a room that is not being used. And I often yell at Tony for leaving the water on while brushing his teeth. I have managed to carry my conservation ideas into my own life. I don't use bottled water in the house, we recycle, and use reusable bags at grocery stores. So when the time came to build out Beso and the Nightclub Eve in Vegas, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to do this right for mother earth."

The original Beso is already a successful L.A. restaurant. The City Center edition was created as a green version to meet LEED certification, with upgrades such as: a special $350,000 stove hood and scrubber to filter volatile organic kitchen compounds; Swarovski crystals which were reclaimed from the Oscars broadcast for use as chandeliers; reclaimed woods throughout; recycled wallpapers; recycled and compostable to-go boxes; recycled paper menus; a green cleaning crew; lots of natural light to save power during the day; locally sourced building materials to save on shipping and reduce the transportation carbon footprint.

In case you're wondering, the food is fabulous, portions generous, and the ambience is ultra chic, although the menu is priced accordingly. As neighboring City Center hotel, ARIA, opened its doors for the first time, I watched the fireworks light up the sky from Beso's upstairs club space. Daniel Libeskind's abstract architecture provides plenty of daylight to reduce energy bills, while behind the cantilevered windows, the views of City Center and the Strip make you feel like you're inside a life-sized prism. This is unique to any Las Vegas strip haunt.

Beso was not Eva's first blush with going green. Eva and husband, NBA player Tony Parker, personally live in two green homes, one in L.A. of course, the other in Texas (he plays for the San Antonio Spurs). She is the driving force behind HEB Bags, which are green shopping bags to replace plastic for the HEB grocery chain in Texas.

Longoria is also developing the Greenville Project in Portland. This is a refurbished all-green mall that will be converted from an existing building. Greenville is billed as a hip, fully sustainable project that will set the tone for green urban lifestyles. It systems will save 1.2 million gallons of water over the current infrastructure, and power costs will decrease by 30 percent. It is scheduled to come on stream in late 2010. For more information, check out this video.

Longoria recommends that the typical American family do the following things to go green: "I always find that a huge misconception for people is that they feel one person cannot make a difference in the world of conservation. And it is actually the contrary; we can change the world one person at a time. You can make very small changes in your life that will have a huge impact on our future. You don't have to make extreme choices to help make the world a greener place. Plant a tree, recycle, use reusable bags at the grocery store, don't filtered water in reusable canteens, reuse your towels after showers, next chance you get to buy a new car -- buy a hybrid, it will change your life. Every little bit helps and makes a huge difference."

Pictured: Eva toasting the opening of Beso.

There will be more successes if Longoria continues her over-achieving career beyond Hollywood. She is regarded as a very shrewd businesswoman by her partners, and takes a hands-on approach to all her business ventures. Here's hoping that other Hollywood stars follow suit and help lead public opinion toward the need to go green.

Follow Jennifer Schwab on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SCGreen_Home

Regarding our visit to the grand opening of City Center Las Vegas a few weeks ago, we talked about how spectacular the entire development is - from its architectural design to its green standpoints. Here are some more observations and architect interviews about this trendsetting space, perhaps the world's best example of cutting edge green building techniques and design:

Julia Monk, founding principal of BBGM and designer of Vdara Hotel and major portions of ARIA:

We give clients a discount if they are going to be building a LEED certified structure. A major focus at City Center was lighting. We used fluorescent lamps which give off a similar glow to conventional bulbs, the latest advancement in LEDS which use only one third the energy but last 10 times longer. Low flow toilets in rooms, electronic window shades to reduce heat gain, low VOC paints, coatings, sealants and non-formaldehyde wall paneling. Recyclable fiberglass ceiling tiles, wall coverings, CRI (Carpet and Rug Institute) certified carpet padding, strawboard sub-flooring, FSC wood floors, low-E glazed windows, Caesarstone countertops, the list goes on.

I asked Monk if they considered cutting back during construction as the economy tanked. She said, "We never wavered on the sustainability issues. We look at City Center as a long term commitment which will weather the storm until the economy recovers."








Adam Tihany, designer of Mandarin Oriental interiors, Union bar in ARIA:

We compare Mandarin to the design of a custom Brioni suit, not an off the rack Armani. The Mandarin brand whispers, it doesn't shout. There is a lot of perceived value, as a non-gaming six star property. It was never an option to forego green, despite the economy. This venue should open up the city to a whole new customer who otherwise would have snubbed it.

All woods, lighting, plumbing and HVAC systems at the Mandarin are green. From my own personal experience, the spa, all 30,000 feet of it, is absolutely exquisite. My previous favorite Mandarin Oriental was Tokyo, but this new property goes a step beyond andy green building I have recently seen.





David Rockwell, architect/designer of Crystals retail center:

We designed Crystals for the person who doesn't necessarily need to shop but is motivated by impulse. We wanted to create the feel of a park, from the flower carpet to the benches, reclaimed wood stairs, and plants and foliage. MGM allowed us to be creative and take risks. People watching was a priority. I noticed as a student that people walk in a gentle arc, from looking at footprints in the snow. The flower beds and other major design features follow this idea.

The HVAC tubing is all located in Crystals' floor, and only heats and cools up to about seven feet. This environment of energy efficiency doesn't waste power and fuel to heat and cool the huge open spaces in the center of the mall, as would be the case with a traditional forced air system. Crystals also earned an FSC award for its use of sustainable woods, some of the most beautiful you will ever see.





Cesar Pelli, architect of ARIA:

Our firm has been designing green buildings for some time, my son Raphael was on the forefront of green building. Bobby Baldwin (MGM CEO) was very open to creativity, taking on a very complex and demanding program, and he educated me as to how a casino works, which is very specific. All rooms needed to have great views in a limited space. People move in different ways, at the gaming tables, bars and restaurants, and pools. We think ARIA makes all the other locations on the Strip look tired.

We debuted five new creations at City Center. The wall of water you encounter upon approaching ARIA, entices the visitor. It uses compressed air instead of pumps, which uses 80 percent less water although it costs more up front. All the water is recycled of course, through a reverse osmosis process

Also noteworthy is "Glacia" a popsicle-like ice sculpture creation found inside Crystals mall which changes from day to day depending upon temperature. WET is a very specialized company, they have over 250 full time staff doing nothing but building water features.








Michelle Quinn, art curator and gallerist said, "I worked directly with the architects so that the art was not an afterthought. Spaces were specifically created for the sculptures."

Over $40 million is rumored to have been spent on art. A special energy efficient digital screen display by Jenny Holzer, found downstairs at ARIA's valet pickup area, is done with LED lighting to save energy. Another piece mounted behind the registration desk at ARIA, by environmental artist Maya, depicts the Colorado River as Nevada's water source. It is made of reclaimed silver to represent The Silver State. One can spend half a day just touring the art pieces, which are mostly contemporary and created with sustainability in mind.





GENSLER, global architecture, design and sustainable building firm: Talk about herding cats, can you imagine trying to manage the design and construction of all these elements simultaneously? While MGM Mirage CEO Bobby Baldwin and his staff deserve much of the credit, they hired the esteemed firm of Gensler to handle the day to day coordination. This covered everything from the art, water features, architecture, retail placement, the list goes on. So how about getting all those egos to play in the same sandbox together? This gargantuan task was conquered by Bobby Baldwin at the helm with Gensler as overall coordinator. Speaking of green, the tricks Gensler applied were quite innovative including fresh air blowing at the base of each dealer station and slot machine in the casino; special ventilation to purge smoke from the ARIA gambling area; and a special system by Control 4 which allows guests to voluntarily "green their stay" with the press of a button (thermostat settings, re-using linens, low lighting, etc.).





So when I pressed Nellie Reid, Sustainability Director of City Center, whether there were reservations on the scope of the property and the greenness of it all, she does not hesitate. "We designed City Center as a 20, 30, even 50 year project, not just in the here and now. That's why we aren't in a panic about the current economic climate. This project, unlike some others in Las Vegas, should have a much longer shelf life." Under Reid's direction, City Center, the world's largest LEED certified project, received 267 total credits out of 268 they applied for. I would put my money on her.

And let's hope for the sake of all Las Vegas, she's right!

Follow Jennifer Schwab on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SCGreen_Home