Green Cotton

In the late 1970’s, “ecotourism” entered the travel lexicon, and an emerging number of resorts have embraced environmental and educational attractions ever since. In fact, ecotourism is the fastest growing sector in the travel industry since the early 1990’s.

Photo credit: Cesiak.org

As with any growing trend, some companies/entities will drive the trend, setting the highest examples, and others will follow.

Ecotourism has in many ways morphed into rather broad and unclassified meaning in the marketplace. As a value-added buzzword, some companies adopt the term when beneficial, without full demonstration of environmental commitment.

According to the International Ecotourism Society, ecotourism is: “Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well being of local people.” While this definition sounds terrific, an increasing number of travel entities use ‘eco’ simply to benefit their business.

The travel destinations that are leading the pack however, should be given due attention for their pioneering efforts. This past week, The Guardian highlights a few eco-leaders in their top five (5) green destinations post. MSNBC also reviewed Forbes’ top 10 Best Eco Luxury Resorts this year, highlighting what they viewed as destinations with genuine commitment to the environment.

One such place, which was highlighted by MSNBC is Sian Ka’an, Cesiak eco resort in Mexico. As a fully sustainable, 100% energy efficient destination, CeSiak offers pristine, comfortable accommodations situated in one of the most beautiful bioreserves of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. Run completely on sun and wind, the power is generated in 24 volts DC and stored in a large battery bank. CESiaK also uses a rainwater collection system for all guest water needs, other than drinking and maintains a wetland waste treatment systems to recycles greywater and treat all blackwater.

Beyond energy conservation, CeSiak, and other resorts like this one, approach every aspect of the business from the ecological conservation standpoint. Wind, rain, water, land are at the forefront of not only managing the destination, but also providing the educational and enjoyment capital for the eco-minded tourist. As such, restoration, preservation and education are front and center to the resorts mission, vision, and attractions.

Movement toward Accreditation:
One response to the increasing use and value of ‘eco’ in the travel industry, the International Ecotourism Society, in collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance, plans to introduce a global accreditation system, the Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council, to certify individual programs within the next two years that meet certain criteria. While this accreditation may certainly help consumers make more informed choices, we must continue to remain educated and up-to-date on the latest innovations and models for the industry.

Guardian’s top five eco travel picks: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/sep/19/green.travelwebsites

MSNBC’s Top Ten Luxury Resorts: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18057687/
Also on Forbes Traveler: http://www.forbestraveler.com/2006/ft400-slide-200.html?thisSpeed=20000

Cesiak: http://www.cesiak.org/accommodation.htm

What similarities can be drawn from the trends in eco-tourism and eco-fashion? For one, they are both on the rise and two of the fastest growing categories in their respective fields. In the case of eco-tourism, the trend has been increasing longer, faster and steadier, but both harness the eco-conscious consumer paradigm. As such, there is much to be learned from the eco-tourism industry. For example, we can expect a fair number of companies to embrace the ‘green fashion’ paradigm, whether there is genuine commitment behind the ‘green-washing’ or not. In addition, green fabrics, organic fabrics and socially conscious production process will need to monitored, with perhaps one or more accreditation systems in place, coupled with continuous information sharing with consumers. Finally, there may be a viable opportunity here for eco-friendly fashion companies to capitalize on this travel market and formalize some b2b partnerships.

Gore is on a roll. In fact, he is on fire. As noted in this quote of the day on TreeHugger, Al rightly puts the fuel in the fire, by strongly urging environmental political action to tackle our planetary crisis. His argument is that we need market driven change to be supported and reinforced by policy, otherwise we will not move fast enough.

I could not agree more. We need improvements in both arenas if we are to successfully overcome the natural resource and human health crises that we face, and the green cotton/fashion industry is a good example. When it comes to fashion, consumers have tremendous pull in terms of buying choices that ultimately drive markets markets. On the other hand, companies make choices in terms of production, souring, marketing and transportation. They have choices and can choose to move in one direction or another for example on pesticide use, resource management, manufacturing, labor choices, transportation options, and product sourcing. Retailers can also move markets based on the decisions they make on a daily basis. Finally, governments play an important role as well by the creation and enforcement of business laws and regulations. By imposing limits on carbon dioxide emissions, land-use rules, and pesticide use and labor, they can have a tremendous impact on the kinds of choices that companies are allowed to make.

As such, it becomes clear that the greening of the planet is manifested in a constant triangulation of three important constituencies:

• Consumers
• Companies
• Governments

Each constituency plays a crucial role to play in moving toward sustainability and preservation of critical natural infrastructure. As we embark upon the 21st Century, we need to be most cautious of our choices in everything that we do. If we do not, unfortunately there may not be a 22nd Century for our great grandchildren to enjoy. Thank you, Al for your inspirational words.

clipped from www.treehugger.com We face a genuine planetary emergency, we cannot just talk about it, we have to act on it, we have to solve it, urgently. … Last week the world celebrated the 20th anniversary of a great success story. A hole in the ozone layer was discovered in 1985. And then, in the following year and a half, action took place. All of the market initiatives are incredibly important. The market allocates more money in one hour than all of the governments allocate over a year’s time. But governments set the rules of the road and determine how markets allocate capital and make decisions. And there should be no mistake that this crisis, the climate crisis, is not going to be solved only by personal action and business action. We need changes in laws; we need changes in policies; we need new leadership and we need a new treaty. We need a mandate at Bali during the first 14 days of December this year to complete a treaty not by 2012 but by 2009,

The Central Asian Republic of Uzbekistan happens to be the second largest exporter of cotton in the world. One third (1/3) of its population works in the billion dollar industry, and a large majority of those individuals are children. In addition to concern over children’s rights, the situation presents an emerging environmental crisis tied to irrigation and natural resource management. With an over-reliance on dangerous pesticides and economic dependence on cotton, the country is in a difficult position. Yet, Uzbekistan is not solely at fault. Western companies are also complicit by negotiating business with industry officials and consistently purchasing product. Similarly, Western consumers (e.g. Americans and Europeans) reinforce the situation by continuing to purchase Uzbek-grown cotton and demanding price-quality paradigms at such a high human and environmental cost.

How do we navigate ourselves out of such complex socio-eco-nomic mess?

Here are some three simple steps that we as consumers can do to make a difference:

1) Ask your retailer where your cotton has been sourced. If they don’t know, chances are some or all came from Uzbekistan, or some other country where human rights or environmental abuses are part of the production equation. There are plenty of fair trade, organic options out there, seek them out, buy them and promote them to others.

2) Be wary of inexpensive product. If something is cheap, it is probably too good to be true. Cotton is one of the most expensive, labor, pesticide and water intensive crops to grow in the world. It is associated with huge environmental and human costs. If the end product is very inexpensive, chances are someone or something (e.g. natural resources) is paying the real price. Think before you shop. You can start to change the world through your purchases.

3) Buy green, buy organic and buy fair trade. When laborers and craftsmen are given a fair, living wages, the end product will reflect this cost. In addition, when fabrics are organically grown without harmful pesticides, they can be more expensive to maintain and grow. As conscientious consumers, we need to be willing to assume some of this cost. It’s the best way to drive the market toward greater sustainability and equitability. If enough demand existed, even Uzbekistan would move toward organic crops and higher wage production. The market is more powerful than one might think.

Finally, I encourage you to watch this short video directed, produced and supported by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF):

White Gold: The True Cost of Cotton. It is truly enlightening.

www.ejfoundation.org/page85.html

Credits: the Title of this blog was inspired by the above video. Thank you, EJF!

Photo source: The Environmental Justice Foundation

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