Green Cotton

Photosource: The Washington Times

The Obama 2009 Green Inaugural Ball took place tonight, January 19th in Washington DC honoring the President Elect and his new administration. A night of celebration and good cheer hosted by Al Gore, the event commemorates a new era of hope and inspiration for a Greener economy. To quote Obama himself, “My presidency will mark a new chapter in America’s leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process.” (Nov 2008). 

A whole host of green organizations, institutions and companies came together with musical guest stars include Melisa Etheridge, Maroon 5 and others. But for those of you who have ever planned a large event, you know how difficult it is to keep it Green. Between masses of people consuming large amounts of food and drink, disposable (or non) cutlery,  waste generated, electricity needed, other disposable goods required, it can quickly become a green “disaster”. So I asked myself, how “green” is the Green Ball going to be?

Here’s the scoop:

• 100% of the carbon footprint of the event is being offset with high quality carbon offsets from Native Energy. The offsets will support a portfolio of renewable energy technologies.
• The event’s menu will include locally-sourced, organic and seasonal food (developed by Grand Cuisine and Chef Bradley Nairne, in consultation with renowned organic Chef Nora Pouillon).
• Waste from the event will be recycled, reused and composted by the Waste Neutral Group. No plastic bottles will be available
• Waste items will be source separated into biodegradable trash bags supplied by Perf Go Green.
• Lighting will incorporate the latest LED technology
• Limited paper and signage was used to produce and publicize the event.
• All printed materials will be printed on recycled paper using soy based ink.
• All bathrooms will use biodegradable soap and energy efficient air dryers.
• All linens are cleaned without the use of chemicals, and in a manner that uses less water and drying time.
• Floral decorations are organic, being kept to a minimum, and arrangements will be donated and reused.
• Attendees were encouraged to use metro, walk, or drive a hybrid to the event to minimize emissions from transportation.
• Trucks will not be permitted to idle while in the loading bays.
• The Green Carpet greeting guests, provided by Bentley Prince Street, is made with 100 percent renewable electrical energy and is made of 10% consumer waste. The carpet will be completely recycled after the event.
• Even the coat check will feature reusable numbers instead of paper tags.
• Guests will be encouraged to reduce their carbon footprint by purchasing carbon offsets through a partnership with Native Energy
• Many additional greening aspects were explored but were not feasible due to security, infrastructure, and availability of vendors to service.

The coolest part? The Green Carpet is made with 100 percent renewable electrical energy and 10% consumer waste, which will be completely recycled after the event. All told, this event green-ess seems to outdo Green Festivals recycling which we wrote about in October. That’s no surprise however since Green Festivals is on the host committee and likely played a role in the recycling program.

Others taking part include the National Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Earth Policy Institute, Global Exchange, Clean Tech and Green Business for Obama, The Climate Group, the Climate Project, among many others. Where is Green America (formerly Coop America?) Maybe they had another event to attend to?

For more information on the event, visit. While your on the site, check out and sign up for the GEN09 Green Network. Seems to be a burgeoning green community… under the watch of the transition team.

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,