2000 Times More Energy = A Recipe for Disaster

 

Calling All Green Citizens 7/26/09

 

GO H20 NAKED, GO BOTTLELESS! : It takes 2000 times the energy to produce bottled water compared to tap water. The Pacific Institute, www.pacinst.org, has released a study showing how bottled water is 2000 times more energy-intensive than tap water and they warn that product that has traveled long distances, i.e., FIJI Water, Evian, etc. is even more of an energy vortex. Think about that the next time you create your banquet event order.

VOTE WITH YOUR DINING DOLLARS: Your dining decisions have a huge impact and when you are holding an event it's multiplied by the number of guests, 3-5 times a day. Quoting Daniel Goleman from his book, "Ecological Intelligence", "If we can find a better choice, that's a vote, and every vote counts. Saying it doesn't matter what I buy, is like saying it doesn't matter who I vote for." www.danielgoleman.info

SODAS: Here is another insight based on Goleman's book. Coca Cola did a water consumption study in partnership with The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to better understand how to reduce the amount of water used to produce a liter of Coke. They wanted to reduce the amount from 3 liters to 2.5 liters. In this study they looked at all of the components in the production process and the rude awakening was that when they looked at sugarcane they discovered that it requires some of the most intense water use of any crop. The shocker is that it takes 200 liters of water to grow the sugar cane that is required for one liter of coke!

MENU: Watch out. There are so many sources of negative environmental impact when it comes to your dining and menu choices. One would think that a "lacto-vegetarian" meal would be a much lighter carbon footprint, WRONG! If you substitute a hard cheese in place of beef the amount of dairy needed to make the cheese can involve as much energy and methane emissions as does the cradle to cradle impact of beef.

More to come on the culinary front. Watch for the APEX/ASTM Green Meetings and Events Standards to be posted for public review and comment in August. If you become a member of ASTM for only $75 dollars you can even vote on these. We need industry consensus on these for their approval. Logon, review, comment, vote, move it forward. www.apexsolution.org
www.astm.org

 

Be Well, Behave and Be Green

Kim is on the Board of Directors for the Financial and Insurance Conference Planners association (FICP) where he is Vice President of Education. He volunteers on the, CIC's APEX/ASTM Green Meetings Events Panel. He is currently an Event Marketing Specialist with Guardian Investor Services LLC, NY, NY. Kim received the award of Greenest Meeting Planner of 2009 at the Green Travel Summit in March 2009.