http://www.badlani.com/blog In a world being destroyed by plastic bags, here are some solutions Sat, 30 May 2009 09:30:34 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en That's a fabric I have created by weaving jute and cotton together. Almost everyone who sees it falls in love with its look and texture. Now, I'm trying to make it from jute and recycled cotton yarn. http://www.badlani.com/blog/2009/05/30/how-do-you-like-this-bag/ With all the debate going on about what is really most environmentally friendly and what is less so and what is just greenwashing (where eco-friendliness is exaggerated or lied about. Sadly lots of people and companies are doing greenwashing. You keep reading ads about “recyclable” ... http://www.badlani.com/blog/2009/05/29/and-the-winner-is-recycled-cotton/ As an environmentally concerned person I tend to read news about plastic bags. One of the most common things I encounter are people who agree that plastic bags are bad, but lament the fact that it is difficult to remember to carry your reusable bag. Well, here's a simple solution. ... http://www.badlani.com/blog/2009/05/14/a-reusable-bag-you-will-never-forget/ Trends, says futurist John Naisbitt, are like horses, easier to ride in the direction they are going. Who would argue with this? Don Quixote perhaps, but marketing wisdom says go with the flow, it makes more sense. The flow is going the ecological way. Most markets that have matured passed the novelty ... http://www.badlani.com/blog/2009/05/13/branding-essential-and-simple/ Advertising Age recently carried an article about how green marketing as a niche was saving advertisers and consultants from the overall recession. The green marketing area is a growth zone at the moment and Cincinnati based HSR B2B reported revenues growing by 30% in this zone. Ogilvy North America has formed ... http://www.badlani.com/blog/2009/04/14/the-green-marketing-niche-grows-during-recession-also/ Though it sounds so simple, a lot of people still have to catch on that using a reusable bag really makes a difference to our environment.  It helps to have any form of publicity that promotes the idea and celebrities endorsing good ecological sense is a very useful step.  Texas-based grocery store ... http://www.badlani.com/blog/2009/04/03/every-celebrity-endorsement-helps-the-cause-of-reusable-bags/ Toronto’s tap water is some of the cleanest in the world and subjected to more filtration and safety regulations than bottled water. But, for Torontonian consumers that’s not enough. Before tap water would be accepted as the absolute cleanest choice, the perception that bottled water is cleaner and healthier had to ... http://www.badlani.com/blog/2009/03/17/just-too-much-plastic-for-us-to-handle/ I've long admired Britain's The Independent as being one of the more thinking news entities. This brilliant and thoughtful article by Michael McCarthy, their Environment Editor (how many other news bodies even have an Environment Editor?) proves me right. Why are we asking this now? Because yesterday the Government's anti-waste ... http://www.badlani.com/blog/2009/02/26/the-great-thing-is-theyre-thinking-about-what-to-do-about-plastic-bags/ This article from the Denver Post points out how important it is to get legislation right when addressing the problem of plastic bags. Encouraging people to move toward reusable shopping bags is a good idea. We get that, and support it. However, the bag-banning measure blowing through the state legislature has morphed into ... http://www.badlani.com/blog/2009/02/26/legislation-needs-tweaking-to-make-people-realise-reusable-cloth-bags-are-the-only-answer/ The Aspen-Telluride area is not going to let it happen. I just read this news release today: Aspen-Telluride bag challenge expanded Beginning March 1, 26 mountain towns including three in the Roaring Fork Valley are competing in the 2009 Colorado Association of Ski Towns (CAST) Reusable Bag Challenge, to see which town ... http://www.badlani.com/blog/2009/02/25/when-youre-blessed-with-so-much-beauty-you-cant-let-plastic-bags-spoil-it-for-you/