By John DeFore

Unless you avoided the conventional gift-buying routine entirely this holiday season, odds are good that you spent much of December in some retail environments whose construction and operation involved a lamentable level of waste.

Outdoor-gear merchant R.E.I. is a few years into an effort to chip away at waste in its stores. This September the chain opened a store in Round Rock, Texas (just north of Austin) that is phase two in its development of a long-term eco-friendly model. Most of its innovations have been tested for over a year in a Boulder, Colorado location, but that store, which opened in October 2007, was a renovation of an existing space. This one, situated in a cluster of stores whose heavy traffic is generated by the area’s only IKEA, was built from scratch to accommodate its green agenda.

[Read more →]

The following photos are all projects by Natural Lighting Co. in Phoenix. The designs, manufactures and installs daylighting systems in schools, commercial, industrial, military and retail environments. There are no electrical lights in use in any of these photos.

Photo: Natural Lighting Co.

Arizona Department of Transportation

[Read more →]

By Shermakaye Bass
Green Right Now

Harvesting daylight is an ancient trick – as old as the first man-made structure, as old as life on our planet, actually. Using the sunlight provided by nature is the most basic and simple way to illuminate one’s world. But when it comes to modern, sustainable architecture, the idea is relatively young.

Only in recent times has “daylighting,” as it’s sometimes called, made a blip on the broader green movement’s radar, with industry experts speculating that fewer than 1 percent of all U.S. buildings use natural light in a substantive manner (going beyond windows). The 21st century approach is waaaay more technologically involved than, say, a prehistoric clan setting up its fire pit next to the cave entrance.

[Read more →]

From Green Right Now
Brooklyn-based Green Depot,  which supplies the New York area with eco-friendly building and living solutions,  announced it will open a retail space on the Bowery in Manhattan. The store will carry practical “green” do-it-yourself, lifestyle and design products in five categories to help customers choose products that address the aspects of green [...]

[Read more →]

By Tom Kessler

The Philadelphia Phillies are still trying to close out the World Series, but the team has already been declared winners off the field. The National League Chanmipions were among the winners cited in the Environmenal Protection Agency’s 2008 Green Power Leadership Awards. The announcement was made at the the National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference in Denver, Colo.

EPA’s Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program helping to increase the use of green power among leading U.S. organizations. The program encourages organizations to purchase green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. The EPA says the program has hundreds of partner organizations buying billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually.

[Read more →]

From the Environmental Protection Agency

The 2008 Green Power Leadership Awards were presented in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference, held October 26-29 in Denver, Colorado.

EPA Green Power Purchaser Awards: On-Site Generation

Kohl’s Department Stores –Based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, Kohl’s is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products. Kohl’s strives to be a leading environmentally responsible retailer through focused resource stewardship by its associates and vendors.

[Read more →]

By Harriet Blake

Old computers do not have to end up in the landfill and in Texas, they won’t. Thanks to new legislation (House Bill 2714) that took effect Sept. 1, all computer makers are now responsible for recycling their products.

Texas is the fourth state to have such a law, says Jeff Jacoby, staff director with the nonprofit Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE), which was one of the bill’s main advocates. The other states are Minnesota, Maine and Washington.

Companies such as Dell, Hewlett Packard and Apple, as well as mom-and-pop operations, are required to provide free and convenient recycling to their customers, or they will not be able to sell computers to anyone in Texas, under the law.

[Read more →]

By Barbara Kessler

eBay announced this week that it will pave the way for eco-conscious consumers with a new marketplace dubbed “WorldofGood.com by eBay”. Designed to help shoppers find green and socially responsible products, the new shopping site will feature items made from recycled materials, organic raw goods and artisan wares produced by people in developing nations.

The partnership between the world’s largest online marketplace and World of Good, Inc., a start-up that aims to bring ethically produced goods to retailers, makes a certain sense.

[Read more →]

By Nima Kapadia

J.C. Penney Company has announced plans to expand its renewable energy program with solar and wind projects that will provide electricity in 10 stores and one distribution center. In addition to these initiatives, J.C. Penney will also seek Energy Star certification for 200 stores by 2011.

“Hosting these solar and wind projects will add to our knowledge of the benefits and potential applications of renewable energy programs at our facilities,” said Mike Ullman III, J.C. Penney’s chairman and chief executive officer.

[Read more →]

By John DeFore

Buying something new may not be the soul of environmentalism, but of course some products are greener than others, and rare is the eco-extremist who buys nothing at all. So it’s no surprise to see a crowded marketplace in the corner of Amazon.com devoted to Earth-friendly goods.

[Read more →]

By John DeFore
Whole Foods announced today that it will stop making plastic bags available at checkout lines — aiming to use up existing stock quickly enough to be completely plastic-free by Earth Day, April 22.

[Read more →]

By Barbara Kessler
Organic cotton clothing used to come in a variety of styles: There were men’s t-shirts, women’s t-shirts, teen t’s and also, well… a few more t-shirts.
But that is changing. These days organic cotton is breaking out of its casual box. It’s getting collars and cuffs. It’s getting belted and tailored, and even stretched [...]

[Read more →]