Climate Culture

Veganism as relationship deal breaker

Love is in the air, and according to the New York Times, it’s also served up at the dinner table. But when it comes to dueling food preferences — he loves meat, she doesn’t — sometimes dinner leaves couples, well, hungry for more. No-holds-barred carnivores, for example, may share the view of Anthony Bourdain, who […]

PVC is latest target of folks concerned about toxic toys

Photo: iStockphoto Lead-toy furor is so last year; the source du jour of parental outrage is plastic polyvinyl chloride in toys. Numerous playthings — balls, dolls, rubber duckies, tea sets, you name it — contain PVC, which is made with carcinogen vinyl chloride, often softened with phthalates, and frequently contains lead and other heavy metals. […]

Umbra on avoiding vinyl

Hi Umbra! I’ve been in denial about vinyl. Blue Vinyl, the movie, got me thinking, but unfortunately I space out and lie to myself. I even have bought those recently popular adult toys that advertise as being vinyl in large unavoidable proclamations on the front of the box and I still managed somehow to think, […]

NYC nightclub groovin’ to a green tune

Dirty dancing is so 2007. An NYC hot spot aiming for LEED certification could become the first eco-club in the U.S., W Magazine reports: Jon B., owner of Manhattan nightclubs Home and Guest House, plans to open Greenhouse — the first eco club in the U.S. — in time to make it New York Fashion […]

A review of six eco-chocolate brands, for your Valentine’s pleasure

The connection between chocolate and Eros runs deep. How do I love thee? Let me taste the ways. Photo: iStockphoto In southern Mexico — where chocolate cultivation probably originated — the treat figured among the wedding rituals of the ancient Maya. By the time it became popular in Europe in the 18th century, a Venetian […]

White pine underthings more natural than they sound

This post goes out to all the ladies: If this hottie respectable underwear model could talk, I bet he’d be telling us all about his wood. About how it’s so sustainable and never loses its shape. It has "the feel of cashmere and the coolness of linen," he’d say. Plus, it’s antibacterial, thermally regulated, and […]

Kathy Abusow of Sustainable Forestry Initiative responds to Grist’s green-buying tips

Here is a letter to the editor from Kathy Abusow of Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc., written in response to our article featuring tips for buying green products and avoiding greenwashed ones.

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Dear Editor:

I am writing in response to an article that your website ran titled "Is It Really Green?" It was disappointing to read your statement about the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard® (SFI®). The fact is, SFI is an independent nonprofit organization and internationally endorsed forest certification program that is positively influencing the markets for certified forest products while improving forest practices across North America and promoting responsible procurement globally through the SFI Standard.

As your article suggests, it can be difficult to differentiate between "green claims" in the marketplace. However, third-party audited forest certification programs like the SFI Standard make it easy for consumers, by providing a comprehensive labeling system that provides the assurance that the forest products they purchase come from well-managed forests and are legal.

The SFI program has the support of numerous conservation groups including NatureServe, The Conservation Fund, and Conservation International. In addition, SFI works with conservation groups to provide real, tangible benefits on 143 million acres across North America. We also work with nongovernmental organizations, such as Forest Trends and the World Bank, to seek solutions to the important issue of illegal logging. At the community level, we engage in many ways. A recent example is in Minnesota where SFI volunteers are giving their time to build a Habitat for Humanity home that will provide housing with wood from responsibly managed forests.

At a time when only 10 percent of the world's forests are certified, we should not be playing favorites among the more than 50 forest certification standards worldwide. Improving forest management will require much more than that -- Grist can be part of that solution by providing your audiences with the facts and a balanced story.

Sincerely,
Kathy Abusow
President & CEO
Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc.

Umbra on staying positive

Dear Umbra, I am a new but faithful reader of your excellent column. I’ve learned a lot, but one thing I’ve noticed is that there never seems to be an upside to the answers. Now, this may be just because the reality sucks so much, but it depresses the hell out of me and makes […]

Recycle your jeans at Aéropostale

While hiding from Seattle’s rainy grayness yesterday, I happened upon an interesting window display at teeny-bop-shop Aéropostale. In bright green letters, the sign urged passersby to recycle their denim as part of the store’s Teens for Jeans campaign. The project aims to give gently used jeans to homeless teens across the country — and Aéropostale […]

Grammys go green(ish)

Between a late-night dinner with a friend and finally watching Thursday’s taped episode of Lost, I caught about five minutes of last night’s Grammy Awards show (the five minutes of Brad Paisley singing "I’d like to check you for ticks …" — a strangely compelling song). But I was pleased this morning to see that […]