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    Nothing

    Last weekend I was riding the King County Metro bus when a nice man who had recently moved to Seattle from Taiwan asked me to tell him about Thanksgiving. I started in about how we get together with people we love, engage in gluttony, etc., etc.

    He said, "Uh, but I mean, what about the day after Thanksgiving? Tell me about the sales." At which point I realized I'd never been anywhere near a place of commerce on Black Friday. I grew up on a farm, and, well, we just don't like people or commerce enough to risk leaving the house.

    Then this week I discovered an organized ritual against the wanton post-T-day, pre-Christmas consumption of holiday-related paraphernalia: Buy Nothing Day.

    Kate Sheppard Uncategorized

  • Are the wind credit cards deceptive?

    A kerfuffle has broken out in the green blogosphere. The state of play thus far:

    • Steve Johnson noticed the new "Wind Power Card" from Renewable Choice Energy, available now at a Whole Foods near you. He is not a big fan:
      When you buy a card, you don't get any wind-generated electricity delivered to your home however. In fact, all you get is a card that doubles as a refrigerator magnet. Actually, you don't even get any credits, it's just a word they use to give you a sense of getting something from your money. The money you spend goes towards helping Renewable Choice Energy buy and sell electricity.

      The cards are not even an investment, because you won't get any material value in return. It's all going to help another company get rich. Most companies seek investors to secure capital. But in this case, RCE is asking people for free money under the context of doing your part to help the environment.
    • The mighty BoingBoing (1.7 million unique visitors a day) picked it up and added some RCE bashing.
    • Over at Sustainablog, Jeff responded with some umbrage, defending RCE.
    • The mighty BoingBoing responded in kind, and several readers chimed in. Consensus: wind credits may be OK, but the cards are deceptive.
    • Shea Gunther, founder of RCE, pointed to a post about how wind credits work, and another with pictures of how the cards are presented in Whole Foods.
    • CitizenGreen has thoughts; GroovyGreen weighs in; so does Ecospree; Jeff again; Treehugger too.

    What to make of all this?

    David Roberts Culture

  • What do you mean I can’t sell my gold-plated ivory-billed woodpecker?

    As Google continues its march towards global domination with the launch of Google Checkout, Gristmillers can sleep soundly tonight knowing that the following prohibited items can't be sold/bought via the new service:

    Endangered species: Plants, animals or other organisms (including product derivatives) in danger of extinction

    Precious metals: Bulk sales of rare, scarce, or valuable metals

    The fact the former has to be listed is depressing. Luckily it will be a four-day weekend for Grist to lift the spirits!

    Chris Schults Technology

  • GreenScanner

    Have you ever been shopping and wanted to know how environmentally friendly a particular item actually is? Me too, and I have been meaning to propose that someone create the very database that GreenScanner has now developed.

    Chris Schults Culture

  • Umbra on wedding registries

    Dear Umbra, I am getting married and would like to register for some socially and environmentally responsible household and kitchen items: pots, pans, etc. I found plenty of resources on organic cotton and hemp, but other than that I have come up with nothing! Paige Doughty Cambridge, Mass. Dearest Paige, This is a potential stumper. […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • George A. Polisner, socially responsible e-shopkeeper, answers questions

    George A. Polisner. What work do you do? I’m the founder and president/CEO of alonovo.com. What does your organization do? We are working to empower people by fully informing their market decisions. We are infusing the online shopping experience with a simple ratings system based upon trusted research data on social responsibility. People can choose […]

    Grist staff Culture

  • When it comes to green products, who’s zoomin’ who?

    “I don’t trust ‘natural.’ People are always dying of natural causes.”— Woman looking at food labels, in a Richard Guindon cartoon Roll playing games? Photo: Laura Cacho. Shoppers of the world, I have just one question: Are you an eco-chump? Lots of us try to shop green. We buy unbleached paper towels and recycled products, […]

    Bill Penrose Culture