Blog Action Day

Well, today I'm in Germany on a business trip, jet lagged and just coming off a 14hr work day. Still, there's no way I was going to miss the opportunity to participate in today's global Blog Action Day. And then I'll crash and try to sleep...

Early reports are that participation in today's action is really high, that's great news. Was trying to think of what to write, and since I'm travelling right now I thought I'd do a quick review of some easy-to-implement climate-friendly solutions I've run across in various places.

Eliminate plastic bags
Places like the UK and Ireland have dramatically reduced their use of plastic bags by implementing a very simple measure: charge for them (I believe Ireland was 22 cents a bag). Result: Everybody shops with reusable bags. Just like we tax tobacco and liquor, let's start taxing items that are very directly linked to pollution, while providing an easy alternative, and watch how fast consumer behavior adapts.

Eliminate disposable cup waste
In our Dell office here in Germany, the employee break area offers free coffee from a vending machine. But instead of having a big stack of disposable cups to go with that, there's a cabinet full of promotional mugs people have brought back from trade shows and vendor visits over the years. So the coffee tastes all that much better knowing its container isn't going to end its useful life within minutes. If you drink coffee everyday, get a reusable cup already!

Make it lucrative to turn in recyclables
Unfortunately, many people still don't recycle consistently. Or at times only have access to public bins that don't offer a choice. But in places like California where a surcharge is placed at the point of sale on reusable containers (i.e. cans, bottles), this creates a secondary opportunity for the item to find its way to a recycling center. For example, transients, who otherwise might have to beg on street corners in order to get some money, go around collecting these items and can collect the redemption value by turning these items in.

Quick blog post to mark and take part in Blog Action Day. More to follow soon, including our plans for Oct 24, world climate action day. To learn more go to www.350.org.