Posts filed under 'Green business'
November 16th, 2009
I wrote this fall that I was saddened by the closing of the cafe at the N Center, just a block away from the News Tower.
But I managed to track down Michael Wasserman, who is still doing the same good food at the downtown YMCA. The location is called the Y Cafe; the business is called Juice Energy Cafe (JUICE is an acronym for Jesus Unleashed is Creations Energy) and has been there since December 2008.
You can find soups, sandwiches and more there; Wasserman said pairing with the Y makes sense because both he and the organization support a healthy lifestyle, and he and the fitness instructors have developed a good relationship. Since this is a green blog, not a food blog, I asked about the eco-friendly aspects of his business:
You use greenware to-go containers and cups? ”They are made from a corn-based plastic and are biodegradable. Our forks, spoons and knives are made from potatoes…. It is good stewardship. I believe these choices make a difference to the members at the YMCA, and the young people coming through really think it’s cool. The greenware costs a little more going in but will probably save in cost later. It is good to use less petroleum in our products.”
What about the menu? “We buy organic foods where possible, we use low-sodium turkey and we choose good, quality meats. We try to buy everything fresh, not processed. Our soups are low sodium and made fresh daily. We offer a traditional and vegetarian soup.”
And drinks? “We use fresh fruit in our smoothies and sweeten with honey when possible. We juice using organic carrots and other fresh vegetables. Our Italian roast coffee is organic and fair trade.”
What else is popular? ”We just added a sushi choice for the week that has been received well. Our organic oatmeal and fresh fruit and yogurt parfaits topped with our homemade granola are going strong.”
What’s next? “We are working with a local company to refurbish vending machines to offer our fresh foods at other locations.” He adds that he continues to work on making his menu healthier and better, too.
Cafe hours are 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. It is open to Y members and their friends (who must sign in at the front desk). Call 815-489-1272.
November 10th, 2009
When I drove on the now-six-lane Interstate 90 last week, I saw some kind of green sign – with too much text for me to read while driving safely.
So I looked it up. According to the Illinois Tollway, it is going green by recycling roadway materials in construction.
By Building Green, the Illinois Tollway is demonstrating its commitment to being a good environmental steward as we complete rebuilding and widening projects systemwide by the end of 2009,” said Acting Executive Director Michael King. “Recycling roadway materials is a cost-effective way to maximize existing resources without compromising our commitment to the highest construction standards.”
According to the press release, since the 2005 launch of the $6.3 billion Congestion Relief Program:
– The tollway has recycled 100 percent of existing pavement into construction projects across 120 miles.
– More than 5 million tons of pavement has been recycled – 3.2 million tons of concrete and nearly 1.8 million tons of asphalt – enough to fill Soldier Field nearly three times. In addition, about 230,000 recycled scrap tires were used in materials for new shoulders and pavement.
– Up to 90 percent of each new roadway base consists of recycled concrete.
– Contractors are required to use ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel on construction equipment over 50 horsepower.
October 26th, 2009
A few days late, I caught the “Top Chef” Restaurant Wars episode, which featured chef Rick Moonen, who is famous for sticking to sustainable seafood — meaning he won’t use anything that was overfished or caught in a way harmful to the environment.
What does that mean? According to his site:
…he takes chances by refusing to sell favorites like Chilean Sea Bass, Japanese Hamachi, Monkfish and Grouper because of their dwindling populations.
He links to the WWF (actually a bad link, so I found this), where you can find a wealth of resources. The organization says that more than 70 percent of the world’s commercial fish stock are overfished or exploited.
October 25th, 2009
I’ve heard of charging customers for using plastic bags to discourage their use, but thanks to Holli Connell on Twitter, I’ve learned that Target will start paying me for using my reusables!
According to this USA TODAY story, starting Nov. 1, you can earn 5 cents per bag used. That’s not a huge incentive, but who needs one to go to the place where you stop for hair spray and leave with a cart’s worth of stuff.
Will it work?
A pilot test in 100 Target stores earlier this year resulted in a hefty 58% reduction in plastic bags used, says Shawn Gensch, vice president of marketing. “The best-case scenario is that we’ll have 100% success and every consumer will use a reusable bag.”
October 7th, 2009
Today at 1:30, SwedishAmerican Health System will plant an 18-foot blazing autumn maple tree at corporate headquarters, 1313 E. State, Rockford.
It is a green gesture donated by Hospira Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical and medication delivery company. According to a press release, SwedishAmerican recently started using environmentally friendly IV containers from Hospira.
The VisIV (pronounced viz-eye-vee) flexible intravenous container, or “IV bag,” helps administer medications and solution to patients and results in 40 to 70 percent less waste than other flexible IV containers.
SwedishAmerican formed a green committee this year and has recycled more than 10,000 pounds of electronic waste, recycled batteries, donated old cell phones to the troops and obtained funding so SwedishAmerican can compact aluminum, paper and cardboard waste.
October 1st, 2009
Is it lighted red and yellow, in regconition of the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China?
Is it lighted green, in recognition of the 70th anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz”? (No, that was actually red … ruby slippers! Green has been for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.)
Or has it just gone green? The landmark New York City skyscraper has undergone $550 million in renovations. In addition to bringing back the Art Deco splendor of the lobby, the project has replaced all 6,500 windows. The Empire State Building upgrades all together are expected to create a 40 percent energy savings, according to NPR.
Here is the lighting schedule, by the way.
September 26th, 2009
When you buy toilet paper, you don’t think about the fact that a tree fell to make it (and probably an old one).
Same thing goes for paper, I suppose, except often paper is made from recycled products. TP, not so much.
I read a story from The Washington Post that can be summarized in one sentence:
Big toilet-paper makers say that they’ve taken steps to become more Earth-friendly but that their customers still want the soft stuff, so they’re still selling it.
But it’s actually a long piece full of interesting data:
– Toilet paper accounts for 5 percent of the U.S. forest-products industry, compared with 26 percent for paper products and 3 percent for newspapers.
– If you want to be green about your toilet paper, go to the bathroom away from home, where you have no choice. That “cheap stuff” uses recycled fiber about 75 percent of the time. Compare that with 5 percent fully recycled stuff for what you buy for your home.
– By 2011, Kimberly-Clark says 40 percent of the fiber in all its tissue products will come from recycled paper or sustainable forests.
I’ll try the recycled stuff once, I guess. I’m not ashamed to admit that I like my Cottonelle. Marcal, which says “soft is overrated,” asserts that strength is more important.
This issue makes the whole “over” or “under” debate seem so 20th century.
September 23rd, 2009
I was going to do a small entry about the Revolution Cafe at the nCenter, which is a two-minute walk from the News Tower (220 S. Madison, Rockford).
I had eaten lunch a few times there, the food was great (like the turkey wrap above, or the beef ginger soup I tried) and Jim Green, who rang me up, said that the bags and takeout containers were eco-friendly.
Bummer. It’s closed now. That’s what I get for waiting a few weeks.
You can still try the same sandwich fare at the Y Cafe inside the downtown YMCA (815-987-2268). And the cafe expects to start putting up “healthy vending machines” at the Y and other businesses. I’ll have to go there and do more reporting.
Any other businesses big on organic/local food or green takeout products?
September 2nd, 2009
About two years ago, our newsroom stopped printing daily budgets for the morning news meeting because we could access a computer on a projection screen. If you figure 12 pieces of paper were printed a day (conservative estimate to account for the fact that some people still take their own notes), that means we saved 3,120 pieces of paper in a year.
If you have been wondering about “Creating a Green and Paperless Office,” go to the Natural Land Institute Corporate Council’s session from noon to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at Katie’s Cup, 502 Seventh St., Rockford.
The presenter will be Patrick Winter, director of information technology at Specialty Screw in Rockford. He has been turning Specialty Screw into a paperless office over the past 24 years.
Lunch is $10. The program is free.
E-mail your reservation to nli@aol.com by Sept. 21 or call 815-964-6666.
August 29th, 2009
In case you missed coverage of Wednesday night’s Winnebago County zoning committee meeting:
ROCKFORD —Winnebago County Board members are seeking what could be called a “third way” to allow companies to build wind farms.
At issue is a 16-page ordinance drafted by Navitas Energy Corp that, if approved, would allow for the placement of wind turbines throughout the county on land zoned for agricultural uses.
But County Board members, who discussed the ordinance Wednesday night during a zoning committee meeting, were skeptical of letting legislation open the door to all wind farm developers with only a staff review of the permit application to make sure everything was in order.
On the other hand, they also seemed reluctant to require a special use permit to place a wind farm. Such a permit would mean that every wind farm project would have to come up for a hearing by the Zoning Board of Appeals, county Zoning Committee and full County Board….
I’m trying to see whether I can track down this ordinance draft.
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