LA County Pushing to Ban Plastic Bags

It’s finally happening! Two days ago, on November 16^th, 2010, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors took the first step to ban single-use plastic bags. The final ordinance will be come up for a vote next week!

If approved, beginning in July 2011, sixty-seven supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, and drug stores in the unincorporated county area must discontinue providing plastic bags at check-out counters. By January 2012, the ban will cover 1,000 stores throughout the county. Even more progressive than San Francisco, the ordinance will also place a 10-cent surcharge on paper bags to deter shoppers from turning to other disposable bags.

Interestingly enough, the American Chemistry Council (consisting of members who make plastic bags) have already sought to use the recently passed Prop. 26 (refer to my previous blog post for more information on this initiative) to prevent the 10-cent fee from becoming enacted. Tricky tricky ACC, but the 10-cent charge would be exempt from the fee approval because the revenue from the charge would be given to the store owners, not the government.

Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for a news update from the LA Times. Maybe in a year we’ll see less of these “urban tumbleweeds” drifting across the freeways, clinging to the trees, and slipping into our ocean waters.

Check out the full story from the LA Times.

Café Gratitude

I recently discovered two amazing business leaders - Matthew and Terces Englehart – the creators of  San Francisco’s beloved Café Gratitude  and authors of Sacred Commerce: Business as a Path of Awakening.  This dynamic partnership demonstrates perfectly how a business prospers by being grateful and generous. 

During a panel discussion on social enterprise at the Leaders Causing Leaders Conference in Long Beach, the Engleharts candidly discussed how they are able to stay profitable while embracing the needs of their 200-plus employees and keeping their customers happy.  In their daily business practices the company employs the concept of “Oneness.”  Meaning that any decisions made are based on what would be the most beneficial for the entire community. 

For example, when San Francisco changed their laws to require employers to provide health care insurance to all employees, the Engleharts had a choice to only provide health care to the employees within that local jurisdiction, leaving some employees who don’t work within San Francisco without insurance, or insure all employees.  The decision, based on oneness, was obvious:  insure all employees.  

Another “oneness” business decision that the Engleharts made in 2009 was to create the “I am Grateful” Bowl Program in response to the economic challenges in their community  - a pay by donation bowl of delicious organic food.  Essentially, customers are able to receive healthy and sustainable food based on what they can pay - even if it’s only 5 cents - while other customers who feel abundant can donate funds to support the program.  The program is not charity; it is community taking care of community – and instills a cycle of gratitude and generosity. 

In today’s economy, businesses are feeling the pressure to keep their overheard low and cut costs.  However, Café Gratitude operates on a much different model – they ask the question how can we give more – how can we support the community?  The shift in perspective is powerful and is the kind of thinking that has kept the company growing and more popular than ever.

As we move into the holiday season  - re-discover your capacity for gratitude and generosity.  Use Café Gratitude as a model to think about how your organization can transition from thinking about cutting costs – to  how it can give more to the people and community that make it profitable in the first place.  

Matthew and Terces Engelhart

Election Day: A Day to Speak on Behalf of the Environment

Election Day is right around the corner! I hope all you fellow Californians are registered to vote and are geared with the knowledge to address the issues. Want some tips? Below are the propositions that I found will affect the environment and my reasoning on whether to vote Yes or No:

Prop 21- establishes $18 annual vehicle license surcharge to help fund state parks and wildlife programs; grants surcharged vehicles free admission to all state parks.
Vote: Yes. California’s state parks have undergone multiple budget cuts and need funding for proper maintenance and repairs. Not only will this measure allow for the continued existence of our beautiful parks, it will incentivize the public to visit these areas and enjoy the outdoors.

Prop 22- prohibits the state from borrowing or taking funds used for transportation, redevelopment, or local government projects and services.
Vote: Yes. Last year the State passed a budget that borrowed and took approximately $5 billion in city, county, transit, redevelopment and special district funds. Beyond taking money away from police services, healthcare services, road repair and maintenance, parks, and libraries, the State hurt public transit maintenance. As I’m sure many of you have noticed, bus/rail/shuttle fare prices have increased and routes have been redirected. Saying Yes on 22 will protect these necessary services from further cuts and protect the local community that relies on them.

Prop 23- suspends implementation of air pollution control law (AB 32) requiring major sources of emissions to report and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, until unemployment drops to 5.5% or less for full year.
Vote: No. California’s Global Warming Solutions Act AB 32, signed in 2006 by Governor Schwarzenegger, is set to bring the state’s emissions down to 1990 levels by 2020. Prop 23 would stop the implementation of AB 32 until unemployment is below 5.5% for at least a year, a number our state’s unemployment has not even touched in three years. It would effectively kill California’s landmark climate change law and discourage other states from passing similar statutes. We cannot let this measure go through; if there is only one thing that you remember on November 2nd as you stand in the booth, I hope it is “No on 23.”
For further information: Learn more about AB 32, hear a catchy tune, read what Environment California has to say.

Prop 26- requires that certain state and local fees be approved by two-thirds vote; fees include those that address adverse impacts on society or the environment caused by the fee-payer’s business.
Vote: No. This measure, if passed, would make it more difficult to pass fees on industries that pollute our air and water and ultimately endanger our health. The funds raised by these pollution fees are used by state and local governments for programs to clean up oil spills or hazardous waste and address the health effects of cigarettes, pesticides, and alcohol.

To learn about all the propositions that will be on the ballot November 2nd, please visit the official voter’s guide or smartvoter.org. Even if you ultimately disagree with what I have said here, I hope that you stay sharp, stay aware, and make sure your voice is heard.

It’s Not Easy Being Green – or is it?

I’ve often identified with Kermit the frog.  His sentiment “It’s not easy being green” was often the way I felt throughout my earlier years growing up in a conservative ranch town turned sprawled-out suburb.  As a kid it was a challenge to get my family and neighbors to recycle, people thought I was an alien from outer-space when I told them that I was a vegetarian, and our local supermarket did not carry anything labeled “Organic.”

Today, not only is it easy to be green, it’s also become something that everyone wants to be.  This powerful shift is the result of an entire planet waking up to the idea that sustainability is something that makes our lives better and can make business more profitable.  What once was a paradigm of “jobs vs. the environment” has been replaced by “green-collar jobs” and the “green economy.”  This shift is not just the slick efforts of marketing masters. It is the result of real, truly innovative and passionate environmentalists working in every sector and level of the economy.  It is also the result of some very significant changes in state and national laws which incentivize green business over traditional dirty business and create mandates at state and local levels. 

To be sure, it has been a long road to make green easy, and we still have a ways to go.  But, it is clear, that Kermit the Frogs everywhere can wear their green proudly knowing that it is because of them that being green will continue to get easier and easier.