What does "being green" truly mean in your industry and who ever said that being green also means being cheap?

Jean Bukshpan adores POMEGA5 products

Beauty is skin-deep, so read the labels

GOING GREEN

When you're shopping for lotions and potions, experts caution that you shouldn't assume a product is "all natural" just because that's what the label says.

Sophie Uliano, author of Gorgeously Green, suggests studying ingredients. Many beauty products have chemical preservatives, strengtheners or sealants, so doing homework is a must, she says.

"Look for something that is 100% made with organic ingredients. Be wary of something that says just made with organic ingredients, or that says pure or natural or botanical," says Uliano, who also cautions against being seduced by natural-looking packaging. "If you see a long list of chemical-sounding names you can't pronounce, put it down and look for something else."

There's plenty to choose from. Origins recently launched a collection of organic face and body products that are 73% to 98% organic and certified under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program. Dr. Hauschka Skin Care is known for using mostly biodynamic and organic ingredients in its line of holistic skin care. And Pangea Organics' products come in biodegradable packaging, with all the ingredients listed and explained online.

Look for products certified as ecologically sound by Ecocert or QAI, two independent bodies.

POMEGA5 is the first and only high-couture line made of Omega 5 oil. It is free of parabens, solicones etc, yet gives youd the feel and look of any high end product line. Price accordingly at $62.

Stela McCarteny

Is famous for never using furs or leathers in her designs. Her luxurious skin-care line is one of the few certified by European accreditation body Ecocert as containing at least 95% ingredients of natural origin, and it's free of petrochemicals and silicones. Care Calming & Soothing elixir by Stella McCartney, $64

Jessica nail polishes

Are free of toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), as are those from Priti Organic Spa, which also has a soy polish remover. DBP, used to make polish flexible and resistant to chipping, is banned by the European Union. Jessica nail polish, $6.50 at jessicacosmetics.com. Priti nail polish, $12.50

John Masters

Is known for his sumptuous line of shampoos and conditioners, but his skin-care collection is equally luscious. All his organic ingredients are independently certified, and his products are free of sodium lauryl sulfate, parabens, petrochemicals and artificial colors and fillers. Pomegranate facial nourishing oil, $30

Josie Maran Cosmetics,

From the Dancing With the Stars performer, are stylish and free of parabens, toxins and fragrance. They are packaged in recyclable aluminum, plastic or paper. Lipstick, $20

Eco-friendly events can leave large, unfriendly footprints


GOING GREEN


Green-meeting consultants suggest these practices for staging low-impact events:


Sign up volunteers to keep trash out of recycle bins.


Use compostable plates, cups and silverware. Example: cups made from corn.


Ban disposable giveaways by requiring exhibitors to stick with recycled and recyclable materials.
Pick contractors who use materials that are not environmentally harmful for staging, carpeting and other areas.


Reduce paper by steering participants to electronic information sources.


Shop locally for food and other items to keep emissions and shipping costs down.


Encourage refillable bottles, perhaps touting a sponsor's logo, and steer attendees to drink refill stations.


Discourage driving by offering admission discounts for those who walk, bike or ride public transit to the event.



Events with green themes are drawing unprecedented crowds — and often leaving crater-sized environmental footprints.


That's the message from concerned activists and consultants who are calling on organizers of everything from green conferences to environmental festivals to green up their own acts. At stake, they say, are more than the copious waste and carbon emissions that public events routinely generate. Lost in waste-intensive events are precious teaching moments and a measure of credibility for environmental initiatives.


"The dialogue is cheapened when environmental events themselves do not showcase some environmental criteria for how they are implemented," says Ron Mader, founder of ecotourism journal Planeta.com. "You're harming the development of a constituency which would support and carry forth (green) ideals."


At issue are the physical components of big gatherings: food waste, drink packaging and giveaway items, to name a few. Advocates for greener events tout the virtues of biodegradable flatware (such as plates made from corn), compost bins and requirements that exhibitors dole out only that which has been or could be recycled.


Plastic forks? Bottled drinks?

But too often, they say, these and other low-impact, affordable options take a back seat — even at events to promote green habits — to such eco-unfriendly conventions as plastic forks, bottled drinks and overflowing garbage cans.


"At most 'green' events that we go to, we're always disappointed and we're always sad because there's so much work to be done in this industry," says Georgia Malki, president of Seven-Star Events, a green events production and consulting firm in Asheville, N.C.

Concerns come as events around the country incorporate the theme of environmental sustainability. The trend includes preparations for the national political conventions. Democratic delegates are encouraged to offset carbon emissions incurred en route to Denver in August. Organizers for the September Republican gathering in Minneapolis-St. Paul are using such eco-friendly procedures as electronic transmission of news releases and booking information.


Another telling sign: The Baltimore Convention and Visitors Bureau is fielding requests from event planners about the city's efforts to go green, according to Chad Chappell, manager of national accounts.


Industry and government have recognized a need to set standards for green meetings. The Convention Industry Council, a trade organization, in December convened a panel to develop benchmarks for the staging of low-impact events.


Then in February, the Environmental Protection Agency began discussions with representatives from the meetings industry to come up with voluntary standards to guide planners as well as EPA officials, since the agency plans to make sure its own events adhere to criteria for sustainability.


Anne Goldfeld attends dozens of environmental fairs and festivals every year in the Scottsdale, Ariz., area as she travels locally to promote reusable grocery bags. Her experience is almost always the same: not enough volunteers to keep trash out of recycling bins; beverages in individual, disposable containers creating heaps of waste; exhibitors handing out foam, plastic or other non-recyclable keepsakes.


"At every (green) event that I've ever been to," Goldfeld says, "somebody is pushing some kind of disposable item or things in plastic packaging. … There are always rules for exhibitors about no alcohol, no firearms — the legal stuff — but I've yet to see one that specifically says 'Only bring earth-friendly materials.' "


A few factors help explain the frequency of not-so-green pitfalls. For starters, experts in putting on events aren't always as gung-ho to go green as are their clients, who often delegate logistical decision-making to a contractor.


Sometimes event contractors resist making changes to their time-tested systems, Malki says, and some worry that greener practices will increase costs. But according to green meeting consultant Amy Spatrisano, steps to reduce footprints often lead to cost savings. Example: By using water refilling stations instead of bottled water, she says, two clients saved $25,000 and $50,000, respectively, at multi-day events for 1,200 and 3,500 people.


Trying to define 'green'


Still, not everyone agrees on what it means for an event to be green enough. "Our industry has no standards" for low-impact events, says Spatrisano, president of Meeting Strategies Worldwide in Portland, Ore., and an advocate for standards. "If we have no standards in our industry, then who's to say what's green and what's not?"


Though room for improvement persists, some events are getting greener. Non-profit Green Festivals, including one held in Seattle earlier this month, are showing how a weekend event for 40,000 people can keep about 98% of its waste out of landfills.


Keeping a footprint small "starts with the design of the event and the contracts for the event, and it goes through to really executing well all of the waste recovery," says Alisa Gravitz, co-producer of Green Festivals, an enterprise to celebrate local green initiatives.


As good practices get tested, innovation is also blossoming. Baltimore, for instance, plans to plant rather than discard flowers that grace the dinner tables of meeting planners when they visit the city.


"With a lot of this stuff that's going on with greening (events), we have the ability to do it," Chappell says. "We just all need to be thinking in that way."

Alva loves Omega 5 oil skin care

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