Ralphs vs. Vons

Faced with two choices for convenient grocery shopping, which do you pick? Ralphs or Vons?

Always be skeptical of corporate sustainability reports (often part PR campaign) but here's a quick list of measures taken by these major grocery retailers to help reduce their environmental impact, according to their corporate websites:

Ralphs (Kroger):

• collected and recycled 9.1 million pounds of plastic grocery bags in 2007
• reduced office paper usage by 455 tons
• diverts leftover food to food banks, composting, and animal rendering plants
• trains grocery baggers to "Strive for Five", or putting at least 5 items in a bag to reduce the number of bags used
• eliminated 68,000 pounds of PVC by switching to smaller, recyclable Eco-Flexx advertising billbaords made of polyethylene
• working to reduce the weight of plastic milk and water bottles, saving an estimated 1.8 million pounds of plastic resin
• reduced overall energy consumption by 22% since 2000, shooting for 30% by 2010, mostly by updating lighting fixtures and refrigerators
  
• reducing the carbon footprint of shipping fleets by improving insulation, reducing mileage, and training drivers to slow down and reduce idling time, and using and selling fuels that are 85% domestic ethanol/15% gasoline, thus saving an estimated 1 million gallons of diesel fuel over the next three years

BOTTOM LINE: 2 Stars **
Lots of small efforts, like recycling and encouraging behavioral changes, are good, but Kroger has yet to stand up and make big changes. Their sustainability report reads more like a list of things they hope to do, rather than things they've done.

Vons (Safeway):

• buys enough wind energy to power all 300+ of their fuel stations, all stores in San Francisco, CA and Boulder, CO, and their corporate headquarters
• currently developing 20+ solar projects around the country
• 550 trucks in California and 79 in Arizona run on 80% petroleum diesel and 20% biodiesel made from soybean oil grown and manufactured in the U.S.
  
• designing more efficient buildings, including no-heat freezer doors
• recycled more than 500,000 tons of cardboard and plastic in 2006, thus keeping 85% of their solid waste out of the landfill (the state mandates only 50%)
• first major retailer to register with the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), the only voluntary, legally-binding greenhouse gas emissions allowance trading system in the country
• award winning: 2005 EPA Green Power Purchaser of the Year Award, 2006 City of San Diego Recycler of the Year Award , 2002-2006 WRAP (Waste Reduction Award Program) Awards, and 2007 California Flex Your Power Award for energy efficiency

BOTTOM LINE: 3 Stars***
Big box stores should never be our first choice, but when that's the only choice, I would choose Vons over Ralphs. Flashy moves like wind power and joining the CCX might not always be as effective as lots of smaller changes, but Safeway is sending the right message to other large retailers without being too showy about it.

What are your thoughts??

Sticky Bumps Surf Wax: Soy-based and Local

If there's one thing San Diego is known for, it's surfing. And since surfers are often hyperaware of environmental issues (who better to notice and care about problems affecting the coast), it's no surprise that San Diego is home to Sticky Bumps, a pioneering maker of earth-conscious surfboard wax. (Parent company Wax Research is now located in Carlsbad, but rumor has it that Sticky Bumps founder John Dahl started mixing waxes back in 1972, a stone's throw from Swami's in Encinitas.)

Surfers wax up their boards to release water, thus allowing for better traction. Since oil and water don't mix, petroleum was the preferred base for most early surfboard waxes. Even today, "regular" bars of surf wax get that sticky feeling using petroleum or synthetic rubbers with heavy alcohol agents. The problem with these types of surf wax is not just the environmental cost of their manufacturing, but how they flake off and stick around in the ocean (pun intended).

The problem comes with finding a tacky substance that does it all: rubs on easily, stays on, stays sticky, doesn't melt, yet eventually biodegrades. Newer, more "natural", types of surf wax are made from a combination of biodegradable vegetable, soy, and beeswaxes. Sometimes they even come wrapped in recycled paper and soy ink. Sticky Bumps was one of the first companies to break away from paraffin and start offering soy-based surf wax ($2/bar vs. industry average of $1/bar). You'll find Sticky Bumps in just about every local surf shop, like Clairemont Surf Shop (6393 Balboa Ave).

BOTTOM LINE: 4 Stars ****
Big props to local company Sticky Bumps for leading the way in eco-friendly surf wax, but with only one soy-based type of wax and the rest seemingly proprietary (read: ingredients are a company secret, revealing only "Vaseline-like softeners"), there's always room for improvement.

Cleaner Dry Cleaners

In a perfect world, the best way to avoid dry cleaning toxins is to buy only clothes that don't require dry cleaning. But we all know that's not always possible. In an attempt to find out just how bad local dry cleaners are for the environment, SGSD discovered that California has already taken steps to insure that all dry cleaners clean up their act.

Thanks to a bill enacted last year by the Air Resources Board (part of the California Legislature), all dry cleaners in the state will be forced to phase out the use of perchloroethylene by 2023. Purchase of dry cleaning machines that use this toxic solvent is already forbidden as of this year, and by 2010 all machines of that type more than 15 years old must be replaced. Although some people are worried about the costs that this conversion will pass on to small business owners, the state is offering a $10,000 incentive to help every dry cleaner buy alternative machines.

But what is the alternative? As the name implies, dry cleaning refers to any method of cleaning clothes without the use of water, meaning a solvent is used instead. Alternatives to perc-based dry cleaning methods usually use hydrocarbon, silicon, or pressurized liquid carbon dioxide as the solvent. The jury is still out regarding the environmental trade-offs of emissions and toxins involved in the first two methods, so for now it seems that most environmentalists have settled on carbon dioxide as the best answer to green dry cleaning. Apparently it's more gentle on clothes, too.

Still, possible risks to the environment and personal health notwithstanding, it sounds like many dry cleaners are wary of plunking down the $100,000 (10 times the state's supplement) or more for a carbon dioxide machine, just to have that phased out a few years down the line for something even greener. Hence there are only something like 37 carbon dioxide-based dry cleaners in the country (one is in North County SD!).

BOTTOM LINE: 4 Stars ****
Dry cleaning is probably going to be wasteful no matter what. Can't blame the skeptics, but until better technologies are developed, here's a quick breakdown on some local dry cleaners and their solvents:

• Hangers Cleaners (carbon dioxide), Torrey Hills Marketplace, 4645 Carmel Mountain Rd., San Diego, CA 92130
  
• Sunny Fresh Cleaners (water), 8849 Villa La Jolla Dr. #303, La Jolla, CA 92037 (near Whole Foods)
• Green Cleaners (?), 1878 Grand Ave., Pacific Beach, CA 92109 (Supposedly perc-free, but their website never specifies what method they do use. Also non-responsive to inquiring emails.)
  

Green Arches?

McDonald's
4260 Nobel Dr. (UTC)
5065 Clairemont Dr. (Clairemont)
1121 Garnet Ave. (PB)
and a million other places...

SGSD has boycotted McDonald's, the biggest, baddest conglomerate around, for over a decade. (Middle-of-nowhere pee stops don't count.) With their Big Macs and styrofoam containers, the Golden Arches have long been a symbol of everything wrong with "Fat America". Okay, so they ditched the styrofoam ages ago, but as McDonald's pushes hard to pull a 180 with their image over the last couple of years, suddenly we're starting to notice. First there was the addition of new, healthier, menu options. Now they're reinventing themselves as a Starbucks competitor and, as rumor has it, even smoothies will be added soon. So, given other options, this blogger will probably still choose the one that's not McDonalds, but it might be time to ask...does McDonald's deserve our business again?

GOOD: Check out McDonald's commitment to the environment at their corporate website. McDonald's Switzerland recycles polyethylene packaging, newspapers, and light bulbs. In Australia, Brazil, and Europe, McDonald's has an active biodiesel recycling program. McDonald's Japan is testing the feasibility of collecting and recycling paper cups. McDonald's Sweden and Canada have their buns and Coca-Cola delivered in reusable plastic containers. To combat climate change, McDonald's Denmark has one restaurant totally free of hydrofluorocarbon-based refrigerants.
BAD: Sounds good for Europe. Not so much for McDonald's US. What gives? All this talk of "environmental sustainability" and "feasibility studies" tends to sound like a lot of fancy PR. And here's another thing: on a recent car trip bathroom break, GreenSD noticed a new sign on the door warning that coffee will only be served in McDonald's own disposable coffee cups. No personal reusable mugs allowed. What the heck? Must be more lawsuit paranoia.
BONUS: All suppliers (think beef farmers, vegetable growers, etc.) sign a "social accountability" agreement, receive training, and are inspected by third party monitors to assure their employees are treated fairly. After years of flack for making America fat, McDonald's now pushes "healthy lifestyles" by updating their menu, providing nutrition information, and even giving out pedometers in a special adult Happy Meal. In a local twist, McDonald's gave The Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla) $2 million in 2006 to research childhood obesity and Type II diabetes. Plus they still have clean toilets. And if you live in the Carmel Valley/Del Mar area, you get the extra treat of having a "Gourmet Bistro" McDonald's. No joke. They sell gelato.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Sorry, I have yet to get over the guilt and buy something worth recommending.

BOTTOM LINE: 2 Stars **
For effort. It's about time Big Business recognizes that consumers want environmentally sustainable and healthy products and services. Hopefully we'll start seeing more action and less talk from McDonald's, especially in the U.S.

La Jolla TJ's Produce Stand

(Near UCSD, in front of Trader Joe's)
8657 Villa La Jolla Dr # 210
La Jolla, CA 92037

GOOD: Living near a Trader Joe's is a great thing. Except for the sad produce selection that usually necessitates a bigger chain grocery store nearby. And frequenting the farmer's markets in La Jolla or Hillcrest sounds great, but only if you remember when they're open and happen to be in the area at that time. But the La Jolla Village Trader Joe's has a special bonus - an independent produce stand just out front. You can't beat the convenience. SGSD used to be skeptical of the produce man's prices and the origin of his wares (bought at Ralph's and sold for a higher price?), but recently he's started indicating exactly where each fruit and vegetable comes from. Turns out it's all local and seasonal. Fresh onions, tomatoes, avocados, strawberries, and more from Vista and Escondido. And now he takes credit cards.
BAD: The produce stand isn't always open, especially not later on weekday evenings. Some items might cost more than you could find in the Ralph's next door. And you have to be careful not to pick the rotten onions. But... a generous bag of mini avocados is only $2.
BONUS: the gorgeous smell of fresh berries and some friendly salesmen
RECOMMENDATIONS: choose recipes and make a list ahead of time - so you don't buy unnecessary veggies that end up going to waste - and bring your Trader Joe's reusable shopping bags.

BOTTOM LINE: 5 Stars *****
The price of everything is going up, but we've been paying too little for food of little quality for too long. Fresh, local, seasonal fruits and veggies are worth the extra money for the environment and your health. And, hey, here's a convenient place to get it all.