Earth Day 2008: A Roundup of What's Happening on the Planet Today

Earth Day 2008: Food and Grocery Industry
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The Hartman Group Earth Day 2008 Special Research Edition: Sustainability.

It's Earth Day--Whole Foods Dumps Plastic Bags.

Safeway Goes Solar For Earth Day.

Grocery Shoppers in California's Silicon Valley Asked to Limit Rice Purchases.

USA: SuperValu, Inc. Goes Organic For Earth Day.

USA: Consumers, Cities Sacking Plastic Bags.

Paper...or Plastic?

USA: Wal-Mart Looks 'Locally' For Green Products.

UK: Sainsbury's Introduces Compostable Packaging.

UK: Regional Foods in Danger of Extinction

New Research: USA Consumers Confused When it Comes to Green.

USA: Coca-Cola Co. Supporting 75 Community Recycling Programs on Earth Day.

Green Marketing: It's Easy Being Green on Earth Day: But What About The Rest of the Time?

An Alternative View: The Political Economics of Greenwashing.

Earth Day 2008: The Globe

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TreeHugger.com Earth Day 2008: Earth Day Around the World.

Agriculture: Asia Limits Rice Imports as Prices and Uncertainty Rise.

Roundup: Earth Day 2008 Around the Globe.

Churches Across the USA Celebrate Earth Day 2008.

Earth Day 2008 in South Africa.

Earth Day 2008 in Eastern Europe

Canada: Toronto Earth Day Festival in Full Bloom.

Lester Brown: How Many Earth Days Do We Have Left?

Green Military: Airmen Across the World Celebrate Earth Day 2008.

Green Politicos USA: From Washington D.C's Capital Hill to the Compost Pile.

The Universe: In Space Everyday is Earth Day.

USA: Oregon Governor Hikes to Work on Earth Day 2008.

Earth Day 2008: Green News, Opinion and Gossip

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An Inconvenient Truth II: Former U.S. VP, Nobel Prize Winner Al Gore Confirms Sequel to Best Seller in the Works.

Green Pop Idol: Sir Paul (McCartney) Says Going Veggie is Best Cure For the Planet.

Green Music: The Top-Ten Most Eco-Friendly Songs For Earth Day 2008.

Green Advice: What You Can Do On Earth Day Without Leaving Your PC.

Green Runways: Britain's Next Top Model Goes All Green.

Green Stars: Hollywood Goes Green on Earth Day.

Green Kids: Earth Day and Children's Potential.

Green Babies: Top 'Green' Baby Names For Earth Day.

Green Youth: The Green Generation Talks Environment.

Self Help: Use Earth Day to Change Lifestyle Practices.

Self Help: Best of the Web Green Living Tips.

Personal Finance: Top Stocks to Make You Green.

Earth Day 2008: Whole Foods Market, Inc. Becomes the First Major U.S. Food and Grocery Retailer to Stop Using Single-Use Plastic Carrier Bags Tomorrow

Tomorrow is G (green)-Day for supernatural grocery retailer Whole Foods Market, Inc.

Beginning first thing tomorrow morning (Earth Day 2008) when the doors open at the retailer's stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, Whole Foods will no longer be offering customers the option of single-use plastic carrier bags for their grocery purchases.

Instead of the typical "reusable, paper or plastic" (bag) question asked each shopper at the checkout stand in a Whole Foods' store, tomorrow that refrain will be shortened to just "reusable or paper," with a major emphasis on the "reusable" option.

Beginning tomorrow, Whole Foods Market, Inc. becomes the only major food and grocery retailing chain in the United States and likely the world to voluntarily stop offering the thin, plastic single-use carrier bags to customers in its stores.

In order to celebrate the event as well as Earth Day 2008, the supernatural grocer is holding regional promotions throughout the USA, Canada and at it's store in the UK tomorrow and the rest of the month, since Whole Foods has proclaimed April as "Earth Month" in honor of Earth Day.

For example, in many regions of the U.S., Whole Foods will donate 10 cents for every single reusable shopping bag customers bring into the store tomorrow to local environmental organizations.

In Atlanta, Georgia for example, the Whole Foods' stores in that region will donate 10 cents for every reusable shopping bag customers bring in to bag their own groceries with to Atlanta Beautiful, a non-profit organization that creates and implements public education and community improvement programs designed to make the Atlanta Metropolitan region cleaner and greener, according to the group.

All Whole Foods stores currently give shoppers 10 cents for every reusable shopping bag they bring in to have their grocery orders bagged in. That program will continue with the elimination of single-use plastic carrier bags in all of the grocer's stores starting tomorrow morning. Whole Foods will still offer shoppers free paper grocery sacks made out of 100% recyclable paper.

The supernatural grocer's store team members will be getting into the Earth Day spirit in a literally "green" way tomorrow. Every store-level Whole Foods worker in the U.S will participate in what the grocery chain is calling a "Green Out" tomorrow by wearing green attire from head to toe all day on Earth Day in the stores.

The jolly "green" store team members will be doing lots of environmental educating in the stores tomorrow, including making a big push for shoppers to adopt a reusable shopping bag lifestyle and habit.

Whole Foods is selling numerous reusable bags in its stores, as well as giving a certain number of the bags away for free in its stores tomorrow. The grocer sells a variety of canvas reusable shopping bags--including those made from organic and Free Trade cotton as well as conventionally-grown material--in a variety of price ranges.

The grocer also recently introduced its "A Better Bag," which is made from recycled (80%)plastic bottles and sells for 99 cents each.

Another fun and interesting regional event to celebrate the end of the plastic carrier bag era at Whole Foods is being conducted tomorrow at one of its stores in Raleigh, North Carolina. Store team members there will be holding an "eco-fashion show" from 6-8pm in the store, with all of the outfits made from single-use plastic carrier bags. No word if Heidi Klum will be in attendance.

In addition to celebrating the elimination of plastic grocery bags in the stores and the promotion of reusable ones, all Whole Foods' stores also are offering a myriad of Earth Day "green" events and promotions tomorrow and throughout the month. These include celebrations and in-store tastings of organic and sustainable foods, promotions featuring locally-grown food and grocery products with appearances by local farmers and food purveyors in-store, natural and organic body care promotions and giveaways and more.

The stores across the U.S., Canada and the UK also are conducting numerous tie-in promotions with local non-profit groups which are designed to raise money for environmental activities, ranging from local litter clean up projects, "green" education programs for children, sustainable urban gardening projects, and other similar activities.

Whole Foods also is working on finding alternatives to the use of the plastic bags it currently is using in its produce, bakery, seafood and bulk foods' departments, we've learned.

Among those alternatives the food retailer is looking at include a new-generation bag that's made completely from natural ingredients such as cornstarch. Any such bag must meet USDA standards for food grade quality however, which makes finding alternatives easier said than done at present.

Paper bags made out of 100% post-consumer recycled materials might be a good solution for the bakery and bulk foods' departments however, since paper bags have been used throughout history to contain fresh baked goods and bulk foods' products.

Whole Foods Market, Inc. is a trend-setter in food and grocery retailing, especially in the U.S. It was the first large chain to push organic food and grocery products in a major way, although independents were doing so long before Whole Foods was even founded. It's also the largest chain focusing on "locally-grown" foods and grocery products in the U.S., among other innovations.

Major supermarket chains and mass merchandisers like Kroger Co., SuperValu, Inc., Safeway Stores, Inc. Wal-Mart, Target and others pay very close attention to what Whole Foods does in terms of corporate policies (especially environmental) and in it's merchandising. Beginning tomorrow, these chains and most others will be watching the effects Whole Foods' elimination of single-use plastic carrier bags from all its stores has on the retailer.

In our analysis, all the effects will be positive ones we believe. We doubt any customers will stop shopping Whole Foods' stores because it will no longer offer plastic grocery bags as an option. In fact, we believe the grocer has already benefited from all the pre-Earth Day plastic bag-ban publicity it's received, which likely has increased the customer count in the already booming stores.

We don't believe however that any major supermarket and mass merchandiser chains like those we mentioned above will stop offering the thin, single-use plastic bags in their stores anytime soon. The consumer focus of the retailers is more "mass" than Whole Foods and they still believe eliminating plastic bags would cause them a loss of customers--and business.

We think some small to medium-size regional chains and local multi and single-store independents in the U.S. could follow Whole Foods' lead and stop offering the plastic grocery bags in their stores.

However, for the near to medium-term we think Whole Foods will remain the only major U.S. chain for now that doesn't offer single-use plastic carrier bags in all of its stores, with the exception of course of those food and grocery retailers who are in states or cities where single-use plastic carrier bag-bans have either been passed or soon will be passed. And, of course, in those instances the bag-ban laws are uniform for all grocery retailers. Therefore, there isn't a real or perceived competitive advantage one way or the other.

Earth Day 2008: Tesco Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market USA Announces Additional Earth Day 2008 Initiatives

Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market has just announced two new Earth Day 2008-related environmental retailing initiatives in addition to its previous free "bags for life" reusable shopping bag giveaway which we reported on last week.

Tomorrow on Earth Day, Fresh & Easy will bag all customers' grocery orders for the day at its 61 small-format, convenience-oriented grocery stores in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada in free, reusable grocery bags which the retailer calls "bags for life."

The bags are free for life because Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market will replace the bags if they are damaged for life. That's for the life of the consumer we believe.

The "bags for life," which are slightly larger and more durable than single-use plastic carrier bags, are made from recycled materials (we don't know if 100%) and 100% recyclable when worn out.

The plastic "bags for life" retail everyday in Fresh & Easy stores for 20 cents each. The grocery chain also sells canvas reusable shopping bags for $2.50 each.

New Earth Day 2008 initiative: Green building web page

Tomorrow on Earth Day, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market plans to launch a new web page dedicated to the retailer's various green building initiatives, according to a company spokesperson.

Among the features of the green building web site will be highlights of Fresh & Easy's green building goals and practices, along with a "real time" "green" energy meter from its 500,000 square foot solar panel installation on the roof of the grocery chain's 850,000 square foot distribution center in Riverside, California.

The website energy meter will show how much power the distribution center is generating and using from renewable solar energy in "real time." According to a Fresh & Easy spokesperson, the facilities solar panel array generates about 30% of the distribution center's power needs at present.

Check out the new website tomorrow and you can monitor how much power the solar installation is providing to the mega-Riverside distribution center yourself. http://freshandeasy.com/greenbuilding.

New Earth Day 2008 Initiative: North America Climate Registry

Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market USA also is announcing it has joined The Climate Registry (TCR), which is an organization that builds on and expands the climate and greenhouse gas measurement and accounting work of the California Climate Action Registry (CCAR). CCAR is a voluntary greenhouse gas reporting organization of which Fresh & Easy is currently a member of. TCR is an expansion of the California organizations effort.

It extends a common carbon footprint reporting standard across North America. Numerous North American businesses are joing TCR as part of their corporate environmental initiatives.

In announcing Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market's Earth Day 2008 initiatives, company CEO Tim Mason said, "We all have a responsibility to put thought into our impact on the environment. At Fresh & Easy, we take this responsibility seriously, and strive to be good stewards of the environment. Collectively, we can all make a big difference."

Earlier this year, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market joined the U.S.-based Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) organization. LEED, also known as the U.S. Green Building Council, is a nonprofit third-party certification program and the nationally excepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance "green" buildings. Learn more about LEED here.

Earth Day 2008: Massachusetts'-Based Stop & Shop Supermarket Chain and General Mills Launch Free Reusable Shopping Bag Cross-Promotion For Earth Day

Massachusetts-based Stop & Shop Supermarket Co., which is a division of Dutch retailer Royal Ahold, NV, and food industry manufacturer and marketer General Mills, Inc. today announced an innovative Earth Day-themed reuseable shopping bag cross-promotional campaign in all of the grocery retailer's 389 stores.

Starting today and running through Thursday, April 24, Stop & Shop customers who purchase at least $15 worth of General Mills' brand products in a single store visit such as Pillsbury baked goods, Green Giant frozen vegetables (that jolly 'Green' Giant), General Mills' ready-to-eat cereals, Yoplait Yogurt, Haagen-Dazs ice cream, Betty Crocker branded products, Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen brand natural and organic products, and many other Big G. brands, will receive five free reusable shopping bags.

Stop & Shop also is launching a second initiative beginning on May 9 as part of what it is calling its "Think Green" green retailing campaign.

For each single-use plastic carrier bag, paper grocery sack or reusable shopping bag a customer brings into the store, the food retailer will deduct 5 cents for each bag used to bag their grocery order from the shoppers total purchase cost. For example, if a shopper brings in ten bags and all ten are used to bag their grocery order, Stop & Shop will deduct 50 cents from the total.

Numerous U.S. grocery chains are already doing this; giving shoppers a 5 cent (and in a few cases a 10 cent) per brought-in grocery bag credit off their total grocery order amount. Some chains are even giving customers 5 cents off per bag for each paper grocery bag they bring in beyond the number used to packaged their purchases.

For example, if a shopper brings in 20 paper grocery sacks but only five are needed to bag their purchases, the retailer will keep the remaining 15 and give the customer a total of $1.00 off their total grocery order purchase amount at the register.

Stop & Shop and General Mills have a number of point-of-purchase product displays, featuring GM products, promoting the four-day buy $15 worth of General Mills' brand products and get five free reusable shopping bags from Stop & Shop campaign.

Earth Day 2008: City of Los Angeles, CGA and Southern California Grocery Chains Partner in Major Reuseable Shopping Bag Giveaway Promotion

The California Grocers Association (CGA), the trade group for the state's chain and independent grocers, is spearheading a major, multi-grocery retailer Earth Day 2008 reusable shopping bag giveaway in Southern California in partnership with the City of Los Angeles.

Beginning today and through tomorrow (Earth Day) a group of retail grocery companies which includes: Albertsons, Inc. (a division of SuperValu, Inc.); Ralphs Grocery Company (a division of Kroger Co.); Vons and Vons Pavilions (owned by Safeway Stores, Inc.) ; Food 4 Less; Smart & Final, Inc.; Henry's Farmers Markets (owned by Smart & Final); K.V. Mart supermarkets; El Super supermarkets; and Superior Grocers; is giving out about 50,000 free reusable shopping at more than 40 stores throughout Los Angeles.

Each district of Los Angeles has at least one store participating in the reusable bag giveaway, which is designed to encourage shoppers to bring their own bag to the supermarket, according to Ronald Fong CGA's new president.

"Reuseable shopping bags are a readily available, viable, and cost effective alternative to traditional (single-use) shopping bags," Fong told Fresh & Easy Buzz. "We commend the city of Los Angeles for taking the lead in reuseable bag awareness and education and hope this event sets the stage for partnerships with other municipalities throughout the state," Fong added.

The two-day Los Angeles Earth Day 2008 free reusable bag giveaway promotion began this morning at 6am. Each store customer will get one free bag per-transaction today and tomorrow or until the available 50,000 reusable shopping bags run out.

The reusable shopping bags being distributed to shoppers for free by the Southern California grocers are constructed of a polyester-like fiber material and are made from 100% post-consumer recycled material which includes recycled water and soda bottles. The bags have a message on them touting the fact they are made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. That message is: "Great Taste and Zero Waste."

CGA and its member-grocery chains and independents are trying to increase consumer use of reusable shopping bags in California, along with decreasing the amount of single-use plastic (and paper) carrier bags used in the state's supermarkets and grocery stores.

The grocers' association and its members supported AB 2449, the law which was enacted last year requiring California grocers with larger stores to place plastic grocery bag recycling bins in those stores, as well as to sell reuseable shopping bags in all those stores.

As we reported yesterday, a new bill AB 2058 passed the California State Assembly Natural Resource Committee last week.

That bill, written by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, the same Southern California Assembly Member who authored AB 2449 (the in-store bag recycling bill), would require the state's grocers with larger stores to meet two single-use plastic carrier bag use reduction goals, one by 2011 and another by 2013. If either of those goals aren't met, the law would then require the grocers to charge a 15 cent per-bag fee to any customer who requested plastic.

AB 2058 now goes to the California State Assembly Appropriations Committee for debate and an eventual vote.

The city and county of Los Angeles also is considering a proposed single-use plastic carrier bag law which would either levy a fee on each plastic grocery bag shoppers request in the city's supermarkets and drug stores or perhaps ban the bags completely.

The California Grocers' Association represents about 500 retail members, who collectively operate about 6,000 food and grocery stores in California. The association also has over 200 supplier members who do business with these retailers.

Earth Day 2008: California Bag-Fee Bill AB 2058 Passes California State Assembly Natural Resource Committee; Next Stop Appropriations Committee

One of the two single-use plastic carrier bag bills, AB 2058 debated and voted on by the California State Assembly Natural Resource Committee last Tuesday, passed in the committee with five -to- three member-vote and now will go to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for debate and possible markup as a bill in which the full Assembly would then vote on.

If eventually passed, AB 2058 would require all supermarket and drug retailers in California to charge consumers 15 cents per single-use plastic carrier bag requested unless the state's retailers meet a series of plastic bag reduction benchmarks or goals. These benchmarks require the retailers to meet a 35% reduction rate in plastic bag use by July 2011, followed by a 70% reduction by July 2013. If either goal isn't met within those time frames, the 15 cent per single-use plastic carrier bag customer fee would go into effect.

The legislation's author is Assemblyman Lloyd Levine from Southern California. Levine was the author of legislation which was enacted last July in California requiring supermarket and drug retailers operating larger stores to place single-use plastic carrier bag recycling bins in those stores. The legislation also made mandatory the offering for sale of reusable shopping bags in the stores.

A second bill, which the Natural Resource Committee debated but didn't put to a vote on Tuesday would levy a 25 cent per single-use plastic carrier bag fee on shoppers who request it at larger supermarkets and drug stores in California. There are no reduction goals in that bill. Rather the 25 cent bag-fee would be mandatory from the beginning.

That bill remains in the committee where it either will be further debated soon or left sitting while AB 2058 goes through discussion, debate and an eventual vote in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. [Read more about that bill and related issues here.]

All proposed legislative bills in California, and most other states in the U.S. as well as at the federal government level, go to the Appropriations Committee after being passed by a respective committee like Natural Resources. It's the Appropriations Committee that's charged with appropriating any and all monies for legislation. Without the committee doing so, a bill will die in committee.

The next step for the plastic bag reduction/15 cent bag-fee bill, AB 2058, is for it to get what's called its first policy committee hearing in the Appropriations Committee. That's expected to happen soon.

A number of groups are supporting AB 2058 and are launching a public relations and grass roots campaign designed to get the Appropriation's Committee to support and vote the bill out to the full California State Assembly for a vote.

Leading the charge is a non-profit environmental group called Californian's Against Waste. Other signed-on supporters include the City and County of San Francisco, The Easy Bay Area Municipal Utilities District, the Marin County Board of Supervisors, the Northern California Recycling Association, and the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency.

Since the bill just passed the Natural Resource Committee, the California Grocers Association which represents California's chain and independent food and grocery retailers, hasn't taken a position on AB 2058 as of yet.

Additionally, because the bill just passed in the committee, it's still a bit early for the Golden State's supermarket retailers to start voicing either opposition or support for AB 2058.

However, as we reported in this piece last week, it's far from a sure thing that all or even the majority of the state's grocery chains and independents will oppose the law. One reason this is the case is that the grocers' would likely prefer AB 2058 to the 25 cent per plastic bag legislation which remains in the Natural Resource Committee and can be voted on any time the chairman of the committee puts the legislation up for a committee vote.

Another reason is that the grocers are well aware of the numerous proposed outright single-use plastic carrier bag-bans being debated by local governments throughout the state. Their are currently at least 30 California cities proposing such bans. San Francisco already has a plastic bag ban as law and Oakland has passed a similar law which is currently in court being fought by a plastic carrier bag trade association.

The Bay Area city of Palo Alto is set to enact a single-use plastic carrier bag fee law for that city later this week. Other California cities not considering bag-bans are considering bag-fee laws like Palo Alto's.

Therefore, the California Grocers Association (CGA) may decide to support AB 2058. The group's decision as to whether to support or oppose the bill will be based on what the majority of its chain and independent grocer-members decide.

CGA supported the previous legislation by Lloyd Levine, AB 2058's author, which requires the grocers in the state to place the plastic grocery bag recycling bins in their stores and sell the reusable shopping bags, the latter which most of the grocers already did before the law was passed and enacted last year.

However, the benchmarks--35% by 2011 and 70% by 2013--might be a little steep in the CGA's--and grocers'--opinion. Therefore, we believe the grocers might support AB 2058 if they can get two things changed: a reduction in the percentages the grocers' would be required to achieve, along with an extension of the 2011 and 2013 dates perhaps.

If some sort of compromise can be achieved in these two areas--for example, hypothetically speaking, say a 25% reduction by 2011 and a 60% reduction by 2013--we believe the grocer's association and the majority of the states supermarket chains and independents might support an amended AB 2058 bill. That's just our analysis though, and we will have to wait and see the result as the bill progresses through the Appropriations Committee.

There remains a long road for AB 2058 to become law. First, it has to pass the Appropriations Committee. From there it would then go to the full California State Assembly for an up or down vote by the members.

Should AB 2058 pass the full assembly, it then has to go to the California State Senate and begin the committee debate and vote process in that body. If the bill--which gets another name and number in the state senate (SB #) passes the senate committees' and then the full body, it still must be signed by the Governor in order to become law. The Governor has the power to kill the bill with a mere veto.

AB 2058 also can be amended during this entire journey through first the California State Assembly and then the state senate. Depending on the severity and economic backing of the opposition to the plastic bag-reduction and fee bill, AB 2058 could end up very much different than the original bill. On the other hand, if the opposition isn't stiff and well-funded, the bill could eventually emerge with only minor changes.

These compromises go all the way to the end, which includes any changes the Governor might want to make in order to sign a bill such as AB 2058.

Like the old saying goes: Laws are like sausages, it's better not seeing them being made. However, just like in sausage-making, the end result of any legislation that passes can either leave a fairly good taste in the majority of citizens' mouths, or just taste plain old horrible to everybody. Such is the art and process of lawmaking.

Earth Day 2008: A Proliferation of 'Green' and 'Eco-Friendly' Product Certification Seals Offers Both Good News and Bad News for Grocers and Consumers

As pro-environmental marketing, retailing and consumerism has grown over the last decade in the United States, there's also been a growth in and proliferation of certification seals and logos ranging from those claiming "100-percent natural," "eco-friendly," "biodegradable," "earth-friendly," "green" and more.

The U.S. federal government doesn't certify "natural" or "green" products like it does organic ingredients in foods and other consumer products. The Department of Agriculture's USDA Organic logo means a user of that logo on its products has met a series of certification tests and measures set out in law, thus earning it the right to use the organic logo.

On the other hand, the dozens of seals and logos touting products as "green," sustainable," or natural, belong to either independent for-profit or non-profit certification organizations, non-profit environmental groups who allow the companies to use the certification seals or logos for a fee, or to companies themselves who have created their own "green seals" for their products.

Food, grocery and other consumer products retailers also have began to use terms such as "100% natural," "sustainable," "eco-friendly" and the like in their stores and on their own-brand products.

Since there currently is no national governmental scheme for certifying "green" or "sustainable" products in the U.S., these groups and companies are allowed to do as they wish basically.

For example, when it comes to the claim "all natural," the only category the U.S. government regulates in terms of putting the words on a product package is fresh poultry. And even in that case, poultry marketers are allowed to call birds which are injected with water or seaweed for example "all natural," in addition to the fact these fresh poultry marketers also can use the term "all natural" on birds that have had antibiotics and hormones used in their raising.

The proliferation of independent companies creating "green" seals or logos along with various companies using their own, poses difficulties for food and grocery retailers who are the agent for consumers by virtue of the business such retailers are in.

Further, the proliferation of these environmental seals and logos is causing lots of consumer confusion. Many wish there was a single certification seal or logo either administered by the U.S. Federal Government like the USDA organic certification program and logo, or by a government recognized independent organization, say on the order of the Good Housekeeping Seal for approved products.

Yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle has a good piece on this issue. The story looks at the various independent organizations in the U.S. who are certifying food, grocery and other products as "green," as well as the logos they've created.

The piece also discusses various consumer packaged goods and other consumer products companies that have created their own "green" logos and are using them on their brands.

Additionally, the piece speaks to the retailer issue--both from the perspective of what we refer to as being the consumers' agent--and also about retailer's that have created "green" sections in their stores and their own green certification programs and seals and logos.

Lastly, but far from least, the Chronicle story looks at how this proliferation of "green" and "eco-friendly product logos and certification schemes are affecting consumers.

As we approach Earth Day 2008 (Tuesday, April 22), issues of green marketing are taking center stage. Food and grocery retailers are at the very center of the environmental issue, from sustainability and energy conservation to green marketing. And, the issue and opportunities are only going to grow "greener."

Read the San Francisco Chronicle piece, "Green product seals are gray area," by staff writer Illana Debare here.

Note: The cleaning bottle graphic above is courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle. The illustration is by Tracy Cox. The Earth Day 2008 logo at the top was created by Ms. Adrienne Lay.

Earth Day 2008: Earth Day 2008 Logo Designed By Adrienne Lay

The Earth Day 2008 logo above, which we will be using in our Earth Day 2008 series, was designed for Earth Day by Adrienne Lay.

Ms. Lay was chosen to design the logo and related graphic designs for this year's Earth Day campaign by the Earth Day 2008 campaign committee.

Adrienne Lay is a woman's, children's and men's clothing designer. Her clothing and related designs focus on positive statements and graphics for children, the environment and improving the future of the globe and the people (us) who inhabit it.

Ms. Lay's popular design slogan is: "THINK FEEL ACT CHANGE."

Other design brands she uses are, "Protect My Playground" and "Be the Global Change."

She says her goal for creating and using these positive, motivational statements is to enable positive results for the world.

Ms. Lay says her inspiration comes from her desire for her family and friends to live in a healthy, safe and harmonious environment. That's a sentiment most of us certainly can share.

In addition to her career as a graphic designer and woman's, children's and men's clothing designer, Adrienne Lay is an occupational therapist, as well as being the owner of the website Razaspeaks.com, where you can view her clothing designs.

She has a BA degree in Psychology and also is a certified life care planner. Ms. Lay, who lives in St. Barnard Parish, Louisiana USA, is along with her husband the proud parent of two twin boys, who she calls her greatest creations.

We thank Adrienne Lay for the use of the Earth Day 2008 logo.

Perhaps Tesco's Fresh & Easy Did 'Listen' To Natural~Specialty Foods Memo's Analysis and Suggestions in it's Retail Marketing and PR Memo

Last Wednesday, April 2, we wrote this brief piece with a link to a "Retail Marketing & Public Relations Memo" the publication Natural~Specialty Foods Memo wrote that day regarding Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market's corporate blog announcement by marketing chief Simon Uwins that the retailer was taking a three month new store opening pause or hiatus.

Below is what we wrote on April 2, 2008 as an intro to the Natural~Specialty Foods Memo Retail Marketing and PR Memo story link (the original story from the food and grocery industry publication is linked in our April 2 post as well below):

A Retail Marketing and Public Relations Memo to Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Management From Natural~Specialty Foods Memo

by Fresh & Easy Buzz: April 2, 2008

The food and grocery industry publication Natural~Specialty Foods Memo has a 'Retail Marketing and Public Relations Memo' to Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market senior management in today's issue.

The "memo," titled: "Retail Marketing and Public Relations Memo: What Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Should Be Doing Now," talks about the current new store opening "pause" which we reported here on Saturday.

In the piece, the publication discusses the marketing, public relations and overall implications of the announcement as part of an total retail strategy. The piece also suggests Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market should have prepared for the mostly negative press reports which started coming out yesterday and today in numerous U.S. newspaper business sections, such as the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press news service and others.

Natural~Specialty Foods Memo offers Fresh & Easy a strategic blueprint of how it could have prepared a strategic operations and media marketing strategy before posting the "pause" announcement in its corporate blog, including suggestions for how to not only deal with but also get on top of the news cycle. The piece also says any marketing and public relations strategy must be real and integrated with overall operations.

In fact, the marketing and public relations strategies would be good for Fresh & Easy anytime.

But they are especially important now, as it appears to us the retailer wasn't prepared for the mostly negative media coverage it's getting over the new store opening moratorium, along with the reports from analysts like us and others about the small-format, convenience-oriented grocery stores' sales underperformance to date, which these newspaper business section reporters and editors are including in their stories.

Lastly, the piece says "it's not too late" for Tesco to employ these strategies, if "Fresh & Easy senior management can be a fast-moving and nimble team."

Read the 'Retail Marketing and Public Relations Memo' to Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market from Natural~Specialty Foods Memo here.

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Fresh & Easy Buzz: Yesterday (April 8, 2008), we received the Tesco Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market corporate press release reproduced below from the PRNewswire news release service, as did many other publications of all types:

Fresh & Easy to Give Away Free 'Bag For Life' For Earth Day

Grocer offers free reusable bags on April 22nd

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., April 8, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of Earth Day, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market today announced its 61 stores will bag groceries with free reusable "bags for life" for customers on April 22nd. The company encourages customers to reuse these bags and lessen their impact on the environment.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080408/AQTU198.)

Fresh & Easy offers its customers two different types of reusable bags, including a $2.50 canvas bag and a plastic reusable "bag for life," which retails for $.20. The "bag for life" is larger and more durable than standard grocery bag and, if damaged, Fresh & Easy will replace the bag for free, forever. These bags are made with recycled material and are 100% recyclable.

"We want to make it easier for our customers to make more environmentally friendly decisions," said Tim Mason, Fresh & Easy CEO. "If everyone in the neighborhood shops with reusable bags, we can really make a difference."

Fresh & Easy has made a considerable effort to be a good neighbor and steward of the environment. For example, the company only sells energy efficient light bulbs, uses LED lighting in external signs and freezer cases, offers plastic, aluminum and glass recycling, and provides preferred parking for hybrid vehicles.

More broadly, Fresh & Easy has committed to build LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings and voluntarily joined the California Climate Action Registry to disclose its greenhouse gas emissions. At its distribution center in Riverside the company invested $13 million in a solar roof installation, which is one of California's largest at 500,000 sq. ft.

More information regarding Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market can be found at http://www.freshandeasy.com/.

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Fresh & Easy Buzz: Finally, here is a link to a piece Natural~Specialty Foods Memo published yesterday (April 8, 2008) titled: "Retail Marketing & Public Relations Memo: Was Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Listening to Our April 2 Memo?"

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Below are the key paragraphs in the Natural~Specialty Foods Memo piece linked above. However, we suggest you click on this link and read the entire piece from the food and grocery industry publication so you can understand the complete context, as well as get the full flavor of the key paragraphs reproduced below:

But, if we were in charge we wouldn't have stopped there in our pre-publishing of the "pause" strategy, for the post-pause news cycle period.

April 22, just two weeks away, is Earth Day.

Numerous grocery retailers, manufacturers and marketers are planning major Earth Day green marketing or green retailing promotions and activities for the day which celebrates the earth, conservation and environmental stewardship. We haven't heard of any plans for Earth Day from Tesco's Fresh & Easy.

Our second, "locked-and-loaded" post-pause corporate blog post news peg would have been tied to Earth Day. For example, why not an announcement from Fresh & Easy that it plans to give away thousands of free, reusable, canvass grocery tote bags at its 59 stores on Earth Day.

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Fresh & Easy Buzz: Our Observation: Well, to answer the question Natural~Specialty Foods Memo poses in the title of its piece yesterday---yes, it does seem that somebody at Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market was 'listening' to the April 2, 2008 memo. Of course, we don't know that for sure.

Further, as we write on Fresh & Easy Buzz regularly, it's our analysis that Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market needs to get out in front of a whole host of issues which are appearing daily in the press.

These include: the Fresh & Easy grocery stores sales underperformance, comments from fresh foods' industry suppliers and others that they are being cut out of the loop (and business) because Tesco imported three United Kingdom-based fresh foods companies to handle its business in the U.S. rather than using local companies, the press report we've reported on from the San Jose Mercury News about Tesco' selling of out-of-code and/or spoiled foods in a few UK stores (which happened some time ago), and a number of other issues.

By getting "out in front" of these issues, we don't just mean writing and sending press releases and statements (although that's not even being done strategically or often) to media outlets, or making comments when reporters call.

Rather, we mean developing and implementing a strategic plan--like Natural~Specialty Foods Memo outlined in its April 2, 2008 piece--and really addressing each one of these issues, which in some cases will mean admitting mistakes and changing policy. As we all know, strategy, policy and tactics aren't the same thing.

Personally, Fresh & Easy Buzz doesn't care if Tesco does this or not. We have no dog in it in any way shape or form; except that we cover, analyze and write about Tesco, Fresh & Easy and related grocery industry issues and developments here on the blog.

However, as close observers of Tesco and its Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market USA retail grocery venture, and having many years experience in the industry and related areas, we can't have helped wondering what's been going on in many ways at the USA branch of one of the world's foremost retailers in the areas of operations, marketing, merchandising, public relations, and a couple other areas.

As a result, we offer analysis, research-based insight, the analysis and opinions of others, consumer comments (positive and negative), and our commentary tied-in to all of the above as we see fit.

That's all for now...but the story continues.

Fresh & Easy Buzz Redux: Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Should Mimic Tesco UK's Penny-A-Bulb Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Promo for Earth Day USA

Editor's Note: In the piece below (above the bold headline at the end of the editor's note), published on March 18, we reported on Tesco plc.'s penny-per-bulb Compact Fluorescent light bulb (CFL) promotion at its stores in the United Kingdom.

Further, in the piece we suggested Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market bring that promotion across the pond to the USA for its Fresh & Easy grocery stores.

Earth Day 2008 (April 22) is only 18 days away. The penny-a-bulb CFL promotion would be a good one for Fresh & Easy in our analysis and opinion. Why? For the following reasons:

>As we've written often, the Fresh & Easy stores need food traffic. Promoting and selling CFL's, which are a hot ticket in the U.S. currently just like they are in the UK, for a penny each would generate excitement and drive new shoppers into the Fresh & Easy stores. It would be the first time many of these consumers set foot in one of the small-format, basic grocery and fresh foods grocery stores.

>Earth Day equals "green" or environmental and conservation-oriented themes, actions and in the case of retailers also promotions. CFL's save energy, last much longer than regular light bulbs, reduce carbon footprints and more. Perfect

>The promotion would help Fresh & Easy gain needed "green" or environmental street credibility. Prior to opening its convenience-oriented grocery markets, Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market sent out numerous press releases (and obtained media coverage) saying it planned on being a "green" (in the environmental sense) grocery chain. It also made various commitments to the communities it has its stores in about being "green.

The grocer has done a few "green" things like putting solar panels on its 850,000 square foot distribution center in Southern California, holding a plastic gift card recycling event in its stores after the Christmas holiday, along with a couple other environmentally-oriented initiatives. But not much yet, especially at store-level. The penny-a-CFL promotion would be a good element of the retailer's green retailing positioning and promises

>Lastly, and perhaps most important of all, doing an Earth Day penny-per-CFL promotion similar to what parent company Tesco is doing in the UK, would offer a social good to consumers and society. Every incandescent light bulb that's replaced decreases the amount of carbon that's emitted into the ozone. That's a good thing.

In our experience, retail promotions that can generate foot traffic, create excitement, tie-in with a key event (such as Earth Day) and offer a social good are about as win-win as a retailer can get.

What do you think?

Tesco is Currently Selling Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs For One Penny each in its UK Stores; Tesco fresh & Easy USA Should do the Same

Fresh & Easy Buzz, March 18, 2008

Tesco, the United Kingdom-based international retailer and parent company of Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market in the USA, is currently selling energy-saving Compact Fluorescent light bulbs (CFL's) in its UK Tesco banner stores for the eye-popping low price of one penny each. There's a limit of four CFL's per shopper. Tesco is the UK's number one retailer and the third-largest retailer in the world.

British shoppers are flocking to Tesco stores to get their four-CFL's-for-four-cents bargain. The bulbs use far less energy--and thus result in lower electricity bills--than traditional incandescent light bulbs. CFL's also last far longer (up to five years in some cases) than incandescent bulbs And at one penny each, they are cheaper than even the most rock-bottom-priced incandescent light bulb.

CFL's also are much "greener" than the old traditional bulbs in that they not only save money on monthly electricity bills, they reduce a home owner's or users carbon footprint, since using the CFL's results in less energy use to power the lights in a home or a business.

We asked a researcher in the energy field to estimate for use how much a home owner or business would save by merely replacing four incandescent light bulbs with four CFL's (the per-person limit currently at Tesco in the UK.) He did some calculations and told us he estimates the savings would be about $2.25 per month on a monthly electricity bill by just replacing four bulbs. (We ran his numbers by another research who said they sounded about right.)

Keep in mind this savings is only for four bulbs. Count the number of light bulbs you have in your home and then do the math. It adds up. If you have 40 incandescent bulbs and replace them with 40 CFL's, the savings could be enough to buy a week's or a month's worth of groceries.

Additionally, because CFL's lasts at least 3 years and up to five, and an incandescent light bulb lasts maybe a year if not used all that often, the savings is even more. It's what economists call further opportunity savings. And, of course, the additional green benefits of reducing your personal carbon footprint are, like the television commercial says...Priceless.

Bringing the promotion across the pond to Fresh & Easy

We suggest to Fresh & Easy corporate management they follow the lead of corporate parent Tesco in the UK and launch a similar "cheap CFL" promotion in their 59 stores in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada. Even selling the CFL's for ten cents each instead of a penny, will drive shoppers to the stores, fulfill some of the green and sustainable retailing pledges the grocer has made to the communities it's doing business in, and give the people (and the environment) a good deal.

There's a movement in the U.S. to ban incandescent light bulbs. It isn't moving as fast as other ban the 'fill in the blank' movements--such as plastic grocery bag bans--but its moving. It so happens the UK is ahead of the U.S. on banning the old bulbs at present--hence Tesco UK's penny-a-CFL promotion.

In fact, Tesco and other retailers in the UK have committed to stop selling the incandescent bulbs completely by 2011. However, the movement is gaining steam in the U.S. and we believe it will continue to do so. [Read more about the ban the bulb movement here.]

Piggy-backing on Tesco's current UK "one-penny-per-CFL bulb" promotion for Fresh & Easy in the U.S. would gain F&E some needed green credentials, offer shoppers (and potential new shoppers) a "green" deal, and create a little--and very much needed--excitement in the stores.