But Wait! There’s a Better Solution Than Bag Bans!

by Ed Weisberg

On Earth day this year, GXT Green was invited to testify at a hearing at the Massachusetts State House to review two bills calling for a statewide ban of plastic bags. We were honored to be asked to present information on the ECOgrade bag solution to plastic bag pollution.  The hearing was chaired by the distinguished group of state senators and representatives who are members of the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

At GXT Green, we recognize that we need to devote effort to educating people about the innovative ECOgrade solution.  Even though ECOgrade won recognition as Consumer Product of the Year from MassTLC, and is a finalist for the upcoming Innovation of the Year Award from SBANE, many people assume that it has the same characteristics as older generations of bio-degradable and oxo-degradable bags.   One of our prime challenges is to get the attention of bag buyers, environmentalists, and legislators to inform them of the facts, supported by third party certifications.  The good news is that once they listen, they understand why ECOgrade is unlike products they have seen in the past, and is a true solution to the challenges of plastic bag pollution.

There were many impassioned speakers who provided testimony to the committee, including other Senators and Representatives, as well as members of the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations.  While we admire their initiatives to eliminate plastic bag litter, there remained a fundamental issue that seems to occur in many cases with environmental causes.  It’s relatively easy to identify problems such as the blight on our landscape from littered plastic bags.  However, too often, overzealous members of the public, in their rush to do good, focus on the problem rather than a solution.  The result is the eventual failure of their initiatives. Bans are not a viable solution to the plastic bag issue.  People still need to get their groceries home!  We just saw a reaction to a ban in Toronto, where their bag ban was overturned  since it could not be enforced, and placed too much of a burden on the community and retailers.

GXT Green’s comments in the State House session were focused on educating the group on the unique characteristics and the value of ECOgrade bags, and the need for a solution, rather than just a ban.  We also entered a request to ensure that products like ours, which are certified as photodegradable according to ASTM 5272 standards, and result in non-toxic residue, are recognized as an alternative in any legislation that is developed.

It was interesting to note the miss-information that, unfortunately, was apparent in some of the speakers’ comments, despite our clear explanations.  Fortunately, we have been able to clarify these issues, including  correcting the misconception from a major environmental organization that thought that ECOgrade degrades into microplastic particles.  When we have had the chance to talk with them individually they acknowledged that this was based on an inaccurate assumption.   People are beginning to understand that we have a solution, with a goal of solving this blight on our environment.   We look forward to continuing to do our part to eliminate plastic waste from our waters and our planet.

Edward Weisberg is Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, GXT Green

GXT Green Announces 2013 Earth Day Honor Roll Champions

The finals are in!  Every year, in celebration of Earth Day, GXT Green recognizes organizations that have made significant contributions to sustainability efforts in their individual companies, their communities, or to the planet. This year, we are pleased to recognize six individuals and two corporations as champions making a difference for our planet.  All individuals who nominated candidates in 2013 are also now doing their part for our environment as well.  Each of them has received a free WheelSeal Medallion for their car, which indicates that GXT Green has offset the carbon footprint of their vehicle for the year.

For 2013, there were thirteen finalists chosen from the nominations received.  Eight of these nominees were selected by our judges to receive recognition as champions. Manas Chatterjee, President and CEO of GXT Green commented “We are thankful that so many individuals are doing so much to protect our environment.   We thank these champions and all of the nominees for their accomplishments in sustainability”.

The detailed list of champions, which includes a description of their accomplishments, can be found at www.gxtgreen.com/honorroll.

Public Sector and NGO Champions:

1. Rob Garrity, Executive Director, Mass Climate Action Network.
2. Massachusetts State Representative Lori Ehrlich
3. Massachusetts State Senator Jamie Eldridge
4. John R. Connolly, At-Large Boston City Councilor
5. Jen Jordan, Recycling Coordinator, City of Iowa City
6. Bill DeWitt, Town Councilor in Barrington RI

Corporation Champions:

1. Expressway Toyota, Boston MA
2. Roche Brothers/Sudbury Farms Groceries, Wellesley MA

You can view previous Honor Roll Winners by following the links below:

GXT Green 2012 Honor Roll Winners

GXT Green 2011 Honor Roll Winners

GXT Green Announces 2013 Earth Day Honor Roll Finalists

Earth Day is on April 22nd, 2013. Every year, in celebration of Earth Day, GXT Green recognizes organizations that have made significant contributions to sustainability efforts in their individual companies, their communities or to the global community. For 2013, The GXT Green Honor Roll placed a special focus on US based town, county, and state, and NGO officials, with limited consideration for corporations. The list of finalists will be reviewed by our judges, and the winners of the Honor roll recognition will be announced in time for Earth Day. So…. without further ado, the 2013 GXT Green Earth Day Honor Roll Finalists are:

Public Sector and NGO Finalists:

• Rob Garrity, Executive Director, Mass Climate Action Network. As leader of his organization, Rob coordinates the work of locally organized groups across Massachusetts in fighting the climate crisis, bringing together one voice to address the most crucial issues in a meaningful way. His organization also co-sponsors the annual Local Environmental Action Conference to help bring important issues to light and find solutions.
• Rep Lori Ehrlich, MA: Representative Ehrlich is continuously fighting for the environment in the Mass House of Reps. She has successfully taken on causes including eliminating coal burning power plants, controlling and mitigating the effects of water pollution, proposing a bag ban with alternatives, and advocating for intelligent waste reduction and recycling.
• State Senator Jamie Eldridge, MA: Senator Eldridge has helped lead the charge to increase awareness of environmental issues in the state of Massachusetts. This includes bills to improve the safety of our water, and eliminate “e-waste” of electronic components from landfills.
• Senator Bernie Sanders, VT: Senator Sanders has proposed a bill to begin making firms accountable for their carbon footprint. They have proposed a charge of $20 per ton of carbon from major polluters such as coal mines and oil refineries, rising 5.6 percent annually over 10 years. “Climate change is a serious problem that requires dramatic action now, Sanders said at a Capitol Hill news conference. “The issue we’re dealing with today is not political,” he said. “What we are dealing with today is physics.”
• John R. Connolly, At-Large Boston City Councilor. John is the Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Education and Vice Chair of the Committee on Environment and Health. In this role, he has been a leading voice on the Council for environmental justice and working to make Boston the greenest and healthiest city in the world. He serves on Boston’s Climate Action Leadership Committee, a task force that was charged with setting goals for community-wide reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. John also filed legislation on issues such as local strategies to combat climate change, the safe usage and disposal of energy-efficient CFL light bulbs, and building a bike-share program in Boston.
• Jen Jordan, Recycling Coordinator, City of Iowa City: Jen has gone beyond her assigned role and done much more than coordinate recycling. She has actively helped her community and town council make thoughtful discussions to deal with waste, and encouraging them to be educated on all of the facts, options, and experience of other towns before considering a bag ban.
• Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of NY: Mayor Bloomberg has launched a 25-year sustainability plan to reduce New York City’s emission of greenhouse gases 30 percent by 2030. He also made sure that all taxis in the city were hybrid vehicles, and proposed banning Styrofoam food packaging in the city to cut down waste. He leads a coalition of world cities to promote the decrease of greenhouse gases.
• Bill DeWitt, Town Councilor in Barrington RI. Bill has stood up to encourage an educated approach to solving the local plastic pollution issue, despite the pressure to ban bags without a solution to people’s needs. Bill advocates a balanced approach which considers alternatives as well as the economic effect on citizens and businesses.
• Mike McGinn: Mayor of Seattle: Mayor Mike McGinn follows in the footsteps of his predecessor, Greg Nickels who started the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. In this agreement, almost 500 city leaders promised to comply with the Kyoto Protocol to decrease emissions of greenhouse gases by 7 percent between 1990 and 2012. He is focused on improving the efficiency of transportation plans. His city council has set an objective to achieve total carbon neutrality by 2050.
• Michael Nutter, Mayor of Philadelphia PA: Mayor Nutter has established Greenworks Philadelphia, which strives to make the City of Brotherly Love the greenest in the country by addressing agriculture, transit, waste and energy, and implementing a program of sustainability tax credits. He also strives to reduce greenhouse gas through a series of initiatives in his city’s sustainability initiative.
• David Hales, President of Second Nature (NGO): Second Nature’s mission is to create a healthy, just, and sustainable society through the transformation of higher education. As former president of College of the Atlantic, David drove the college to be one of the first campuses with a zero carbon footprint. At Second Nature, he continues to drive the effort for colleges and universities to mitigate their negative impact on our environment.

Corporation Finalists:

• Expressway Toyota: Expressway Toyota, located just outside of Boston, has taken major strides to minimize their impact on our environment. In keeping with the efforts of Toyota to mitigate the effect of vehicles on our environment, Expressway has purchased carbon offsets for their entire fleet of loaner and rental cars. These vehicles proudly display GXTGreen WheelSeal Medallions which certify their offsets. Expressway promotes sustainability with their “green way to save” initiatives.
• Roche Brothers: Roche Brothers Grocery Stores, a 16 store chain in New England, has aggressively pursued a goal to reduce their impact on the environment. This includes more efficient fixtures in their stores and a continued effort to mitigate the use of plastic bags. In addition, they have a commitment to local farmers and local food producers to support the local agricultural industry. All around, they continue to focus on “greening” their environment.

GXT Green appreciates all that these individuals are doing to improve our environment.

GXT Green is Selected as a Finalist for the SBANE New England Innovation Award

GXT Green was chosen as a finalist for the SBANE 2013 New England Innovation Award in recognition of the attributes of its ECOgrade™ Photodegradable Grocery Bag

Billerica, MA,  April 8, 2013 -GXT Green is pleased to announce that they have been selected as a finalist for the SBANE 2013 New England Innovation Award.  The New England Innovation Award recognizes technology-driven enterprises who are potentially “game changers” in their marketplaces. GXT Green was selected as one of the 20 finalists from a field of 204 innovative organizations competing for this honor.

At the award judging event, GXT Green highlighted its ECOgrade™ Photodegradable Shopping Bags as the key product to showcase its innovative approach to having economics meet ecology. ECOgrade is an example of GXT Green’s innovative breakthrough sustainable products and services that cost effectively solve everyday concerns of corporations, communities, and governments.  ECOgrade bags are the safe, convenient, competitively priced, sustainable solution to plastic bag pollution and greenhouse gas reduction. They address the needs of retailers and consumers with an environmentally and economically viable alternative to bans on plastic bag use.

ECOgrade bags offer the following benefits:

• If littered or lost, they degrade completely within 240 days of exposure to sunlight
• Use 15% less energy in manufacturing bags
• Produce 1/3 less Greenhouse gas
• Are approved for recycling
• Leave no toxic waste residue
• Use nearly 50% less plastic resin
• And very importantly – cost about the same as regular plastic bags.

ECOgrade bags have received a tremendous reception from retailers, as well as interest from government and environmental groups.  Nine major retailers have initiated orders to field test the bags in their stores.  In 2012 they were the winner of the MassTLC “Consumer Product of the Year” Award.

Manas Chatterjee, CEO of GXT Green commented “We are excited to be recognized by SBANE and the business community for innovation and our advances in technology to replace plastic bags.  This nomination further validates the success we are having in demonstrating our product to retailers and consumers”.

You can learn more about ECOgrade bags at http://www.ECOgradebag.com. For a video about the ECOgrade bag solution, please visit http://youtu.be/JPWpLnBJfwU.

 About the New England Innovation Awards:

The Smaller Business Association of New England (SBANE) has been the sponsor of the New England Innovation Awards since its inception in 1986.  Former winners come from varying fields such as technology, manufacturing, service (both for profit and not for profit), and retail / distribution. Innovation is at the heart of economic prosperity and SBANE continues to recognize those companies and organizations that have transformed their innovative ideas into a product or service that delivers proven value to customers.  Winners include notable companies such as Staples, PictureTel, Ben & Jerry’s, Brooks Automation, Direct Tire, Genzyme, Nantucket Nectars, Imagitas!, Aurora Imaging Technology, and iRobot.

Winners and Finalists of this prestigious award will be honored at the “Evening of Innovation” Gala Dinner on May 8, 2013 at the Westin Hotel, Waltham MA.

About GXT Green:

GXT Green, “where Economics Meets Ecology” is a leader in creating and leveraging strategies, services, and products that help the corporate community meet their economic and social sustainability needs.

GXT Green supports clients in three areas:

• Drive improved profitability and sustainability through innovative products that address urgent environmental concerns such as plastic bags and Styrofoam packaging pollution. Products include ECOgrade™ photo-degradable bags; the underlying ECOgrade Resin additive which can be used as a cost effective and sustainable plastic resin alternative; and the ECO-R3SP zero-waste packing solution.

• Design and execute green marketing strategies to enhance corporate brands. Outstanding sustainability accomplishments are recognized as a public service through the GXT Green Seal Certification Program.

• Complete the zero carbon footprint equation by developing and offering carbon offset credits derived from the highest quality carbon projects around the world. GXT Green is involved in development of REDD+ carbon offset forestry projects in several countries.

GXT Green is a division of Global Exchange Technologies, Inc. http://www.GxtGreen.com.

About SBANE:

The Smaller Business Association of New England, Inc. (SBANE), founded in 1938, is a private not-for-profit association of approximately 600 member companies located throughout the six-state region.  SBANE was established to provide a legislative voice for small business at the state and federal levels and to make practical information available to help business owners grow their companies.  SBANE runs diverse, educational programs each year and has active chapters in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  The membership is characterized by a high degree of participation, reflected in a large and dynamic committee structure, addressing a range of topics from international trade to human resources.

Visit SBANE at http://www.SBANE.org

New GXT Green Video Highlights the Benefits of ECOgrade bags

GXT Green is pleased to offer this video which explains the problem of plastic bags, and how ECOgrade bags can solve the plastic bag pollution problem.

 

ECOgrade bags were the MassTLC Consumer Product of the Year for 2012.

You can view this video on youtube at http://youtu.be/JPWpLnBJfwU

Only Two More Weeks to Submit Your Nominations for the GXT Green 2013 Honor Roll

Nominations are being accepted through March 5, 2013 for the GXT Green Honor Roll.

GXT Green will offset the carbon footprint for the vehicle of all people who submit a valid nomination with a GXT Green Wheel Seal Medallion.  One lucky person will be selected to win an Apple iPad Mini loaded with tools to calculate carbon footprint, based on a random drawing of submissions. Validity of nominations will be at the sole discretion of GXT Green.

For 2013, The GXT Green Honor Roll will be focused on US based town, county, and state government and public agencies, as well as individual leaders such as mayors, senators, or civic leaders.  Rules and regulations are available on the entry form.

Renewed Awareness of our Carbon Footprint… and What You Can Do About It

-by Ed Weisberg

Over the past couple of years, the United States, as a country, has prioritized our economic recovery as a point of focus.  As a result, issues of global warming have fallen into the background.  Thankfully, it appears that our economic recovery is in process.  Thus, in President Obama’s inauguration speech, he again raised awareness of global warming and the importance of reducing all of our carbon footprints.  In his 2013 State of the Union Talk earlier this month, President Barack Obama further urged Congress to craft a plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

Two members of Congress have taken the first step in response to the President’s challenge.  Senators Barbara Boxer and Bernie Sanders have proposed a bill to begin making firms accountable for their carbon footprint.  They have proposed a charge of $20 per ton of carbon from major polluters such as coal mines and oil refineries, rising 5.6 percent annually over 10 years.  “Climate change is a serious problem that requires dramatic action now, Sanders said at a Capitol Hill news conference, flanked by Boxer and environmental groups.  “The issue we’re dealing with today is not political,” he said. “What we are dealing with today is physics.” At GXT Green, we believe that the focus on arresting our effect on global warming is again becoming a priority for society as a whole.

One of the most visible and easily assessed sources of greenhouse gas that we can all affect is the pollution which comes from our cars and trucks. Progressive car manufacturers, as well as car dealerships are beginning to chime in on means to help us minimize and offset our vehicles’ impact. GXT Green is currently working with two Boston car dealerships to help them offset this pollution.   Both Muzi Ford in Needham MA, and Expressway Toyota in Boston, have purchased GXT Green Wheel Seal offsets to counter the GHG emitted by their rental fleets.  Both firms have made major strides in making their facilities more sustainable through recycling, more efficient lighting, heating with used oil, and other solutions.  By purchasing Wheel Seal Medallions for their rental fleets, they have eliminated one of the major remaining sources of their impact on the environment.

Expressway Toyota has truly embraced this program. Their tagline is ‘Expressway’s the Best Way, the Green Way to Save You Money’.  By offsetting their rental fleet, they have taken this mission a step further. In an extremely competitive environment for car sales, they recognize that sustainability is a differentiator that drives new business. Thus, in their radio and TV ads, and on their website they talk about the GXT Green Wheel Seal program, and how it helps minimize their carbon footprint.  Customers who also wish to offset their vehicle’s pollution can talk to the folks at Expressway Toyota about Wheel Seals for their own cars.  This is a true partnership between the retailer, the consumer, and our environment. We hope you will consider reducing and offsetting your carbon footprint for your vehicle as well.

-Edward Weisberg is Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, GXT Green