Pepsi's Gone Green Along with All Laundry Detergent, Who'll Be Next?

Mainstream America seems to be catching up to the going green concept and in my inbox this morning, had an email from the Pepsi Cola Company touting its efforts to go green. Also in the email was mention of All Small and Mighty Laundry Detergent going green, too.

Both have green Web sites with fun, interactive components to help consumers go green.

Wondering when I'll receive an email from the Coca Cola Company learning about their green efforts.

Mission Accomplished! VFg3 Revealed

VFg3 made their first public debut in front of the corporation's higher ups yesterday and to say the least, it was a success! So much of a success that G.G. will probably be sticking around longer and "Team Green" will be established within the office to keep the green ball rolling.

So what does VFg3 stand for? VISIT FLORIDA Girls Gone Green. We chose this because all six of the sales representatives are women and wanted to have a little fun and parody the legendary "Girls Gone Wild" (or Girls Gone Mild, depending on what part of the Sunshine State). If the VF guys are feeling left out, a "G" can double as "Girls and Guys."

Each of the six sales reps presented a portion of the 45-minute presentation. G.G. was introduced early on, too. As part of the required multi-media presentation, the Power Point included video. Organic and other environmentally conscious food were served during the presentation. Water bottles with the VFg3 logo were given away to the higher ups along with green bags reading, "VISIT FLORIDA Goes Green," which were left over from this year's Governor's Conference on Travel. Of course, this blog served as another component of multi-media.

What's next? The Executive Committee said they'd like to see "Team Green" established in the office not only to help VISIT FLORIDA go green but serve as a leader and resource for the tourism industry to go green. Immediately, all six sales reps were assigned to the committee. Who would have thunk a simple goal could make such an impact. Stay tuned!

Think Twice Before Snubbing Your Green Nose at a Bus

One of the VFg3 sales reps attended the National Tour Association (NTA) Annual Convention in Kansas City (Nov. 2 - 6) and came back with groovy green facts about motor coaches (aka: buses). Now don't be snubbing your nose at the concept of traveling on a motor coach. These aren't your grandma's buses these days. Coaches are comfortable, provide a smooth ride, and best of all, someone else is driving while you nap. Besides, motor coaches these days are a good thing for the environment.

Our VFg3 sales rep extraordinaire heard from Motor Coach Industries (MCI), whose slogan is "Go Green, Go Coach, Go MCI," to learn how they're decreasing their impact to our planet.

For instance, did you know one motor coach can potentially remove 56 cars from the road?

More shocking is that the U.S. transportation system accounts for one-third of the U.S.'s greenhouse gas emissions, that's more than 515 million tons of CO2 annually!

These and other factoids are found at the MCI's green facts page.

In September of this year, the American Bus Association (ABA) released the "Penguin Packet" to launch the "Save a Penguin, Take a Motorcoach" campaign. According to the packet, motor coaches are:

• Almost seven times more energy and fuel efficient than single-occupancy.
• Five times more efficient than transit buses.
• Three times more efficient than commuter rail.

Think motor coaches, they're a good shade of green!

Does the Tourism Industry Understand the Color Green?

During this whole VFg3 project, G.G.'s been wondering if the tourism industry understands the meaning of green. After doing a quick survey of destination marketing offices (DMOs, most of them being Convention and Visitors Bureaus - CVBs), G.G. can attest some offices are doing the basics - recycling and some energy conservation. But what about policies of purchasing green products from green vendors? Or, purchasing carbon offset emissions when traveling?

Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) understands the color of green. The association, which serves as the world's premier resource for DMOs, purchased staff travel carbon offsets for the 93rd annual convention in 2007. That's pretty cool.

With all the talk of going green, I recently came across the Hotel HotSheet USA Today blog and a post about a ecotainers being introduced in the Hilton Garden Inn hotel line. Ecotainers are "all-natural hot beverage cups coated with corn-based plastic" and "requires less energy and generates less greenhouse gas during manufacturing." Sounds pretty cool and tasty!

What's astonishing is that the 300-plus Hilton Garden Inns annually consume 6 million Styrofoam-based cups!

Even more interesting in the blog post is a link to an article on Hotel-Online.com called, "The Colour of Hotels The Politics of Going Green" by Barry Napier, which links to Napier's article called, "The Real Deal Behind Green Hotels and Carbon Footprints."

Napier not only questions global warming but points out scientific studies disclaiming it. In turn, hotels (especially the small ones) and the rest of the world (because we as consumers are helping the green hotels profit), are being duped and wasting money by going green. He makes the distinction between "going green" (reducing waste, saving money) and "saving the planet" (in essence, he says the planet is not in peril).

Give his articles a read, they're interesting food for thought.

Imagine Florida without the Keys

Thinking of Florida without the Florida Keys and the Everglades seems impossible but according to Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University by 2060, this could be a very likely possibility. According to GDEI's November study called, "Florida and Climate Change: The Cost of Inaction," sea levels are anticipated to rise by 27 inches if Florida doesn't do anything to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Now if the Keys and other popular tourist areas disappear (beaches will be threatened), this will have a significant impact on tourism. As the report points out:

• Florida will be at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer by 2100, making it hotter and less attractive to tourists (Florida will truly be one hot destination!) during the low and shoulder seasons.
• There will be fewer places for tourists to visit in the Sunshine State meaning fewer places visiting meaning fewer things purchased. By 2025, GDEI predicts (if nothing is done in Florida to reduce carbon emissions) a $9 billion impact and $40 billion by 2050.
• Hurricane damage will increase due to hurricane intensity (warmer water temperatures , too.
• The cost of doing business in Florida will be expensive and this no doubt be passed along to tourists, making Florida an expensive place to vacation and live. Insurance rates will probably rise due to increased hurricane activity and it'll cost more to cool buildings with warmer temperatures.
• Foods associated with Florida, like oranges and shrimp, may not be able to survive the climate change. Warming waters may destroy the shrimp's habitat and land reduction and warmth may or they may not be able to thrive due to reduction in land.
• With warmer waters, marine habitats will change, coral reefs will bleach and die, popular snorkeling and diving destinations will no longer be popular for tourists.

It's not all doom in gloom. If Florida steps up to the plate to reduce greenhouse emissions, as directed by Gov. Charlie Crist's Executive Orders signed in July 2007, conditions can be stabilized. Global warming is inevitable but it can be slowed and stabilized.

G.G. has to ask, does the cost of inaction outweigh action?

G.G.'s Acting Debut

Today's the only day this week all of the VFg3 reps are in the office and only day prior to their Dec. 10 presentation to the higher powers. Ends are being tied, lines are being rehearsed and G.G. filmed her portion of the program yesterday. It was somewhat simple because the higher powers are away planning next year's events. As the saying goes, while the cats are away, the mice will play!

Fast Company Says Tallahassee is a City on the Verge of Being a Green Leader

The magazine Fast Company published an article in July/August this year listing fast cities - cities moving forward. While Miami made the list for being a cultural hub, Tallahassee, Fla. almost made the list and was recognized as being "on the verge" as a green leader for its Go Green Tallahassee initiative. Tallahassee's Go Green efforts promote environmental responsibility. Let's hope the state's capitol city will set the example for the rest of the Sunshine State.

VFg3: Crunch Time!

Hard to believe less than two weeks is the big presentation by the VFg3 Team to their superiors. While there have been limited days when everyone is in the office together, everyone is pulling their weight to make the presentation happen.

During a recent meeting, results of the in-office survey was revealed (in short, most of the staff support more green efforts within the company) along with a summary of disposable goods purchased last Fiscal Year (July 2006 - June 2007). G.G. found these results most alarming, specifically upon learning 31,000 Styrofoam cups were purchased and consumed during this time. Mind you, 66 employees work in the office, meaning each employee used an average of 470 cups in a YEAR!!!

Also, various destinations throughout the State of Florida were surveyed to understand what they are doing in the ways of going green.

Gathering all this information definitely sets in motion a plan for VFg3's company to set in motion a sustainable plan and become the leader for the Florida tourism industry in reducing carbon emissions.

Still Confuzzeled About Where to Start Being Green?

G.G. realizes it can be overwhelming going green. Surfing the Net is information overload and frustrating figuring out a beginning point to go green.

My tip? Start out small and take small green steps, every effort helps. Here's a great resource with various tips for going green in the home, it's called Going Green. Check out the A to Z tips for going green.

Some small steps you can take to go green include:

• If you live in an area of the country that runs your AC most of the year, place small trash cans underneath the condensation pipe and use that water to water your plants.


• Recycle everything your curbside service will allow.


• Take shorter showers, eliminate soaking in the bath tub, hand wash dishes and do laundry minimally.


• Purchase re-usable canvas grocery bags instead of using the plastic ones stores have.


• Use environmentally friendly cleaning products.


• Pack your lunch in Tupperware/Rubbermaid vs. Ziploc bags (or at least reuse the Ziploc bags).

Here's What You Can Get G.G. for the Holidays

The Internet's been burning up with the Nov. 7 release of Triumph International Japan's environmentally conscious "My Chopstick Bra." Just by hearing the name makes me cringe and do I really want to be carrying around a bowl of rice and bowl of miso soup on my tatas? No, but I love the idea of a place to carry my chopsticks.

Triumph International estimates Japanese toss 25 BILLION pairs of chopsticks annually. Not million but BILLION. That's just insane! And in China, it's estimated 45 BILLION pair of disposable chopsticks are annually used.

If people carry their own chopsticks (I don't understand why the Japanese can't just toss them in a purse and need to develop a bra for the purpose), just think of the landfill reduction.

So does G.G. want her own chopstick bra for the upcoming holidays? Not exactly. She's looking for:
Consumable gifts - such as her fave organic or homemade goodies.
Gift passes - an annual pass to the state parks is nice or to a local museum or movie theatre.
Gift certificates - it's not a cop out giving gift certificates or gift cards, it's a wise choice! Try Starbucks or to the local cooperative market.
As for packaging - make sure wrapping paper is recycled, better yet, use brown paper bag and decorate it yourself. And, G.G. doesn't mind if the ribbon or gift bag has been previously used.

Remember, it's the thought that counts.

For additional tips, check out "Earth Friendly Holiday Season Tips" on Green Living Tips.

How Green is Your Meeting?

G.G.'s alter ego and a couple of the other VFg3 sales reps recently returned from hosting a meeting where they took the first steps to making the event green. Rather than serving bottled water (in plastic bottles which will never decompose in a landfill), pitchers were available with glasses (vs. plastic). Linens, china and silverware were used throughout the meeting, even during the outdoor picnic.

Having a green meeting is easy and can start with small steps. Luckily, the meetings industry has several resources to reference and examples in the industry to follow:

Green Meeting Industry Council - Simply put, this organization provides the tools and information to plan a green meeting. Their 2020 envision of a green meeting includes: green is the new black, er, brown and is an acceptable and standard industry practice along with having a zero net environmental effect. GMIC is a great resource for meeting planners want to plan green meetings.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Green Meetings - There seems to be negative connotation when government gets into the private sector's business but this is good, really. The EPA has adopted the Green Meetings Initiative, which was developed and supported by the organization's Pollution Prevention Division. The initiative provides resources for planning a green meeting.

PCMA - the 51st PCMA Annual Meeting (Jan. 2007 in Toronto) was the organization's first zero-waste annual meeting. The annual meeting usually generates 90,000 cans or bottles, 75,000 cups, 87,5000 napkins and 62,500 plates (that's a heap o' trash!). Through zero-waste efforts, 98.5 % of the potential trash was diverted from landfills. Mucho kudos to the staff at the Metro Toronto Convention Center. Hope the 2008 conference will have the same or better results.

Meetings and Conventions magazine - received Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, which means the recycled paper M&C prints on originates from responsibly managed forests through the paper mill process. Follow M&C's lead and look for the FSC label when purchasing paper products.

BlueGreen Meetings - provides resources for having a green meeting. BlueGreen Meetings is an initiative by Oceans Blue Foundation, an environmental charitable group conserving coastal environments through environmentally responsible tourism. The organization develops best practices for all sectors of the tourism industry.

And these, my friends, are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many, many, many more resources out there to add a little or boat load of green to your meeting. If it's seems overwhelming, just start with the basics. After all, one eats an elephant piece by piece.

How Green is Your Home?

Happy Monday! Since temperatures are cooling, G.G.'s coming off a fab weekend where I was a homebody for most of the weekend but did get outside to enjoy the fresh air and sparkly Florida sunshine.

All this greening the office talk had me wondering what I could do to green my domicile dwelling. After searching the Net I was surprised to learn from the National Geographic Going Green pages how indoor air can be five times as polluted as the outdoor air! What I found more alarming on the National Geographic (http://green.nationalgeographic.com/environment/going-green/going-green-home.html) site is that "the average home contributes more to global warming than the average car...because much of the energy we use in our homes comes from power plants that run on fossil fuels."

Conclusion? Having an energy efficient home can reduce carbon emissions (which cause global warming). This includes:

• Using compact fluorescent bulbs


• Energy-efficient appliances (i.e.: fridge, washer and dryer, etc.)


• Weather-stripping and caulking homes (don't let in the cold or hot air!)


• Solar panels to capture energy and get off the grid!


• Of course, do your part to recycle paper, glass, aluminum, plastic and anything else to reduce waste sent to landfills

So my dear tree-hugger wannabees, I hope next weekend will be spent making your domicile dwelling more green.

Are You a Stinky Commuter?

G.G.'s not asking whether you bathe prior to the daily work commute but is wondering how you commute. For awhile, I did my part to make the air a little cleaner, I carpooled. I admit to not carpooling these days but may reconsider since the VFg3 gals just got the results of the office survey. Results will be shared appropriately over the coming months but a little more than half of the organization's employees said they'd carpool to work.

Think of carpooling this way:
1. Let's you bond with your co-workers (so make sure you take that shower in the morning, or at least freshen up).
2. Can save you money. If carpooling properly, you're sharing the rides.
3. Fewer carbon emissions are stinking up the air because fewer people are driving to work.

Other alternatives to carpooling:
1. Public transportation. Bus passes are cheap and if you live in a city with a commuter rail, even better! Just think of all the people you can meet!
2. Ride a bike. G.G. spots a bicyclist each day on the morning commute. Is five miles really that far to ride a bike?
3. Hoof it. Pack the stilettos in a backpack and lace on good ambling shoes to walk to work. Like the bicyclist, G.G. spots a few hikers to and from work each day. Walking does a body and mind good.

And here's something to chew on, according to the Commuter Services of North Florida site, vehicles are the source of 1.5 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases each year. Now that's a lot of gas making stinky air!

Crist Talks About Florida Trash in Brazil

There's a reason G.G. is a Gov. Charlie Crist fan, he understands the meaning of green. The Florida Govenor's on a trade mission in Brazil this week. On Monday, he announced two new initiatives to make alternative energies (vs. fossil fuels) more accessible in Florida:

1. The capital city (that's Tallahassee) is getting a $182 million garbage-to-electricity plant. This will convert trash into ethanol and will reduce waste sent to landfills.
2. A pledge to encourage Congress to end the import tax on Brazilian Ethanol. While G.G. believes in buying American first, if the import tax was removed, it would be cheaper to import it from Brazil through Port Everglades vs. trucking it in from the Midwest.

To read the complete article, visit The Center for Commodity Research and Training Web site.

Shrek Isn't the Only Green Thing at Universal Orlando Resort

The "mouse" will probably be green with envy over this. The folks over at Universal Orlando Resort announced earlier this week that all service vehicles and mobile equipment will be using "green" fuels (aka: alternative). This announcement coincided with the theme park's "Green Is Universal" week (Nov. 5 - 10) to spotlight environmental awareness. Included in UOR's green initiative is rececyling and energy conservation. Check out the Universal Is Green Web site to see all the other groovy things happening within the NBCUniversal family.

South Florida Going Green

Have you missed me? Well, I'm back. My alter ego has been a bit tied up with projects and school and accessing the Web has been a challenge but I'm back in finding ways to encourage green Florida travel.

I recently read an article in the Miami Herald called, "South Florida Hotels Go Green." It discusses how Gov. Charlie Crist's mandate to hold state-sponsored meetings in green accommodations (whenever possible; beginning Jan. 1, 2008) is sparking competition. Me thinks this is a very good thing.

Right now, only two hotels in Miami-Dade County are green certified, the Four Seasons Hotel Miami and Intercontinental Miami. Monroe County (primarily the Keys) has five but there are no green certified accommodations in Broward County *gasp* but certainly the hoteliers there will join the green movement.

Some lodges are near-green, like the Deer Run Bed & Breakfast on Big Pine Key mentioned in the article. It's a vegetarian, organic B&B, striving to be as eco-friendly as possible.

Green is here to stay, my friends. At least that's what our little poll is indicating. Check out the complete list of green-certified Florida accommodations when planning your next vacation or meeting in the Sunshine State.

Blog Action Day: Finding Balance Between Tourism and Preserving Florida's Ecosystem

Well today is the day, my friends, Blog Action Day. The blogesphere is posting about the environment today, helping raise awareness to improve our tomorrow. So what do G.G. and VGg3 have to say about the environment? Obviously, Florida's environment is very close to our hearts.

The Florida ecosystem is fragile. The Sunshine State is full of amazing treasures ranging from the natural springs in Wakulla County to the Florida Everglades and the ocean's sea life to the amazing birds soaring at sunset. While we wish to protect these amazing, natural treasures, we welcome visitors to enjoy them, yet respect them.

And how can this be done? Well, we're still working on figuring that out, finding a balance between a healthy economy (the tourism industry) and healthy environment. When planning a Florida vacation, try one of these easy ideas:

1. Stay at a Green Hotel.
2. Visit a destination great for walking or has excellent public transportation, like Key West, St. Augustine or Anna Maria Island.
   
3. Explore a local or smaller attraction.
4. Shop at the locally-owned boutiques and shops.
   
5. Camp within a State or National Park.

As VFg3 moves forward with their project, expect more ideas and updates. In the meantime, be sure to complete the new survey off to the right.

G.G. Will Be Blogging on Blog Action Day: October 15, 2007

G.G. is sooo delighted to learn about Blog Action Day on October 15, 2007. This is a day when bloggers around the globe will blog about one important topic: the environment. Of course, since VFg3's focus is learning about an aspect of Florida's tourism industry and how to reduce the impact of tourism on the Sunshine State's environment, you can be guaranteed Monday's post will be just about that. Pretty groovy!

And, We're Off! Survey Deployed This Week

Hey there! Well, VFg3 deployed their survey within the office to determine the recycling habits and green attitudes of co-workers. About 50% of the staff have responded and will be exciting to tally the results.

In green tourism news, results of the latest travelhorizons (TM) survey by Travel Industry Association (TIA) and Ypartnership revealed more than half of U.S. adults are more than likely to choose an airline, lodging accommodations or rental car from a service provider using environmentally friendly products and processes over non-environmentally friendly, but at a cost. U.S. travelers are conscious of being environmentally responsible but the most they are willing to pay is up to 10% more, compared to non-environmentally responsible services. Read the complete press release called, "AMERICAN TRAVELERS TURNING GREEN (BUT NOT AT ANY COST), ACCORDING TO NEW NATIONAL SURVEY."

Hello! Let the Journey of Greening Florida's Tourism Industry Begin

Hey, there! My name is Green Girl, but my friends call me G.G. and since I want us to be friends, please call me G.G. Anywho, I'm the designated blogging representative for six sassy Florida tourism sales representatives (aka: VFg3) tasked with the same goal: To increase group cohesiveness and knowledge about the tourism market. I know, sounds like a punishment but it's not. They chose to find ways in reducing the carbon footprint within Florida's tourism industry.

In Fiscal Year 2006-2007 (July 1, 2006 - June 30, 2007), Florida generated $65 billion in direct travel spending and employed nearly a million Floridians directly in the tourism industry (can you imagine how many people are employed outside of Florida yet bring tourism here? This includes folks like travel agents, meeting planners and members of the media. And just think of the people indirectly employed by the tourism industry, like utility workers supplying services to resorts and attractions or facilities laundering hotel linens.). In 2006, 83.9 million travelers visited the Sunshine State (that's a lot of people!)*

With all these people visiting Florida, they're making a significant impact on the economy and environment. VFg3 is looking for ways to find a balance between a healthy tourism economy and healthy environment.

VFg3's company is the Florida tourism industry's leader and is ready to lead by example. Enjoy the journey as the six gals figure out how to make this happen. Enjoy the ride!

*Figures provided by VISIT FLORIDA(r), the official tourism marketing corporation for the State of Florida.