G-Sync – Texting About A Revolution

It comes as no surprise to people who study trends that the word "green" (along with "sustainability") has become passé after it was co-opted by corporations that have watered down its meaning.

 But let's rewind time by 10 years when the word green meant caring about the environment, and the word is an apt description of what is occurring in metro Grand Rapids today.

Without paying lip service to being green, a good number of enterprises in our area ranging from construction companies to major retailers have made sustainability a key component in their mission statements.

We are the capital of the world for LEED certifications, the Steelcase Foundation helped Aquinas College to establish an undergraduate program in sustainable business, and philanthropists such as Peter Wege and Fred Meijer have poured money into environmental initiatives.

Even on a small scale, restaurants and food retailers such as The Green Well, Bistro Bella Vita and the Wealthy Street Bakery have figured out how to use eco-friendly containers for takeout entrées.

So when someone flies in the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, why are we still serving them coffee in Styrofoam cups? Is this how we welcome a visitor to green Grand Rapids? By shoving a white foam cup in their hands that may last longer in a landfill than your grandpa's gravestone?

I know it's a small thing -- a pet peeve of mine.  But the beauty of being a columnist is you get to occasionally vent publicly on things that bug you.

While we are at it, let's encourage all of our local eateries to start using recyclable containers for takeout.

I say "text it" to the Twitterverse, Yelp and Foursquare as you offer your frank assessment of the situation. And when you are asked if you want your leftovers boxed up in a Styrofoam container, suggest instead that you would prefer to have them wrapped in aluminum foil, which restaurants have in rolls by the mile.
 
Maybe the next claim to fame for metro Grand Rapids will be a Styrofoam- free city for leftovers. Wouldn't that make headlines?


 
The Future Needs All of Us (to make waves)

Tommy Allen, Lifestyle Editor
          

Email:  [email protected]
Twitter Feed: @TommyGSync

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Photo of Tommy conceived and provided by Michael Pfleghaar for Tanglefoot Studio


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