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Every week Current Green features a business or organization that we are Saying YES! to for their leadership in the sustainability arena. Our hope is that this series will not only give credit where credit is due, but will also shed light in the fog of the wild world of green washing.
This week we are featuring To-Go Ware, for their ongoing dedication to raising awareness about over consumption, reducing garbage in landfills, and educating about how we can reconsider the way our society uses (or abuses) plastic.
We also asked a few coworkers to take To-Go Ware out for a test run, you will find their photos and reviews sprinkled throughout.
Current Green: How did you come up with the idea?
Stephanie Bernstein: It was back in college. I was at an ice cream shop with my sister, and we were served our scoops in a plastic bowl with a plastic spoon. Perplexed, I remember asking, "Did we say To-Go?" Now you don't think twice about being served in disposables regardless if it's for take-away, but it was at a time where that transition was first happening. We diligent college students carried our reusable coffee mugs around campus (mostly for the discount), but I wondered why we couldn't carry everything we'd need. And we should call it To-Go Ware, I thought. The entire concept came in a few minutes -- then I sat on it for around 7 years until I launched the company.
Current Green: Can you measure the impact of your business? (and/or the individuals who use your business?)
Stephanie Bernstein: Well, according to estimates, Americans throw out enough plastic cutlery each year to circle the equator 300 times. 25 million trees are destroyed each year to make 45 billion disposable chopsticks. While it’s hard to quantify exact numbers of plastic fork usage per individual, we believe that one person has a rather hefty “forkprint,” seeing as how it is nearly impossible to never have an on-the-go meal, where you are handed extra forks, napkins, chopsticks, etc. Let’s say on average (and I’ll go to low end of spectrum), one person throws out 3 forks a week. That’s 156 per year — how many folks are there in the US? Do the math an it boggles the mind that one small behavior change can have such an immediate impact, if done cumulatively.
Current Green: You describe yourself as a yogini, renegade herbalist, and entrepreneur: can you speak to how these carrying backgrounds influence your business decisions?
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="336" caption="I’ve owned a lot of lunchboxes, but what I really like about the To Go Ware 3 Tier Action Pack is both the amount of food you can fill it with and the high quality of the product, I feel like I could take it on any adventure and it would hold up. My favorite part is that it easily converts so I can pack a nice big lunch for two by filling up all 3 containers or break it down into 2 for a perfect solo lunch! -Seana, Online Creative Designer"][/caption]
Stephanie Bernstein: I see you've been snooping on my Facebook page. Yes, there is a great deal of myself that loves the healing arts, which is essentially what led me to the Natural Products Industry. I became a yoga instructor in 2001 while living in New York City, and immersed myself in all things naturally good for you. I was also a wellness chef (specializing in raw & macrobiotic foods) and had a penchant for herbal medicine. I met the most wonderful people with the most amazing companies that were Fair Trade and Organic teas, chocolates, bodycare . . . All very inspiring and I believe at the core of what guides the template of how To-Go Ware operates. I really believe in doing things that are good for you and allow people to participate in the solution, at a time when the problems can seem overwhelmingly daunting. Conscious Consumerism isn't about the things you sell: it's about the ideas and inspiration that every product carries, and that the consumer is causing positive change in the use and purchase of that item. I suppose the "au natural" part of me just believes in helping people feel good in a way that works in harmony with our own nature, and that fosters long-term health in an intuitive and joyful way.
I still teach one yoga class a week, which is my favorite hour and half I get for myself outside of To-Go Ware . . . A great balance to some of the intensity that running a small business can present. It brings me back to the truly important things, and allows me an opportunity to share what I'm learning with others.
Current Green: What are the hardest parts of developing a sustainable supply chain?
Stephanie Bernstein: Well, there are always lots of factors. We’d love to source domestically, but at this time the facilities and materials we work with (bamboo, stainless steel, etc.) simply do not exist in the states. We became an importer somewhat by default — in looking for the safest and sustainable goods to eat with, we were led to Asia for the goods, as well as the quality of goods they create. This has the obvious upside of lowering our cost of goods, but the challenge it brings is maintaining oversight of production, labor standards and factory conditions. Packaging can also be a challenge, and lining up boxes that 100% post-consumer, inks that are soy, having them pack without polybags (Asia LOVES polybags), etc., must constantly be sought out and not always available. Then there’s the matter of carbon footprint of production and shipping — we work with Big Tree Carbon Fund to offset the impact of this aspect. We try to bring in everything via seafreight, since that creates the least carbon footprint. So the big challenge really is taking extra steps all the time — 3rd party verifiers, paying living wages, sourcing sustainable materials — and also amounts to the extra costs those extra steps take.
Current Green: Can you explain the supply chain of To Go Ware and how you choose the materials you use?
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="I was pleasantly surprised when the restaurant had no problems using my container, and it was easy to carry. And the bamboo knife? MUCH better than corn or plastic—it actually cut chicken! The only drawback is that it’s a little bulky, but I think that just means I have an excuse to buy a new purse that it will fit into! - Stephanie, Online Community"][/caption]
Stephanie Bernstein: To-Go Ware is all about life cycle. When thinking about new products, obviously we want them to be functional, innovative, ecological and safe. But the process of manufacturing goods is intensive, and we want to make sure that anything we are taking the time and energy to produce is worth the amount of time it will be in use. Bamboo for instance is a fabulous option, because it grows so rapidly and without the need for pesticides. It also needs very little processing to transform it from its raw state into our utensils, and its natural durability gives it a very long lifespan. As for stainless steel, it is likely our most energy and resource intensive raw material, and requires mining, and being turned into sheeting. However, we are producing these goods as an alternative to plastic containers, which also has a very energy and pollution intensive process — but its life cycle is very short. Since refillable plastic containers can be reused about 25 times — if they are reused and not simply tossed out — then it seems quite wasteful of our natural resources. Since our stainless can last for decades we take this into account. Of course we always look for ways to minimize impact . . . And we love to repurpose materials! Our RePEaT utensil sets have a carrying case made from recycled plastic bottles (RPET) and our carrier bags are made from recycled cotton scraps. And, our CONSERVE wraps are made from recycled plastic bags.
Current Green: How do you audit the companies you are work with?
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="262" caption="I used it to get soup from a local grocery store, but I found out the hard way that it is not watertight. Also, with this particular model, each section cant be carried individually so its heavy. But there are major pluses: the carrier bag, the bamboo-ware, and the over all design. This is going to be a great addition to my car camping gear, but I wont be bringing lunch in it. -David, Post Production"][/caption]
Stephanie Bernstein: We are a Green America certified business, the process of becoming certified put us through rigorous due diligence around our social and labor compliance. As mentioned, we work with third party auditors in all the countries we source from, and have created a code of conduct that we are requiring our manufacturers to adhere to. The good news is, as you grow your company, you have more leverage with suppliers to have them adopting certifications and methods of practice. Most of the manufacturers we work with are ISO9001, ISO14000 and SA8000 compliant.
Current Green: You posted the following two quotes on your facebook page:
"Incrementalism is innovation's worst enemy" -Hunter Lovins.
and "As the stakes get higher, so do the merits of our practice . . ."
Current Green: Can you expand on either of these thoughts and if/how they refer to your experience as a socially responsible entrepreneur?
Stephanie Bernstein: Ha — you have been lurking on my Facebook page . . .;) Well, the former addresses some of the biggest obstacles we face in almost all aspects of our world: bad habits. It is the condition of clinging to the familiar, or the fear of taking big steps, that sometimes keeps crucial progress from being implemented. I’ve always been a bit of cliff jumper myself, love taking giant leaps in life to find change. But knowing that is not always as enticing for the population at large, I look at my role as someone who is trying to encourage people to become more comfortable with change, by packaging it in a manner that feels comfortable, that enhances their quality of life, rather than detract from it. As for the latter, comes from my yoga and mediation practice and how it is a great pairing for life in the CEO lane. Over the years, you wind up interfacing with the most incredible of obstacles at times, and having to find your way through. It’s amazing to watch the evolution of the response, and how faith and stillness seem to do the trick time and time again — never panic and anxiety (which is not to say they do not surface, they merely lack efficacy.) The more intense things become, the better I get to know myself.
Current Green: Where do you want to go next? Or what do you want to do next?
Stephanie Bernstein: Right now, To-Go Ware is all about innovation. Working on some new designs to introduce in 2010 to better serve the needs of the growing number of folks using our products. We want to better serve moms and kids both in product offerings and to help inspire nutritious eating (which bringing your own lunch will inevitably leads to). We are also focusing a lot of our social mission on this issue as well — and have growing concerns around nutrition and food justice. We hope to announce a new partnership with some fantastic non-profits devoting themselves to these causes shortly.
__________________
For the sake of transparency, I will share that I am avid user of To-Go Ware. As we live in a time when we know that a significant component of solving the sustainability issues involves consuming less, I value my To Go Ware because more than anything, I have a daily reminder of my commitment to consume less, produce less garbage, and value that it's an easy and fun conversation starter to discuss the topic of over consumption and waste.
Do you know of a company you think should be featured in our Saying YES! series? Tell us who and why at llamb@current.com with “Saying YES! in the subject line.”
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The nation’s great bee die-off has provoked a furious debate: What has caused a third of all commercial honeybee colonies to perish each year since 2006? Although widespread bee deaths have occurred before, the current sharp decline is different. This time some bees have simply vanished, abandoning their hives. The phenomenon, known as colony collapse disorder (CCD), has been attributed in part to the same viral and bacterial infections, pesticide poisonings, and mite infestations that devastated bees in the past.
Whatever the proximate cause, it increasingly appears that the bees are succumbing to a long-ignored underlying condition—inbreeding. Decades of agricultural and breeding practices meant to maximize pollinating efficiency have limited honeybees’ genetic diversity at a time when they need it the most. Addressing CCD may therefore require more than a simple fix. “We need to have a diverse set of genetic raw material so we can find bees resistant to disease,” says Steve Sheppard, an entomologist at Washington State University. “Genetic diversity is an important part of the solution.”
The problem is hardly trivial. A third of the total human diet depends on plants pollinated by insects, predominantly honeybees. In North America honeybees pollinate more than 90 crops with an annual value totaling almost $15 billion. Indeed, that importance lies at the root of what went wrong. In trying to make bees more productive, apiarists have torn the insects from their natural habitats and the routines they mastered over millions of years. As a result, today’s honeybees are sickly, enslaved, and mechanized. “We’ve looked at bees as robots that would keep on trucking no matter what,” says Heather Mattila of Wellesley College, who studies honeybee behavior and genetics. “They can’t be pushed and pushed.”
In the beginning, honeybees and their partners, the flowers, drove an explosion of natural diversity. While most bees preferred a specific type of plant, honeybees were equal-opportunity pollinators—“pollen pigs,” beekeepers called them. The most socially complex of the bees, they thrived in colonies led by the egg-laying queen, who ensured the genetic fitness of her progeny by breeding with multiple male drones from other colonies.
All that began to change in the early 20th century, when farms and orchards started enlisting honeybees to pollinate their crops. Bees that were adapted to harvesting pollen from a variety of plants suddenly spent a month or more at a time surrounded by nothing but almond or apple trees. Farmers eager to increase their crop yields turned to commercial beekeepers, who offered up massive wooden hives stocked with queen bees genetically selected to produce colonies of good pollinators. These breeding practices slashed the genetic variety that helps any species survive infections, chemicals, and other unforeseen threats.
And lately those threats have been profound. During the 1980s, tracheal mites and then varroa mites arrived in North America, decimating honeybee populations. One entomologist studying the mite invasion was Michael Burgett of Oregon State University, who spent much of his career searching for pesticides that would kill the mites but not the bees. In 1995 he published the results of a 10-year bee survey. The average annual honeybee loss, attributed to both mites and chemicals, was about 23 percent.
The stresses endured by honeybees became clear to Sam Comfort earlier in this decade when he was working for a Montana pollination outfit called Arlee Apiaries. Every February at the start of pollinating season, Comfort and fellow contract workers used forklifts to move 12-foot-tall towers of wooden hives onto flatbed trucks. “Five hundred hives to a truck, all of them covered by a giant net,” he says. With the loads jammed in tight, drivers set out for the almond groves of California, where the bees’ whirlwind pollination tour began.The nation’s great bee die-off has provoked a furious debate: What has caused a... more
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