Adding a bit more commentary to the site

Moons ago, I tuned my television to CNN to watch “Planet in Peril: Battle Lines.” Despite Anderson Cooper’s Jack Bauer-esque reporting and Soledad O’Brian’s sassy temperament I found myself quickly annoyed with the unending cry me a riverthesis that planet earth is under a direct threat. In a world with nearly unlimited problems I lament the fact that so much time, money, and concern are being wasted on a very old rock, floating weightlessly in an unfathomably large universe and not, instead, on this rocks inhabitants. 
My frustration with the green community and it’s central mission, to “save the earth”, has been building for some time. I’m not sure when the purpose of being green shifted from preserving resources for further generations to treating the earth as a person, or dare I say deity, that we should make daily sacrifices for, but it seriously needs to stop for the sake of the green movement. We lose our ability to sell the notion of sustainability when we submit the earth as the sole benefactor. I cringe whenever I hear or read someone selling “green” products or activities by saying “we need to save the earth!” because the concept of saving (as in rescuing) our planet is so asinine it redefines absurdity. 

Message to my fellow “greenies”: The Earth Does Not Need Saving

I sense that part of this compulsion to rescue the earth, from certain disaster no doubt, comes from a lack of perspective. The earth is 4.5 billion years old. The average human lives maybe seventy years… longer if they have a dog.  Nothing that humans come into contact with on a daily basis is older or more resilient than the planet earth. Many years ago it was pummelled by an asteroid off the coast of Mexico, even that didn’t spell an end for our perilous planet.  It survived and we came later.  If we were to continue our non green ways and continue to use earth’s resources without regard for future generations, what would happen to planet earth? Would it cease to be the 3rd planet in the solar system? Would the activity at it’s core stop? From the earth’s point of view would anything notable happen to it that could compare to its violent past? No, No, and No.  (For more info on this, check out the “life after people” shows on the history / discovery channels… our earth recovers from us in a mere 250 years!)

But, if our ways aren’t a threat to earth what are they a threat to? What will happen if we continue to use resources the way we do now?  Imagining this scenario reveals the true reason to use earth’s resources wisely… to preserve and protect humans.  Our unwise use of earth’s riches are not and never will be a threat to our planet, but they will assuredly, be a threat to our children and their children, and so on and so forth.  If we continue to take and use more than we need, there will be less for future generations. This, coupled with increasing population, will cause famine, disease, drought, fire, and all sorts of human suffering.

The Planet is not in Peril, We are. This is the message that members of the green community should adopt and use to promote sustainability.  People rightly have more compassion for other people than they do for the earth and if we make people the reason to recycle or waste less water, we will be much more successful. But if we continue to prioritize the earth before people, we will fail.

So lets all come together and redefine our mission and our cause.

We are not a threat to nature, but subject to it.

The Earth does not need saving, We do.

and…

The Planet is not in Peril, We are.

Sorry CNN.

Bags Bags and More Bags! I’m beginning to think that the bag is going to replace the stainless water bottle as the international signal of environmentalists.

A few weeks ago we reviewed a reusable grocery bag made by trader joes. Well, almost 30 minutes after that review went live I got an email from Steve at thebetterbag.com offering me a sample and a chance to prove him right and proclaim to the world that he has a better bag.

I didn’t tell him this but I’m a sucker for business owners with guts and cajones! I love it when someone who makes a product can claim, unequivocally that their product is superior. Well, not long after he and I worked out the details I was using his bag and measuring it up to others.

Steve doesn’t say that other bags are bad… his is just better for the sole reason that it is 100% completely recyclable. See, Steve has over 20 years experience recycling plastic. So he knows that most of the other recycled bags have been changed from a pure plastic to an other and that most municipalities can’t recycle them. So when you go to throw away your “not better” bag, it gets put straight into the landfill. Not so with the better bag. Send it back to them and he can promise you that its gets recycled properly.

The better bag is a black plastic weave with cloth handles. It is large, flexable, and strong. I used it and abused it and it kept on ticking. It serves that same purpose as other bags, but it is a true cradle to cradle product. It’s not less bad, its good!

I’ve gotta say… seek out a better bag. I suggest you start at The Better Bag.com

Here is the video review.

RATING: 5 out of 5 Gears for Fixed and Variable environmental benefit, price, product quality / design, and being a great purchase for everyone.

I’ve seen a lot of different products in my day.  I mean, I’ve been shopping my entire life, I run this product website, and I once had a summer job working in the “receiving department” at Linens ‘N Things…. But I’ve never seen a product that has made me so equally perplexed and happy as I was with my first encounter with Zukay Life Food.  I mean it… Blue Ribbon!

I stumbled on this product online a few weeks ago and HAD to try it.  Anything with the sub title “live food” gets my goat.  So i sent an email over to Zukay and after some very pleasant conversation with Scott I received 6 jars of their assorted Salsas (mild and hot) and relishes (horseradish and garlic dill).

  So, what is Zukay and what is live food? Zukay is a line of fermented salsas and relishes.  Fermented?  Like Beer? Well, sorta.  Zukay uses local fresh produce to make their salsas then adds probiotic cultures (bacteria) that then break down and ferment the condiments.  Wait Bacteria?  Yes! But don’t let that bug you.  FIrst off, bacteria is in all sorts of foods… and way back when people ate lots more fresh fermented food and there is a line of thinking (probiotic thinking) that these bacteria helped out the immune and digestion systems.

I’m not a scientist or even a health food nut.  But, anytime someone promotes a more “back to basics” idea I get excited.  I’m kind of a traditionalist.  Plus, i think the closer we get to our food and the fresher it is the better it is for us.  But if you’re looking for more on probiotics, go to Zukay’s website.

So, what does this mean for me? How does it taste? and how is it green? Well, the fact that this stuff is fermented means a couple of things.  First, the flavor is strong.  You taste your food more.  Second, since it’s got cultures in it you need to keep it cold.  Third, you need to not freak out when gas escapes your salsa when you first open it (in the form of bubbles) or your first bite tastes like salsa pop rocks.  This is normal, stir it, let it sit.. and enjoy. This stuff is very good.  The relishes take the prize though.  I put it on hotdogs, pasta, and eggs.  It’s a winner!  Salsa is good too, though I’m weird and couldn’t taste much heat… But i just added tabasco.

How is green and why is it on a green website? Zukay uses (when possible) local produce from or around Lancaster, PA…. what?  That’s it?  No solar panels, wind turbines or solar offsets? No, no BS here.  Zukay merits green kudos simply for using good local ingredients.  They could have easily imported cheaper stuff that would have been shipped from god knows where using god knows how many fossil fuels but they don’t.  The best part is, there’s no half-trying green promotion to speak of.  They aren’t trying to sell you their product because they’re green.  They sell you on a great innovative product and just are green where and when it makes sense.

Scott even told me, “i don’t think of us as a green product.”  Well, guess what?  You are!  Good Job!

Video below.  Its long but toward the end of it I devour a hotdog in less than 30 seconds.  Also, if you click on the video while playing you’ll be taken to my youtube page and somewhere in there is a video of Zukay Bubbling when I opened it… awesome!

RATING: 3 out of 5 Gears for using Local ingredients, Price relative to competitors, and a crazy amount of innovation and creativity

The battle against body hair has been raging since man first felt stubble and thought, “this is freakin’ itchy!”  The amount of testing that goes into the razors we use each and every day is staggering.  Think shaving is a simple concept?  Check out Gillete’s R&D Budget!  Still, unless you’re shaving Croc Dundee style (“now thatsa noife!”) you probably haven’t found a razor that is too eco-friendly. 

Well, leave it up to the dudes and dudettes over at Preserve to come up with another resource saving, colorful, ergonomically pleasing product that cuts hair like nobody’s business.  I picked up a razor 4-pack at Generation Green about a week ago for around $7.  They had a three blade one for the same price but I figured why not opt for the 4 pack, after all, then Mrs. Green Gear could use one and I’d have an extra for the gym.  Each razor comes with detachable blades, pivoting heads, and a lubricating strip.  Each colorful handle is made from recycled #5 plastic which can be recycled at your local municipality or sent back to preserve to be made into park benches.  Cool eh?

So, how does it work?  Well, not too bad.  It didn’t give me any of the cuts i normally get from razors that come in packs and the lubricating strip helped.  I’d rate it somewhere between a generic bic and any razor endorced by a pro athelete.  Translation, Good Enough.  Replacement blades can be purchased for around $5.

To me, the price is prohibitive.  The quality of the shave is fine, but it would make a whole lot more sense for a dollar and a half less.  Still, if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t mind paying more to preserve earth’s natural resources, it’s not a bad choice.  I’ll have to try the triple blade though, this baby face needs some extra care. 

Here is the Video Review

RATING: 1 out of 5 for being made of recycled material.
Update: This product had its quality gear removed after further use

Since I had so much success with my preserve toothbrush by recycling, I made my way back to Generation Green here in town and picked up a few more of their products.  So, today I’m reviewing a set of recycled plastic cutlery made by recycline.  I purchased these for $5.49.

If you saw my last preserve review or are a fan of their products then you know their basic “green” cred comes from the fact that their products are made with 100% recycled #5 Plastic.  Also, they offer a mail back program where you can send them back your products when you’re done and they’ll turn them into decking or park benches.. Nice right?

I was intrigued by the cutlery because I’ve been looking for a good reusable recycled set of utensils that i could use as my day to day cutlery.  They promote these as reusable, so it was my hope that these would fall somewhere between my regular utensils and the dime a dozen ones you see at picnics…

If I’m being honest, these don’t cut it for day to day regular use.  The strength of them is the same as what you’ve experienced with normal plastic cutlery.  These are flimsy and have little or no “heft” to them.  If you get the spoons in contact with hot soup, they begin to bow and bend.  Also, if you wish to reuse them, don’t wash them on high heat with the rest of your dishes, they will warp.  Every time i used them I just wished that preserve had made them a little more dense so they could stand up to daily use.

This experience got me thinking, what is the point of this recycled plastic cutlery?  What are they marketed to be?  Are they for daily or regular use?  Or are they for last minute picnics and football parties?  Either way I don’t think they live up to the purported use.  If they are to replace regular cutlery, they are not strong or durable enough.  If they are supposed to replace normal plastic cutlery, they are far too expensive and impractical.   If you are looking to host a party, i would recommend reusing your regular cutlery that you already own instead of buying these.  If you are looking at these for daily use, look elsewhere and use what you already have.

Kudos to the preserve company for their green policies and practices, i like many of their products, just not the cutlery…

Here is the video review

RATING: 1 out of 5 Gears for being made with recycled material.

Its the time of year that people address their bodies of government on the “state” of things.  So here is my address on the State of Green Products.  Enjoy.

The Peculiar Rise of Green Products

As a person who has always been interested in retail goods and retail buying trends the influx of green products into mainstream consumerism is intriguing. Green products really aren’t anything new, especially when you consider efficiency products like low flow showerheads and CFLs. But what is new, is the overwhelming scale, variety, and scope of green products, especially when you limit your view to larger retailers. I was surprised that early on you could find a “green” product in nearly every aisle of the store. Even more perplexing were the credentials listed certifying the product as green. There is no universally recognized body governing the certification of green products. Needless to say, this gives manufacturers and advertisers the ability to promote their product as green if it offers a benefit in any category of long list that includes but is not limited to:

• source material
• manufacturing products
• design
• use
• internal corporate policies
• political contributions
• organic certification
• fair-trade practices
• internal and external recycling capability
• factory location and transportation
• packaging

To a well-meaning manufacturer, if they scored well in any of those categories they could promote their eco-friendlyness and seek new customers and higher profits.

Sorting through all of this is a task that has fallen largely on the green consumer. Armed with web 2.0 and social media, green consumers hashed out which products are “greenwashing,” and which ones are legitimate. To a certain extent, this task of finding the “truth” about these products is one thing I’m attempting to achieve with Green Gear. But, web debate can only get you so far. The online green community is largely afflicted with a “holier than thou” attitude that does it more harm than good. In addition to nay saying people who think green products are only found in the floral section of Wal-Mart they also assault their own community with this type of unhealthy discord. Show me a product exhibition on treehugger and nine times out of ten I’ll show you a comment below saying that this product “isn’t green because of XYZ and instead they should try ABC.”

So now, the green marketplace is fragmented. Green products are being sold for all different types of reasons in one arena, and all the information that could be useful to consumers is in another which is difficult to find and unwelcoming. The unfortunate fact is that there are some really great green products out there and there is value to both manufacturers and consumers in the sale and purchase of them.

The Benefit of Green Products to Consumers.

Consumers are drawn to green products for as many or more reasons I listed above. But generally, green products fall along a spectrum book ended by eco-efficiency and eco-chic. Consumers purchasing these products see value in them stemming from a combination of economic self-interest, environmental benefit, and social fashion or status. If I’m purchasing a low-flow showerhead i presumably see value in money saved to pay for and heat hot water, the perceived carbon footprint reduction as a result of this efficiency, and the fact that people who stay at my house will “ooh” and “ahh” over it. Some people ascribe different values to each component and as a result you get products like the toilet tank bank, which is all eco-efficiency, and the solio charger, which is all eco-chic. Either way, each individual consumer has the ability to satisfy their desire for green value by tailoring the purchaes over wide variety of green products and paying a “green” premium.  This is important as consumers are likely to take the lead in moving the marketplace.

The Benefit of Green Products to Producers.

The primary benefits to producers and manufacturers of green products are increased unit sales from new customers and higher profits from being able to command a higher price point. Green products almost always sell for a higher price point because they can. Either that or the producer isn’t large enough to see gains from economies of scale. But, in addition to that producers will see a tremendous long term gain if they embrace sound environmental practices. The primary long term goal of any company, large or small, is consistently higher profits over a long period of time. Producers that begin to create, move, and sell their products using recycled source material, more efficient and new product designs, more efficient and shorter transportation, energy efficient manufacturing equipment, waste reduction and on-site recycling strategies, and minimal and recycled packaging will see their efforts pay off quarter after quarter and year after year. They’ll gain first mover advantage from the perspective of new technologies created and customer loyalty earned. They will shield themselves from the political possibility of a carbon tax or other changes in national policies and gain an advantage over competitors. But the most important advantage is that the reduced consumption of environmental resources will serve to preserve their consumer base over time.

The State of Green Products

Green Gear have used and rated just over 40 green products to date and its our hope to have more than 150 done by year end. I’ve seen all types of products of varying degrees of “green-ness” but I have not reviewed one single product that is completely sustainable. This is largely due to the fact all products rely on an unsustainable global infrastructure for the sourcing, manufacturing, transportation, and sale. Even the products that score the highest at Green Gear are unsustainable. Most, if not all of them, are manufactured in Asia from material mined or produced elsewhere and shipped and sold worldwide. In almost all cases, the impact of this product creation is not accounted for in the greenness of the product. I don’t really hold this against the makers of these products, that is simply the state of commerce in the global marketplace and after all these products are incrementally better and should be applauded. As it is today, its my belief that we have a marketplace with lots of green products but no sustainable ones. But we need to understand that we are just taking our first steps. We must learn to crawl before we can walk. If we can legitimately move the whole marketplace into an incrementally more sustainable future in the next 30 years I will view it as a large success.

Where Does Green Gear Fit?

Green Gear helps clear the confusion surrounding the quality and benefit of green products. Think of us as the cnet.com of green products. We’ll evaluate any product claiming green credentials and rate it according to our criteria which give marks for fixed and variable environmental benefits, product price and value, quality and innovation, and market position. I conduct my reviews in a way that is informative and entertaining. Hopefully consumers will visit Green Gear for the value of my reviews and product producers will send in products because my reviews have credibility and communicate well with the youtube generation.

What is with all the Green Drinks?  First, 360 Vodka, then Great Lakes Beer… Now the Bota Box?  One thing is becoming very clear.  Green People are Drunks.

Except me…

The other day, the Mrs. and I were wondering through Kroger when we spotted a couple tell tale signs of a green product.  First, a cardboard colored box.  Second, a green recycle symbol.. Third, it was in a notable location in the store.   So i walked over and spied a display of Bota Box wine, which came in 4 flavors (types?).  Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Chardonnay.  Honestly, I like neither.  I’m far from a wine snob, but I prefer a Pinot Noir (wife is from Oregon) or a Gewurztraminer (i like spicy).  But, for the sake of reviewing green products the wife and I picked up the Bota Box.  It was $23.99 for a 4 bottle equiv volume.

Boxed wine is NOT a new concept.  There are all sorts of “premium” brands of boxed wine.  Each of them says, “buck the bottle trend” or “remove the stigma.”  I personally do not have a clue what they’re talking about.  I don’t entertain or attempt to impress people with my wine.  boxes are awesome as far as I’m concerned.  They’re convenient, easy to pack, and hold more wine.  Plus, you don’t have to pry corks from them… (though, to some people that’s part of the fun of wine).

The Bota Box is made of 100% post consumer cardboard.  Inside is a plastic bladder, if you’ve ever taken apart a box of wine for easy um *cough* concealment… you know what i’m talking about.  Pull the spicket out, and you’re good to go. The Bota Box keeps 4 bottles from being made which i’m sure is an energy intensive procedure.  Also, this can be recycled, the box i mean, not sure about the plastic.

Now, The bota box poses a challenge to the reviewer.  It’s not often that a wine maker promotes a wine based on the package, as opposed to the taste.  So I had a bit of thinking to do before I reviewed it.  Do i review the box? The Wine?  Do them together?  Well, since the box is not reusable, I will take them as a whole, which they are.

The box is fine… It’s a wine box, other than being made of recycled content, no different then any box you’ve encountered.  It doesn’t drip, works well, and sits on a table just fine.  The wine…. well… The wine is nothing to write home about.  As a matter of fact, I’m a little depressed that I now have 4 BOTTLES of this in my house.  I’m not sure when i’ll get around to drinking it all.

This brings me to another point.  Wine (and beer) are about variety.  The 750ML bottle is popular because you can share it with friends and move on to the next.  Bota Box is hardly a staple wine that I would drink day in and day out.  If this had been a 2 bottle box, or even a one, i could see it being more popular. I would Really like the bota box if the wine industry was different and I could reuse this and just go to a store and pour it in my reusable box.  But i don’t think anywhere does that, though it would be cool (and save wine companies a lot of money).

So.  I don’t feel comfortable giving this a quality or design gear, but at its price, I will give it one for value… The wine isn’t bad… it’s just not good.  but it is relatively cheap.

Here is the video review.

RATING: 2 out of 5 Gears for Recycled Packaging and Value

Trader Joes Recycled Reusable Grocery Bag Review by Green Gear

I know what you’re thinking…

“Here he is, reviewing a reusable grocery bag… BOY is he mailing this one in.  it is so hackney for a reviewer of green products to choose to talk about a reusable grocery bag.  I mean, they’re so simple, easy, and abundant in our newly green society… Its just… its so… It’s just been done!  And he’s not even reviewing one of the cute ones you get at the green store with nice patterns, he’s reviewing a regular one… from… uh… a.. GROCERY STORE!  The $1 ones!”

Yes, I’m reviewing a simple, plain, cheap reusable grocery bag.  No, it doesn’t fold up into another bag the size of a deck of playing cards.  No, it doesn’t have any snappy “green” statement on the side to make other NON greens (“we call them normos”) feel guilty.  and No, it doesn’t have a fancy name.  I’m not even sure what to call it other than, reusable grocery bag.   It was like $1, its simple, it works… and I love it.

Few other green products are as standard as the reusable grocery bag.  Maybe water bottles.  But pretty much every single store out there has them and they’re cheap.  I’ve seen good ones at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Andersons, Wal-Mart, and Trader Joe’s.

This particular one is non insulated and made of recycled PET bottles (water and soda bottles).  I’ve seen reusable bags that aren’t made of recycled material, which is totally fine, but i prefer my products to hit all green marks if they can.  When looking for one, make sure it can hold a fair amount of stuff… One i got from Kroger has straps that go allt he way down the side, i put heavy stuff in that.

Now, the green reason to use these is that they replace plastic or paper grocery bags.. This is no small thing.  We use FAR too many of these, as a matter of fact many cities around the world are now banning thse.  They last in landfills for a very long time.  But to me, the best reasont to use these is that they keep those bags out of your house and don’t clutter your kitchen pantry.  I never realized how many of those bags were stuffed into my pantry until is topped using them.  It’s great to be free of all that stupid plastic.  I feel free to put other things there like a dog food container or a bigger recycling bin.

These things are cheap, useful, sustainable, and basically a no brainer.  Buy one, buy three, buy five… buy enough and answer “neither” to paper or plastic for the rest of your days

Here is the video review.

RATING: 5 out of 5 Gears for Being made of recycled material, replacing a disposable alternative, value, quality, and being something everyone should own.

Mrs. Green Gear and I spoil our dogs.  General Sherman and General Patton get something new everytime we come within a stones throw of a pet store.  It’s a sickness, I admit, but It’s always a pleasure to see them freak out over a new toy.

The toys are divided with each dog getting his own, and when you look at them you get a sense of their personalities.  Sherman, has fewer toys, and they are of the rubber / tough variety.  He’s a chewer.  Pattons toys are decidedly more aristocratic.  He has all the nice AKC plush toys that look like wild game.  He has a pheasant, squirrel, rabbit, and now a nice whitetail doe.

And that’s what we’re reviewing today.  This puppy caught my eye at the store and i figured i would give it a go on Green Gear since its stuffing is made from recycled polyester.  That’s good news, right?  I mean, I wish they would have recycled the whole thing… touting the toy as “green” because the stuffing and packaging are recycled borders on greenwashing.  But, I shouldn’t call them out too much because they are using less and that is admirable.

So far, Patton likes it.  So i’m willing to give it the thumbs up.  Here is the video review.

RATING: 2 out of 5 Gears for being made of recycled content and of high quality.

A week or so ago I published a review of the Source Recycled Toothbrush.  The Source was a very stylish brush with a “wood” handle made of recycled paper fibers.  I liked it well enough.  It looks good in my bathroom, but when i went to pack for DC I found that there really wasn’t a case out there that it would fit into… I think they may make a case, but the thing was already $7… I’m not buying a custom case for my uber cool wood toothbrush.

So I set out to find another recycled toothbrush and settled on the wonderful Preserve Toothbrush made by Recycline.  I bought this at Kroger for under $3, it is made of recycled plastic and the container doubles as a carry case.  Exactly what I wanted for a gym bag / travel toothbrush. 

I used this over the weekend, it has an elegent design, good ergonomics, and works very well.  When you’re done with it you can send it back to recycline via an envelope you get at stores or from their website.   From there it is continually reused cradle to cradle on into infinity… Stuff like this makes my little green gear heart go pitter patter. 

They come in all sorts of colors, i’m waiting for a camo one. 

Here is the video review.

RATING: 4 out of 5 Gears for being made of recycled content / reusing old material / closing the industrial loop, value, design and quality, and being ready for primetime.