The Redhead's Green Thumb

FTC to Hold Forum on Green Packaging
Courtesy of Sustainable is Good blog:

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is hosting a public workshop to examine developments in green packaging claims and the consumer perception of those claims. The workshop is part of the agency's regulatory review of the "Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims," commonly known as the Green Guides.

The workshop and the results of the discussion from the event will be of great interest to those following field of green/sustainable packaging. Since the Green Guides were last revised in 1998 there has been exponential growth in the use of green claims relating to packaging.

The FTC recognizes sellers and marketers frequently use terms addressed in the Green Guides, such as "recyclable, recycled content, biodegradable, degradable, compostable, or refillable," to claim their packaging is green. Companies are also now using terms like "sustainable," and "renewable," which are not even contained in the Green Guides.

The FTC is the federal regulatory body responsible for oversight of claims companies use to sell products and resulting issues of consumer perception.

The workshop will also examine the increase in third-party certification programs purporting to verify the positive environmental impact of product packaging. Major verification programs used in packaging currently include FSC and SFI both dealing with paper/wood usage.

The FTC's Green Guides and Packaging workshop is scheduled for April 30, 2008 in Washington, DC.

Labels: green stuff, links

022008 treasury - egcg!
Originally uploaded by xiane threeravens.

The ever-wonderful LusciousNaturals snagged the Etsy Green and Clean Guild a treasury filled with our fantastic bath and body products! My only regret is that Screengrab didn't work so well in capturing the whole treasury... so I guess you'll just have to go there yourself to see it all! ;)

Direct link: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=29672

I've been lucky enough to be in two treasuries this week so far, both going on right now. The other one features one of my first yarn appearances in a treasury! Yay!

Labels: egcg, promotion fun, treasury

Magickal Realism ›

- Second, this whole fuss about the the words chemical and natural. Both words should have meaning, and both words have been reduced to nothing more than pseudo-political buzzwords. It’s annoying, as a lot of people are going to get seriously hurt and likely have been seriously hurt by operating on the following incorrect assumptions:

1. If it’s chemical, it’s “bad.”

2. If it’s natural, it’s “safe.” -

Please take a look at the rest of her entry for some sensible debunking of the idea that all chemicals are bad/everything natural is good - as well as many other thoughtful topics!

KNITSTER - Look, a FO!

For those who don't know, I also blog - erratically - at Knitster.org! This post is about my finish on the perennially popular Calorimetry, with a promise to blather on more in the future about spinning.

The Indie Path has been kind enough to do a week-long feature on EGCG! If you haven't seen The Indie Path before, you'll want to check out their website, which is filled with wonderful "Indieviews" with independent artists, artisans, craftspeople.
This week is an excellent chance to learn more about the people who make up Etsy Green and Clean Guild, and see what has motivated them to take on the mantle of creating superior handcrafted bath and body products!

The indieviews start here:
http://theindiepath.blogspot.com/2008/02/indieview-with-etsy-green-and-clean.html

SoapStore:
http://theindiepath.blogspot.com/2008/02/indieview-with-egcg-member-lissa-lee-of.html

LusciousNaturals:
http://theindiepath.blogspot.com/2008/02/indieview-with-egcg-member-cassidy.html

But keep checking back each day this week to read more about EGCG at The Indie Path! http://theindiepath.com/

Labels: egcg, the indie path

Check it out and let me know what you think! I have a new banner, which finally incorporates some of the excellent art that Bo of Larcus.etsy.com made for me. I've been rockin' it on my business cards for a while, but I just wasn't able to make a banner or graphics that I liked that used the image until tonight.
I changed the colours of my blog to match.

Let me know what you think!

Labels: larcus, new banner, threeravens

Dumbo NYC, Brooklyn - Brooklyn-based Etsy Raises $27 Million in Fourth Round (DumboNYC.com)

Two cool things about this link - one: that a blog about the neighborhood in which Etsy is located gave them a great mention about their newest round of venture capital, and two: one of my photos was used to illustrate the post! The photo is from the trip that Rob and I took to Etsy Labs back in June 2007. Interestingly, that trip also yielded a photo that was used for the listing for the New Yorker Hotel by Schmap!

State to probe development of 'green' chemicals - Los Angeles Times: "In an effort to reduce industry's reliance on toxic compounds, state environmental officials today will lay out a framework for transforming California into a leader in the development and use of 'green' chemicals.

The proposals are an attempt to change the approach to environmental health from a chemical-by-chemical squabble to a wholesale shift in the way industry manufactures compounds used in products as varied as prescription drugs, plastic food packaging, pesticides, cosmetics and household cleaners."

It's a step in the right direction, hopefully. Leave it to California to lead the way.