Localwashing in Pictures at Grist

We’re always on the alert for ‘greenwashing’, but what about ‘localwashing’? It turns out, big corporations are just as eager to make money off your dedication to buying local as they are off what they see as “the green trend”. From Walmart to Citgo, huge companies are trying to lure our dollars out of our pockets using misleading and often downright deceptive ads claiming that they’re “local”.

Grist put together an amazing collection of the 12 of the most outrageous examples. Check out these three (images are at Grist):

Citgo: “Local. Loyal. Like it should be.” The crop of new billboards from the petroleum company owned by Hugo Chavez’s Venezuelan government makes sense only if the rather undemocratic president lives around the corner from you. Which he doesn’t.

Barnes & Noble: Maybe you’ve heard of this cute little bookstore around the corner. It’s got a DIY-looking video blog with the tagline, “All bookselling is local.” Except when it isn’t.

“Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, a U.S.-based subsidiary of European processed-food behemoth Unilever, has seen fit to subject Canada (Canada?) to an eat-local campaign,” reports Grist Food Editor Tom Philpott. He’s dumbfounded. Here are those locally sourced ingredients of which Hellmann’s is so proud:

WATER, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, SOYBEAN OIL, VINEGAR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, EGG WHITES, SALT, SUGAR, XANTHAN GUM, LEMON AND LIME PEEL FIBERS, COLORS ADDED, LACTIC ACID, (SODIUM BENZOATE, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA) USED TO PROTECT QUALITY, PHOSPHORIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVORS.

It’s absurd, but the sad thing is, a lot of people will fall for it. Head to Grist for the rest of the list, which includes Starbucks and Lay’s.

Link [Grist]

Himane: Eco-Couture Made from Recycled Umbrella Fabric

Don’t toss that broken umbrella! While having it repaired may not be a feasible option for most people, the fabric can be recycled in unexpected and beautiful ways. New Yorkers can bring their broken umbrellas to a kiosk at Grand Central to embark upon new lives as fashionable totes and handbags.

Local Labels, a shop that sells products made within the New York City area, has teamed up with designer Catherine Edouard-Charlot to collect used and broken umbrellas and refashion them into bags that fashion-forward New Yorkers will be proud to carry.

Edouard-Charlot is the founder of Himane, a design label that upcycles fabric into beautiful new items like dresses, jackets and other clothing items. The dress, jacket and tote bag pictured above are all made from umbrella fabric that would otherwise have been sent to a landfill.

Not only are the designs hot, they’re durable and waterproof, too. Check out the whole collection at Himane.com

Link [Himane] with thanks to [EcoSalon]

Christmas: Made in China

Christmas is a consumer bonanza, but where do all these products that flood December come from? The answer is China. From fake Christmas trees and ornaments to iPhones and XBoxes, China has become, for all intents and purposes, our North Pole.

This video from GOOD helps put the statistics in perspective and might inspire you to purchase your gifts locally – at least for next year!

Japanese Government Urges Citizens to Eat Locally

Did you know that Japan only produces 40% of the food it consumes? That is the lowest percentage among developed nations and puts the island nation at considerable risk amid a global food shortage. That’s why Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is getting serious about encouraging citizens to buy and grow their food locally. And as far as government messaging goes, this video is pretty darn cool:

Wisconsin Towns Could Print Local Money to Encourage Local Spending

Two Milwaukee neighborhoods are considering printing their own currency for exclusive use in local stores and businesses, to encourage residents to spend their money in ways that benefit the local economy. The neighborhoods of Riverside and East Side are currently discussing the possibility, in the hopes of keeping their local economy afloat even while the nation suffers a recession.

From The Chicago Tribune:

“You have all these people who have local currency, and they’re going to spend it at local stores,” said Sura Faraj, a community organizer who is helping spearhead the plan. “They can’t spend it at the Wal-Mart or the Home Depot, but they can spend it at their local hardware store or their local grocery store.”

Incentives could be used to entice consumers into using the new money. For example, perhaps they could trade $100 U.S. for $110 local, essentially netting them a 10 percent discount at participating stores.

This is a really cool idea. It makes sense to support your local community first, especially during times of economic turmoil. Incentives to buy local could really help small companies stay in business until the national economy gets back on track, and we all know the environmental benefits to buying local.

I can see something like this really taking off in my own community, where the ‘shop local’ movement is vocally and passionately supported by residents.

If you’re interested in starting something like this in your town, just make sure the money you design looks nothing like real federal money, or you’re stepping into counterfeiting territory.

Link [The Chicago Tribune]

When Kenyan Greenbeans Are Better: Why Local Food Isn’t Always The Best Choice

For Mike Small’s family in Fife, Scotland, it’s all about the local ingredients. For the past six months, the Smalls have been dining only on foods and beverages that come from within their home district. That means that on any given evening, the Smalls sit down to a combination of meats like fish, pork and lamb and local veggies such as parsnips, beetroots, kale, potatoes, leeks and other root vegetables. As long as it’s local, the Smalls are down with it.

While it sounds like the Smalls are making big leaps towards reducing their own carbon fooprints, turns out it just ain’t that easy. There are so many factors involved in the production and distribution of produce that it does not suffice to simply “eat what’s local” and assume that the impact that you are making is significant. Here are some reasons why:

• Food grown in areas where fertilizers and tractors are used is hardly carbon-friendly
• Many developing countries that export produce don’t use machinery and use cow crap for fertilizer, which means that even after air-freighting occurs, the carbon impact is less than it may be on a local, diesel-driven farm
• Purchasing local ingredients that are naturally dried instead of cooked and ready (chickpeas, for example) doesn’t mean you’re saving energy – you’ve still got to take them home and cook them, something that emits more carbon when done in small batches than when done in large ones
• Storing locally grown products that are not available year-round requires refrigeration, which emits carbon. Importing seasonal produce from where it is grown, even when done so via air-freight, is often more environmentally friendly than storage.

“The concept of food miles is unhelpful and stupid. It doesn’t inform about anything except the distance travelled.” — Dr Adrian Williams, of the National Resources Management Centre at Cranfield University.

Link [The Guardian]