Monday, 21 Mar 2005

As an environmental-health scientist and policy analyst at Consumers Union, Urvashi Rangan runs eco-labels.org, policing various product claims like "natural" and "free range." She offers a quiz on labels, previews the CU's upcoming green site, relates a satisfying showdown with an industry flack, and more -- in InterActivist, today on the Grist Magazine website. Send Rangan a question of your own by noon PST on Wednesday, March 23; we'll publish her responses to selected questions on Friday.

O Brother, Where Wal-Mart Thou?

Environmental lawsuits stymie Wal-Mart's attempts to colonize California

Retail Brobdingnagian and perpetual defendant Wal-Mart, having carpeted much of the U.S. in Supercenters, has its sights set on one of its last potential growth markets in the country: California. But the Golden State has proved a stormy climate for the hungry giant; dozens of lawsuits have been filed against cities across the state, charging that Supercenters violate the comparatively strict California Environmental Quality Act, signed in 1970 by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. The suits claim that the cities, in approving the ginormous stores, underestimate traffic congestion, air pollution, and -- in a novel accusation recently backed by a state appeals court -- decay caused by the closing of other, smaller stores. Many of the suits are filed by citizen groups whose membership and sources of funding are secret. Wal-Mart says the groups are fronts for unions like the United Food and Commercial Workers, who fear that the company's entry into the market will push down wages and labor standards and drive other employers out of business.


A simple question about personal environmental responsibility provokes eco-maven Umbra Fisk to dispense advice on parenting (or not). Read how Umbra tackles this thorny issue, daintily, with a 10-foot pole -- today on the Grist Magazine website.

Tamayo-Paced

Honduras forest activists slow deforestation

In central Honduras, where deforestation is widespread, poor farmers and rural residents under the leadership of Roman Catholic priest Andres Tamayo have had a string of successes in their struggle to save the pine forests that sustain them (or used to). The activists say Honduras' forests have been poorly managed for decades, resulting in topsoil erosion, water shortages, and declining wildlife. Last year, the farmers-turned-activists managed a dozen times to shut down all logging operations in Olancho, a popular timber province. Tamayo has called for a logging moratorium in the rest of the country as well until the forests can be managed more sustainably and all lumber can be milled in the community where it was cut. But environmental activism is a dangerous pursuit in Honduras. Powerful logging interests, as well as the government, strongly oppose the movement, and illegal logging gangs have intimidated villagers and made attempts on Tamayo's life.

Too Crunchy for My Shirt, So Crunchy It Hurts

New York fashion show highlights eco-friendly garb

Green may soon be the new black, some fashionistas say. Case in point: the FutureFashion runway show last month during New York's Fashion Week. Everything worn in the show -- including clothes by high-profile designers Oscar de la Renta and Proenza Schouler -- was made with eco-friendly fibers such as bamboo, corn, and organic cotton. Some clothing execs are hoping eco-apparel will go the way of organic food and beauty products, which have become a $15 billion mainstream industry. Production of clothing fibers can be highly damaging to the environment, with cotton being one of the worst. According to the nonprofit Sustainable Cotton Project, the making of a simple T-shirt may involve the use of a third of a pound of agricultural chemicals as well as other nasties like ammonia and formaldehyde. That's inspiring many vendors -- including Whole Foods, Nike, and even Sam's Club -- to start selling organic cotton. Says eco-designer Marci Zaroff, "We're taking the market from hippie to hip."