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The Great Green Hope: Over Easy, Eco-style
1/31/2010
by Ryan M. Puckett 

Last fall, in an issue of The Great Green Hope, I lamented that it’s not easy being green. Then just a few months later, I came across an article on 10 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2010, one of which was the concept of “eco-easy.”  

The article defines eco-easy as “making products and processes more sustainable without consumers even noticing it, and if necessary, not leaving much room for consumer and companies to opt for less sustainable alternatives to begin with.” 

One example that comes to mind is Whole Foods Market, which doesn’t even have plastic bags anymore for bagging groceries, only paper (of course, you can bring your own bags for 10¢ off).  

At the Indy Winter’s Farmer’s Market, there are recycling and composting bins all over the place including instructions on what items belong in which bin. Another example is the Indianapolis Power & Light Green Power Option, which allows customers to specify a percentage of their monthly electricity use to be generated by renewable resources in exchange for a small premium in addition to IPL’s standard rate. (A typical residential customer using 1000 kilowatt-hours in a month and enrolled at the 100% level would pay an additional $3.30 on their IPL electric bill.) 

Oh, how I wish this the concept of eco-easy would take Indy by storm.  

Thinking back on that past article, I wrote about how I had all these different recycling bins for different things around the house and what an inconvenience it was. Imagine my excitement when I learned that I would be able to finally toss all my recyclables into one giant bin just outside my back door!  

I had heard a rumor that Republic Waste Services of Indiana, my curbside recycling service, would start collecting all plastics (1-7) in addition to cans, aluminum, glass, paper, paperboard, etc. I figured I’d get some notice in the mail as a customer, but nothing ever showed up.  

Just a few weeks ago, I finally remembered to visit their web site (I get sidetracked a lot with a 4-month-old) and discovered that that rumor was true. However, it took me awhile to confirm until I clicked through to the FAQ page.  

While this is great news, it isn’t exactly an example of eco-easy. Hopefully, more and more companies around Indy will begin to adopt the eco-easy concept.  

My hope with this article is that others will share their experiences with companies making things eco-easy. So, hit the comment button below and share eco-easy examples around the city.

Ryan Puckett is a freelance writer and communications specialist focusing on all things pertaining to sustainability including green living, conservation, environmental issues and healthy living. He also likes to eat, so he’ll take whatever work he can get. Ryan is an IU-Bloomington grad and alum of Northwestern University’s School of Journalism. He lives in Broad Ripple with his wife, son and dog, is a veteran of roughly 150 (and counting) Phish shows and is a long-suffering Cubs fan. Contact him at rmpwriter@gmail.com or on Twitter @rmpuckett.




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