GreenMark Public Relations®, Inc.

Chalet’s Tony Fulmer headed over to WGN recently for a Midday feature showcasing tropical plants. There, he demonstrates that such plants are not only beautiful and exotic, they’re good for you, too! A study commissioned by NASA in the 1980s showed that two medium or large houseplants can effectively reduce airborne toxins by as much as 87% in a 100 square-foot room. Ferns combat household smoke (from smokers) by detoxifying benzene, a byproduct of cigarette smoke. Plants can also increase humidity in the dry and winter season. They also require less water in the winter. Bet you didn’t know that those green things could be so useful!

See the video on WGN, here, for a list of the ten best purification plants.

One of the first episodes on PBS’ series “Design,” this focuses on Chicago as “the green machine.” Chicago has been noted as one of the greenest cities in America and after watching this video, you should have no doubt as to why it achieved such a recognition.

I mean, green rooftops, how awesome is that?! 

Follow this link, to see Design: The Green Machine on Hulu.

Stop climate change now should not be treated like a bandwagon campaign. On the one hand, advocates of green living may need a few “trends” to muster general interest, so we have the big ones: global warming, hybrid cars, solar power, vegetarianism, light bulbs. The problem with trends is that people will find quick (and sometimes valid) reasons to disregard them. Politicians seeking re-election and television pundits who need to fill 24-hours of air time with talking points have nailed all these big trends - and whether or not they’re accurate or correct, they’re out there. Global warming was found to have botched facts by overzealous scientists, hybrid cars may be too expensive to get a dollar for dollar value, solar power won’t work in every region of the United States, Vegetarianism is too difficult - expensive - and/or “wimpy,” and fluorescent light bulbs are thought to be seriously hazardous if broken - also they are expensive.

Now that I’ve disregarded all of the “big green trends,” and anyone who wants to be realistic about the issue will be familiar with the arguments against these things, I’d like to point out that individual lifestyle choices aren’t going to save the planet from the realities that underly some of the rational for serious issues like climate change, starvation, natural resource depletion, etc. Not to desparage individual green living choices, which are a great thing, but the only two ways to make a major green impact is to climb the uphill battle through state and national legistlation and find green money reasons for green living solutions. No one would disagree that hybrid cars are better for the environment than a new non-hybrid car, but making them cost-efficient is the key. A new Toyota Prius starting at $22,500 is still too much to get everyone on board. Now, getting large scale government changes might be another issue entirely, as we all saw the results of December’s Copenhagen Conference.

So what do we do? Sit back, bite our nails and hope we don’t wipe ourselves out as a society? Yes. Of course! But while we’re doing that, we should put some distance on the trends. Be green. Be as dark green as possible. Being dark green requires as much a critical eye an measure of practicality as those who look upon green lifestyle changes as expensive alternatives and “not for me.” The irony is that everyone wants to be green. Everyone wants to save the planet, but they also want to save some money. Dark green companies and organizations understand this and use this effectively in whatever product or service they provide. To make an impact on someone’s life, make an impact to their wallet.

In the mean time, here’s some nail-biting photographic proof of extreme polar ice loss from a recent TED conference.

Happy Holidays from GreenMark PR!

(Click here to see the full size card)

At the U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen on Dec. 9, President Obama will pledge that the U.S. will cut greenhouse-gas emissions 17% from 2005 levels by 2020 and 83% by 2050. We strongly support these goals. Critics will quickly jump to defend coal-mining and oil-drilling, but fail to recognize the green jobs that will be created by these measures - from the manufacturers to the analysts. Coal and oil are still resources that will be used. They will not simply disappear. Ironically, they will disappear if we keep doing what we’re doing now. There’s not a magical endless ocean of oil beneath our feet, you know. Those who don’t want to consider environmental reasons should consider economic reasons. Coal is profitable now, but will it be 50 years from now? What happens when it runs out? How many jobs would be lost then?

Let’s also not forget that Obama’s goals aren’t much different than the road-map we are currently on in the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, which aims on a state level to lower energy demand across the country by 50%, achieve more than $500 billion in net savings over the next 20 years, and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 90 million vehicles.

We applaud the leaders of the world for coming together to discuss reducing emissions and we hope talk turns to action carefully, but swiftly. We especially thank President Obama for not backing out of this conference as his predecessors have done (Kyoto Protocol).

According to the Copenhagen Climate Council web site, in order to set a firm foundation for a sustainable economic future it is imperative that the following six steps are implemented:

1. Agreement on a science-based greenhouse gas stabilization path with 2020 and 2050 emissions reduction targets that will achieve it;
2. Effective measurement, reporting and verification of emissions performance by business;
3. Incentives for a dramatic increase in financing low emissions technologies;
4. Deployment of existing low-emissions technologies and the development of new ones;
5. Funds to make communities more resilient and able to adapt to the effects of climate change, and
6. Means to finance forest protection.

Read more about Obama’s pledge and some of the pledges from other nations on the article published by the Wall Street Journal, here.

Learn more about the upcoming event and get more points of view at the Copenhagen Climate Council web site, here.

Picture is from the Wikimedia Commons

The web site Power and Energy recently featured a story on Samso, a little green island paradise in Denmark that completely self-sufficient and sustainable. Not only is this island self-sufficient, it generates profit by merely existing. This is bittersweet. Bitter in that it takes a significant amount of one kind of green to tackle (and raise interest) the larger green issues. Sweet in that once these remedies (wind power in this case) are given a chance, they can generate both kinds of green. It is important to mention that a project like this one cost several million euros, giving critics a quick conclusion that such a project would be unrealistic on a larger scale. While it may be true that Samso is something of a paradisaical dream world, it’s also true that it exhibits profitable projects that generate revenue. In the article, a farmer owns some of the wind turbines that power the island. Though he paid 1.2 million euro for his land, he claims to earn 3,000 euro each day from his windmills alone. This cost/value ratio of establishing private green energy on a wider scale could spark an economic boon to a country or individual seeking to climb out of the economic pits, while being sustainable, possibly creating green jobs and better yet saving the planet from becoming a polluted, resource-drained wasteland.

But back on to Samso. It just looks cool. Check out the video too.

Click here to visit Power & Energy’s web site.

On Sept. 18, 2009, Chicago Tribune announced a major achievement for the city of Chicago (home of GreenMark Public Relations) as the greenest city in America by LEED standards. Mayor Richard Daley has long advocated for Chicago to be the greenest city in the country and he’s well on his way after achieving this major milestone. the U.S. Green Building Council reports that 88 projects in Chicago have earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, giving it more certified green buildings that any other city in country, with Portland, Ore. coming in second with 73 buildings.

LEED points are awarded for a variety of features including energy-saving building systems, water conservation and nearness to public transportation. Some of Chicago’s LEED buildings are the McCormick Place West Building and the new FBI Building.

Daley plans on keeping this ranking, too. Every new public building in Chicago is required to achieve LEED certification. Also, public and private projects getting city assistance must have a green roof or pursue similar green building certification.

GreenMark PR stands up and cheers at this announcement. We’re proud to be based in the number one city and are committed to making it an even greener place to work and play. We would also like to congratulate the other cities that made the list for their green efforts. It’s remarkable to see such high numbers for these cities. Let’s see all of these numbers grow! Check out a green building project very near and dear to us: The Green Exchange. Scroll over to our menu and check out their page on our Web site.

Curious about what other cities made the list? See the top ten along with more details at Chicago Tribune’s Web site, here.

In Boulder County, Colorado, a 70 year-old man pushes a lever to begin his solar-powered lawnmower. No, this is not the future, this is now - because of his innovation. Tom Lopez, a 1962 graduate of University of Colorado-Boulder with a degree in aerospace engineering, put his career to green use. He hopes to mass produce his solar-powered equipment as soon as he’s ready. Hey, we’re ready! Sure, this guy’s just mowing his backyard, but here’s how Tom Wilson, owner of Small Planet E-Vehicles puts it, “You can imagine how many farm tractors are polluting all over the world. Replacing them with these things would make a huge difference.”

We applaud Tom Lopez’s ingenuity and believe the future of green, and indeed the development of our national green economy, lies in the resourcefulness of entrepreneurs like him.

See a picture of Lopez’s machine and read more about how he came up with the idea on ReporterHerald.com, here.

For some truly breathtaking concept-art of what our future could look like, check out ‘Vegetal City,’ the project by visionary architect Luc Schuiten. His Web site describes the project as “opening the door to a harmonious future, possible through the modifications of our behaviors in our living environments. Nature is no longer considered as an inexhaustible manna from heaven but rather as an ally, likely to cooperate in edification of a long lasting society.”

Take a look for yourself, visit VegetalCity.net to see some very fine, inspiring artwork.

Photo Credit: Vegetal City book cover, published by Mardaga ISBN: 9782804700126

If you’re from Chicago and find yourself strolling through West Manhattan, New York, you may feel a little deja-vu. That’s because the High Line recently opened, giving NYC a little Windy City breeze. The High Line was originally designed in the 1930s to elevate freight trains off of the streets, similar to Chicago’s ‘L’ system. It has since undergone a major green overhaul and Section 1 is now a beautiful park. When all sections are complete, the High Line will be a mile-and-a-half-long elevated park, running through the West Side neighborhoods of the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen. The High Line has more Chicago influence than just the mass-transit connection, the planting designer was the same artist that designed The Lurie Garden: Piet Oudolf.

In fall 2008, High Line’s landscape team consulted with Oudolf on how to bring the garden to life, beginning by planting perennials, grasses, shrubs and trees. Oudolf chose species for their hardiness, sustainability, and textural and color variation, with a focus on native species. Many of the species that originally grew on the High Line’s rail bed are incorporated into the park landscape. The 210 species in Section 1 bloom from late January to mid-November.

The Lurie Garden and the rest of Chicago’s Millennium Park is the largest green roof in the world, as it covers a structural deck supported by two reinforced concrete cast-in-place garages and steel structures that span the space above Illinois Central Railroad tracks. Ironically, the Industrial Revolution that brought about these railroad tracks as well as prosperity and wealth are now being re-tooled by an even larger and more important revolution: the green revolution.

Critics say building green roofs and parks over structures like these are akin to putting Band-Aids on old wounds. Well, maybe with enough Band-Aids the Earth can start to heal. In the mean-time, “walk it off” with a stroll through either garden; or get some desktop exercise and check out the beautiful pictures on the High Line Web site.

Photo Credits:
A panorama taken on the newly opened High Line Park in Chelsea, Manhattan by Gbarill
View of the west shoulder hedge and armature of the Lurie Garden by Alex Cheek