Thinking Green while Wearing Green

Posted by Jessica, BiOH Polyols Marketing Manager on August 30, 2009

My family and I went to the Iowa State Fair last weekend, and I’ll admit that state fairs are not the first place you expect to see a high level of environmental consciousness. One of our first stops at the fair was the 4-H exhibit building (my old stomping grounds!) to check out some of the best projects from members across the state.

There were many items that I expected to see - refinished furniture, colorful photographs, and baked goodies. But one thing that had changed in the past 15 years was the number of projects talking about environmental issues- how wonderful! Not only are 4-H members wearing the traditional 4-H colors of green and white…. but many are also thinking green! There’s little doubt in my mind that kids today are more aware of environmental issues like climate change, recycling, and finite resources. Here’s a short clip of just a few of the exhibits we saw…

There definitely was a common theme across many of the exhibits that going green, saves green. From making your own household cleaners to installing low-flow showerheads, these kids are thinking about their future and their pocketbooks. Smart!

4-Hers say "Go Green and Save Green"

I enjoyed seeing the Aveda cap recycling program highlighted by one of the 4-H members as that’s one of the programs that our office GREEN Team implemented last year! One of the GREEN Team members, Karen Skewes, led these efforts by promoting the cap recycling through signs/e-mails and adding a collection box for caps on her desk. Employees save caps from milk jugs, peanut butter jars, yogurt lids, and more to drop off at Karen’s desk…and then she drops them off at Aveda salons once the box gets full. Pretty simple… but it adds up! I wonder how many caps Aveda recycled in total last year?!?

Aveda Cap Recycling Program

There were also some interesting exhibits highlighting the use of renewable materials like corn and soy in many products we use daily. See for yourself!

corn-products1

soy-did-you-know22

Maybe next year there will be a soy exhibit on products made with soy-based BiOH® polyols! I hope so! I know these were just a few exhibits at one state fair so I’m wondering…do you think kids are more aware of environmental issues today than they were a generation ago? Why or why not?

Filed Under: Green Living

T. Kistler said on December 15, 2009:

Green products are great. I hope the product packaging is green as well and uses biodegradable coatings and adhesives which are water-based and does not contain solvents.