Can the Grammys go green? The Grammys are working on reducing their impact on the environment by implementing a series of steps to minimize energy, food and packaging waste, and to raise public awareness on the need for individuals, events, and corporations to make changes now for a healthier future. Natural Resource Defense Council‘s helping The Grammys learn ways to implement these goals -– definitely a step in the right direction.

This year the Recording Academy (the institution behind the Grammys) organized the 2nd Annual Greening Summit: The Sound Of Social Change at the Conga Room at L.A. Live. The event was sponsored by Waste Management, and featured a panel focusing on “Corporate responsibility in sustainability and how industry insiders can use their collective power to drive change in greening.”

The panel of corporate executives representing four companies working on incorporating initiatives to lessen their impact on Earth’s ecosystems, and two companies focused on sustainability consulting featured Bridgette Bell, global sustainability manager for Yum! Brands (owners of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut); William Brent, executive vice president of Weber Shandwick’s Cleantech; Jennifer Miller DuBuisson, associate manager of global sustainability for Mattel; Michael J. O’Brien, vice president of corporate and product placement at Hyundai; and Tim Sexton, co-founder of environmental policy business association Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2). Greg Baldwin, executive director of Environmental Media Association, moderated the panel.

There are definitely two ways to interpret the success of this event, a la Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, due to the complexity of the issues surrounding corporate sustainability.

On the one hand, (cue Dr. Jekyll) the Greening Summit should be considered a success and a motivation for other companies around the globe, whether staffed by 5 or 500,000 people. It was also a bit of relief for those (like me) concerned about the impact of non-environmentally sustainable business practices on Earth’s health now and in the future.

The featured panelists concluded that being “green” is a movement and not just a trend, applying this conclusion both to change in the corporate realm and to observed patterns of consumer demand. Considering that each of the panelists represented companies through which pass billions of dollars, this was no small statement.

When asked if they see green practice in their business, each of the individuals presented various strategies that their companies are involved in to lessen ecological impact. For example, Mattel’s toy packaging is now made of sugar cane and they are using sustainably sourced fibers for their toys, Yum! is investing in making their eateries LEED certified, and Hyundai has implemented a zero-waste policy at its manufacturing facilities. Hyundai also has its own steel plant, designed to capture released gases to power the factory itself (a $6 billion investment).

In talking about green strategy, Sexton (E2 co-founder) mentioned that 10 years ago all companies had internet strategies; today there are no internet strategies, as these are fundamentally integrated into a company’s main business strategy. He sees green strategy as being of a similar vein. He also hearkened to the 60s, pointing out that today’s “green movement” is a result of many years of struggle for change.

With regard to “greenwashing,” Brent of Cleantech mentioned that his company’s clients are not interested in implementing strategies that will only market sustainability without having attainable results. Clients are looking for “green” strategies — like using internet conference technologies to replace air travel for business meetings — that can cut costs while saving the planet. He also mentioned growing consumer interest in the greening of businesses, visible through different forums such as carrotmob.org.

It was great to hear individuals in strong positions in the corporate sector talk passionately about wanting to move ahead with sustainability practices in their companies, until the day when their jobs are no longer needed. As a colleague of mine present at the event pointed out, it is good motivation for smaller and mid-sized businesses to see large corporations incorporate waste and eco-impact minimizing strategies into their business plans; if changes can be made on such a large scale, so can they on the smaller scale.

On the other hand, (and out comes Mr. Hyde) there were several shortcomings to this event that demonstrate areas in which serious challenges to true human symbiosis with the earth remain (is symbiosis our ultimate, collective goal? I think so, do you?).

A Waste Management (WM) manager opened the event with a very scripted talk about WM’s sustainability practices. At one point she talked about how our generation is the first ever to be in a position to leave the Earth better than we found it. This unhistorical comment is emblematic of some of the underlying problems within how “sustainability” is framed today, which leads to serious limitations in how “sustainability strategies” become formulated and implemented in businesses.

It is a historical truth that Native American peoples held the Earth in stewardship, until colonization of the Americas meant that American land was transfered from Native stewardship to land ownership by British (and other) colonists, followed by industrialization (which inherently requires natural resource consumption), the post-Great Depression transition from family farming to industrial agriclture, and real estate sprawl. The beauty that John Muir saw in Yosemite was so because of how the Native American peoples worked with forests and ecosystems; their impact on our ecosystems is still visible in today’s remaining wild spaces.

Destruction of native ways of living and subsequent transition to an industrialized, mass production and consumption society is a fundamental reason for the massive problems we face globally today, whether considering the burning of the Amazon for soy, cattle and sugar, the razing of Appalachian mountain tops for coal, or the transformation of our world’s rivers into manufacturing corridors. No matter how you phrase it, Barbies are unnecessary tolls on the Earth, and are simply not ‘eco-friendly’, even if packaged in sugar cane plastic (the ‘eco-friendliness’ of which is itself dubious).

Hyper-processing raw materials (wood, petroleum, corn, sugar cane, iron, etc.) into products with only temporary purpose for humans and limited ability to healthily reintegrate with the Earth cannot be sustainable; it presents a huge toll on the Earth from material extraction and sourcing, the building of factories, toxic outputs from product creation, waste generated by product packaging (and other marketing efforts), and waste generated by the product after it is discarded by human consumers.

Even if there are some native peoples in different parts of the world who did not go out of their way to steward the Earth (or who maybe engaged in damaging practices like slash and burn), their impact was miniscule compared to that of modern industrial practices.

The point is, there have been many generations before ours that left the Earth in a better way than they found it; our generation is the first to face the threats of human induced climate change and mass extinction in a way so pervasive that we are being forced to rethink what it means to “live with the Earth” because of how ill the planet and its people are becoming due to irresponsible use of land and Earth’s resources.

Concerns such as these lie at the root of the “green” movement, which is in turn inspiring many people to invest in local economies, goods and services, while cutting unnecessary consumption out of their lives (nevermind the pathetic state of our economy, generally speaking). It might just be that companies that produce unnecessary goods have to face this reality and start considering how to restructure the goods and services they provide in a more holistic manner – for the benefit of consumers and the futures of their own children and grandchildren.

This event also made me realize how intrinsic food production is to the sustainability movement. Local growers are uniting with raw foodists who are in turn forming food coops to provide things like raw milk. These efforts are being spawned by the exponentially growing number of people who have come to realize how enormously detrimental “conventional” farming is on human and environmental health, while also discovering the superior potential of responsible, sustainable, live agriculture to augment the Earth’s ability to grow and regenerate, while still providing more than enough food for the world’s peoples.

My food epiphany came to me during the question and answer period (which was very short-lived). An audience member representing the Clean Agency asked the Yum! Brands rep (Bell) if Yum’s transition to sustainability included sourcing food from sustainable and organic food growers and farms that use humane practices to raise animals for meat consumption. Bell responded by saying that another department handles food matters. Prior to the q&a, Bell had mentioned that Yum!’s goal is to feed the whole world, meaning that the primary purpose for the existence of Yum! is to give lots of food to lots of people. Industrial agriculture is a primary contributor to global warming, behind automobile and factory exhaust – a fact that a global sustainability executive should know. If Yum! is not looking at alternative sourcing of its food ingredients, then by existing, it is ultimately choosing to be a significant cause of environmental degradation, regardless of measures taken by its stores to “green.”

At that point, I also realized that the panelists seemed to be blurring the difference between implementing sustainability practices to satisfy consumer demand versus creating company sustainability policies based on a prioritization of environmental health. I decided to ask the panel a question about what training they have had that qualifies them to be sustainability experts. A Local to Global volunteer filmed their response (see video below). What do you think of their responses?

My final Mr. Hyde criticism is to emphasize that the Greening Summit lacked any connection whatsoever to organizations contracted by the Recording Academy to build sustainability into the Grammys. There were no introductory or concluding remarks from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the nonprofit advising the Recording Academy on how to plan a more sustainable celebration, and I was unable to meet any NRDC staff. The food served was the standard continental breakfast fare of cantaloupe, pastries and cheap coffee. The only Grammy/Greening Summit connection seemed to be the event’s location at L.A. Live, which uses enormous amounts of energy and water 24/7.

Criticism can be constructed either as means to degrade something, or as an opportunity to make something (like a movement!) stronger by pointing out flaws and weak spots.

The Mr. Hyde criticisms presented here were not written to disparage efforts made thus far in the corporate sector, but instead to challenge green LA girl readers, the corporate sector and the global community toward increasingly innovative thinking — and NOW!

The Greening Summit panel clearly consisted of a group of powerful individuals who are excellent at their jobs, want to care about the planet and its people, are pioneering the drive in the corporate sector to think about human impact on the planet, and seemed to be coming from internal places of honesty and passion. While the work they are doing is crucial, there is just so much more that needs to be done right now by all individuals and businesses throughout the globe.

Through efforts to “green” the Grammys and by organizing the Greening Summit (more photos here from the event), the Recording Academy clearly seems to be interested in opening dialogue and spurring education on how to green businesses. As an inherently cultural institution, they also seem to be interested in inspiring cultural change toward sustainability.

So what are your thoughts on these issues? Let’s keep this dialogue going.

Photo by Nisha Namorando Vida

Then enjoy more eco-friendly Earth Week events over the weekend:

>> Pasadena’s Greening the Earth Day Festival (PDF) will feature entertainment from local bands, an interactive drum circle, dancers, children’s activities, educational info about the city’s greening efforts, eco-friendly vendors, and a guided bike tour of the city’s green facilities and projects organized by C.I.C.L.E. The free event happens Sat., April 24, from 10 am to 4 pm at Memorial Park, Armory Center for the Arts, and on Raymond Avenue between Walnut and Holly streets.

>> Sign up for the Fight For Air Climb and challenge yourself to climbing Aon Center’s 63 flights of stairs — and raising funds to benefit the American Lung Association. The climb begins Sat., April 24 at 9 am — though climbers will begin at staggered times. Cost: $25 registration — plus a pledge to raise at least $100.

>> Get your hands dirty at Treepeople’s Coldwater Canyon Park Volunteer Work Day/Earth Day and enjoy free music and food while volunteering. The cleanup happens Sat., April 24 from 9 am to noon. RSVPs are required as the cleanup might get full!

>> The FREE Whole Children Whole Planet Expo 2010 will celebrate Earth Day with free workshops about sustainable living practices, non-toxic products, organic foods, yoga and more at an all-ages event. Be there on April 24 from 9:30 am – 6 pm at Highland Hall Waldorf School in Northridge.

>> Guerilla gardners who love music and the Metro are invited to Rock ‘N Crawl, an all-afternoon event that lets you greenify the area around Metro red line stops while listening to great local bands. Grab your gardening tools to start digging on April 24 at 1 pm at the Universal City Metro Station, then get on the train to ride down to more digs all afternoon! The after party happens at 7 pm at Bar 107. Cost: $15 online or $20 on the day — which gets you a reusable water bottle filled with a thirst quencher.

>> 93.5′s Devi Dev will host the Global Coolin’ Earth Day Block Party, featuring live performances by Dom Kennedy, El Prez, Overdoz,, Kingpen Slim, Black Cobain. The day-long event, put on by Broccoli City, LAXPaperBoys, and a number of eco-groups, happens Sat., April 24 from 11 am to 8 pm at Margo Studios, 1354 Margo St, downtown Los Angeles. Cost: $5 from 11 am to 2 pm, and $10 from 3 pm to 8 pm for the indoor concert.

>> For eco-art, head over to see ReVisions/10 and EartH. Watch a billboard-sized art piece by Leeann Goya, painted on a recycled vinyl billboard, get unveiled over Eco-LA Gallery at 8 pm, then see the gallery show featuring local artists working in recycled and upcycled media. There’ll also be eco-art demos, music, libations, green accessories for sale, and EartH (Eco Art Helps) an exhibit of art on recycled billboard, created by the youth of Los Angeles. The free event begins April 24 at 7 pm at Eco-LogicalART Gallery, 4829 West Pico Blvd, Los Angeles. Earlier: Eco-LogicalArt turns old billboards into eco-art.

>> Take the 100 Gardens Challenge and pledge to plant your own edible garden during the weekend of April 24 and 25! I took this challenge last year — and I’m proud to say that my year-old chard plants are still going strong (though the basil died really fast and the lettuce barely grew). Help transform L.A. into an edible oasis over just one weekend by planting that garden.

>> Want a unique green gift for Mother’s Day? Stop by the 2nd Annual UNIQUE LA Spring Show to pick from the wares of over 300 hand-selected designers and artists. There’ll be an eco-lounge, free workshops, and lots of shopping. The shoe goes on Sat., April 24 and Sun., April 25 from 11 am – 6 pm on both days at the California Market Center’s Penthouse, 110 East 9th St., Los Angeles. Cost: $10, which includes a free drink and a tote bag.

>> Head over to the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase and take a self-guided tour on foot or by bike to see 79 pretty, eco-friendly gardens that save water — and money on utility bills. The free event happens on Sun., April 25 and is open to all; a map will be posted closer to date.

>> Celebrate Earth Day with Eco Maya (PDF) by enjoying folkloric dances, music, art, and Oaxacan and Mayan regional food. The event happens Sun., April 25 from noon to 7 pm at the Los Angeles Eco-Village, 117 Bimini Pl., Los Angeles. (via Garcetti’s blog)

>> For kid-friendly green fun, go to STAR ECO Station’s Children’s Earth Day. The FREE event will feature celebrity guests, live performances, rescued exotic wildlife, environmental , eco-friendly giveaways, games with prizes, vegetarian food, and more — with optional $5 STAR ECO Station tours running throughout the day. on Sun., April 25 from 10 am – 4 pm at STAR ECO Station, 10101 Jefferson Blvd. Culver City.

>> Catch 2 free eco-foodie documentary film screenings, thanks to the Whole Foods’ Earth Months film series and challenge, “Let’s Retake Our Plates!” On Sun., April 25, watch No Impact Man at 12:30 pm and Food, Inc. at 2:30pm. Both screenings will take place at Beverly Hills Library, 444 N. Rexford Drive; Beverly Hills.

Image via City of Pasadena and LA Guerrila Gardening

>> Break the Bottled Water Habit‘s a new campaign that asks people to pledge not to drink bottled water anymore. Make the pledge for a chance to win a commuter bike, a trip for two to rapidly melting Glacier National Park, or many other water-related consumer products.

>> No Impact Man‘s begging readers to make the Break the Bottled Water Habit campaign (and his blog post) go viral, as if BtBWH is the best thing since sliced local, organic bread. I’d like to point out that Food & Water Watch’s Take Back the Tap campaign has been asking people to take a similar pledge for a while now; even Brita+Nalgene’s FilterForGood campaign, which I write for, has got a similar pledge page. Can’t these people work together?

>> Calling all creek freaks! Know a river hero — or are one yourself? Enter my fave toothpaste company Tom’s of Maine’s “River Stories” Video Contest for a chance to win not a canoe fit for river rafting, but a Prius fit for — carpool tours of the LA River.

>> Socio-enviro-conscious DJs: Remix Bluesman Joe L. Carter’s song “Mr. Waterman” for a chance to win $400. The contest’s linked to a new documentary film, The Water Front, which focuses around a community of Highland Park, MI residents fighting for their right to their water supply. Deadline: Dec. 16, 2008.

The concert’s part of today’s bike rally and fair, which’ll also feature Ed Begley, Jr and Los Angeles City Council members Wendy Greuel, Eric Garcetti and Tom LaBonge.

Rally starts at 11:30; concert at 12:15. To be part of it, be at the South Lawn of Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N. Spring St. in Downtown Los Angeles a couple hours from now. (via LAist)