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Is Greenwashing a 'London 2012' Olympic Sport?

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Florian Gonzalez | 0 Comments

Olympics Velodrome (Picture source CNN)

EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION

In 16 days the Olympic games will start. As a London-based business, we feel that everybody around us has been focusing on the forthcoming games for the past four years. Despite the crisis, the games have obviously received tremendous investments and raised even higher expectations for the UK as a whole and London in particular.

However, many promises will remain... promises! Our passion for sustainability led us months ago to look closely at how the games sustainability plan would be implemented. We have waited until now to publish this article so as to provide you with an accurate state of the games sustainability performance just a few days before it starts.

It is everything but a satisfactory picture, the green path is definitely not an easy one but it is never an excuse when the environment is being used as a mere puppet or marketing device. Here we publish a brilliant and straightforward article by Diana Verde Nieto called "Greenwash Olympics", together with many links to get further information on this debate.

We will leave you with this quote from Pierre de Coubertin: "Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of a good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles." Are we there yet? See you in Rio in 2016!

Greenwash Olympics

by Diana Verde Nieto

The Olympic countdown has officially started. 16 days to go and London is hurriedly scrubbing, scouring and sweeping under a proverbial carpet in preparation for its place on the world stage this July. Much like a student’s frenzied tidying before the arrival of a parent, they’ve thought of the furry cups and dirty plates (or graffiti, litter and other unmentionables) but what about the bigger picture? Alongside the FSC certified timber, the 700 bird and bat boxes being sprinkled throughout the Olympic Park and the newts being relocated to safer homes, stands one rather large, rather ominous, sponsorship ‘elephant’. Amongst the familiar Coca Cola’s and golden M’s there are several other corporate giants footing the bill whose eco credentials are less than stellar.

To start with the obvious, BP will provide oil and fuel for the 4,700 official vehicles during the Games, as well as car cleaning services and liquified petroleum gas for catering needs. Following 2010’s catastrophic oil spill and bungled clean up attempt in the Gulf of Mexico ‘Beyond Petroleum’ agreed to pay £5bn in damages, but still managed a modest profit of £27bn that year- largely as a result of newly acquired oil reserves. And yet a healthy cash injection into the Olympics has secured them the title of London 2012 ‘Sustainability Partner’.

Next up Rio Tinto, the multinational metals and Mining Corporation, who are exclusively providing the metal for London’s medals. One of the mines in use is the US Bingham mine in Utah. The surrounding area suffers from chronic air pollution which campaigners say has been linked to premature deaths of residents- and that’s just the tip of the ice berg. Mines in Papua New Guinea, California and Michigan to name but a few have been accused of water and air contamination, discrimination and other human rights violations.

Finally chemical giant DOW, the official chemistry company of the Olympic Movement producing many of the products and materials which make up the fundamental building blocks of the games, from swimsuit fibres to lightweight bicycle frames. With a colourful past to say the least, in 2001 DOW acquired Union Carbide, the firm responsible for one of the worst industrial disasters in India. The 1984 Bhopal disaster caused the death of 4000 people when poisonous gas was leaked at the Union Carbide plant and affected an estimated further 45,000, causing cancer, disability and renal failure. According to the Bhopal Medical Appeal the disaster remains unresolved, with the toxic chemicals still found in drinking water in the surrounding areas. DOW also manufactured napalm B for the US military during the Vietnam War, as well as the toxic defoliant Agent Orange. Despite protestations, petitions and harassment DOW’s huge $11.4 million decorative wrap, which will hang in strips from the rafters of the Olympic stadium, has begun to be hung.

So as the world descends on London this July have we got ourselves an Olympics we can truly be proud of? The stadium and surrounding Olympic Park are undoubtedly impressive, and efforts have indeed been made to preserve biodiversity, reduce waste, limit greenhouse impact and work with local communities. Yet these positive efforts are somewhat devalued when covered by an umbrella of inconvenient truths, truths that no amount of newt relocation or FSC timber can really make up for.

Olympics Richmond Rings (Picture source CNN)

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was originally published on April 23 and is reposted with the permission of Positive Luxury. Warm thanks to Diana and Caroline.

WE INVITE YOU TO GO FURTHER

- The official London 2012 website.

- The official Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 website. You can download their "Pre-games Review" here. They seem to be quite happy with their work as they write "A relatively small number of important issues remain to be resolved in time for the Games. [...] Not everything is perfect and there are some issues which will not be resolved by London 2012 and need to be addressed in future."

- For a more positive look at the games, check out CNN article "Olympic Park sets gold standard for sustainability" and video.

- "Australia or bust…" You must read this hilarious blog post by friend of Jardins Florian Ed Gillespie where he suggest to make the most of the "world record breaking carbon offsetting attempt in which BP are magnanimously offering to offset spectator’s carbon emissions for free…"

- The Guardian's article hits Olympic brands quite hard: "Olympic brands caught up in abuse scandal: While Adidas, Nike and Puma make millions out of the Games, their employees are claiming exploitation."

- The BusinessGreen article deals with the food side of things: "McDonald's exemption from Olympics' sustainable food standards sparks green anger."

- 'Games Theory': Futerra's thought leadership publication on using big events for behaviour change.

- Even the utterly brilliant & subversive "Twenty Twelve" programme on BBC television has a character for "head of Olympic Sustainability". Watch this episode where Head of Sustainability, Kay Hope, is forced to stand her ground in light of the discovery that there may not after all be enough wind to power the much-vaunted Olympic Park wind turbine.

"Twenty Twelve" take on Wind Turbines for the Games

Posted in Adidas, BBC, behaviour change, Beyond Petroleum, Bhopal, BP, British Petroleum, carbon emission, carbon offsetting, CNN, Coca Cola, Commission for a Sustainable London, contamination, corporate giants, design, Diana Verde Nieto, discrimination, DOW, eco credentials, Ed Gillespie, environment, ethical principles, Futerra, Games Theory, gold standard, good example, Greenwash Olympics, Greenwashing, head of Olympic Sustainability, human rights, industrial disaster, innovation, international olympic committee, London 2012, london olympics, McDonald's exemption, Mining Corporation, Nike, Olympic Park, Olympic Sport, Olympism, Pierre de Coubertin, Puma, Rio Tinto, sustainability, Sustainability Partner, sustainable food, the educational value, The Guardian, thought leadership, Twenty Twelve, Union Carbide, water and air, way of life, wind turbine, world record breaking

Champagne guide & magazine: "Le Web Journal du Champagne" (the way of the small bubbles)

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Florian Gonzalez | 0 Comments

Picture: Liger-Belair & Polidori

As time goes by, we realize how much the small pleasures of food matter to us. While we are so sensitive to the sophistication and nuances of champagne, we sometimes find the name "champagne" itself too associated with excessive and meaningless consumption.

Fortunately, there is an infinite world of passionate champagne producers and lovers that reconcile traditions, discovery, slow life, cooking and food pairing, friendship and genuine lightness of being. For those who want to go behind marketing, behind the labels, there is even a web magazine that two friends of ours launched recently:

"Le Web Journal du Champagne is a quarterly magazine entirely devoted to champagne and available for free on the Internet.

It aims to promote the wines, soils and producers of Champagne and to sensitize the greatest number to the diversity and unique qualities of champagne. We are two French champagne lovers and want to tell the stories of vine and wine. We aim to make you discover the vine growers and their work, to share our tastings, to explore wonderful gastronomical pairings with champagne and to honor the hotels, bars, restaurants, as well as activities in the region of Champagne or around champagne."

Le Web Journal du Champagne launched in French in June 2011 and, with its refined attention to details, it has already established itself as a guide. Claire and Julien Zika decided to share their passion and the result is both friendly and professional, quite a precious combination. When reading their comments and columns you cannot but feel desperate to discover the growers, bottles or food pairing they suggest.

Thanks to the gentle pressure of their entourage and the support of Neil Michael Dixon (from Esprit de Champagne), they have started offering an English version of their inspiring journal:

"Every three months, we will be bringing you news and commentary from the very heart of the Champagne Region. We will be inviting you on a voyage of discovery bringing you the best wine-growers and the great champagne houses, through in-depth interviews and tastings. We will be showing you what makes these particular sparkling wines the best in the world (varietals, terroirs, techniques), not forgetting an exploration of the magic of gastronomic food pairings with champagne."

In their first issue, you can learn for instance how to make champagne step by step. The journal is very didactic and keeps things simple so that experts and newcomers alike can benefit from the reading.

What's more, for those who know our love for organic and sustainable products, Claire and Julien have also dedicated quite a lot of their work to natural wines, without any stereotypical or naive approach. On the contrary, they treat and rate such champagnes with the same demanding criteria and passion.

As an example, they meet with "Francis Boulard et Fille", a small and remarkable producer of organic grapes (AB certified) using bio-dynamic principles (uncertified for now), and tell with great humanity the family story of this small House of champagne. If one were not enough, in the same issue, they give visibility to another brave and passionate organic champagne House: David Leclapart who follows strict bio-dynamic rules, receiving both Ecocert and Demeter certifications as a result.

We cannot wait for issue 3 to be translated as well given that it is nothing less than a guide to organic and bio-dynamic champagne.

If you are as passionate about champagne as we are, please let us know and send us your comments. We are preparing a surprise for you and you might want to get involved.

For now enjoy the four issues of Le Web Journal du Champagne and remember that champagne can be enjoyed everyday if you drink with true appreciation and moderation.

Jardins Florian bubbly team

TO GO FURTHER

www.champagne-webjournal.com

Le Web Journal du Champagne links are very rich and relevant.

You can follow Claire and Julien on www.twitter.com/web_champagne

A very interesting approach of champagne can also be found in this fascinating book about champagne effervescence: "Voyage au Coeur d'une Bulle de Champagne" by Richard Liger-Belair and Guillaume Polidori. Our friends at Luxury Culture offer a stunning summary and pictures of this key book. You will learn among other things that there are up to 2 million bubbles in a flute! You can find a comment of the book in French in Le Figaro.

If you want to have a good laugh, do not miss the satirical article from our beloved Ed Gillespie as he criticizes the superficial world that champagne can been synonymous with: "Hypocrisy of champagne environmentalists is deceitful and distracting". You will probably find it a bit harsh and, if so, you will be happy to read Ed's answers to critics.

Posted in AB certification, behind the labels, best champagne in the world, best wine-growers, beyond marketing, bio-dynamic principles, champagne biologique, Champagne guide, Champagne magazine, champagne naturel, champagne producers, Claire Zika, cooking, David Leclapart, Demeter certification, Ecocert certification, Ed Gillespie, Esprit de Champagne, excessive and meaningless consumption, food pairing, food traditions, Francis Boulard et Fille, French champagne lovers, French wines, friendship, Futerra, gastronomical pairings with champagne, great champagne houses, Guillaume Polidori, how to make champagne, Hypocrisy of champagne environmentalists is deceitful and distracting, Julien Zika, Le Web Journal du Champagne, Liger-Belair & Polidori, lightness of being, Luxury Culture, natural champagne, natural products, natural wine, Neil Michael Dixon, organic champagne, organic grapes, organic products, organic wine, petites Maisons de Champagne, petits producteurs, principes bio-dynamiques, Richard Liger-Belair, slow food, slow life, soils, sparkling wines, sustainable products, the way of the small bubbles, vin biologique, vin naturel, vine growers, Voyage au Coeur d'une Bulle de Champagne, web magazine, wine tastings

Press article: "Is this the most beautiful candle in the world?" by Ed Gillespie (Futerra)

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Florian Gonzalez | 0 Comments

Last Wednesday, Jardins Florian's editor had the honour and pleasure to have dinner with Ed Gillespie in Brixton (London).

Not only we had a fantastic time, food and conversation but we also seized this opportunity to offer a Night candle to Ed. For our readers who missed this episode, on Dec. 21 we gave our very first "Positive Impact Prize" to Futerra to reward their incredible and inspiring work! As we do not yet have a statuette for such a prize, the candle served as the physical prize for now.

What we did not expect, nor hope in our craziest dreams, was that Ed had listened to every single explanation about the product development and the following day we were astonished to discover the below article on Futerra's blog...

If you have never read Ed's words, now is the time to take a 2-minute break. We are always fascinated by the power of his writing and his comments on our little candles, and sustainability approach, have been deeply touching and encouraging.

Enough said.

MERCI.

The Editor

PS. Please click on the pix if you want to go directly to Futerra's site or blog for an easier reading.