Seventh Generation Earns Rockstar of the New Economy Lifetime Achievement Award
Recognized for Durability and Resilience

On February 07, 2013, in BURLINGTON, VT- Seventh Generation was recognized as a ‘Rockstar of the New Economy’ earning the Lifetime Achievement Award for its durability, resilience, and ability to not just survive, but thrive in an ever-changing marketplace and economy.

In the Fast Company article credited for announcing the honor, Seventh Generation product sales in 2011 alone helped save 77,000 trees, 28 million gallons of water, and enough energy to heat 1,700 U.S. homes for a year. The company also prevented 35,000 pounds of chlorine and 52,000 pounds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from being released into the environment. Between 2010 and 2011 Seventh Generation decreased normalized greenhouse gas emissions by 8%, a change whose impact is equivalent to the removal of 283 cars from the road for a year. All told, since 1999, the company’s product sales have saved nearly 523,000 trees or 1.8 million barrels of petroleum.

Three businesses nationally were recognized as Rockstars

Three businesses nationally were recognized and honored. Solar company Sun Light & Power and America’s oldest flour company, King Arthur Flour, shared the honor with Seventh Generation. Operating from 25 to nearly 225 years, these companies have maintained their commitment to pioneer their mission through up and down business cycles. They continued to persevere and create high quality jobs and to improve the quality of life in their communities.

“Rockstars inspire us; they make us think, ‘That’s awesome! I want to do that,'” says Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab, the nonprofit that honored these ‘Rockstars of the New Economy.’ “These Rockstars paved the way for a growing community of green, responsible, and sustainable businesses who define their success not just by their financial growth, but also by their social impact.”

“This is a tremendous way to kick-off our twenty-fifth year in business,” said John Replogle, CEO of Seventh Generation. “We only hope that we can continue to inspire a consumer revolution to nurture the health of the next seven generations, so we can see the environmental impacts of our products on an even larger scale.”

Seventh Generation and other Rockstars are highlighted by Fast Company in their “Rockstars” series, a partnership with the nonprofit B Lab which certifies B Corporations as having met rigorous, transparent standards of social and environmental performance. In past months, B Lab has recognized other Rockstars like Revolution Foods, Better World Books, Happy Family, Guayaki, DIRTT, and Sungevity for their high growth and high impact.

B Lab is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. They drive systemic change through several interrelated initiatives by building a community of Certified B Corporations that make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between “good companies” and just good marketing. Then by promoting benefit corporation legislation to create a new corporate form that meets higher standards of purpose, accountability and transparency, they drive capital to high impact investments through use of their Ratings and Analytics platform. This in turn helps companies measure what matters most through use of the B Impact Assessment, and B Lab’s free confidential management tool for measuring a company’s impact on its workers, community, and the environment.

More about Seventh Generation

Seventh Generation is committed to being the most trusted brand of household and personal care products for your living home.  Their products offer solutions for the air, surfaces, fabrics, pets and people within your home — and for the community and environment outside of it. Seventh Generation also offers baby products that are safe for your children and the planet. The company derives its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy that states, “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.” Every time you use a Seventh Generation product you are making a difference by saving natural resources, reducing pollution, and making the world a better place for this and the next seven generations. For information on Seven Generation cleaning, paper, baby and feminine personal care products, or to find store locations, and explore the company’s website visit www.seventhgeneration.com.

How long will it be before we have to pay to leave our driveway? I have asked myself that question many times. Here in the Puget Sound area, there are tolls on several highly traveled bridges and there will be a toll on an anticipated tunnel project that is currently underway.

We all know that our national infrastructure of roads,bridges and dams is in urgent need of upgrading. That could mean a lot of jobs. I received a study on this topic recently and wanted to be sure and share it with you.

Gas Tax, Road Tolls Imperative to U.S. Road, Tunnel & Bridge Markets,
according to SBI Energy

On December 17,2012 in Rockville (MD),results of a study by SBI Energy was released to the public. Below are the details of the report.

There is a growing disconnect on both the federal and state levels between the amount of money being generated from fees paid by users of the U.S. road system and the amount of money required to maintain and expand that system. High gas prices exacerbate the problem, as well as pressure to move towards more fuel-efficient cars and alternative energy vehicles, creating a reduction in fuel use that has the effect of also reducing the amount of gas tax revenue.

The pay-as-you-go system has failed

“While the pay-as-you-go system has worked reasonably well for decades, it is no longer able to pay for all of the roadway construction required to maintain the U.S. road network at its current performance level,” according to Norman Deschamps, SBI Energy analyst and author of The U.S. Road, Bridge and Tunnel Construction Market.

The Federal Highway Trust Fund (HTF) is the primary vehicle through which the federal government collects and transfers money to the states to fund roadway construction. The HTF operates as a pay-as-you-go system, largely funded through taxes on gas and diesel fuel, with the collected funds then transferred to the states through multi-year transportation bills.

The pay-as-you-go system has failed at the federal level, too

“Almost half of the states have less than 60% of their transportation spending come from user-based taxes and fees. The pay-as-you-go system is failing at the federal level as well,” Deschamps continues. “Since 2008, the federal government has had to inject $32.1 billion dollars to maintain solvency of the HTF, and the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), passed midyear 2012, transfers an additional $18.8 billion into the HTF through FY2013 and FY (fiscal year)2014. Unfortunately, MAP-21 also does not address the growing discrepancy between the amount of money collected through user-based fees by the HTF, and how much money state and local governments are spending to maintain and improve the nation’s roadway infrastructure.”

Capital spending for roadways has averaged a 6% per 10-year CAGR since 1950. However, a new forecast anticipates the CAGR of spending during the next decade to be just 4.8% between 2013 and 2022. According to The U.S. Road, Bridge and Tunnel Construction Market, a new study from energy market research publisher SBI Energy, as long as both state and federal governments refuse to increase their respective gas taxes or implement other user-based funding schemes, long-term market prospects remain bleak.

Unfortunately for the road, bridge and tunnel construction market, the availability of public funding has been, and continues to be, a serious constraint on the market. This lack of funding shows in the growing discrepancy between fees collected for the HTF, and the amount of money needed to maintain those same assets, and in growing debts at all levels of government.

The U.S. Road, Bridge and Tunnel Construction Market by SBI Energy, provides key insight into current and future construction trends for the nation’s road infrastructure, with a particular emphasis on bridge and tunnel construction segments and an analysis of key states. The analysis includes definitions, current product offerings and market detail on the following segments: Road construction, including lane widening, resurfacing and rehabilitation Bridge construction and rehabilitation, as well as, tunnel and wall construction.

The report by SBI, also studies the key elements driving new road construction, analyzing local, state and federal financing strategies that provide construction funding in the U.S., and the impact these projects have on employment.

SBI Energy, is a division of MarketResearch.com. They publish research reports in the industrial, energy, building/construction, and automotive/transportation markets. SBI Energy, also offers a full range of custom research services. To learn more, visit www.sbireports.com

Please feel free to comment about your thoughts on this topic or share on your favorite social media sites.

For the earth-lover in your life (even though earth-lover should apply to everyone who wants to continue living here), no matter what the occasion is, going green with your giving makes you automatically cooler than the people who give boring, banal, regular gifts. No matter who you’re in the market to gift there are some green goods for them. Birthdays, anniversaries and holidays . . . there’s only so many pairs of socks you can give . . it’s time to mix it up a bit.   

For Nerds

One of the coolest, and actually affordable, gift ideas we have come across in a long time is the Instean LED light bulb. It sounds boring, but it’s the first light bulb on the market that has ever been network connected, and your beloved nerd probably doesn’t have it yet. It’s only $30, and it’s controlled by a remote control on your smart phone that can be controlled from anywhere. This device can be hooked up to a single bulb, or connected to groups of bulbs. . . it’s the most high-tech way to achieve ambient lighting (or spook someone into thinking your place is haunted).

For Food Lovers

George Washington Carver said live at home, but unfortunately most of us aren’t even close to being self-sustainable. Enter Urban Farmer’s Mushroom growing kit. For only $25, this little beauty can hang on a wall or be set on a surface, and it looks really cool. True foodies should appreciate a good mushroom, and a good mushroom is hard to find. The best part of this set-up is that it yields at least two pounds of mushrooms in less than 10 days, and the soil is made from recycled coffee grounds.

For Fashionable Femmes

Noted environmentalist Stephen Dent recommends that we all do our best to wear clothing made out of natural fibers like cotton or wool, and wear recycled clothing whenever possible. For the fashionista this may sound like a really boring fashion sentence, but it doesn’t have to be. Sites like Fairtribe.com feature a host of gorgeous garments fit for an earth-friendly queen. You can find stunning threads like the Lotus Tunic Dress for only $55, or the Go With Everything reversible tulip skirt for only $63 . . . the possibilities are endless, and green clothes make your body and your conscience look and feel good.

For Animal Enthusiasts

People who love animals are the best people. Anyone who loves animals knows this fact to be true. For these people there’s BirdProject Soap. A whopping half of the proceeds go toward benefiting the Gulf Restoration Network and International Bird Rescue. The soap is lovingly made from biodiesel glycerin, Fair Trade olive oil, and local ingredients from New Orleans. After the soap is used, it reveals a small white porcelain bird hiding underneath. The artists want their delicate soap to be a potent symbol of restoration and recovery” from the oil spill. For $24, this heartfelt gift gets our vote.