Abington Journal

Green Scene

By Christopher J. Hughes chughes@theabingtonjournal.com

Editor’s note: “Green Scene” is a five-part series of The Abington Journal looking locally at energy efficient initiatives. This week, read how the age-old standard of supply and demand is beginning to impact businesses.

ABINGTONS – It’s a basic economic principle that has driven the American economy for years. Supply and demand, the idea that request for a product and its availability will dictate its final price, has supported consumers and manufacturers alike.

Now, as more and more individuals become conscious of the global energy crisis and the increased amount of alternative products and services available to combat it, supply and demand is taking a slightly different form.

According to several Abington area business owners, “greener” goods and services, those that consume less energy and are more environmentally friendly overall, are in high demand. Items like compact fluorescent light bulbs, energy efficient vehicles and organic foods and cleaning supplies are slowly being added to the regular selection of more traditional choices.

A dollar as a vote

Twenty-three years ago, when Barry Kaplan first opened the doors to Everything Natural, 426 S. State St., Clarks Summit, the natural food industry was not a business to enter to make a living. But Kaplan, who has lived his life conscious of the affect that one person can have on the environment, said the industry with roots in a greener lifestyle was a natural choice.

“This has been a lifelong endeavor for me,” he said. “I had a very strong inkling years ago to live in harmony with the planet. Of course that sounds trite, but it’s meaningful and real.”

He’s not kidding. Kaplan skipped class in high school to attend the very first Earth Day in 1970. Things have changed slowly and steadily since that time. “Thirty years ago, I was a health nut. Now, I’m an authority,” he said, jokingly.

Kidding aside, Kaplan said that response to the store in 1985 was immediately positive, and the community of people interested in natural foods and healthier lifestyles has increased and allowed the business to flourish. With interest came the improvement of many goods and services, which now include completely recycled paper products, organic cereals, fruits and dog treats and cleaning products recognized by the United Nations for their positive environmental impact.

Everything Natural also became a leader as one of the first businesses locally to offer canvas shopping bags as an option. That effort has generated an in-house wooden nickel campaign. Patrons who bring their own shopping bag or otherwise don’t require a bag when shopping at the store are given a wooden nickel at the register to designate in-store funds to a local charity. Currently, the campaign supports the Women’s Resource Center, the Lackawanna River Corridor Association and the Humane Society of Lackawanna County. Kaplan said the environmental and charitable ties follow the idea of one good initiative supporting another.

“People vote with their dollars. What is actually happening now is that major businesses are recognizing that there is a need brought about by our change of consciousness,” Kaplan said. “This is being led by consumers, and businesses are responding to us wanting change. They’re learning that they can have a competitive edge by begin greener.”

A competitive edge, however, comes with a drawback. Kaplan warned consumers about “greenwashing,” which is defined by the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary as “expressions of environmentalist concerns, especially as a cover for products, policies, or activities.” A variety of certifications have surfaced to combat greenwashers, but Kaplan said even some so-called “green seals” have weaker standards based on what group awards them.

The positive changes have thrilled the partnership that leads the store, he said. “This is such an important part of our business, and each of the owners shares a passion for providing and supporting a sustainable business. This issue transcends every one of us. This means the health and well-being of every living thing. We’re at a place where we have to make changes, and we’re ever-so-happy to be an agent in that change.”

Kaplan is also impacting change outside the store. As a board member of the Abington Community Library and chair of its building and grounds committee, he attended the Going Greener conference hosted by the Design Institute and the Chicago Public Library in December. Based on his forthcoming report, Kaplan said the library will develop a strategic plan on making the building more sustainable, including the purchase and installation of new light fixtures and carpeting over the next two years.

“We want to be ready to use the most environmentally friendly systems available,” he said, of the library’s future efforts.

Driving change

Consumer changes are also affecting auto manufacturers. Both Honda and Toyota had four cars each named to the list of Greenest Vehicles of 2007, according to www.greenercars.org.

Locally at Toyota/Scion Scranton, Olyphant, Internet Sales Manager Chris Scarlata said consumers have responded well to Toyota’s selection of hybrid vehicles. Hybrid cars often run on an electric motor and a gasoline engine.

“Consumers have responded, especially in the past 90 days,” Scarlata said. “With the cost of fuel breaking $3 a gallon, the response of the consumer is not only do they want better gas mileage, but they want to send a signal to oil companies, too.”

The signal is sent through improved gas mileage achieved using hybrid technology. A typical Prius, the flagship of Toyota’s current line of hybrid vehicles, can receive more than 55 miles per gallon (mpg) in city driving. The brake system uses the inertia of the car to stop and recharge the battery simultaneously. As a result, Scarlata said some drivers are reaching close to 100,000 miles without needing extensive brake maintenance. “In terms of durability and dependence, we see literally no problems with these cars,” he said.

“We sell pretty much every car (Prius) we get,” he continued. “There are rebates on non-hybrid vehicles, but incentives on hybrids are rare. They pretty much sell themselves.”

Toyota currently offers hybrid models of the Prius, Camry and Highlander. Future plans include adding the Sienna minivan and truck line to a consumer’s list of choices.

“Hybrid is the answer for Toyota,” he said. “In my opinion, hybrid vehicles are the greatest value in our line. The cost of ownership is very low. Fifteen years ago, hybrid was a dream, and now it’s here. Technology is always changing and improving, but we’re well on our way with a fabulous start.”

At Matt Burne Honda in Scranton, general manager Brian Walsh said he hasn’t noticed vast changes in the showroom. “This area might be somewhat of an anomaly,” he said. “Even when we had a near recession around 2001, we didn’t see the numbers change here very much.”

The lack of change in new car sales comes with manufacturer’s incentives, which are often used to counteract rising gas prices. “Our larger vehicles – Odysseys, Ridgelines and Pilots – have benefited from those initiatives,” he said.

Incentives on hybrid vehicles are rare for Honda, just as they are for Toyota, Walsh said. Most buyers are unaware of government intervention in hybrid markets. Some buyers can receive between $500 and $3,000 in one-time tax credits for purchasing a hybrid vehicle.

“Unfortunately, enough people don’t know about it (government credits),” Walsh said. “One of the jobs a dealership has is to educate people on what they’re buying and the available advantages. Our staff understands the tax issues and how to explain them.”

Walsh added that more used car buyers, however, are increasingly budget conscious. “We can’t keep a Civic on our used car lot,” he said. The traditional Honda Civic and Civic hybrid were both named to the Greenest Vehicles of 2007, receiving an average of 30 and 49 mpg, respectively, in city driving. “People who buy used cars might be a little more budget conscious. They might be looking for something more economical, and they’re motivated by sheer need. The true indication of the economy, to me, is what’s selling off of used car lots.”

Alternative fuel sources are gaining recognition, even with the extensive cost of research and development. Honda’s compressed natural gas Civic, also on the 2007 green list, isn’t available in many markets because of a lack of fueling stations. “The important thing isn’t just developing alternative fuels sources but coming up with a way to get them to the people,” Walsh said.

“At the end of the day, people are still buying what they bought 100 years ago – gas cars.”

Greener garbage

Additional sites in Lackawanna County are also moving forward with globally conscious initiatives, including Alliance Sanitary Landfill, Taylor. The site is one of 33 Waste Management locations nationwide, and Community Relations Coordinator John Hambrose said he is excited for the future of the Taylor landfill.

The landfill is currently in the process of reviving a landfill gas-to-energy project. Since 2003, Alliance has burned the gas, predominantly made of methane, produced by decomposing waste. Estimates have shown that converting the gas to energy could produce energy to power buildings and systems on-site or be piped out of the landfill to generate power for close to 40,000 homes.

Until that project is completed, Alliance recycles a variety of natural supplies. Rain water, for example, is collected in a retention basin and used to water paths throughout the landfill to reduce dust and at the vehicle tire wash. Runoff from existing waste masses is also treated at Alliance’s on-site plant, producing up to 500,000 gallons of fresh water daily. Much of that water is applied to waste to compact garbage and increase the speed of decomposition.

Alliance is also home to three environmental test plots planted with natural trees and shrubs. “The project is testing whether native plants can be grown on a landfill cap without affecting the cap’s function,” Hambrose said. “The planning has also helped to break up the engineered appearance of the site and increased our wildlife population.”

Officials at Alliance also reused a site once damaged by strip mining. They have converted a former emergency call center into a community building as well, which is home to several Girl Scout and Cub Scout troops, as well as some local religious groups.

“It’s very satisfying when people tell us that we’re a good neighbor,” Hambrose said. That wasn’t always the case, however. In the past, Hambrose said that there were operational challenges at Alliance. Consumers bordering the landfill helped adjust changes, leading to better control over birds flocking to waste masses and the experimental landscaping projects.

“If we’re not a good neighbor, we don’t think that we’d be able to continue doing business here,” Hambrose said. “We’re operating as somebody that we would want to live next to.”