We have huge news! As part of our long-standing sustainability commitment, we’ve joined 1% for the Planet, a global alliance of companies who pledge 1% of their annual sales directly to non-profit organizations focused on sustainability.

Read the rest of this entry »

FIJI Water is a carbon negative product and the only bottled water brand in the market to offset its emissions by 120%. We think that’s pretty cool. And yet, it doesn’t end there.

The reforestation of the Sovi Basin begins, in conjunction with Conservation International.

Our reforestation project that helps us to get to our carbon negative status delivers so much more. Joining forces with Conservation International and the people of Fiji, we have begun planting our new forest last month (the first 250 acres, anyway).

What does it all mean? Read the rest of this entry »

The following post is for Blog Action Day ‘09. Blog Action Day is a yearly event where bloggers write about one global issue on a chosen day to bring awareness and inspire change. This year’s topic is climate change. Track other Blog Action Day posts on Twitter by searching “#BAD09.” Read the rest of this entry »

Kids find new uses for FIJI bottles.

Summer is in full swing and my girls and I are loving the outdoors! I particularly love that my house stays cleaner. My kids are 2 and ready for my little art lessons I dreamed of when I was pregnant. I thought I”d teach them about recycling. What better way to practice than Read the rest of this entry »

As May is National Bike Month, I thought this would be as good a time as any to tell you about my shiny red bike! Besides, I love my bike, and I love talking about it. Yes, it’s the beautiful bike you see above — a K2 T-Nine Breeze.

I bought my shiny red bike last November (prime cycling season, haha!) and haven’t been able to get enough of it since. I’m lucky enough to Read the rest of this entry »

It occurred to me this is a wonderful place to share some of how I live a little healthier and greener, and in turn, improve what I’m doing by learning from our readers!

Nothing I do is extraordinary or time consuming, but I feel good about my little part. Here’s a list of what I do:

• I have two garbage cans in my kitchen, one for soiled stuff, the other for recycling.
• I recycle all my used coffee grains and filters and feed them to my yard as natural fertilizer.
• I replaced all my household cleaners with earth-friendly and non-chemical solutions. Vinegar and water on my hardwood floors make them shine better than any other product I”ve ever used!
• When running the water for my kids’ bath, I don”t let the water warm up before putting the drain plug in.
• I replaced every bulb in the house with those CFL light bulbs.
• We have large fish tanks and bought a pump to water the lawn when we clean the tanks. The water has great fertilizer in it!
• We use the door hanger advertisements as coloring books for my kids, and recycle the ones that don”t get put on the refrigerator for display!
• On the weekends, we try to walk more and drive less.
• I sign up for paperless statements when they’re offered.
• I re-use envelopes for shopping lists, etc… blank, white envelopes are perfect!
• I turn off the water when I”m brushing my teeth.
• We unplug electrics after using them.
• We purchase predominantly organic food.

I”d love to hear little steps you take that help you live a healthy, greener life!

FIJI Green Gal: Here’s an update from Fiji courtesy of Molly, our FIJI Water Foundation coordinator…

FIJI Water and its hundreds of employees in Fiji were proud to join Fiji”s Earth Hour celebrations this year. On March 28th from 8.30pm to 9.30pm, the factory in Yaqara shut down bottled water operations and used critical lighting only, as did the logistics, finance, and foundation offices in Lautoka and Suva. We encouraged our employees, friends, and neighbors in the communities around our factory to do the same, supplied water to Earth Hour volunteers in the West, and also assisted in the collection and recycling of those donated bottles.

Elsewhere in Fiji, landmark buildings turned off their lights, restaurants held candlelit dinners with live guitar serenades, and at resorts guests were guided to their rooms by tiki torch.

Participating in this year”s Earth Hour is a part of our ongoing commitment to energy efficiency and the environment. As we work on big projects – cutting emissions across our products’ entire life cycle, promoting local recycling, investing in forest carbon and renewable energy projects- we also remember that there are small things we can all do every day to make a difference on our planet.

For more information about Earth Hour, visit www.earthhour.org and see how you and your community can be a part of next year”s celebration.

We’re delighted to announce that FIJI Water’s Los Angeles office has received LEED Silver certification! We’re proud to be “a pioneering example of sustainable design,” as the official letter from the U.S. Green Building Council phrased it. A tremendous amount of thought and effort went into this renovation, and it’s been amazing to see how many details go into making an office that’s good for people and good for the environment.

FIJI Water is proud to announce a wonderful new partnership with Ecco Ultra Lounge, Hollywood’s first eco-friendly lounge! Located in the heart of the popular Cahuenga Corridor, Ecco sets the standard for an eco-friendly nightlife experience by minimizing and neutralizing its impact on the environment.

Celebrities like Hayden Panettiere and Nicole Richie have been spotted at Ecco, and Discovery Channel’s Planet Green – recognizing the eco-friendly milestone Ecco will establish in the nightlife industry – will feature the venue on its show “Alter Eco,” hosted by “Entourage” star Adrian Grenier.

Ecco serves FIJI Water as its exclusive bottled water and also offers two cocktails made with FIJI Water:

• Absinthe-Minded (Enjoy with Caution!): Organic Lucid Absinthe, Sugar, FIJI Water, Wormwood
• Alter Eco: Juniper Green Organic London Dry Gin, Fresh Lemon Juice, a Few Drops of Rose Infused FIJI Water

So the venue is a place to see and be seen, the water tastes great, and the cocktails are yummy. But what makes Ecco eco-friendly? Well, it features (among other things):

• Multi-colored, energy-efficient, state-of-the-art LED lighting system, exclusively designed and installed by Disco Designer and Cosmos Lighting
• Power supplied by LA Department of Water & Power”s Green Power resources
• Superior Organic cuisine and liquors
• Cold & Heat Insulation, saving 20% of standard energy use through high quality insulation
• Energy efficient recycled steel air pressure toilets and waterless urinals
• State of the art “Dyson Airblades” hand dryers
• Free valet for hybrid vehicles
• Paperless Solution for ticketing and reservations – Provided by UpCode Solutions USA and its Mobile Access & Interaction technology (MAI)ô
• Audio provided by Turbosound, winners of the Best Club Awards 2008 “Best Sound System & Best Sound Product”

It’s amazing to see how many details the club owners, designers, and operators thought about as part of their effort to minimize Ecco’s environmental impact. Click here to learn more!

Some months ago, I asked for advice on how best to adjust to the demise of my microwave, as I wasn’t doing such a good job of it on my own. People sent me some outstanding ideas, all of which have helped me eat more, sleep more, and reduce my carbon footprint. And when I can achieve all three goals, life is good!

I figure there’s no time better than the food-filled holiday season to update you on my progress. Some great ideas that readers shared with me included preparing food that tastes good as cold leftovers, going for raw foods, incorporating ingredients from the local farmers’ market, and just eating cereal sometimes (thanks to dropofkim, CatieB, and Betty!). (You know, I love eating cereal with fruit for dinner. It’s yummy and nutritious, and it reminds me of college! Can’t believe I’d forgotten that was an option, so thank you for the reminder.)

Especially during summertime, it was lovely to pull together simple but delicious salads, use the abundance of gorgeous produce to make vegetarian entrees that taste good without reheating the next day, and have more light and refreshing options in the warm weather. And of course, with my eating less meat and using less gas and electricity to heat food, my carbon footprint dropped too. One of my favorite dishes is a simple cannellini dip that takes five minutes to prepare, tastes amazing and flavorful, and is even better after a day in the refrigerator. With some pita bread for dipping and salad and fruit on the side, it makes at least a couple of easy and satisfying meals.

But with the colder weather settling in, I’m eager for warmer dinner options. Apart from substituting oatmeal for cereal, I now know how to reheat food properly on the stove, thanks to dropofkim: Add a little water and heat on low. And I’ve found doing this means the food heats up evenly and stays hot much longer than when warmed in a microwave. I’ll also visit favorite restaurants from time to time to enjoy a good meal. Especially with the economic downturn, I’m feeling keen to support neighborhood businesses where I can.

I haven’t given up entirely on getting a microwave. There’s still a lot to be said for the convenience! But I’m going to keep in mind jcwindsor’s suggestion to find an EnergyStar appliance and CatieB’s suggestion to find a kitchen cart made of recycled and/or repurposed materials. In the past, I’ve found some gorgeous furniture for great prices at consignment shops, garage sales, and the like – I love finding antiques and artisan pieces at bargain prices! Now, I suspect “antique microwave cart” is an oxymoron, but I still like the idea of finding a way to repurpose materials and keep them out of landfill. Another option could be to find a cart made of rapidly renewable resources like bamboo, which also looks beautiful.

Thanks again for all the great suggestions – I love the creativity, the variety, and most of all the delicious results!