Learning to recycle was the first environmentally-conscious lesson for many of us. It also found its way into bake sales and car washes as a means to raise some money for a school field trip. While I can’t remember the last time I took part in a bake sale, recycling is something we all (hopefully) do on a daily basis. It’s very easy to do, but because it’s so simple, it’s also easy to forget!

“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” has emerged as a mantra of modern conservation, and we at FIJI Water wholeheartedly support this. Recycling allows a container to live a second life as another good, minimizes landfill use, and lowers the carbon footprint of our product by at least 25%! These are some of the reasons why we insist on having recycling bins at our many events across the country. By promoting recycling, we hope to remind everyone that like blue jeans, recycling is still very much in vogue.

Beyond raising awareness, our support for recycling is about results. In the first half of 2008 we supplied 331,000 bottles of the world’s best water to a variety of events and venues. If every one of those bottles goes into a recycling bin, that represents a reduction of 33 metric tonnes of CO2. To achieve the same reduction, you’d have to pledge to walk to work for the next year – and to convince eight of your friends to do the same!

Because our product is carbon negative, each bottle results in a net reduction of carbon from the atmosphere. Add this into the equation, and by drinking & recycling 331,000 bottles of FIJI Water, we avoid or remove 53 metric tonnes of CO2. This has the same impact as planting over 1,200 trees!

Below are some photos of our stylish recycling bins at various events. I think you’ll agree they not only raise awareness and reduce emissions, but add a touch of class. Stay hip and recycle!

Hard Rock Hotel’s Save the Planet Golf Tournament in Las Vegas 

De La Mar Hotel’s Yacht Showcase held in Greenwich, CT

Aspen Food & Wine Classic

Barbara Chung, FIJI Water’s Senior Manager of Sustainable Growth, delivered an international keynote address on July 24 at the 2nd Annual Climate Change Summit in Sydney. You can view the presentation and listen to the speech online.

What made Australia an appropriate venue for sharing the story of FIJI Water’s path to sustainable growth?

• FIJI Water and Australia are in the same boat…often literally when it comes to their products.
• The effects of climate change are already apparent in both Fiji and Australia, with rising sea levels in Fiji, and heat waves, less rain, and increased drought in Australia.
• The food & beverage category represents a vital export contributor and economic growth opportunity for both countries. FIJI Water comprised almost 20% of Fiji’s exports in 2007, while food exports comprised almost 20% of Australian merchandise exports in 2005, with beef, dairy, fish, grain, and wine as the leading contributors.
• Because of their distance from their major export markets, both FIJI Water and Australia are sometimes challenged by “food miles” misconceptions.

As Barbara explained in her introduction, “What I want to do today is share what we’ve been doing at FIJI Water, of course, but more importantly share with you the lessons we’ve learned on our path to sustainability in the hope that it would be helpful to you as well.” At FIJI Water, we think of sustainability as a journey, not a destination, since there is always room for improvement in how a company does business and how we as individuals live our lives.  And it’s much easier (and more fun!) to travel this road when we can all help each other do so.

I’m proud to be a new member of FIJI Water’s sustainability team, and I’m looking forward to engaging with all of you about our initiatives and ideas. What you want to call it – sustainability, corporate social responsibility, or just doing things the right way – is a journey more than a final destination. Because of this, I’m open to recommendations, ideas, and criticisms. You can voice your feedback to help us continue to be the best.  We’re proud of our product, and we want to ensure that every bottle makes a difference.

Looking forward to enjoying the journey,

FIJI Green Guy

Hi everyone, I have some exciting news to share with you today! A new blogger is joining the FIJI Green team. I’ll still be around, of course, but he’ll start chipping in with our online discussions going forward. As he’s a guy, we call him “FIJI Green Guy” - keeping things simple! In the next posting he’ll introduce himself to all of you. Welcome to the team, FIJI Green Guy!

On Tuesday, August 26, MTV hosted its Rock the Vote party at the 5 Degrees nightclub in Denver during the Democratic National Convention. The party’s theme was “Rising Stars: An Evening to Celebrate the Next Generation of the Democratic Party.”

FIJI Water was one of the sponsors, and we had a water bar that not only looked gorgeous, but also shared some great facts about reforestation, recycling, and how we can all make a difference for the better. For example, just by stopping by the recycling bin on the way out, party guests could reduce the carbon footprint of a 500ml FIJI Water bottle by over a third! This has the same impact as shutting down your laptop overnight instead of leaving it on, or going for a walk instead of watching 30 minutes of television.

That might not sound like a lot. But consider this: The DNC provided over 26,000 bottles of FIJI Water to volunteers, delegates, speakers, and VIPs. The cumulative carbon negative impact of those bottles was a removal of over 1.5 tonnes of CO2eq from the atmosphere, equivalent to planting over 40 trees. And by recycling all those bottles, people could achieve an additional reduction of over 2.5 tonnes, equivalent to planting another 70 trees.

At Rock the Vote, we also gave out small gift bags with pine seeds and a peat pot that guests could plant, along with a card encouraging people to voice their support for expanded curbside and consumer incentive recycling programs to their legislators.

It was a great party. Check out these photos of the water bar, VIP reception area, and gift bags.

Here’s a wrap from last Thursday at the Democratic National Convention, an event-filled day culminating in Sen. Barack Obama’s acceptance speech. Yes, this posting is sadly delayed — there was so much to say I just wasn’t sure where to start.

So let’s start with the journey to Mile High Stadium. And a journey it was, despite the fact I was staying in downtown Denver! An abbreviated timeline:

• 1:30 pm: Left the hotel
• 1:42 pm: Got on the Light Rail toward Mile High Stadium
• 2:07 pm: Got into line far, far, far away from the stadium…as one guy quipped, “a mile long line to get into a mile high stadium”
• 3:58 pm: Went through the security check
• 4:33 pm: Sat down inside Mile High Stadium, near the 50 yard line facing the stage, on the first level
• 4:33 pm onward: Watched history in the making

On the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, DC, Sen. Obama, the first ever African-American nominated for president by a major political party, stood up and accepted the nomination “with profound gratitude and great humility.”

Speaking of gratitude and humility, I was so grateful and humbled not only to be present for this historic moment, but also to sit in the stands alongside many whose sacrifices had made this day possible, and to remember and honor many others like them who could not be there.

Funnily enough, one of the most succinct summaries of this moment’s historical significance came from Gov. Mike Huckabee, on Wednesday at the Republican National Convention: “So, I say with sincerity that I have great respect for Senator Obama’s historic achievement to become his party’s nominee — not because of his color, but with indifference to it. Party or politics aside, we celebrate this milestone because it elevates our country.”

And there was indeed a great deal to celebrate that night, not just for Democrats or Americans, but for anyone who cares about making the world a better place. It was worth waiting for — and I’m not just talking about the line to the stadium.