Well this is a tricky subject, being an efficient perfectionist who feels that humans take the world and her resources a little too much for granted--I have wandered the road of an eco warrior for many years now. When I was a wee sprog (little nipper, rambunctious tyke, or to use American diction- 5 or six years old) and about the height of my mother’s knees, I used to ask why people were allowed more than one car per family, and why roads weren’t all built underground, leaving paths through the forest for us to walk through leisurely. Perhaps I was lucky enough to be brought up in the countryside before the big commute (in the UK) of the eighties and nineties got into full swing...

  Anyway to the subject at hand: what is “Green” and what does that mean for Bliss? The definition has certainly changed in light of the information available in recent years, but in essence it still remains very obvious. Even if we live in Maya’s world of Illusion, it still comes back to the idea that if it is good for the Earth then it is not only good for humankind, but also is Green! Building or making anything that is new relies on fossil fuels (which includes virtually everything), and even recycling takes energy. Yes, there is more but where does it come from and is it unlimited?

  Here at Bliss we are trying our best: Organic to the hilt (USDA Certified Organic), Fair Trade as possible (our chocolate, vanilla and coffee--which play major roles in our products, are TransFair Certified)... full of Love and so on...

Actually halt and rewind- and so on- what do we mean by that…

It’s 2010. There are a massive number of companies out there promoting that they are Green. Are they getting into it because it’s the trend? A market that just keeps on growing? Perhaps it is a way to combat economic instability (because greener choices often are more efficient, so it saves money)? Some conventional ways of doing business are becoming more unpopular - are those companies actually environmentally accountable, or just managing to stay within certain shaky parameters?

   Pillaging the Earth’s resources is now more widely exposed and understood, and so covering one’s tracks is more covert – the symbolism is a snake eating its own tail. Might regurgitation be the recycling of the future?

   I have watched the years flow by and still the few hold sway over the many, creating short-term desire for materialistic heaven that holds no accountability for our long-term future. Our society’s very drive appears to be temporary satisfaction- do you have the latest cell phone, computer, and car? (Even if it is more efficient - it takes lots of energy to produce and run!)

 Lately I have been trying to get the packaging side of the Natural foods industry to really make a move towards conscious packaging. There is so much money in the business, but many people that I know are making do with the best that they can find for a decent price; biodegradable (which can mean up to a few lifetimes before it disappears with mechanical- thus fossil fuel – help), non bleached, soy based inks (GMO or not I wonder), corn products (often GMO), and compostable. What is better…  a tetra pack (not all areas have the capability to recycle these), plastic (light and almost lasts forever), GMO corn or GMO soy packaging (enough said), glass (that takes more energy to produce, ship, recycle, than the rest), Begasse (from sugar cane), supposedly sustainable wood products, P.L.A. (is that corn again?), or other options that I have not mentioned?

  In general I resort to trying to use the example of nature – why don’t we use leaves to make paper or containers that compost within weeks, devise a cellulose sealant so they can retain frozen or hot liquids - just needing sunlight or a bit of rain to break down in a super short time, leaching only positive elements in the earth? And then my perfectionism starts to run rife and I let it go remembering that it is all illusion. The world will shake off us fleas if we don’t get it together by rising above the human vibe of trashing every environment we have ever touched. Can we break the karmic cycle and get into sync with our environment before we are forced in to a growth spurt through conflict rather than harmony. Nothing wrong with making a few mistakes, but to get with the program we might well have to be doing some after school. I will not envision a future where the rich will be the only ones living in cordoned off healthy enclosures and the rest living in polluted squalor. I choose to see a brighter future of globally harmonious living, having corrected the mistakes of the past.

  So Green according to this travelled pedantic, means doing the best you can, under the present circumstances, with an eye on promoting a better world to live in, listening to the will of the Earth (if we have not forgotten how), and putting some Aquarian heart into our actions upon a world that is shifting into a new paradigm whilst retaining a sense of humor to counteract the pressures of watching a world transforming before our eyes… living our dream now.

P.s. At Bliss we are trying to walk our talk in every aspect of our lives – that includes the business world! What’s more… I have learnt that if I am hard on myself, only I suffer, but by loving the planet – everyone gains!

 One for all and all for one… Are you a green musketeer or a convenience junkie?

~Toby