Nik Kaestner worked for five years as the Student Activities Director at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California. In this capacity, he implemented a campus-wide recycling system, established a green procurement policy for the Student Activities Office, orchestrated energy, water, and waste-reduction measures to obtain Green Business certification, and set up bike, bus, and carpool incentive programs as chair of the Gunn Organization For Alternative Safe Transportation (GO-FAST). GO FAST received a Clean Air Award by the American Lung Association and is being used as a model for other schools by the Bay Area Air Quality Resource Team. Nik is well read in environmental science, green building and renovation, public policy, and environmentally-responsible living and enjoys spending his time outdoors. In 2006 he planned his own sustainable wedding. After returning from Boston, where he worked as an environmental consultant for restaurants, he started his own Green Squared Consulting Company in San Francisco.

Introduction

Green: A blanket term applied to anything that is good for the environment. Unfortunately, this term is unregulated and many companies use it to greenwash products that are not particularly beneficial. Proceed with caution.

Organic: According to the National Organic Program of the USDA, “organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.”

Sustainable: Meeting the needs of current generations without preventing future generations from meeting their needs. This all-encompassing term implies that a particular product is produced in a way that could continue for generations, such as catching fish at a rate that won't cause the population to dwindle and the species to go extinct.

Fair Trade Certified: The Fair Trade Labeling Organizations International (FLO) defines Fair Trade as “an innovative, market-based approach to sustainable development. Fair Trade helps family farmers in developing countries to gain direct access to international markets, as well as to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace. By learning how to market their own harvests, Fair Trade farmers are able to bootstrap their own businesses and receive a fair price for their products well above what most farmers in the region get from major international corporations. This leads to higher family living standards, thriving communities, and more sustainable farming practices. Fair Trade empowers farming families to take care of themselves - without developing dependency on foreign aid.”

Shade-Grown: The term “shade-grown” refers to products (usually coffee and cocoa) that are planted under the rainforest canopy instead of being grown on cleared land or industrial plantations. This preserves the integrity of the forest, provides a home for indigenous creatures, and reduces the need for pesticides since plants are more resistant to disease when they are not planted in tightly-packed monocultures. In many cases, Fair Trade products are shade-grown, but your only real guarantee is a certification seal like the one from the Rainforest Alliance.