As we jump into 2013, let’s take a moment to recognize the sustainable Mindful Green Living® accomplishments of 2012. Numerous media avenues have created lists that feature the best of the best when it comes to green trends in 2012. Some of the collected reports come from Newsweek/The Daily Beast, TreeHugger, and the International Green Awards.
Listed below is a Mindful Living list of the top green trends in 2012.
Green designs
TreeHugger lists top green designs of 2012. One of the designs is a new food storing system by Jihyun Ryou. You can “save food from the fridge” with this back-to-basics idea and make your produce last longer. Other designs include things like a tower that’s a vertical forest and a 1950’s shipping container home.
Green fashion
TreeHugger also lists top 2012 green fashion. One of the best American brands that sell sustainable, high-quality fashion is Loomstate. Other noted sustainable products include Nael Coce’s Ambi Platform shoe, which is made from eco-friendly materials and converts from a heel to a flat in seconds.
Green celebrities
International Green Awards named Vampire Diaries actor, Ian Somerhalder, the most responsible celebrity of 2012. He’s an ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program and has his own non-profit that supports green projects.
Green politicians
This year has been all about politics. So the Daily Beast has listed 20 of the Greenest legislators in America. Based on environmental records, donations, and environmental caucus memberships, the top three included Arizona Representative (D) Raul Grijalva, New Jersey Representative (D) Rush Holt, and Oregon Senator (D) Jeff Merkley. The list also includes Massachusetts Senator (D) John Kerry and Maryland Representative (D) Donna Edwards.
Green educational institutions
The International Green Awards named Bentleigh Secondary College in Victoria, Australia the most sustainable school for its green projects like sub-surface irrigation systems, harvest gardens, and solar power. Other sustainable schools include York University (UK) and University of Washington (USA).
Green governments
The International Green Awards also named Songpa-Gu Council (Republic of Korea) the most sustainable government. Other noted green governments include the City of Sydney (Australia) and Dublin Fire Brigade (Republic of Ireland).
Green companies
According to research conducted by Newsweek, the largest, greenest company in America is IBM (green score 82.9), followed by Hewlett-Packard (HP) (green score 78.5) and Sprint (green score 77.5).