Excuse Me, Are You Green?

I recently found out that jetBlue had gone green and that they had opened a new terminal at JFK. In last week’s post, I decided to do a little investigative reporting to see if there were any fun, green things going on at the new terminal.

So, as promised, with Sigg bottle and luggage in hand, I set out on my mission.

My plan of attack was to question the stores to see what they knew about the new building or if their company was doing anything to go green.

The first stop was a sushi restaurant. There were two older Japanese men at the counter frantically chopping up raw fish. “Excuse me.” I said. Neither looked at me. I gave it one more try. Nothing. And so…I ran out of there. But that’s OK. I don’t eat sushi anyway!

Next was Borders. I picked up a birthday card made from recycled paper and printed with soy ink. This was good. I placed my card on the counter, took a deep breath and asked the saleswoman if she knew whether or not the new terminal had gone green. She looked puzzled. I added words like eco-friendly and sustainable. She still didn’t know what I was talking about. But she did ask if I would purchase a children’s book to give to a child in need. So I did.

The next store was Muji to Go…a great little place that sells fun household items. The saleswoman also didn’t know about her store or the terminal’s green elements, but we became engaged in a lengthy conversation about how NYC should get rid of plastic bags and make taxis all hybrids.

At the end of our conversation, she let out an “Oh!” and led me to a display. Shirts and socks made from recycled yarn! I was getting somewhere. I bought the socks and continued on my investigation.

While most of the stores’ employees had no idea as to whether this building was green, they were helpful in pointing out their own store’s little touches. For instance, a market that sold some organic foods, a store that sold candles, sweat suits and undies made from soy, and a pharmacy that carried natural body care products.

My last stop was the food court. I asked one of the counter guys what the restaurants were doing. He said the food court’s cooking oil is recycled (not for human consumption) through a complicated process that left me more puzzled than the first saleswoman I encountered.

At this point, my flight was boarding. I got on the plane with new knowledge and some comfy recycled socks – and I can’t wait to try my new soy underwear!