Owner Tarren Wolfe with his cultivation units at Living Produce Aisle in Gastown. Source: Vancouver Sun.

On Saturday, a new produce store opened its doors in Gastown (Wood). Living Produce Aisle provides customers with herbs, sprouts, and micro-greens, which are all grown in-store. In one month, they can grow between 1000 and 2000 pounds of produce, in 20 cultivators. It also has a café which sells salads and smoothies (Shore).

While grocery stores have the advantage of selling herbs, sprouts and micro-greens conveniently in the same location as most other food products that customers need on a regular basis, Living Produce Aisle has a number of points of difference that will attract a lot of customers in the coming months. An original idea like this appeals to health-conscious consumers, customers who are mindful of the environmental impact of transporting produce from far away, and for chefs who are looking for a source of fresh greens. Greens sold in grocery stores are usually limp by the time they reach the shelves, since they are usually imported in the winter months. Living Produce Aisle, on the other hand, takes “locally grown” to a whole new level: it is able to provide fresh greens to customers 12 months a year, without having to travel any distance at all. In addition, the produce can be cut to the consumer’s specifications, allowing purchases to be customized (Shore).

Living Produce Aisle is expecting to bring in approximately $50,000/month, and this can be credited to their unique idea and active brand positioning.

Works Cited

Shore, Randy. “Bright idea transforms basement into greens farm.” The Vancouver Sun 3 October 2012: A1, A3. Print.

Wood, Amy. “Get Über-fresh Greens from Urban Cultivator and the Living Produce Aisle.” Alive. Alive Publishing Group Inc., 5 October 2012. Web. 6 October 2012.

The indirect environmental impacts of electric cars from production mean that electric vehicles can be just as unsustainable as conventional diesel or gasoline vehicles. Source: RideLust.

The words “electric car” are normally associated with being a sustainable vehicle choice. However, according to a study conducted by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, electric cars (EVs) may not necessarily be better for the environment.

The main difference in the environmental impact of EVs and conventional vehicles is due to the different production inputs and methods for making batteries and motors for EVs. The human toxicity potential of electric vehicles is around 200% greater than that of conventional cars due to sulfidic tailings created when processing copper and nickel (Hawkins et al. 6). These metals also cause a stronger acidification impact (BBC). Another issue to consider is where the electricity to charge the car’s battery comes from: if electricity is provided by coal, oil, or lignite combustion, the environmental benefits from using an EV are outweighed (Hawkins et al. 9). For instance, when powered by coal electricity, EVs increase the global warming potential by 17-27% in comparison to using conventional vehicles (Hawkins et al. 4).

Consumers should be made aware of the actual impacts of EVs on the environment, so they can make more sustainable choices when searching for an environmentally responsible car. Electric car companies have established a clear word association in consumers’ minds between electric cars and sustainability, without acknowledging that in order to be sustainable, we must take into account where our electricity comes from, and how the production of these cars impacts the environment.

Works Cited

BBC. “Electric cars ‘pose environmental threat.’” BBC News. BBC News, 4 October 2012. Web. 7 October 2012.

Hawkins, Troy R., Bhawna Singh, Guillaume Majeau-Bettez,  and Anders Hammer Strømman. “Comparative Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Conventional and Electric Vehicles.” Journal of Industrial Ecology 16.5 (2012): 665-773. Web. 7 October 2012.

RideLust. “e-mobility Berlin: The German Electric Car Infrastructure.” RideLust. SeaWaves & Brains. 8 September 2008. Web. 7 October 2012.