Blogs

United By Blue is Now a Certified B Corporation

Share to  
Submitted by Brian on September 2, 2011 - 11:34

For a company like UBB, measuring our good deeds against an industry standard hasn’t been possible until now. We’ve removed over 30,000 pounds of trash and have reached thousands of people and educated them on ocean issues through our online outreach. We’ve reduced the plastic packaging in our supply chain by 80% and are using only organic cotton to keep pesticides out of waterways.  But, at the end of the day, no single metric existed to encapsulate all the good we do at United By Blue both in the office and on the riverbanks. Until now.

 

Top Ten Sustainable Fish to Buy

Share to  
Submitted by Molly on October 13, 2011 - 17:41

 

In my last post, we went through the basic do’s and don’ts of seafood shopping. And luckily, one of our favorite sources at UBB, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program, does an amazing job at identifying which types of fish are problematic, which are good choices, and how to pick alternatives. But since the Seafood Watch Program covers pretty much every fish under the sun, I thought it’d be good to review their Super Green, September 2010 list of go-to fish to get a better idea of what to buy. I also included a delicious recipe for each fish so that if you do want to try it, you have an idea of where to start.

 

Before we start, I want to preface with the fact there are many farmed fish on this list, which may surprise you. Many people have developed a stigma against farmed fish altogether and reasonably so, because generally farmed fishing can lead to many environmental problems such as the spread of pollution and disease, habitat destruction, management oversight, and escape of farmed fish into native habitats.  But, thanks to innovations in closed loop farming systems, there are clean, healthy, and sustainable farms out there that actual surpass other methods of fishing and have great environmental benefits. You just need to know where to look. 

5 Things To Consider When Shopping For Fish

Share to  
Submitted by Molly on October 4, 2011 - 15:23

When we enter into a grocery store, we enter a world of infinite choices: What do you want for dinner tonight? How many calories does that bag of chips have? Which brand of spaghetti will taste the best with mom’s sauce? 

 

Our collective food-shopping consciousness is only just becoming aware of the questions we need to ask about where our food comes from and how it’s grown.  And knowing how to choose sustainable seafood can be one of the most complicated choices of all. 

Cleanup Recap: September Edition

Share to  
Submitted by Leslie on September 30, 2011 - 12:58

Even though summer has come and gone, United By Blue has stood strong on the cleanup front. We kicked off September with a cleanup at Bartram's Garden on the 10th with visiting Industrial Asset Management Council group members. They flew in a day early for a company conference to spend the day doing community service projects around Philadelphia.

Beauty in the Unexpected

Share to  
Submitted by Molly on September 27, 2011 - 00:00

 

Just before beginning my internship with United by Blue, I took the opportunity to travel in California with my family.

 

As many know, driving through the California hills is an incredibly beautiful experience. What I expected to be a simple scenic drive to Los Angeles turned into much more when I realized we were driving through San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farms; it completely took my breath away. And surprisingly enough, it wasn’t the scenic landscape that made my jaw drop, it was the fields of wind turbines spinning atop it. You can see how cool it looks from space with NASA’s satellite view of the mills at NASA' Earth Observatory.

WILDCOAST in Tijuana

Share to  
Submitted by Alli on September 13, 2011 - 10:17

At UBB, we love discovering hidden gems; finding forgotten beauty. But just as beautiful things are often hidden from view, so, too, are some of things that we’d rather not see. Challenges in dealing with wastewater are among these hidden challenges. Today’s blog post comes from like-minded San Diego-based organization, WILDCOAST, on some of the challenges managing water in border regions. It's written by one of their summer interns, Elena Keamy!

 

Cleanup Recap: August Edition

Share to  
Submitted by Leslie on September 1, 2011 - 15:42

Rainy weekends, tropical storms and dog days of summer slowed down our cleanup total for August. Even though we weren’t diving into waterways to remove trash, the majority of August was devoted to planning a few large scale cleanups for the fall months.

How Green Is Your Back to School Bag?

Share to  
Submitted by Leslie on August 19, 2011 - 11:39

Fall and cooler weather (finally!) are not the only things around the corner, the spiraling down of August means one thing…back to school (if you listen carefully you can hear the school bells already chiming in the distance). One supply that students of every age are required is paper and a ton of it! According to the EPA, the average American uses about the equivalent of one 100-foot-tall Douglas fir tree in paper and wood products each year.


Aside from destruction of our world’s forests, it takes a lot of water and energy to produce a piece of paper. Many paper-producing companies are switching to greener energy practices, but according to US Energy Information Adminstrationfigures, the pulp and paper industry is the fourth largest industrial emitter of greenhouse gases.  Not to mention, their industry has the third largest user of industrial water.  Many toxic chemicals including chlorine are used to bleach and delignify wood pulp and often end up contaminating rivers and sediment.

Lessons Learned At UBB

Share to  
Submitted by Tracy on August 12, 2011 - 12:00

 

Tracy is the Event Planning and Cleanups Intern. She loves to water ski and wants someone to teach her how to surf. Email her with questions, comments, and complaints at tracy@unitedbyblue.com

Over the course of this summer, I have learned many new things.  I have witnessed firsthand the challenges of running a startup company.  I have seen how products are designed.  I have listened to conversations about marketing strategies.  I have learned the severity of ocean issues.  The following are some examples of the obviously most important things I learned from my time at UBB.

Inside United by Blue: The Life of a UBB Intern

Share to  
Submitted by Kenneth on August 10, 2011 - 09:28

 

Interning at UBB this summer has been a great experience that will likely have a lasting impact on my life. My recently acquired taste for sustainability will probably stay with me forever, but I’m talking about more than just my unwillingness to buy plastic water bottles going forward. Throughout this internship I’ve learned a lot. The first things that come to mind relate to the oceans and the challenges that they’re currently facing. Some of the statistics I’ve encountered during my time here have been literally unbelievable, and the experience has been eye-opening. But when it comes down to it most of us seek internships for a learning experience and a preparation for future jobs. When I consider the ways that this internship has shaped my professional skills I’m glad that I chose to spend my summer with UBB. Here are some interesting facts that I’ll take with me as I sail into the marketing career that is my open horizon:

Syndicate content