Andrew Glazer
It's spring and Earth Day is coming -- the time of year when so-called
"green" businesses spit out, like pollen, evidence of their
enviro-friendliness.
Even fast-food chains, chemical manufacturers and oil companies --
notoriously some of the worst environmental offenders -- make claims that
they're getting cleaner.
Meanwhile, each year, environmentalists wag skeptical fingers.
"Everyone and his brother can claim they're environmentally safe," said
Michael Carey, recycling coordinator at Orange Coast College. "But
there's no clear-cut federal guidelines making them prove it."
But the owner of Earthpack -- a Costa Mesa company which sells
bleach-free, recycled bags and boxes mainly to surf wear retailers --
said cynics should look elsewhere.
Dave Bock, a twice-a-day surfer, said he founded his business on a few
simple and practical principles.
"If we promote a clean ocean and I make money, then I'm doing well," he
said, straightening his thick-rimmed glasses and running his hand through
his spiked hair.
Staying clean means using water-based inks on his paper and plastic bags,
he said.
"Other inks wind up in the ocean," he said. "Today, the weather was great
--- water glassy, there was a south swell. But if it rains, all the
runoff will make the water brown. I really don't want that."
Bock is an active member of the Surfrider Foundation, a group of surfers
advocating the cleanup of oceans. And his company's quarterly newsletter,
instead of offering a smattering of graphs and sales figures, is filled
with environmental tips.
"In each letter, I pose the question: paper versus plastic," he said.
"The answer is, it depends on what you're going to do with the bag!"
And in a special Earth Day edition sent to his clients -- including the
Anaheim Angels, Quiksilver and Jack's Surfboards -- Bock offers an
environmental glossary, which defines the terms "photodegradability,"
"compost" and "recyclability."
"Hey, I just want to make sure the water is clean to surf in," he said.
