Contradiction in Terms Dept: a Green Potato Chip

Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

The New York Times calls it a "Low-Guilt Potato Chip" because it comes from an "eco-friendly factory." And the California Frito-Lay factory certainly is; they are aiming for net-zero. It is almost off-grid, running on renewable fuels, using recycled water, and "Over the next several years, Frito-Lay plans to install high-tech filters that would recycle most of the water used to rinse and wash potatoes, as well as the corn used to make Doritos and other snacks, and then burn the leftover sludge to create methane gas to run the plant’s boiler. The company will also build at least 50 acres of solar concentrators behind the plant to generate solar power. A biomass generator, which will probably burn agricultural waste, is also planned to provide additional renewable fuel."

They call it an environmentally benign potato chip. But isn't this much like a LEED rated parking garage, an oxymoron? When green also means healthy, can a potato chip be "low guilt" because of its carbon footprint? ::New York Times

This needs a survey, coming Monday...