Daily News from New York, New York • 164

OAS 14 28 DAILY NEWS Friday, April 6, 1990 Theday the Earth shouald thrill Sunday, April 22, is Earth Day, and a movement that once was perceived as the province of the lunatic fringe has gone mainstream. The purpose of Earth Day is to increase your awareness of the sorry condition we've put our planet into, and matters are getting steadily worse. Your understanding is important because unless we have a hospitable planet, little else matters. The environment has become big business for activists and government but also for industry. This is good when the attention paid to ecology is sincere.

and seek the appointment of a trustee to sell Eastern. The committee has been seeking buyers. It is unclear, however, whether Icahn would consider making a bid for Eastern as part of an investment group. Analysts note that Eastern's routes, which run mainly between the Northeast and Florida, would dovetail with TWA's strong trans-Atlantic system. But Icahn is strapped with his own problems.

TWA lost $298.5 million last year, versus a $249.7 million profit in 1988. He has asked the pilots for $80 million in givebacks, but they won't budge, arguing that Icahn has the money to fix TWA able for comment Eastern, which has sold about $800 million in assets since it sought bankruptcy protection days after the strike began, would fetch considerably less than when Icahn last expressed interest in buying it in September 1988. But Icahn "sees no bargain," insiders said. Recently, Eastern more than doubled its estimated losses for this year to $330 million and no longer forecasts a profit for 1991. The unsecured creditors' committee, dissatisfied now that Eastern has said it can't repay almost half the $980 million owed, voted this week to reject the airline's latest reorganization plan By SERGE F.

KOVAUESK1 Daily News Business Writer Despite solicitations from a disgruntled group of Eastern Airlines creditors, Carl Icahn is not interested in buying the loss-ravaged carrier because he considers it "too far gone" to salvage, industry sources said yesterday. Icahn. who already owns troubled TWA, recently talked with financial advisers to Eastern's unsecured creditors' committee. He decided against a bid because of Eastern's dire financial condition and its failure to lure more passengers amid, a 13-month-old machinists' strike, sources said. Icahn was unavail In too many cases, it hasn't been.

Moll's biz SYLVIA PORTER Just as there was a rush of "cholesterol-free" products coming into the market a few years ago, now there is a stream of "environmental-ly conscious" products. Nutritionists eventually told us that the cholesterol claims often were unsup the States awarded New York "A's" for business strength and policy innovation, a for its development capacity and a for its overall economic performance-New Jersey earned "A's" for economic performance, vitality and capacity and a for its policy. Connecticut received "A's" for performance and capacity and "B's" for vitality and policy. Ross said healthy states are waging a "quiet against sluggish economics with inventive development rather than waiting for federal solutions to evolve. According to the study, the Eastern and Midwestern states, led by Pennsylvania, are recovering from a long decline, and Southern states are "surprisingly healthy," and getting stronger.

But the Plains and intermoun-tain West states, including na, Idaho and Nebraska, are among the country's weakest economically, the study said. By BOXAHMS DONOVAN Daily Newi Business Writer New York State's economic performance is just average these days, but its business vitality, development capacity and policy effort are among the nation's best, a private research group said yesterday. States in the Northeast including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut along with those on the Pacific Coast are considered the strongest areas economically, but display "troubling symptoms," according to a study by the Corporation for Enterprise Development "The Northeast is struggling with labor shortages, the Pacific with the decline of the timber industry," said Doug Ross, CfED president "We already see economic slowdowns here and defense cutbacks on the horizon could further shock their systems." Still, the research group's 1990 Development Report Card for March wasn't great, but some retailers said it was at least better than expected. At Woolworth for example, the New York-based parent of numerous specialty stores said domestic sales edged down 1 in the five weeks ended March 31 from March 1989. Same-store sales were off a steeper 3.7.

But Harold Sells, Wool-worth's chairman, saw a brighter side. The sales "exceeded our plan," he said. Easter, April 15 this year, usually marks a pickup in consumer spending, especially for spring or resort clothing. Overall, major retailers yesterday reported mixed sales for March J.C. Penney said sales rose more than 8, but Sears, the nation's biggest retailer, saw sales increase under 2.

"It's tough to compare against last year," said Janet Managano of Josephthal brokerage, "because -1989 was such a tremendous year for retail. "March numbers were weak, too, because February weather was unseasonably warm and people bought then. We expect April will capture some of the sales lost in March," she added. Rlckl Fulman ported or silly. It now appears that many of the environmental claims may be silly as well.

Example: There are photodegradable garbage bags that decompose when exposed to sunlight But that makes little sense. The bags usually end up buried underground. If they were placed where the sun could decompose them, the result would be piles of unwrapped garbage. Claims for such products are being attacked on two fronts. A coalition of seven states has been formed to investigate manufacturers' assertions that their products are environmentally sound.

This is likely to result at least, in firm definitions Of such terms as "biodegradable," "environmentally and "recycled." (Some products marked as recycled contain less than 10 recycled The second front is by far the more provocative. It is called Greenseal. It came into being when Rena Shulsky of New York, an entrepreneur and consumer, wondered what individuals could do to make sure they were purchasing products that aren't harmful to the Earth. Shulsky wanted to establish an environmental, testing system. It could put products through their paces, awarding a seal of approval to those that were environmentally friendly or at least neutral.

She began talking about her idea. Yes, it certainly was a good one, informed people told her, but it would be an enormous undertaking. She persevered, proving that the individual still can make a difference. The plan began to take shape. If the seals were to have any meaning, they would have to be awarded by a panel of distinguished scientists.

There could be no hint of a hidden ideological agenda. Funding and other assistance were traced. Following Earth Day, its organizer, Dennis Hayes, will become the head of Greenseal. Hayes helped former Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin get the original Earth Day off the ground two decades ago.

In a few weeks the organization will unveil its seal of approval. Soon thereafter, the Greenseal will begin to appear on products, and you will be able to buy those produets without concern that you're contributing to the death of our planet Pcnnsy may turn Hp in D. At tmnn plnco J.C. Penney, which closed its Manhattan store in 1962, could be ready to make a comeback, possibly in the former B. Altman building on Fifth Ave.

at 34th St. Company spokesman Hank Rusman said yesterday that Penney executives have looked at the space. "We're interested in serving new customers wherever we can on a profitable basis, if there's an opportunity," Rusman said. "We will have to evaluate whether the Altman store is feasible for us, based on traffic patterns, demographics and other factors." A decison could be made in about 30 days, he added. Rlckl Fulman elping them elves to popcorn iiirJlllliw Appointments Sheldon Kravltz appointed staff VP, advertisingleisure marketing at Trans World Airlines Tom Evans promoted to VP-director of advertising sales at U.S.

News World Report Michelle Berman named director of group sales at Murdoch Magazines and Elaine Shindler appointed publisher of Soap Opera Weekly and Soap Opera Di- The Keebler Elves are now into popcorn. Though cookies and crackers are still its core Keebler Co. ventured ag- gressively in the 1980s into salted snacks. Ready-to-eat gourmet style popcorn under the POP Deluxe banner is its latest goodie. Ready-to-eat popcorn, with sales jumping 21 to $190 million in 1989, was the fastest growing segment of the $7 billion salty snack market Total retail grocery sales of popcorn, increasingly popular, because 4f its low tenrriasttrarhittsaottfKmr-- Keebler also should benefit by being the first marketer with a bagged popcorn in national distribution, going national in less than a month without any test marketing.

Keebler, an Elmhurst, 111. based firm with annual sales In Sunday Ciz The Bush administration's $160 billion bailout Of the nation's ailingthrifts has been paralyzed by bureaucratic infighting, political posturing, and legal maneuvering. In his week's cover story, staff writer Rosemary MetoterLavan explains why the logjam has meant nothing but trouble for local savings institutions. Plus, in Money Talks, our quarterly mutual fund report gest Susan Arnot joined Eliz nudging $1.5 billion, will ride abeth Arden Inc. as public iwith the whjte Cheddar- and horf- teelatio'ns itfiectojs.wh'iehiliB-.