NOT REALLY GREEN

A Helpful, Common Sense Guide to Reading Labels

2012-01-09T08:53:00.000-08:00

What the Common Grocery Store Product Labels Mean and When They Matter

The grocery store can be a confusing place. Labels are applied to nearly every product boasting any number of health benefits ranging from heart healthy to fortified, but what does it all mean, and is there really a benefit from any of it?

http://lifehacker.com/5872911/what-the-common-grocery-store-product-labels-mean-and-when-they-matter

Got Fish? Nope

2011-06-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

A sobering image showing the radical depletion of fish in the ocean over a century. per the Guardian--link below

It's hard to imagine the damage over-fishing is wrecking on the oceans. The effects are literally invisible, hidden deep in the ocean. But there is data out there. And when you visualise it, the results are shocking.
This image shows the biomass of popularly-eaten fish in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1900 and in 2000. Popularly eaten fish include: bluefin tuna, cod, haddock, hake, halibut, herring, mackerel, pollock, salmon, sea trout, striped bass, sturgeon, turbot. Many of which are now vulnerable or endangered.
Dr Villy Christensen and his colleagues at the University Of British Columbia used ecosystem models, underwater terrain maps, fish catch records and statistical analysis to render the biomass of Atlantic fish at various points this century (see the study)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jun/03/fish-stocks-information-beautiful

Plastic--Still Confusing

2011-05-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

I do so love Tupperware, and I've been stubbornly using it all through the bisphenol uproar. I've even been using non-tupperware in the micro--chinese food containers & throwaway storage containers.

But today i read an article in Rodale about a study stating that ALL plastic leaches estrogenic material. I needed to put my detective hat on to discover if this is truly so.

http://www.rodale.com/chemicals-plastic?page=0%2C1

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—It used to be that people who just couldn't break the plastic habit to go plastic-free could at least rely on certain types of plastics, usually those labeled #2, #4, or #5 in the triangle of arrows on the bottom, because those plastics weren't made using bisphenol A or phthalates, the two chemicals in plastic that are known to interfere with the way your body produces and handles estrogen. But a new study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives concludes that there really are no "safe" plastics, thanks to all the chemicals, additives, and processing aids that go into making plastic products. In a test of nearly 500 chemical containers, the authors discovered that nearly all exhibited some kind of estrogenic activity.

Aveda--saving the Amazon? Unfortunately not

2011-05-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

Yawanawá Indians participated in ceremonial games and dances marking the arrival of Aveda executives.

MUTUM, Brazil—In a remote Amazon village a full day by canoe from the nearest road in western Brazil, Yawanawá Indians in grass skirts gather around a pile of urukum, a spiky fruit they use to make body paint, and pose for two photographers from the U.S. beauty firm Aveda.

The images will help Aveda, a unit of Estée Lauder, sell its popular Uruku line of lipsticks, eye shadows and facial bronzers that use the plant as coloring. The company can charge a premium for products that look good and, at the same time, help save the rain forest by giving the tribe a sustainable livelihood.

But there's something wrong with this picture. For starters, the Yawanawá don't produce much urukum. They delivered none of it to Aveda between 2008 and 2010. Also, urukum itself isn't as exotic as Aveda portrays it in a documentary-style video on its website. Best known as annatto, it's an inexpensive food coloring, grown commercially around the world, that gives products like Kraft Macaroni & Cheese an orange hue.

So not only is Aveda not getting its annatto, I mean urukum, from the Yawanawá, or helping the tribe in any way, but yep, that exotic Amazonian urukum can be bought in any bodega--don't you love it? Maybe tribal peoples were correct when they said that Europeans were stealing their souls when they took their pictures.

This excellent article by John Lyons can be read in full at the WSJ.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704570704576274682898376462.html

If this link doesn't work--the WSJ is a subscription online site--Google the title and you should be able to read it then.

Being in the cosmetic business in a small way, and sourcing all ingredients responsibly, & taking care to inform my customers when they are constantly bombarded by super crap like this gets me really tired.

Guerrillas Without Guns

2011-03-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard of yarn bombing, it's a sort of guerrilla knitting (or crochet)project--knitters/artists/troublemakers make knitted cosies for public objects--trees, statues, park benches, lampposts, stop signs--nothing is safe from Yarn Bombers.

The kind of yarn that's used is generally cheap, ugly acrylic yarn, mostly rescued from thrift shops, spiced up with some furry novelty yarn perhaps.

The goals are many fold--making personal the mostly arid public spaces in a city, subversion, appropriation, political statements of one sort or another, assertion of the craft of knitting/crocheting, also just the fun of putting something funny or pretty or odd in place to surprise passersby.

The interesting thing about knit bombing is that IT DOESNT DAMAGE ANYTHING- EVER! I love this--I think I probably could destroy a weapon of mass destruction, but anything less, I wouldn't.

Knitta, Please is the group of Houston TX knitters who are the first to practice this version of street art--they started in 2005. The group is down to one member, but did just complete a fabulous project for SXSW--a set of knitted stairs--it's beautiful--check it out--first photo above.

http://knittaporfavor.wordpress.com/

As wonderful as all yarn bombers are, I just discovered an even more spectacular practitioner--Juanita Canzoneri is an artist in Colorado Springs--her primary medium is glass mosaic. I'll let her words speak to her path to becoming VideoKnitter:

Confessions of a Video Knitter
My problem: How to responsibly get rid of my video tapes.

Because the product is mixed plastics and metal, it doesn't recycle. If you only have a couple tapes I'm sure your conscience won't bother you about putting them out with the trash. However, if you're like me and have a couple hundred, that's another issue entirely. In 2008 I found a huge box of tapes my husband had relegated to the garage. He said to get rid of them when I asked why they were there. Confronted by this ethical dilemma, I did some research and found that the most reasonable way of doing this was to crack some open and see what could be done with them beyond filling up a landfill or two.

After playing with a variety of working styles, what I enjoy most is knitting/crocheting elements and assembling them into fiber art pieces.

She uses the video tape for yarn bombing, but also makes sculptures & jewelry and bags--they are not all black as you might imagine, but painted with a special paint for plastics--she's made some interesting stuff. She also includes a card that tells what was on the tape! I just love this. Unfortunately, I can't link to a picture from flickr, to show an example, but here's the link to her set.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcanz_studio/

and the link to her blog

http://videoknitter.weebly.com/videoknitter-blog.html

Doesn't get much greener than this--

2011-03-10T06:26:00.000-08:00

John Wells, a former Manhattenite & Upstate NYer has migrated to the desert in West Texas.

IN October 2007, Mr. Wells bought this land — a 40-acre parcel — for $8,000 in cash, adding a 20-acre tract for $5,000 a year and a half later. It took nine days and $1,600 to build the shell of his one-room house, the first structure in a compound that now includes four shipping containers under a soaring arched roof planted on a lacy framework of metal trusses, all of which he made himself. He gave it all a fancy moniker, the Southwest Texas Alternative Energy and Sustainable Living Field Laboratory, but you can call it the Field Lab for short.

He is truly living off the grid--makes me wish I could build things--a disadvantage in attempting this kind of life--I can cook, make soap, sew & knit--but building structures & systems is way out of my skill area. If you have to hire people to build your set-up you are spending big bucks, alas.

Anyway, check out his blog--he's an entertaining writer-

http://thefieldlab.blogspot.com/

also, make sure you look at the slide show of the Field Lab in the NYT article--just gorgeous!

It Ain't Easy....

2011-01-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

Although we may mock absurd attempts at Greenwashing, trying to live more lightly on the Earth is something to be desired--but it's not a simple matter--is it better to keep driving that old, less efficient car , keeping it out of the junk stream, or buy a new, energy efficient car? Only one of many decisions to be made daily.

Here's a really interesting resource-- developed to help product designers determine which is the best way to go green. Keep following links--there's a wealth of info here.

http://www.utexas.edu/research/ceer/che302/greenproduct/pages/whatisgreenproducts.htm

Unfortunately, true environmental performance is rarely so simple. Products and the processes used to manufacture them consume energy, utilize non-renewable and renewable materials, and generate emissions. In creating designs, product designers are continually forced to make decisions that involve trade-offs between multiple environmental impacts.

Nature Red in Tooth & Claw

2010-12-29T12:25:00.000-08:00

I live in the country, with animals domestic & wild. I have no vision of Nature as fluffy & sweet. I've witnessed a flock of chickens with their heads ripped off by raccoons. My husband was startled by-- and startled-- a bear this summer as he was walking out to get the mail. I've seen what my well-fed cats do to animals smaller & slower than they are.

I love the ocean, yet am terrified by what it can do--I've sat on the beach & heard later that two people drowned there that same day--rip tides.

So, it's clear that the very nature & meaning of Natural is somewhat problematic...and that's why this is my favorite quote of the year

Do you object to vaccination? You'd probably object even more to smallpox.

It's from this article in The Chronicle of Higher Education by David P. Barash.

http://chronicle.com/article/Two-Cheers-for-Nature/125651/

A really thoughtful discussion of our ideas of the meaning of Nature, & our connection to it, a& responsibility for it. Another excellent remark:

As beautiful as it is bountiful and awe-inspiring, life proceeds via the taking of life, and is therefore no less likely to be ugly, amoral, and awful. And we are stuck in it, up to our necks ... and more.

The Burger That Won't Die--Truth or Lie?

2010-11-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

There's been tales of a 12 year old McDonald's burger passed along the internetz--and of course, I'm willing to believe the worst of McDonalds (aren't we all).

But J. Kenjii Lopez-Alt, being a scientist, wanted to test whether this was true --

Thus far, I haven't located a single source that treats this McDonald's hamburger phenomenon in this fashion. Instead, most rely on speculation, specious reasoning, and downright obtuseness to arrive at the conclusion that a McDonald's burger "is a chemical food[, with] absolutely no nutrition."

--and did so, brilliantly here--

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-revisiting-the-myth-of-the-12-year-old-burger-testing-results.html

His results are pretty interesting--I won't give them away, but, just a warning--don't eat the Big Mac you just found in a pocket--the plain burger's ok, though if you're desperate.....

(thanks to CanadianChick for this)

Sun Chips Redux--forced to be less Green by customers.

2010-10-24T05:29:00.000-07:00

Apparently the compostable, bidegradeable bags that Sun Chips are so proud of are TOO NOISY--so some FB Fans went to work to solve this terrible problem--guess it was hard to hear what Snooki is saying over the rustle of the bags--so good-by save the Earth.

http://gothamist.com/2010/10/05/sun_chips_ditches_biodegradable_bag.php

Zombies & Grim Reapers Run for Life

2010-04-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

just got this press release from the Yes Men--about my favorite ironically titled run--Dow's Run for the Water

April 19, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DOW THROWS A DISMAL PARTY, FEW ATTEND
Underattended "Run for Water" plagued by death, zombies, and dozens of "Dow spokesmen"; truth seems to run free

Video: Yes Men video coming soon here; other video here
Stills: Yes Men pictures coming soon here; numerous others here
Contact: Whitney Black (803)466-3786; press@theyesmen.org

Brooklyn, NY -- Bucolic Prospect park in Brooklyn, NY played host to a bizarre spectacle on Sunday, as a dramatically under-attended Dow-sponsored "Run for Water" was infiltrated and turned upside down by hundreds of furious activists, including a hundred dressed as Dow spokespeople.

New Yorkers who came to the park expecting a light run followed by a free concert found themselves unwitting extras in a macabre and chaotic scene as runners keeled over dead, Dow-branded grim reapers chased participants, and a hundred fake Dow representatives harangued other protesters and and handed out literature that explained Dow's greenwashing program in frank detail.

The actions called attention to Dow's toxic legacy in places like India (the Bhopal Catastrophe), Vietnam (Agent Orange) and Midland Michigan (Dioxin Contamination), and to the absurdity of a company with serious water issues all over the world sponsoring the Live Earth Run For Water.

After race cancellations in London, Milan, Berlin, and Sweden, on-site Dow brand managers were in damage-control mode. But their job was made harder by the hundred fake "Dow" spokespeople who loudly but clumsily proclaimed Dow's position ("Our race! Our earth!" and "Run for water! Run for your life!"), spoke with many runners, screamed at the other protesters, passed out beautifully-produced literature, and all in all looked a whole lot better than the real Dow reps, who seemed eager to make themselves scarce.

"I don't know what's going on here," said Tracey Von Sloop, a Queens woman who attended the race. "All I know is these people are both crazy, and Dow is f*ing sick. I'm outta here."

The event was the latest blow to Dow's greenwashing efforts, the most visible element of which is the "Human Element" multi-media advertising campaign, one of the most expensive, and successful, marketing efforts in recent history. It even won an "Effie Award" for the most effective corporate advertising campaign in North America.

"Effective," perhaps -- but also completely misleading. To name just a few examples of Dow's water-related issues: Dow refuses to clean up the groundwater in Bhopal, India, site of the largest industrial disaster in human history, committed by Dow's fully-owned subsidiary, Union Carbide. As a result, children continue to be born there with debilitating birth defects. Dow has also dumped hundreds of millions of pounds of toxic chemical byproducts into wetlands of Louisiana, and has even poisoned its own backyard, leaving record levels of dioxins downriver from its global headquarters in Midland, Michigan.

"We thought it must be a joke when we first heard that Dow Chemical Company was sponsoring a run for clean water," said Yes Woman Whitney Black. "Sadly, it was not. One of the world's worst polluters trying to greenwash its image instead of taking responsibility for drinking water and ecosystems it has poisoned around the world? What an awfully unfunny way to start off Earth Week. We decided the event needed a little comic relief."

Irony was piled on irony throughout the race, which Dow absurdly claimed was going to be "the largest solutions-based initiative aimed at solving the global water crisis in history. At one point, organizers were caught on tape dramatically throwing out excess water left over because of an embarrassingly low turnout.

Groups organizing the action included the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, New York Whale and Dolphin Action League, the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign, the Wetlands Activism Collective, Global Justice for Animals and the Environment, Kids For A Better Future, The Yes Men, and hundreds of assorted volunteers, activists and mischief makers.

Jamie Oliver--very, very green

2010-04-16T09:32:00.001-07:00

I knew who JO was, of course, but never watched him on tv until something I read about his new show piqued my interest. I absolutely love him, now--I've watched three episodes of Food Revolution online, & finally am going to be home on a Friday night so I can watch two eps tonight.

http://abc.go.com/shows/jamie-olivers-food-revolution/index

Of course, it's tv, and edited and plotted for the utmost drama, with a lot of show & tell, but he does come across as a genuinely kind person--so if he's not, I don't care--the show with the various not popular & getting into trouble teens was so wonderful, he's on my good list forever.

He's in the unhealthiest city in the US, Huntington, WV--and he's attempting to educate people about food & change the way that they eat. A very noble cause, and apparently a very difficult one.

He doesn't place the root cause of what Americans eat & why into much context beyond the local--with the exception of the school lunch program being circumscribed by Federal standards that calls a totally processed meal--hamburger, fries acceptable, and Jamie's baked chicken, and rice with veggies in it not acceptable.

But we can't ask him to do everything at once, can we? Let's just watch him, & perhaps get inspired to be more active in our communities on food issues.

Going Locavore--Not Really Green?

2010-03-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

Students in a design and architecture course at the California College of the Arts had the assignment to track down the origin of all ingredients of a taco sold by Juan's Taco Truck, of Portrero Hill.

http://www.good.is/post/your-taco-deconstructed

Over the fall semester, the class tracked the origin and destiny of each element in the production of a taco from Juan’s Taco Truck, generally found at the corner of 17^th and Carolina streets in Potrero Hill. Each student chose an individual ingredient to follow, from the adobo seasoning to the aluminum foil wrapping and propane used in cooking.

There were quite a few surprises--

The students were surprised to find that several ingredients were produced locally, such as the salt, which had come from just south of San Francisco. The cheese, which appeared at Restaurant Depot as an in-house brand called Supremo Italiano, was actually from a company with 10 regional plants around the West that source ingredients and sell locally, despite their larger national brand.

Other ingredients had come from much further away. The various spices in the Adobo seasoning, for instance, had traveled a combined 15,000 miles. The avocados had traveled from Chile, home of the world’s largest avocado grower (a company that was said to produce 300 million fruit per year). The rice was imported from Thailand, despite an abundance of California-grown rice, and was packaged under an array of brand names. “The taco truck owner may have bought the bag with the Sombrero on it, while another shopper at Restaurant Depot might have bought the exact same rice with a Buddha on the package,” said Bela.

The results of the assignment are fascinating, and illustrate the complexity of our world economy, and the difficulties inherent in ascertaining whether a product is environmentally "good" or "bad"--in fact must make us question such labels.

Dental Floss--one small step....

2010-02-26T08:42:00.000-08:00

I was trolling for silly personal care products to post about, I admit it. And this came up--it seems to be about six bucks per package--hmmnn, a little pricey--but maybe it's worth the price.

GreenYour.Com had some reasons to go natural on the floss

Use natural dental floss

Dental floss may seem like an insignificant bathroom item, but the amount of dental floss sold in the US each year could span the distance from the earth to the moon and back four times![1] All that dental floss—from production to disposal—surely adds up to have a significant impact on the environment. Lessen your impact by choosing floss that is not coated with petroleum-derived and environmentally damaging chemicals and floss sold in minimal packaging.

What to look for when choosing a natural dental floss

The main component of most dental floss is nylon, a synthetic fiber derived from petroleum products. Petroleum is a non-sustainable resource, the extraction and production of which has had major detrimental impacts on the soil, ground water, surface water, and ecosystems of the United States and around the world. Alternative flosses are made of silk. Silk is a natural fiber with minimal manufacturing-related eco-impacts (think resource intensiveness, pollution, and waste), but is frowned upon by many pro-animal rights environmentalists.

Despite the lack of a clear eco-friendly alternative for the basic component of dental floss, you can still make your dental floss purchases more eco-friendly by looking for the following:

Avoid polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE): Some floss (most popularly Crest Glide) is coated with PTFE, an ingredient that also provides the coating in non-stick cookware. Concern over this substance, called Teflon in everyday use, surrounds a chemical used in its manufacture, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The US Environmental Protection Agency discovered that PFOA is persistent in the environment and in the blood of the general US population. While the EPA does not currently recommend that consumers stop using products made with PFOA, it has called on companies to reduce facility emissions and product content of PFOA and related chemicals by 95 percent by 2010, and to work toward eliminating emissions and product content by 2015.[2]
Look for unwaxed or natural wax coatings: Conventional waxed floss is generally coated with petroleum-derived, synthetic wax. Natural floss manufacturers eschew synthetic ingredients in favor of natural (plant-based or beeswax) coatings and flavorings.
Choose dental floss with minimal and recyclable packaging: Many dental floss containers are made from plastic (there's that pesky petroleum component again). Some manufacturers have limited the amount of plastic needed in their packaging by using cardboard cases or skipping the blister wrap. When considering packaging options, less is more, and always recycle, no matter what type of packaging you choose.
Go cruelty-free: If you're concerned about animal byproducts and animal treatment, you'll want to avoid silk floss and floss coated with beeswax, and choose products that do not employ animal testing. Two organizations supply third-party verification of a company's cruelty-free and vegan product claims. By looking for products with the Leaping Bunny Logo or the Certified Vegan Logo, you can rest assured that your dental floss does not contain animal-derived ingredients and its components were never tested on animals.

http://www.greenyour.com/body/personal-care/toothbrush/tips/use-natural-dental-floss

To me, the nylon may not be an issue--you'd have to do a cost analysis of water & energy usage to produce the different flosses, and I suspect nylon is probably not more costly overall than the other materials--of course the silk is just ridiculous--I'm ignoring that--the idea of using silk floss is kind of the Yoga version of , "Let them eat cake".

The two issues with real merit are:

The PTFE --don't like the sound of that--probably better to not use that--the idea of it in contact with gums is not attractive.

The packaging--yes--agree with that--I'd love to have one less plastic thingy to throw in the trash.

Ok, so let's look at the Cranberry Floss--

Cranberry Floss:

coated with pure unsweetened cranberry essence, which is removed during the action of flossing and deposited on the gums to help break up plaque.

the floss is spun in natural beeswax to help sliding through tight spaces.

I kind of like the cranberry stuff coating--that might be nice for your gums--but I'm unclear on the "spun in natural beeswax" what is spun? So you don't know what it's made of, not good--it may be silk as the other floss made by Radius is Natural Silk Floss. And the packaging is plastic--not good at all.

If you want to natural, I'd go with http://www.eco-dent.com/floss.htm--cardboard packaging, twice as much yardage, it's nylon, but whatever.

The US --SO Not Really Green It Isn't Funny

2009-12-19T09:29:00.000-08:00

If you haven't been watching Democracy Now's coverage of Copenhagen for the past two weeks you'd think that the US is so far ahead of every other country in wanting to address climate change that everyone is dragging their feet and we have to give them a kick in the butt to get things going.

Hillary Clinton's kick in the butt was an offer of 100 billion dollars ==and she said take the offer now as it was only on the table for 24 hours. This was blatant bullying to get poor nations to accept a result from the conference that would doom some island states within a period of a few years, and add greatly to instability in other parts of the world due to crop failures as a result of weather instability.

To put it most simply--

350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide—measured in "Parts Per Million" in our atmosphere. 350 PPM—it's the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.

Results from Copenhagen--770 ppm--and this is non-binding

(350.org)

Apparently, there were secret talks taking place at Copenhagen among the Big Guys--

Leaked Admission of Higher Temps Adds to Summit Uncertainty

The summit was shaken up Thursday after confidential UN documents showed the currently proposed emissions cuts would increase global temperatures by an average three degrees Celsius. The disclosure contradicts promises from world leaders to cap increases at two degrees. The new figure is double the 1.5 degrees called for by developing countries, which would require limiting C02 emissions at 350 parts per million. Jade Lindgaard of the French news website Mediapart broke the story yesterday on Democracy Now!
Jade Lindgaard: “A very interesting leak today from the UNFCCC secretariat showing that the targets of reduction emissions that countries now, today, are putting on the table, these targets do not allow to stay below two degree rise in temperature. And they even say that it could lead us to a rise of three degree in temperature, which is, as we know, catastrophic if that ever happens.”

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/12/18/headlines

Sun Chips--Healthier You, Healthier Planet?

2009-12-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

Couldn't resist using this photo as it cracks me up. Sitting in a tent, drinking a giant Bud & munching on Sun Chips--what could be better?

(from blog.erck.org/ )

Their chips claim to be healthier--ok, that's good. Ingredients list is excellent, actually. If you have to eat junk food, it's a good idea to choose one with a slight nutritional value.

18 gms of whole grain

30% less fat

less salt

0% trans fat

Ingredients: WHOLE CORN, SUNFLOWER OIL, WHOLE WHEAT, RICE FLOUR, WHOLE OAT FLOUR, SUGAR, AND SALT.

And Sun Chips, in comparison with other Green-grabbing big corporations , are pretty upfront in their ad copy--they state that

So we've started using solar energy instead of fossil fuel to help make SunChips® in our plant in Modesto, California. And although Modesto is only one of the eight plants we use to make SunChips® snacks, for us it's a small step in the right direction.

They do full disclosure on the compostable bag. Even so, how many people eating Sun Chps have an active compost pile, or access to a community one? Not many, I would guess.

Like you, we dream of a world with less waste. To truly address the impact of our packaging we knew we had to create a better bag. And guess what? We found the answer in nature.

Today, 33% of every 10 1/2 oz. size SunChips® bag is made with renewable, plant based materials. This is our first step to reduce the amount of non–renewable materials we use for packaging.

But the really exciting news is that in 2010, we plan to introduce the first fully compostable chip bag of its kind. These innovative bags are designed to fully decompose in about 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost bin or pile.

They are sponsoring a contest with a big prize--that's good.

Submit your earth-saving idea

At SunChips® brand, we believe small steps can bring about big change. So we’ve teamed up with National Geographic to create the Green Effect™. The five best green ideas will receive $20,000 in funding, and will each be profiled in National Geographic magazine. Then, each of the five winners will travel to National Geographic headquarters in Washington D.C to present their idea to environmental leaders. Deadline for inspiring millions of people ends June 8th.

Well, baby steps--but in the whole scheme of things--Frito Lay is just not green--it is a 12 billion dollar business- a part of Pepsi, the world's largest snack food company--& represents about 1/3 of Pepsi's total business. If they truly went sustainable it would be huge.

Dow Chemicals--commited to the environment

2009-12-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

It's the 25 year anniversary of Bhopal, and just checking in on the state of things--it's not very good. Water is contaminated, lingering health problems are beginning to affect a third generation--

Research by the Indian Council for Medical Research shows that 25,000 people have died from the consequences of exposure since 1984. About 100,000 people are chronically sick, and more than 30,000 people live in water-contaminated areas around the factory, according to government figures, the Times Online reports.

India's government has previously acknowledged that about half a million people were affected by the incident, considered the world's worst industrial accident. (UPI)

--so what does Dow, who now owns Union Carbide, have to say about Bhopal--

A Legacy Acknowledged

In response to growing public outrage over its handling of the Bhopal disaster's legacy, Dow issued a statement on December 3, 2002 explaining why it is unable to more actively address the problem. The statement went to thousands of journalists and others. (For selected responses, click here.)

"We are being portrayed as a heartless giant which doesn't care about the 20,000 lives lost due to Bhopal over the years," said Dow President and CEO Michael D. Parker. "But this just isn't true. Many individuals within Dow feel tremendous sorrow about the Bhopal disaster, and many individuals within Dow would like the corporation to admit its responsibility, so that the public can then decide on the best course of action, as is appropriate in any democracy.

"Unfortunately, we have responsibilities to our shareholders and our industry colleagues that make action on Bhopal impossible. And being clear about this has been a very big step."

On December 3, 1984, Union Carbide--now part of Dow--accidentally killed 5,000 residents of Bhopal, India, when its pesticide plant sprung a leak. It abandoned the plant without cleaning it up, and since then, an estimated 15,000 more people have died from complications, most resulting from chemicals released into the groundwater.

Although legal investigations have consistently pinpointed Union Carbide as culprit, both Union Carbide and Dow have had to publicly deny these findings. After the accident, Union Carbide compensated victims' families between US$300 and US$500 per victim.

"We understand the anger and hurt," said Dow Spokesperson Bob Questra. "But Dow does not and cannot acknowledge responsibility. If we did, not only would we be required to expend many billions of dollars on cleanup and compensation--much worse, the public could then point to Dow as a precedent in other big cases. 'They took responsibility; why can't you?' Amoco, BP, Shell, and Exxon all have ongoing problems that would just get much worse. We are unable to set this precedent for ourselves and the industry, much as we would like to see the issue resolved in a humane and satisfying way."

Shareholders reacted to the Dow statement with enthusiasm. "I'm happy that Dow is being clear about its aims," said Panaline Boneril, who owns 10,000 shares, "because Bhopal is a recurrent problem that's clogging our value chain and ultimately keeping the share price from expressing its full potential. Although a real solution is not immediately possible because of Dow's commitments to the larger industry issues, there is new hope in management's exceptional new clarity on the matter."

"It's a slow process," said Questra. "We must learn bit by bit to meet this challenge head-on. For now, this means acknowledging that much as it pains us, our prime responsibilities are to the people who own Dow shares, and to the industry as a whole. We simply cannot do anything at this moment for the people of Bhopal."

But don't be too critical--they ARE sponsoring the

Dow Live Earth Run for Water

The Dow Live Earth Run for Water is the largest solutions-based initiative aimed at solving the global water crisis in history. Taking place on April 18, 2010, the event will consist of a series of 6 km runs/walks (the average distance many women and children walk every day to secure water) occurring over the course of 24 hours. The events will feature live musical performances and water education activities in an effort to ignite a massive global movement to put an end to this epidemic. (More)

Phew, I'm relieved.......nothing to worry about now.........as long as there are live musical performances, everything's all right....

A Story About Natural Flavors

2009-11-30T07:12:00.001-08:00

Raffi Khatchadourian, Annals of Science, “The Taste Makers,” The New Yorker, November 23, 2009

If you haven't read this yet, do so immediately--only the abstract is available online, unfortunately--you now need a digital subscription to read most of TheNY online, alas, but you can get it from the library--I now do this for most of my mags--avoids the horrible huge pile of mags for the recycling.

ABSTRACT: ANNALS OF SCIENCE about Michelle Hagen, a flavorist at Givaudan, the largest creator of flavors and fragrances in the world. Growing up, Michelle Hagen lived near a factory in Cincinnati that produced what she and her sisters called The Smell. The aroma wasn’t consistent: it was dynamic and unpredictable. Many of the odors triggered specific associations—birthday cake, popcorn, chicken-noodle soup. She never imagined that she would end up working in the factory that made The Smell, but that is what happened. The factory belongs to a Swiss company called Givaudan.

I am totally fascinated by the science of flavor and flagrance chemistry, but in a Green sense this article is interesting as it seems to imply that many products that we don't think of as having flavor additives, in fact do so--it's that pesky "natural flavors" on the ingredients list...

If you like neon-colored sports drinks, or something with açaí or pomegranate or huckleberry on its label, you may well have tasted one of Hagen’s creations

My childhood driving past a factory scent memory was driving across the bridge (the Betsy Ross?) from PA to NJ to get to the shore in the summer--there was a booze distillery just by the highway and i remember how horrible it smelled
.

A later memory was the Dickenson witch hazel factory in Somerset NJ--this is still one of my favorite scents.

Ultimately...created from air...

2009-10-30T06:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry to have such a tiny image, but this is the only one I could get to work. If you squint real hard you see an inoffensive acrylic knitted head warmer being sold in The Sundance Catalog for $28.00--not an unreasonable pricefor a fancy catalog, actually.

http://www.sundancecatalog.com/PRODUCT/Index+Shopping/Winter+Warmth/50097.html

So what raised my hackles here?

If you scroll down to "Our Product Story"---

Our Product Story

Acrylic is the generic name for man-made fibers derived from polyacrylonitrile - a liquid ultimately created from air and natural gas. Its chief properties are a soft, woolly hand, wash-and-wear performance, good stability under repeated launderings and good wrinkle resistance.

I love that air and natural gas can combine to make a lovely fiber, don't you? Sounds like fairies-- rather than people in Asian factories-- make acrylic.

(reported by Bonnyred)

A Soap That Says It's a Sunscreen, Sort Of

2009-10-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

This is quite an amazing product--miraculous, you might say. A quote from the website--

Bethesda Skincare was born out of our desire to create a company with products that brought healing and restoration to all people. When our company was being formed, it was very important for us that we choose a name that reflected this mission and desire.

During the time of Jesus, there was a pool called Bethesda, located near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem, which was renowned for healing all sorts of diseases and ailments - even blindness, paralysis, and incurable skin diseases. From time to time, an angel of the Lord would come and stir the waters in the pool and the first person in would immediately be healed of ailments. People would travel from miles and wait for days, even weeks, just for the slim chance that they might be the one to be healed.

The name Bethesda embodies our mission. Our desire is to bring healing and comfort to everyone who uses our products, even just once. People may have traveled from many miles to sit at the pool after which we are named, but our desire is to bring healing to all the nations - and not just to the "first one in". May our products be your Bethesda.

Wow--quite a mission. I guess they are handing out their products to people in need--kind of Jesus-like. No, not really--their soap is $8. But the price isn't the issue, it's the claim.

Introducing the World's First All-Natural Sunscreen Body Bar with Multi-Vitamins that Nourishes the Body. Bethesda Sunscreen Soap contains a combination of healing and therapeutic properties that moisturizes as it protects the body from the harmful rays of the sun. Talk about getting it all done in the shower!

Ok, soap is a rinse off product--it can clean you-- either gently or harshly, & it can make you happy because it smells great, but it can't do any more than that.

Luckily the Bethesda people know this, because in the succeeding paragraph they state:

Bethesda Sunscreen Soap is NOT a substitute for standard sunscreen products. It is intended for “everyday” use and should not be relied on as the primary source of protection from the sun. Bethesda Sunscreen Soap should be used in conjunction with your regular sunscreen product prior to exposure to the sun.

Amazing coincidence--I, too, use my Storybook Farm soaps in conjunction with a sunscreen.

The Omnivore's Dilemma--Eat It or Polish Your Shoes With It

2009-10-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

The newly launched ‘edible shoe cream’ made from 100% coconut not only cleans and polishes shoes when they need it, it’s also a delicious ‘all-in-one’ beauty product that can be used as a lip balm, skin moisturizer, hair conditioner, massage oil and even as an alternative cooking oil. You can even spread it on your toast! Ideal for anyone who won’t put anything on their skin or clothes that isn’t safe to eat.

http://www.pozuusa.com/product_details.php?item_id=141

Well, it's green, it's organic, it's multi-purpose, yet somehow it's absurd. The price is pretty excessive--if you want organic coconut oil to use for any purpose, I'd recommend ordering from here. You can get 7 pounds of organic coconut oil for the same 15 bucks--of course the shipping is gonna be higher...

http://www.columbusfoods.net/

I do actually use coconut oil as a shoe polish--it's excellent--and it's part of my soap recipe, and in my lip and hand balms, too. I have not yet put some on my toast, however.....

The Pee poo Bag--green or not green?

2009-10-02T08:28:00.001-07:00

http://www.peepoople.com/

It is green--designed to be, after all--

Single Use
Self sanitising
Biodegradable
Fertiliser after use

According to the site, 40 out of 100 people worldwide have no access to basic sanitation.

The Un Millenium Development Goal 7 Target 10 established in 2002 set up to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to drinking water and sanitation. In figures, that counts for 1,3 billion within 13 years. Unfortunately the progress towards this goal are slow or even negative. One factor is the rapid growth of the number of people living in slums or slum-like conditions.

So PeePoople set out to develop a short term, easily implemented solution--the result is the Peepoo bag.

At first the bag struck me as an elaborate joke--a way to highlight how little we in developed countries care about the poorest--handing poor people a bag and telling them to use it as a toilet seems degrading.

But being forced to eliminate waste where you live is pretty degrading --& living with the waste--the contamination--the disease--what's more degrading than that?

(found at http://www.thedieline.com/blog/ )

WoW! It's really ok to drink bottled water.....

2009-09-27T08:25:00.001-07:00

Well, not really--although Poland Spring is working hard to convince us that it is. Don't get me started on the whole bottled water thing.

The US has (or, maybe had, unfortunately, but that's a long and sad topic for discussion at another time) a wonderful , safe system for supplying water to its citizens. Just turn on a tap and you get safe drinking water.

Why anyone would buy bottled water has long been a mystery to me. The power of advertising is great.

But now, at long last, after billions of plastic bottles have been manufactured, filled, transported, bought, used and discarded, there's a bit of a backlash against bottled water.

So Poland Springs has apparently hired Nick Naylor (Thank You For Smoking) to do some explaining.

They now have --

A better bottle for you and our environment!

Our Eco-Shape® Bottle...

is made with an average of 30% less plastic versus comparable size carbonated and non-carbonated beverages.*
features a label approximately one-third smaller.
is more flexible so it's easier to crush for recycling.
is easier to carry.

I really like the term eco-shape(R)---what does this mean? the shape is good for the ecology? or maybe it's shaped to look like it's good for the ecology...so ambiguous.

(sent by Sylvia)

Milk of Magnesia--for Your Pits

2009-09-24T15:02:00.001-07:00

This is strange & interesting--Milk of Magnesia really works as a deodorant. I read about this recently, at the Dish. Of course I had to try it--and it is very effective. No niff even the next morning. And it doesn't make your pits chalky--it dries clear.

I guess this qualifies as Green--a bottle has to last for six months at least--and the bottle's recyclable, which I don't think deodorant containers generally are.

And even though I'm kind of doubtful about the connection of the aluminum salts in deodorant to breast cancer, they are an irritant, and the magnesium hydroxide in MOM is considered safe for ingestion, so I think it's pretty safe for skin application.

I just generally like oddball uses for products so I love this....

A Sad Little Prison For Plants

2009-09-19T06:06:00.001-07:00

This is both funny and sad--I have an image of a tech slave who longs for the freedom of Nature-- chained to his monitor-- where his only pleasure is watching plants grow in the USB Greenhouse--sort of like those severed heads being kept alive in the Mad Scientist's lab in B movies.

http://usb.brando.com/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00350

You have to have your computer running 24 hours a day to keep the greenhouse working--not too green, although your computer will tell you when the plants need watering--clever but ridiculous--I guess the tech slave is so removed from Nature that he wouldn't trust himself to recognize dry soil or drooping leaves without the word from his computer.

Organic Baby--or Should I Say Babee?

2009-09-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

I'm singling out this product, but it's really just one of many "green" products for baby....

New parents are suckers--they want to do the best for their baby--and spending a lot of money on something "organic" is a good way to do this--isn't it?

And this lotion is expensive--Johnson's Baby Lotion is $4.29 for 15 oz, and Babee Lotion is $7.99 for 6 oz---about 4x more money.

So where do I start on this one?

Ok, the word "Babee". Enough said.

And, babies don't need, and shouldn't use, baby lotion. The less that's put on their skin the better--they shouldn't even have soap very often, just every few baths. If their skin gets dry and flaky, a little olive oil massage is just perfect.

Second, organic is important for what you eat, but less so for skin care or rinse off products--the pesticides in non organic aren't going to be sufficient in a skin product to be absorbable in any significant amount, so spending more on organic cosmetic products is a waste of money.

Now let's talk about the ingredients list:

Ingredients: aqueous infusion of organic white tea, organic aloe vera gel, wildcrafted organic shea butter, vegetable glycerin, stearic acid (vegetable fat), organic jojoba oil, glyceryl stearate (plant derived), glyceryl stearate citrate (plant derived), cold pressed avocado oil, organic bees wax, xanthan gum (plant derived), vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol), grapefruit seed extract, polyhexanide, botanical fragrance (plant derived).

Total baloney--the organic tea is what Dr. Bronner's calls a teabag thrown into a vat of water to up the "organic" percentage.

"Plant derived" ingredients--sure, a very long time ago--almost every ingredient used in skin care was a plant about a hundred steps back in the manufacturing process.

Polyhexanide--why is this in this lotion? It's an antiseptic.

Grapefruit seed extract is often touted as a "natural" preservative--but studies have shown that the reason it preserves is because of all the pesticides in the extract itself.

The baby's cute, though.

(sent by Irena)

Sugar's Not the Bad Guy.....

2009-09-17T06:56:00.000-07:00

Personally, I always have cotton candy with some fruit.

I just love the Pure Fun company--they've truly got their act together. Information--it's all there at the website & you can listen to The Nutcracker while you read.

http://www.organiccandy.com/index.html

If you perhaps feel a little guilty eating cotton candy they'll enlighten you .....

Sugar's Not The Bad Guy

We're born with a natural taste for sweetness, and a little wholesome sugar is good for the soul. Beware of refined sugars since all the nutrients have been removed. Natural, organic, pure, chemical-free, and wholesome sugar taken in moderation is not bad for you!

Pure Fun has a big pile of information at the website--scientific studies galore-- and throws around a lot of terms to impress--"Fair Trade", "Organic", "Cane Sugar"and that USDA organic certification, of course. And there's a comparison of Pure Fun with regular cotton candy--

Do you know what you're eating?
Cotton Candy Ingredients

PURE FUN™ COTTON CANDY

Ingredients: Organic Evaporated Cane juice (retaining all of natures nutrients and minerals), natural flavors, natural colors, air spun

Maple Natural Caramel

Root Beer Natural Caramel

Licorice No color added

Spicy Cinnamon Natural Black Carrots

Bubble Gum Natural Red Cabbage

CONVENTIONAL COTTON CANDY

You’ll be shocked at what regular candy floss is made with! Here are a few examples of non-organic Candy Floss recipes:

Refined white sugar (with all the nutrients that nature provides in sugar removed); synthetic flavors created in a laboratory to simulate a 'tastes like' the real thing, and artificially produced Food, Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C) controlled colors (some of which have been banned in cosmetics!)

Ingredients: Refined White Sugar, Artificial Flavors and Artificial Colors (see FD&C colors below, do your own investigations and draw your own conclusions)

Blue Blue Dye#1 (E133)

Pink Red Dye #40 (E129)

Grape Red Dye #3 (E127) + Blue Dye#1 (E133)

Orange Red Dye #40 (E129) + Yellow Dye #6 (E110)

Banana Yellow Dye #5 (E102)+

Watermelon Blue #1 (E133) + Red #3 (E127) + Yellow #6 (E110)

Cherry Red Dye #8 (E127)

Green Apple Yellow Dye #5 (E102) + Blue Dye#1 (E133)

Lime Blue #1 (E133) Yellow #5 (E102) + Green #3

I haven't seen any natural bubblegum flavor yet.

I actually love cotton candy, although I probably don't eat it more than once a year--I guess now that I've learned the truth I should be scared about the terrible ingredients in regular cotton candy--sugar & flavor & color additives. I'm definitely going for the Pure Fun--it has....sugar & color & flavor additives.

(sent by AustinElements)

Yes Men NY Big Event on Sept 21

2009-09-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

The Yes Men are serious pranksters--one of the best was a fake edition of the NYT with all GOOD News--in their movie The Yes Men Save The World you see the joy on peoples' faces when they read that the Iraq War is over-- makes you cry.

So anyway, they are planning a Big Event in NYC in Monday--so sign up if you can--but at least make sure to watch the news that night--I'm sure they are planning something amazing.

http://www.theyesmen.org/

CLEAN COAL?

2009-09-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

The image says it all, doesn't it? Just dreamy.....no fuss, no muss...plug it in, plug it in....

http://www.cleancoalusa.org/

The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity is committed to the idea that America can have the affordable, reliable electricity we need ... with the clean environment we want.

I don't know--sounds good, doesn't it?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022903390.html

This writer doesn't think so--and he's a descendant of coal miners, not an effete lefty.

AMAZING!!!! Batter Blaster-- Pancakes in a Can!!!

2009-09-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.batterblaster.com/

And, it's Organic. And Original.

The ingredients DO seem to be organic

Ingredients and Nutrition
Filtered water
Organic wheat flour (unbleached)
Organic cane sugar
Organic whole egg solids
Organic soybean powder
Sodium lactate (lactic acid from beet sugar)
DiCalcium phosphate (leavening agent)
Sea salt
Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
Organic rice bran extract

The site has a USDA certified logo. But the whole idea is completely bizarre.

The thought of squirting pancake batter into a pan from a spray can being in any way healthy or good for the environment is laughable.

The site claims the can is recyclable--the plastic top, maybe, but the can is steel--the only metal I can recycle is aluminum.

	coated with pure unsweetened cranberry essence, which is removed during the action of flossing and deposited on the gums to help break up plaque.
	the floss is spun in natural beeswax to help sliding through tight spaces.

Maple	Natural Caramel
Root Beer	Natural Caramel
Licorice	No color added
Spicy Cinnamon	Natural Black Carrots
Bubble Gum	Natural Red Cabbage

Blue	Blue Dye#1 (E133)
Pink	Red Dye #40 (E129)
Grape	Red Dye #3 (E127) + Blue Dye#1 (E133)
Orange	Red Dye #40 (E129) + Yellow Dye #6 (E110)
Banana	Yellow Dye #5 (E102)+
Watermelon	Blue #1 (E133) + Red #3 (E127) + Yellow #6 (E110)
Cherry	Red Dye #8 (E127)
Green Apple	Yellow Dye #5 (E102) + Blue Dye#1 (E133)
Lime	Blue #1 (E133) Yellow #5 (E102) + Green #3