One on One with Kofi Annan

CNN's Becky Anderson interviews Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan for "Connect the World."

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/05/30/anderson.ctw.annan.cnn

Eco Everest Expedition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKQjhoqWL6Y

"An Artist must be careful not to throw his ideas out with the trash." - Dena Groquet

Check this artist and what he works with:

http://www.langanart.com/

How sustainable are ICA Eco-products?

The other day I was buying some ecological apples from ICA (one of the Swedish biggest supermarket chaines) and I started wondering about the following issues.

The eco brand statement that ICA does on it's Eco products is a very positive step in what concerns their corporate social responsability policy, but is this done for the right motive, or is is just a sales/trend argument?

Well,the reason I am saying this it's because as I was reading their eco- statement in the package I realised that there were 2 contradictory things going one:

1- The nr 7 recycling plastic code ( which stands usually for plastic made of Polycarbonate that can contain an industrial chemichal called Bisphenol -A). Why choose a plastic component that is under debate in what might cause health risks, to pack ecological products? (read more here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172257.htm) Even if the packaging itself breaks at 58C in 3 months and can be thrown in the organic compost bin....

2-Argentina being the origine of this product! Which makes one wonder why stating their environmental impact goal to be reduced to 30% untill 2020! hmmm... Aren't there enough ecological apple suppliers in Sweden?

Well, maybe I am wrong but all this made me wonder about how sustainable really ECO products are?

Greendex Calculator

You might want to take this survey and calculate your score to see where you're standing among other consumers.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/greendex/calculator.html

Cradle To Cradle/ Remaking the Way we Make Things

By William McDonough & Michael Braungart

William McDonough's new book, written with his colleague, the German chemist Michael Braungart, is a manifesto calling for the transformation of human industry through ecologically intelligent design. Through historical sketches on the roots of the industrial revolution; commentary on science, nature and society; descriptions of key design principles; and compelling examples of innovative products and business strategies already reshaping the marketplace, McDonough and Braungart make the case that an industrial system that "takes, makes and wastes" can become a creator of goods and services that generate ecological, social and economic value. In addition to describing the hopeful, nature-inspired design principles that are making industry both prosperous and sustainable, the book itself is a physical symbol of the changes to come. It is printed on a synthetic 'paper,' made from plastic resins and inorganic fillers, designed to look and feel like top quality paper while also being waterproof and rugged. And the book can be easily recycled in localities with systems to collect polypropylene, like that in yogurt containers. This 'treeless' book points the way toward the day when synthetic books, like many other products, can be used, recycled, and used again without losing any material quality—in cradle-to-cradle cycles.

Find Out More | Buy it from your local bookstore, order locally through Booksense, or order fromAmazon.com.

Recycling: The Second Worst Choice

by Tom Harrison

Recycling should be your second to last option. The best option is not using something that will need to be trashed. If that’s not possible, the next best option is to choose reusable alternatives.

But, if you have something to get rid of, by all means recycle it! The worst option is using something and then throwing it out.

With that said, here are a few tips to consider as you make your way to the recycling bin:

Don’t Wash (Rinse If You Must)

A particularly common suggestion is that you wash food containers before putting them in the recycling bin. Just make sure you don’t over-do it (and in some cases, don’t wash at all).

Remember, water, especially hot water uses energy and resources, too.

The only reason to rinse items is because between the time you put an item in the recycle bin and when it gets picked up, any food scraps would attract bugs … or larger beasts with beady eyes and long tails. Food scraps have no impact on the actual recycle-ability. The recycling process involves a great deal of water and detergents as it is. So, don’t go crazy washing with hot water or much soap (if any) - a quick rinse should do, and only if something is smelly.

Beware of Take-Out

Restaurants tend to over-do the packaging. We sometimes get Chinese food delivered. Each dish comes in its own box; either paper with a metal handle, or plastic. Then there are wooden chopsticks, little packets of soy sauce , plastic cups of orange sauce, mustard and plastic wrapped fortune cookies … all in a plastic bag.

Next time you order out, ask them not to send any extras with your food.

Styrofoam Is Evil

Polystyrene, a.k.a Styrofoam is effectively un-recyclable. It’s costly, lives forever, and takes up a large volume in landfills. Bad.

Try to avoid using it at all costs.

Junk Mail Can Be Stopped

We used to get scores of catalogs in the mail. Services like MailStopper are cheap or even free, and work great. We hardly ever get catalogs any more. There’s a similar service to stop phone books.

Where To Recycle Electronics, Light bulbs, Batteries

Check out this great recycling site, Earth911. They have resources to help you find out how to deal with almost anything.

Think About The Full Energy Life Cycle

Some things recycle well, like glass and aluminum. Plastic and paper require more energy to get a usable product back. But there’s more than that — the cost to get the virgin materials, to create the product, to transport, then to cart away, then to live in a huge landfill (in some cases effectively forever) — all of these have direct and indirect costs. In some cases, trash is incinerated — which is even worse from an energy perspective.

No related posts.

*SOURCE: http://blog.wattzon.com/2009/03/18/recycling-the-second-worst-choice/

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Bisphenol-A and Baby Bottles - Good to know!

BPA Tips

Use the recycling codes below to review your baby bottles, baby accessories, and items in your kitchen to learn the risks by each number: {more >}

(read more about recycling codes and plastic materiasl: http://www.ecolect.net/materials/article?id=910)

If there's any doubt in your mind about the harmful effects of BPA, or Bisphenol-A, in your baby's bottle, consider this:

• Health authorities in Canada banned the use of BPA in bottles, citing the high risk for newborns and young infants. The move by Canada, the first country to take such action, has put pressure on U.S. federal regulators to re-examine their position on the chemical, and has prompted some legislators to consider taking action.
• Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has banned baby bottles that contain the chemical from its Canadian and U.S. stores. These products will no longer be available on shelves starting next year. More retail chains are expected to follow suit.

What exactly is BPA? Bisphenol-A is an industrial chemical that is used to make products including polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastic is a tough, lightweight and clear form of plastic that has high resistance to heat. Epoxy resins are used in products such as protective liners in metal cans for food and beverages.

The actual health risks of BPA are somewhat under debate. A 12-member panel from the National Institute of Health's Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction last year said they had "negligible" concerns that BPA can cause human reproductive disorders, such as fibroids, endometrisis, cystic ovaries and cancers.

But one year later, a study in the journal Cancer Research that was published by researchers in California said that many genes in non-cancerous breast cells exposed to trace amounts of BPA began behaving in a way that closely resembled the gene activity in highly aggressive breast tumors. This may increase the possibility that women would die of the disease.

Here are the main concerns for moms: Studies have shown that infant exposure to BPA may cause disorders, including the early onset of puberty; changes in hormones including decreased testosterone; increased prostate size; and behavioral effects such as hyperactivity or impaired learning. We know that most, if not all, of us have been exposed. The Centers for Disease Control found the presence of BPA in 95 percent of people they tested.

So if you're a mom with a young infant, what can you do to help reduce your little one's exposure to this controversial chemical?

Start with bottles that aren't made with BPA plastics. Some brands that claim not to have BPA in them include:

• Born Free Baby Bottles
• Medela Baby Bottles
• Green to Grow Baby Bottles
• Dr. Brown's Natural Flow Standard Glass Bottles
• Evenflo Classic Glass Nurser Bottle
• Gerber Clear View and Fashion Tints Nursers
• Adiri Bottles

If you have plastic bottles lying around the house, take a look at their recycling code, which is typically found on the bottom of a container inside a triangle. If you see the number "7," the bottle has BPA.

Look at the condition of your bottles. If they're worn, or scratched, throw them out. Older plastic products tend to leach chemicals. And avoid micro-waving plastic bottles or serving/storing hot liquids in them. Heating plastics can result in leaching as well.

And remember: If you're pregnant or nursing, BPA chemicals can be passed through your bloodstream directly to your baby. So take care of yourself, just as you would your child.

*Source: www.mylittlepakora.com

Did you know that...

625 millions of cleaning baby tissues are used yerly by Swedish parents?
For 720 000 babies aged between 0 and 6 years around 800 cleaning tissues are used per baby per year!

(Source: Libero and Swedish central stattical institut)