3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle's topics - tribe.net

GMO's...genetically modified organisms.....If you are NOT familiar with what is going on with HERSEYS KISSES OF DEATH check out Center for Food Safety Site below

Carmie_Raven — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:07:47 GMT

Genetically Engineered Food

The genetic engineering of plants and animals is looming as one of the greatest and most intractable environmental challenges of the 21st Century. Already, this novel technology has invaded our grocery stores and our kitchen pantries by fundamentally altering some of our most important staple food crops.

By being able to take the genetic material from one organism and insert it into the permanent genetic code of another, biotechnologists have engineered numerous novel creations, such as potatoes with bacteria genes, "super" pigs with human growth genes, fish with cattle growth genes, tomatoes with flounder genes, and thousands of other plants, animals and insects. At an alarming rate, these creations are now being patented and released into the environment.

Currently, up to 45 percent of U.S. corn is genetically engineered as is 85 percent of soybeans. It has been estimated that 70-75 percent of processed foods on supermarket shelves--from soda to soup, crackers to condiments--contain genetically engineered ingredients.

A number of studies over the past decade have revealed that genetically engineered foods can pose serious risks to humans, domesticated animals, wildlife and the environment. Human health effects can include higher risks of toxicity, allergenicity, antibiotic resistance, immune-suppression and cancer. As for environmental impacts, the use of genetic engineering in agriculture could lead to uncontrolled biological pollution, threatening numerous microbial, plant and animal species with extinction, and the potential contamination of non-genetically engineered life forms with novel and possibly hazardous genetic material.

Despite these long-term and wide-ranging risks, Congress has yet to pass a single law intended to manage them responsibly. This despite the fact that our regulatory agencies have failed to adequately address the human health or environmental impacts of genetic engineering. On the federal level, eight agencies attempt to regulate biotechnology using 12 different statutes or laws that were written long before genetically engineered food, animals and insects became a reality. The result has been a regulatory tangle, where any regulation even exists, as existing laws are grossly manipulated to manage threats they were never intended to regulate. Among many bizarre examples of these regulatory anomalies is the current attempt by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate genetically engineered fish as "new animal drugs."

The haphazard and negligent agency regulation of biotechnology has had serious consequences for consumers and the environment. Unsuspecting consumers by the tens of millions are being allowed to purchase and consume unlabeled genetically engineered foods, despite a finding by FDA scientists that these foods could pose serious risks. And new genetically engineered crops are being approved by federal agencies despite admissions that they will contaminate native and conventional plants and pose other significant new environmental threats. In short, there has been a complete abdication of any responsible legislative or regulatory oversight of genetically engineered foods. Clearly, now is a critical time to challenge the government's negligence in managing the human health and environmental threats from biotechnology.

CFS seeks to prevent the approval, commercialization or release of any new genetically engineered crops until they have been thoroughly tested and found safe for human health and the environment. CFS maintains that any foods that already contain genetically engineered ingredients must be clearly labeled.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Privacy Statement • Site Map • Contact Us

The Center for Food Safety
660 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, #302
Washington DC 20003
P: (202)547-9359, F: (202)547-9429
office@centerforfoodsafety.org

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 0 replies

Custom Recycle Can Project

Matthew — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:37:49 GMT

There was a motorcycle rally in Austin recently, there's one every year now, and it's the 5th biggest in the nation. There's a lot of people, camping, and a lot of beer drinking. I was able to custom some cans for recycling, I made 10. They were manufactured on short notice, thus they are not great quality yet. Take a look at my photos to see a bucket. Fortunately someone criticized the original saying that they looked like a garbage can, so I painted them. The logos can be lit at night. There are some challenges to work out: the spray paint doesn't adhere well even though it's for plastic, glue doesn't work on the plastic, and I'll need to work out the internal structure that protects the lighting from liquids. Anyhow the buckets are quite neat, I think illuminated logos should be a mainstay. If there are large events in your area maybe you should talk to coordinators to figure out if you can offer recycling w/custom cans, or encourage the local recycling company. I gathered about 125 lbs. of aluminum.

Matt

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 4 replies

WE DID IT! MAUI COUNTY WILL ELIMINATE PLASTIC CHECKOUT BAGS BY 2011! THAT IS 3 ISLANDS

Carmie_Raven — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:03:51 GMT

Mayor and Members of the Maui County Council,

We salute your success in getting rid of plastic checkout bags by 2011. You are joining a long list of cities, counties and state governments that have passed or are considering such legislation.

The elimination of plastic checkout bags and the use of reusable shopping bags is good for our planet. As we unite together we can rid the United States of one hundred billion plastic checkout bags being distributed by American retailers—99 billion of which are not being recycled but rather end up in landfill or the environment. And they last from 500 to 1000 years, accumulating every year.

Thank you, Maui County, for your good work!

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S.F. mayor proposes fines for unsorted trash

Carmie_Raven — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:30:24 GMT

SFGate
Back to Article
SFGate
S.F. mayor proposes fines for unsorted trash

John Coté, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, August 1, 2008
Angelo Mayorga wheels trash and recycling to his truck on... Gulls feast at a Sunset Scavenger Co. compost heap. S.F.'...

(07-31) 20:17 PDT -- Garbage collectors would inspect San Francisco residents' trash to make sure pizza crusts aren't mixed in with chip bags or wine bottles under a proposal by Mayor Gavin Newsom.

And if residents or businesses don't separate the coffee grounds from the newspapers, they would face fines of up to $1,000 and eventually could have their garbage service stopped.

The plan to require proper sorting of refuse would be the nation's first mandatory recycling and composting law. It would direct garbage collectors to inspect the trash to make sure it is put into the right blue, black or green bin, according to a draft of the legislation prepared by the city's Department of the Environment.

The program is designed to limit the amount of food and foliage that goes into the city-contracted landfill in Alameda County, where the refuse takes up costly space and decomposes to form methane, one of the most potent of greenhouse gases. It will also help San Francisco, which city officials say currently diverts 70 percent of its waste from landfills, achieve a goal set by the Board of Supervisors to divert 75 percent by 2010 and have zero waste by 2020.

"If we're truly going to be the city we promote ourselves to be, a world-class, 21st century city that advances its values and principles, we're going to have to try new things," Newsom said Thursday. "People are used to doing things a certain way. And when you change that, they say it can't be done. Well, we've proved them wrong."

He pointed to a doubling in the city's recycling rate from 1996 to 2008, but acknowledged "it will take some time" to win over hearts and minds.

"People don't knowingly want to waste," Environment Department Director Jared Blumenfeld said. "At the moment, we have a missed opportunity, which is that we're at a 70 percent recycling rate. Overnight we could be at 92 percent if everything people are throwing away that could be reused or recycled actually was."
Mandating habits

Plenty of other cities, from Pittsburgh to San Diego, have mandatory recycling. None, however, requires all food waste be composted. Seattle passed a law in 2003 requiring people to have a compost bin but it did not mandate that all food waste go in there.

"If they want to throw away food, that's their right," said Brett Stav, a planning and development specialist at Seattle Public Utilities. "We're not banning food from the garbage."

Skeptics call Newsom's plan unworkable and see it as the latest intrusion from heavy-handed city government, which has outlawed smoking in parks and feeding pigeons in much of the city.

Duboce Triangle resident Mark Cromwell, a 53-year-old personal assistant, called the proposed law "laughable."

"Do we want our garbage collectors to be the meter maids of trash?" Cromwell said. "Good luck placing blame on the recycling criminal, especially in big apartment buildings. I will stop recycling if this law goes into effect just to become an eventual test case. Dictators are anathema, no matter which side of the political spectrum they come from."

The company with the city's garbage and recycling contract also is hesitant to take on enforcement, saying it could slow down service and require extra data entry and information tracking.

"We support the goals of the proposed ordinance but believe it needs refinements to be workable for everyone involved, especially the customers," said Robert Reed, a spokesman for Norcal Waste Systems. Norcal is the parent company of San Francisco collectors Sunset Scavenger Co. and Golden Gate Disposal and Recycling Co.

"We are concerned about draft provisions that envision our drivers policing the contents of refuse containers and possibly withholding service if violations were found," Reed said. "A significant increase in time required to service each customer location would mean we would need to have more routes, which means more drivers, trucks, fuel and related resources."
Plan's details

The proposal, which city officials said the mayor could bring to the Board of Supervisors in about a month, calls for every residence and business in the city to have three separate color-coded bins for waste: blue for recycling, green for compost and black for trash.

Food vendors would have to supply them for customers. Managers of multifamily or commercial properties would be required to provide them for tenants or employees.

Trash collectors would be required to check the bins for proper sorting, which Blumenfeld said would require only a cursory visual inspection, not combing through the contents.

If they found a bin with the wrong material in it, collectors would leave a tag on the container identifying the problem. A second time would result in another tag and a written notice to the service subscriber.

On a third offense, the collector could refuse to empty the container, although this would not apply to multifamily properties like apartment buildings or to commercial properties with multiple tenants and joint collection.

The city could also levy a fine of up to $500 for the first violation, $750 for the second in one year and $1,000 for the third in a year.

Apartment landlords are concerned that they'll have to pay for a tenant's behavior and won't be able to pass the fine along, said Sean Pritchard, the government affairs director for the San Francisco Apartment Association.

"How do you determine which tenant is at fault?" Pritchard said. "Or do we indiscriminately start fining all tenants for one tenant's poor choice of judgment?"

Blumenfeld called that fear unnecessary, saying, "We won't enforce against owners of apartment buildings if their tenants don't do this."

In Seattle, self-policing often brings compliance, Stav said.

"When you're the one guy on the block with the little tag on your garbage can, everyone knows you screwed up," he said. "There's a little bit of shame, a 'Scarlet Letter' effect, to this program that seems to work with people."

Newsom said fines would only be levied in egregious circumstances.

"We don't want to fine people," the mayor said. "We want to change behavior."
How to sort your garbage
BLUE CART (RECYCLING)
Paper Glass, aluminum Plastic
Cardboard, cereal boxes (without lining), computer paper, paper egg cartons, envelopes (windows OK), junk mail, brochures, magazines, newspapers, phone books. Aluminum cans, aluminum foil, glass bottles and jars, including metal caps and lids. All plastic bottles, all plastic tubs and lids, plastic containers and clamshells, plastic cups and plates.
GREEN CART (COMPOST)
Food Paper Plants
Fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, bones, rice, beans, pasta, bread, cheese, eggshells. Waxed cardboard, napkins, paper towels, paper, plates, paper milk cartons, tea bags, coffee grounds and filters. Flower trimmings, tree trimmings, leaves, grass, brush and weeds.
BLACK CART (LANDFILL)

Ceramic dishes and cups, coat hangers, lightbulbs (no fluorescents), mirrors, plastic bags, plastic straws, plastic wrap, potato chip bags, Styrofoam packaging, window glass.

Source: San Francisco Department of the Environment

E-mail John Coté at jcote@sfchronicle.com.

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CANADA BANS PLASTIC BOTTLES TIED TO HEALTH CONCERNS

Carmie_Raven — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:52:37 GMT

Canada Bans Plastic Bottles Tied to Health Concerns
Category: News and Politics

Canada Bans Plastic Bottles Tied to Health Concerns
.
Nalgene brand water bottles had used bisphenol-a, which some studies in animals linked to hormonal changes.

The move by the departments of health and environment is the first action taken by any government against bisphenol-a, or B.P.A., a chemical that mimics a human hormone and that has induced long-term changes in animals exposed to it through tests.

"We're not waiting to take action to protect our people and our environment from the long-term effects of bisphenol-a," the environment minister, John Baird, told a news conference.

The most immediate impact of the toxic designation will be a ban on the importation and sale of baby bottles made with clear, hard polycarbonate. That move will not take effect until the end of a 60-day discussion period, however.

The health minister, Tony Clement, told reporters that after reviewing 150 research papers on B.P.A. and conducting its own studies, his department concluded that the chemical posed the most risk for newborns and children up to the age of 18 months. The minister said that animal studies suggest "there will be behavioral and neural symptoms later in life."

Not only are potentially unsafe exposure levels to B.P.A. lower for children than adults, Mr. Clement said that cleaning infant bottles with boiling causes the release of the chemical into their contents.

He suggested that the government had planned to also ban the use of epoxies made with B.P.A. and sprayed into most infant formula cans as a lining. But, he added that no practical alternative is currently available.

Both ministers, however, insisted that current research showed that adults who use food and beverage containers made with B.P.A. related plastics were not at risk.

"For the average Canadian consuming things in those products, there is no risk today," Mr. Clement said.

The government will, however, begin monitoring the B.P.A. exposure of 5,000 people between now and 2009. If research indicates a danger to adults, the government will take additional action, the officials said.

In addition to its concerns about infants and young children, the government said that its B.P.A. review found that even low levels of the chemical can harm fish and other aquatic life forms over time.

If the baby bottle ban takes effect on June 19, an event that can only be derailed by significant new evidence, it may have little practical effect.

Reports earlier this week indicating that the government would declare B.P.A. toxic prompted a rush by most of Canada's major retailers to remove food-related B.P.A. products from their stores. The company's largest druggist, Shoppers Drug Mart, took the step on Friday at its 1,080 stores shortly before the announcement.

Nalgene, the company that turned polycarbonate bottles from a piece of lab equipment into a popular drink container, has also decided to drop the plastic and use others plastics that do not contain B.P.A.

In Washington on Friday, Senator Charles E. Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said in a statement that he intended to introduce a bill that would create a widespread ban on B.P.A.-related plastics. It would prohibit their use in all children's products as well as any product use to carry food or beverages for adults.
New York Times

April 18, 2008, New York Times

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 0 replies

Canada Takes Steps to Ban Most Plastic Baby Bottles (bisphenol-a, or BPA, a widely used chemical that mimics a human hormone. It has induced long-term changes in animals exposed to it through tests.)

Carmie_Raven — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:49:44 GMT

April 19, 2008
Canada Takes Steps to Ban Most Plastic Baby Bottles
By IAN AUSTEN

OTTAWA — The Canadian government moved Friday to ban polycarbonate infant bottles, the most popular variety on the market, after it officially declared one of their chemical ingredients toxic.

The action, by the departments of health and environment, is the first taken by any government against bisphenol-a, or BPA, a widely used chemical that mimics a human hormone. It has induced long-term changes in animals exposed to it through tests.

Also on Friday, Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said he intended to introduce on Monday a bill that would ban many uses of BPA-related plastics. It would prohibit them in all children’s products, including nonfood items they may put in their mouths, as well as in any product used to contain food or beverages.

The toxic designation will allow Canada eventually to ban the manufacture, import or sale of baby bottles made with polycarbonate. Polycarbonate, which dominates the North American baby bottle market, mimics glass but is lighter and shatter-resistant.

The toxic designation is to be followed by a 60-day comment period, but there is little chance of a reversal, given the lengthy government examination that preceded the move. Because of regulatory procedures, however, government officials said that a ban probably would not be fully in effect for about a year.

“We’re not waiting to take action to protect our people and our environment from the long-term effects of bisphenol-a,” the environment minister, John Baird, told a news conference, where he displayed an array of baby bottles made from plastics that do not use the material.

The health minister, Tony Clement, told reporters that after reviewing 150 research papers and conducting its own studies, his department concluded that children up to the age of 18 months were at the most risk from the chemical. Mr. Clement said that animal studies suggested “behavioral and neural symptoms later in life.”

Potentially unsafe exposure levels are far lower for children than for adults, Mr. Clement said, and he and Mr. Baird both said that adults who use plastic containers made with the chemical were not at risk.

“For the average Canadian consuming things in those products, there is no risk today,” Mr. Clement said.

He said that the government was also concerned about the use of BPA in coatings inside infant formula cans, but did not act because no practical alternative is now available. The government, he said, will work with formula and packaging industries on that issue.

The government has begun monitoring the exposure of 5,000 people to the chemical. If that study, to be completed in 2009, indicates a danger to adults, the toxic designation will allow the government to take additional action swiftly, according to government officials who, following official practice, spoke on the condition they not be identified.

The government said that its review found that even low levels of the chemical can harm fish and other aquatic life over time, and that low levels are present in waste water.

Canada’s move drew praise from environmentalists. “I have nothing but congratulations for the government today,” said Rick Smith, the executive director of Environmental Defence, who has long criticized the use of BPA. “This sends a clear message to the plastics industry that it needs to start reformulating its products.”

But in Washington, Steven G. Hentges, the head of the American Chemical Council’s polycarbonate group, told reporters in a teleconference: “We do not think that bans on bisphenol-a are based on science.”

Shannon Jenest, a spokeswoman for Philips Avent, which makes bottles from polycarbonate and other materials, said she “wouldn’t see us challenging” the Canadian health department.

But Gemma Zecchini, senior vice president of public policy for Food and Consumer Products of Canada, whose members include the bottle makers Nestlé Gerber and Playtex, said her group would most likely ask the government to avoid an outright ban.

Ms. Zecchini acknowledged, however, that the market might already have outrun the Canadian government.

Most of Canada’s major retailers, including the Canadian units of Wal-Mart and Sears, have rushed to remove food-related BPA products from their stores. The country’s largest druggist, Shoppers Drug Mart, took the step at its 1,080 stores on Friday.

Senator Schumer said in an interview that he was prompted to act by the Canadian announcement and a report from the United States Department of Health and Human Services this week, which endorsed a scientific panel’s finding that there was “some concern” about the health effects of the chemical.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” he said. “There are alternatives.” Senator Schumer added that his bill would give industry a substantial amount of time to switch to other plastics.

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Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 0 replies

Reducing

Tyler — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:21:41 GMT

Reusing and Recycling are wonderful. But the number one thing we need to start teaching is Reducing. I do a outreach program for East Tennessee State University about teaching the importance for Reducing the amount of waste we produce. Also I'm the recycling coordinator. We have been Reducing the amount of paper used by 25% since 1990 which is a great sign for our forests.

Why I post this is Im looking for wonderful and fun ideas to help student make a difference at our campus. things that you have done to teach people in you community about the affects and changes you could do. Anyone with positive ideas please reply, anything helps.

much love and positivity,
Tyler

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 0 replies

Plastic ban a bold idea but good for Hawaii, HononluluAdvertiser.com

Carmie_Raven — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:11:40 GMT

Posted on: Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Plastic ban a bold idea but good for Hawaii

Here's an opportunity where lawmakers have a chance to show leadership, by passing some legislation that may not be on the public's wish list but is in the public's best interest.
Advertisement

Taking a cue from the Honolulu City Council, the state Legislature is contemplating a statewide ban of disposable plastic bags commonly used in packaging groceries and other sundries at retail outlets. Late last year, the council proposed a similar ban that would apply only on O'ahu.

The city faces the most critical problem with its mountains of rubbish, its landfill kept open well past its prescribed limits. Reducing the volume of trash produced has to be part of the solution.

But other islands, with their rapidly growing populations, should adopt strategies now to avoid repeating the O'ahu experience down the road, so a statewide ban makes sense.

The House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee has deferred action on the bill until tomorrow. Its chairwoman, Rep. Hermina Morita, said the panel needs to weigh the effectiveness of current industry strategies: setting out collection bins for used bags and urging shoppers to knot the empty bag, helping to prevent its blowing away and into the litter stream.

Even if more retailers adopt this approach, it relies on the participation of shoppers, who have no real incentive to bring their bags back to the store.

How much better it would be to radically reduce the import of the bags to Hawai'i to begin with.

Lawmakers are also considering a ban on polystyrene (Styrofoam) food containers now used in restaurants and by other vendors. Styrofoam causes hazards in the environment, including the leaching of its toxic compounds into the water table.

That's not the stuff we should want in our landfills.

Ridding our environment of these wasteful conveniences will require a change in our habits. But it's possible and need not be costly. Big-box store shoppers already have adapted, using packing boxes to carry out groceries.

Many Mainland communities already are making these strides. Our island state, so painfully aware of its limited resources, should be at the head of the pack, not bringing up the rear.

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 0 replies

United States and Canada's largest online clearinghouse of recycling information Dial ..EARTH 911..............

Carmie_Raven — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 02:08:22 GMT

Earth 911 Earth 911 is probably the United States and Canada's largest online clearinghouse of recycling information. Visit their site and enter "CFL" and your Zip code in the "Find a Recycling Center" field at the top of each page. Alternately, try "mercury" and "fluorescent bulbs." If there's something in your region, it will almost certainly be listed. Earth 911 is currently attempting to expand its coverage to Europe, the first step toward an international registry of recycling options.

http://earth911.org/

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 0 replies

THE LONGEST WALK 2......IT IS ABOUT CLEANING UP THE MOTHER EARTH

Carmie_Raven — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:00:40 GMT

THE LONGEST WALK 2

Category: Proud News and Politics

.http://thelongestwalk.org..>..>..>..>

..>..>..>..>..>..>
What is the Longest Walk?
The Longest Walk 2008 – a 30 Year Commemorative will begin February 11, 2008 walking 5 months through 11 states including California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Why are you walking?
We walk to promote harmony with the Earth. We walk for the Seventh Generation, for our youth, for peace, for justice, for healing of Mother Earth, for the healing of our people suffering from diabetes, heart conditions, alcoholism, drug addiction, and other diseases. We walk with the message: All Life is Sacred, Save Mother Earth.

We will clean our pathway as we walk?
The Clean Up America Campaign is an effort to clean up our country's highways and roads by collecting debris found along the Longest Walk route. This monumental task will engage Walkers in a global effort at a grassroots level to promote harmony with our delicate environment. Longest Walk participants will carry specially marked trash bags to separate the collected refuse into trash bins and recycling bins. A rotating team of walkers will pick up trash along the way with trash pokers leaving a health trail of earth in their path.

Who can walk?
The Longest Walk is open to people of all nations and cultures. We ask that you fill out a the Registration Form and abide by the code of conduct.Photobucket

Code of Conduct:
• Respect for fellow walkers body, mind, soul and personal belongings
• Be alcohol and drug free – a NO tolerance policy is in effect
• No sexual harassment – a NO tolerance policy is in effect
• No weapons of any kind (knives, guns, mace, pepper spray, etc.)

Do I have a entrance fee to pay to join?
No. There is no fee to join The Longest Walk.

How do I get to Alcatraz Island to join The Longest Walk?
You are responsible for your own transportation to Alcatraz Island.

How will I get home from Washington, D.C.?
You are responsible for your own transportation from Washington, D.C.
We strongly recommend obtaining airfare to and from both locations if you plan on walking the duration of The Longest Walk. Unless you plan on bringing your own vehicle.

What if I want to bring my own vehicle?
We ask that you bring at least another driver with you, so there will always be someone available to drive the vehicle. The Longest Walk will help to cover gas expenses as much as possible if the vehicle is being used in a support capacity i.e. transporting Longest Walk goods (food, supplies, etc.).

How can I get involved in my community?
• Volunteer with your local state Longest Walk coordinator
• Support the Longest Walk when they are in your community
• Make a financial contribution or in-kind gift – see our wish lists for much-needed items!
• Start a Clean Up Campaign in your neighborhood!

Currently listening :
United We Stand Refusing to Fall

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 0 replies

When we compost we reuse our waste and then grow Organic Produce....read on and feel free to comment

Carmie_Raven — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 19:34:30 GMT

July 17, 2007
Vital Signs
Nutrition: Another Benefit Is Seen in Buying Organic Produce
By ERIC NAGOURNEY

People who choose organic fruits and vegetables to avoid pesticides and other chemicals may have another reason to buy organic. A new study finds that organically grown tomatoes have higher levels of flavonoids, which may protect against cardiovascular disease.

Writing in The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, researchers said the level of one flavonoid in the organic tomatoes was almost twice as high as that in conventionally grown tomatoes.

Because of evidence that flavonoids may fight age-related diseases, the study said, researchers have been trying to develop crops with higher levels of them. In the United States, only potatoes are eaten more often than tomatoes.

The researchers, from the University of California, Davis, looked at tomatoes grown over a 10-year period in organic fields and regular ones. Not only did the organic tomatoes score better, they said, but over time their flavonoid levels kept increasing.

The lead author of the study, Alyson E. Mitchell, said she was surprised at the extent of the difference.

“We sort of went into this expecting higher levels,” Dr. Mitchell said. “We did not expect to find the levels that we found.”

The study offered several possible explanations, most having to do with the fertility of the soil. Organic farms, the researchers said, gradually improve the soil by letting organic matter accumulate through the use of cover crops, compost and manure.

The study also said flavonoids were among a group of metabolites produced by plants in part to ward off pests. So it is possible, the researchers said, that the increased pressure on organic crops from pests may result in more flavonoids.

Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 1 reply

The CONCERT FOR INDIA'S ENVIRONMENT film website:http://www.fragranceoftheeast.org

Carmie_Raven — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 20:17:41 GMT

Beloveds,At last, three plus years of work is completing! The CONCERT FOR INDIA'S ENVIRONMENT film website:http://www.fragranceoftheeast.org has it available as free download (there are eight parts and two extras, totalling 59 minutes). It comes in small and medium resolutions depending on your broadband availability. You can also download the whole DVD as a disc image if you have really good connection!Around 10,000 people have now seen the individual clips on Youtube, Myspace etc.I've made so many beautiful new (and revived old!) connections through this film,what a blessing it's been!So many of you have helped make it happen....THANK YOU!Enjoy, and see you on the path.......LOVEChinmaya

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 1 reply

MCs

psircles — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 11:57:24 GMT

In my county (Cambridgeshire, UK) we have had a pilot scheme operating for about 3 years, called Master Composter. I thought to mention it because it might inspire people in other places to have a go at similar schemes and campaign for greater awareness
The scheme was developed by innovative people on the local council and the HDRA (now called Garden Organic) who are one of the main organic research groups in the UK. The training has been available for all interested citizens and involves 2 days of being shown composting systems in various gardens, commercial systems, available domestic systems, the theories and science behind composting, data on growth and health of plants and soil, etc. The two days were all paid for and included excellent organic food!
The course was funded as a joint venture, but now has become solely the responsibility of the county council (the HDRA have done their job and are working more elsewhere) in conjunction with a local composting charity called the "Black Gold Project". The MCs do 30 hours of voluntary work for compost promotions, school education days, help for elderly and charities and more and then earn the title "Master Composter". The Black Gold Project also can provide shredding machinery and transportation for any community groups and charities that need to get composting systems going or have built up piles of material for shredding.
The scheme has resulted in Cambs having a rate of about 55-60% domestic waste composting and coupled with initiatives by the council (various boxes for recycling certain plastics, glass, metal, paper, and large green bins for compostable waste) with bi-weekly household collection, Cambs has one of the best rates of recycling of domestic waste in the country.

This kind of scheme can be initiated by other councils everywhere, allocating lottery funds, or environmental grants, or through sponsorship, and also can be managed commercially. Cambs sells alot of the composted waste (the purely garden waste taken to recycling centres - the green bins have too much cardboard and other stuff gets in too) in bags as 'soil conditioner' and gives the lower quality stuff away to anyone who collects (I use it as a conditioner too).

Actually composting is quite viable as a business. Waste for composting can be rotted safely in allocated areas, and it's amazing how many businesses throw away tons of food and green waste all the time.

The council are running consultations about other potential schemes like "Master Recycler", for the potential to get informed and able people into the community as a whole, which will all have the inevitable result of more recycling and less landfill.
Actually the UK government has long-since decreed that landfill must end. In this county they have only a couple more years to sort it out or pay high taxes for each ton of waste. They will be the first county to invest in an established (in Europe) system called MBT which divides the waste that is collected and processes all remaining waste into 'pellets' for power generation. The division of the waste use water (plastics float and other stuff sinks), magnets, air, heat, to end up with a reasonably harmless remainder. Of course as much separation as possible must be done before waste gets to the MBT system, hence the big push by the council to get the consciousness into the people.
It should be pointed out that some parts of Europe are way ahead and have been doing all this since the late '80s and early '90s, but at least it's happening!

In existing landfill sites there is capping and extraction of methane for power generation. The power is used to heat the domestic compostable waste to 75 degrees C for prolonged periods, so it is sterile and safe.

I'll be promoting composting at a school fete tomorrow - just part of the fun!

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 1 reply

The Natural Resources Defense Council - Toilet Paper a Recycled Product

Carmie_Raven — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:59:44 GMT

Did you know that Hawaii recycle's newspaper and sells it to China? Once our recycled newspapers arrive in China they bleach the paper and all of the bleach runs off into the rivers the main source of water and food-chain for people. Oh yes don't forget there is also trace amounts of silver and other undesirables in the paper the by product during our printing process.

In our haste to lessen our waste we are killing the Chinese while we attempt to eliminate our problem look at what we are doing to them? We have good intentions but just haven't really thought it out carefully. We need to concern ourselves with the end-result of our actions.

I am a 9th generation Oregonian. My Cherokee ancestors were also forced to travel the Trail of Tears. Other relatives took the Wagon Trains West on the Oregon Trail and settled in what they considered paradise, Oregon. Sadly, they made a living by cutting down old growth timber and exploiting the Chinese workers to dig for gold. One of my late ancestors shot and killed my real ancestor a Chinese cook who was insanely in love with my Greatest Aunt. After 9 generations of my ancestors cutting down the forest I can certainly relate tree lovers saddness and concern. They filter our putrid air, provide shade, prevent land slides that kill people and beautify our earth with awesome presence.

I love the trees they are my beloved friends and I do everything imaginable to impede their destruction. I advocate other resources for making paper but it goes on deaf ears for the most part. Hemp would make a great alternative and many other natural fibers that are already dead are available and could be a perfect replacement.

It was my destiny and honor to impede some of that devastation as a Congressional Aide while facilitating a practicum at University. It wasn't enough but everything helps. The issue was the cutting of Old Growth Timber in Southern Oregon. Clear cutting is so ugly and dangerous. Now at least harvesting and growing tree's specifically for paper is an attempt to save some old growth but not enought is being done. Awareness is so vital and even then you need a captive audience.

Tribe members caught my eye with your beauty and brains and love for the Mother Earth we have a symbiotic understanding of the true devastation and are a significant force that can and will create change. We have to stand to together.

Toilet Paper Fact:

If every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper (500 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 423,900 trees.

_________________________________________________

Toilet Paper Companies________% Recycled % Post-Consumer Bleaching Process

365 (Whole Foods) _ 100 >80 PCF

Ambiance 100 80 PCF

April Soft 100 80 PCF

Best Value _ 100 <40 PCF

Earth First _ 100 80 PCF

Fiesta 100 80 PCF

Marcal _ 100 40 PCF

Planet 100 80 PCF

Pert 100 <40 PCF

Seventh Generation 100 80 PCF

Sofpac _ 100 40 PCF

Charmin AVOID _ 0 0 ECF

Cottonelle AVOID _ 0 0 ECF

Note: You can also save trees by using recycled facial tissues, paper towels, and paper napkins which are also produced by many of the same brands above.

Three Reminders You Can Do To Help Save Our Forests:

1. Buy paper products with recycled content— especially post-consumer fibers.

Look for products that have a high recycled content, including high post-consumer content. Post-consumer fibers are recovered from paper that was previously used by consumers and would otherwise have been dumped into a landfill or an incinerator.

2. Buy paper products made with clean, safe processes.

Paper products are bleached to make them whiter and brighter, but chlorine used in many bleaching processes contributes to the formations of harmful chemicals that wind up in our air and water and are highly toxic to people and fish. Look for products labeled totally chlorine-free (TCF) or processed chlorine-free (PCF). In some cases, elemental chlorine-free (ECF) may be acceptable.

3. Tell tissue manufacturers to stop using virgin wood for throwaway products.

If a brand you buy for your home doesn't have any recycled content, contact the manufacturer. Tell the company to use more recycled fibers, to avoid sourcing from ecologically valuable forests such as those in the Cumberland Plateau and Canadian boreal, and to ensure any virgin fibers used are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Saving forests also helps reduce global warming pollution.

Source: The Natural Resources Defense Council. To learn more, go to www.nrdc.org.

Raven

Currently listening :
Shakuhachi - The Japanese Flute
By Kohachiro Miyata
Release date: By 17 April, 1991

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 0 replies

The History of Paper by Paper Industry Association Council

Carmie_Raven — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 07:55:49 GMT

Paper. The everyday wonder.
The History of Paper
The history of paper dates back almost 2,000 years to when inventors in China first crafted cloth sheets to record their drawings and writings. Before then, people communicated through pictures and symbols etched on stone, bones, cave walls, or clay tablets.

Paper as we know it today was first made in Lei-Yang, China by Ts'ai Lun, a Chinese court official. In all likelihood, Ts'ai mixed mulberry bark, hemp and rags with water, mashed it into pulp, pressed out the liquid, and hung the thin mat to dry in the sun. During the 8th century, Muslims (from the region that is now Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq) learned the Chinese secret of papermaking when they captured a Chinese paper mill. Later, when the Muslims invaded Europe, they brought this secret with them. The first paper mill was built in Spain, and soon, paper was being made at mills all across Europe. Over the next 800 years, paper was used for printing important books, bibles, and legal documents. England began making large supplies of paper in the late 15th century and supplied the colonies with paper for many years. Finally, in 1690, the first U.S. paper mill was built in Pennsylvania.
At first, American paper mills used the Chinese method of shredding old rags and clothes into individual fibers to make paper. As the demand for paper grew, the mills changed used fiber from trees because wood was less expensive and more abundant than cloth.
Today, paper is made from trees mostly grown on working forests and from recovered paper. Recycling has always been a part of papermaking. When you recycle your used paper, paper mills will use it to make new newspapers, notebook paper, paper grocery bags, corrugated boxes, envelopes, magazines, cartons, and other paper products.
Besides using recovered paper and trees to make paper, paper mills may also use wood chips and sawdust left over from lumber operations (whose products are used to make houses, furniture, and other things). Today, more than 36 percent of the fiber used to make new paper products in the United States comes from recycled sources.

Paper Products & Everyday Life
Many of us take for granted that paper allows us not only to enjoy our lives but also to go about our daily routines with greater efficiency.
From the thinnest tissue, to the most absorbent diaper, to the toughest corrugated box, there are almost as many different kinds of paper as there are uses for it.
Most of us begin our mornings by enjoying the comforts of paper products - from facial tissue and paper towels, to the morning newspaper, to the carton that holds your orange juice, and the paperboard packaging that holds your breakfast cereal.

Our children benefit from paper each school day from classroom drawings and notebook paper to text books that students learn from.
At work, office papers help us communicate. Even in this digital age, and despite talk about the "paperless office," office papers are essential for copiers, laser printers, brochures, notepads, and other uses. And since digital documents can be deleted, there's nothing like having a back-up on paper.
Wherever we go, paper is there to help at every turn. It's the bags that hold your groceries or latest clothing purchase. It's the cards, letters and packages you receive, the cup that holds your coffee, and the album that holds your memories.
Even while we sleep, paper is still hard at work providing a host of innovative paper products that help hospitals deliver cleaner, better patient care and protect healthcare personnel. Paper is at work in thousands of industrial and manufacturing applications helping keep the air clean, and providing protective apparel and innovative packaging.
When you consider the tremendous benefit of paper, it's clear that we must all continue to work together by recycling used paper. Recycling is easy to do, and it's good for business and the environment. So next time you read the paper, open your mail, clean out your files, or empty a box, don't put that paper and paperboard packaging in the trash. Complete the circle and recycle it.

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 1 reply

Recycle vs. Reuse, which is better for our environment? What do you think?

Carmie_Raven — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 00:35:06 GMT

While Recycling is very important, reuse stands at a higher importance to our environment. Recycling is a way to reuse that involves breaking down recyclable materials to make new materials. Although technology has improved and recycling is not as expensive as it used to be, it still costs money. And though it takes less energy than to create a new product, it still takes energy. On the other hand, reuse is a way that we can conserve energy and resources without spending money. Reuse also allows you to give away something that may be valuable to somebody else as well as gain valuable objects for which somebody else no longer has a use. While it is important to both reuse and recycle to help our environment, reuse is an easier, less consuming way of doing it.

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 0 replies

3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle Tribe

Carmie_Raven — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 05:19:57 GMT

Aloha and Mahalo for taking the time to read this missive.

I have decided to start a Tribe on environmental concerns....I grew up in Oregon a state that was the first to have a bottle recycling bill. I've been involved in environmental concerns my entire life. I was a Congressional Aide in Oregon and also an aide for the Alaska State Legislature, member of OSPIRG, and walk the talk here in Hawaii.

A long time ago in a sweat lodge on Mt. Shasta, I became aware that it was my destiny to do something about it rather than just talk about it.....I would like very much to put your videos and other information in here as it is so important and I know many people are very interested in global affairs that affect the entire world....Would you like help me bring the consciousness level of awareness up a higher notch? Let’s clean up the world together.

The more people become aware the better for the Mother Earth and the future generations of people. Of course I would really like your input and some of your footage because it will enhance the awareness level of a lot caring people who have resources and information and the ability to effect change. Even the youngest and weakest amongst us can recycle, reduce and reuse rubbish.

The Oregon Country Fair is environmentally sound we have a group of Staffers called Waste Warriors in Recycling. Here in Hawaii we recycle but we need to be more affective because we aren't reusing as much as we should. Instead we send our rubbish to 3rd and 4th world countries where they recycle it but not necessarily in the best fashion.

For example, China takes Hawaii's newspapers and bleaches the ink out of the paper and the waste goes into the local river and kills the food chain for all the people. Chlorine is not a good substance for our bodies so it is killing the Chinese people as well. All this for toilet paper....think about it!

Namaste,
Raven_Waste_Warrior

posted in 3Rs-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - 0 replies