P&G: Sustainability Program
Posted in: ECOrporations (Earth Friendly Programs) | Comments (0)
Source: www.pg.com
Our commitment begins with P&G’s Purpose, Values and Principles, in which Sustainability is embedded, and manifests itself in a systemic and long-term approach. We strive to make our actions matter.
In 2007, P&G established five strategies for Sustainability and set goals to be achieved by 2012. In March of 2009, in recognition of the progress we’ve made so far and to emphasize our commitment to achieving even more significant wins, we increased each of our goals. It’s a part of P&G’s culture to continuously raise the bar, and our work in Sustainability is no exception.
A summarized report of P&G’s Sustainability Program is in the link below:
http://www.pg.com/en_US/downloads/sustainability/reports/PG_2009_Sustainability_Overview.pdf
EarthFriendlyCorporate @ May 30, 2010
Compost Service for Urbanites
Posted in: Green Business | Comments (1)
Source: www.springwise.com
Composting may be the right thing to do for the environment, but it can be hard to get around the smell and the mess—particularly for urbanites without expansive yards. Much like the Daily Dump in India—which, by the way, looks to be thriving since our 2007 coverage—Compost Cab is a new service about to launch in Washington, DC, that can be called upon to handle all the dirty details.
DC-area consumers begin by signing up online. Once it launches, Compost Cab will then provide them with a standardized bin equipped with a sturdy, compostable bag liner. Each day clients will fill the bin with their organic material, and once a week—on a reliable, fuel-efficient schedule—Compost Cab will pick up the bag, leaving behind only a clean bin with a new liner. The cost is simply USD 8 per week per bin; no long-term commitments are required. Compost Cab’s primary composting partner is Engaged Community Offshoots (ECO), a seed-stage urban farm in College Park, Md., that uses finished compost to grow natural, nutritious food for local kids.
At least as interesting is that clients who have been with Compost Cab for nine months or longer can claim some finished soil in return. Specifically, for every 50 pounds of organics the company collects from them, they can receive five pounds of fresh compost and one pound of worm castings in exchange. Those who choose not to claim their share, meanwhile, can ask Compost Cab to donate it on their behalf to ECO. Compost Cab is a production of Agricity LLC, a Washington, DC-based company focused on sustainability.
The average American family produces more than 500 pounds of leftover organic material every year; composting not only keeps that waste out of methane-generating landfills, it also produces nutrient-rich, fertile, natural soil. Looks like another win-win-win—for eco-minded consumers, the environment, and companies like Compost Cab that make it all happen. Time to make some of that eco-bounty your own…? (Related: Indoor composting made easy — Garbage into gold, via worm poop.)
Environmentor @ May 24, 2010
From Bottle to Chair: Recycling of Coke Plastic Bottles
Posted in: Green Business | Comments (1)
Source: http://emecowithcoke.com
When you recycle a plastic bottle, you’re doing something good. When you recycle 111 of them, you’re doing something great. Help your bottle become something extraordinary again. Introducing the 111 Navy Chair™
About four years ago, in 2006, Coca-Cola came to us at Emeco with a proposal. Their recycling plant in Spartanburg South Carolina was brand new and processing thousands of plastic bottles a day and they were looking for ways to show the value of recycled plastic. Everywhere else in the world people recycle about 80% of their bottles while in the US we recycled only about 20%.
Coke asked us to make the classic Navy Chair out of a new, unproven formulation of rPET (Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate- recycled plastic bottles). They introduced us to the scientists at BASF the international chemical innovator and together we developed proprietary mix made of about 60% and a special combination of pigment combined with glass fiber for strength.
In Coke-Speak, “The goal of the 111 Navy project was to alter consumer behavior by illustrating the value of rPET with beautifully designed and everyday products - ultimately encouraging more recycling.”
Requiring a state-of-art mold, the new 111 Navy Chair™ includes the original stretcher (structural brace) below the seat. This detail not only assures authenticity, but creates great structural integrity. The 111 Navy Chair™ carries a 5-Year structural guarantee. The new 111 Navy Chair™ is available in six colors: Red, Snow, Flint Gray, Grass Green, Persimmon and Charcoal. Snow, Flint and Red can be used outdoors. The new chair has a distinctive, “velvet” finish that is scratch resistant. The new chair passes California and UK Fire Codes, along with BIFMA structural testing for commercial use.
Replicating the original Navy Chair in recycled plastic required an advanced molding technique, and the expertise of Magnus Breitling, Emeco’s esteemed Director of Product Development. The gas assist process adds internal structure to the chair while minimizing the amount of material required. The chair body is manufactured upside down in a special core island while a robotic function inserts the stretcher into place while the chair is still hot. The entire mold runs at an elevated temperature to yield optimum surface appearance and color. At three minutes per chair, It takes three times longer to make a 111 Navy Chair ® than a typical plastic chair.
Gregg Buchbinder, remembers, “When Coke came to me with this project I jumped on it. It’s a huge investment for a small company, but we have the potential of reusing the PET from about 3 million plastic bottles a year. That’s a lot of bottles and a lot of chairs too. The new chair is the strongest, and most beautiful we can make. We’ve turned something you throw away into something you want and can keep for a long, long time.”
Engineering and tooling design began in 2008. In 2009 the “earth inspired” color palette was selected by Laura Guido-Clark, who has developed colors for HP, Samsung and Toyota among others. The first prototypes were molded in April of 2010, and the new 111 Navy Chair ® will launch at the Milan Furniture Fair on April 14, Hall 12, Stand C10.
Environmentor @ May 23, 2010
Vinegar Beats Chemical-based Cleaners
Posted in: EcOTHER-Miscellany | Comments (1)
Source: http://shine.yahoo.com
The cleaning aisle at just about any grocery store is stocked with a dizzying array of options—and when it comes down to it, there are a lot of expensive, toxic, superfluous products crowding the market. Chances are, you already have one of the best, all-purpose cleaning agents in your pantry: white vinegar. As noted earlier, vinegar actually works as a great laundry booster, stripping away the chemical build-up that detergent leaves behind (and gets rid of clingy odors in the process). And beyond that, there are tons of other applications for the stuff around your home. Here, from vinegartips.com and frugalfun.com, 25 ideas for making the most of vinegar:
1. Deodorize the sink: Pour 1 cup baking soda, followed by 1 cup hot vinegar, down the drain. Let sit for at least 5 minutes, then rinse with hot water.
2. Deodorize the garbage disposal: Make ice cubes out of vinegar. Run the disposal with a few vinegar ice cubes and cold water.
3. Clean countertops: Wipe down surfaces with a rag dipped in vinegar.
4. Clean the fridge: Use a mixture of half water, half vinegar to wipe down the interior shelves and walls.
5. Remove soap build-up and odors from the dishwasher: Once a month, pour 1 cup of vinegar into an empty dishwasher and run the machine through its entire cycle.
6. Bust oven grease: If you’ve got grease spots on the oven door, pour some vinegar directly on the stains, let it sit for 15 minutes, and wipe away with a sponge.
7. To make old glassware sparkle: To get rid of the cloudy effect, wrap a vinegar-soaked towel around the glass and let it sit. Remove and rinse with hot water.
8. Get rid of lime deposits on your tea kettle: Fill the kettle with vinegar and let it bowl. Allow it to cool, and rinse with water.
9. Remove stains in coffee cups: Create a paste using of equal parts vinegar and salt (or in lieu of salt, baking soda) and scrub gently before rinsing.
10. Treat Tupperware stains (and stinkiness): Wipe the containers with a vinegar-saturated cloth.
11. Remove stains on aluminum pots: Boil 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup water.
12. Deter ant infestations: Spray outside doorways and windowsills, and anywhere you see a trail of critters.
13. Clean can openers: Scrub the wheel of your can opener with vinegar using an old toothbrush.
14. Remove stickers or labels: Cover the sticker with a vinegar-soaked cloth. Let it sit overnight—it should slide right off by morning.
15. Shine porcelain sinks: A bit of vinegar and a good scrub should leave them sparkling.
16. Clean grout: Pour on some vinegar, let it hang out for a few minutes, and buff with an old toothbrush.
17. Clean the shower door: Spray them down with vinegar pre-shower, or post (after you’ve squeegeed the glass) to remove hard water deposits.
18. Clean a grimy showerhead: To get rid of scum, fill a Ziploc with ½ a cup of baking soda and 1 cup vinegar and tie it around the showerhead. Let it sit for an hour, until the bubbling has stopped. Remove the bag and run the shower.
19. Make a toilet sparkle: Pour in a cup or two of vinegar and let it sit there overnight before scrubbing with a toilet brush.
20. Polish linoleum floors: Add 1 cup of vinegar for every gallon of water you use to wash the floor.
21. Clean paintbrushes: Soak paintbrushes for an hour before simmering them on the stove to remove hardened paint. Drain and rinse.
22. Clean grills: Spray vinegar on a ball of tin foil, then use it to give the grate a firm scrub.
23. Disinfect wood cutting boards: Wipe down wood boards with a wash of vinegar.
24. Clean the microwave: Fill a microwave-safe bowl with 2 cups water and ½ cup vinegar. Heat it on full power for 3-4 minutes until it comes to a boil. Keep the door closed for a few minutes longer to let the steam fill the microwave, loosening the grime. Remove the bowl (carefully!) and wipe down interior walls with a sponge.
25. Polish patent leather accessories: Give them a rub with a vinegar-soaked cloth. Buff with a dry cloth.
HealthyMind @ May 22, 2010
Baby Teeth for Bone Transplantation Material
Posted in: EcOTHER-Miscellany | Comments (0)
Source: www.koreatimes.co.kr
Baby teeth after having fallen out can be more than a gift for the tooth fairy. A group of dentists have developed a way to process the loose teeth into material for alveolar bone transplantation, a foundational procedure for a dental implant.
The material could be used for operations on not only the tooth owner but also family members, they said. Medical experts said the method will open a new era for old people whose original teeth are falling out.
Prof. Kim Young-kyun of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and his colleagues developed a one-week processing method to mill the teeth into bone transplantation material.
The powder can be injected inside the gum and within two to three months, it will successfully bond to the gum structure and become a part of the original bone, Kim said.
Bone transplanting is considered the only option for those who need a dental implant but lack alveolar bones (bones of the gum). Old people and those with few teeth left have to borrow a similar substance from animals or use artificial materials as substitutes. “Using a family members’ tooth is effective because it does not cause the side effects stemming from genetic differences. Also, it can sustain the tooth implant longer and more effectively than artificial ingredients,” he said.
“In the near future, saving one’s teeth whether they have fallen out or been pulled out will become a natural habit in the future,” he added.
Friends of Earth @ May 20, 2010
Colored Coded Junk!
Posted in: Earthly (Good&Bad) Foods | Comments (0)
Source: www.koreaherald.com
A state food safety agency is seeking to label more than 70 percent of chocolate and hamburger products with a “red traffic light” marker to indicate that they are unhealthy, officials said yesterday.
The Korea Food and Drug Administration revealed a draft plan for its system, under which depending on the amount of unhealthy ingredients in food products, three labels — colored red, yellow or green — will be attached to the packaging of food items.
The plan, which the KFDA seeks to begin implementing at the beginning of next year, was presented at an academic seminar held at the Korea International Exhibition Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
“By clearly showing to the children what nutrients the foods they eat contain, the system will help them better manage their eating patterns. It will be used for nutrition education,” Park Hye-kyung, director of the nutrition policy division at the KFDA, told The Korea Herald.
The proposed system has drawn the ire of local food companies. But, a KFDA official said under a special law on “the safe management of children’s dietary life,” which was enacted last year, it is not mandatory for companies to attach the labels.
“It is the minimal standards that we ‘recommend.’ We will see whether it is an effective measure or not. We will, then, decide whether to make it mandatory or further expand it. We have tried to solicit opinions from companies,” Park said.
Called the “traffic light label system,” the plan focuses mainly on the amounts of fat, saturated fat, sugars and sodium contained in certain products.
According to the plan, a red traffic light label is to be attached to a snack if one serving contains more than 9 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat or 17 grams of sugar.
If a meal contains more than 12 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat or 600 miligrams of sodium per serving, it will also get a red label.
The KFDA found based on its simulation tests that at least 74 percent of chocolate products, 58 percent of ice cream products and 42 percent of bread would be labeled with a red traffic light under the new plan.
It also found that some 76 percent of hamburgers and sandwiches would receive red light labels.
HealthyMind @ May 18, 2010
Higher Risks for that Tastier Processed Meats
Posted in: Earthly (Good&Bad) Foods | Comments (0)
Source: Reuters, http://news.yahoo.com
Eating bacon, sausage, hot dogs and other processed meats can raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes, U.S. researchers said on Monday in a study that identifies the real bad boys of the meat counter.
Eating unprocessed beef, pork or lamb appeared not to raise risks of heart attacks and diabetes, they said, suggesting that salt and chemical preservatives may be the real cause of these two health problems associated with eating meat.
The study, an analysis of other research called a meta-analysis, did not look at high blood pressure or cancer, which are also linked with high meat consumption.
“To lower risk of heart attacks and diabetes, people should consider which types of meats they are eating,” said Renata Micha of the Harvard School of Public Health, whose study appears in the journal Circulation.
“Processed meats such as bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs and processed deli meats may be the most important to avoid,” Micha said in a statement.
Based on her findings, she said people who eat one serving per week or less of processed meats have less of a risk.
The American Meat Institute objected to the findings, saying it was only one study and that it stands in contrast to other studies and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
“At best, this hypothesis merits further study. It is certainly no reason for dietary changes,” James Hodges, president of the American Meat Institute, said in a statement.
Most dietary guidelines recommend eating less meat. Individual studies looking at relationships between eating meat and cardiovascular diseases and diabetes have had mixed results.
But studies rarely look for differences in risk between processed and unprocessed red meats, Micha said.
She and colleagues did a systematic review of nearly 1,600 studies from around the world looking for evidence of a link between eating processed and unprocessed red meat and the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
They defined processed meat as any meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or with the addition of chemical preservatives. Meats in this category included bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs or processed deli or luncheon meats.
Unprocessed red meat included beef, lamb or pork but not poultry.
They found that on average, each 1.8 oz (50 grams) daily serving of processed meat a day — one to two slices of deli meats or one hot dog — was associated with a 42 percent higher risk of heart disease and a 19 percent higher risk of developing diabetes.
They found no higher heart or diabetes risk in people who ate only unprocessed red meats.
The team adjusted for a number of factors, including how much meat people ate. They said lifestyle factors were similar between those who ate processed and unprocessed meats.
“When we looked at average nutrients in unprocessed red and processed meats eaten in the United States, we found that they contained similar average amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol,” Micha said.
“In contrast, processed meats contained, on average, four times more sodium and 50 percent more nitrate preservatives,” Micha added.
Last month, the Institute of Medicine urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate the amount of salt added to foods to help Americans cut their high sodium intake.
The FDA has not yet said whether it will regulate salt in foods, but it is looking at the issue.
Green Minds @ May 17, 2010
Urban Farming in a Sack
Posted in: Green Business | Comments (0)
Source: www.springwise.com
Urban farming is a trend we’ve been following for years, but between the recession and the recent focus on sustainability, it’s showing no sign of slowing down. The latest spotting? French Bacsac, which offers a line of geotextile bags that can be used to transform any space into a growing, living garden.
The Bacsac is a lightweight and portable bag that can be used indoors or out, on terraces, balconies, rooftops and yards. Users simply fill the permeable bags with soil—there are versions in round pot shapes as well as divided squares for larger, modular gardens—and plant to their heart’s content. The bags are made of double-walled and fully recyclable geotextile fabric that maintains the necessary balance between air, soil and water; it’s also resistant to sun, frost and tears. Pot-sized Bacsacs range from 3- to 150-litre sizes, with hanging and window-box styles also available. Bacsquares range in size from two to 16 interior compartments. Custom sizes are also available. With prices starting at about EUR 15 for a 3-litre pot, Bacsac products are available at a variety of retailers worldwide.
Kitchen gardening, organic gardening, urban farming and container gardening are all among the top 10 global gardening trends for 2010, according to a recent report commissioned by Husqvarna. Gardening retailers around the world: Better stock up! (Related: Boosting suburban farming — More homegrown vegetables, without the sweat — Remote-controlled farming for city dwellers.)
Eco-Crusader @ May 17, 2010
Space Mission Powered by Sunlight
Posted in: Clean Energizer | Comments (0)
Source: www.space.com
An ambitious solar sail mission designed by Japan is poised for launch tomorrow could become the first successful mission powered solely by sunlight, but that’s not all. The spacecraft is also aimed at Venus and beyond, and could pave the way for a future hybrid space engine.
The solar sail will hitch a ride aboard an H-2A rocket slated for launch on Monday (Tuesday local time) from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center. That rocket carries the main mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Venus Climate Orbiter called Akatsuki — which means “Dawn” in Japanese.
But only Akatsuki has a planned meet-up with Venus, even though the sail — called Ikaros (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun) — will also launch along the same trajectory toward the mysterious planet.
“This will be the world’s first solar powered sail craft employing both photon propulsion and thin film solar power generation during its interplanetary cruise,” said a JAXA mission website.
Venus would mark just a six-month pit stop for the solar sail during a three-year trek toward the far side of the sun.
“To me it’s a very bold activity to be conducting a technology test like this on an interplanetary mission,” said Louis Friedman, an executive director of the Planetary Society in Pasadena, Calif. “I think it shows a lot of foresight on their part.”
Past solar sail demonstrations have fallen short of achieving actual solar-propelled spaceflight, but that certainly has not stopped JAXA from planning an ambitious technological debut. Even Ikaros itself represents just a stepping stone to a “hybrid” space engine that incorporates solar sail technology, mission planners have said.
Space hybrid vehicle
The kite-shaped Ikaros relies upon the pressure of sunlight for propulsion, but it also carries thin film solar cells built within its sail. Such cells could generate electricity from the same sunlight pushing the solar sail along.
That won’t do much good by itself for a solar sail without an engine. But JAXA hopes that the power-gathering demonstration could eventually lead to spacecraft with ion-propulsion engines that draw electricity from solar cells and also take advantage of solar sail propulsion — a hybrid propulsion system.
“They want to ultimately have a solar electric [ion propulsion] and solar sail vehicle that would be used for outer planetary missions,” Friedman told SPACE.com.
Yet the history of solar sail tests presents a sobering reminder of the troubles that can arise. The California-based Planetary Society attempted to fly its Cosmos-1 solar sail in 2005, but lost their prototype because of a Russian rocket malfunction. NASA’s NanoSail-D was also lost in the third failed flight of SpaceX’s Falcon 1 rocket in 2008.
A British shoebox-sized mission slated for launch next year might also test solar sail propulsion, but would mainly test the sails as brakes for taking defunct satellites down.
Japan did deploy a solar sail from a sounding rocket in 2004, but did not actually attempt to demonstrate controlled flight. If that represented the dry run, then Ikaros comes as the real deal.
True solar sailing
Ikaros is designed to unfurl its sail during its first stage by taking advantage of its spinning momentum, and then actively deploying the rest of the way during a second stage.
“The membrane is deployed, and kept flat, by its spinning motion,” the JASA mission website stated. “Four masses are attached to the four tips of the membrane in order to facilitate deployment.”
The Planetary Society still has ambitions to someday launch a solar sail mission into deep space, but its first planned solar sail test would involve a much smaller spacecraft than Ikaros, which stretches almost 66 feet (20 meters) at the diagonal of its square sail.
A refitted NASA solar sail might weigh a little less than 10 pounds (4.5 kg) compared to the 700-pound (315 kg) Ikaros.
The Planetary Society would aim first for launch to low-Earth orbit, before eventually launching a second mission that lasted perhaps weeks. Only the third mission would try for interplanetary traveler status, Freidman said.
For now, Friedman and the Planetary Society will share technological information and results from the JAXA mission, and keep an eye on their own hopes for the future.
“We wish we were first, of course, but it doesn’t matter,” Friedman said. “It’s about advancing solar sail technology.”
Environmentor @ May 16, 2010
No Buts…But Cigarette Butts Can Protect Steel Pipes
Posted in: EcOTHER-Miscellany | Comments (0)
Source: Reuters, www.news24.com
Hong Kong - Chemical extracts from cigarette butts - so toxic they kill fish - can be used to protect steel pipes from rusting, a study in China has found.
In a paper published in the American Chemical Society’s bi-weekly journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, the scientists in China said they identified nine chemicals after immersing cigarette butts in water.
They applied the extracts to N80, a type of steel used in oil pipes, and found that they protected the steel from rusting.
“The metal surface can be protected and the iron atom’s further dissolution can be prevented,” they wrote.
The chemicals, including nicotine, appear to be responsible for this anti-corrosion effect, they added.
The research was led by Jun Zhao at Xi’an Jiaotong University’s School of Energy and Power Engineering and funded by China’s state oil firm China National Petroleum Corporation.
Corrosion of steel pipes used by the oil industry costs oil producers millions of dollars annually to repair or replace.
According to the paper, 4.5 trillion cigarette butts find their way into the environment each year. Apart from being an eyesore, they contain toxins that can kill fish.
“Recycling could solve those problems, but finding practical uses for cigarette butts has been difficult,” the researchers wrote.
China, which has 300 million smokers, is the world’s largest smoking nation and it consumes a third of the world’s cigarettes. Nearly 60% of men in China smoke, puffing an average of 15 cigarettes per day.
Green Minds @ May 16, 2010