Non Toxic Vision

What is Clorox?

The Clorox® Bleach Cycle Is Sustainable             

The bleach cycle — from production to use to environmental fate — is simple and sustainable. It begins and ends with sodium chloride, common table salt. We call it the salt-to-salt cycle. Here are the six steps:

1. Chlorine production: Chlorine manufacturers produce chlorine and sodium hydroxide by running an electric current through salt water.
2. Chlorine conversion: Clorox purchases chlorine and makes household bleach by bubbling the chlorine into a solution of water and sodium hydroxide. During this process, all of the chlorine is converted to a sodium hypochlorite solution.       
3. Clorox® liquid bleach production: A 6.0 percent solution of sodium hypochlorite is combined with water.            
4. Product use: Clorox® liquid bleach, registered with the EPA, reacts with soils and stains, making them easy to remove, and wipes out bacteria and viruses. The result is improved cleaning and whitening and quick, effective and economical disinfecting.   
5. Return to salt: After household use, when disposed of down the drain, 95 percent to 98 percent of household bleach rapidly breaks down into salt and water. The remaining by-products are largely removed through the wastewater treatment process of most cities and water districts. No dioxins are formed. No by-products with the ability to build up over time in organisms are formed.        
6. At the end of the cycle, household bleach has returned to the salt from which it was originally produced in a sustainable cycle.

This information was taken directly from the Clorox homepage www.thecloroxcompany.com

Green US cities

This entry is based in a comment by Andrew (M.I.T. Energy Club) - Thank you:

TOP 10 GREEN CITIES_____ECP SCORE_____CARBON OUTPUT (Tons of CO2 Annually)

1   CHICAGO, IL ______________262__________8.14
2   NEW YORK, NY ____________ 264__________8.34
3   BOSTON, MA ______________265__________8.57
4   LOS ANGELES, CA __________271__________8.76
5   PHILADELPHIA, PA _________ 274__________8.82
6   MINNEAPOLIS, MN _________  279__________8.96
7   SAN FRANCISCO, CA _______  282__________9.07
8   SEATTLE, WA _____________ 283__________9.18
9   AUSTIN, TX _______________ 288__________9.24
10  PORTLAND, OR ___________ 289__________9.39
NATIONAL AVERAGE _________  325___________15

     *Based on a sampling of 1,062,197 U.S. residents
If you would like to find out how high your EPC factor is: www.ecolab.com
I just did the test - mine is 289 with a carbon output of 10.4 - wow still a lot to do and I thought I am good.

Fab Prefab

Thinking about buying your own home? Ever thought about a prefab? They certainly came a very long way and look very sleek and modern nowadays. One of my favorites is the Glidehouse by MIchelle Kaufmann. The Glidehouse meets the Energy Star® program standards for energy efficient homes and meets the performance standards of the American Lung Association Health House program. This high performance home is insulated with an air-barrier, open cell foam insulation, and all wood-to-wood framing joints are caulked, which makes the home airtight, energy efficient, and less likely to produce mold. http://www.mkd-arc.com/homes/glidehouse/green-living

BMW Z4 Coupe - Concept

In a recent issue of Vanity Fair I came upon an ad (actually an small booklet) by BMW. The 'Say NO' concept is designed to give designers any freedom imaginable:
- Emission: Consider our next-generation, hydrogen-powered vehicle with near-zero emissions. The exhaust is water vapor instead of carbon dioxide, which means less pollution (at top speed of 143 mph).
If it works - hey it's great. However: How many $$ is this new technology going to set us back? Will it ever be made affordable? Or is it just another car for the rich to have?

Global Warming Stickers on new cars

Beginning with model year 2010, global warming index stickers will be found on new vehicles. The stickers will specify the amount of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases produced by a particular car or truck and compare its output with the industry average and the lowest-emitting vehicle from that  model year.