Non Toxic Vision

Biodegradeable dog poop bag

Dogowners out there: I just found a great new product, which will also eliminate the use of plastic bags:

FlushDoggy, is a fully biodegradable, flushable (water soluble) dog poop bag that is very eco-friendly. Dog poops can be flushed down the toilet and degrade naturally, like your our own. When using the Dog Poop Bag you just scoop up your dog's poop with this new biodegradable bag and flush it down your toilet. This way you contribute keeping the earth cleaner. Be a responsible owner and go green for our pets.

"I flush my dog's poops down the toilet with a flushable dog poop bag. Most eco-friendly way to get rid of poops", says Michael Yang, spokesperson for FlushDoggy.
 
For a FREE SAMPLE go to www.flushdoggy.com

How about some designer water --- for U$ 13.95

"Evian® dresses in Christian Lacroix! Christian Lacroix's Prêt-à-Porter bottle comes decorated with glittering snowy crystals that charmingly symbolize the purity of this natural spring water. The coppiced lace pattern provides the bottle with a classic frosted feel and is reminiscent of the flora that can be found at the French Alps. Distinguished, understated and so very Lacroix, it will add that final touch of chic and elegance to every festive table."
This statement was taken from the Evian website.
Sorry guys....but this is seriously sick. Are there really people out there spending U$ 13.95 for 750ml of water? Shouldn't we be more worried about getting clean water to the population of 3rd world countries? Rather than spending money foolishly on a designer bottle that contains water? And what about the environmental impact the transport has? I am sorry guys whoever came up with this product should be fired. Don't get me wrong: I like design - I don't think there is anything wrong with good and clever designed products. But this is a product one uses once - namely to drink from it and then discard it.

Tuna or no Tuna....

A past edition of UTNE Reader includes an article called "Fish or Foul" - I recommend this one for all fish lovers out there. Yes, we all know it is the healthy choice - or is it?
According to the article buying fish is not so easy. For example:
Tuna: is a confusing term for many kinds of fish. The larger, longer lived species, among them albacore, bigeye, and yellowfin, tend to be dangerously high in mercury. A single six-ounce can of albacore or white tuna, can exeed the EPA's mercury limit by 30 %. Canned "light"tuna is a better choice. If you can be certain that the bigeye or yellowfin is caught by troller or hook and line, eat it in good conscience. Here is a great website to calculate your mercury intake: www.gotmercury.org

Here is a list of fish that are OK to eat:
Anchovies, Arctic char, Halibut pacific, Herring, Jellyfish, Mackerel, Mullet, Mussels, Oysters, Pollock, Sablefish, Sardines, Trout

Fish you should never ever eat:
Bluefin tuna, Chilenean sea bass, Cod atlantic, Dogfish, Grouper, Halibut atlantic, Monkfish, Orange roughy, Sharks, Skates, Sole atlantic, Tilefish

more plastic bag facts

A few weeks ago I was writing about the Life of a Plastic bag.... In case you are still not convinced here is more data for you:

- Number of plastic bags used by a family of 4 each year: 1,000
- Number of plastic bags thrown away by Americans each year: 100 billion
- Number of plastic bags recycled by Americans each year: 0.6 %
- Number of years it takes a plastic bag to decompose: 1,000

Environmental Impact

- Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food

- Plastic bags don't biodegrade, they photodegrade - breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food chain, when animals accidentally eat it.

                            BRING YOUR OWN SHOPPING BAG

Preserve products

Founded in 1996 in Massachusetts manufactures Preserve products (one of those is my favorite toothbrush design), everyday household products that offer style and performance at reasonable prices - and are green at the core. Big resellers, such as Target, TraderJoe's, WholeFoods, Wal-Mart are carrying the Preserve Toothbrush. However throughout the country about 7,000 retailers are carrying their products. Just go online to find the one closest to you. So what makes them so great? Well, the products are made from 100 % recycled plastic, they are completely recyclable, dishwasher safe, Made in the USA (which lessens the carbon footprint), and not tested on animals. preserveproducts.com

Green Consultant

If you are looking to make your life more sustainable and are not sure hot to - contact Liza Dunn, a green consultant in NYC. Liza can help you with
- choosing sustainable / renewable / recycled materials for home renovations and decorating
- greening your office space and integrating green practices into your daily work life
- planning green parties, weddings or conferences
- creating a green nursery for the arrival of a new baby
- updating your wardrobe with sustainable, eco-friendly clothing

Liza Dunn, 345 West 13 Street, # 2G, New York, NY 10014 - Tel: 917.658.7984
liza@lizadunn.com  or go to www.lizadunn.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.

Dress for Excess: The Cost of our Clothing Addiction

a friend from Europe sent me this amazing article written by Stan Cox for Livejournal.com

Here is the first paragraph of his article:

"This holiday season, as in many past seasons, the No. 1 gift will be clothing. That's according to a recent Consumer Reports poll. Apparently, shoppers haven't heard about another of its surveys, which found clothes to be the "most disappointing gift" of last Christmas.

Wanted or not, clothes are a more attractive deal than ever. The apparel retail industry's current philosophy is best captured in a new slogan that Wal-Mart Stores rolled out for this fall's shopping season: "Save Money. Live Better."

But in the fields and factories that feed America's colossal clothing market, living things -- including humans -- aren't doing one bit better.

No closet big enough

The numbers are astonishing. Apparel is easily the second-biggest consumer sector after food. We're spending $282 billion on new clothes annually, up from $162 billion in 1992, based on U.S. Census figures...... read the rest of the article

Have a green Christmas

According to an article I read in Newsweek "Americans will send out almost 2 billion holiday cards, use more than 38,000 miles of ribbon and leave millions of Christmas trees by the curb." I am in no way suggesting to stop this madness. However we should be a lot more mindful.

Also use LED lights instead of conventional bulbs, which will save you up to 80 - 90 % of your energy bill. Try to say NO to shopping bags offered in stores (I find those tiny ones for cosmetics especially annoying) - instead bring your own. Are you recycling wrapping paper? Did you ever think about using newspaper instead? Send holiday cards online. Or for the personal touch - scan in you family picture and send it via email. You save your mailman a lot of weight and remember it is not only about the paper - it also needs to be transported! So minimize you carbon footprint. If you have additional ideas on how you can save let me and I'll be glad to post your comments.

The life of a plactic bag

Did you know that the average life of a plastic bag is only 25 minutes?

A very troubling thought considering that a bag will eventually end up in a landfill and pollute our environment for the next 100 years. When I grew up in Austria you had to pay for the plastic bag in stores so my mom would always bring a shopping bag - most of the time a wicker basket, that could be put on her bicycle. For her it was unthinkable to go shopping without that basket - she would have considered it a waste. To this day you need to pay for the plastic bag in Austria - not much, but it is a constant reminder of the impact it has on the environment.