Green Is The New Black

For all you fashion conscious Greenies out there I have decided to make your life a little bit easier. Previously, when it came to clothes, I practiced sustainability by buying and wearing less clothes. Trying to do my part for the planet I would forgo as many items of clothing as possible. This meant that on most days I would end up wearing just my trench-coat. I felt proud of what I was doing and I am sure mother nature was equally pleased. Unfortunately, this obviously less-than-environmentally-friendly woman and her two little brat kids were not as pleased with my efforts. It turns out that when I reach into the inside pocket of my trench-coat, where I keep my wallet, the buttons have a tendency to come undone. After they screamed bloody murder, I was tackled by an off-duty sheriff's deputy and eventually hauled off to jail.

I explained to the judge how I was the hero for doing my part to protect our planet for future generations. He informed my that I had severely scarred two children belonging to those future generations and needed to pay for my crimes. My plea for clemency had fallen on deaf ears. Consequently, I was fined a few hundred dollars and had to spend the night in jail. To further the injustice, as a condition of my release I am now court-ordered to be "fully dressed upon leaving my residence." So there began my mission to find environmentally conscious clothing companies.

Some Green Companies For You To Support:

Simple Shoes - This company uses eco-certified leather and suede, recycled inner tubes, hemp, organic cotton, and many more green materials to keep you on your feet.

Patagonia - Follow all the destruction you cause when you buy one of their products using their "footprint chronicles" and then think of all the damage you would be doing if you were buying products from companies who didn't give a ____. Be sure to check out their Common Threads Recycling Program.

Nike - For Nike, sweatshops are a thing of the past. Now the only one sweating for Nike is you while training for that marathon or shooting hoops at the local gym. And with their Dri-FIT fabric, the fight against sweat goes on! Nike envisions a "closed loop" future where the clothes you discard today will be the clothes you buy tomorrow. Nike also spent over seven years and $6 million developing the Environmental Apparel Design Tool. Learn more at environmentalleader.com.

Nau - Re-defining quality as "the combination of beauty, performance, and sustainability."  If you get sticker-shock when looking at their prices just remember the cost of not buying sustainable products.

The North Face - I couldn't say it any better so I won't try; "Sustainability and conservation form the core of The North Face pledge to advance the well-being of the planet, its citizens and those who enjoy exploring it."

The North Face is also actively campaigning to reduce global warming by supporting 350.org and BICEP, two organizations fighting climate change.

Rapanui - At Rapanui, they make clothes using organic fabrics and renewable energy powered factories. among the awards they have earned for their efforts are the RSPCA 2010 Good Business Award and the 2009/10 Sustainable Business Award.

While it is best to buy less clothes, when you do decide to update your wardrobe keep these companies in mind. Remember, if you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem. And because you have been a pain in society's side since you learned to walk it's time to quit being a problem child and make your momma proud! Do your part and support sustainability-focused companies.

Paper Or Plastic?... Neither Dummy!

Last night while buying groceries I was asked a question I have heard a hundred times. Paper or plastic? This time I said paper because I use the paper bags to put all my recyclable paper products in. I usually get plastic because I like to reuse them in various ways. I primarily use them as trash bags or as toys when I am babysitting. My nephew likes to pretend he is an astronaut. They are also indispensable for the taxi ride home after an insane night of drinking. I have found that if you vomit in a cabbie's ride chances are you will end up walking the rest of the way home or wake up cuddled next to some homeless guy under an overpass.


Hearing this question, paper or plastic?, for the 474th time made me wonder which is better for the environment. I did a bit of research and found out that the answer is not so simple. I had to think about both product life cycles from cradle to grave.
Here is what I found:

Paper

Extraction - Trees are logged (sometimes from sustainably managed forests, sometimes not).

Transportation - The trees are then shipped to a paper mill.

Manufacturing - After drying for approximately three years the trees are cut into little squares. Next, they are turned into pulp using limestone and sulfurous acid. The pulp is then washed with water and bleach. Finally, it is pressed into paper and made into paper bags.

Distribution - The paper bags are trucked to distribution centers from where they will eventually reach the supermarkets.

Use - Humans then use the bags to carry groceries to their lovely homes or double wides.

Disposal - The bags are then recycled or sent to a landfill.

Plastic

Extraction - Oil is taken from the Earth.

Transportation - The oil is piped to refineries. Pellets are shipped to where the bags will be made.

Manufacturing - Once at a refinery, the oil is made into small polyethylene pellets. The pellets are then heated and formed into bags.

Distribution - The bags then are shipped by truck to distribution centers and eventually supermarkets.

Use - Again the bags are used for carrying groceries and other items from the stores to our homes. Bags are then repurposed as garbage sacks and playthings.

Disposal - Eventually they are either thrown into the trash bin or taken to a recycling center.

Wait!!!! The story does not end there. Many other things have to be taken into consideration. What does it take to recycle each product? What percentage actually gets recycled? How much energy does each process take? Etc., etc., etc. What's that you ask? Why yes I do have all the answers...

• Paper bags take 4 times the energy to produce as plastic bags
• Paper bag production generates 70% more air and 50% more water pollution that plastic bag production
• Paper bags take 98% more energy to recycle than plastic bags
• 10-15% of paper bags are recycled; 1-3% of plastic bags are recycled
• Plastic compacts easier in landfills

Are You One Of The Dumb?

• 7 in 10 Americans don't know that plastic is made from petroleum products, primarily oil
• 4 in 10 believe plastic will biodegrade underground, in landfills, or in the ocean

Still confused? If so, I have a solution for you. Buy a few of those reusable grocery bags being sold in the stores. Make sure not to buy the branded bags with the supermarket's name on the side. I have a couple reusable Fred Meyer bags my momma gave me but I feel like a fool taking them into Haggen's. Another mistake I often make is keeping them inside the house. Keep them in your car that way you will not forget them at home and they will always be handy.

Now where is my nephew? I remember hearing him in the other room saying something about being on the moon but I haven't heard a peep out of the little Neil Armstrong in a half an hour.

Sources:

Washington Post

The Environmental Literacy Council

My Experience Being Slowly Killed By An Axe

Axe Clix deodorant stick will kill your @ss lickity-split! Well maybe not exactly, in actuality this product only scored 5 out of 10 (moderately hazardous). This is good because it is not nearly as hazardous as the mercury (10) my mother let me play with as a child and which I just found out is linked to birth defects and reproductive organ cancers (my next check-up should be fun).

Ingredients - Dipropylene Glycol, Water, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Stearate, Poloxamine 1307, Fragrance, Aminomthyl Propanol, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Green 3 (CI 42053)

Ingredients in order of toxicity (10 being highly toxic and 0 being non-toxic) & concerns:

Fragrance (8) - Neuortoxicity, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Miscellaneous

BHT (6) - Neurotoxicity, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive),   Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes

Propylene Glycol (4) - Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Enhanced skin absorption

Disodium EDTA (3) - Neurotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Enhanced skin absorption

Aminomthyl Propanol (2) - Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Contamination concerns (NITROSAMINES-in the presence of nitrosating agents,OXAZOLIDINE)

Dipropylene Glycol (1) - Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

Sodium Stearate (1) - Occupational hazards

Green 3 [CI 42053] (1) - None Identified

Poloxamine 1307 (0) - None Identified

Water (0) - Innocuous

What scares me is that the most highly toxic ingredient is the most vague ingredient! Because it is impossible to research something that is kept secret I decided to look up the next most hazardous ingredient on the list, BHT.

BHT

This is also listed in many products as DBPC; Advastab 401; Agidol; Agidol 1; Alkofen BP; Antioxidant 29; Antioxidant 30; Antioxidant 4; Antioxidant 4K; Antioxidant KB; Antioxidant 8. Oops, I guess not all antioxidants are so good for you. I should probably stop thinking that everything labelled an antioxidant is beneficial.

The best concern on the list... this can change your body at the cellular or biochemical level. Perhaps this is the cause of my growing breasts. I didn't notice them until I started using deodorant a couple years ago.I really do not have bad body odor (I think I smell like strawberries) so for me the best plan of action is to only use it when I expect to be in situations where I may become nervous and sweat more. Another alternative I have is to use a natural product like Tom's of Maine's Fresh Apricot Deodorant; because who doesn't like apricots?

The product and ingredient information on this blog was found at http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/.

My Ecological Footprint

I was born approximately 4 weeks premature and weighed in at a whopping 2 1/2 pounds. Despite this fact I have grown to be a GIANT... well that is what a detective would conclude if he found my ecological footprint at the scene of a crime. After recently taking an Ecological Footprint quiz it is clear that I need not only be careful when committing crimes; I have to focus on leaving as little of a trace as possible, crime scene or not.

If everyone lived as environmentally friendly as good ol' me:

• It would take 5 planet Earths to provide enough resources
• We would use 22 global acres of productive area
• Collectively produce 24 tons on carbon dioxide

My Ecological Footprint Breakdown went like this:

• Services 40%
• Mobility 21%
• Goods 16%
• Food 13%
• Shelter 9%

My mother tells me I am almost certain to end up homeless and eating out of dumpsters. If this happens I will no longer need to worry about the last two items on the list. However, until that time comes It will benefit both the Earth and myself if I focus on consuming less meat. This will also make some cows in California even happier; perhaps they will give me a spot in their next commercial!

Besides consuming less meat, here are some other things I will start doing to reduce my footprint:

1. Carpool to work with my good buddy Joel as often as our schedules allow (this will also save me the embarrassment of having to push-start my car at every 4th or 5th stop light).
2. Bring my own container for leftovers when going out to eat.
3. Buy products from companies and local businesses that are environmentally responsible (using the knowledge gained in this class to expand the number of companies and local businesses I support).
4. Replace the meat I remove from my diet with locally grown and/or organically grown fruits and veggies.

Recently I have been driving to my internship in Seattle at Bonsai Media Group that my friend, who is working there, hooked me up with. We are both in the MBA program at WWU and live in Bellingham. This gives us a great opportunity to save gas money, wear and tear on our autos, and reduce our Ecological Footprints.

I often go out to eat and I always feel guilty the next day when I am throwing the Styrofoam containers that housed my leftovers into the trash can. There are unused containers sitting in my cupboard that I will bring with me to restaurants.

I already try to buy local and organic foods when I have the option but I know I can do more as far as making sure I go to stores that have the most choices so that I am able to guy more local and organic foods. There is also room for improvement on the consistency in which I purchase locally grown produce. By going shopping when I am not in a hurry I should allow myself more time to search for the most Earth friendly items. In addition to this I also need to become better informed about where things come from and how they are produced so I am not misled by clever marketing (my goodness those marketers are evil!).

Other Thoughts

I will admit that I produce a lot of garbage and buy too much junk (stuff I really need). I like collecting and much of the stuff I collect is not new; a good portion of it is vintage and antique items. That being said, quite a few of the things I collect are new and much of it requires that trees be cut down, plastic be produced, and metals be taken from the ground. I know I am not going to stop collecting things that appeal to me but I can be more aware of how the things I collect affect our planet.

This thought popped into my minuscule brain the other day when I heard my friend complain that he had gone through 3 can openers in the last 6 months... To save money we often buy low price, low quality items such as a $10 can opener. I have a $30 can opener that belongs to my set of top quality Rosle kitchen utensils (that I collect). Mine may have cost 3 times the price but now that he is on his 4th one he has spent $10 more than I have and 4 can openers have been shipped from China instead of just 1. Just for the sake of laziness we will say that 3 times the energy has been used for production, 3 times the pollution has been produced, and 3 times the natural resources have been used as well. Now when he teases me about being a snob because I have a nice can opener I can state that at least I am caring for our planet.