Living dangerously

[Image source: MSN News]
Many of us who are able to access internet and read blog posts like this one usually come from the section of the society that ensures our children are brought up in a safe environment and are not exposed to many outrageously dangerous circumstances. However not many children from developing countries around the world are as lucky. This fact is sometimes made too clear for comfort to us by news reports like the one I came across on MSN news yesterday. The images are very telling.

What surprised me a bit was that only 2 out of the 12 images were from India, my own country which is still considered developing, while most were from far east Asian and African countries. Many a time we are desensitised to the problems of people outside of our country by constant bombardment of the media reports of how badly our own country is doing. I watched image after image of kids from Manila, Kenya and so on playing in extremely polluted environs which they had improvised so ingeniously into a playground. Lot of thoughts came into my mind as I did so.

First one was more of a realization than mere thought. My reaction to pictures from the Indian subcontinent and Africa and those from around Asia was very different. I was sort of assuming that African, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi kids would be growing up and playing in such horribly detrimental circumstances. But when it came to pictures from Asian countries like Manila, Viet nam and Jakarta, my first reaction was that of astonishment. For some reason I never imagined that the situation might be worse than that on Indian subcontinent. Then gradually as that fact sunk in the second thought came to the fore. The importance of how a country or its people are represented in media. I know that this is not particularly a “eureka” thought. But I was just made to realise it once again. Countries from Africa and the Indian subcontinent (probably except India) are more often than not spotlighted for their poverty in all senses. Although the poverty and lack in India is also highlighted many a times in the media there are times when it is in the news for its scientific and technological advancements as well. On the other hand, Asian countries are more often than not portrayed as either technological giants (Japan, Korea etc.) or extremely beautiful tourist destinations (Thailand, Malaysia and the like). So when one sees images like those in this MSN news report the initial reaction is that of surprise.

Of course the main aim behind sharing these images with you is to make you aware of what legacy the previous and current generation of human beings has left for their descendants. It’s not just the planet and the fellow Earthlings that we have affected but our own selves and our offspring. I sincerely hope these images haunt you at least for some days to come … and may be inspire you to do something about it.

Green Cleaning Products

Guest post generously contributed by Rae Ann Dougherty, owner of Green Cleaning Products LLC. Rae Ann has 35 years experience as the environmental and sustainability leader in multiple large multinational corporations and is now working to implement changes at the individual level. She can be reached at RaeAnn@GreenCleaningProductsLLC.com.

Green Cleaning Products are now Designed for the Environment

Earth Day began 40 years ago in 1970. Over the past four decades the ambient air pollutants that have been regulated in the United States has significantly decreased.

Today indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air! While much attention is paid to outdoor air pollution the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U. S. EPA) has found that levels of air pollution inside the home can be two to five times higher (and sometimes even 100 times higher) than outside levels. This is noteworthy since we spend the vast majority of our time (87%) indoors.

While we have made huge strides, our homes have become miniature chemical factories because of the detergents, degreasers, stain removers and pesticides we use. The problem is exacerbated when we clean in small unventilated spaces such as a windowless bathroom, where levels of cleaning chemicals in the air can be highly concentrated. Cleaning products are everywhere in our homes and get everywhere when we use them – on our dishes, countertops, floors, hands, etc. Many of the chemicals found in our homes are used to make our lives easier, but not necessarily safer.

While the initial focus of environmental control was towards the industrial operations, today the focus turns to individual actions in our home. I currently focus on educating about the importance of using green cleaning products. While this may not seem like a significant issue, the household cleaning products industry is huge. In fact in 2005 it was a $14.4 Billion industry in the United States alone! Unfortunately advertisements fail to mention that many cleaners (even the green cleaning products) contain chemicals that may actually be harmful to the environment and to our health. It is for this reason that the interest for green cleaning products exists and is growing. No longer are toxic traditional cleaning products such as the once popular “Mr. Clean” considered as the good guys that they once were.

The chemical ingredients that are found in traditional cleaners (sulfates, phosphates, phenols, bleach, and ammonia) have been found to affect our health. These contribute to aliments such as asthma, reproductive damage, nerve damage, even cancer. Exasperating the situation is that these toxic chemicals have even been found in household dust causing a lingering impact long after cleaning is complete.

Thus the drive to know what is in our cleaners and the search for green cleaning products. This is no longer limited to the consumers, and consumer-protection groups, but has now spread to the governments, and even a few manufacturers! Unfortunately many companies refuse to disclose all of the ingredients in their products. As a result consumer’s seeking green cleaning products must carefully examine the product labels. Cleaners that call themselves “organic” or “all-natural” can and have been found to include questionable and toxic chemicals.

Green is in … in everything we do, in fact it has grown to be so widespread that we now have greenwashing, the practice of making false or deceptive environmental claims. So common is greenwashing that the U.S. EPA has just (in 2010) introduced a new program known as “Design for the Environment (DfE)/Safer Product Recognition”. Those manufacturers whose products substitute harmful ingredients with the safer ones become DfE “partners” and their products are labeled with the DfE Seal of Approved. (The DfE program also provides a list of those green cleaning products that make the grade.) Look for the label!

Finally we are able to begin to understand what is in our green cleaning products! The DfE program bases their assessment on a list of “CleanGredients”. CleanGredients provides up-to-date, scientifically credible information about the ingredient human and environmental health attributes. Because the ingredient data are verified by an independent third-party, CleanGredients is recognized as a trusted source of chemical product information. In particular, CleanGredients helps businesses meet the U.S. EPA’s rigorous DfE criteria in order to use the DfE seal of approval.

Through the nutrition labels on our food we have become accustomed to understand what we are eating. Now we can do the same for our green cleaning products. Look for the DfE label!

© 2010 by Rae Ann Dougherty

Be Simple … Apparel

Guest post generously contributed by Will Bildsten, a 14 year old entrepreneur who wants to make a difference in this world by being simple, founder and owner of Be Simple Apparel. You can follow and support this simple initiative on Facebook and Twitter.

Being simple to make a difference

I must admit, I have always wanted things to be simpler. I have bipolar disorder. Life can be a bumpy road for me. Heck, the littlest bumps on the road can really affect me. I have always wanted to be nicer to myself about my mistakes. I have always wanted to handle every day situations like everyone else. I have always always wanted to live life without any erratic bumps on the road. Who knew at age 14, I, Will Bildsten, would start a t-shirt company eventually to be named Be Simple Apparel?

It was a regular day, and I opened up Microsoft Word. I wrote in a big, sans-serif font: Be Simple. Although I generally try to avoid printing, I decided to print this. I taped it on my bedroom door. I left it there and lived my life. Eventually, I wanted to do something with the idea of being simple. I started sketching. I experimented with different designs to express being simple. I decided that in order to fully express being simple, I needed a color (black) and a symbol (the ying-yang) to add more depth. I changed it a bit and created my final concept. I was able to get Ned, who works with my dad, to digitalize the designs.

Later on, I started to wonder how I could express this design. I eventually concluded that t-shirts are expressive, therefore perfect for the job. After researching t-shirts, I realized that cotton is full of pesticides, and polyester is technically oil. I needed to find a material that would be green yet comfortable. I weighed three fabrics: hemp, bamboo, and organic cotton. Hemp is environmentally friendly, but it is too rough. Bamboo, in fact, is awful for the environment, due to its manufacturing processes. I concluded that organic cotton was perfect: comfy enough and green enough. Next, I researched suppliers. After searching for hours, I found Organic Apparel: organic cotton tees that are made in the USA. I could print the tees using water-based inks at DSPE (Denver Screen Printing & Embroidery).

I knew that the t-shirts would be eco-friendly and union-made, but I still had work to do: that legal stuff. I, of course, learned a lot while I was forming an LLC and setting up state taxes. Eventually, I had everything together, but then my dad’s co-workers–working at an ad agency–confronted me that the design needed work. Hence, my new designs were created. And yes, designs. I expanded my line with even more simple messages: be green, be compassionate, be inspired, be peaceful, and be happy. I also changed the design philosophy, resulting in only displaying “be” with a symbol inside the letter b. Each be has its own color, further representing its philosophy. Next, I finished made website and set up all of the social networks. Finally, we set up a charity program to allocate 2% of sales to help relieve Haiti (through the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund). In the end, everything was ready, so we ordered the first 100 tees and planned a launch party for us to introduce and sell our first products.

The launch party was a success. All of my friends and family came. We (me, my mom, and my dad) properly represented the brand in every way. Next, we would have to fulfill pre-orders at the party and start selling online.

Now, our second batch of t-shirts came, and I am working to spread the word of Be Simple Apparel. Business is good for a recession, and the business has really helped me to be simple, be green, be compassionate, be peaceful, be inspired, and be happy. This experience has shaped me in so many ways. I am going to have to improve my business in every possible way. I am also going to have to get the t-shirts selling in retail stores. Oh, and I’ll be 15 soon … darn.

Greenseekers: Green directory for Australia

Guest post generously contributed by Linda Parker, Managing Director of Greenseekers.

Greenseekers is a new online platform for all green operators across Australia, offering facilities for Job Search, Volunteering, Training, Contracts and Tenders, a Green Business Directory and a place to find and advertise Green Events for all industries.

Greenseekers has been created to break down the barriers and open greener employment opportunities to everyone. A wide range of skills are necessary to fulfil all requirements of industry, be it a cleaner, an accountant, tradesman or engineer. Greener jobs can also be found within companies that choose to operate more traditional product manufacturing and services in a more sustainable manner.

Greenseekers emphasises its ‘for everyone’ ideal, from the strongly dedicated ‘greenie’, to the everyday people making small changes on their way to a cleaner more sustainable future.

A little about the founder of Greenseekers; Linda Parker – Managing Director

Having grown up on the land, I have always had a passion for the correct management of the environment. Over the past eight years I have studied and worked within the renewable energy and energy efficiency industry, striving to bring a greater awareness to everyone. During this time I have encountered difficulty finding appropriate, further training, suitable employment, conscious contractors and passionate employees. Noticing I was not alone and that there were a growing number of traditionally skilled people with the desire to work for someone greener, enabling them to go home at the end of the day with a clear conscience, I set out to create Greenseekers with the help of my partners.

Greenseekers is designed to help everyone save time on searching, by cutting down on having to sift the non- green to get to the green. Leaving more time to get to what is really important.

Greenseekers is far more than just a job search website. So why not log on today to see what this new service has to offer you.

Eco-friendly nappies: My green nappy

Guest post generously contributed by Charndra Pile, Founder and owner of  ‘My green nappy’ initiative. Charndra lives in Australia with her husband and two sons. Her interest in eco-friendly parenting is explored in several sites, beginning with Tribal Baby, which evolved into 2 Part Time EC sites for parents interested in Baby Pottying, and now has grown to include My Green Nappy, an advocacy site about modern cloth and eco-friendly disposable nappies.

My green nappy: Do YOU have one?

My Green Nappy explores the world of modern cloth and eco-friendly disposable nappies, putting you in touch with a wealth of wisdom and experience of nappy makers, sellers and users.

What makes My Green Nappy unique is that we are all working *together* for our planet, to save you time, money and to promote and encourage eco friendlier choices. It’s an advocacy site educating about environmentally friendlier options in baby nappies, and branches into other areas as well.

No finger-pointing environmentalism, just gentle encouragement – do what you can, think about where you can add in new ways to be that little bit greener in ways that suit your family right now – more will come naturally in time. The collective resources on My Green Nappy will help open your mind to the many alternatives to disposable nappies and other baby products.

My Green Nappy’s mission is to see that every baby ‘down under’ has that one green nappy to wear. It’s a simple idea – that for each baby there is the option at any time to use a washable nappy rather than a disposable one – but as we all know, from little beginnings is where change starts. In this case, nappy change!

Our mission is to strive towards every baby having at least one ‘green’ nappy to wear, keeping a throwaway disposable out of the environment each time it is worn. With over 300 thousand babies born in Australia and New Zealand each year, that one green nappy will make a difference!

Members can win a unique “Green Promise Nappy”, one of a hundred that will be donated on behalf of the Earth to reduce nappy waste and promote greener nappy choices in our communities. New ones will be on offer each season. This is the ‘100 Green Promise Nappies Initiative’, another of the simple ideas to promote modern reusable nappies and the businesses who offer them to you.

We want to inspire and encourage you to use washable nappies.

Washable Nappies benefit you, your baby, your budget – and the Earth – and that’s what My Green Nappy is about – More Green Nappies for the Earth.

Three resources I’d like you to have a look at are:

•  The Green Promise Nappy Gallery – our first nappies are on display, and will be available to register to win from June.
• A Modern Cloth mini-trend gallery – these are a great way to see at a glance the wide range of cloth nappies available at some of the 320+ shops listed at the site. Pick a theme, such as ‘Girly Nappies’ and see what is on offer out there! The pictures link to the shops where the nappy comes from.
• Some collective wisdom from Your Nappy Doula’s. These are unique, info-packed articles with contributions from a wide range of nappy retailers.

Recycle craft: RetroGrandma Audrey

Guest post generously contributed by Audrey, amazingly talented recycle craftswoman and owner of the RetroGrandma and A blast from the past Etsy stores.

Handmade items have a soul and enrich our lives in a way that mass-produced items simply can’t. Even though I have a professional life and career I value, I love my creative side even more. Crafting for me is not only a hobby, but it’s my relaxation time. My mind is never still. I’m always thinking of what I can recycle and create next.

I’ve been crafting since I was very young. My mother was an amazing crafter and I just followed her great talent. I made most of my gifts and sewed most of my children’s clothing. Now I create unique items and sell them online. Enjoy the slideshow below to see some of the items I create.

I’ve had an ebay store since 2003 with all my collectibles. But then I heard about Etsy “All Things Handmade”. So I decided to open up a shop with just a few of my handmade items in 2007. Etsy is such a friendly community of sellers and buyers.

My husband is a collector of records and it so it all started with the abundance of vinyl in our house and I decided to melt a few to make some bowls, which are quite popular. Then I came up with a pattern to make a handbag out of the covers. I didn’t want to use rivets (that so many use) to cover the great artwork, so I created my own pattern of sewing vinyl around the covers. The handbags are very strong and durable, yet very soft and light. My daughter uses hers as a grocery handbag and carries a lot of weight in it and it’s still holding up very well.

From there I found that books can also be made into handbags. They are much more complicated to make than the record purses, but I never get tired of making them. Extra time is taken to choose the right material and accessories to match each book. Each one is so unique and one-of-a kind. I’m addicted to making these handbags. My most popular handbags sold are the Nancy Drew books. Watch heads turn as you walk down the street with one of these whimsical handbags! You’ll be sure to get noticed!

I have expanded in creating variety unique items by recycling books and records. I make record containers, clocks, and earring holders. From books I create hollow security safes, wallets, and desk clocks. Be sure to spark conversation with any one of these items! They all make such unique gifts. Great for the “hard to buy for” person! One feedback I received from a customer who purchased one of my book handbags was “My mother said this was the best gift she has ever received”. Hearing these comments makes me feel so good inside.

I never thought my hobby would turn out to be a business. Sales grew and I do many custom orders also. Favourite books have been mailed to me to create handbags. I had a magazine cover once mailed to me and I made a handbag from it. The customer’s friend was on the front page of the cover and she thought this would make a unique gift for her. I’ve done wholesale orders for some retailers also. I have customers from all over the world.

Good photos are a must when listing an item. This took some time for me to perfect. You need a good camera, good lighting and then a program to edit each photo. I made it to the Front Page of Etsy on 4 different occasions since I opened up shop. It’s an honor to get chosen for the Front Page, so I was extremely thrilled!

I decided to name myself RetroGrandma because I love the retro era and I’m a grandma of 6 beautiful grandchildren. My family means the world to me. I’m a full time Administrative Assistant at an elementary school, which I’ve worked at for 25 years now. I have four online shops where I sell my items. My husband and I love to seek out treasures at flea markets, garage sales and thrift shops. I also have a vintage shop on etsy – A BLAST FROM THE PAST! Here we share our treasures with the world – toys, games, kitchenware, decorative collectibles, lamps, clocks, & clothing.

I’m a busy RetroGrandma! But I wouldn’t have it any other way as I can never sit idle.

Changent Ocean Robbins

[Image source]

In the 70s, a child is born in a 1-room log cabin on a tiny island off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. His parents built that cabin themselves, grew most of their own food and lived on less than $500 per year. The child grew up with few material possessions but had clean air, clean water, time with my mom and dad and beautiful nature all around. He grew up with deep love for nature and the Earth. Then in the 1980s, his family moved to California. His dad’s book called Diet for a New America, one of the first books to show how our food choices affect not just our health and happiness but also the future of life on Earth, became a runaway success and brought the much needed financial security to his family. The little boy’s life could have been a very different story had his father not decided to work for the growth of compassion and healing in the world and walked away from the fame and fortune of the world’s largest ice cream company that his family owned. But then, this boy wouldn’t have recognised, at a young age of 15, that the planetary bio-system was deteriorating rapidly under the impact of human activities and that he had to do something about it. He wouldn’t have started a project to help young people make a difference in the world, that would later become YES!, and reach half a million students in high schools in more than 40 US states in the first half of the 1990’s.

I am talking about Ocean Robbins, co-founder of YES!, son of John Robbins, one of the first “food revolutionaries” in the US and grandson of the owner and founder of Baskin-Robbins or 31 flavours. Yes, I know it is quite an incredible story and that is exactly why I have decided to feature Ocean and YES! in my Changents post for this fortnight. Ocean’s upbringing had made him a very different human being which showed through his early entrepreneurial ventures like the ‘Ocean’s natural bakery’ that he started at the age of 10. By the age of 15 he was already facilitating summits on environmental concerns and writing for national magazines. And around this time he, along with friend Ryan Eliason, started a project to help young people make a difference in the world. They organized a national tour, speaking to school assemblies about the environment and what their peers could do to make a difference. Along the way more enthusiastic young people join them and with tens of thousands of dollars raised, YES! was launched as an organization. Over the years Ocean and YES! have experienced the realities and struggles of many different kinds of communities. And this has prompted them time and again to keep broadening their definition of the environment to include people as well as the planet.

It has also been an eye-opening journey for Ocean to see and experience firsthand the great divide between the haves and have-nots in our society that prevails even today. He says it made him rethink about his own place in the world. The lifestyle he had taken for granted as a white, heterosexual male with a US passport and financial sufficiency now looked like a privilege. Along with this inner struggle Ocean’s life has brought him challenges in various shapes and forms. But his positive attitude towards their purpose in his life only makes him stand out even more as compassionate human being. Taking care of the special developmental needs of his twin sons, River and Bodhi, acts for him as a reminder of the simple healing beauty of love, and of what really matters most in life. The rude and devastating first-hand encounter his family had with the economic meltdown in December 2008 made his family’s life savings disappear overnight in Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. This has meant a lot of rethinking and adjustment of lifestyle for Ocean and his family. It has lead him to the conclusion that perhaps life, is mostly about what we do with whatever is given to us. In Ocean’s own words,

“[…] sometimes it has seemed a heroic achievement just to make it through the day. Caring for my sons’ special needs while directing an organization and trying to help a generation respond to the madness and violence of our times… There is never enough time to do all the things I want to, so I get to practice doing the best I can with the time I have, and letting the rest go by.”

I am privileged to have come across such a compassionate and dynamic individual and decided to ask him to share with us what has been his greatest challenge or most valuable experience during his work with YES! This is what Ocean has shared with us.

We live in a world with profound gaps in access to resources, opportunities, and liberty. Ours is a world with deep divisions along lines like race, class, power, nationality and religion. Ours is a world where the use of people and the planet for short-term monetary gain have enabled massive wealth to concentrate in ever fewer hands, while hunger and malnutrition take the lives of thousands of children daily.
As a white American male, born into a loving and supportive family in which all of my basic material were met, I see the world in a manner that is influenced by the privileges I have known. As a bridgebuilder whose life and work are about building authentic partnerships across historic divides, I must see the world not only through my own lens, but also learn to identify with the problems, work and dreams of people from many different places and perspectives. Sometimes, that is hard.
When I started YES!, we called our org
anization Youth for Environmental Sanity, and we wanted to mobilize young people to take positive action on behalf of the future of life on Earth. So we organized a national tour, speaking to school assemblies about the environment. As we travelled the United States, I kept finding that the environment meant different things to different people. To some, the environment was trees and blue sky, but to others, the environment was gangs and concrete and trying to get home from school without getting shot.
So we kept having to broaden our definition of the environment, to include people as well as the planet. And I had to recognize that it is a privilege to think about the long term — something that can be very hard for people who are on the edge of survival in the here and now. If your house is on fire, you don’t think about saving water for the next drought. You do whatever you’ve got to do to increase your chances of survival. Issues like global warming, or a resource consumption overshoot, have a profound impact on the world we share. And yet they can feel removed to folks whose day to day needs are so urgent.
Whatever our context, however, I learned that to be an environmentalist is to cease being a victim of the problems around us, and to become an active participant in making things better. Some people take positive action by cleaning up trash or organizing carpooling ventures, and others by working for gang truces or green jobs in urban communities. It all matters, and it’s all part of a broad and diverse movement that is changing the face of our world.
I have come to believe that there are more than six billion parts to play in the healing of our world. Whatever our background, whatever privileges we have know, and whatever traumas we have endured, we all have some vital and unique contribution to make. Our histories, and our destinies, are each unique. And they are each vital in enabling us to do what we are here to do.

  

 

I do 30

This is a real quick post about a simple but valuable campaign/message that I came across called ‘I do 30’. The ‘I do 30’ campaign was started in Denmark by the bio-innovation company Novozymes, who creates the enzymes that makes it possible to wash your clothes at low temperatures. ‘I do 30’ is about those small climate friendly choices you can make in your everyday life to make a bigger change. Almost all of us wash clothes in hot water of temperature around 60 degrees C.

An environmental social media campaign called ‘I do 30’encourages people across the world to turn down the temperature on their laundry to 30 degrees C in order to save CO2. If you are at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP15) you will see them move around the streets of Copenhagen with speech bubbles, hoping the ‘I do 30’ statements will reach the leaders of the world. These bubbles have statements from the campaign supporters from around the world saying why “they do 30”.

This weekend, the Danish Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, was presented with more than 15,000 supporters of the campaign. And the Danish Crown Prince was also handed over a ‘I do 30’ washing machine. Check out the video and photos. If you want to know more about this campaign and participate, check out their website, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Once of the few environmentally conscious groups that are making good use of the immense power of social media to reach out to people.

Unmentionables

Image via Wikipedia

This link post comes straight from an email newsletter I recieved from Treehugger. As the title of the post says, all these links share articles about the “unmentionables” like human, cow and horse excreta and sink and shower water (not so unmentionable). But they all deal with the enviroment-friendly angle of them. So I suggest you read them.

• The Peepoo is a biodegradable single use toilet bag that could revolutionize developing world sanitation.
• A German town gets 40% of its power from cow and horse manure.
• Greywater Guerrillas help convert sink and shower water to yard irrigation water.

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• Loowatt: The Benefits Of Pooping In a Toilet Made From Poop [Toilets] (gizmodo.com)
• The Greener Gardening Idea: Drip Irrigation or Xeriscaping? (treehugger.com)

TED Tuesday: Seas of plastic

Capt. Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation first discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — an endless floating waste of plastic trash. Now he’s drawing attention to the growing, choking problem of plastic debris in our seas.

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• Growth of ocean ‘garbage patch’ alarms experts (msnbc.msn.com)