July 7th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
 Go to the store and buy something. Odds are it’s in a box and individually packaged, then it gets bagged in plastic. A lot of waste for just one box of cookies!
Luckily, more and more people are using those reusable shopping bags, but according to a new survey, in the U.K. excess packaging at the supermarket is a still a major problem.
Roughly 94% of respondents said they thought there was too much packaging and one-third of people to refused to buy a product because of all the packaging.
The study compared 27 everyday items, like bacon and ice cream, from six major supermarkets in the United Kingdom. The average weight of packaging—plastic or carton—came out to 392 grams, or 13.8 ounces.
Now, I’m not sure what those numbers mean, but the point the report makes is even though many U.K. supermarkets have attempted to reduce packaging and incorporate more recycled materials, experts say they can do more.
It’s simple. Improving packaging lowers cost to the consumer and helps the environment.
Via Food Navigator.
Tags: plastic, rec, shopping bags
Posted in Green Living, The Environment | No Comments »
January 5th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
 Governor David Paterson has signed a new law requiring all New York grocers and retailers that offer plastic shopping bags to provide collection bins for plastic bags and wraps.
New York City has already passed similar legislation.
Statistics show nationwide plastic bag recycling has increased 24% since 2006. New York’s new law, along with legislation passed in California, is expected to significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste headed to landfills.
Recycled plastic bags can be used to make consumer products, like shopping carts and new bags. So retailers across the nation have stepped up efforts to educate consumers and promote in-store recycling programs.
Now, to see how recycling works. RecycleBank breaks down the process step by step, from paper and metal to plastic and glass. It’s actually pretty cool!
Via ENN.
Tags: California, law, New York City, plastic, recycling, shopping bags
Posted in The Environment | 5 Comments »
January 2nd, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
 Okay, going green can get pretty creative, like making plastic out of wood or building a Buddhist temple with beer bottles. But using liposuctioned fat to fuel your girlfriend’s SUV is downright gross!
That’s exactly what one Beverly Hills liposurgeon did. And, he says most of his patients actually requested he use their sucked out fat for fuel, or as he calls it, lipodiesel.
Yes, its very disgusting, but apparently animal fat, like pig lard and human lard, is just as good as vegetable fat for making fuel. The only difference being animal fat requires one extra processing step to remove certain fatty acids.
But unfortunately for this would-be fuel mogul, using human medical waste as fuel is illegal in California. Even still, his operation was running smoothly until several patients sued him for allowing his unlicensed girl friend and assistant to perform liposuctions, in which patients claim to much fat was removed, leaving them permanently disfigured.
He’s since closed his practice and now volunteers in South America. Maybe that’s where the real fat gold lies—chubbling crude!
Via DiscoBlog.
Tags: diesel, fat, fuel, plastic
Posted in Green Living | 1 Comment »
December 29th, 2008 - Leslie Billera
 Cereplast replaces petroleum-based products with starches made from corn, wheat, tapoica and potatoes. Chipotle has long been a fan of antiobiotic-free fare with a focus on sustainably-raised meat which they call F.W.I. - or Food with Integrity.
Now the utensils that you use to dig in to this green-centric fast food catches up to the rest of the menu.
Chipotle has signed an agreement with supply-chain company HAVI/Perseco, which will use sustainable plastics from bio-based manufacturer Cereplast to supply the chain with green cutlery. Chipotle will initially use the cutlery in its Millbrae, Calif. restaurant, with a system-wide rollout in Chipotle’s 800 locations expected in the near future.
Discover more organic food insights as they relate to latin-influenced food in our interview with Mary Sue Milliken of Border Grill and Susan Feniger of Ciudad.
Via LOHAS
Tags: green fast food, plastic, sustainable plastic
Posted in Green Living, Organic, Organic Food, Organic Living, The Environment | No Comments »
December 29th, 2008 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
 With plastic toys turning up toxic and non-biodegradable shopping bags jamming landfills, German scientists have developed something called bioplastic, or liquid wood.
It’s made using waste material from the paper-making process and includes taking wood pulp, mixing it with hemp, flax or wood fibers and other additives to make a nontoxic wax that can be used to create a material similar to petroleum-based plastics.
A German company named Tecnaro invented liquid wood, or Arboform as it’s officially known, and they’re currently working on perfecting the technique. But, it’s already being used to make things like car parts, golf tees and ballpoint pens.
And, as MSNBC reports, they recently used liquid wood to make intricate figurines for a holiday Nativity scene.
Via SustainableBusiness News.
Tags: Arboform, holiday, liquid wood, nontoxic, petroleum, plastic, Tecnaro, toys
Posted in Organic | 3 Comments »
December 2nd, 2008 - Leslie Billera
 flicker.com According to a recent study from the Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinal, so-called ‘microwave-safe’ plastic actually leaches toxic Bisphenol-A (BPA).
So if you’re a plastic-by-the-numbers person, the recommendation is to throw it all out the window and forget about plastics altogether when it comes to microwaving: the study showed that BPA was found to leach from containers with recycling #s 1, 2 and 5, the plastics numbers we’ve been told are safe bets for avoiding BPA.
So when it’s time to ‘zap,’ opt for an old-fashioned dinner plate!
Via: Plenty
Tags: BPA, microwave, plastic
Posted in Green Living, Health | No Comments »
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