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.
Read More: New York Establishes Statewide Recycling Program for Plastic Bags
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.
Read More: Powering Cars with Human Fat!
Tags: diesel, fat, fuel, plastic Posted in Green Living | 1 Comment »
December 29th, 2008 - Leslie Billera
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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
Read More: One More Reason to Bite the Burrito at Chipotle!
Tags: green fast food, plastic, sustainable plastic Posted in Green Living, Organic, Organic Food, Organic Living, The Environment | Comments Off
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.
Read More: Bioplastic, Liquid Wood
Tags: Arboform, holiday, liquid wood, nontoxic, petroleum, plastic, Tecnaro, toys Posted in Organic | 4 Comments »
December 2nd, 2008 - Leslie Billera
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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
Read More: Say No to Plastic – All Plastic – in the Microwave!
Tags: BPA, microwave, plastic Posted in Green Living, Health | Comments Off
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