Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Pangea Organics
Pangea Organics, originally uploaded by dharmagypsy7.
While perusing Wallpaper’s impressive EcoEdit site, one idea we really liked was Pangea Organics Bodycare’s plantable packaging. The quickly growing company offers organic, plant-based lotions, soaps, and other skincare goods - “Eccentric Bodycare - Always Benificial, Never Artificial” - but what sets it apart from similar brands is what their products come in. The product boxes used by Pangea Organics are all produced using a Zero Waste process with 100% recycled materials and even embedded with organic seeds like sweet basil and amaranth. The boxes are so organic that you can plant them in your backyard once you’ve removed the labels and soaked them in water for a minute.
Thanks!
Labels: environment, innovative, natural products, Pangea Organics, personal care
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Claim: Never Drink Hot Water From the Tap
The claim has the ring of a myth. But environmental scientists say it is real.
The reason is that hot water dissolves contaminants more quickly than cold water, and many pipes in homes contain lead that can leach into water. And lead can damage the brain and nervous system, especially in young children.
Lead is rarely found in source water, but can enter it through corroded plumbing. The Environmental Protection Agency says that older homes are more likely to have lead pipes and fixtures, but that even newer plumbing advertised as “lead-free” can still contain as much as 8 percent lead. A study published in The Journal of Environmental Health in 2002 found that tap water represented 14 to 20 percent of total lead exposure.
Scientists emphasize that the risk is small. But to minimize it, the E.P.A. says cold tap water should always be used for preparing baby formula, cooking and drinking. It also warns that boiling water does not remove lead but can actually increase its concentration. More information is at www.epa.gov/lead or (800) 424-5323 (LEAD).
THE BOTTOM LINE
Hot water from the tap should never be used for cooking or drinking.
SOURCE
The reason is that hot water dissolves contaminants more quickly than cold water, and many pipes in homes contain lead that can leach into water. And lead can damage the brain and nervous system, especially in young children.
Lead is rarely found in source water, but can enter it through corroded plumbing. The Environmental Protection Agency says that older homes are more likely to have lead pipes and fixtures, but that even newer plumbing advertised as “lead-free” can still contain as much as 8 percent lead. A study published in The Journal of Environmental Health in 2002 found that tap water represented 14 to 20 percent of total lead exposure.
Scientists emphasize that the risk is small. But to minimize it, the E.P.A. says cold tap water should always be used for preparing baby formula, cooking and drinking. It also warns that boiling water does not remove lead but can actually increase its concentration. More information is at www.epa.gov/lead or (800) 424-5323 (LEAD).
THE BOTTOM LINE
Hot water from the tap should never be used for cooking or drinking.
SOURCE
Labels: environment, leaf, toxic, water
Monday, January 28, 2008
AGE-WANE LEAD LINK
Mental decline that afflicts many older people may be related to how much lead they absorbed decades before, recent studies suggest.
"We're trying to offer a caution that a portion of what has been called normal aging might in fact be due to ubiquitous environmental exposures like lead," said Dr. Brian Schwartz of Johns Hopkins University, a leader in the study of lead's delayed effects.
"The fact that it's happening with lead is the first proof of principle that it's possible."
Source
"We're trying to offer a caution that a portion of what has been called normal aging might in fact be due to ubiquitous environmental exposures like lead," said Dr. Brian Schwartz of Johns Hopkins University, a leader in the study of lead's delayed effects.
"The fact that it's happening with lead is the first proof of principle that it's possible."
Source
Labels: aging, environment, toxic, toxins
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Is that meal eco-friendly? Start texting!!
Blue Ocean Institute, a conservation group, has launched a texting service to send messages to consumers with the information they need to make ecologically savvy seafood choices.Here's how it works: You are at the seafood counter or in a restaurant (put that ringer on mute or vibrate, please) and you are awash in social consciousness.
You are ready to order, but you can't remember if the catch of the day is caught using an environmentally sustainable manner. What to do, what to do?
Technology to the rescue.
Send a text message to Blue Ocean Institute to get the 411 in seconds.
To use the service, send a message to 30644. In the message, type FISH, followed by the name of the seafood in question, such as catfish. The service covers more than 90 species, and suggests alternatives to options that pose environmental concerns.
SOURCE
You are ready to order, but you can't remember if the catch of the day is caught using an environmentally sustainable manner. What to do, what to do?
Technology to the rescue.
Send a text message to Blue Ocean Institute to get the 411 in seconds.
To use the service, send a message to 30644. In the message, type FISH, followed by the name of the seafood in question, such as catfish. The service covers more than 90 species, and suggests alternatives to options that pose environmental concerns.
SOURCE
Labels: eco-friendly, environment, fish farming, innovative, seafood, text
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
BIRTH MONTH SHOCK
May 9, 2007 -- Spring babies may be less intelligent, startling new research shows.
A study of more than 1.6 million elementary and high school kids between 8 and 15 found those conceived in May through August scored lower on math and language tests than children conceived during other months.
Dr. Paul Winchester of the Indiana University School of Medicine, who presented results this week at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, blamed environmental villains.
Higher levels of pesticides and nitrates can be found in surface water during the summer months, he noted.
"Exposure to pesticides and nitrates can alter the hormonal milieu of the pregnant mother and the developing fetal brain," he said.
"The pesticides we use to control pests in fields and our homes and the nitrates we use to fertilize our crops and even our lawns are at their highest level in summer."
Read the rest....
A study of more than 1.6 million elementary and high school kids between 8 and 15 found those conceived in May through August scored lower on math and language tests than children conceived during other months.
Dr. Paul Winchester of the Indiana University School of Medicine, who presented results this week at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, blamed environmental villains.
Higher levels of pesticides and nitrates can be found in surface water during the summer months, he noted.
"Exposure to pesticides and nitrates can alter the hormonal milieu of the pregnant mother and the developing fetal brain," he said.
"The pesticides we use to control pests in fields and our homes and the nitrates we use to fertilize our crops and even our lawns are at their highest level in summer."
Read the rest....
Labels: environment, pesticides
