Category Archives: ~ Live green Promote green Business/Political Action

~ In the Library, ~ Live green Promote green Business/Political Action

In the Library ~ Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson ~


repost

Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring“, an early voice for our environment in 1962 

Silent Spring

 See why Carson’s analysis is more relevant now than ever.Buy Silent Spring at Amazon.com     

Rachel Carson, writer, scientist, and ecologist, grew up simply in the rural river town of Springdale, Pennsylvania. Her mother bequeathed to her a life-long love of nature and the living world that Rachel expressed first as a writer and later as a student of marine biology. Carson graduated from Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham College) in 1929, studied at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, and received her MA in zoology from Johns Hopkins University in 1932.

She was hired by the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries to write radio scripts during the Depression and supplemented her income writing feature articles on natural history for the Baltimore Sun. She began a fifteen-year career in the federal service as a scientist and editor in 1936 and rose to become Editor-in-Chief of all publications for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

She wrote pamphlets on conservation and natural resources and edited scientific articles, but in her free time turned her government research into lyric prose, first as an article “Undersea” (1937, for the Atlantic Monthly), and then in a book, Under the Sea-wind (1941). In 1952 she published her prize-winning study of the ocean, The Sea Around Us, which was followed by The Edge of the Sea in 1955. These books constituted a biography of the ocean and made Carson famous as a naturalist and science writer for the public. Carson resigned from government service in 1952 to devote herself to her writing.

She wrote several other articles designed to teach people about the wonder and beauty of the living world, including “Help Your Child to Wonder,” (1956) and “Our Ever-Changing Shore” (1957), and planned another book on the ecology of life. Embedded within all of Carson’s writing was the view that human beings were but one part of nature distinguished primarily by their power to alter it, in some cases irreversibly.

Disturbed by the profligate use of synthetic chemical pesticides after World War II, Carson reluctantly changed her focus in order to warn the public about the long term effects of misusing pesticides. In Silent Spring (1962) she challenged the practices of agricultural scientists and the government, and called for a change in the way humankind viewed the natural world.

Carson was attacked by the chemical industry and some in government as an alarmist, but courageously spoke out to remind us that we are a vulnerable part of the natural world subject to the same damage as the rest of the ecosystem. Testifying before Congress in 1963, Carson called for new policies to protect human health and the environment. Rachel Carson died in 1964 after a long battle against breast cancer. Her witness for the beauty and integrity of life continues to inspire new generations to protect the living world and all its creatures.

~ Live green Promote green Business/Political Action

These jeans were made of garbage … repost

2 Comments

WASTE < LESS: THESE JEANS ARE MADE OF GARBAGE
8 BOTTLES. 1 JEAN. INNOVATIVE, SUSTAINABLE JEANS MADE FROM AT LEAST 20% POST CONSUMER RECYCLED CONTENT.
SHOP THE COLLECTION LEARN ABOUT WASTE<LESS™

The idea of buying Jeans made from garbage is exciting, but it was kind of sad to hear after calling their customer service department that the jeans are not USA made …comment by Point4CounterPoint:  Sustainable living … imported!

~ Live green Promote green Business/Political Action, ~ politics petitions pollution &pop culture

The Truth About Coconut Water

3 Comments

 By
WebMD Expert Column

Low in calories, naturally fat- and cholesterol free, more potassium than four bananas, and super hydrating – these are just a few of the many benefits ascribed to America’s latest health craze: coconut water.

Dubbed “Mother Nature’s sports drink” by marketers, the demand is skyrocketing, propelled by celebrity and athlete endorsements and promises to hydrate the body and help with a whole host of conditions, from hangovers to cancer and kidney stones.

But is coconut water capable of delivering on all the promises or is it hype?

What Is Coconut Water?

Naturally refreshing, coconut water has a sweet, nutty taste. It contains easily digested carbohydrate in the form of sugar and electrolytes. Not to be confused with high-fat coconut milk or oil, coconut water is a clear liquid in the fruit’s center that is tapped from young, green coconuts.

It has fewer calories, less sodium, and more potassium than a sports drink. Ounce per ounce, most unflavored coconut water contains 5.45 calories, 1.3 grams sugar, 61 milligrams (mg) of potassium, and 5.45 mg of sodium compared to Gatorade, which has 6.25 calories, 1.75 grams of sugar, 3.75 mg of potassium, and 13.75 mg of sodium.

 
Better Than Some Sugary Drinks

Coconut water has less sugar than many sports drinks and much less sugar than sodas and some fruit juices. Plain coconut water could be a better choice for adults and kids looking for a beverage that is less sweet. But don’t overdo it, says Lillian Cheung, DSc, RD, of Harvard School of Public Health. “One 11-ounce container has 60 calories and if you drink several in one day, the calories can add up quickly,” Cheung says.

Cheung, co-author of Savor Mindful Eating, Mindful Life, suggests being mindful about beverage choices and reading labels to choose plain coconut water and avoid those with added sugar or juices, which are no different from other sugary beverages.

~ Live green Promote green Business/Political Action, ~ my 2cents ...

Has your state implemented a ban or reduction plan for Plastic Bags? 2014

2 Comments

   It’s now 2019 and bag bans and or plastic bans are being implemented again or changed to reflect upon current issues at hand but still, there’s a big problem knowing exactly how to recycle … straws, tetra paks making sure the stuff you put in the bin are actually clean and dry 

More shopping means more plastic … unless your State is going green

So, if you live in LA remember to BYO .. reusable bag! because plastic is banned and paper bags will cost you. ..  10cents. After seeing the latest move made by Governor Brown who would like to implement the ban quickly, it’s apparent the people of Cali need some recycle classes, better information and some enlightenment.  As ugly, as the reusable bags are to you and the notion that Plastic bags are more convenient is possibly true, but to say that they double as garbage bags is disturbing. The environment needs help which in turn keep us healthy, a lifestyle that younger folks need to take up and a battle that will be ongoing while cities need to provide containers that help consumers sort out their garbage with little or no confusion and keeps the smell to a minimum … thanks

   Poly-bags are made from petroleum, are non-biodegradable and manufacturing paper bags requires large quantities of wood. The problem and question is whether the attempt to clean up our act state by state has a great department where folks are determined to regulate the use of these environmental killers properly so that our next generation has a chance.

Do you know how many states are banning plastic bags ?

The ban or reduction of plastic bags was implemented on July 1 of 2012 in Seattle, WA.

 It’s now 2017 and as spring& summer weather begins, folks start shopping.  I get it, it is not lucrative to ask for reusable bags or to inform the public about the .5 to .10 cent charge for each bag, but given the idea that we all should be concerned about the environment; I do expect a little more effort to push reusable bags.  Some states have implemented their Ban or Reduction plans, but not much information is available about who will or is enforcing the new rules or how they are measuring the reduction rate, if at all.

The struggle to clean up our environment should not be this complicated or hard and hopefully our city councils will keep at it with great zeal as the plastic’s industry has big $$ incentives to stall or stop it …

a repost from 4/2013 and will continue to

~ Nativegrl77

~ Live green Promote green Business/Political Action, ~ my 2cents ...

Clothes : Can they be ethical … a repost

2 Comments

beaseedforchangestickersGREENjust another rant …

First posted ~ November of 2012

Second hand or flea market shopping has been in the news a lot lately, but as folks join the movement to keep material out of landfills or reduce their eco-footprint; some push buy made in the US of A only while others believe reusing is best. The problem that needs to be address over and over is how toxic are our fashions?

The idea of wearing toxic fashions let alone recycling it is a disturbing thought given what we now know and at the end of the day, it always seems to go back to making that dollar dollar

There are a few who do 2ndhand because of financial issues, some wear it for personal reasons and even more, are on that path toward sustainable living, but as a whole 2nd hand, up-cycling or Eco-friendly seem like great names but being ethically stylish? I guess that means intentionally buying, wearing, devoting your dollar dollars to sustainably made only. The fact is …it is a lot tougher than folks think. Have you looked at your labels? The dictionary states that being ethical means acting in an ethical manner from an ethical point of view. Being “ethically stylish” is almost a mission impossible.

Before you say she needs more education don’t get me wrong because I definitely get being “ethically stylish,” “acting with intent” but when store buyers, the fashion industry and whatnot go out of their way to use cheap labor or toxic material, being ethical demands that the industry cooperate as well.

Unfortunately, this is an ongoing fight and here we are in the year 2019. I have bought and overpaid for a dress or two; tried buying American made only as well, but found myself buying because of the “cute factor” first then looking at the tag later finding that it was not made in the US of A or out of sustainable material, which definitely offends the “ethically stylish “code.  The likelihood of fashion corporations outsourcing was more cost-effective, cheap material and maybe not sustainable meant more for the money;  remember when big-name models, entertainment folks and designers were caught using sweatshops. Levis’s, are not just made in the US  but are imported as well and  501’s are my favorite but the prices can be insane though more sustainable. I buy them.

Lately, I have to say hearing the fashion industry in all its forms, say they are selling or being more ethically stylish is frustrating.  There are reports of companies and brands, which sell USA, made, but may among others in the industry possibly be using toxic materials, which made the giant move toward 100% Organic, Natural or Sustainable take several giant steps backward.  We need to buy and sell local, but again, almost a mission impossible as” Made in America” is not only more expensive the labels are far and few these days, the material is often blended with stuff we cannot pronounce. The history of the fashion industry and American Made is definitely a love-hate thing as designers and stars back in the day were wearing fabulous clothes rarely found on the racks, only to find out they were actually getting their clothes made by sweatshops, in some well-known and unknown countries …  and sustainable; probably not.

Yes, “Made in the USA” faded out to a blank whiteboard and the NYC garment district was but a memory for quite a while. There were some great “Where and what are they doing now” shows with older “go to” fashion designers, clothiers stating the fabric just is not the same nor are the people. The opportunity to make more clothes with cheap labor & material seemed to have become addictive and the image of what was going on in those countries is not good.   Fashion will always be a work in progress, but learning that unfair labor practices and or that companies are producing great looking garments, but possibly using toxic material since or before 2013 is sad given all that has happened to the industry over the last fifteen years or so.

Thus, making it tough to be ethical let alone wear fashion that is ethically stylish or sustainable.

I believe in reuse reclaim repurpose redecorate  and reduce … which keeps most material out of landfills

FYI … this was written back in November of 2012