Children are about 100 times more sensitive than adults to hazardous chemicals; choosing organic care products is the healthiest choice you can make for them. Flickr User: 10 Ninjas Steve

Every day, parents use a variety of baby care products including soaps, dusting powders, baby shampoos and lotions to wash and pamper their babies. Yet, few are aware of the hazardous chemicals that conventional baby care products may contain. Many commonly used ingredients in baby products such as preservatives, artificial colors, fragrances, detergents and other chemicals are dangerous for babies’ health and for the environment.  To avoid any potential health risks associated to these toxic chemicals, more and more parents have chosen to only use organic care products for their children and here is why.

Natural care products can be a safer and healthier alternative to conventional baby care products as they don’t contain hazardous chemicals. Babies’ skin is more permeable and absorbs the chemicals present in lotion or baby shampoo more easily. Moreover, some dangerous ingredients are particularly harmful for a baby’s developing body; they can affect their less developed metabolism, but also their reproductive and endocrine system. The endocrine system plays a crucial role in regulating the body by secreting a type of hormone into the bloodstream. Therefore, to preserve your babies’ health and the environment, here is a list of common hazardous chemicals founds in child care products you should avoid:

• DMDM Hydantoin: This is a preservative used in many baby care products, yet it is a known human immune system toxicant and a suspected skin irritant.

• Synthetic fragrances: As with any personal care product for you and baby, it’s best to avoid synthetic fragrances. More over, fragrances are commonly and only used in baby products for the mother’s benefit whereas they are harmful for a baby’s skin. Over 25 of the ingredients contained in artificial fragrances are known to cause allergic dermatitis and when used indoors; they also pollute your indoor air quality, because most are considered volatile organic compounds (VOCs), contributing to common respiratory problems like asthma. They are also considered as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) because they stay in the environment a long time, causing air and water pollution and harming wildlife.

• Phthalates: Most chemical scents are fixed to the product by phthalates which have been linked to additional serious human health problems, such as liver damage, kidney failure, and for babies — harm to developing reproductive organs, and premature breast development in girls. They are classified as silent toxins because they could remain dormant inside the body for decades and cause health problems much later in life. These toxic ingredients are used in numerous personal care products as preservatives but also in making plastics products like milk bottles and toys.

• Mineral oil: It is a common moisturizer in baby and adult personal care products. Made with petroleum, it is considered as occlusive oil which clogs pores and doesn’t fully moisturize, which means you’ll be applying it more often.

• Formaldehyde, considered a probable carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is used as a preservative in bath products. Formaldehyde can trigger allergic skins reactions. Sheela Sathyanarayana, an environmental health pediatrician at Seattle Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor at the University of Washington, said she’s seen kids become “extremely sensitized” from formaldehyde exposure. “These children develop bigger and bigger reactions with each new exposure. That can make skin sensitive to a variety of substances, beyond just formaldehyde,” she said. Formaldehyde can also irritate the nasal and respiratory passages.

A new study from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that many baby bath products contain formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, which are both linked to cancer and skin allergies. The campaign notes that products with formaldehyde levels over 500 parts per million require warning labels in Europe, although not in the USA. Flickr User: Aldinegirl87

• Polyethylene glycols (PEGs): Utilized in many products as solvents and humectants, this chemical is of particular concern because it acts on the skin by opening up the pores to facilitate more rapid absorption of environmental toxins like DDT.

• 1,4 dioxane is a byproduct of chemical processing techniques used to make petroleum-based ingredients gentler to the skin. This dangerous ingredient is a respiratory and eye irritant, and is considered to be a probable human carcinogen by the EPA.

• Ceteareth: Used in a variety of formulations for sunscreens as solubilizing agents and the like, these chemicals are suspected of many human health concerns, including neurotoxicity, organ damage, and skin irritation.

• Talc: The common use of Talc dusting powder can result in its inhalation, resulting in acute or chronic lung irritation and disease (talcosis), and even death. Additionally, Talc is a suspect cause of lung cancer, based on rodent tests

You can find a further complete  list on Organic Consumers Association’s website.

Using organic baby care products will give parents peace of mind. Flickr User: Chris Nixon

Personal care products made in the U.S. and marketed for children should not contain any kind of hazardous chemicals linked to cancer or any other serious health risks. However, there are still no regulatory standards that limit toxic ingredients in personal care products sold in the whole United States. The good news is that you can easily lower exposure to these agents by switching to natural or organic care products for your babies. You won’t find these chemicals in organic baby products.

The chemicals used to manufacture non-organic products contaminate soil, water, and air. These chemicals often affect wildlife, vegetation and poison the water supply. Organic baby products present no such dangers to the earth. They are natural alternatives made from safe and organic ingredients that are good for the environment and do not harm nor interfere with the development of your baby’s body.

There is now a wide choice of natural skincare products for your babies allowing you to choose the product that will best suit his or her skin. Here is a selection of some organic brands you may want to try:

• Koala Baby Skin Care
• Burt’s Bees Natural Care
• Baby Earth
• Miessence Baby Lotion
• Terressentials Organic Baby Body Care products
• Baby Bear Shop Cheeky Baby Butter
• Episencial: Organic and Natural Baby Skin Care Products

When shopping for baby skincare products in-store, parents should seek out labeled products as certified organic baby products that have been inspected and approved by an accredited third party certifier, bearing a label such as “USDA Organic.” It will guarantee you that theses supplies are made from ingredients without toxic chemicals or that are grown without pesticides.

You can also choose to make your own skincare products for your baby. You can find recipes on WebMD blog and try to prepare your own homemade baby products!

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Nigeria ranks as the eighth oil exporting country in the world, but quality of life in the country ranks below all other major oil exporting nations, from Libya to Indonesia. Flickr User: Adam Cohn

Over the past five decades, the Niger Delta has been devastated by regular and major oil spills. The oil quantity that is pouring out nearly every week off the Ogoniland coast, one small part of the oil-rich delta, far exceeds the ecological disaster in the Mexican Gulf that was provoked by the explosion of the BP oil rig in April 2010. After a three-year investigation, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) has released the first large-scale scientific study of pollution in the Ogoniland area. Here is what you should know about the tragic history of oil contamination in Southern Nigeria:

The oil industry has been a key sector of the Nigerian economy for over 50 years, now accounting for 95 percent of the country’s export earnings and 80 percent of its revenue. With 606 oil fields, the Niger Delta provides forty percent of the total American oil importation. However, this success has only benefited a small part of the Nigerian population. Political instability, corruption and deep poverty have turned this natural wealth into a human and environmental disaster.

Oil fouls everything in southern Nigeria; it spills from the pipelines, poisoning soil, water, fish and humans, and this situation has been ignored by oil companies and the Nigerian government. The recent UNEP report has broken decades of silence by showing the human health and environmental consequences of the past fifty years of oil production in Ogoniland. The region has been severely impacted by major oil spills that are still occurring with alarming regularity.

The petroleum pollution has even spread out to land areas and groundwater. The UNEP investigation found serious cases of groundwater contamination that have durably poisoned the Ogoni environment, aquatic life and local inhabitants: “In at least 10 Ogoni communities where drinking water is contaminated with high levels of hydrocarbons, public health is seriously threatened,” the UN Environmental Program said in a statement. Similarly, life expectancy in the Ogoniland communities has dropped to 40 years in only two generations. In one of them, families were drinking from wells which were contaminated with benzene, a known carcinogen, at 900 times the recommended maximum levels.

As many as 546 million gallons of oil spilled into the Niger Delta over the last five decades, or nearly 11 million gallons a year, a team of experts for the Nigerian government and international and local environmental groups concluded in a 2006 report. Flickr user: KK+

The Niger Delta used to be fertile, dense with mangroves, and provided local communities with an abundance of fish, but the oil contamination has devastated the whole ecosystem. Fish have left polluted areas, and this has affected the local economy, ruining families that used to live thanks to fishing or fish farms. Similarly, crops in the area have also become unusable, and when an oil spill occurs on land, fires often break out, making remediation or revegetation particularly difficult or impossible.

Even though oil operations in Ogoniland ceased in the nineties, oil spills in the delta continue to occur and most people in the area still have to deal with chronic oil pollution. The UN investigators team even found heavy oil contamination from a spill that took place more than 40 years ago! The UNEP did not attribute blame for this health and environmental disaster, but it seems obvious that the major responsibility goes to the oil companies.

Responding to the UNEP report, Mutiu Sunmonu, the managing director of the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria said: “The majority of oil spills in Nigeria are caused by sabotage, theft and illegal refining. We urge the Nigerian authorities to do all they can to curb such activity, and we will continue working with our partners in Nigeria, including the government, to solve these problems and on the next steps to help clean up Ogoniland.”

Nigerian authorities have officially counted more than 7000 oil slicks between 1970 and 2000, and 2000 large oil contaminated sites, for most touched for decades. Thousand of others smaller are still waiting for a hypothetical cleaning. Flickr user: Marine Photo Bank

Oil thieves and sabotage can’t explain the massive oil spills that have continuously occurred over the past fifty years. The Guardian has revealed that Shell accepted responsibility for two massive oil spills in the region that devastated a 69,000-strong community. The UN has estimated that environmental damages are so severe that the whole cleaning process could take up to 30 years to restore the area. That would be the biggest oil cleanup operation ever undertaken. Moreover, the total cost of cleaning the Niger Delta would cost between $20 and $500 billion, and neither the Nigerian government nor the oil companies want to support it.

Restoring the well-being of the delta and the Ogoni habitat is crucial. Even though the UNEP’s study highlighted this ecological disaster, without an urgent and massive action, this rare eco system will be definitely destroyed and will prolong people’s suffering.

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Move over pink and red: make Valentine’s Day 2012 green! Flickr User: day at a Glance

February 14th is dedicated to celebrating romance and love, but like most holidays, Valentine’s Day is also a day of massive consumption that can harm the environment. Sadly, Valentine’s Day is not tender with the Earth: the billions of cards sent contribute to deforestation, while the cute flower bouquets may be full of dangerous pesticides. Instead of feeling guilty, give Valentine’s Day 2012 a green-over! Here are 5 green gift ideas that will help you have an eco-friendly Valentine’s Day!

• Valentine’s Day Cards: Sending greeting cards on Valentine’s Day has been a tradition since the 19th century. The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. However, many of these will inevitably end up in landfills where they won’t be recycled.  So this year, lay off paper cards and choose Valentine’s day e-cards instead. If that doesn’t sound romantic enough for you and your beloved, you can also choose to send your own homemade Valentine card or a recycled paper card to express your love in an earth friendly manner

Save trees by using Valentine’s Day Cards made from recycled paper for a hand-written love note. Flickr User: Wonderfully Complex

• On Valentine’s Day, flowers are one of the most popular gifts, but they are not all as green as they seem to be. About 70% of cut flowers sold in the U.S. come from overseas, and many are grown with toxic pesticides. Fortunately you can give your loved one a locally-grown and organic bouquet. In Los Angeles, there is Wisteria Flower Shop, which offers organic and Veriflora-certified flowers, but you can also support organic farming or fair trade by buying online certified organic flowers.

• Among Valentine’s Day Traditions, a box of chocolates is one of the favorite gifts to give. However, due to intensive farming, use of toxic pesticides and exploitation of poor laborers, it might not be the most eco gift. So instead of crabbing a random box, choose an organic or a fair trade one. Buying fair-trade chocolates is an opportunity to do good for the world. You will be helping developing nations establish economic viability and help individuals out of poverty.

• Avoid the traditional teddy bears and purchase eco products such as eco-friendly jewelry, another popular choice on Valentine’s Day. By giving eco jewelry you will avoid environmental and ethical pitfalls linked to the production of diamonds. For instance, Tiffany & Co uses conflict-free diamonds, following the Kimberly Process, and guarantee you a minimal environmental impact to produce their green jewelry.

• Instead of shopping for V-Day gifts, why not offer that special someone experiences rather than things? Go on an eco-friendly and romantic getaway. You can reduce the carbon footprint of your trip by camping and going on a eco adventure in one of the top 10 national parks. What can be more romantic than you and your beloved spending time together in the wilderness?

There are plenty of ways to green-over your Valentine’s Day 2012! What V-Day gifts are you planning to give this February 14th?

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” It's for people who want to be vegetarians most of the time but "don't want to sit at a barbecue in their neighborhood with an empty bun," says Blatner, a nutrition blogger for dietchallenge.usatoday.com and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Flickr User: Axelsrose

“Meat-eating vegetarians” may sound like an oxy-moron, but they are a real and growing group of semi-vegetarians who primarily eat a vegetarian diet, but occasionally eat meat. Also referred to as flexitarians, these people eat less meat without following the strict rules of vegetarianism. Becoming a vegetarian can be a complex task, and flexitarianism is often a good compromise for people who are looking for ways to eat healthier and for ways to preserve the environment, without giving up meat entirely.

Flexitarianism, a term voted most the useful word of 2003 by the American Dialect Society, refers to “a way of eating that is mostly vegetarian but does not cut out meat completely” (The Flexitarian Diet). If this new diet movement does not please all vegetarians, they can’t ignore the growing number of enthusiasts. Moreover, a 2003 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that two out of three vegetarians say they can’t stick to a pure veggie diet all the time.

For some, it can be difficult to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet that has enough protein. But, strictly followed, a vegetarian diet doesn’t normally need to have any kind of meat and it can actually be very easy to meet the recommendations for protein.  Good protein sources for vegetarians come from nuts and seeds, legumes, soy products, whole grains, free-range eggs and some dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt.

Many people become vegetarian because they want to improve their health and preserve the environment eating organic foods. However, a meat-free diet can be challenging even with a deep commitment and if it is not carefully followed, a veggie diet can pose serious health risks. This is why, by promoting flexibility, this semi-vegetarian diet has become really popular. Vegetarians from the outset or just well-informed people turn flexitarian, and they have even achieved a happy medium by eating less or a bit of meat.

“From our perspective, if people influenced by health consequently cut back on fish and meat consumption, that helps animals, if two people cut their meat in half it helps as much as one person going completely vegetarian.”Bruce Friedrich, spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said. Flickr User: Julieabrown1

Most flexitarians selectively choose meat and only purchase it from small farmers who raise pasture-fed livestock in a sustainable and ethical manner. The terms “grass fed” or “pasture raised” mean that the animal was allowed to graze the old-fashioned way. Thus, eating sustainable meat can be a way to preserve small-scale farming, unlike most of the livestock industry, as well as a way to improve your health thanks to the nutritional advantages that grass-fed meat has over meat produced by factory farming. Organic meat is lower in fat and has a higher amount of omega-3 fatty acids, which may help reduce the risk of heart disease and strengthen people’s metabolisms.

Moreover, vegetarian diets are not be as earth friendly as they seem to be. Meat replacements derived from soy and wheat gluten can be harmful for the Earth as the production is energy intensive and the final products tend to be highly processed and full of chemicals to get the right flavor. Switching from beef and lamb to imported meat substitutes can even increase the need for cultivated land…

These are reasons why becoming a flexible vegetarian can really be the healthiest and greenest diet choice you can make. Flexitarians weigh 15 percent less, have a lower rate of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and live 3.6 years longer than carnivores. Even though, it is still unclear how many people are official “flexitarians” since the word and the concept is not widely known, there are a growing number of people who are eating a bit of organic meat and vegetarian foods. Many of those are flexitarian without even knowing it!

Flexitarianism is good for you and good for the environment! Flickr User: J.McPherskesen

Becoming a flexitarian is particularly easy, it doesn’t required a commitment as strict as vegetarian diets but it will still give you similar health benefits. So after taking the steps toward Meat Free Mondays, why not definitely switch to a flexitarian diet? You will find tips and recipes in the “Flexitarian Diet” Book. But, don’t forget, globally, vegetarianism is still better for the environment than any other type of diet. Meat, even sustainable meat, will always have a bigger carbon footprint than plant protein sources. Eating less meat is good, eating even less and making sure it’s sustainable meat is better, but becoming a vegetarian is the best solution to preserve the environment as well as your health.

What do you think about Flexitarianism?

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On Friday February 3^rd, 2012, bioplastics manufacturer Cereplast made the list of biggest stock gainers trading on the NASDAQ exchange. NASDAQ top gainer CERP was up 22.68%, closing at $1.19 from $0.97 at previous close.

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President Woodrow Wilson signed the 1916 act that established the National Parks Service. The act's purpose is "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Flickr User: Al_HikesAz

With the explosion of the green movement, eco resorts are popping up all around the world. Although finding affordable eco adventures can be difficult, fortunately it is not impossible… With nearly 400 national parks in the U.S., national reserves may be the most local and eco destination spots you can choose to visit for your holidays or weekends. And, for only 80 dollars, the National Park Pass allows you to explore every reserve you want during one year. Thanks to prices, proximity and the green commitment of the National Park Service to protect the national natural heritage of the United States, it is no surprise that these locations have seen record attendance since their creation. To help you make your choice from the long national parks list, here are the top 10 national parks you really must visit!

“I have seen persons of emotional temperament stand with tearful eyes, spellbound and dumb with awe, as they got their first view of the Valley from Inspiration Point, overwhelmed in the sudden presence of the unspeakable, stupendous grandeur.” – Galen Clark, guardian of the Yosemite Grant. Flickr User: Anders Young

1. Yosemite National Park: With its nearly 1,200 square miles, Yosemite approaches the size of Rhode Island and is truly one of the country’s grandest parks, and is the third-most visited park in the United States. Yosemite was one of the first wilderness parks and is best known for its countless waterfalls. Giant Redwood Sequoias and granite cliffs also make it very popular with hikers, bikers and families. Virtually everyone can find something to love in this vast Central California Park.

Yellowstone National Park is home to some 10,000 thermal features, and contains the majority of worlds geysers. Flickr User: Stuck In Customs

2. Yellowstone National Park: Established in 1872, it is truly America’s first national park and the nation’s fourth-most popular. This massive park is located in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, and attracts people thanks to a large variety of wildlife and landscapes: from geysers (with the famous Old Faithful geyser), free-roaming bison and grizzly bears, to beautiful fountains and its very own Grand Canyon.

With the support of many early conservationists, scientists, and other advocates, Everglades National Park was established in 1947 to conserve the natural landscape and prevent further degradation of its land, plants, and animals. Flickr User: James Good

3. Everglades National Park: This Park, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, is the best place in the country to see rare and endangered species such as crocodiles, panthers, manatees or Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins. It has been designated as a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, and Wetland of International Importance, significant to all people of the world. Covering 2,500 square miles, camping, boating, hiking, and even a visit to a former missile base in the center of the park are all possible in the Everglades National Park!

Grand Canyon National Park encompasses more than 1.2 million acres and the vast majority of the park is inaccessible even to experienced hikers. Flickr User: Al_HikesAZ

4. Grand Canyon National Park: Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park is the nation’s second-most visited park and it’s also generally included in every list of 7 Natural Wonders of the World, often as the only U.S. site. The Grand Canyon epitomizes the ultimate American travel destination, and it’s probably the best known U.S national park in the world. The park includes more than a million acres of land. The Colorado River travels for 277 miles through the canyon from Lees Ferry to the Grand Wash Cliffs. At the South Rim, near Grand Canyon Village, it’s a vertical mile from the rim to the river.

Death Valley is unique because it contains the lowest location in North America with nearly 550 square miles of its area lying below sea level.

5. Death Valley National Park is the hottest, driest and lowest place (at Badwater) in North America. Thanks to its vast size (3.4 million acres of wilderness) Death Valley can make you feel a sense of isolation, without much chance of encountering other tourists. The park is spectacular, nearly surreal and makes visitors feel like they are walking on some unearthly place with its rock formations, salt pans, desert, snow-capped mountains, multicolored rock layers, amd “skeletonized” ranges (mountains with very little soil on them). It is best to visit Death Valley during spring or winter, since the summer is too hot. In July of 1913, the temperature hit a shocking 134 degrees in the valley. It hasn’t been that hot since, but other days have come close. Back on July 6, 2007, it touched 129 degrees and during the summer of 2001 the valley experienced 154 consecutive days where temperatures reached 100 degrees.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains and part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. Flickr User: Will Folsom

6. Great Smoky Mountains National Park: This is America’s most visited national park thanks to a wondrous diversity of life. It boasts over 800 miles of maintained trails ranging from short leg-stretchers to strenuous treks that may require backcountry camping. But hiking is not the only reason for visiting the Smokies: camping, fishing, picnicking, wildlife viewing (most of all, the 1,500 bears that are living in the park), and auto touring are also popular activities.

Olympic National Park and its surroundings are home to a wide variety of wildlife.The park is a rare refuge for species dependent on old growth forests, including some species protected under the Endangered Species Act. Olympic provides one of the last remaining large tracts of intact primeval forest in the lower 48 states. Flickr User: javi.velazquez

7. Olympic National Park: It is the fifth-most visited national park in the U.S with three distinct ecosystems and nearly 1 million acres to explore; there is a lot to see and to do at Olympic National Park. According to the National Service Park’s description, it’s a park with great contrast: “Here you will find Pacific Ocean beaches, rain forest valleys, glacier-capped peaks and a stunning variety of plants and animals. The heart of Olympic is wilderness; a primeval sanctuary for humans and wild creatures alike.”

Despite its name, Bryce Canyon is not a canyon but a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Flickr user: Alan Vernon

8. Bryce Canyon National Park: “Bryce is the Bryce!” is what the National Park Service likes to say to describe its contrasting landscapes. This Utah National Park is famous for its amazing rock formations called hoodoos but also for its night sky and the lack of artificial light. Bryce Canyon is named after Ebenezer Bryce, an immigrant from Scotland who moved to the area with his family in 1875. Although his family moved in 1880, the name stuck.

The riparian (wetland) ecosystem of Rocky Mountain Park is based in 150 lakes and 450 miles of streams. Flickr User: Blue Bird

9.  Rocky Mountain National Park:   The Rockies, with elevations ranging from 8,000 feet in the wet, grassy valleys to 14,259 feet at the weather-ravaged top of Longs Peak, provides visitors with opportunities for countless breathtaking experiences and adventures: stunning alpine wild flower meadows, pristine lakes and streams, and impressive wildlife, like bighorn sheep and elk.

Kenai Fjords National Park contains the Harding Icefield, one of the largest ice fields in the United States. Flickr User: Asane

10. Kenai Fjords National Park is probably the smallest national park in Alaska covering an area of “only” 1800 square miles. Nevertheless, in Kenai Fjords, glaciers, earthquakes, and ocean storms are the architects of this splendor. Ice worms, bears, moose, humpbacks, northern sea lions and whales make their home in this land of constant change.

Marvel these natural beauties but please respect environmental rules so you and future generations can appreciate their uniqueness to the fullest extent. In fact, exploring our historic and natural treasures can’t be made without an environmental conscience.

Stay tuned to learn more about the green initiatives the National Park Service has taken to preserve and protect U.S. National Parks from climate change and the pollution that is linked to the tourist industry.

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Out of necessity and concern for the environment, Italian plastic bag laws have gotten stricter. Flickr user: ...lord Alessandro Zarcone

A new Italian decree strengthens plastic bag laws in the country, and in accordance with the “polluter pays” principle, imposes €2500 – €25,000 (USD $3300 – $33,000) sanctions on those who violate the law. Deemed as “Extraordinary and Urgent Measures for the Environment,” the decree was issued on January 25, 2012, and amends previous plastic bag laws (Law 296 passed in 2006, reconfirmed in December 2010 with enactment date of January 1st, 2011) to also require that single-use disposable bags meet and follow European standards for compostability (EN 13432:2002). This is great news for the bioplastics industry and for a few select companies, including Cereplast, whose materials meet these stringent requirements.

This environmental action by the Italian government will also help protect consumers by ensuring that only certified compostable bioplastic bags are used, and imposters with false claims of biodegradability will not be allowed. In the Italian decree, the government states the importance of adopting a measure that “defines the technical characteristics of bags” to ensure consistency. An important distinction is that EN 13432:2002 does not allow for Oxo biodegradable plastic (OXOs).

OXOs are additives that are mixed with traditional plastics, and the makers claim that these additives speed up the degradation of traditional plastics. This has been a hot topic in the plastics industry, largely because there is no evidence to support that this is true. Organizations such as European Bioplastics and the SPI Bioplastics Council have also taken anti-OXO stances. Read the position paper from the Bioplastics Council called “Council Supports European Bioplastics Position That ‘Oxo-biodegradable’ Technology’s Claims of Being Biodegradable are Scientifically Unsubstantiated,” to learn more.

The bottom line is that standards exist to determine compostability, and Italy as a country will only allow products such as Cereplast Compostables® grades 3002, 3010 and 3020 that have received DIN CERTCO certifications and meet the requirements of EN 13432:2002.

As a result of this recent evolution in the Italian plastic bag ban, demand for certified compostable bioplastic resin will increase rapidly, as plastic bag manufacturers and suppliers will be forced to comply with the law, or they will be severely penalized. This is a great win for bioplastics, and for the environment. Cereplast salutes the actions of the Italian government and looks forward to reaping the rewards of this new and improved legislation.

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Headbands and barrettes made from Cereplast algae bioplastics by The Barrette Factory.

We recently stopped by The Barrette Factory’s new Hollywood boutique where you can buy their full collection of hair clips and barrettes that are made from Cereplast algae bioplastics. These chic and eco-friendly accessories add a new twist to styling your hair. The next time you’re shopping on Melrose, stop by the boutique at 648 Fuller in Los Angeles (right off Melrose!) and experience the unique soft-touch of the algae bioplastics yourself, or buy them online from thebarrettefactory.com.

The Barrette Factory - a unique Hollywood boutique at 648 Fuller in LA, just off Melrose.

Instead of traditional plastic, these plastic barrettes and plastic hair clips are made from a Cereplast Hybrid Resins® bioplastic material that blends algae with non-food grade industrial plant starches and polypropylene. This unique biobased material offers a lower carbon footprint, replacing a significant portion of the fossil fuel content compared to traditional plastics.

The Barrette Factory features a collection of bioplastic hair accessories.

Plastic hair clips made from Cereplast algae bioplastics.

If you’re looking for something with a little more sparkle or flair, you can also make custom headbands and barrettes at the shop, making it one of the more unique boutiques in Hollywood.

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Right now there are 100 million tons of illegal garbage lying around the world. And every day, we add more. Flickr User: Pete + Lynn

Eighty-two different countries have joined the mass waste clean-up organized by “Let’s Do It!” World Cleanup 2012. Started in 2008 in Estonia, this movement aims to increase public awareness about the exponential growth of illegal dumping around the world by encouraging people to gather and clean up an illegal dump in their country one day a year. So, precisely what form does this green initiative take?

The “Let’s Do it” movement started in Estonia where 50,000 inhabitants (that is to say 4% of the total population of 1.3 million people) got together on May 3rd, 2008 to clean up in one day more than 11,000 tons of litter from illegal dumps around the country. Organizers created special software to map and photograph 11,000 illegal dumps across the nation to coordinate volunteer work.

With the program in its fourth year, these green activists set their sights higher in 2012, organizing a series of cleanups around the world from March 24th through September 25th, “…touching all continents and bringing together millions of people who will be cleaning up their homes,” as stated on their official website.

“Let’s Do It!” environmental clean up actions will mobilize the inhabitants of 82 countries. Each country will devote one day between March and September to clean up an illegal dump with the help of volunteers, public partners and local green organizations. In the United States, only two cities are involved in this green movement: San Francisco and Washington DC, as a part of “Let’s do it VA!”

“ Let’s do it” World Cleanup edition 2012

This green initiative is a response to the exponential growth of illegal dumping. It is important to know that dumping rubbish items such as construction materials or household goods on private or public property without authorization is illegal and degrades our environment and poses serious health risks. The environmental impact of illegal dumping is significant: dumped waste can affect groundwater, plants, animals and can impact soil quality.

The only way to definitely remove illegal dump sites is to clean them up and educate people to the environmental consequences of waste dumps. Few local councils can bear the cost of the cleanup, and for example, the state of Oklahoma has 2,446 illegal dumps, which will cost an estimated $3,922,000 to clean up…

So why not join and develop this green initiative in your neighborhood? You can help in many ways: mapping the waste online when you see waste dumps and participating in a cleanup yourself! Learn More on World Cleanup 2012 and above all, don’t leave the United States behind in this green movement!

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The hospitality industry spends $5 billion dollars every year on energy and consumes almost four billion kWhs of electricity, five million therms of natural gas and seven billion gallons of water. Flickr user: Joe Rago

The hotel industry has long been associated with excessive waste: using powerful chemicals for cleaning and wasting energy for maintenance rather than being environmentally friendly. Moreover and as result of tourism industry growth, the demand for resources from the hospitality sector has exponentially increased.  However, the new popularity of Eco Tourism has encouraged hotels to adopt new green practices that allow them to reduce their negative impact on the environment. Thanks to sustainable solutions, hotels going green are making steps toward efficient use of energy, water and materials while saving money and still providing quality services. So, what are the sustainable solutions green lodging has adopted to meet new eco tourism expectations?

Here are the top 3 green initiatives taken by some hotels chains that aim to harmonize tourism and environmental sustainability:

Low Water Consumption:
Water use is an important cost for hotels. In many developing countries hotel water use may impact the water supplies of the local people. Water-efficient practices can through technologies and proper systems can deliver equal or better service while saving water. Numerous hotels have identified where water use was excessive and have developed sustainable solutions to reduce their water consumption and have obtained economic benefits:

• For water conservation, low-flow shower heads, faucet aerators, and automatic flushing toilets conserve water
• Another target for hotels is reducing water consumption in washing machines.  Linen reuse programs are a great option for water assessment: It’s hard to imagine the number of towels and sheets which have been used only once and that have to be washed every day in all the hotels in the world, whereas when guests are at home, few wash their towels after one use or change their sheets every day. A simple recycled linen card inviting guests to make a greener choice by reusing towels and sheets can save gallons of water, detergents and cleansers.

According to a recent report published by the Green Hotels Association, "Companies with proactive environmental strategies have a 4 percent higher return on investment, 9 percent higher sales growth and 17 percent higher operating income growth than companies with poor environmental track records." Flickr user: javajoba

Power saving:
Cooling, lighting, water heating/cooking/refrigeration and ventilation account for 85% of total electric usage in hotels and motels. Reducing electricity consumption in theses equipment areas represents considerable energy and cost savings. There are many options for conserving energy: from good insulation to something as simple as changing thermostat settings can help reduce or eliminate the need for costly heating and cooling.
For example, the Hyatt Regency International Hotel in New Zealand understood that guests often left devices and heating and cooling systems on while they were out of their rooms. The hotel developed a project to link energy use with room occupancy. Thus, as soon as a guest leaves his or her room, all energy appliances shut down (with some exception such as refrigerators, alarm clocks…) But, if your hotel doesn’t provide this type of system, turn off lights and electronic devices when you leave your room, as you would have done at home.

Solid Waste Disposal:
Solid waste in lodging include paper, food, plastic and various other components. Implementing a solid waste reduction program in a hotel can create significant cost savings and reduce land pollution. A zero-waste attitude is achieved through purchasing recycled content products, recycling paper, aluminum, and plastics, providing environmental education to employees and most of all donating the excess food to local food banks. Indeed, Food waste is a large portion of the waste produced in lodging facilities. Over-preparation, table scraps, cooking losses, and packaging failures lead to the accumulation of food waste. Fortunately they all can be composted, which is a better use of organic materials than trucking them.

The benefits of energy efficiency are not only financial. The 2001 Energy Star® Award Winner Hilton Hotels’ energy management plan resulted in a savings of nearly 43 million kWh of electricity per year and the prevention of 65 million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions - the equivalent of removing 6,450 cars from the road in the year 2000. Flickr User: Al_HikesAZ

Energy-Efficient Lighting
Lighting is the second largest energy expenditure in a hotel and is the easiest area for saving energy and money.  According to the Florida Power & Light Company, interior lighting accounts for 19% of electric usage in hotels and exterior lighting accounts for 4%. To reduce energy consumption from lighting, hotel chains such as Ramada and Holiday Inn have replaced standard incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents or other high energy efficient lighting. Compact fluorescents use much less energy than incandescent bulbs and need replacing far less often, making them a cost-effective choice. Similarly, the use of occupancy sensors to detect the presence or absence of people that turn lights on and off accordingly may reduce lighting energy consumption by 50 % or more in some circumstances.

Thus, many hotels have realized a significant decrease in solid waste, energy and water consumption by making these small changes. It is not easy to be green in this sector, but the hotel industry now has a new environmental conscience. For your next work trip or vacation, even if you can’t afford eco resorts, try to choose green lodging that has made a step toward eco tourism.

You will find a list of Green Hotels on the official website of the Green Hotels Association.

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