Urgent Need to Green All Industrialization Globally

Contemplate what industrialization allows to come into the environment from the individuals who own and/or control the use of that industrialization:

Israel’s targets included a 25% reduction of its 2005 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 – limiting residents to 7.7 tons of carbon dioxide per capita. The government’s plan also involved making renewable energy resources responsible for 17% of the country’s electricity usage by 2030, as well as reducing overall electricity consumption by the same percentage. The targets also included a 20% decrease in private vehicle usage.

My thinking is, don't blame the nations as much as the ecologically TRAGIC state of industrialization, which requires MUCH more greening globally.  Currently, industrialization is used for privately-controlled profits; whatever the rhetoric, private advantage is ADVANTAGED by currently ownership of industrialization.

If the public were not so negatively impacted by its use, such a condition MIGHT be tolerable; however, because the general public worldwide IS so negatively impacted by the use of industrializaed technologies in their currently 'un-greened' state, mere 'public buy-in' to their use (as in cellphone, computer, A/C, and vehicular use do NOT excuse the perpetuation of their unmitigated use without massively-funded and staffer programs to green those currently-tragic technologies and to migitage the harms that their widespread use cause to lots and lots of vulnerable persons, both human AND nonhuman.

Time is short.  I would be interested (ONLY) in USEFUL and HISTORICALLY CONSTRUCTIVE comments on how we can move forward with greening all industrialization for life on this planet Earth.

Global Warming Evidence Found in the Severe Snow Storms

• Severe snow supports global warming
  With some climate denialists in Washington citing a severe winter as evidence the long-term trend of man-made global warming and further catastrophic climate change is a fraud, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research says more severe snow is further evidence of global warming. Warmer oceans mean more water vapor hovering over the surface, which results in more snowfall for coastal cities.National Public Radio (2/15) 

• Scientists examine climate change effects on ecosystems
  Tracing the fortunes of hundreds of plants and animal species within an ecosystem can help determine the effects of climate change and provide insight into the genesis of biological events. Researchers in Britain and the Netherlands have found evidence to suggest predators are able to adapt better than their prey further down the food chain. TIME (2/14) 

• Other News

• UN climate panel owns up to more faulty data
  Reuters (2/13)

• Greenpeace activists face Japanese trial for anti-whaling campaign
  The Christian Science Monitor (2/14)

Kick the disposable battery habit

Kick the disposable battery habit

Kick the Disposable Battery Habit

Publish Post

August 2009
Read this issue of Greentips online

Americans buy about three billion household batteries (about 10 per person) annually, according to the Environmental Protection Agency—and nearly all of them end up in landfills. The next time you need to power up your gadgets, choose rechargeable batteries instead. Unlike disposable alkaline batteries, rechargeable batteries can be reused hundreds of times, which not only saves money and resources, but also reduces global warming pollution associated with battery manufacturing and transport. An independent study conducted for battery manufacturer UNIROSS estimates that using a disposable battery to create 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity has a global warming impact equivalent to driving a car 283 miles; using a rechargeable battery is equivalent to driving 10 miles.

Rechargeable battery technology continues to evolve, but there are only a few types widely available today:

• Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) is the most common rechargeable battery type. Like their nickel-cadmium predecessors (see below), NiMH batteries come in standard sizes (AAA, A, C, D, and 9V) but are considered less toxic and offer superior performance. New “low-self-drain” (or “hybrid”) NiMH batteries come fully charged, like alkaline batteries, and stay charged longer, making them good for slow-drain gadgets like remote controls.
  
  
• Nickel-cadmium (NiCad or NiCd) batteries have fallen from favor in recent years because they contain cadmium, a carcinogen. However, older handheld tools may still run on NiCads, and they are still sold in stores.
  
  
• Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are mostly used in high-end electronics like laptops and cell phones, as the battery’s light weight and high storage capacity help improve gadgets’ portability. They are more expensive than other rechargeable batteries, however, due to their advanced circuitry, and are currently unavailable in standard sizes.

No matter which type of rechargeable batteries you use, you can make them even greener using these strategies:

• Choose an energy-efficient charger. Energy Star-rated models use 35 percent less energy than standard chargers, while solar-powered battery chargers use no electricity at all. For further energy savings, look for a “smart” charger that shuts off when the batteries are fully charged (overcharging shortens battery life). Regardless of charger type, unplug it when it is not being used as it will continue to draw electricity even when not charging.
  
  
• Care for idle batteries. Do not leave batteries uncharged or unused for long periods, which can shorten their life. Remove batteries from infrequently used devices and store away from heat and moisture.
  
  
• Dispose of batteries properly. Rechargeable batteries contain toxic materials and should not be thrown out with regular trash. When purchasing batteries, ask the retailer whether it takes them back for recycling; if it does not, you may be able to bring them to your municipal hazardous waste facility or a local recycling center (see the Related Resources).

Related Resources

Bio Intelligence Service—Ditch the Disposable Lifestyle(pdf)

California Integrated Waste Management Board—Rechargeable Batteries and Chargers

Energy Star—Battery charging systems

Earth 911—Battery Recycling Locations

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Don’t Schoolchildren Deserve the Option of Healthy Alternatives to Cows’ Milk?

The plant-milk businesses in the industrialized nations of the world, as well as the developing nations, make non-dairy milks which we in dairy-obsessed regions tend to call "alternatives to cows’ milk", where children in school cafeterias around the countries (as in the US) are routinely given cows milk. Growing incidence of lactose intolerance and other health and supporting reasons for NOT consuming cow's milk make these plant-milk businesses particularly PROMISING financial investments - IF the market for volume feeding is grown or expanded. Volume feeding outlets include all "total institutions" (school and company cafeterias, prisons, hospitals, worksites) and anywhere milk or coffee creamers are served (did you know that nondairy coffee creamers made of soy are now available and distributed in the same supply chain as dairy cream?).

Don’t Schoolchildren Deserve the Option of Healthy Alternatives to Cows’ Milk?

This year, Congress is reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act, providing us with a tremendous opportunity to make non-dairy alternatives to cows’ milk available as an option for children in school cafeterias around the country.

Currently, virtually all children participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) are automatically served cows’ milk, despite the fact that as many as eight million schoolchildren are lactose intolerant, and countless others avoid cows’ milk for health, environmental and ethical reasons.

Contact your congresspersons today and urge them to support amendments to the Child Nutrition Act that would make non-dairy alternatives to cows’ milk readily available to all schoolchildren.

Thank you for your compassion,

Gene Baur
President and Co-founder
Farm Sanctuary

Farm Sanctuary, PO Box 150, Watkins Glen, NY 14891

Harvard University Green Tip of the Month - July 2009

A nice green tip from the Office for Sustainability...

----- Original Message -----

From: Harvard Office for Sustainability

This is the campus-wide Harvard University Green Tip of the Month. Having trouble reading this newsletter? Click here to see it in your browser.

Eat Less Meat! Industrial meat production, especially beef, accounts for 18% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions* (from the entire meat production cycle). Pick up some vegetarian ingredients at a local farmer's market, including three near Harvard: Science Center market: Tuesdays 12:30-6pm, until October 27th Allston market: Fridays, 3-7pm Charles Hotel market: Fridays, 12-6pm & Sundays, 11-3pm Restaurant Associates weekly farmer's markets at HMS: Wednesdays, all day, Courtyard Cafe and Elements Cafe (alternating weeks) Mission Hill market: Thursdays, 11am-6pm at Brigham's Cricle (*near HSPH) Or find a market near you: http://www.massfarmersmarkets.org * United Nations (September 2008) "Livestock production alone contributes to 18 percent of the global warming effect - more than the emissions from every single car, train, and plane on the planet. Though livestock production only contributes 9 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, the sector is responsible for 37 percent of methane and 65 percent of nitrous oxide, both potent greenhouse gases." http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.htm Setting the Record Straight It is healthy to be vegetarian. Studies have shown that vegetarians (who follow a well-balanced, low-fat, high-fiber diet) often have lower incidences of coronary artery disease, hypertension, obesity and some forms of cancer. Your Actions Add Up! If every Harvard affiliate replaced one average daily diet containing meat with one vegetarian meal a week, we would Prevent 14 million pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. That's like taking 1,280 cars off the road! Resources How Meat Contributes to Global Warming (article) Meatless Mondays Edible Boston magazine Slow Food Boston Get Green Tip posters and past Green Tips from our website: green.harvard.edu/green-tip