Occasionally, I talk to someone who firmly believes that organic food is just another marketing scheme to get people to pay more for essentially the same things. These are mostly people who don’t consume organic food and probably never will. But there is enough research that shows that even a week of eating all organic foods drops the level of toxic pesticide residues in our blood stream radically. What all these foreign chemicals do to us is a subject that is still under study, but clearly, our bodies were not designed to consume these chemicals and we now know they have a profound effect, especially on babies and children. Organic production methods do cost more due to numerous factors, deciding whether it’s worth it to you and your family is a personal decision.

Reasons why organic costs more:

1. Organic farming is substantially more labor intensive. It relies on crop rotation, mixed planting, composting, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation.
2. Organic farming is also more intelligence intensive. An organic farmer has to continually evaluate the needs of his soil and plants and cannot rely on simple, quick fix, chemical solutions.
3. Organic farming requires integrated land management which means that the same crops cannot be produced repeatedly on the same soil. Manure, essential for the production of adequate compost means that farmers must typically include livestock as an integrated part of their operation.
4. Organic farming is generally more suited to smaller scale operations with multiple and diverse crops and therefore cannot benefit from the economies available to large scale monoculture agribusiness or government subsidies.
5. Costs of Regulation. In 2002 the U.S. created the National Organic Program (NOP) It sets standards of practice and requirements which farmers have to meet in order to be approved as a USDA Organic Provider. It takes a minimum of 7 years of exclusively organic cultivation before a farmer can apply for certification and begin to recoup his higher costs. The application is complicated, expensive and requires an intimidating amount of record keeping. There is little funding available to help a small farmer make the transition to Organic cultivation.

Clearly there is a blatant disparity in the funding of  “chemi-culture” versus organic agriculture. The majority of government farm subsidies originally developed to help small, depression era farmers survive, now go to large commercial farms, with average incomes in excess of $200,000 and a net worth of nearly $2 million. Approximately 90% of farm subsidies support production of only 5 crops (wheat, cotton, corn, soybeans and rice) none of which are grown organically and most of which use genetically modified seed. These crops and their method of cultivation require larger amounts of water, an increasingly dear resource, and contaminate both land and ground water with nitrate runoff and toxic herbicides and pesticides. The cost to the environment is huge compared to the lower resource use of organic agriculture which remains virtually unsupported.

Additionally, these subsidies indirectly encourage poorer diets by reducing the real cost of corn syrup and cheap oils used in almost all highly processed foods. Making these relatively unhealthy foods so cheap leads to parents making choices that it’s cheaper to buy soda and processed snacks than the much healthier whole fruit or vegetables, which are not subsidized. Farm subsidies are a hotly contested issue with far reaching implications for our way of life and I don’t pretend to have any solutions, but it is a factor that definitely affects the cost of organic foods in America.

Originally designed to safeguard small farms, farm subsidies now promote over production of the most commercially advantageous crops. This overproduction brings down prices which are then balanced with expensive programs to restrict planting to bring prices back up to normal levels. This artificial deflation and inflation of prices comes with a heavy price for the American consumer who pays some $25 billion in taxes and another $12 billion in higher food prices annually for programs that distribute most of their benefits to an elite group of wealthy producers.

Because of the vast imbalance with subsidies given to large scale agribusiness only a tiny portion of available farm land is devoted to organic methods. According to Wikipedia, only 0.8 percent of total world farmland is under organic standards for cultivation. Surprisingly, much of that production is in China, the EU and Australia where organic farming is subsidized and the smallest percentage relative to arable land is in America. While this percentage has risen significantly in recent years, organic farmers are not a well represented lobby in Congress to further their interests. When you choose to buy organic products, you send a message to farmers and hopefully to our politicians, that this is something that consumers are willing to pay for and gradually, this should increase the number of American farmers willing to take the risk and make the investment to produce foods using recognized organic standards.

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Some figures:

• Up to 25% of all fresh fruits and vegetables in the US is lost between field and table.

• In Australia, food waste makes up half of that country’s landfill.

• In the United Kingdom 30% of all food purchased every year is not eaten.

• Losses in the field between planting and harvesting are around 40% of the potential harvest in developing countries due to pests and pathogens.

• In Africa, 30% of landed fish is lost through discards and spoilage.

• Approximately 30 million metric tons of fish are discarded at sea every year.

• India looses up to 50% of it’s fresh food because of inadequate storage and distribution.

• In South East Asia 37% of rice is lost between field and table. In China, the figure is up to 45%, in Vietnam, it’s estimated to be 80%!

Another factor that accentuates the waste factor in America and Great Britain is the draconian penalties on food suppliers for failing to deliver agreed upon quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the year. To avoid these crippling penalties, farmers are required to produce a much larger crop than can actually be sold or processed as a form of insurance against poor weather or other factors that might reduce their yield. In some instances, up to 30% of a crop is left to rot. Another 30% of that crop never reaches the supermarket because it is ‘sub standard’ or substantially trimmed for packaging purposes. Of the final produce that reaches our supermarkets, up to 50% is then thrown away.

While it is impossible to calculate the wastage of food from restaurants and all other places where food is served, the final figures of how much food is consumed, compared to how much is produced, must be an astonishingly small percentage. This system of putting incredible pressure on our food producers only so that at least half of what is produced can be thrown away, is clearly unsustainable.

This same study indicates that up to 25% of the world’s current food production capacity may be lost due to “environmental breakdowns” by 2050. Already, cereal yields have stagnated worldwide and fish landings are steadily declining. As the world’s population presses towards 9.5 billion by the year 2050 the demand on the world’s limited resources will reach a breaking point. We cannot ‘produce’ our way out of the next crisis, we must ‘conserve’ our way out.

What can you do?

1. Plan more carefully the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables that your family will consume on a weekly basis and limit your purchases to that amount.
2. When food is on the verge of going bad, cook it and freeze it. This works well with excess veggies that can be made into a soup and frozen, or apples which can be made into applesauce and kept longer.
3. Encourage your family to take smaller portions and go back for more if still hungry rather than filling your plate and throwing half away.
4. Learn to be creative with leftovers.  Most meals can be recycled easily the next day into another meal or added to a soup or packed for lunches.
5. Feed your pet table scraps. In most cases, your animal will be healthier and that last piece of something that is too small to save will not be wasted.
6. If you shop at a store with large packs of produce or meat, consider shopping with a friend so you can divide the packages and not have excess food in your frige.
7. At restaurants, bring a Tupperware to take home leftovers or opt to share a meal if the servings are particularly large, or simply eat an appetizer and soup or desert.
8. If you find you’ve made more than your family can eat of something, bring the leftovers in to your office to share. Maybe have a potluck Thursday when leftovers can be pooled for a fun meal.
9. Shop at your local farmers market to help small scale farmers and get your produce days after harvest instead of weeks at the supermarket.

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Genetically Modified foods have not been tested for safety.

Genetically Modified food has been in development for over 20 years and has been in widespread commercial use for about 15 years. Most Americans mistakenly believe that GM foods have gone through rigorous, in-depth, long-term, independent studies. In reality, the FDA has required absolutely no safety testing but instead relied upon research from companies like Monsanto, which produces the products. This is like Phillip Morris doing the research to decide if cigarette smoking is safe for your children!

The FDA’s extremely lax policy on regulation of GM foods only makes sense when you notice the revolving door between agency regulators and the companies they regulate. The first George Bush mandated that GM food be actively promoted and put Michael Taylor, a former Monsanto attorney, in charge of developing the agency’s policy. Taylor later returned to Monsanto as their vice president.

While the FDA has claimed it was unaware of any information showing that GM crops were different from non-GMO crops and therefore didn’t require testing; 44,000 internal FDA documents made public by a lawsuit prove this to be a complete lie. The overwhelming consensus among the FDA’s own scientists was that GM foods could lead to dangerous and hard-to-detect allergens, toxins, new diseases and nutritional problems. Unfortunately, the FDA scientists who urged their superiors to require long-term studies had their work discredited and the results suppressed.

GM foods are not needed to solve the food crisis

Since GM crops have been in wide spread use, there has been no evidence that they significantly increase crop yields. According to former US EPA and US FDA biotech specialist Dr Gurian-Sherman – when it comes to yield, “Traditional breeding outperforms genetic engineering hands down.” Similarly, the claims that GM crops will produce plants with greater drought resistance, will reduce fertilizer use and pollution or save soil have also been proven utterly false. In fact, many studies have shown that GM yields are less than traditional and in drought or stressed growing conditions, organic farming methods had the highest production rates. If these companies were truly interested in providing

GM crops increase the use of toxic pesticides

It was widely publicized that GM crops would require fewer pesticides and herbicides because these ingredients were already being genetically added to the plant. But in fact, reducing pesticide and herbicide use when that is what your company makes is not good business. So, what they do provide is ‘Round-up Ready’ crops. High herbicide tolerance is found in over 80% of all GM crops planted worldwide. These crops are genetically designed to survive normally lethal doses of pesticides.

The increased use of pesticides is part of the package that farmers buy when they opt to cultivate GM seeds. In fact, GM crops have caused an epidemic of herbicide-resistant weeds and boosted sales of even more toxic pesticides – including ones banned in some European countries. GM plants therefore have extremely high pesticide residue which when ingested by humans can cause serious health problems.

Genetic Modification is not a well controlled science

There are eight GM food crops. The five major ones are: soy, corn, canola, cotton, and sugar beets. Bacterial genes are forcibly transferred across natural species barriers using imprecise laboratory techniques that bear no resemblance to natural breeding to allow the plants to survive an otherwise lethal dose of weed killer. The process creates massive collateral damage:

• Mutations are produced in hundreds or thousands of locations throughout the plant’s DNA.

• Natural genes can be deleted or permanently turned on or off.

• Hundreds of genes may change their behavior.

• Even the inserted gene can be damaged or rearranged, and may create proteins that can trigger allergies or promote disease.

A second GM trait is a built-in pesticide, primarily used in GM corn and cotton. A gene from the soil bacterium called Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) is inserted into the plant’s DNA, where it secretes the insect-killing Bt-toxin in every cell. There is evidence that these genes continue to be active in the human gut, reproducing and mutating the normal bacteria found there into a virtual pesticide factory. These altered genes have a tendency to migrate and have been found in virtually every organ system in lab animals who were fed the altered food with devastating and deadly effect. No human testing has been done but the evidence is that genetic migration is extensive and poses serious risks to our biosphere and human life.

GM foods are not safe

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been linked to toxic and allergic reactions, thousands of sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ and system studied in lab animals. GM soy drastically reduces digestive enzymes in mice and people who are not allergic to regular soy are commonly allergic to GM soy and it’s derivatives. GM products also seems to cause people to become allergic to a variety of non-GM foods. Animal tests have shown damage to the reproductive system causing infertility, mutations, damaged liver, decreased immunity, and toxic responses that resulted in the animals death.

The only published human feeding experiment revealed that the genetic material inserted into GM soy transfers into bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to function there. This means that long after we stop eating GM foods, we may still have their GM proteins reproducing inside us. If the antibiotic gene inserted into most GM crops were to transfer, it could create super diseases, resistant to antibiotics. If the gene that creates Bt-toxin in GM corn were to transfer, it could turn our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories. Animal studies show that DNA in food can travel into organs throughout the body, even into a fetus. Further research into these risks has been suppressed but anecdotal evidence is growing that consuming GM foods or animal products from animals fed GM foods may well be hazardous not only to your health, but the health of your entire genetic line. Even if there were no risks involved in the forced genetic mutation of cells, the heavy pesticide residue is an established health risk, especially to children. As a parent, I don’t want to give my children anything that is even remotely suspect, much less a food that has only been tested by the companies that profit from it’s proliferation. It’s time we all learned more about this and I encourage you to stay tuned as I explore this issue further.

In my next article I will talk more about the impact of GM agribusiness around the world and what we can do about it. For more information please contact: The Institute for Responsible Technology – Your Consumer Safety Partner

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* Eartheasy

This well researched and diverse blog always gives me something meaty to chew on – including the pros and cons of tempeh protein! It has a wide range of well written articles on subjects ranging from back to the land practicalities to environmental warnings to personal tips to living off the grid. It’s multiple writers contribute in categories of: healthy homes, organic gardening, food and health, science & transportation, connect with nature and preparedness.

* Big Green Purse

This well recognized blog is still my source for great tips on how to take care of my family and my planet at the same time. The theme is that women spend 85% of every dollar and our choices have power to transform the world. As we choose more responsible, green products – we lighten the load on mother earth. Great site to find new products, ideas and practices to solve daily problems.

* Enviromom – raising green kids

This is another favorite for ideas for products and practices for us Green Striving moms. Learn how to cut down on your energy bill, cook meatless meals even your husband will enjoy and find alternative products that will make your life easier. Written by one mom in an upbeat, friendly, sometimes funny tone – this blog is a frequent stop on my daily internet jog.

* It’s Frugal Being Green

This blog is serious about saving money without compromising your values. There are tips and tactics in every category from food shopping, to financial planning, to saving on a wedding or vacation – and still having a blast. Full of insightful, creative and surprising ways to recycle, organize, shop, clean, meal plan and generally get on top of the thousand choices moms need to make that affect their family and their financial health.

* Mindfully.org

This is a very broad ranging site that includes postings on Home, Air, Energy, Farm, Food, Genetic Engineering, Health, Industry, Nuclear, Pesticides, Plastic, Political, Sustainability, Technology and Water. The broad range gives a full perspective on how decisions being made by our government and large corporations affect us. The perspective of their many talented writers seems to be exceptionally fair and not green tainted as an assumed prejudice. For instance, their article on ‘the Diaper Decision’ fully elucidated the pros and cons of plastic versus cloth without taking sides.

* Smart Family Tips – save a little time, save a little money, save a little planet!

This blog is a one woman blog that really helps me to sort through the overwhelming amount of information out there and get some perspective on choices that are going to be sustainable for our families and our planet. Her posts are entertaining, easy to read and provide valuable insights. I especially like her link to ‘take action’ which allows you to add your voice to issues of concern. Helpful product reviews and recommendations.

* The Greenest Dollar

This is another site that I subscribe to because the tips are always unique and helpful. Today’s post of 10 Household uses for Vodka has inspired me to start considering the bottle in my cupboard for a lot more uses than mixed drinks! Her theme of save money, save the planet, be happy, is well served by all the articles, posts and products reviewed.

* Tree Hugger

With over 30 new posts a day and over 35,000 articles archived, you could literally get lost in the trees of Tree Hugger. Extremely broad range of subjects covered with intelligence and perspective, this site is a must for the informed green consumer and the active citizen of our world.

* Z Recommends

When Z recommends, I listen. I also listen and read carefully the warnings, product recalls and hazards exposed in common products to which our family may be exposed. A great resource for the young family with product reviews, giveaways and helpful information for raising kids safe and green.

* The Daily Reviewer

While this isn’t a blog per se, it is a great resource for links to top Organic Blogs. These blogs cover everything from organic food to organic farming to organic beauty care products. All well written, informative blogs for the organic consumer.

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The coating that makes Teflon pans non-stick is polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE for short. When PTFE heats up, it is known to release toxic gases that have been linked to cancer, organ failure, reproductive damage, and other harmful health effects. By early 2006, the evidence was substantial enough for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ask eight American companies, including DuPont, maker of Teflon-brand nonstick cookware, to work towards the elimination of PFOA from their products. Those companies continue to insist that when used in the proper way, there is no danger associated with the use of their cook ware. The debate continues.

Studies have shown that PFOA is present at low levels in the bloodstream of 9 out of 10 Americans, and even in the blood of most newborns. How it gets there, is still unclear.  When laboratory animals are exposed to high doses of PFOA it has been shown to cause cancer, low birth weight and a suppressed immune system. There is also strong evidence that PFOA exposure caused birth defects in babies born to mothers working at a Teflon plant in the early 1980s. DuPont was heavily fined for allegedly hiding data for many years on the toxicity of PFOA, but no legal action has yet been taken to bann this chemical.

The exposure to this chemical is undoubtedly worst when the pans are exposed to high temperatures or the surface has become abraded. In 2003 the Environmental Working Group (EWG) reported that nonstick coatings “could reach 700 degrees Fahrenheit in as little as 3-5 minutes, releasing 15 toxic gases and chemicals, including two carcinogens.” The release of toxic fumes from nonstick cookware is known to kill pet birds at much lower temperatures-as low as 464 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the EWG. Whether the use of PFOA in nonstick coatings and other products will be completely phased out over time is unclear, although companies including DuPont, are said to be looking for ’suitable alternatives’.  In the meantime, there are suitable alternatives already available and while the evidence may not be all in, I have been phasing out my non-stick cookware and replacing it with cast iron and stainless steel.

Suggestions to Use Nonstick Cookware Safely

* Never leave nonstick pans unattended on an open flame or other heat source

* While cooking, don’t let temperatures get hotter than 450 degrees

* Don’t use metal utensils on nonstick cookware to abrade it’s coating

* Wash nonstick cookware by hand using nonabrasive cleaners and sponges (do not use steel wool)

* Don’t stack nonstick cookware on top of each other.

* Keep pet birds and infants out of the kitchen!

* Stop using your pans if the surface coating is broken.

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Granted, no one is suggesting that we go back a century and give up all modern conveniences. Most of the chemical products available today do make the job easier and faster, but the cost doesn’t end after you’ve paid for the product. The majority of these cleansers are loaded with chemicals that we’re now finding out are highly toxic and accumulate in our bodies causing serious harm. Artificial fragrances alone are known to be hormone disrupters and neuro toxic and they are in virtually every modern cleaning product.

According to Environmental Protection Agency- the average home contains as much as 25 pounds of toxic cleaning products. When these chemicals go down our drains, they pollute our water and soil. In 2010, there are plenty of alternatives that are easy to use, effective and don’t harm our environment. Some of these products you can buy ready made, and some, you can make yourself with a few commonly available ingredients. I did a price comparison between some of these home made products with the green alternatives that are easily available and discovered (no surprise) that the savings is dramatic. The savings is even more absurd if you’re still using the mainstream commercial brands. If you haven’t already made the switch to green cleaning products, maybe this will be the year for you.

Dish Soap

What You Need:

* 1 ounce liquid castile soap

* 2 cups water

* 1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin

* 5 to 10 drops of an essential oil.

(Tea Tree, Lavender, Oregano, Geranium, Thyme and Lemon are all antibacterial and smell nice too)

for more info on antibacterial properties of essential oils: http://www.anandaapothecary.com/articles/antibacterial-essential-oils.html

Directions:

1. Blend the soap and water in a jar

2. Add the glycerin and essential oil (if using).

3. Stir to blend and use as needed.

Soap Scum-fighting Spray

What You Need:

* 1 teaspoon borax

* 1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent

* 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar

* 2 cups hot water

* Makes 2 1/4 cups

Directions:

1. Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle

2. Shake to blend

3. Spray and wipe with a sponge

4. Rinse

Magic Window Wash

What You Need:

* 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar

* 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent

* 2 cups water

* A few drops of essential oils, for scent (optional)

* Makes 2 1/4 cups

Directions:

1. Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle

2. Shake to blend.

3. Spray on surface

4. Remove with a squeegee, paper towel or newspaper

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

What You Need:

* 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar

* 2 cups water

* Makes 2 1/4 cups.

Directions:

1. Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle

2. Shake

3. Spray along the inside rim of the toilet

4. Leave on for 15 minutes

5. Scrub with a toilet brush.

Oven & Pot Cleaner

What You Need:

* Large box of baking soda

* Water

Directions for Oven:

1. Sprinkle the bottom of the oven with baking soda to cover

2. Spray with water until very damp

3. Keep moist by spraying every few hours

4. Let set overnight

5. In the morning, simply scoop out the baking soda – all the grime will be loosened – and rinse the oven well

Directions for Heavily Soiled Pot:

1. Sprinkle the bottom of the pot with baking soda to cover

2. Add a small amount of water

3. Heat until the water boils then remove from heat

4. Let set overnight

5. In the morning, the grime will easily wash away.

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Only 91 contaminants are presently regulated, yet more than 60,000 chemicals are used within the United States, according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates. Scientists who have independently reviewed thousands of these chemicals consider many of them to present serious health risks. What’s even worse, is that current research about chemicals that are presntly regulated have been found to be far more hazardous to our health than was originally thought. Now we know that the levels that are legal for some of these contaminants are actually lethal – in terms of increasing people’s risk for life threatening diseases, birth defects and other serious conditions. In fact, many of the standards for those chemicals have not been updated since the 1980s, and some haven’t been updated since the Safe Drinking Water Act was passed in 1974.

Some of the most hazardous chemicals found in our drinking water include: Arsenic, Chromium, Perc and Uranium. Arsenic is a naturally occurring metal that is used extensively in industries such as electronics and processing wood. It has recently been found to be far more toxic than originally estimated, yet nothing has been done to limit it’s presence in our water. Chromium is used in the production of metal alloys and can degrade into hexavalent chromium. Remember the Erin Brockovitch story with Julia Roberts? This is the stuff that caused all those cancers in Hinkley. It is estimated that as much as 80% of the chromium in our water is hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen.

Perc is a dry cleaning chemical and is used in cleaning machinery in factories. Uranium is a radioactive element that is naturally occurring in most rocks but leaches into our water supply through power generation and weapons manufacturing plants. These are just a minute sample of what’s in our water that shouldn’t be and it begs the question of what our regulatory agencies are doing, if not keeping us safe?

It should be said that the water supply system throughout the United States is not homogenous. You’ll find more of certain chemicals in certain geographic areas that are closer to various industries, including pesticide runoff in agricultural areas. The bottom line is, if you drink tap water, use a water filter and change it regularly. If you drink bottled water go online and see if they actually filter it. The USA is still very reliant on coal and coal is the single largest polluter of our air, water and land. It may be cheap, but now when the cost of health care for all the long term diseases related to its use are considered.

If you want more details, call the BCWA (Bristol County Water Authority) and ask for the Consumer Confidence Report for the last year recording all the detected toxic pollutants in our water supply. Their number is: 401 245 2022 x19  (www.bcwa-ri.com Note: This web address did not work with a Safari browser)

To read the NY Times article series in full:

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/12/17/us/17water_graphic.htm

The NPR host Terry Gross conducted an audio radio interview which I highly recommend. It runs about 30 minutes:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113927993

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Walmart, the world’s largest corporation, is about to set a new standard for sustainable manufacturing, that could change the world. It’s hard to grasp just how big Walmart is. By some estimates the total value of all goods and services sold by Walmart accounts for one third of our entire global output! Yes, one in three retail dollars spent around the planet is associated with Walmart or companies that do business through Walmart. So when this behemoth wakes up and realizes that green is better, the impact on the world, is huge!

So, What Is Walmart’s Grand Plan?

Walmart is funding an initiative to develop a sustainability index that will be used to measure the eco-friendliness of all products in all 7,000 plus Walmart stores. This index will include the impact of production methods and materials, packaging, shipping, and disposal. In other words, the entire life cycle of each product will be evaluated for how much of a carbon footprint that product has. Eventually, Walmart hopes that each and every item will have a small summary of this information, similar to a nutritional label, that will allow consumers to be aware of the real cost to the environment of buying this product. Sort of a ‘green card’ that gives you more information to decide if this product measures up to your values.

This is really phenomenal because in the past, Walmart’s quest for the best price, inspired millions of businesses to engage in practices that had devastating consequences on our environment and contributed to labor abuse and reliance on the cheapest and dirtiest methods of manufacturing. In fact, almost no major corporations currently design with environmental impact in mind because the consumer is the one who pays for disposal of all that plastic packaging that is so convenient, but so damn indestructible and polluting.

With this initiative, a company that say, makes furniture from unsustainable harvesting of timber, processes the wood in coal fueled factories, adds toxic chemicals that pollute our eco system and finally ship the goods 6,000 miles to Walmart, may no longer be able to do business with Walmart. A local company with a much higher sustainability index that can come close to the same price, may get the contract instead. And if such polluters still get their product on shelf, their eco-label will inform the consumer, similar to notices on tobacco, that this product is “hazardous to environmental health”. Ultimately, this comparison will inspire manufacturers to “out green” their competitors to win coveted placement in Walmart.

How to Develop the New Sustainability Index and Scorecard?

Walmart doesn’t plan to develop the new sustainability index on it’s own. Rather they’re assembling a group of universities that will collaborate with suppliers, retailers, NGO’s and governments to develop the database. They are also working with experts like BluSkye Consulting, the Environmental Defense Fund and sustainability metrics experts. The first version of this “supplier scorecard” is rolling out now to all 60,000 suppliers and it asks 15 questions in four categories with implicit goals.

• Energy and Climate – using less fuel and saving greenhouse gas emissions

• Material Efficiency – consuming less, processing less, reusing and recycling, and ultimately moving to zero waste

• Natural Resources – higher quality production with fewer inputs (like water), which could be certified according to standards

• People and Community –open communication and increased transparency about sourcing, and its impact in the local society.

By improving sustainability standards in these four categories it will ultimately enable manufacturers to operate at lower cost and negative impact to society while still delivering great value for both shareholders and stakeholders. In my next article, I will reveal why Walmart’s Green Initiatives actually makes good business sense. Stay tuned! You can download additional information on the sustainability challenge at: http://walmartstores.com/FactsNews/NewsRoom/9277.aspx

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At Home

• Food waste can be composted by digging a hole in your yard where you toss non-meat food scraps. If you have leaf and grass clippings to dispose of as well, a simple enclosed pile can be made for composting. Even the city dweller can compost in a trash bin where you put in equal amounts of food scraps and a manure rich soil amendment. When full, put aside for a few months for plenty of free potting soil for a patio garden of vegetables and flowers.
• Reduce use of paper towels and napkins by having dish towels, cloth napkins and easily accessed rag bag for spills and general cleaning use. Old torn up towels work well for this.
• Reuse plastic containers to save left over food, to freeze foods or pack lunches.
• Have a bag for plastic grocery bags that can be reused, or when full, taken to be recycled.
• Repair/restore used items before replacing them with new ones. If you must replace something, consider it’s durability and energy efficiency or consider buying second hand.
• Take newspapers and cardboard to recycle bins locally.
• Reduce items that rely on batteries or buy rechargeable ones.
• Too much junk mail? Contact the Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, 11 W. 42nd St., PO Box 3861, New York, NY 10163-3861. Have them remove your name from commercial lists, non-profit lists, or both.
• Reuse paper bags, wrapping paper, or newsprint for book covers.
• Cancel subscriptions to magazines or newspapers you don’t actually read, especially if you can read them at the local library. Give old issues to friends, coworkers, nursing homes, laundromats or an appropriate business office.
• Don’t throw away usable clothing or household items. Hold an annual yard sale, hold a swap meet with friends for baby clothes and such or donate the items to charitable organizations.

At the Store

• Always carry multiple canvas or other reusable tote bags in your car so you have them whenever you shop.  Encourage friends and family to use totes instead of paper or plastic.
• Buy durable (long-lasting, multiple-use) items instead of disposable or cheaply made.
• Avoid excess packaging when choosing product brands. For frequently used items, buy in bulk. Otherwise, buy just the amount you need. Larger sizes reduce the amount of packaging, but smaller sizes may reduce leftover waste. Or consider dividing the extra product with a friend.
• Reduce toxic waste by purchasing paints, pesticides and other hazardous materials only in the quantities needed, sharing leftovers and disposing of responsibly. Or seek alternatives.
• Buy concentrated products to reduce packaging, such as concentrated laundry detergent.

At the Office

• Set up recycle bins for aluminum cans, paper and plastic waste.
• Bring a waste-free lunch by packing it in reusable containers.
• Use both sides of a sheet of paper before recycling it.
• Use scrap paper for telephone messages or sketching out rough drafts.
• Use a water filter rather than buying water in plastic bottles or having water delivered.
• Purchase products in bulk sizes to reduce packaging waste.
• Purchase products made from recycled materials, ie. Paper and packaging materials.
• Use washable mugs instead of styro foam cups for coffee.
• Use re-usable coffee filters instead of paper filters.
• Recycle toner cartridges and other Ewaste.

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PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is just one of the plastics that have been in the news lately because of their health risks. Phthalates and Bisphenol A are also extremely hazardous, but PVC is a major concern because it is so widely used. Until fairly recently, the only trials done on it’s safety were performed by the very companies that profited from it’s manufacture. No surprise then that health risks were minimized and the environmental pollution associated with both it’s production and disposal was ignored. But thankfully, the times are changing…

PVC plastic #3 is one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created.

PVC, also known as vinyl, is commonly used in baby shampoo bottles, hard water bottles, plumbing, blister packaging, saran wrap, shower curtains, car interiors and thousands of other products. Recognize that distinctive new car smell, new shower curtain smell?  That’s the smell of poisonous chemicals off-gassing from PVC plastic. Here’s a more complete list of where PVC plastic is still routinely used.

• Personal care products such as soap, shampoo, deodorants, hair spray, and nail polish
• All artificial fragrances
• Vinyl siding on homes and buildings
• Plumbing fixtures
• Flexible hoses and tubing
• Flooring
• Roofing membranes
• Insulation for electrical cable and wires
• Magnetic stripe cards
• Materials used to cushion and cover furniture
• Pipelines in the water and sewage industries
• Adhesives
• Detergents
• Lubricating oils
• Solvents
• Automotive plastics
• Plastic fabrics and clothing

PVC is dangerous to human health and the environment throughout it’s entire life cycle, during production, in our homes, and in the trash. At each stage it releases poisonous chemicals such as mercury, dioxins, and phthalates, which can cause cancer and harm the immune and reproductive systems. Workers at PVC plants may face life-long health risks from exposure to PVC and other hazardous chemicals used to make PVC. Babies and young children are especially vulnerable to these toxins and exposure greatly increases the following health risks:

• Hormonal imbalances
• Reproductive and developmental problems
• Allergies in children
• Brain cancer
• Leukemia or cancer of the blood.
• Scleroderma or hardening of connective tissue throughout the body
• Cholangiocarcinoma – a malignant tumor near the gall bladder and liver
• Angiosarcoma – a malignant tumor arising from a blood vessel
• Lymphomas or cancer of the lymph system
• Liver cirrohosis

Disposing of PVC plastics is an environmental nightmare.

PVC cannot be effectively recycled due to the many different toxic additives used to soften or stabilize it. Most consumers don’t know that a #3 in the recycle symbol indicates that the plastic is made of PVC, and therefore by attempting to recycle those products, inadvertently render thousands of potentially recycled containers useless.  In fact, just one PVC bottle can contaminate a recycling load of 100,000 PET bottles!

An estimated 7 billion pounds of PVC is discarded every year in landfills where it pollutes ground water and is a serious environmental hazard. Another 600 million pounds of PVC are burned in waste incinerators around the U.S. each year, polluting our air and creating a toxic ash. It is estimated that 300 billion pounds of longer-lasting PVC products, such as construction materials that last 30 to 40 years, will soon reach the end of it’s life cycle and require replacement and disposal.

When burned, PVC plastic forms dioxins, a highly toxic group of chemicals that can be carried long distances and eventually shows up in the food chain, both land and sea. It also can cause cancers and harm both the immune and reproductive systems. The use of PVC plastics has reached a crisis level and many organizations are now mobilizing to switch over to safer plastics with a less harmful affect on human health and the environment. It’s about time.

Safer, Healthier Alternatives are Readily Available

The good news is that safer, cost-effective, alternatives to PVC are readily available for virtually every use.  From safer plastics, to bio-based materials, there is a growing market replacing hazardous PVC products. You can help build consumer demand for safer, healthier products by avoiding the purchase of PVC.  Just look for the number “3” inside or the letter “V” underneath the universal recycling symbol. If you suspect that a product is made of PVC, one, don’t buy it, and two, contact the product manufacturer and ask them to switch to safer materials.

It is a sad fact that our government does not protect us from a fraction of the toxic chemicals used in industry and in common everyday products. The petrochemical industry has powerful lobbyists in Washington who have convinced our politicians to turn a blind eye and keep their profits pouring in. These companies can switch to safer plastics but business as usual will continue unless we lift our voices together. By educating ourselves and voting with our dollars we can be heard in the boardrooms of the giant petrochemical industries. It’s time to say no to PVC plastics in our world.

How to reduce the PVC risk:

1. Use glass containers and bottles rather than plastic ones.
2. When wrapping foods for storage or to take out, avoid plastic cling or saran wrap. Cellulose bags, wax paper, and butcher paper are better choices. Glass or stainless steel containers are even better.
3. Whenever possible, buy food and supplies in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging that is consumed.
4. Whenever possible, choose packaging materials that are easily recycled. Paper, glass, and metal cans are good choices.
5. Take cloth or recycled bags to shop and say no to plastic bags.
6. Bring non-plastic containers to cafeterias, salad bars, and other places that typically use plastic containers to serve their food on.
7. Use stainless steel utensils. Plastic utensils should be avoided whenever possible since they have to repeatedly come into contact with our mouths.
8. If a microwave must be utilized, never use it to cook food that is in contact with plastic cling wrap or in a plastic container labeled #3, 6 or 7.

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