Big Green Purse

Bottled Water Not as Safe as Tap Water, says GAO

Water sold in plastic bottles is not as safe as tap water because bottled water is allowed to be contaminated by chemicals that cause "reproductive difficulties, liver problems, and cancer."

Marketing hype and inadequate labeling entice consumers to buy bottled water even though it is far more expensive and usually not as healthy as tap water.

Bottled water also takes its toll on the environment. At least 3/4 of the millions of plastic water bottles produced each year are thrown away rather than recycled. Plus, producing bottled water actually uses more water and is far more energy intensive than providing the same amount of water to the public via the tap.

These are among the most damning conclusions reached by the U.S. General Accounting Office upon completion of a thorough comparison of the health, safety and environmental benefits of tap vs. bottled water.

The GAO attributes the dangers in bottled water to the fact that it is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whose safety requirements are far less stringent than those of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates tap water. The GAO recommended that the FDA adopt EPA's requirements within the year.

Consumers should not have to wait a year for plastic water bottles to be safe. Take action now:

* Stop buying bottled water, or any beverage sold in a plastic bottle. Remember the power of the purse: the way you spend your money sends a signal loud and clear to polluters that they will lose market share unless they provide you with safe products and services. 

* Shift to healthier, safer reusable bottles. Aluminum and stainless steel bottles are better, as are bottles with filters that are free of the chemicals most throwaway water bottles contain.

* Contact manufacturers and tell them to pull bottled water off the market. Just because a company makes a bottle that uses less plastic doesn't mean that bottle is a good choice.

Throwaway plastic bottles need to go. 

Environmental In-Box: Echoes in the Attic Tote Bags & Purses

Globalization has led to homogenization: Everything looks like everything else...boring.

Not so when it comes to Echoes in the Attic tote bags and purses. These one-of-a-kind designs are created purse by purse from exquisite reclaimed fabrics - and at an affordable price, too. Environmental chic? If this is what it looks like, I'm in.

What is it? The unique purses and tote bags are made by hand in Canada of fabrics leftover from manufacturing and designer samples. The materials - recycled from upscale companies like Robert Allen Fabrics and Ethan Allen Furniture - are so high end it's hard to imagine that they were once destined for the landfill. The product line includes "hipster" purses big enough for keys, cosmetics, a wallet and a brush; plus diaper, beach, and tote bags when you need to carry more stuff.

What I like: What immediately jumped out at me was the quality of the "hipster" bag I received as a review sample. Even though the purse is made from "vegan" leather, it feels luxurious. And, at $39, I love the price. That the bags are made using materials that otherwise would be thrown away is another environmental plus. It was packaged simply in one sheet of tissue paper that can be recycled and mailed in a regular envelope.

What could be improved? The Echoes website is a bit challenging to navigate, making it clumsy to move from the product pages to the online store and back again. Also, in-store distribution right now is limited to Canada, though the bags can easily be bought online. Let's hope some smart retailers in the U.S. discover Echoes and stock up their shelves. Also, I'd like more information about the company's own business practices. How many bags is it producing every year - and how much waste is it diverting from the trash bin as a result? Does Echoes power its production facilities with wind or solar? How does it recycle its own leftovers, if at all? It's terrific that the company is based in North America; does it support any charities, especially in its own community? What motivated the company's two women owners to get their business off the ground?

Product comparison: Echoes in the Attic joins this inspiring group of bag manufacturers who are producing their wares with the environment in mind. You can now buy a bag made from organic, recycled and reclaimed fibers to meet any need. I can imagine using the Echoes "hipster" as easily for a night out on the town as for a quick trip to my food co-op.

Price: Given the quality of the bags and the environmental value they deliver, their $39- $85 price range - seems more than reasonable.

How many purses: Three. Echoes in the attic transforms trash into treasure, and consumers and the environment are the better for it.

Recycle Your TV: Here's How

In the wake of the nation-wide switch to digital television, are you wondering what to do with your old analog TV sets? Recycling them is easier than you think - and better for the planet, too. 

Trashing televisions adds to the mountains of garbage people throw away every day. Plus, tossing your tv releases toxic chemicals into the environment. On average, a television contains four to six pounds of lead, plus mercury and cadmium - all dangerous heavy metals that can pollute our drinking water if they get loose (as they inevitably will if they're just thrown into a landfill).  

What's the alternative?  

* Convert it. If your set is still in good working order, get a converter box so you can switch the set to digital cable. Until July 31, 2009, you can redeem a free government coupon worth $40 to help underwrite the cost of the converter box.

* Recycle it. Check locally to see if your state has established e-waste recycling centers.  For example, Washington state has had 200 collection points open since January that collect old televisions, computers, and monitors for free.  Maine and Oregon have similar programs and many other states will soon.  TIA E-Cycling Center lists municipal and private drop-off locations by state.

* Give it back. The manufacturer or retailer of your television set may reclaim and recycle it.  The U.S. EPA has created a partnership called Plug-in to eCycling which lists companies that recycle old electronics.  Sony, Sharp, Best Buy, Panasonic, and Wal-Mart are among the participating companies. Check out their website to see if the retailer or manufacturer who sold you your TV is on the list.

 Earth911 links to more local television recycling options.

The EPA estimates that 99.1 million television sets sit in homes, unused, across the US.  If you consider that each one contains 5 pounds of lead on average, that's nearly 500 million pounds of lead that could potentially end up in the environment.  No wonder trashing your tv is now illegal in many municipalities.

by Katie Kelleher

Recycling Electronics? Swipe Them Clean First

Want to recycle your computer but worry about keeping your data confidential?

Here's the fix: 

 Eraseyourharddrive.com has the only “web-deployable” software on the market.  For $23.95, you can download and use the software without bothering with disks or wasteful packaging.  

WipeDrive is a disk-based system available on Amazon.com for around $36.

Green Disk will do it for you for a fee, but you need to mail them your computer and other electronics.

Recycle Computers Locally and On-Line

Recycling computers is an environmental essential.  Most computer components -- including the monitor, keyboard, and hard drive -- contain heavy metals, like lead and cadmium, which can contaminate drinking water and wreak havoc on human health.Even if they didn't threaten our well-being, trashed computers and other electronics are the fastest growing sector of the waste steam. We're throwing way too many computers away.

It doesn't need to be so. Many "broken" computers can be repaired to extend their life; even if the entire computer can't be saved, many parts can be recovered and re-used in another machine. My point: Don't trash your computer; recycle it. Here's how:

CHECK WITH GREENPEACE

Every year, the nonprofit citizen's group evaluates the efforts computer manufacturers are making to reduce the toxic chemicals in their products and increase recycling. Before you buy, review your options and pick the most environmentally friendly option that meets your computing needs.

GIVE IT BACK 

 HP has a trade-in program that accepts products from any manufacturer and gives you cash back when you purchase a new HP.  Their recycling program accepts HP equipment for free, and other brands for a nominal fee. The company has earned the EPA SmartWay certification by reducing the fuel consumption, greenhouse gases and other air emissions of its surface transportation carriers.  Take note: HP has recently fallen on the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics because the company says it will no longer honor a promise it  made to eliminate PVC and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from their products by the end of 2009.

Dell has partnered with Staples to accept Dell products for recycling at all their locations. Dell's exchange and trade-in program buys back old models of all types of electronics, regardless of manufacturer, and gives Dell gift cards to the customer in return.  Dell aims to reduce package size by 10% by 2012; achieve 75% curbside recyclability for packaging; and increase recycled content of laptop and desktop packaging 50%.  (I recently bought the Dell Studio Hybrid, which uses 80% less energy than a standard desktop hard drive and came in minimum packaging.) However, like HP, the company has backtracked on its commitment to eliminate PVC and BFRs in all products by the end of 2009.  In fact, Dell no longer has a timeline for eliminating these toxic substances - what's it waiting for?

For any computer, search the corporate website for specific suggestions on how to recycle it.

Best Buy - Rather than hassle with a computer company, go to your nearest Best Buy. Why? "We'll take just about anything electronic, including TVs, DVD players, computer monitors, cell phones and more. You can bring in up to two items a day, per household, and most things are absolutely free. However, there is a $10 charge for TVs 32" and under, CRTs, monitors and laptops — but we'll give you a $10 Best Buy gift card to offset that cost." That's a pretty good deal.

Goodwill - Businesses and consumers can donate computers to Goodwill for recycling. Check with your local Goodwill office before dropping equipment off.

EBay.com, CraigsList.com, and FreeCycle.org - These sites also enable you to sell, trade or donate your computer rather than toss it in the trash.

Earth911.com enables you to find more local computer recycling locations.

DONATE

The National Cristina Foundation takes donated computers and matches them to charities, schools, and public agencies in need throughout the US and Canada.  

GET PAID

Gazelle will pay you to recycle your e-waste.  Gazelle shows you how much your product is worth, sends you a box for free shipping, and upon receiving your product (assuming it is in proper condition), will mail you a check for its value.

BUY A SAFER COMPUTER

Apple is the only computer company among the top five that has freed its products of PVC and BFRs.  With the exception of PVC-free power cords, which they are working to certify, this is Apple’s greenest accomplishment.   Apple recycles electronics for all customers who purchase a new Apple or Mac product from any of their online or retail stores.  Once purchased, you receive a voucher for shipping any old electronic (regardless of brand) via FedEx.  Fewer restrictions apply to educational or business customers, and for those recycling iPods and cell phones, none of whom have to buy a new product as a prerequisite to their recycling.  There are no drop-off sites for e-recycling at any Apple stores.

 

How about a little more info?

Don't miss this additional information on the environmental impacts of electronics. 

Here are ten ways to make your computer more energy efficient.

Research by Katie Kelleher

Environmentally Friendly Car Wash - Not in Your Driveway!

Are you one of those people who think you'll save energy and water if you wash your car at home? 

Sorry. Just the opposite is true.  When you wash your car in your driveway or on the street, the wash and rinse water – loaded with dirt, exhaust fumes, oil and detergent – runs off down the storm drain and eventually into rivers, lakes and streams.  All that dirt can contaminate the water and threaten the fish, birds and other wildlife that live there. Plus, washing a car at home usually uses far more water than at a car wash, since so many people just leave the hose running while they wash the car.

The alternative?

A commercial car wash.

* By law (in both the U.S. and Canada), commercial car washes must drain their wastewater into sewer systems so it can be treated before being discharged back into waterways.

* An added advantage? Commercial car washes use computer-controlled systems and high-pressure nozzles and pumps to minimize water use.

* Many facilities also recycle and re-use the rinse water. As a result, automatic car washes may use 50% less water than someone who washes her car at home: 45 gallons per car at the car wash compared to between 80 and 140 gallons at home.

If you must wash your car at home:

* Do so on lawn or gravel to minimize run-off into the street.

* Use a biodegradable liquid soap that contains no phosphates or synthetic fragrances. like Dr. Bronner’s , or brands like Greenworks or Bright Green that are easily available in most grocery and big box stores. 

* Turn off the hose while you’re soaping the car up; rinse quickly.

* Skip throwaway paper towels in favor of sponges to scrub and cotton towels, used t-shirts or microfibers towels to dry.

My little trick: I often wipe down my car when it’s raining. The rain loosens the dirt and grime; I wipe off the vehicle with towels  I can launder. When the rain stops, the car is clean. It didn’t cost me anything, and it didn’t pollute, either.

Waterless Car Care? Yup. Try Eco Touch and
Freedom Waterless Car Wash, both of which are phosphate-free and biodegradable.

Want to green clean the inside of your car? Here's how.

Want more green living tips? Get your own copy of Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World.

Healthy Green Car Care - Top Ten "Insider" Tips

When it comes to buying a “green” car, most consumers focus on fuel efficiency. The more miles per gallon, the more eco-friendly the car.

But what about keeping the car clean?

From washing off the grime that accumulates outside to cleaning up the dashboard inside, how you maintain your vehicle matters to both you and the environment. Why not choose the greenest options? In most cases, they’ll save you money, too.

Here’s how:

1) Window Cleaner: There’s enough road rage to go around these days. Don’t make matters worse by using commercial cleaning products whose chemicals leave you cranky or give you a headache. Keep things  cheap, simple and safe. Make your own window wash.

Recipe:

Mix 1/2 cup white vinegar with two cups water in a spray bottle.

 Add a few drops of pulp-free lemon juice for fragrance. 

Apply directly on a lint-free cotton cloth so the cleaner doesn’t spray all over the car.

Once you wipe the windows clean, buff them with a micro-fiber cloth for extra shine. 

 
Air Freshener: My personal car pet peeve is those creepy little fragrance bobbles that hang from rear view mirrors and completely stink up the car with some sickeningly sweet odor. They give me an immediate headache that lasts long after the car ride is over. And no wonder: most commercial fragrances contain toxic chemicals like benzene and diethyl phthalate that can become particularly insidious if you’re inhaling them in a space as small and closed as a car interior. 

The alternative? If your car stinks, find out why. Usually, it's from something like food scraps (from fast food or snacks) that have started to rot under the car seat or in the grooves of a floor mats.Solution?  

2) Take trash with you. Whenever you leave the car, take a quick look to ferret out the smelly stuff.

3) Open the windows for a few minutes while you’re driving to let fresh air circulate through the car.

4) Use hot soapy water to wipe down interior doors, handles and vinyl seats.

5) Rinse off floor mats (which will force you to lift them up and out of the car, possibly discovering more stink bombs you’ll need to toss).

6) At a car wash, don't let them spray the interior with air freshener when they finish vacuuming. If they’ve done their job properly, the car should smell just fine without it.

Seats and cushions: Keeping a car clean shouldn’t require the use of industrial strength chemicals.

7) Use a whisk broom or hand-held vacuum to remove dirt and dust from floor mats and seat cushions.

8) Keep a cloth napkin within reach so you can wipe up spills when they occur.

9) Dust surfaces with a damp cloth once a week to keep grime from building up.

10) For spots on the steering wheel or console, sprinkle a little baking soda on a wet towel and gently rub. Wipe with a clean damp cloth.

NEXT:  Getting a Green Car Wash

Excerpted from Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World

Want more Green Living Top Ten Tips? Check these out.

Environmental In-Box: Bon Ami Cleanser

“Bon ami” in French means “good friend,” and when it comes to cleaning your kitchen and bathroom, Bon Ami Cleanser is just that.  This non-scratching, earth-friendly product has been available in just about every supermarket and hardware store for decades.  If you've never heard of it, it's time you did.

What is it?

Bon Ami’s Cleanser is made from sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate (limestone), and feldspar.  The mildly abrasive limestone and feldspar cleanse without scratching, while the sodium carbonate conditions hard water. To use, just wet the surface you want to clean, sprinkle on the Bon Ami powder, and wipe with a wet sponge. I use Bon Ami on everything from kitchen countertops to living room walls to the bathtub. You can also use it to shine appliances and clean outdoor furniture.  

What I like:  Bon Ami contains no chlorine, dye, perfume, bleach, or phosphorus.  Because the product is free of unhealthy additives it is especially appealing to people who suffer from chemical sensitivities.  Not only is the cleanser itself biodegradable, but the packaging consists of more than 75% recycled material, including 60% post-consumer waste. 

What could be improved? Hmmm. I'm thinking...

Product comparison:

Baking Soda - Fragrance-free baking soda is a terrific environmental alternative to Bon Ami. Since it doesn't have quite as much scouring power, I often use baking soda on my kitchen counter, but Bon Ami to clean the toilet or work out a stubborn ring around the tub. Baking soda and Bon Ami together can clean almost any surface in your house except for glass and polished wood.

Colgate-Palmolive’s Ajax Powder Cleanser uses sodium carbonate but also trichloroisocyanuric acid, a bleaching agent, and synthetic fragrances.  On Colgate’s Material Safety Data Sheet  for the product, the “Safety Phrase” category reads, “Avoid release to the environment.”  This concern is likely due to the water-polluting effects of the trichloroisocyanuric acid.

Procter & Gamble’s Comet, made with sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione dehydrate, has been shown to be highly toxic for aquatic animals.  Comet does use recycled material in its packaging, which contains at least 75% recycled material, minimum 50% post-consumer.  The product is also free of phosphorus, like Bon Ami.

Soft Scrub with Bleach Cleanser is a liquid alternative to these all-purpose, non-scratching powders.  Its micro-abrasive formula is comprised of chemical components like bleach, lauramine oxide, sodium hydroxide, myristamine oxide, and potassium iodide.  The product also contains synthetic fragrances which may cause an allergic reaction in some people.  The plastic container Soft Scrub comes in is made of #2 recyclable HDPE.

Price comparison:

A 32 ounce box of generic brand Baking Soda cost me $1.19 at my local grocery store.
A 14 ounce can of Bon Ami costs only $1.39. 
A 21 ounce can of Ajax Oxygen Bleach Cleanser costs $1.49.
A 21 ounce can of Comet Powder Cleanser costs $2.09.
A 24 ounce bottle of Soft Scrub with Bleach costs $4.19.

How many purses?  Three. Bon Ami is cheap, effective, non-toxic, and cleans everything except wood and glass.  

   

Research by Katie Kelleher.

Where Can You Recycle Cellphones? Everywhere.

Recycling cell phones is one of the easiest ways you can protect the planet.

• Leave it behind when you buy a new phone. Sprint, Verizon,T-Mobile, AT&T, Nokia, and Motorola all participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Plug in to e-cycling” program and will accept any cell phone or PDA at any of their retail outlets.

• Take it to Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot, or Radio Shack. Most outlets will have a box you can drop your phone in with absolutely no hassle.

*  Send it to Collective Good, a company that refurbishes the phones, re-sells them, and shares the profits with the charity of your choice. Address:

Collective Good International
Include Charity Code
5763 ARAPAHOE AVE STE G
Boulder, CO 80303-1350

Why bother? Every week, 3 million cell phones are thrown away. More than 1 billion used mobile phones clutter our shelves, take up space in our drawers or worse – are decaying in landfills.

Cell phones are constructed with a host of heavy metals - like antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel and zinc – that can pollute ground water and potentially cause cancer. Recovering those metals for re-use keeps them out of the environment and makes them available for reuse in other electronics manufacturing.

Have an APPLE I-Phone or IPOD you need to unload?   Apple’s Recycling Program provides prepaid mailing label you can download from the company website.

Recycle used phone batteries, too. The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Coalition links to 50,000 locations, including Target, Lowe's Home Depot and Office Max. 

Want more ways to recycle your phone? Here are 50, courtesy of VOIP.
.

Research by Rachel Goglia

What impact does mining have on the environment? Duhhh...

Waste from gold and other kinds of mining pollutes the planet. Miners often use arsenic, a toxic metal, to leach gold from rock, creating a nasty slurry that contaminates drinking water and kills wildlife when it's released into the environment.

Anyone who thinks dousing our waterways or landscapes with such toxic pollution deserves to have his or her head examined -- even if that head is perched on the neck of a Supreme Court Justice.

In a ruling decried by environmentalists, public health officials, and fishermen in Alaska, the Court voted 6-3 to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -- the same folks who built the failed levee system in New Orleans, ahem -- to permit Coeur Alaska, Inc., a gold mining company, to dump its tainted slurry into Lower Slate Lake. The lake lies just north of Juneau, Alaska.

The Supreme Court didn't just say this was okay. In an Orwellian analysis, they actually ruled that the Clean Water Act -- legislation designed to keep our waterways clean and the wildlife that lives in them safe -- instead permits just the opposite. It boggles the mind - well my mind, anyway. Evidently not the minds of the six Justices who supported this opinion.

Notably, the Supreme Court's decision reverses a May 2007 ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which found the mining company's permit in clear violation of the Clean Water Act.

"If a mining company can turn Lower Slate Lake in Alaska into a lifeless waste dump, other polluters with solids in their wastewater can potentially do the same to any water body in America," said Trip Van Noppen, president of the nonprofit environmental law firm Earthjustice, which brought the suit.

"The good news is that the problem is reversible. It was caused by a Bush administration rule reversing thirty years of successful regulation under the Clean Water Act. We call on President Obama to act immediately to repeal this rule."

"The purpose of the Clean Water Act is to keep America's waters safe for drinking, fishing, and swimming," added Tom Waldo of Earthjustice, who argued the case on behalf of three conservation groups. "The Clean Water Act was intended to halt the practice of using lakes, rivers, and streams as waste dumps. Today's decision does not achieve these purposes."

What's the magnitude of this decision? Coeur d'Alene Mines Corporation's Kensington gold mine near Juneau is now permitted to pump over 200,000 gallons per day of a toxic wastewater slurry directly into Lower Slate Lake in the Tongass National Forest. The dumping, which will take place over ten years, will eventually deposit 4.5 million tons of solids in the lake, killing nearly all its aquatic life.

Earth Justice said this rule change can be reversed with a new rule issued by the Corps and EPA, by legislation, or by revising the informal EPA memo. A bill already introduced in this Congress by Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Dave Reichert (R-WA) would, if passed, accomplish this task. The Clean Water Protection Act, H.R. 1310, has 151 cosponsors.

Contact Earth Justice to find out how you can help.