A round-up of this week’s environmental, green and ecofriendly news and updates.
How much do you type or write that only needs to be kept for a short time? Things like shopping lists, to-do lists – and in the office, quick memos, stuff that gets printed or photocopied…..
They all end up in the rubbish bin, or put out for recycling.
Landfills are full of paper and cardboard (about 40% on average), and even if the paper is recycled, it still pollutes when ink is removed. Then there’s the trees – about one-third of all harvested trees are used for paper and cardboard production in the US.
It’s a problem – but there may be a solution. Scientists have invented a new type of re-writable paper that can be printed with light — no ink required. The paper has the same feel and appearance as conventional paper, but can be printed and erased repeatedly without the need for ink. Isn’t that amazing?
The paper “erases” itself after about five days, so you don’t need to shred confidential stuff any more. To erase and rewrite onto the same paper, simply heat it for about 10 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120C).
Imagine the implications for temporary information – newspapers, magazines, posters, notepads, oxygen sensors, rewritable labels and more.
It will massively reduce paper waste, and the paper coating technology is very inexpensive. Plus, you won’t need to replace the printer’s ink cartridge again!
Of course we all know that fast food and convenient take-away food isn’t good for us.
But now it seems that it’s even worse for us than we thought….
It just took one tweet – and a wonderful movement was launched.
School kids with unpaid balances on their school lunch accounts have their lunches taken away (and wasted). Or they bring sandwiches from home. Or they go hungry rather than face the embarrassment of the school cafeteria.
Ashley Ford sent one tweet on Twitter (messages are limited to 140 characters):
A cool thing you can do today is try to find out which of your local schools have kids with overdue lunch accounts and pay them off.
Wow! At last count, that tweet has been directly responsible for raising more than $157,000 to pay off student lunch debts across the U.S. It’s an appealing concept, because it’s a simple yet effective way to make a difference.
If ever you think that you, just one person, can’t make a difference, think again!
There have been some wonderful new studies released which seem to show that Alzheimer’s Disease – common, incurable and devastating for the families of victims – may respond well to natural forms of treatment.
See the encouraging news here.
Global Green News:
Australian scientists have discovered a way to recycle used cooking oil – into graphene, the hardest material on Earth. It’s could be a great sustainable method for recycling cooking oil that would otherwise be discarded after use.
Of course you know that Arctic ice is melting at an unprecedented rate. In fact, it could be virtually ice-free in the summers by as early as 2030 – about twice as fast as climate models predicted just a few years ago – it would be an ecological disaster. Aside from death to animals and fish, it would also trigger further warming of the planet, disrupt weather patterns and release more carbon gases into the atmosphere. Mining, oil and tourism companies have plans to operate in an ice-free Arctic, potentially destroying a pristine area. So, scientists have come up with a wild plan to build the world’s largest air conditioner, and use it to refreeze the Arctic. Wow! According to The Guardian, it would cost more than $500 billion – a cost so vast that it would take multiple countries to fund it.
US Green News:
Beautiful Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan, which lies along the shore of Lake Superior, will now be dug up by a Canadian company looking for copper. The extent of the damage is unclear at the moment, but it’s certainly a threat to its pristine geological and ecological resources.
The Everglades wetlands in Florida are running out of freshwater, and an ecologist says the area is spinning into a cycle of decline. Flood controls have affected river flows for years, and now ocean levels are rising, bring more saltwater into the swamps. There’s also pollution from farms and cities. The Everglades are home to rare and endangered species such as the manatee, American crocodile and Florida panther. In addition, the wetlands used to be a good carbon sink, but it’s now a shrinking defense against greenhouse gases.
Remember the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico? The effects are still being felt (not that the oil companies will tell you!). A new study shows that dolphin numbers dropped by a massive 50% after the spill, and it’s going to take them at least 40 years to recover.
500 Women Scientists is a group started by 4 friends working in climate and ecology. Reacting to President Trump’s anti-science and anti-women comments, they’ve launched a pledge for inclusivity in science and the need for reason in politics. It’s now been signed by more than 14,000 women in science – good for them!
Want to support family agriculture and local businesses? Of course! Shepherd’s Grain produces flour made from non-GMO wheat grown on no-till family farms. They sell flour to bakeries, restaurants, and markets in Oregon and Idaho, but national brands such as Krusteaz and Smuckers use the company’s flour, too.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
Please spread the Green word and share this info.
And if you’re on Twitter, get a daily green tip by following me – @EcoExpert1 . See you there!
There was a lot here, Clare. Some too sad for words like the fact that Mr. T has declared war on the environment. No one seems to care that has the power to do something about it. I was aware that they are calling Alzheimer’s “diabetes of the brain” Sugar has always been a problem for me so I have come to the conclusion that I can’t have ANY. Substitute more fruit and veggies. I won’t eat grains or anything from the ocean. We’ve contaminated what’s still there and the ocean creatures need their food. We’ve almost fished it dry too. I’ve reduced the amount of meat I do eat by more than 2/3. I’m glad to hear some are helping these kids find a way to get lunch. It’s ridiculous that they should go hungry when there is plenty there to eat. I like the idea of the re-writable paper. I just got some paper that you can paint on over and over again to practice without having to throw it away. I’ll share some with my sister. I get upset when companies keep sending me junk mail even though I do everything online to stop the paper process. Losing the ice cap will have a profound impact on this planet that most have no clue about yet. We are just getting the beginnings of it. This was the first January and February in record taking that Chicago had NO snow. I can’t say I’m not worried, that would not be true. I just have to keep hoping someone gets it. It will affect pocket books so no one wants to deal with the fallout. 🙁 Thanks for all the information. Have a wonderfilled week. Marlene
He has indeed declared war on the environment and it’s just appalling that no one in power is really objecting. Living totally without sugar must be a huge challenge for you Marlene, I’m not sure I could do it. You’re right about fish, we really have messed up the oceans – not to mention a lot of the rest of the planet. But at least we’re doing what we can to minimize our individual footprint. I can’t imagine Chicago with no snow in Jan and Feb – wow! You’re absolutely right, it all comes down to money. Yet the funny thing is, it’ll cost more to sort out the damage, that it would to prevent it. But sadly no politician these days thinks long-term, irrespective of which country or which party. (Not even a supposedly successful businessman in power is thinking long-term!). Your re-usable painting paper sounds absolutely fabulous, that’s such a great idea, I love it! Thanks for commenting, and all the very best to you!