In communities with an abundance of fast-food outlets and convenience stores, researchers have found, obesity and diabetes rates are much higher than in areas where fresh fruit and vegetable markets and full-service grocery stores are easily accessible. (Full Article) Posted: 4-30-08
Computer monitors in standby mode will soon save far more energy. Fujitsu Siemens Computers has developed the world's first monitor that requires no electricity at all in idle mode. The innovation is based on a new switch in the monitor that shuts it down entirely when the computer signal is absent and turns it on again when the signal reappears. (Full Article) Posted: 4-30-08
Softchoice has announced a new initiative to simplify the selection and acquisition of today's greenest information technology products. IT purchasers can find products in Softchoice's database now available on its website, www.softchoice.com, that are registered under the EPEAT greener electronics program. (Full Article) Posted: 4-28-08
The Environmental Hoods take the patented system one step further by cleaning the air exhausted into the outside environment. The Environmental Hoods utilize a patent-pending process of cleaning the grease laden air prior to discharge into the air duct. The air passes through a four-step cleaning process which includes a Grease Filter, Electrostatic Air Cleaner, Special Carbon Filter, and then by a UV light Not only does this effectively reduce the location's carbon footprint, but ducts, roofs and building exteriors are kept cleaner as well, thus reducing the need for building maintenance due to waste emissions that are a result of standard ventilation systems. (Full Article) Posted: 4-28-08
Innocent Drinks is the second UK beverage maker in the last week to say it is the first company to put its drinks into 100 percent recycled plastic bottles, Sustainable Is Good reports. (Full Article) Posted: 4-21-08
Canada's Earthcycle, a producer of palm fibre-based packaging, has confirmed that its source material is made from sustainable sources that have not contributed to deforestation. (Full Article) Posted: 4-21-08
The Ocean Conservancy released its annual report on trash in the ocean on Thursday, including new data from the 2007 International Coastal Cleanup, which the non-profit calls the "most comprehensive snapshot of the harmful impacts of marine debris." (Full Article) Posted: 4-21-08
Edible films have been increasingly used in recent years to protect food items from oxygen and also as a more sustainable alternative to traditional packaging. But the most commonly used material for an edible film, a polysaccharide such as starch, has one significant disadvantage: it is broken down by water. (Full Article) Posted: 4-21-08
According to the FDA, 17% of the American diet comes out of cans, and many of those have an epoxy liner made with Bisphenol A, a chemical which can mimic human estrogen and which is linked to breast cancer and early puberty in women. While the leaching of BPA from Nalgene water bottles and other polycarbonate bottles is a concern, the danger from canned food may be greater. The Environmental Working Group tested canned food bought across America and found BPA in more than half of them, at levels they call "200 times the government's traditional safe level of exposure for industrial chemicals." (Full Article) Posted: 4-21-08
The Environmental Defense Fund has created an on-line calculator to calculate the lifecycle environmental impacts of paper production and disposal based on quanitity, type of paper and practices used. The program calculates wood use, total energy use, greenhouse gases released, wastewater use and solid waste. (Full Article) Posted: 4-14-08
Being environmentally conscious is a new way of doing business for companies across the U.S., and the nation's 945,000 restaurants are no exception. As the restaurant and hospitality industry's largest event, the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show®, to be held May 17-20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, will feature, as part of 65+ free education sessions, a special series of education sessions focused on sustainability and environmentally friendly measures - and how to get the word out about those measures to consumers - to help restaurateurs in their efforts. (Full Article) Posted: 4-14-08
Seattle businesses may soon stop asking the eternal question, "Paper or plastic?" The city's mayor, Greg Nickels, and City Council president, Richard Conlin, introduced legislation this week to implement a 20-cent "green fee" on all disposable shopping bags at the city's grocery, drug and convenience stores. The proposal also bans the use of foam, plastic and plastic-coated containers in the food-service industry. The bill will be voted on by the City Council in June and, if passed, will go into affect Jan. 1, 2009. (Full Article) Posted: 4-14-08
Put down that tray, Snow White; studies at universities have shown that diners think twice about loading up on food when they cannot carry it so easily. This reduces waste, helps the campus bottom line and the students' waistline. According to Inside Higher Ed, "More and more campuses are looking at this from both an environmental perspective and an economic one," said Varun Avasthi, director of dining services at Colby College, which experiments with trayless policies. "If you're not wasting as much food you're not buying as much food." (Full Article) 4-14-08
One of the least expensive ways to increase the efficiency of your home is to install low-flow aerators on your faucets. These devices save water, and lower utility bills as well, because less hot water is used. Because of this, low-flow aerators will generally pay for themselves in only a few months. (Full Article) 4-14-08
Rampant overfishing in the high seas and its detrimental effects on marine ecosystems is hardly anything new: with a generous smattering of indications here and there of trouble ahead for the world's oceans, including a relatively recent report warning that without drastic action, all wild seafood could disappear within fifty years. (Full Article) Posted: 4-14-08
In 1989, the city of Portland banned polystyrene foam, what most people call Styrofoam. Why then, you may wonder, is there still so much of it around? (Full Article) 4-14-08
The Federal Trade Commission will hold a workshop to discuss green packaging terms as part of its review of environmental marketing claims. (Full Article) Posted: 4-14-08
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