He shares 97% of my genes. How could I not care? His name translates into English as “man of the forest” That’s how the natives of Borneo saw the orang hutan, a man of the forest.
Yet in North America, few seem aware of the pending extinction of this primate due to the cultivation of palm oil. Its true that we have our hands more than full with fights to save the polar bear and other species threatened with extinction because of OUR own clear cutting for timber, farms and new subdivisions. Yet, to ignore what is happening in Indonesia, is like putting out one small flame while starting a fire unknowingly because what is driving the intense expansions of palm oil plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia is the demand for palm oil.
Palm oil that is low in transfats, grows quickly and produces higher yields than other oil seeds. These are the basic reasons why demand has skyrocketed and with agrofuel being slated for it, the destruction to follow is unimaginable.
We are all unwitting supporters of this destruction and to stay silent would be to endorse this unfolding tragedy. From the cookies we eat to the skincreams we use, we’re driving demand up even higher and if we as consumers do not say today that we need palm oil to be sustainably grown, the damage done will be irreversible.
The problems caused by palm cultivation is starting to make world headlines as more species are threatened with extinction.It was however disappointing to note that the news does not even crack the back pages of most North American papers.
The producers and the users of palm oil know that the news is starting to trickle through and have started on sustainable palm oil but for now, most of it is all talk and little effective action. The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil was formed in 2004 with its core members being producers,users and a few environmental groups thrown in for greenness sakes. It is a certifying body that few trust or believe in as the actions of its own members continually go against its own policies.
It is however, a starting point and other third party certifiers are using the RSPO as a platform from which to launch their versions of sustainable palm oil. In the words of one of these parties,” it will ultimately be up to the consumer to decide the fates of these animals under the gun”
I personally am taking on the issues for selfish reasons. Indonesia is the 3rd largest producer of global warming emissions, most of it attributable to palm oil cultivation. Global warming will increase the risk of my polar bears, it will add to the oceans acidifications that will wipe out my seafood and it will ultimately add to a global food crisis as it changes weather patterns.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Plastic R Forever
It wasn't that long ago when we created this t shirt graphic and called it plastic purgatory.It was to remember the huge mess of plastics in the Pacific ocean.Ringed by countries such as the USA,Canada,Japan,Russia, the plastics just float with the ocean tides and if a storm broke, it'd wash up a mess on some beach somewhere and you get the world's newpapers wondering what boat sank and left all the junk.
Well,all that junk comes from you and me and them over there.Common household plastics that we threw away and thought was gone forever. Not. It will come back to haunt us.
A year after we launched that shirt, Capt Moore and his foundation Algalita.org is finally getting the message across that there is a huge problem and one that needs to be dealt with!
From The Times
May 2, 2009
Mission to break up Pacific island of rubbish twice the size of Texas
Frank Pope, Ocean Correspondent
A high-seas mission departs from San Francisco next month to map and explore a sinister and shifting 21st-century continent: one twice the size of Texas and created from six million tonnes of discarded plastic.
Scientists and conservationists on the expedition will begin attempts to retrieve and recycle a monument to throwaway living in the middle of the North Pacific.
The toxic soup of refuse was discovered in 1997 when Charles Moore, an oceanographer, decided to travel through the centre of the North Pacific gyre (a vortex or circular ocean current). Navigators usually avoid oceanic gyres because persistent high-pressure systems — also known as the doldrums — lack the winds and currents to benefit sailors.
Mr Moore found bottle caps, plastic bags and polystyrene floating with tiny plastic chips. Worn down by sunlight and waves, discarded plastic disintegrates into smaller pieces. Suspended under the surface, these tiny fragments are invisible to ships and satellites trying to map the plastic continent, but in subsequent trawls Mr Moore discovered that the chips outnumbered plankton by six to one.
The damage caused by these tiny fragments is more insidious than strangulation, entrapment and choking by larger plastic refuse. The fragments act as sponges for heavy metals and pollutants until mistaken for food by small fish. The toxins then become more concentrated as they move up the food chain through larger fish, birds and marine mammals.
“You can buy certified organic farm produce, but no fishmonger on earth can sell you a certified organic wild-caught fish. This is our legacy,” said Mr Moore.
Because of their tiny size and the scale of the problem, he believes that nothing can be solved at sea. “Trying to clean up the Pacific gyre would bankrupt any country and kill wildlife in the nets as it went.”
In June the 151ft brigantine Kaisei (Japanese for Planet Ocean) will unfurl its sails in San Francisco to try to prove Mr Moore wrong. Project Kaisei’s flagship will be joined by a decommissioned fishing trawler armed with specialised nets.
“The trick is collecting the plastic while minimising the catch of sea life. We can’t catch the tiny pieces. But the net benefit of getting the rest out is very likely to be better than leaving it in,” says Doug Woodring, the leader of the project.
With a crew of 30, the expedition, supported by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Brita, the water company, will use unmanned aircraft and robotic surface explorers to map the extent and depth of the plastic continent while collecting 40 tonnes of the refuse for trial recycling.
“We have a few technologies that can turn thin plastics into diesel fuel. Other technologies are much more hardcore, to deal with the hard plastics,” says Mr Woodring, who hopes to run his vessels on the recycled fuel.
Plastics bags, food wrappers and containers are the second and third most common items in marine debris around the world, according to the Ocean Conservancy, which is based in Washington. The proportion of tiny fragments, known as mermaid’s tears, are less easily quantified.
The UN’s environmental programme estimates that 18,000 pieces of plastic have ended up in every square kilometre of the sea, totalling more than 100 million tonnes. The North Pacific gyre — officially called the northern subtropical convergence zone — is thought to contain the biggest concentration. Ideal conditions for shifting slicks of plastic also exist in the South Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the North and South Atlantic, but no research vessel has investigated those areas. If this exploratory mission is successful, a bigger fleet will depart in 2010.
Mr Woodring admits that Project Kaisei has limitations. “We won’t be able to clean up the entire ocean. The solution really lies on land. We have to treat plastics in a totally different way, and stop them ever reaching the ocean.”
www.algalita.org
Well,all that junk comes from you and me and them over there.Common household plastics that we threw away and thought was gone forever. Not. It will come back to haunt us.
A year after we launched that shirt, Capt Moore and his foundation Algalita.org is finally getting the message across that there is a huge problem and one that needs to be dealt with!
From The Times
May 2, 2009
Mission to break up Pacific island of rubbish twice the size of Texas
Frank Pope, Ocean Correspondent
A high-seas mission departs from San Francisco next month to map and explore a sinister and shifting 21st-century continent: one twice the size of Texas and created from six million tonnes of discarded plastic.
Scientists and conservationists on the expedition will begin attempts to retrieve and recycle a monument to throwaway living in the middle of the North Pacific.
The toxic soup of refuse was discovered in 1997 when Charles Moore, an oceanographer, decided to travel through the centre of the North Pacific gyre (a vortex or circular ocean current). Navigators usually avoid oceanic gyres because persistent high-pressure systems — also known as the doldrums — lack the winds and currents to benefit sailors.
Mr Moore found bottle caps, plastic bags and polystyrene floating with tiny plastic chips. Worn down by sunlight and waves, discarded plastic disintegrates into smaller pieces. Suspended under the surface, these tiny fragments are invisible to ships and satellites trying to map the plastic continent, but in subsequent trawls Mr Moore discovered that the chips outnumbered plankton by six to one.
The damage caused by these tiny fragments is more insidious than strangulation, entrapment and choking by larger plastic refuse. The fragments act as sponges for heavy metals and pollutants until mistaken for food by small fish. The toxins then become more concentrated as they move up the food chain through larger fish, birds and marine mammals.
“You can buy certified organic farm produce, but no fishmonger on earth can sell you a certified organic wild-caught fish. This is our legacy,” said Mr Moore.
Because of their tiny size and the scale of the problem, he believes that nothing can be solved at sea. “Trying to clean up the Pacific gyre would bankrupt any country and kill wildlife in the nets as it went.”
In June the 151ft brigantine Kaisei (Japanese for Planet Ocean) will unfurl its sails in San Francisco to try to prove Mr Moore wrong. Project Kaisei’s flagship will be joined by a decommissioned fishing trawler armed with specialised nets.
“The trick is collecting the plastic while minimising the catch of sea life. We can’t catch the tiny pieces. But the net benefit of getting the rest out is very likely to be better than leaving it in,” says Doug Woodring, the leader of the project.
With a crew of 30, the expedition, supported by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Brita, the water company, will use unmanned aircraft and robotic surface explorers to map the extent and depth of the plastic continent while collecting 40 tonnes of the refuse for trial recycling.
“We have a few technologies that can turn thin plastics into diesel fuel. Other technologies are much more hardcore, to deal with the hard plastics,” says Mr Woodring, who hopes to run his vessels on the recycled fuel.
Plastics bags, food wrappers and containers are the second and third most common items in marine debris around the world, according to the Ocean Conservancy, which is based in Washington. The proportion of tiny fragments, known as mermaid’s tears, are less easily quantified.
The UN’s environmental programme estimates that 18,000 pieces of plastic have ended up in every square kilometre of the sea, totalling more than 100 million tonnes. The North Pacific gyre — officially called the northern subtropical convergence zone — is thought to contain the biggest concentration. Ideal conditions for shifting slicks of plastic also exist in the South Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the North and South Atlantic, but no research vessel has investigated those areas. If this exploratory mission is successful, a bigger fleet will depart in 2010.
Mr Woodring admits that Project Kaisei has limitations. “We won’t be able to clean up the entire ocean. The solution really lies on land. We have to treat plastics in a totally different way, and stop them ever reaching the ocean.”
www.algalita.org
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
EU's ban on seal products
In a major victory celebrated worldwide by animal rights groups,the EU announced a ban on seal products today.
Europe bans trade in seal products
1 hour ago
Euro-MPs have voted overwhelmingly for a total ban on the trade in seal products across Europe.
A resolution at the end of a three-year campaign, triggered by a public outcry at the annual seal culls in Canada and Norway, condemned the slaughter of seals as "inherently inhumane".
Labour Euro MP Arlene McCarthy, who helped steer the ban through the European Parliament, said: "This law is a victory for people power and a credit to the campaigners involved."
She went on: "The vast majority of people across the UK and Europe are horrified by the cruel clubbing to death of seals. This law will ensure there is no European market for these products and put an end to the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of seals every year."
She said MEPs had faced intense pressure from countries beyond the EU which support the seal hunt: "They sought to demonise Europe for ending a trade which in reality is collapsing around the world, but I have been determined to steer this law into place as a clear expression of the will of the European public."
Miss McCarthy said the mere threat to halt the seal trade had already worked: "The impact of this impending ban has already been felt. Thanks to the continuing collapse in the fur price the Canadian hunt has killed less than 60,000 seals this year, down from over 220,000 last year."
Nicki Brooks, director of campaigning group Respect for Animals, said: "This is a truly fantastic day for the seals."
He said an earlier proposal to label products "derived from seals" as a warning would not have been enough: "This clearly did not meet the expectations of the public. This ban will save the lives of millions of seals."
More than 400 MEPs launched a seal ban campaign in 2006 after growing complaints from the public. That prompted a European Commission plan in 2008 for a new law.
The final approval of legislation by a 550-49 vote in Strasbourg bans the trade in products derived from seals hunted for commercial reasons, but excludes the relatively small trade in seal products upon which the Inuit people "and other indigenous communities depend for their livelihoods".
Copyright © 2009 The Press Association. All rights reserved.
Trade in seal products has long been criticised as unnecessary in light of the pain and suffering suffered by new born baby seals, which are the primary targets of the seal hunt.
Considering the fact that fur today has dropped in value( there were sealers who stayed home rather than go sealing as a pelt today is worth no more than USD20 each compared to the grand ole days when they were selling at over USD100 each ) the demise in this trade was something that was going to come sooner than later. The worldwide protest against the trade of seal products only brought this day forward.
The one other group that will likely campaign to continue the seal hunt are the fishermen who complain that the "overpopulation" of seals is leading to the stock depletion of cod. To them I ask the question, was it the seals who are over populated or is it us? Their numbers increase and decrease as far as their environment can sustain them. It is our overconsumption of fish products that have lead to the depletion of cod stocks. Live and let live!
Europe bans trade in seal products
1 hour ago
Euro-MPs have voted overwhelmingly for a total ban on the trade in seal products across Europe.
A resolution at the end of a three-year campaign, triggered by a public outcry at the annual seal culls in Canada and Norway, condemned the slaughter of seals as "inherently inhumane".
Labour Euro MP Arlene McCarthy, who helped steer the ban through the European Parliament, said: "This law is a victory for people power and a credit to the campaigners involved."
She went on: "The vast majority of people across the UK and Europe are horrified by the cruel clubbing to death of seals. This law will ensure there is no European market for these products and put an end to the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of seals every year."
She said MEPs had faced intense pressure from countries beyond the EU which support the seal hunt: "They sought to demonise Europe for ending a trade which in reality is collapsing around the world, but I have been determined to steer this law into place as a clear expression of the will of the European public."
Miss McCarthy said the mere threat to halt the seal trade had already worked: "The impact of this impending ban has already been felt. Thanks to the continuing collapse in the fur price the Canadian hunt has killed less than 60,000 seals this year, down from over 220,000 last year."
Nicki Brooks, director of campaigning group Respect for Animals, said: "This is a truly fantastic day for the seals."
He said an earlier proposal to label products "derived from seals" as a warning would not have been enough: "This clearly did not meet the expectations of the public. This ban will save the lives of millions of seals."
More than 400 MEPs launched a seal ban campaign in 2006 after growing complaints from the public. That prompted a European Commission plan in 2008 for a new law.
The final approval of legislation by a 550-49 vote in Strasbourg bans the trade in products derived from seals hunted for commercial reasons, but excludes the relatively small trade in seal products upon which the Inuit people "and other indigenous communities depend for their livelihoods".
Copyright © 2009 The Press Association. All rights reserved.
Trade in seal products has long been criticised as unnecessary in light of the pain and suffering suffered by new born baby seals, which are the primary targets of the seal hunt.
Considering the fact that fur today has dropped in value( there were sealers who stayed home rather than go sealing as a pelt today is worth no more than USD20 each compared to the grand ole days when they were selling at over USD100 each ) the demise in this trade was something that was going to come sooner than later. The worldwide protest against the trade of seal products only brought this day forward.
The one other group that will likely campaign to continue the seal hunt are the fishermen who complain that the "overpopulation" of seals is leading to the stock depletion of cod. To them I ask the question, was it the seals who are over populated or is it us? Their numbers increase and decrease as far as their environment can sustain them. It is our overconsumption of fish products that have lead to the depletion of cod stocks. Live and let live!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Sustainable lives at ecogear
Sustainable Living
Incredible Ecogear
An Introduction
Sustainable lives at ecogear means making conscious lifestyle decisions, examining every aspect of our daily lives to find out what we’ve done so wrong all these years that mother nature herself is on the verge of collapsing on us.
In looking back at the way we’ve lived, its clear that those lifestyles could not go on and the recession we’re in has been the best wake up call. We cannot afford to consume the way we have, with reckless disregard for the consequences of our daily actions.
In moving onward, we all must step up to the next level, discard our animal ways of stuffing ourselves without regard for tomorrow, we must leave our fascination for bright lights and trinkets behind and find joy in the warm glow of long burn sustainable lives.
At ecogear, our mission is to simply offer everyday consumer products that will not harm the environment in its manufacture, its use and its end fate. For that reason, we have focussed only on products that do not call for excessive energy to produce or leave a murky soup of toxins. We use all natural materials wherever we find them, insist on certified organic ingredients, package our products with minimal packaging so that when you’re done with it, all that’s left is the faintest of footprints on the environment.
Our clothing is made from 100% recycled fibres.
Eco factors :
- landfill diversion from recovered preconsumer cotton clippings.Recycled water bottles.
- Least water and energy used to produce fabric.
- Sewn and printed in Canada from US fabrics.
- printed with organic inks and/or water based inks with zero PVC/pthalates.
- Hangtags,if present, printed on 100% recycled paper.Attached with jute string and reusable pin.
- Zero presence of any petroleum based product,with the exception of the recycled PET bottles.
Our bodycare products are made from certified organic ingredients
Eco factors :
- certified organic all natural ingredients
- zero petroleum based product.
- least energy as its hand made.
- label is printed on 100% recycled paper, designed with minimal print to provide just
enough visual appeal.
Our fashion jewellery is made from all natural materials,including tree nuts and seeds.
Eco factors:
- least energy used.
- No petroleum based products.
- Minimal mining, the earring hooks are sterling silver but that’s it.
- Least chemicals used. Some of the seeds,nuts are dyed with organic based dyes.
- Fair trade product from Colombia. To meet the designer, please visit her page.
Our coco wares is made from recovered coconut trunks or the coconut shell itself.
Ecofactors :
- all natural solid blocks of coconut trunk
- no laminates or lacquers.
- Least energy used.
- Fair trade product from Vietnam.We will be sending 10 children to school through our trade with the cocowares. These are the children of the workers who work on our cocowares. Full details and names available online.
Environmental.
Incredible ecogear is a firm supporter of environmental actions and through its Special Tees program, raises funds for various groups that campaign for human rights and the environment.
Transparency.
As a part of the company’s total transparency policy, all details of the company’s operations, its manufacturing sources are available to any consumer groups that want to verify its environmental claims or fair trade status.
Incredible Ecogear
An Introduction
Sustainable lives at ecogear means making conscious lifestyle decisions, examining every aspect of our daily lives to find out what we’ve done so wrong all these years that mother nature herself is on the verge of collapsing on us.
In looking back at the way we’ve lived, its clear that those lifestyles could not go on and the recession we’re in has been the best wake up call. We cannot afford to consume the way we have, with reckless disregard for the consequences of our daily actions.
In moving onward, we all must step up to the next level, discard our animal ways of stuffing ourselves without regard for tomorrow, we must leave our fascination for bright lights and trinkets behind and find joy in the warm glow of long burn sustainable lives.
At ecogear, our mission is to simply offer everyday consumer products that will not harm the environment in its manufacture, its use and its end fate. For that reason, we have focussed only on products that do not call for excessive energy to produce or leave a murky soup of toxins. We use all natural materials wherever we find them, insist on certified organic ingredients, package our products with minimal packaging so that when you’re done with it, all that’s left is the faintest of footprints on the environment.
Our clothing is made from 100% recycled fibres.
Eco factors :
- landfill diversion from recovered preconsumer cotton clippings.Recycled water bottles.
- Least water and energy used to produce fabric.
- Sewn and printed in Canada from US fabrics.
- printed with organic inks and/or water based inks with zero PVC/pthalates.
- Hangtags,if present, printed on 100% recycled paper.Attached with jute string and reusable pin.
- Zero presence of any petroleum based product,with the exception of the recycled PET bottles.
Our bodycare products are made from certified organic ingredients
Eco factors :
- certified organic all natural ingredients
- zero petroleum based product.
- least energy as its hand made.
- label is printed on 100% recycled paper, designed with minimal print to provide just
enough visual appeal.
Our fashion jewellery is made from all natural materials,including tree nuts and seeds.
Eco factors:
- least energy used.
- No petroleum based products.
- Minimal mining, the earring hooks are sterling silver but that’s it.
- Least chemicals used. Some of the seeds,nuts are dyed with organic based dyes.
- Fair trade product from Colombia. To meet the designer, please visit her page.
Our coco wares is made from recovered coconut trunks or the coconut shell itself.
Ecofactors :
- all natural solid blocks of coconut trunk
- no laminates or lacquers.
- Least energy used.
- Fair trade product from Vietnam.We will be sending 10 children to school through our trade with the cocowares. These are the children of the workers who work on our cocowares. Full details and names available online.
Environmental.
Incredible ecogear is a firm supporter of environmental actions and through its Special Tees program, raises funds for various groups that campaign for human rights and the environment.
Transparency.
As a part of the company’s total transparency policy, all details of the company’s operations, its manufacturing sources are available to any consumer groups that want to verify its environmental claims or fair trade status.
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