Jun 23
Okay Happy Campers:
Summer is just around the corner & for those of us in the warmer climates - it is already here! That can only mean one thing for those who love the outdoors…it is CAMPING TIME! A group of Laurel & I’s friends got together to partake in a little R&R in the best gift you get ever get…the great outdoors. It got me thinking, green thinking that is, that while I am enjoying the outdoors, some products I use to get me there could have actually harmed it in some way. Check out the list below for some eco-friendly camping gear to enjoy the environment all the way around.
Essentials:
- Tent - Eureka! Camping gear features a tent that uses solar power. The Solar Intent will provide electricity during your stay in the great outdoors by using the natural powers of the shining sun.
- Sleeping Bag -The EcoPro line by Marmot features sleeping bags made from and filled with recycled materials. These bags are a part of Marmot’s UpCycle products, the shell is made of recycled soda cans and the insulation is made of post-consumer waste.
- Clothes - Need something waterproof? Check out the water-based waterproofing system of Nikwax
- Bug Spray - GreenYour.com had some excellent homemade remedies to keep those pesky bugs away, but still alive. Another idea: Remember to eat garlic like you will never kiss another soul again - this is a tride & true method to keeping flies & mosquitos away. Another idea from the Technical Advisor with the American Mosquito Control Association sais to try a concentrated formula of oil of lemon eucalyptus, or purchase Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Spray (Real Simple July 2008 p. 54.) . Yummy!
Reminders:
- Be sure to pack plenty of biodegradable dishes and utensils (check out Bioplast and our previous post Break it Down, Break it Down Now) if you don’t bring reusables
- Set up a recycle area
- Use environmentally safe soap
- HAVE FUN!
June 24th, 2008 at 7:33 am
PLEASE DO NOT BUY BIOPLAST FROM http://WWW.BIOPLAST.COM.TR IT IS NOT ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY AT ALL !!
Plastic from http://www.bioplast.com.tr is NOT a Bioplastic, it is NOT certified as biodegradable OR compostable by any of the authorities(OK Compost, BPI, DIN CERTCO) that issue the specifications you claim, in fact the ONLY people that have ‘tested’ your products are the company themselves. If in doubt ASK them for their certifications from OK Compost, BPI, and DIN CERTCO, as I can tell you now that they do NOT have any!
This ‘BioPlast’ is very misleading as it is made from FOSSIL FUEL based plastic, producing millions of tonnes of greenhouse gasses worldwide in manufacturing, in fact DOUBLE it’s own weight in greenhouse gasses is produced in manufacture, and when you KNOW that 40,000,000 TONNES of just this type of plastic are produced EVERY YEAR, they are adding AT LEAST 80,000,000 TONNES of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere EVERY YEAR!
Greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere are THE cause of climate change that is scientifically linked to increasing crop failures.
Plastics are proven to attract high levels of poisonous chemicals, and this BioPlast will break down into small particles that after collecting poisonous chemicals, could be taken up by the food chain and poison the eco-system, right up to us.
The world needs to invest $45 trillion in energy in coming decades, build some 1,400 nuclear power plants and vastly expand wind power in order to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to an energy study released Friday, and yet SOME companies are still happy to pollute with these CO2 generating plastics.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080606/japan_iea_climate_change.html
The answer is NOT Mr BioPLast and his enzymes !!
The answer is plant based plastics
Plant based plastics ARE biodegradable and compostable(many compostable at home) and certified as such.
Plant based plastics REDUCE greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as the plants grow. Growing more plants for plastic would REDUCE greenhouse gases and help reverse climate change AND crop failures.
One study shows that “every pound of soy-based polymers produced instead of petroleum-based removes 2.1 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere”.
Another study shows that in manufacture, plant based plastics use 30% less energy and create just 25% of the greenhouse gases that fossil fuel plastics do. Also starch based plastics consume 2190 kg of GHG per tonne of plastic whilst the plants are growing.
For the plant based plastic just go to:
http://www.stanelcoplc.com
June 24th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Dear PaulM,
Thank you for your comments and research! This is the kinda of education us “green” environmentalists need. Wording can be extremely misleading and it is a shame that an effort someone is trying to make could have such an adverse effect. We really appreciate you commenting, and thank you for reading.
Sincerely, Kate.