Chocolate for a Good Cause
Posted - November 1, 2008
Pacari Chocolate Goes Beyond Sweet Actions
By Lucia Lorente - as printed in O.W.N. Fall 2008
In Ecuador, some rural areas do not have access to electricity. Communities use a huge number of battery-operated flashlights, consuming 10-12 batteries per month at a total expense of around 5-8 USD – a high portion out of an income that is often less than 2 USD per day!
Further, batteries are toxic products that contain harmful metals and substances. The used batteries are not properly discharged. They fill fields all over, and children are found playing with the colourful used “toys,” even putting them into their mouths!
Aware of this situation, Pacari Chocolate, the first organic and fair trade chocolate developed in Ecuador from bean to final product, and its parent company Ecuadorian Organics have started a new program. The community-minded firm imports solar-powered flashlights to help farmers get around 5-6 hours of light. The batteries required last around three years, saving tremendous expense and waste.
The solar energy flashlights offer a temporary but smart solution, until the government brings electricity to those families, that also implies loss of more natural resources, as more forests are cleared to give space to new roads and antenas. “Solar energy is still one of the few free clean commodities available to all”, says Ecuadorian Organics co-founder Santiago Peralta. “We also aim to help limit the use of other fuels for lamps and candles that can cause domestic fires”.
Ecuadorian Organics has also launched the Organic Agriculture Educational Project, providing technical support in organic farming as well as used computers collected from overseas clients and donors who ship them to rural schools in Ecuador. A pilot project has served 1,000 children and the next phase plans to include other schools.
Sustainably-Packaged German Snacks
Posted - July 30, 2008
Herr Foods Furthers Sustainably with Pump Retrofit
Germany’s Herr Foods has taken its sustainability to the next level by retrofitting a key part of its packaging line. The company plant’s 15 TNA machines, used to roll, film and seal its foods, are being retrofitted with P6010 vacuum pumps from PIAB.
The new system reduces noise, generates no heat and provides suction at extremely low pressures. Its compact size places it closer to the suction point, consuming less compressed air.
For 60 years, Herr has introduced innovative snack foods and packaging. The firm now offers 340 products, including potato chips, pretzels, popcorn, and onion rings.
“The most important environmental issue challenging Herr’s and other snack food manufacturers is with packaging materials,” states David Sexton, a firm electrical engineer for automation. The company leads in “modern and progressive manufacturing and packaging,” he says.
“The company started using automated cooking techniques as far back as 1952, and in the next decade began to revolutionize its packaging design and materials.”
Before the retrofit, the firm’s line was equipped with noisy mechanical pumps. This generated too much heat and required frequent maintenance.
“Reducing the noise and heat levels was very important to us,” remarked Sexton. “Not only did we want to improve the working environment in our facility, we wanted to reduce our maintenance and repair costs.”
Herr has a history of ecological awareness and conservation. For instance, it reuses water via irrigation and sludge as fertilizer. At Herr’s Angus Farm, sub-standard products get a second life as cattle feed.
The company has designed its manufacturing to be as environmental and efficient as possible. Steam-recovery saves fuel; exhaust filters prevent residues from being emitted; a heat exchanger uses manufacturing-generated hot water to heat the factory.
By creating fruitful and forward-thinking partnerships, this manufacturer and producer of tasty treats is sure to bring insight to the industry.
Green Business
Posted - May 1, 2008
Keeping Your Business Green On-Line
By Matthew Gibson - as printed in O.W.N. Summer 2008
Many of us run our business from our home, or a small office. While we may have little to no time to reflect on our impact on the environment, it’s now easier than ever to reduce that impact, starting with a few clicks of the mouse. Many actions do not require a lot of concentration or changes to your routine to ensure our green business stays green, on-line. Here are a few things that we adhere to within our organization that may also help you.
- Computer Power - One of the first things to do is ensure you have the proper power settings enabled on your computers and other electronic devices. Many people do not, thus using a lot of energy even when you’re not working. Just turn on the sleep modes of your computers and monitors to conserve power, or consider upgrading to a new 0-watt standby LCD screen.
- Paper Consumption - Paper, some would say it’s a requirement of every business. No longer. While some studies show that businesses are using more paper than ever by printing emails, receipts and other items, you can help reverse this trend and save trees. If retention of important information is a concern, develop a backup procedure and policy that fits your organization for both files and e-mail and you will be well on your way to rarely using that printer. Don’t forget to turn it off when it’s not being used, either! Another step is to convert all invoicing, billing and vendor statements to an online format. Set up all bills and notices as e-statements. Don’t forget to sign up for your government’s “do not subscribe lists” to reduce junk mail, if available. For those times when you absolutely need paper, use organic or recycled versions, and for internal jobs, use both sides. Another great tip is to buy a paper shredder. After shredding documents for security, you can use the shredded paper to safely ship items. Unplug the shredder when it is not in use!
- Collaboration - Instead of commuting or traveling for meetings, use the long-distance tools that are available to you - Skype, MSN, AOL Instant Messenger, or VOIP services for international calls to save money. Video devices can even be used, all with much less environmental cost than traveling. Sites like Skrbl even allow for on-line white-boarding. Forget the boardroom, take it on-line!
- Get Wired - Stock the coffee machine with fairly traded, organic coffee or tea, and if can not avoid sugars, go for natural sweeteners. Stop ordering out - bring a lunch in re-usable containers. If you go out for lunch, try biking, walking or riding public transit.
- Energy Use - Many organizations offer incentives for using solar power, wind power or other ecologically-friendly methods to light up your offices. Talk to your local energy provider to see if they offer such programs. Alternatively, many energy providers offer “Green Power” programs that you can sign up for.
- Carbon Use - Websites like Carbon Foot-Print, Carbon Fund, Carbon Mutual, or Carbon Neutral help to determine your business’ carbon usage. Buy off-set credits aim to help your business compensate for the environmental costs of what it can’t recycle by funding environmental initiatives.
- Recycled Tech - Don’t throw away your old electronics! Donate or recycle them. Some governments will give tax breaks when you donate old computers. This goes for cell phones, printer ink, etc.
- Lighting - Consider letting more sunlight into your work place instead of costly light bulbs. If that is not an option or you work at night, take a look at using LED Lighting to replace current lights. The initial cost is generally high, but long term the investment will pay for itself. Also consider motion sensors, timers or dimmers to control the office lights. They can all help reduce energy usage.
Matthew Gibson is President and CEO of Flewid Inc. (www.flewid.ca) a telecommunications firm based in Ottawa, Canada. Matthew also runs a popular blog on LED Lighting (news.thenewlight.ca). He welcomes feedback to m.gibson@flewid.ca.
GMO Free
Posted - May 1, 2008
New GMO-Free Initiatives in North America
By Adriana Michael - as printed in O.W.N. Summer 2008
Non-GMO products in North America could soon be clearly differentiated from their genetically-modified competitors. Beginning in Fall 2009, a non-profit called the Non-GMO Project plans to have participating products sport a seal to indicate they have been verified GMO-free.
Founding sponsors of the project include well-known firms like Whole Foods Market and Nature’s Path. A long list of endorsing organizations is available at http://www.nongmoproject.org/endorsers/.
The program began with independent retailers concerned about clear identification of GM foods and gradually spread into a national project. At Expo West 2008 this March, a panel featuring the project attracted a packed, standing-room-only crowd, showing the organics industry’s keen interest in the GM-labelling question.
“Starting right now, we are enrolling products in the verification program,” Megan Thompson, the project’s executive director, said at the presentation. Waiting until Fall 2009 to label products should ensure the system will be running smoothly and products will have had enough time to be verified GMO-free by the project’s independent third party. “Everyone has an equal opportunity in that way to launch the seal together,” Thompson said.
The organization’s draft GM-free standard, available on-line, considers possible GM contamination of non-GM products as well as products that intentionally contain GM ingredients.
“If you are an industry member, whether you manufacture products, or you’re a grower, or a distributor, we encourage you to enrol,” Thompson said. Start by visiting www.nongmoproject.org.
To bridge the gap until the Non-GMO Project’s non-GMO seal hits the shelves, Jeffrey Smith, author of the two books Seeds of Deception, and Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, plans to publish a Non-GMO Shopping Guide. The guide will list products that have applied for Non-GMO Project verified status.
Smith’s Campaign for Healthier Eating in America: No Genetically Modified Organisms (www.responsibletechnology.org) plans to distribute the guide beginning this Summer. It should be available in certain stores, as a magazine insert and on-line.
The Campaign is run by the non-profit US Institute for Responsible Technology, which Smith founded in 2003. Its Non-GMO Shopping Guide should help consumers decide what belongs in their GM-free shopping baskets. The Campaign’s website also offers tips on what foods are likely to contain GMOs and on how to approach a GMO-free lifestyle.
Seeking a national GM-food labelling system for the United States is The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods (www.thecampaign.org). Started back in 1999 by Craig Winters, Alexander Schauss and Marlene Beadle, this group of environmental lobbyists is seeking grassroots support to convince Washington politicians that a nationally regulated GM-foods label is the best choice.
The group’s website provides links to help consumers easily e-mail politicians, retailers and manufacturers. Also key is spreading the word amongst your circle of organic-oriented contacts!
From developing a private standard, to pushing for national legislation on GM standards, to informing more consumers through GM-free guides in the meantime, the work required to bring North America’s GM foods out of the closet is finally being done.
Consumers have the power to support non-GMO products, Thompson pointed out. But before they can do so, they must be able to tell which products fit that category.
Garbage
Posted - May 1, 2008
Still Too Much Garbage!
By Sofia Garcia Cortes - as printed in O.W.N. Summer 2008
Ever wondered what happens to all the empty packaging, plastic and papers you put out to have “recycled”, and how the system makes it all work? Take the trade shows.
Walking at the end of the day through the aisles of an exhibition hall, even those for the eco-friendly sector, there are still too many cans full of garbage. Certainly some environmentally-concerned companies and fair organizers are working to minimize their impact and use less where possible. Fairs must generate some waste, from sampling and treats offered as part of the business. We wonder, though, how does broader society perform?
Germany is seen as a world leader in waste separation and recycling. Professor Engineer Vera Susanne Rotter, Director of the Department of Waste Management at the Technical University of Berlin said the average Berliner produces about 300-400 kg of garbage per year.
About 230-330kg of waste is recyclable, yet only 92kg (30%) gets separated. The rest mixes with unrecyclable waste, though waste-treatment plants may separate before incineration, where part of the waste material is turned into heat, which in turn is used to generate electric power.
All German states divide waste into organic matter, paper and cardboard, glass and light packaging materials, Prof. Rotter explains. 460,000 tons of scrap iron is recycled and reused annually, equivalent to 1.07 million tons of ore, while 7.7 million tons of paper is recycled and reused, worth 28 million tons of wood.
The average US consumer, meanwhile, produces about 726 kg of garbage per year, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. New York City, with its extensive and efficient public transportation network used by millions of commuters every day, who also walk or bike more than in any other large US city avoids pollution-spewing cars. An impressive record. Yet more than 25,000 tons of garbage is collected in Manhattan each day!
While more items are recyclable than before, easing the landfill load, new goods always flood the market. And some unexpected products still cause headaches. Dyed paper cups, for instance, are not always recycled. The deep inks used to highlight logos and corporate identity can darken and dull a whole batch of recycled paper, hard to sell to reprocessors.
Even glass can be difficult, says Marvin Tucker, promotion and education coordinator with Canada’s Quinte Waste Solutions, an organization that handles waste reduction programs for a region in the province of Ontario. Some types of glass are valuable, yet others can be hard to get rid of.
“Glass and polystyrene are really low value materials for which markets disappear from time to time,” he says - glass partly because so much is available and quality and colour vary. Reusing the bottles directly, through return-for-deposit refund programs, is a better option, he says. Prof. Rotter agrees. The best environmental option, she says, is returnable glass bottles. Germany recycles and reuses 3.1 million tons of glass each year. But collecting, transporting and melting bottles consumes energy.
Even green initiatives can, at first, prove a pain in the neck. Biodegradable plastics have no clear identifying mark, the same in North America as in Germany. On both continents, they often become mixed with non-biodegradable plastics, when to biodegrade, they must go into the compost!
Quinte’s residents separate about 85% of recyclables from garbage, according to studies by the waste management firm. The remaining 15% of recyclables go out with the regular trash. About 4% of collected recyclables are too small, damaged or dirty to actually be recycled, says Rick Clow, Quinte’s general manager. Small difficult pieces include disposable cutlery, small yogurt containers and juice pouches.
Recycling still remains an environmental success story, saving landfill. Yet firms that wish to be sustainable and present that green image, whether at fairs, in the office, or in stores, and at home must carefully consider new alternatives to packaging and presentation. First, reduce and reuse as long as possible, before recycling. It’s the least we can do to help waste management companies keep control and to sustain the planet that supports us all.
REVA
Posted - May 1, 2008
REVA: The Revolutionary Vehicle Alternative
O.W.N. News Network - as printed in O.W.N. Summer 2008
“Reva” is among the first 100% electricity-powered vehicles to enter the international market. Designed and produced for city use, each car has a range of about 70 miles. The electric car can plug into any 15-amp wall socket thanks to its onboard charger, making it easy to “refuel” either at your destination or en route.
In two and a half hours, Reva charges to 80% of full battery life; in eight hours, to 100%. In countries with progressive fuel-consumption subsidies, Reva buyers could receive rebates or benefit from subsidized price cuts.
In 1994, the Reva Electric Car Company began as a joint venture between the Maini Group of Bangalore, India and AEV LLC, California USA. After seven years of research and development of prototypes, the first car was introduced in 2001.The firm, says Reva, is the highest-selling on-road electric vehicle in the world. Besides India, the company is entering the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece and Norway.Tests are being conducted in the United States and other countries.
US Campaign Against GMOs Targets Consumers
Posted - April 11, 2008
New Initiatives to Control GMO Products in the United States
GMOs will soon be off everyone’s table, if Jeffrey Smith has his way. His Institute for Responsible Technology is launching a major initiative that will have food companies racing to replace GM ingredients. The Campaign for Healthy Eating in America, Smith says, is designed to reach the tipping point of consumer rejection of GMOs before the end of 2009.
Ten years ago, virtually all major food companies committed to remove GMOs from their European brands within a single week. In the US, a response to Monsanto’s rbGH (GM bovine growth hormone) began two years ago, when Starbucks, Krogers, and 40 out of 100 top dairies removed these products. Wal-Mart declared their milk rbGH free this March. “The common link to these tipping points,” says Smith, “is that consumers became aware of the health dangers and were given choice. Since GMOs offer no consumer advantages, even a small percentage of consumers making brand choices based their non-GMO status will cause food companies to respond.”
Smith has traveled to 30 countries speaking on the health dangers of genetically modified foods. “Convincing consumers to shun GMOs has become easy,” says Smith, “since the evidence of problems is now overwhelming and irrefutable.” These dangers are compiled in Smith’s new book, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods. With input from more than 30 scientists over two years, Genetic Roulette presents 65 health risks of GM foods and why current safety assessments are not competent to protect us from most of them. Former UK environment minister Michael Meacher says the revelations in Genetic Roulette may “change the global course of events this century.” It’s presented in the same clear, accessible style that made Jeffrey’s first book, Seeds of Deception, the world’s best-selling and number 1 rated book on genetically engineered foods.
The Campaign for Healthier Eating is providing the compelling evidence on GMO dangers for health conscious shoppers. Natural food stores will feature Non-GMO Education Centers containing books, brochures, CDs, DVDs, and Non-GMO Shopping Guides to make it easy for shoppers to identify non-GMO products on store shelves.
The Institute and its coalition partners are helping to inspire the entire North American natural food industry to remove all remaining GM ingredients, providing ample choice for thoroughly educated non-GMO shoppers.
The first Non-GMO Shopping Guides should be available this Summer, with electronic and print circulation expected in the tens of millions. The Institute will also print the Guide in magazines and circulate copies to healthcare professionals, schools and parents and religious groups.
“Consumers are on the top of the food chain,” says Smith, “and together, we can move the marketplace.”
For more: http://www.responsibletechnology.org
Buckwheat as Natural Weed-Killer
Posted - March 31, 2008
Buckwheat Proves Successful Weed Control
Growing buckwheat as a cover crop may be an effective alternative to herbicides when targeting certain weeds, suggests a study published in a recent issue of the Weed Science journal.
Michigan State University and Cornell University researchers theorized that because lower levels of nitrogen were available for other plants right after buckwheat is grown, the weeds’ early growth was inhibited.
Low nitrogen levels may hurt unwanted weeds more than other, wanted plants. During the early stages of development, the researchers proposed, weeds grow rapidly (by their nature!) and require rapid nitrogen uptake.
Three weed species were controlled by buckwheat in the study: corn chamomile and shepherd’s purse, due to nitrogen and fungal effects, and Powell amaranth, it for reasons the researchers have not yet determined.
As chemical-free options, intercropping and cover cropping can be essential tools on organic farms. Cover crops can help reduce erosion while improving nutrient cycling and pest management.
Buckwheat, a short-duration, broadleaf annual crop, is a suitable summer cover crop because it grows quickly enough to beat many weeds to the punch, according to a release from the journal’s publisher.
The full study is available at http://www.allenpress.com/pdf/i0043-1745-56-2-271.pdf
Weed Science, the official publication of the Weed Science Society of America, presents research and scholarship in the form of peer-reviewed articles on such topics as invasive plant species.
EU Congress Unites Organic Movement
Posted - December 12, 2007
European Organics Congress Produces Ideas
Last week’s European Organics Congress, held in Brussels, resulted in several recommendations aimed at strengthening organics on that continent. Organized by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the Dec. 4-5 congress drew more than 300 participants from across Europe.
One major result was a list of political recommendations. Perhaps the most important is a desire to “maintain the integrity of organic food with reference to core values to protect against devaluing the concept as the market expands,” as an IFOAM release phrased the recommendation. Organic firms must remain true to the spirit, as well as the technical regulations, of the organic movement, or all participants will be harmed.
Other recommendations included:
- Continuing to fight to ensure organic foods remain free of genetically modified organisms;
- Targeting new rural development funding at organic farms, especially in regions where such funding has been lacking in the past;
- Including organic farming under environmental portions of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, which is currently in development;
- And improving stakeholder involvement in EU regulatory reform surrounding organics definitions.
More information, including speeches and presentations, is available at www.organic-congress-ifoameu.org.
To comment on the congress, visit www.organic-congress-ifoameu.org/Congress_guestbook.aspx.
Ecover
Posted - September 1, 2007
New Ecover Factory in France
O.W.N. News Network - as printed in O.W.N. Fall 2007
Ecover has opened a new eco-friendly factory in Boulogne Sur Mer, France.
The company, with headquarters in Malle, Belgium, is a top leader in the production of ecological cleaning products. The new plant represents an investment of 10 million euros. According to Michael Bremens, managing director at Ecover, the firm currently has 26,000 tons of fully biodegradable detergents manufactured annually, a number expected to double in the next 3-4 years. The new factory has been built after the Malle location reached maximum capacity.
The bright future of Ecover is reflected on their strong international distribution network , with Europe and the US as their primary customers. They make a point of working tightly within their principles of ecology, manufacturing large quantities of 100% biodegradable detergents, and cleaners.
Ecover was the first detergent producing plant in the world to run eco-friendly. Following its strong commitment to sustainability and success of its plants in Belgium and Switzerland, the new factory has also been designed Green, with rainwater used for plumbing, a green roof covered with vegetation to maintain proper insulation, and green electricity.
Bremesn also mentioned, that the company plans to contribute to solving the unemployment problem in Northern France by offering jobs to locals.
All said and done, the project truly lives up to its name.
