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"Power Corrupts, Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely" |
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The
Non-Toxic Times, November 2004
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Overthrow Of Mullah's
Regime
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* * * * The Future Iran * *
* *
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* A Chance For Referendum
*
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New Iranian Constitution
- Intro
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New Iranian Constitution
- Chart
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New Iranian Constitution
- Articles
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Setting Up Provisional
Government
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Download Complete
Constitution
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Open Letter To Exiled
Iranians
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Grass-Root Community
Building
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Massive Attacks Against
Iran
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U.S. Likly Military
Strike On Iran
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George Bush Is No Santa
Claus
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Going Back To The Future
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The Threat Of Fundamentalism
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International We Had
Enough Day
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Iranian Filmmaker Cyrus
Kar
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United States - Iran War Plans
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* Iran in the Crosshairs
*
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The New Russian - Toys
- For
The Ruling Mullahs of Iran
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Israel,
Mossad, Iran And A
Nuclear False Flag Attack
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The Real AIPAC Spy
Ring Story
It Was All About Iran
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Armageddon Gets No Press
US Plan To Nuke Iran
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Who's Behind The Coming
War With Iran?
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Top Ten War Profiteers
of 2004
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U.S. Secret Plans
For Iraq's Oil
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* * Depleted
Uranium: * *
The Trojan Horse of Nuclear War
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The Separatist - Al-Ahwaz
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War On
Iraq: Conceived in Israel
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The EU, US, Israel And
Iran
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Aren't - THEY - Doing Something?
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Foundation Of Iranian
Democracy
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Islamic Sharia Court
In Canada
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Islam’s Tolerance OR
Hypocrisy
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Political Islam VS. Secularism
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Muhammad, Prophet
of Doom
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Persian Gulf - Vs. -
Arabian Gulf
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* Pan-Arabism's
Legacy *
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Enroll Your Mayor
In The Abolition
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* It Takes Only One
Senator *
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Foreknowledge Of Natural
Disaster
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Political Right - Left
And The Middle
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Iranian Character And
Personality
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1979 - Evidence of Iran
Revolution
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Millionaire Mullahs - Paul
Klebnikov
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Wangari Maathai - Nobel Lecture
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The Iroquois
Nations Constitution
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Anglo-US Inc Intelligence-Secrecy
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Anglo-US Inc Pursuit of
Democracy
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Mercenaries & Soldiers of Fortune
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Geneva Conventions, 1949 &
1977
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Appointment of John Negroponte
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Introduction To Iran / Persia
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Perfectly Legal - By David Johnston
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What Is Instant Run-Off
Voting
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The Non-Toxic Times,
Nov. 2004
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The Non-Toxic Times,
Oct. 2004
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The Non-Toxic Times,
Sep. 2004
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The Non-Toxic
Times, Aug. 2004
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The Non-Toxic Times,
July 2004
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The Non-Toxic Times,
June 2004
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Re: Terror - Racial Profile
Yourself
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Terror In The Skies,
Again?
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Worlds' Defenseless Public
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Univ. Declaration of
Human Rights
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The Mercury Scandal
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Alzheimer & Mad Cow Disease
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Worldwide Food Irradiation
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Depleted Uranium 236
- Transcript
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Depleted Uranium 236 -
Reports
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Staff Sergeant Jimmy Massey
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Arundhati Roy in San
Francisco
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Arundhati Roy And Howard Zinn
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Do Turkeys Enjoy Thanksgiving?
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April 25, March for Women's
Rights
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Those Friendly Iranians
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A Letter To Mankind -
By Ali Sina
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Isaac Newton And
The Coming Invasion Of Iran
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Pentagon Zionists, AIPEC
& Israel
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Neocons Blast Bush's
Inaction
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The World of Mega-Terrorism
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Iran Downfall - And
Jimmy Carter
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Iranian Regime Downfall
- 1979
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Iranian Regime Downfall
- 1953
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* Mullahs' Credibility & Legitimacy *
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Islamic Republic's
Torture Masters
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Islamic Republic's Job
Opportunity
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Mullahs' Election Results
From Iran
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Propagating Seeds of Democracy
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Daring To Dream of Democracy
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William Blum
Books And Essays
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* The Sorrows of Empire
*
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Race & Slavery In The
Middle East
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Sunni & Shiite Ruling Mullahs
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The Goal of Sunni
& Shiite Mullahs
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Terrorism, Supply &
Demand
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England's Royal Gift
To Mullahs
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The Rise & Fall of
Political Islam
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Religions Are Major Global
Threat
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1 - Genocide, By Europe
& U.S.A
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2 - Genocide, By Europe
& U.S.A
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3 - Genocide, By Europe
& U.S.A
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04 Toppled Dictators Photo
Album
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Ralph Nader Stands with the People
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Letter To The Brave Activists
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Letter To The People of
The World
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Letter To President George
W. Bush
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Letter To Terrorist Mullahs
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Daily Mail - The Murderous
Mullahs
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Letter To The American People,
Richard Cheney, J. Dennis Hastert & Members of The 108th U.S. Congress
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Mullahs In Strong Position
To Steer
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Mullahs,
Al Qaeda & Hezbollah
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Officially Launched
"Holy Terror"
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Mullah's Plan To Force
U.S.A. Out
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Mullahs Delivering Armageddon
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Mullah's Global Nuclear
Ambitions
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Mullahs Human Rights Practices
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Going Soft On Iran
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Tariq Ali vs. Christopher
Hitchens
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Stalinist Mullahs
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Americans Appeasing
Evil
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Richard Clarke Top 7 Questions
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What Is A Billion And A Trillion
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The True Origins Of
Christianity
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Definition of Patriotism
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Definition of Family
Values
--------------------------------------------
Definition of Choice & Diversity
--------------------------------------------
List of Nonfiction Informative
Books
--------------------------------------------
New Voting Machines
For Florida
--------------------------------------------
Progressive Internet Links
--------------------------------------------
Major - Media Links
--------------------------------------------
Freedom House Contact
Page
--------------------------------------------
Middle East
Crisis & News Links
--------------------------------------------
US Grantmaking Foundations
--------------------------------------------
United States Think
Tank Links
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International Information
Links
--------------------------------------------
United States
Government Links
--------------------------------------------
World's Newspapers
Sites Links
--------------------------------------------
World Financial Information
Links
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A
Few Thoughts from Jeffrey Hollender, President
In the beginning, there was Corporate Responsibility,
or CR. Led by a handful of companies that thought the
business of business should be about something more than
just money; CR sought to place equal emphasis on public
welfare, environmental health, employee satisfaction,
and other often ignored concerns. It was a great idea
that really took off. Today many of the world's largest
companies are embracing it. So why hasn't the world transformed
itself? Has CR been a failure? Hardly. It's just ready
to transform itself into the final step that will seal
the deal.
Back in the early 80s, when the ideas of corporate social
and environmental responsibility first emerged among an
initial handful of companies, CR was going to be the thing
that revolutionized commerce and changed the world. "Come
witness the glorious dawn of a brand new era in sustainability."
its proponents said.
Yet here we are today, some twenty years down this road,
and the ultimate impact of CR on the world has been smaller
than we'd hoped. As far as its glorious dawn goes, that
sun has yet to rise. To be sure, it's peeked over the
corporate horizon and things in many companies and places
are a lot better than they would have been without the
idea, but at the end of the day, things are still too
much as they were.
Even though CR successfully infiltrated boardrooms, factories,
and office towers once thought impenetrable, it has yet
to fulfill its ultimate promise of a world remade. And
there's a simple reason for that: CR isn't the final gambit.
As the notion has developed, it has become increasingly
clear that CR is just a stepping-stone to the real show.
CR did open the gate to the corporate world, but it did
not create the flood of action that would truly effect
change. It did some amazing things, but it did not do
enough. For that we need something bigger and better.
According to analyst Frank Dixon, writing in Ethical
Corporation magazine, that something is called Total
Corporate Responsibility, or TCR.
TCR is quite different from CR. For the most part, CR
has tended to work within our political and economic system,
changing bits and pieces of it at a time here and there
in order to ultimately produce something better. The problem
with this approach, says Dixon, is that when we take a
piecemeal approach, the solutions we create for one area
often create additional problems in another. The problem
itself is not piecemeal in nature. It's not that this
industry does that bad thing or that business does this
one, but rather that our entire system itself is broken.
The signs of this breakdown are all around us. In the
environment, 75% of the world's fisheries are overfished
or now at their limits. Global forest cover has declined
50% since pre-agricultural times. Sixty-five percent of
all agricultural lands now show some sign of degradation,
and 40% of the world's population lives in water-stressed
basins. Around the globe, 54 countries are poorer now
than they were in 1990. In 21 countries, more people are
hungry. In 34, life expectancy has fallen.
At the same time, according to a recent Harris Poll, 74%
of Americans say corporate America's reputation is either
"not good" or "terrible." Clearly our society's operating
systems are not working. While it certainly produces plenty
of good, CR is simply not a tool that can fix something
that big and systematically broken.
That's where TCR comes in. TCR begins by recognizing that
our economic system is based on the idea of limitless
growth and limitless growth is a totally unsustainable
proposition. Businesses and industries simply cannot continue
to grow forever. Our current economic model equates growth
with prosperity, even though this growth causes more global
negatives than positives. Dixon wisely suggests that we
take our cue from nature and adopt a forest-like approach
where rapid growth eventually levels off into sustainable
maturity that stays within certain bounds to keep the
system in optimal health. In this model, limits on growth
are economically desirable because they create sustainability
that translates directly into enhanced long-term business
viability.
Of course, we see limitless growth as a positive and have
put it at the center of our economic measurements because
our business activities don't measure the true costs that
unending expansion creates. On their ledgers, corporations
don't account for the environmental damage and health
issues caused by their unsustainable practices. Only the
costs of things like labor and raw materials are used
to calculate prices and profits, an approach that's foolhardy
at best.
For example, even though traditional foods are cheaper
to buy than organic food, they're actually more expensive
to grow and eat. Conventional agriculture relies on the
use of pesticides that diminish soil fertility, poison
waterways, pollute the air, harm wildlife, and sicken
farm workers and consumers. These are all very real costs
created by traditional farming operations. However the
bills for these environmental fixes, clean-ups, and health
care fall to governments, insurers, and the general public.
If these expenses were added to the agribusiness' bottom
line, the costs of conventional food would soar and organic
foods would be the cheaper alternative.
Because the costs of goods and services do not factor
these "hidden" costs into their bottom line, the downside
of growth is ignored and no incentive is created to do
the right thing. In fact, our government regularly creates
incentives to do as little as possible by deregulating
industries to the point where, in many cases, there is
no regulation at all. The result is not a free market,
but a free-for-all market in which government does not
hold businesses accountable for the true costs of their
operations and the unhealthy effects on society those
operations promote.
If we are to create a truly sustainable culture, we are
going to have to change these economic arrangements. This
is not something CR can do. Instead, we need to see CR
as a subset of the larger idea called TCR. In Dixon's
words, "The TCR model takes CR to the next level by shifting
the focus to system change. TCR encourages firms to continue
traditional CR activities. However, the emphasis is placed
on working proactively with others to promote system changes
that hold firms fully responsible. TCR suggests a new
mindset for business. Rather than seeing itself as one
entity operating independently from the rest of society,
business would see itself as being part of one interconnected
system. It would give priority to the good of the overall
system, and in so doing ensure its own prosperity."
That's a great idea, and it's based on three concepts:
- Interconnectedness,
which means that a business is part of one interconnected
system.
- Actualization,
which means that the main purpose of business is to
help society achieve its greatest potential.
- Posterity,
which means that the primary obligation of this generation
is to preserve and enhance society for future generations.
Those are big changes from the current paradigm. And change,
of course, is the scariest of things, especially on this
kind of level. In order to make it happen, we're going
to need open minds that can see beyond the limits of our
current system and into a brave new world of possibility.
We'll then need the will to go there.
In a sense, this is the biggest gift that CR has given
us. It's opened our minds to possibility. It's shown us
the wisdom of questioning the status quo and attempting
to achieve something more. It's taught us that such risks
are very much worth it, and it's shown us what can be
accomplished when we take them. It's opened the gate,
and ushered us onto the road. But it's up to us to finish
the journey. And for that we'll need the roadmap called
TCR.
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Among
the more eye-opening pieces of evidence that things are
out of whack in today's world are the latest asthma statistics
for kids. Between 1980 and 1994, the incidence of asthma
among pre-school aged children rose 160%, more than twice
the overall rate. Today, the disease is the leading chronic
illness of childhood. Some nine million kids have the
disease, or nearly one in 13. Together, they miss 14 million
school days each year and need $3.2 billion of treatment.
What's causing all this asthma has been a bit of mystery.
Now scientists think they may have a clue. And it's a
culprit called phthalates.
Dedicated Non-Toxic Times readers will recall that we've
discussed phthalates in these pages before, and never
in a positive light. A group of industrial compounds widely
used in a variety of common products, there are about
7.6 billion pounds of phthalates produced throughout the
world each year. The largest use of phthalates is as a
plasticizer in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other soft
plastic products. These materials rely on phthalates to
keep them flexible. Without the addition of phthalate
plasticizers, these otherwise pliant materials would be
fairly stiff and difficult to use for their intended purposes.
Consumer products that contain phthalate plasticizers
include everything from siding and flooring to plastic
food wrap and soft plastic toys.
Phthalates are also used as solvents that help keep other
ingredients in a chemical formula dissolved and dispersed
throughout the product. This ability to keep a chemical
product evenly mixed makes phthalates an ideal additive
in things like cosmetics, personal care products, perfumes,
inks, and insect repellents, among many others. In fact,
these chemicals are now used in so many products and in
so many places that they've even begun to appear as contaminants
in products that don't purposefully contain them.
Unfortunately, phthalates are easily volatized. This means
that they are readily able to leave the product in which
they are used without any help. Of course, you won't find
bits of phthalate falling off your vinyl siding or oozing
out of your hairspray. Instead, phthalates usually leave
the products they're hiding in as vapors that then enter
the human body via the lungs. The "new car smell" we're
all so used to, for example, is largely the result of
phthalate vapors from vinyl dashboards and other parts
evaporating into the air.
When pthalates enter the body, they can cause all kinds
of havoc. Emerging evidence has linked exposure to phthalates
to reproductive and developmental disorders, cancer, and
organ damage. To this list we can now add childhood asthma
and allergies.
A large study of Swedish children has found that house
dust contaminated by phthalate plasticizers is associated
with higher rates of asthma and allergic diseases like
eczema, a skin reaction characterized by inflammation
and scales. Researchers examined 400 children between
3-8 years of age living in 390 buildings and screened
blood samples for common allergens while technicians examined
homes and took dust samples. About half of the children
in the study had asthma or other persistent allergy symptoms
and half did not.
Upon analysis, those dust samples from homes where asthma
or allergy sufferers were present were found to have higher
levels of the phthalates. The higher the level, the more
likely there was to be a child present with some kind
of ongoing allergic condition. In particular, the presence
of n-butyl benzylphthalate (BBzP) correlated
with the presence of rhinitis and eczema, while the presence
of
di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) was associated with asthma.
Both types of phthalate were present in vinyl flooring
located in the homes of allergic test subjects.
In conclusion, the study's authors found that the evidence
indicated a relationship "between BBzP and
DEHP concentrations in dust and selected allergies and
asthma. Although multiple factors likely are responsible
for the increases in allergies and asthma that have been
documented in developed countries over the past 30 years,
it is striking that these increases have occurred during
a period when plasticized products have become ubiquitous
in the homes, schools, and workplaces of the developed
world."
To view the study report in its entirety, visit
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We've
known for years that exposure to any number of chemicals
can cause developing fetuses physical harm. From chlorinated
hormone disruptors to cancer-causing hydrocarbons, the
list of developmental problems that can be caused by pre-natal
exposure to synthetic compounds is almost as long as the
list of chemicals itself. The growing list includes the
latest research from the University of Toronto, where
scientists have discovered that in-utero contact with
petroleum-based solvents can harm mental abilities later
in life.
According to researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children
and the University of Toronto, children of mothers who
were exposed to organic solvents tend to score lower on
tests designed to measure language skills, attention,
and memory.
Scientists compared 64 children between the ages of three
and nine. Half of the group was born to mothers who had
worked in occupations where organic solvents were present
and half had mothers who'd experienced no such contact
with these chemicals while pregnant. (Note that organic
solvents are so named because they contain carbon, the
element associated with life. This has nothing to do with
the agricultural term for growing things without synthetic
chemicals.)
Women in the former group reported contact with one or
more of 78 different organic solvents from between one
and 40 hours each week for anywhere between eight and
40 weeks of their pregnancies. The jobs held by the study
subjects ranged across the employment spectrum. In total,
17 different occupations were identified among the participants,
including painter, photo lab worker, science teacher,
lab technician, embalmer, and hair stylist. The women
also said that during their work with these hazardous
chemicals they took protective measures such as wearing
masks and gloves.
In spite of these precautions, however, their contact
with solvents appears to have had deleterious effects
on the developing brains of their unborn children, effects
which were measurable years later. According to researchers,
children born to the solvent-exposed group of women scored
lower in tests measuring short-term auditory memory, general
verbal information, and attention. Even when their tests
scores were within normal ranges, exposed children demonstrated
a reduced ability to recall sentences. Further, the scientists
also noted increased hyperactivity among members of the
exposed group.
The study's authors classified both the tested and observed
differences between the two groups of children as "subtle,"
and noted that their research did not attempt to determine
how much exposure and to what specific solvents caused
which kinds of impairment. Instead, they said that the
project was notable for being the first to establish a
cause and effect relationship between solvents and brain
damage in fetuses and that the results indicated an urgent
need for further study.
Solvents are used to dissolve materials that are otherwise
difficult to handle or remove. These chemicals have a
unique and useful ability to quickly get rid of everything
from the residue left behind by kids' stickers to oven
grime, oily engine gunk, and even paint. Solvents sold
for these types of uses are often called degreasers, paint
thinners, or strippers, and there are hundreds of different
kinds used in over 30,000 combinations.
Straight degreasing products aren't the only place you'll
find solvents hiding. The innate ability of solvents to
dissolve other substances makes them ideal elements in
the formulation of many other kinds of consumer products.
Here, they act to prevent the other ingredients in the
product from clumping together and instead stay suspended
and dispersed in the product formula. The result is a
product that dispenses easily and maintains its original
balance of ingredients from the first squirt to the last.
Many all purpose spray cleaners and window cleaners also
contain solvents.
Most solvents also are highly volatile and tend to evaporate
easily at room temperature. This characteristic also makes
them useful additives to household product formulas that
need a fast drying time.
Solvents, as a general rule, are among the more toxic
components of a typical product formula. In addition to
being severe eye, skin, and mucous membrane irritants,
the majority of solvents are dangerous neurotoxins. These
materials can also damage the liver, the blood, the lungs,
and the kidneys. Most solvent exposures occur when their
volatile vapors are inhaled, and even very short contacts
can lead to negative health effects. Because of this volatility,
the majority of solvents are classified as Volatile Organic
Compounds, or VOCs.
Unfortunately, solvents remain largely hidden in product
formulas and their presence often cannot be directly confirmed
by reading labels. However, there are strategies you can
employ to keep solvents out of your home, a step which
the new research indicates is especially important if
you are pregnant.
The following types of products typically contain solvents
and should generally be replaced with non-toxic alternatives:
- Oven
cleaner
- Paint
removers and strippers
- Degreasers
- All-purpose
cleaners
- Furniture,
floor, and metal polishes
- Glass
cleaners
- Spot
removers
- Air
fresheners and odor removers
In addition to knowing what general kinds of products
may contain solvents, there are often clues on product
labels that can tip you off to the presence of solvents
in the formulas inside. When shopping, scrutinize labels
carefully and look for these telltale signs:
- Information
on the label that says the product is either "combustible"
or "flammable" (solvents typically account for the
vast majority of the flammability hazards represented
by consumer chemical products).
- A
precautionary statement on the label warning that
the product can cause respiratory irritation and should
be avoided by people with asthma, respiratory illnesses,
emphysema, etc
- A
precautionary statement on the label recommending
that the product only be used with adequate ventilation.)
- A
precautionary statement on the label recommending
that users avoid breathing product vapors.)
- A
warning statement that says the product should not
be stored in temperatures above 120° F.)
- A
warning statement that says the product should not
be used around flame or open fires.
In those cases where products do list their ingredients,
you may find a specific listing of one or more of these
common solvents:
- 2-butoxyethanol
- Acetone
- Alcohols
(methanol, isopropyl, etc.)
- Benzene
- Glycol
ethers
- Kerosene
- Napthas
- n-Hexane
- Methylene
chloride
- Petroleum
distillates
- Propylene
glycol
- Toluene
- Trichloroethylene
- Xylene
A much safer substitute for chemical solvents are products
with "no VOCs" such as Seventh Generation All Purpose
Cleaner or Seventh Generation Glass Cleaner.
For more information on the new Canadian solvent study,
visit .
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The
heavy metal mercury has been in the news a lot in the
past year because it is turning up everywhere from fish,
automobile switches and even our own bodies. The pollution
is so widespread that you might be tempted to think that
there is nothing you can do. Thankfully that's far from
the case.
Mercury is a toxic heavy metal that naturally occurs in
the earth's crust. It enters the environment through two
chief means: via the natural weathering of rocks and releases
from volcanoes and deep sea vents; and unnaturally in
the form of pollution created when fossil fuels are burned,
mercury-containing products are burned or disposed of,
and factories emit waste.
Nearly half the mercury contamination in our country comes
from antiquated coal-fired power plants that have escaped
regulation for years under a grandfather clause. These
plants release mercury into the atmosphere, where it is
rinsed out of the air by rains that deposit it into our
waterways. Once in rivers, lakes, and oceans, mercury
accumulates in fish that we then eat. In this way, we're
exposed to most of the mercury that poisons our bodies.
Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin capable of impairing
vision, speech, walking, and writing abilities, and causing
mood swings, memory loss, and mental disturbances. How
powerful is it? According to the Mercury Policy Project,
just 1/70 of a teaspoon could contaminate a 25-acre lake
to the point where its fish would be unsafe to eat. (Because
of this toxicity, 40 states have warned their residents
to restrict their consumption of certain fish or avoid
eating them altogether.)
Like all toxic exposures, mercury poisoning is a particular
worry where children are concerned. According to a recent
Centers For Disease Control report, one out of every six
children born in the U.S. has potentially dangerous levels
of mercury in his or her body. That's 630,000 babies a
year at risk of brain damage, problems with language development,
and balance and coordination problems.
To combat the problem, the EPA under the Clinton Administration
put rules in place to reduce mercury emissions from power
plants by 90%. Unfortunately, current EPA administrators
are attempting to delay implementation of these rules
for another ten years while watering them down to allow
for more mercury emissions.
In an attempt to convince regulators that the rules should
be neither delayed nor diluted, Greenpeace is currently
conducting the largest study of mercury exposure in U.S.
history. In partnership with the University of North Carolina
at Asheville, they are seeking to test hair samples from
10,000 people throughout the country. The study results
will be used to draw needed attention to this public health
crisis and to determine exactly how much mercury exposure
is being experienced.
That's where you come in. Greenpeace is seeking volunteers
to have their hair tested for the study as well as to
spread the word about the study and to help organize local
testing events.
For $25 you can purchase a self-testing kit that will
provide you with your or your child's own mercury levels
and allow Greenpeace to add this data to the new database.
(The $25 price goes entirely toward covering the cost
of the laboratory testing, and your personal information
will not be shared with anyone if you take a test. You
will receive your results by mail within 2 to 3 weeks
of taking the test, along with information on how to reduce
your mercury level.)
By taking this test, you'll be helping convince the EPA
to clean up polluting fossil fuel plants and encourage
a transition to healthier, renewable energy. It's a worthy
goal and one we hope our readers will contribute to. For
more information about the Greenpeace project and to order
your test kits visit .
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Having
read this far, you've read about how household degreasers
and other cleaning products that contain petroleum-based
solvents and other VOCs are just no good for kids or anybody
else to be exposed to. These products release dangerously
volatile chemical fumes that can cause all kinds of health
problems before and after birth (see Section 3: ).
Fortunately for a cleaner world, we knew that a long time
ago and invented a naturally powerful all-purpose cleaner
and degreaser you can safely use instead.
Solvents made from petroleum-based chemicals are some
of the most dangerous components inside too many household-cleaning
products. These chemicals are added to a wide variety
of formulas to help dissolve stubborn grease and gunk,
keep formula ingredients suspended and dispersed in the
bottle, and speed drying times. And we're the first to
admit that they certainly get the job done.
The problem, of course, is that most of these so-called
"organic" solvents are also highly toxic. So what's a
person to do? Use our Citrus Degreaser instead.
Ideal for grease and oil, carpet and fabric stains, markers,
crayons, lipstick, tar, pet stains, adhesives, and other
tough cleaning challenges, our heavy-duty Citrus Degreaser
unlocks the natural power of corn-based surfactants to
dissolve grease, penetrate stains and wash away tough
dirt. Unlike many conventional heavy-duty cleaners, it
works without toxic fumes and won't leave harmful residues
around your home.
Fully biodegradable and not tested on animals, our Citrus
Degreaser works without chlorine, poisonous glycol ethers,
phosphates, dyes or petroleum-based solvents. And that's
not all! Because it's made from naturally-derived ingredients,
if every household in the U.S. replaced their current
petroleum solvent based cleaner with just one bottle of
our 32 oz. citrus cleaner, we could save 286,000 gallons
of oil, enough to heat and cool 16,400 U.S. homes for
a year!
We think that makes it an indispensable addition to your
dirt, grease, and grime-fighting arsenal. Able to tackle
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and natural foods store and see why nature, with a little
help from its friends at Seventh Generation, simply does
it better.
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The
web sites we feature here in our regular monthly guide
usually have two things in common. One, they're all web
sites that deal with environmental issues. And two, well…
they're all web sites. You point, you click, you explore,
you learn. This month, however, we're breaking all those
rules. Our first web site highlight isn't a web site at
all. Our second web site is one, but it doesn't have anything
to do with the environment.
Our first entry here, as mentioned, is a little different.
That's because it's a book, not a web site. But it is,
however, a book of web sites, and it's got more eco-oriented
web surfing suggestions than we've offered in more than
five years of monthly newsletters. what can I do an
alphabet for living , by Lisa Harrow, Chelsea Green
Book Publishing, 2004, is a small but jam-packed book
brimming with brief descriptions of and addresses for
just about every environmental web site you could ever
want to see. From Action to Zero Population Growth, you'll
find entries on web sites that are decidedly popular and
those that certainly deserve to be given the valuable
information they provide. Along the way, you'll also encounter
a wide variety of surprising but eminently useful entries.
Who, for example, would think to look for an environmentally
responsible web site dealing with formal wear? Not us,
yet there it is right between sites for Food and Fuel
Cells. And that's just the tip of the digital information
iceberg this book contains. From cruelty-free circuses
to sites that cover vinegar there doesn't seem to be an
e-stone left unturned. All that and a smattering of tips
for positive action and some suggestions for healthier
living make this a terrific volume to keep by your computer
for the kind of quick-access reference that can prevent
countless searches by guiding you straight to the source
and saving your time for other things. We guarantee you'll
learn a lot and be glad you did. For more information,
or to order, visit .
(We knew we could find some clicking for you to do here
somewhere!)
Usually, of course, this space is filled with web sites
that deal with some pretty serious stuff. Our second entry
represents what we think is a refreshing change of pace
from that kind of destination. It's a web site that's
funny and one we think you'll get a kick out of. The Ig
Nobel Prize web site has a self-professed mission to first
make people laugh and then make them think, and for our
part we think it scores on both counts. Here are actual
prizes handed out to actual researchers whose science
is of, well, let's just say a decidedly different nature
than the kind we usually feature. This year, for example,
the Ig Nobels include an award to Steven Stack of Wayne
State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA and James Gundlach
of Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA, for their
published report "The Effect of Country Music on Suicide."
Ramesh Balasubramaniam of the University of Ottawa and
Michael Turvey of the University of Connecticut and Haskins
Laboratory won for exploring and explaining the dynamics
of hula hooping. And let's not forget Jillian Clarke of
the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, and
then Howard University, for her it's-about-time investigation
into the scientific validity of the Five-Second Rule,
which concerns whether it's safe to eat food that's been
dropped on the floor. You get the idea. You'll have beakers'
worth of fun exploring the prizewinners past and present,
watching video of the ceremonies, and checking out the
links to the research results as well as loads of other
entertaining science. It's a genuinely hilarious way to
celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative, and foster
interest in science, medicine, and technology. Sure it
doesn't have a whole lot to do with the environment. But
it's one of the biggest laugh riots we've seen in awhile,
one that reinforces a maxim it's helpful to remember when
things get us down: A little nonsense now and then is
relished by the wisest men and women. Words of wisdom,
indeed. .
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In
this election year, we've been treated to plenty of talk
about the importance of education and of leaving no child
behind. That's well and good, and we're all for it, but
what about leaving no planet behind? According to a special
edition of an environmental classic, that's just what
we're doing in our schools today. It's a situation that
needs to be reversed for the sake of life on Earth, and
here's how we need to do it.
Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human
Prospect, the Tenth Anniversary Edition by David W. Orr,
Island Press 2004, is a new version of a seminal book
on environmental education. In its pages, the author,
the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental
Studies and Politics at Oberlin College and a recipient
of the Bioneers Award and the Lyndhurst Prize, adds a
new introduction and a new essay to the existing wealth
of insight that should be studied by anyone concerned
about the state of the Earth. Much of what has gone wrong
with the world, Orr argues, is the result of inadequate
and misdirected education that alienates us from life
for the misguided purpose of reinforcing human domination
over the natural world. Too many of our schools today
are overemphasizing unfortunate notions of success and
creating a body of students who are worrying about how
to make a living before they know who they are. This educational
approach separates feeling from intellect and the practical
from the theoretical, and in doing so deadens a critical
sense of wonder for the world we live in. In Orr's view,
it's created a crisis of mind, perception, and values,
not to mention an educational challenge of the utmost
urgency. The author meets this challenge by establishing
the grounds for a more proper debate about education and
knowledge. Describing the problems of education from an
ecological perspective, he challenges those educators
he calls the "terrible simplifiers," to re-create education
in the broadest way possible. It's a far-ranging discussion
that covers everything from biophilia and the disciplinary
structure of knowledge to the architecture of educational
buildings, and the idea of ecological intelligence. To
finish, Orr presents concrete proposals for reorganizing
today's curriculums to foster an affinity for life and
sense of true stewardship for the planet we call home.
It's a vital volume, one that's lost none of its luster
or importance in the decade since its initial publication.
Whether you are a parent, an educator, of a citizen concerned
about the fate of our world, we'd suggest making space
for it in the classroom of your mind. |
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