Every dollar you spend on the stuff you need is a vote for the values you hold dear.
Stuff News Archives
Green Living Game:
Will it spur a couch potato to activism?
If you have any "gamers" in your life, a new simulation game called "Global Warning" hopes to educate players about Global Warming. In the game, you choose a character or "hero" and together, you make decisions to try to help your live a greener life. At the same time, your mission is the save the world. (What else?) There are real life tips and money-saving advice in the game, and the goal in the game is...to win by making the right environmental decisions and achieve an overall score of 100.
Midori (which means "green" in Japanese) is a small development company in France, a husband and wife (Franco-American) team. The game was born as a result of the very same scenario you find in the game: A dump company sets up an immense (nearly the size of 50 football fields) landfill next to your home.
In the game, the player's mission is to stop the dump company and save the planet by choosing strategic, earth-friendly behavior "cards." Each round, the player makes choices in their lives by selecting action cards. The results of their actions will have a direct impact on the player's finances, morale and health, which, in turn, can affect whether they will survive the game. Hmmm...this sounds a lot like life! While playing the game they also learn about various environmental subjects: waste, chemicals, energy, CO2 emissions, self-sufficiency, and water.
The game has a purpose, which is "to inspire the player to change things for the better in real life." If players achieve a score of 100 in their overall knowledge category they win the game. If it works to sell the message of global warming and environmental activism (I'm thinking, to middle schoolers or couch potatoes), I'm all for it.
You can download and play a free (but limited) version of Global Warning if you want to try it out.
WHAT'S IN YOUR PLASTIC?
Nationally, the sales of single-serve bottled water increased from 7 billion in 1999 to 26 billion in 2006. These plastic water bottles, like all plastics, are made from petroleum, and contain various chemical additives to change the properties of the various plastics (that's what those little numbers are for). Heat, cold, and anaerobic conditions (like a sealed canned good or water bottle) have been shown, in some studies, to allow some of the chemicals in the plastics to leach into the food or water in the container. So much for the "if we sell it, they will think it's safe" mentality. While the research isn't extensive, many people err on the side of caution, and don't use plastic containers to hold food or water. (Disclosure: I have switched to stainless steel water bottles, å la Klean Kanteen or Sigg, and to glass containers for food storage. No advertising rights, I promise).
Other folks avoid the single use plastic bottles, opting instead for more durable plastics like Nalgene bottles. Unfortunately, the pretty #7 polycarbonate bottles that I'd been using (for my KIDS!) also contain bisphenol A, an endocrine disruptor. While the debate rages on about how much bisphenol A is dangerous to humans, Nalgene has recently added stainless steel bottles to the line up and includes a disclaimer on their products. Nalgene also sells a variety of the #2 plastic bottles, which are made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and appear safe. Most impressively, Nalgene has recently launched a "Refill not Landfill" campaign, donating the proceeds of the sale of water bottles with the "Refill Not Landfill" slogan to Native Energy. Unfortunately, the bottles they are using for the campaign are of the polycarbonate variety. I feel the frustration.
For a list of the composition of the various plastics, I found this handy list on the Care 2 Make a Difference web site:
1 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) Used to make soft drink, water, sports drink, ketchup, and salad dressing bottles, and peanut butter, pickle, jelly and jam jars. GOOD: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.
2 High density polyethylene (HDPE) Milk, water, and juice bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners, and grocery, trash, and retail bags. GOOD: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.
3 Polyvinyl chloride (V or PVC) Most cling-wrapped meats, cheeses, and other foods sold in delicatessens and groceries are wrapped in PVC. BAD: To soften into its flexible form, manufacturers add “plasticizers” during production. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of PVC when in contact with foods. According to the National Institutes of Health, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), commonly found in PVC, is a suspected human carcinogen.
4 Low density polyethylene (LDPE) Some bread and frozen food bags and squeezable bottles. OK: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones, but not as widely recycled as #1 or #2.
5 Polypropylene (PP) Some ketchup bottles and yogurt and margarine tubs. OK: Hazardous during production, but not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones. Not as widely recycled as #1 and #2.
6 Polystyrene (PS) Foam insulation and also for hard applications (e.g. cups, some toys) BAD: Benzene (material used in production) is a known human carcinogen. Butadiene and styrene (the basic building block of the plastic) are suspected carcinogens. Energy intensive and poor recycling.
7 Other (usually polycarbonate) Baby bottles, microwave ovenware, eating utensils, plastic coating for metal cans BAD: Made with bisphenol A, a chemical invented in the 1930s in search for synthetic estrogens. A hormone and endocrine disruptor. Simulates the action of estrogen when tested in human breast cancer studies. Can leach into food as product ages.