Last night JB and I went to Taylors Automatic Refresher and we each had one of their delicious grillled Ahi tuna burgers, which are out of this world. Interestingly our drinks came in ‘compostable plastic cups’. Intrigued, I had to find out more.
These cups, made by a company called Fabri-kal, are made out of Poly Lactic Acid (PLA), “a resin derived entirely from natural corn
materials. PLA is 100% renewable through annual corn harvests and fully compostable in
municipal and industrial facilities.”
They say that “Greenware will begin to break down at 150º F and 90% humidity (ideal composting
conditions). In approximately 50 days within those conditions, the cups will be
completely gone.”
Pretty cool. And they come in 7 cup sizes and 5 lids!
The Lancet put out an study today saying that, to quote the AP, “Eating Less Meat May Slow Climate Change.” A few facts from the study:
- 22 percent of the planet’s total emissions of greenhouse gases come from agriculture
- Livestock production, including transport of livestock and feed, account for nearly 80 percent of agricultural emissions, mainly in the form of methane, a potent heat-trapping gas.
According to an article by AFP, a study published in July by Japanese scientists showed that, “a kilo (2.2 pounds) of beef generates the equivalent of 36.4 kilos (80.08 pounds) of carbon dioxide, more than the equivalent of driving for three hours while leaving all the lights on back home.”
As it turns out, eating less read meat is also good for you, as a simple search using the terms “red meat cancer” will show.
JB and I started an experiment 2 months ago mostly for health reasons, and have essentially cut down to eating red meat to at most once a week. We’ve been eating lots of tofu, and do eat fish and eggs more frequently, and it’s been great. And both of us were avid carnivores who never thought we’d be able to sustain a low meat diet.
But now with more evidence that it’s also a great way to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, it’s really a no brainer. My suggestion? Try cutting down. You may surprise yourself, and it’ll be better for you and better for the environment.
Paul had a post on FIJI bottled water awhile back, and I echo sentiments to just say no - but not just to FIJI water, but ALL bottled water!
Millions of water bottles go into the trash everyday. In addition to taking up valuable landfill space, they leak toxic additives into the groundwater. And they take 1,000 years to biodegrade.
Here’s more info: Most water brands are packaged in a plastic derived from crude oil, polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Those containers are then transported on diesel-burning trucks—or shipped in from exotic destinations like Fiji, generating greenhouse gases. “It’s the most environmentally egregious way to distribute water,” says Jennifer Gitlitz of the Container Recycling Institute, which found that only 14 percent of single-serving PET water bottles were recycled nationwide in 2004.
So please, please, please, stop drinking bottled water! And if you must drink bottled water, then at least recycle. (Steps off soapbox.)
It’s been a long time since we’ve written, and it feels kind of like when you stop going to the gym fora while, and then it’s longer and then the next thing you know, you’ve gained 10 lbs.
Anyway, today’s New York Times has an article so depressing that I had to post about it. According to the article, “two-thirds of the world’s polar bears will disappear by 2050, even under moderate projections for shrinking summer sea ice caused by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, government scientists reported on Friday.”
This article is a sobering reminder that although we may want to forget about environmental issues like JB and I did during our little hiatus, (work related) the beat goes on, and every day we do nothing is another day that we fiddle while Rome burns.
