Archive for the 'pollution' Category

Best Buy should be ashamed of itself

Published
by
greenhl
on July 10, 2008
in corporate, pollution, recycling, retail and waste
. 1 Comment

worst_best_buy_logo

How many of you shop at Best Buy? When I’ve gone, I’ve been disappointed by their usually high prices and unhelpful staff. That said, I will start going there less than I even do currently.

Best Buy should be ashamed of their recycling program and efforts they speak so proudly of. Best Buy is probably one of the largest retailers of electronics if not the largest. In essence, Best Buy is one of the worst contributors to the tons of electronics thrown into our landfills each year.

Best Buy can mitigate a lot of this buy offering recycling at its stores, but unfortunately, it doesn’t choose to do so. It only offers the recycling of some appliances and home electronics if you purchase something from them AND get it professionally delivered or installed through a service you purchase through them. In essence, they are really trying to up sell additional services and make even more money, while masking this as some type of great recycling program and environmental benefit they are offering.

To Best Buy’s credit, they do offer cell phone, battery, and ink cartridge recycling. However, given Best Buy’s huge contribution to electronic waste in our landfills, they should be ashamed of their paltry efforts. They don’t even offer an on-going free recycling program for old computers, printers, CD / DVD players, fax machines or other common electronics. They do have special weekend events which appear to be one-time events in certain cities. Let’s be realistic though. Recycling should be a year round event, not a one-time marketing and promotional event. In addition, Best Buy doesn’t even accept appliances, microwaves, smoke detectors, or air conditioners during these events. Why even bother having these events, lest its for a corporate dog and pony show? Best Buy definitely pales in comparison to Costco’s efforts, which offers free recycling, complete with free shipping and packaging materials.

If someone knows of a great effort Best Buy is doing to combat this problem, let me know. I couldn’t find it on their website, and I would definitely love to be proven wrong in this case.

RED ALERT! RED ALERT!

Published
by
JB
on July 8, 2008
in action, conservation, global warming and pollution
. 0 Comments

coral.jpgHey there, it’s me sounding the environmental alarm bells.  Yesterday, a distressing article was posted online about the declining coral population.

So what’s the big deal, you might ask?  Well, did you know…

  1. 25 percent of all marine species need coral reefs to live and grow.
  2. 40 percent of fish caught commercially use reefs to breed.
  3. They have medicinal value!  Some produce compounds active against many common health problems, such as astham, heart disease, and leukemia.
  4. Coral reefs provide economic benefits via tourism.

So these tropical rainforests are pretty important… and in the US only, almost 50% of all coral reefs are in poor or fair condition, due to rising ocean temperatures, coastal development, land based pollution (e.g. sewage) and overfishing.Sadly, I read that worldwide,

  • 20% of the world’s coral reefs have been effectively destroyed and show no immediate prospects of recovery.
  • 24% of the world’s reefs are under imminent risk of collapse through human pressures; and a further 26% are under a longer term threat of collapse. [Source]

If there are any silver linings here, I would point to the growing mass of scientific documentation, and increased awareness from the population at large – hopefully this will spawn an uptick in efforts to save our coral reefs.  If you want to get into the action, check out this very excellent list on 25 things you can do to help.

Green Roofs are sweet!

Published
by
Paul
on July 1, 2008
in energy, gardening and pollution
. 0 Comments

acrosfukuokabuildinggreenroof.jpg On my first trip to Paris, I visited an apartment which had a grass balcony. It was amazing – like going out into a park, but 5 stories up.  Today, there’s a growing movement to put green gardens on roofs. Why? Because they can:

  • Increase the life of your roof
  • Save energy for cooling in summer, and heating in the winter
  • Reduce noise
  • Help improve air quality
  • Reduce stormwater runoff
  • Look bitchin’

gr-components.gifBefore you go off and plant some sod on your roof, you should know that they’re not exactly easy to install – according to Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, they consist of, “a high quality water proofing and root repellant system, a drainage system, filter cloth, a lightweight growing medium and plants.”So they are a somewhat complex, and perhaps mostly suited for larger buildings, although there are some who are pioneering planting them on residential buildings.But if you’re interested, the really good news is that cities like New York  and Chicago are offering tax credits for installing green roofs.  Regardless, it’s really fascinating and gorgeous stuff. Take a look! 

Here comes the (green) bride

Published
by
greenhl
on June 25, 2008
in action, carbon and pollution
. 6 Comments

Weddings must be one of the most eco-unfriendly activities we plan in our lives. I’m going through the process right now, and I have to say I get a bit nauseous when I think about the amount of pollution and carbon we are contributing. Here is a list of eco-unfriendly things we’ll be (are) doing to the planet:

  • Driving around visiting and shopping vendors
  • Killing huge amounts of flowers with our arrangements, bouquets, etc.
  • Having guests drive and fly from hundreds and thousands of miles away
  • Renting tuxedoes will which likely be cleaned with eco-unfriendly chemicals
  • Creating and sending invitations, programs, and schedules – with the use of a heavier card stock, I can’t imagine the amount of paper we’re really using, let alone the added weight / gas used
  • Hair – I don’t know much about hair, but the massive amounts of chemicals and hair products can’t be good
  • Wedding favors – those often worthless items you get at a wedding reception that people throw away the next day

Would simply buying carbon offsets help? Would this be a mere front to ease my guilt now that I think about the environmental impact my wedding is having?

Some of the items may have simple solutions. For example, we can forgo flowers… although I’m sure that idea won’t fly with the other side. We can cut down on the guest list, which we did significantly. We can do without programs, which I’m pushing for. We can do something different with wedding favors such as make a donation or simplify them into something people will use / consume. The hotel some guests are staying at offers transportation to and from the hotel, which I hope will help a tad. Any other ideas on how weddings and other large events can be more eco-friendly?

The best way to mow your lawn – corded mower.

Published
by
Paul
on June 25, 2008
in carbon, energy, gardening and pollution
. 2 Comments

JB just posted yesterday about her dreams of a yard, and a mower to go with it. Well, JB, don’t get a gas mower!

According to the EPA, gas mowers use 800 million gallons of gas annually and account for five percent of U.S. air pollution.

Because of this, according to one of our favorite new blogs, the Dwell Daily Blog, several cities are hosting an exchange program that allows residents to trade gas mowers for an eco-friendly alternative at a reduced price: the battery-powered Neuton CE 5.2.

Ah, but hold the phone! As it turns out, according to researchers at the University of Florida, even battery powered electric mowers cause plenty of pollution – mostly when producing the battery, and when those same batteries are not disposed of properly. (it’s the same reason that you shouldn’t necessarily replace your perfectly good car with a hybrid)

Their suggestion? Buy a corded mower – there’s no battery, and the only energy you use is the energy to run the mower.