Whatever Happened to Plastic-Free? - an earth 911.com report

 

Whatever Happened to Plastic-Free?

ByGemma Alexander

Dec 5, 2022 plastic pollution, single-use plastic

In the 20-teens, the plastic-free lifestyle was getting almost as much attention as the Whip Nae Nae. But blogs and articles featuring smiling urbanites with tiny jars containing a year’s worth of plastic waste seem to have disappeared. Was plastic-free just another pop culture fad? Did plastic win? Whatever happened to plastic-free?

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Plastic Pollution

Unlike many trends from the decade that left no lasting impression, plastic-free living was an attempt to do something important. Plastic is a key player in two of the biggest environmental crises facing the world today: climate change and global pollution. Plastic is responsible for between 4% and 8% of global oil consumption. Plastics production in the U.S. generates 232 million metric tons of greenhouse gases every year. Plastic products are often used only once and then discarded. Plastics incineration in the U.S. accounts for 5.9 million metric tons of CO2-eq, primarily in areas near impoverished communities and communities of color. Outside of the U.S., plastic is often burned in the open, where it releases poisonous chemicals with a global warming potential 5,000 times higher than carbon.

Eight million tons of plastic makes its way to marine ecosystems each year, where it forms massive garbage gyres and wreaks environmental havoc. Plastic does not biodegrade, but sunlight and heat do cause it to release greenhouse gases as it breaks down into microscopic particles that enter the food chain and bioaccumulate. The average person ingests about 5 grams of microplastics per week (about as much plastic as a credit card) through food, water, and even the air we breathe. No one knows what the long-term impacts on human health will be from ingesting so much plastic.

Plastic-Free

Clearly, we need to work towards a post-plastic world. And in the teens, it seemed like people were starting to do it. Beth Terry is credited with starting the Plastic-Free movement. Inspired by a photo of a sea bird killed by eating plastic, Terry set out to eliminate her personal plastic use. She documented her progress on the blog, My Plastic Free Life. In 2012, she published the book Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too and updated it in 2015 – the same year she gave an interview to Earth911.

Unlike the fairly simple switch of sorting recycling, going plastic-free requires lifestyle changes both big and small. Even so, many serious environmentalists were inspired by Terry’s project and took on the challenge themselves. Earth911 profiled people living plastic-free in 2016; The New York Times published a story featuring several more in 2019. Like Terry, many of them kept blogs. But a search for “plastic free life” today brings up Terry’s website (which was last updated in 2019) and not much else. What happened?

Plastic-Free July

It may not be surprising that the movement didn’t gain widespread popularity. Despite some gains in plastic-free packaging, and even retailers specializing in plastic-free products, for many people, plastic-free living simply isn’t realistic. If you need to take medicine, your prescription will come in plastic; if you have children, you will inevitably accumulate some plastic toys.

But that doesn’t mean that people have given in to the ever-growing wave of plastic. Founded in 2011, the Plastic Free Foundation in Australia created the Plastic Free July challenge. As a month-long challenge that focuses on single-use plastics, Plastic Free July is more achievable than a total lifestyle change. Encouraging a good, better, best approach, the point of the challenge is not perfection but improvement. Because changes made for a month are likely to stick, completing a Plastic Free challenge is a good way to reduce your overall plastic waste year-round. Plastic Free: The Inspiring Story of a Global Environmental Movement and Why It Matters relates the history of the challenge and shares lessons from its success.

Zero Waste

But for environmentalists who are serious about eliminating plastic, there are still some resources. Plastic waste – especially the waste that ends up polluting waterways – is predominantly packaging waste. So efforts to eliminate plastic waste overlap almost perfectly with the Zero Waste movement. Zero Waste doesn’t necessarily mean “zero garbage.” But it does seek to eliminate the wastefulness that leads to large amounts of garbage – especially plastic waste.

Today there are many websites like Zero Waste Memoirs and books like Shia Su’s Zero Waste: Simple Life Hacks to Drastically Reduce Your Trash that provide the same kind of personal journey stories combined with practical tips that plastic-free websites once did. Many of them refer to Kathryn Kellogg’s website Going Zero Waste and book 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste as their own inspiration.

Whether you frame your goal as plastic-free or zero waste in the ‘20s really isn’t very important. What does matter is reducing your plastic consumption wherever you can. Start with simple changes like finding alternatives for the single-use plastics that you use the most.

 As always a great report.  I really like this website because it gives out good ideas and advice. 

The blog song for today is: "Save me" by Queen

TTFN

Indonesia’s last tiger: A very sad report from https://www.fauna-flora.org

A very sad report from https://www.fauna-flora.org/species/sumatran-tiger/

Indonesia’s last tiger

Sadly, fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers are estimated to remain in the wild. This subspecies is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to poaching, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict. Kerinci Seblat National Park and the Ulu Masen and Leuser ecosystems of Aceh on the Indonesian island of Sumatra are global priority areas for tiger conservation.

Sumatran tiger facts

• Sumatran tigers are the smallest of all tiger subspecies and in captivity can weigh up to 140kg
• They have a more bearded and maned appearance than other subspecies
• Sumatran tigers hunt wild pigs and deer but will take other prey opportunistically
• They are generally very shy and try to avoid people
• Sumatran tigers were previously known as Panthera tigris sumatrae but in 2017 the IUCN Cat Specialist Group revised tiger taxonomy, recognising just two tiger subspecies: Panthera tigris sondaica, comprising the Sumatran and (now extinct) Javan and Balinese populations, and Panthera tigris tigris, comprising the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese, South Chinese, Siberian and (extinct) Caspian tiger populations

Critically Endangered

Indonesia

Family:

Felidae

Order:

Carnivora

Est. in the wild:

Approx. 400

Conservation story

One of the main threats to Sumatran tigers is poaching. Hunters trap or shoot them for their skin, bones and canines, which are in high demand as status symbols, primarily overseas, and for use in East Asian traditional medicine. A reduction in prey availability due to deer poaching, as well as habitat loss due to expansion of oil palm, coffee and acacia plantations, and smallholder encroachment, also threaten these big cats.

Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is conserving tigers and other threatened wildlife such as clouded leopards and Asian elephants in three Sumatran landscapes: Aceh, Riau and Kerinci Seblat National Park. In combination, these forests contain more than 60% of all wild Sumatran tigers. Success here is therefore critical for the tiger’s long-term survival.

Kerinci Seblat National Park was one of the few protected areas in Asia where, park-wide, tiger encounter records stabilised during 2007 – 2011 and began to increase. This was due to the improved protection afforded by FFI and partners through the Tiger Protection & Conservation Units. Sadly, in 2013 – 2015 a major spike in poaching threat was recorded, driven by organised illegal wildlife trade syndicates. This threat has now dramatically reduced following targeted, intelligence-led law enforcement, paving the way for recovery.

How FFI is helping to save the Sumatran tiger

To conserve tigers, FFI applies its tried and tested best practice strategies through:

Supporting robust law enforcement

We have worked closely with national park and other forestry agencies to provide training for more than 500 dedicated forest rangers who conduct anti-poaching forest patrols, removing snares and deterring forest crime while engaging positively with the community.

This work is supported by a carefully cultivated network of local community supporters, whose information often plays a key role in guiding patrols to tackle active poaching and providing information that supports undercover investigations to identify tiger poachers and traders. Teams then work with the relevant authorities to support law enforcement and prosecution of poachers and traders. We have also set up local networks for recording and reporting illegal logging.

Human-tiger conflict mitigation 

Tigers, especially young transients looking to establish their own home range, occasionally wander out of the forest and into farmland. Usually the tiger simply passes through and safely returns back to the forest, but sometimes it will take a cow or a dog or – very rarely – attack a person.

To address local concerns and prevent retaliatory killing of real or perceived ‘problem tigers’, swift responses from conservation teams are needed. We have established rapid response units that react quickly to reports of human-tiger conflict and have prevented many unnecessary killings and captures of wild tigers.

Occasionally, tigers may be caught in snare traps, set by farmers for crop-raiding wild pigs. In these cases, we rapidly mobilise veterinary support to care for the tiger, with a primary aim of releasing a fully recovered animal back into the wild.

Population monitoring

To assess the impact of the conservation work we carry out with our partners, we set remotely activated camera traps in the forest to monitor tiger population trends – this monitoring supports and informs protection and conservation strategies.

Conservation coalition

In early 2022, to coincide with the latest Year of the Tiger, FFI joined forces with five other leading conservation organisations that have worked collaboratively for decades to conserve the world’s tigers. The six-strong group, which comprises FFI, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Panthera, TRAFFIC, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), has united under a shared vision: Securing a Viable Future for the Tiger.

Tigers have been wiped out from most of Indonesia, with only the Sumatran population remaining.

1976

Date of the last official record of a tiger on Java. The Bali tiger disappeared even earlier – probably in the 1940s.

Unique

Each tiger’s pattern of stripes is completely unique to that individual.

“Between 2012 and 2015, after years of declining threat, tigers in Kerinci Seblat were the focus of a surge in illegal wildlife trade-driven poaching. We responded by strengthening information networks to support patrol deployment while working to identify the poachers and traders driving the threat and to support law enforcement.

Since January 2016, 29 tiger poachers and traders have been arrested, prosecuted and jailed, and we have seen dramatic falls in poaching threat across the landscape, wildlife trade networks disrupted and the scene set for a return to population increase.”

Debbie Martyr Kerinci Tiger Programme, Technical Advisor

 

As usual, if there was no rich people from wherever buying there would be no need to supply.  The end users of these products need to be prosecuted along with the poachers and dealers in this disgusting trade.

 

Unfortunately, none of the governments of the countries affected seem to be winning the battle. Corruption is everywhere and some people turn a blind eye to it all, and as a result species are disappearing.

How terribly sad and upsetting.  Imagine showing a picture of a tiger to a child and they have no idea what they are.

The blog song for today is:  "Up the junction" by Squeeze

TTFN 

IKEA Starts Selling Solar Panels- a report from: https://earth911.com

IKEA Starts Selling Solar Panels

ByGemma Alexander

Nov 16, 2022 home solar system, IKEA

For some people, IKEA is synonymous with difficult-to-assemble but affordable furniture. For others, the global brand brings to mind strolling through endless showrooms filled with home furnishing displays — or stopping at the onsite restaurant for its popular Swedish meatballs. But for most people, the IKEA brand hasn’t been associated with home solar solutions — until recently. In May 2022, the company announced that it is teaming up with a leading solar provider to make solar energy easier to access. This fall, IKEA home solar launched in the U.S. in select California markets.

The move is a good one for IKEA as it strives to reinforce its image as a company that cares about the environment because renewable energy still provides only one-fifth of the electricity in the United States. We still rely on fossil fuels for 60% of our electricity. As long as the country fails to tap into the potential of offshore wind farms, the burden of installing renewable energy falls to individuals. Powering your home with solar energy is more feasible than you might think. But sometimes it feels like you need to be an engineer to figure out how solar energy works.

Solar

Installing solar panels can lower or eliminate your electricity bills, reduce your reliance on fossil fuels, and benefit the environment. 

It is a myth that you have to live in a sunny region to make use of solar energy – you can see how many others in your state have already done it. Solar panels work best in direct sunlight (but not extreme heat), but they still function in cloudy weather or indirect sunlight. In Finland, with only two hours of sunlight in the winter, solar panels can now pay for themselves in under a decade.

While solar electrical systems can work in any climate, not every home is suitable for solar panels. The orientation of the roof and available space may affect efficiency. Mature trees that shade a home may be worth saving. If your home is not suitable for a solar panel system, community solar might be your best option for renewable energy.

Although most solar panel systems will pay for themselves in time, the upfront cost can be a significant barrier. Fortunately, there are ways to overcome this barrier, through solar tax credits and other financing resources.

Choosing a solar company can be confusing. From a single provider supplying DIYers in 1978, the solar industry has expanded to more than 13,000 installation companies across the U.S. today. Whether they are local or national, these companies are rarely household names. Because each solar installation is basically a custom job, it can be difficult to compare solar proposals.

IKEA

Founded in Sweden, IKEA’s stores are now found around 

the world. By bringing home solar solutions to U.S. stores, 

IKEA could make switching to solar more accessible to 

many Americans. 

Photo: Anton Ivanov Photo – stock.adobe.com

IKEA is the go-to home store for people who are new at adulting or on a tight budget. Like any large retailer, it has a big environmental footprint. IKEA products are infamously disposable. Its products’ particle board and laminate construction doesn’t always hold up to extended daily use, and recycling is not an option. In the past, IKEA has struggled with high formaldehyde levels in its glues and lacquers and child labor in its Asian textile manufacturing facilities. The company continues to face political and financial criticism.

Despite these issues, IKEA is generally considered a good example of corporate sustainability. It has discontinued sales of single-use items, it recycles mattresses, and it recently introduced a furniture buy-back program. Thanks to investments in wind and solar power, IKEA produces as much clean energy as it uses, and may be on track to achieve climate neutrality by 2030.

IKEA Solar

Now IKEA has partnered with SunPower, one of the top national solar companies to sell solar panel systems. Taking the same simple approach that gave us flat-packed furniture with an included Allen wrench, IKEA offers four solar energy packages. The four packages include various combinations of solar panels, energy storage, and electric vehicle charging.

Eligible customers can get more information through the home solar kiosk located in the IKEA Sustainability Shop. Or they can begin online; once signed into their IKEA Family account, they will be redirected to the SunPower website to start the assessment process.

A SunPower Solar Advisor will assess the customer’s electricity bills, energy goals, and roof configuration to design their solar package. They will propose a system together with available financial products and incentives before visiting the home to assess the roof and make any necessary modifications to the design. They provide a 25-year limited warranty for panels and a 10-year limited warranty for the monitoring device and storage system.

Power Potential

IKEA already sells solar power systems in several European countries. But for now, its solar program in the U.S. will be limited to members of the IKEA Family loyalty program in select California service areas: Emeryville, East Palo Alto, West Sacramento, Burbank, Carson, Covina, Costa Mesa, and San Diego. However, IKEA has launched many of its sustainability initiatives in select locations before rolling them out nationwide or worldwide after a test period. If it does, switching to solar will be a lot more accessible to people who aren’t already steeped in the environmental movement or excited about the technical details of energy. But either way, the fact that IKEA is dipping a toe into the U.S. solar market is a sign that renewable energy is approaching a tipping point.

They have received some bad press coverage within the last few years over their methods of getting wood, so hopefully this will help with their reputation.

The blog song for today is: " Does you mother know" by ABBA

TTFN

 

How Australia became the world's greatest lithium supplier - a report from:https://www.bbc.com

 

How Australia became the world's greatest lithium supplier

(Image credit: Alamy)

By Royce Kurmelovs11th November 2022

As demand soars for electric vehicles and clean energy storage, Australia is rising to meet much of the world's demand for lithium. While this helps reduce the need for fossil fuels, it raises another question – how can we source lithium sustainably?

Roughly a three-hour drive south of Perth, Western Australia, off the South Western Highway and behind the historic mining town of Greenbushes, the land beyond the town's primary school falls away to reveal a deep, grey scar.

This is the site of an old tin mine known as the Cornwall Pit. At roughly 265m (870ft) deep, the terraced wall of the pit represents a century's worth of work that began in 1888 when a pound of tin was lifted out of a nearby creek. When the surface-metal was scoured from the landscape, methods changed eventually giving way to open-cut mining in the host pegmatite vein – an igneous rock with a coarse texture similar to granite.

In 1980, another metal was found at Greenbushes which, at the time, didn't give the mine owners much pause for thought. Lithium, a soft, silvery-white reactive alkali metal, was considered more of a geological oddity.

A small-scale mining operation began in 1983, extracting lithium for use in niche industrial operations like glass making, steel, castings, ceramics, lubricants and metal alloys. It wasn't until decades later when the existential risk posed by climate change became widely understood, and governments began talking about replacing the estimated 1.45 billion petrol cars worldwide with electric vehicles, that the reserves at Greenbushes began to be seen in a very different light.

Today the Cornwall tin pit is closed for business, and Greenbushes has become the largest lithium mine in the world.

Demand for lithium could grow to more than 40 times current levels if the world is to meet its Paris Agreement goals

In less than two years, prices for Australian spodumene – a lithium-rich raw material that can be refined for use in laptop, phone and EV batteries – has grown more than tenfold. According to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, spodumene sold for $4,994 (£4,300) a tonne in October 2022, up from $415 (£360) in January 2021. By 2040 the International Energy Agency expects demand for lithium to grow more than 40 times current levels if the world is to meet its Paris Agreement goals.

This has sparked claims of a new lithium-rush and Australia has positioned itself to be the world's go-to supplier. Which begs the question, as the world reaches for this metal in an attempt to help with decarbonisation – how sustainable is lithium mining?

In 2021, the lithium mined at Greenbushes alone accounted for more than a fifth of global production – and it is expected to grow. In 2019 the mine's owners Talison Lithium received permission to double the site's size in an A$1.9bn ($1.2bn/£1.1bn) expansion that, when complete, will cover an area 2.6km (1.6 miles) long, 1km (0.6 miles) wide and 455m (1,490ft) deep. At 310m (1,020ft) high, the tallest building in London, The Shard, could be comfortably buried inside.

While Greenbushes is Australia's largest lithium mine, contributing 40% of the 55,000 tonnes of lithium mined in the country in 2021, there are several others close behind. In total, there are four other hard-rock lithium operations in Western Australia's legacy mining regions around Kalgoorlie in the east and the Pilbara in the state's far north. A sixth – the only lithium mine outside Western Australia – is an open-cut mine near Darwin in the Northern Territory, which began operation in early October 2022. Two other mines are in planning with other proposals at various stages of development.

Spodumene is a rich source of lithium, which can be refined for use in batteries (Credit: Getty Images)

Their combined output allowed Australia to supply roughly half the world's lithium in 2021. Its next biggest suppliers are Chile and China, which both draw their lithium from brine pits. Over the next few years this is expected to change as the countries in South America’s "lithium triangle" – Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, which together hold the majority of the world's known lithium resource – boost their production. Chile alone is currently responsible for a quarter of world production but holds almost 10% of the world's resource. Next in terms of resources is Bolivia with 24% of the world's known lithium reserves, and Argentina with 21%, though neither yet contribute significantly to global production.

Towards Net Zero

Since signing the Paris Agreement, how are countries performing on their climate pledges? Towards Net Zero analyses countries' progress and major climate challenges, and their lessons for the rest of the world in cutting emissions.

With all these countries looking to develop their lithium industries, the world faces two very different choices about where it sources the critical mineral: from hard rock, as in Australia, or from salt-rich groundwater as in Chile.

"If you're talking about hard-rock lithium mining, the environmental impact is pretty much the same as any other comparable mining operation," Gavin Mudd says. "Brine is radically different."

Mudd is an associate professor with Melbourne's RMIT University and the chair of the Mineral Policy Institute, an independent organisation that monitors Australia's mining industry. He says misinformation and confusion about lithium mining is common. For example, he says the idea that lithium was a scarce resource has been disproven but continues to linger. "Lithium is actually a very common mineral," says Mudd. "It's found all over the place but historically we haven't worried about mining it."

When it comes to the environmental impact of lithium mining in Australia, he says people often confuse the situation with what occurs in South America.

The difference starts with the underlying geology. In younger landscapes like South America, lithium is found at the bottom of crusted salt lakes at high altitudes. Australia, meanwhile, is a more ancient geology. Lithium-bearing pegmatite deposits are found across the county, in chunks of landmass that collided over hundreds of millennia to form the continent of Australia. These regions include the Pilbara and Yilgarn cratons (continental rocks that have been stable for over a billion years) in Western Australia, Pine Creek Province in the Northern Territory, the Georgetown region in Queensland and central Victoria.

The refining process carries environmental risks as its energy and chemically intensive, however Allison Britt, director of minerals advice with the government agency Geoscience Australia, says the process of extracting lithium in Australia is not much different to other forms of metals mining. When an economically viable resource is identified, the surface is cleared, the earth is scraped away, the rock blasted and the rubble hauled off for processing into concentrate.

"Each hard rock deposit is its own unique beast," Britt says. "At a higher-grade deposit, you dig up less rock compared to lithium produced."

In South America the process is more like playing with a big, fiddly chemistry set. As the lithium lies at the bottom of a salt lake, it is usually mixed with a range of other minerals. Getting it out requires pumping brine out from beneath the bottom of a salt lake into a pit and then waiting for the water to evaporate in the sunlight until lithium concentrations reach 6,000 parts per million. It is a thirsty process – requiring roughly 1.9m litres (418,000 gallons) of water to produce one tonne (2,204lbs) of lithium produced, all of it lost to evaporation – that always carries the risk of leaks and spills.

We know we need to decarbonise as soon as possible and critical minerals like lithium and a whole heap of others are part of that pathway. But we also know the mining of those minerals is environmentally destructive – Maggie Wood

From there the lithium – in both regions – must be processed further to make it useful. The lithium carbonate pulled out of Chilean brine ponds needs more work to become lithium hydroxide, the preferred material of battery manufacturers.

The rock dug out of the ground in Australia has to be crushed and roasted to produce spodumene. This material, which contains about 6% lithium, is then shipped from Australia to China, which refines 60% of the world's lithium and 80% of the world's lithium hydroxide – though this may be changing. As part of an effort to diversify the supply chain, the Western Australian state government is working to build local refining facilities close to its own lithium mines.

The price of lithium leapt in 2021 and 2022 – and the demand for the metal is predicted to remain high for decades 

(Credit: BBC. Source: Benchmark Minerals)

There are three proposals for new lithium refining facilities in development around Australia. These plants will bring their own environmental challenges. Roasting spodumene to create a concentrate requires significant amounts of energy and large quantities of sulphuric acid. At the end, the slag waste will also have to be disposed of – a process that will need to be monitored to avoid causing pollution.

It is still early days for the Australian lithium mining industry but Maggie Wood, executive director of the Conversation Council of Western Australia, a not-for-profit organisation that represents more than 100 environmental groups across Western Australia, says the industry is being closely watched.

"On the one hand, we know we need to decarbonise as soon as possible and critical minerals like lithium and a whole heap of others are part of that pathway," Wood says. "But we also know the mining of those minerals is environmentally destructive."

For example, environmentalists have raised concerns that sediment from the Finniss Lithium Project mine may have contaminated a nearby creek. BBC Future Planet contacted Core Lithium, the owners of the Finniss Lithium Project, to respond to these claims but received no reply.

Kirsty Howey, co-director of the Northern Territory Environment Centre, an environmental body within the Territory, says she is worried the cumulative environmental impact from multiple mines opening to extract lithium deposits between Darwin and the famous Litchfield National Park, an hour's drive south of the city.

"There are lithium tenements all the way across it," Howey says. "You've got these vast areas of the Territory that are pretty pristine by global standards and they're now subject to [permits for future lithium mining].

"It's a tropical ecosystem, so you've got increased cyclone risk, you've got huge rains – rain is the enemy of mining. That's when metals drain into waterways and cause havoc.

"We've got to stop fossil fuel development, but we also need the scrutiny on mining."

BBC Future Planet contacted the Minerals Council of Australia, a representative body for the country's mining industry, for comment on the concerns raised about the impacts of lithium mining, but they did not respond by publication.

Some of Australia's political leaders have argued that acquiring metals for decarbonisation is the priority. In early October, when the Finniss Lithium Project broke ground 80km (50 miles) from Darwin, the Northern Territory's Mining and Industry Minister Nicole Manison was on site. Speaking to the media, she said: "We have to be realistic about that transition – there are materials you absolutely must mine to achieve decarbonisation and tackle climate change head-on, and many of those materials are available in the Northern Territory."

Australia is not the only country with huge reserves of lithium – Chile is thought to hold even more 

(Credit: BBC. Source: US Geological Survey)

The issues with lithium mining in Australia are no different to those experienced in the industry more broadly: open-cut mining carves deep scars in the landscape, often within ecosystems that are already under pressure. Dust from mining operations can be whipped up where it can contaminate waterways or blow into towns where people can inhale it. Heavy rain can dislodge minerals and wash them into nearby rivers or cause them to seep into groundwater. When a mine closes, rehabilitation works may not have been properly budgeted for, or its operators simply disappear into the night.

RMIT University's Gavin Mudd says these problems can be managed – some estimates suggest hard-rock lithium mining will be responsible for 10 million tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2030, but refineries can be built close to the source of extraction rather than shipping overseas, to reduce some of the emissions from transportation. Meanwhile in Canada, a gold mine has shown that mining equipment can be electrified and renewable energy can be used to power their systems to reduce CO2 emissions.

Mudd also notes lithium is not likely to be mined as intensively in Australia and, counterintuitively, may result in a net reduction in mining overall as the need for coal dwindles. "In Australia we're mining something in the order of five to eight billion tonnes [of waste rock] a year just to get our coal," he says. "People aren't factoring in that if we delete coal out of the equation – that's huge.

"To me, it's all very hopeful. There's still issues with the way we do things but that's not a problem with lithium, that's a problem with the way we regulate mining."

Another way to reduce these impacts further is to blunt demand for new lithium mines by boosting recycling rates. Today, Australia currently only recycles 10% of its lithium-ion battery waste. Libby Chaplin, chief executive officer of the Battery Stewardship Council (BSC), an organisation created to oversee the recycling of used batteries where it would otherwise be too costly for private industry to handle, says recycling will become a pressing issue by the end of the decade as electric vehicle batteries begin to reach end-of-life.

"If we don't address this, we will, within a not-too-distant future, have a very large battery waste problem and stockpiles of lithium EV batteries," Chaplin says. "That's the last thing we want because storing electric vehicle batteries can be problematic."

By starting small now Chaplin says Australia can build the proper infrastructure to stop this from becoming a problem, particularly as distance is a challenge. Having to collect, transport and sort materials from across a country that spans a continent is difficult and expensive but Australia has good examples to follow. Chaplin points to its system for recycling lead-acid car batteries – widely considered a success – to show how it can be done.

Carbon Count

The emissions from travel it took to report this story were 0kg CO2. The digital emissions from this story are an estimated 1.2g to 3.6g CO2 per page view. 

There are already steps being taken in this direction. In January 2022, the BSC introduced a levy scheme in partnership with battery manufacturers that has lifted the recovery rate of small batteries covered by the scheme from less than 8% to over 16% in six months. For each battery imported, participating manufacturers pay 4 Australian cents (2p/3 US cents) per equivalent battery unit (24g/0.8 ounces) into a fund that covers the cost of transport from collection sites across the country to recycling centres. This programme is not exclusively focused on lithium-ion batteries, but it shows huge gains can be made quickly.

Some question whether a large-scale lithium recycling industry is possible but Chaplin believes it is. Lithium only makes up 1% of an electric car battery but the majority of the materials – steel, plastic, aluminium and copper – are recoverable. The rest – so-called "black mass", which includes lithium, graphite and cobalt – is more difficult but can still be recovered. Of these materials, Chaplin says priority should be given to recovering cobalt, as it is the most environmentally destructive metal to mine. Around 70% of the world's production currently originates in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It is thought recovering this "lost value" could be worth up to $3.1bn (£2.8bn) . The European Union, which introduced a battery directive requiring manufacturers to blend at least 4% recycled lithium into new batteries, has shown how regulation may help.

Chaplin agrees that better recycling of lithium batteries is necessary to minimise the demand for more extraction. "We can't be having a conversation about lithium or climate change without having the conversation of making sure these batteries are recovered at end of life," she says. "Once extracted, we have an obligation to keep it going."

Miriam Quick contributed data research to this article.

Here we are back at the same old problem,what to do with the items when they run out.  We keep going around and around in circles with every new discovery.  

A very detailed report and extremely educative!

The blog song for today is: " Nan, you're a window shopper" by Lily Allen

TTFN

Recycling, Like Everything Else, Needs an Upgrade - a report from earth911.0rg

 

Recycling, Like Everything Else, Needs an Upgrade

ByMitch Ratcliffe

Oct 31, 2022 analysis, greenpeace-recycling, Plastic, recycling-strategy

Much has been written about last week’s Greenpeace report decrying the state of plastic recycling. Our recycling system is not just broken but considered a joke, a defeatist view that will cost us in the long run if we abandon the idea of recycling. Indeed, at a meeting of climate professionals in Seattle last week, several people told me “recycling is a lie.” Greenpeace is correct — plastic recycling rates have fallen — but we risk turning a necessary step in the circular economy into a lost cause by making fatalistic and premature conclusions.

Here’s the thing: if people don’t take the first step to recycle anything, there is no hope of creating a circular, low-carbon economy that reuses raw materials instead of mining, drilling, or clearcutting the planet into desolation. We need to use a lot less single-use plastic and standardize on a few recyclable plastics for packaging use. The United States must join the global plastics treaty. But we also need to recycle everything we use instead of just a few valuable materials like steel and aluminum. And we need to recognize it will take time.

Greenpeace reports that plastic recycling rates have declined to about 5%, down from 8.7% in 2018. This is due to three reasons: 1. the volume of plastics produced has increased; 2. contamination rates remain high, making the process unprofitable with most current technology, and; 3. insufficient investment in domestic processing capacity following China’s, and later the rest of Asia’s, decision to stop importing our trash because it is too dirty to be profitable. There’s a fourth reason. Americans don’t have the information and often lack the inclination to prepare plastic and other materials for recycling. Earth911 is working hard to address this by updating local guidance, but it remains a perennial issue.

Humans don’t want to clean up after themselves or pay anyone to do it. That is a lifestyle decision that resulted from our building Recycling 1.0 on top of our 1950s-era trash-hauling infrastructure. It’s clear that when there are appropriate incentives and/or infrastructure in place, materials do get recycled successfully. The global recycling rates for aluminum (75%), steel (60%), other metals (~30%), cardboard (at least 70%), and paper (43%) demonstrate that we can do much better than 5% (plastics) or 15% (e-waste) recycling rates; even plastic bottle recycling (27.2%) points to the opportunity to improve compared to all plastics.

Recycling 2.0 will look more like the internet, a decentralized and flexible system that supports more specialized materials flows. More local and regional recyclers will use the logistical capabilities that helped build Uber and AirBnB, for example, to connect with nearby sources of recyclable materials. It will allow businesses, governments, nonprofits, and citizens to contribute and potentially earn through improved recovery and processing of today’s waste into tomorrow’s goods.

What We Can Do Today

There are a number of clear steps everyone can take, many mentioned by Greenpeace. The most important point is that we have accepted manufacturers’ claims of recyclability without making investments in our recycling infrastructure for too long. A circular economy isn’t built on labels, it grows out of investments by cities, counties, states, nonprofits, and private enterprises in recycling infrastructure — the right mix of investments is very much under debate.

Declaring that investments are not producing results in just the four years following China’s ban on waste imports and during a global pandemic is short-sighted. It’s like declaring that we should not invest in educating a kindergartner because they are not ready to attend Harvard. Recycling 2.0 will take time, and the process can be accelerated with targeted investments and incentives. There are many valuable benefits, including lowering the long-term cost of raw materials, improved health and environmental outcomes, and regional economies that keep more money in the community instead of sending it to multinationals.

The sustainability opportunity, along with its difficult challenges, is the biggest our species has ever faced.

Use Less Plastic

Single-use plastic did not exist two generations ago, and it is reasonable to think we can reduce the need for single-use plastics with other packaging innovations. Each of us can shop with an eye toward eliminating plastic from our cart, but the real responsibility lies with consumer products companies that must decide to abandon plastic unless it is absolutely necessary. Consumers can send that signal by demanding better options. Companies, however, must take the initiative, even if plastic appears to be so convenient.

Each of us can reduce the single-use plastics we buy and throw away. There’s no excuse for not recycling 95% of the plastic we use. Consider the end-of-life of any product before you make the purchase. Is it recyclable? If you’re not sure, don’t buy it.

We’re working to add product-specific information to the Earth911 database to help you screen your purchases for recyclability. Contact us if you’d like to add your product to the database to help buyers understand their recycling options.

Standardize Packaging on Recyclable Options

There will certainly be some plastic in our future. Without going into extensive detail, there are many scenarios where plastic is useful, including sealing sterile medical equipment, in long-lasting items such as appliances and furniture, and in building materials that can last longer and provide capabilities other materials cannot. However, we must prevent the runaway invention and distribution of unrecyclable plastics — most of the materials labeled as #7 plastic fall into this category, for example. Instead, packaging plastics must be standardized so that consumers and recyclers can recycle them after use instead of sending more plastic to landfills.

Every plastic should be correctly numbered to facilitate recycling. If we are going to give a type of plastic a number, it should also be recyclable. Otherwise, it’s just junk that will lie in a landfill for centuries. This is a simple rule that could be transformative.

Make “Recyclable” Mean What It Says

Greenpeace calls out the idea that a 30% threshold, where a material is recyclable in the curbside bin at 30% of homes, represents the minimum required before it can be labeled “Recyclable.” We must do much better, and the responsibility is shared by governments and industries. If we want to achieve 100% recyclability in packaging by 2025, the goal established by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, we must invest to make recycling available at 100% of homes, apartments, and businesses. Write your local solid waste authority to demand this in your community. And when you see a product with a “Recyclable” label but cannot find a local recycling option, tell the company that made it you expect them to help bring that recycling capacity to fruition before you will buy it.

The irony of the many complaints that recycling is too expensive is that valuable raw materials — such as the rare earths and precious metals used in consumer electronics that are tossed into the trash — can be the source of long-term, valuable revenue for whatever entity, government or commercial, that takes the time, effort, and expense to collect and process it. Governments must set standards that require recycled material in new products to drive this evolution of the recycling system. That works, and we’re seeing the early signs of progress in recycled content, for example, in beverage bottles.

Write your Congressional representatives, state legislators, and city leaders to demand they set standards for recycled content in what is sold and thrown away in your country. Industry has shown it won’t take all the steps necessary without regulations or, at least, the threat of regulation if they do not act.

Innovate

If you own a business, make the decision to use recycled materials in what you make or sell. If you’re an employee, tell your employer there are better options — employees are a rising voice for change. That will create pressure upstream in the supply chain to deliver recyclable options or lose your next order. If you are a consumer, choose recyclable options and follow through by recycling those items instead of throwing them away. Write to companies that don’t offer recyclable or compostable packaging in single-use products, or just stop buying them. It sounds hard, inconvenient, and time-consuming, but nothing big ever happened without a lot of sweat and effort. These actions will drive innovation.

Every one of us can create innovation and share ideas. More ideas do lead to less waste. Look for new options in materials, follow the changes in recycling options, and celebrate the wins as well as decry the failures, because that dynamic tension is what leads to progress. Perhaps you feel we should go back to pre-industrial living, but we think you’ll find that a hard sell for most folks. The human path moves forward, and innovation is critical to extracting our species and the rest of the planet from the climate crisis.

Progress will require technology. Today’s stone tools are computers and biotechnology, which can be profoundly helpful or damaging. As Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand wrote, “We are as Gods and we might as well get good at it.” Brand, who also co-founded the Long Now Foundation, also wrote, “I adore the un-urgency, the realization that it takes time to get things right, and that there is plenty of time to do that. Just keep bearing down [emphasis added].”

Change takes time. We have to measure and discuss it along the way, but patience — even in the face of crisis — is a virtue. 2030 is both coming fast and a long way off. If we can get plastic recycling rates to 50% in the next eight years while reducing the use of unrecyclable plastic, we can be 75% of the way toward our goal at the end of the decade.

We Make Our Way, It Doesn’t Just Appear

Giving up on recycling means we abandon the idea of a circular economy, an essential feature of the post-industrial era we must reach to end the climate crisis. Recycling only became plainly necessary to modern humans when we realized that our strip-mining, drilling, and throw-away culture was a dead end, and that debate has lasted for 50 years, since the first Earth Day. We’re paying the price now in extreme weather, rising seas, drought, and threats to our food supply. Just because recycling doesn’t work today doesn’t mean we can’t make it better.

If we’re going to talk about change, we need to get serious about changing. No one will do it for us, so let’s keep bearing down instead of declaring that recycling is a failure or a lie.

The reason I like this organisation so much is because they tell it how it is and in terms that are easy to understand.  Yes, we all have a responsibility to make a change,but as I have shouted about before, everyone has to do their bit.

The blog song for today is: " No quarter" by Led Zeppelin.

TTFN

 

COP27, here we go again: a report from :https://www.climaterealityproject.org

COP 27: Decision Time in Egypt

The most important climate conference since Paris comes down to one key question.   

November 4, 2022

Seen from one angle, the upcoming two weeks of talks at the UN's COP 27 climate conference boils down to one essential question: Does the world move forward with something like a just transition to clean energy?

The unofficial theme of this year's conference could very well be "Climate Action in a Time of Polycrisis" (the term from Adam Tooze and others for multiple interrelated crises converging simultaneously).

After all, negotiators arrive in Egypt at a time when the global energy crisis unleashed by Russian aggression in Ukraine means the question top of mind for many Northern Hemisphere leaders isn't how they'll meet their emissions goals for 2030, but simply how they'll keep the lights and some heat on through spring 2023. And if they perform that miracle, how they then survive what could be an even tighter crunch in 2024.

Then there's the dizzying cascade of knock-on crises as inevitable as gravity in a global economy shaped by fossil fuels. The mad scramble for gas in Africa, as Russia turns off the tap to Europe. Food shortages, rising inflation, and a cost-of-living crisis across Europe.

This was not the 2022 negotiators at last year's COP 26 envisioned as they emerged bleary-eyed with an agreement calling for a "phase down" of unabated coal use and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies worldwide. Which, at the time, felt both disappointing and a critical step forward.

But it's where we are. And it means the task of marshalling, prompting, and flat-out cajoling nearly 200 nations from the typhoon-battered Philippines to petro-bullies like Saudi Arabia to not only navigate the moment but remain committed to deep decarbonization goes from just very hard to nearly Herculean.

The Stakes Are Planet-Sized

The stakes do not come higher. The UN recently highlighted the yawning chasm between countries' pledges to climate action and their actual efforts, noting there is "no credible pathway" to the Paris Agreement goal of holding global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius without a radical increase in ambition from the international community. With no change on our current path, the UN reports, we're on track to see an average increase of 2.8 degrees (C) this century, a number whose size belies the extraordinary suffering it entails.

If there is a silver lining to COP 27 taking place in this moment, it's the clarity of the choice it presents. Because while it would be a mistake to reduce the complexity of all these events swirling in the background to one factor alone, it would take a staggering act of will to miss the common element they share.

Namely, a joined-at-the-hip connection to fossil fuels subject not only to wild price swings that ripple through, well, pretty much everything, but also to the whims of murderous autocrats from Moscow to Riyadh.

What leaders in Europe must decide is will we respond to this moment with long-term choices that lock in decades of more pipelines and plants whose emissions will make the Paris Agreement's 1.5-degree goal all but impossible? Not to mention all but guarantee yet more instability and emergencies in the years ahead? (For anyone who thinks this is our last petro-dictator-threatens-global-economy rodeo, we have a portfolio of bridges on sale for your consideration.)

Or do we see the addiction to oil, gas, and coal that got us here for what it is and choose a new way forward, speeding the transition to clean energy across the planet?

These two weeks will not alone or definitively provide the answer. But they will go a long way.

What Can COP 27 Do?

As Ethan Spaner, Climate Reality's international director, repeatedly says, "It's not COP's job to save the world."

Instead, what COP does is tell a story of what humanity could be as we together face the greatest threat to our shared existence – and what it will take to get there. Whether we embrace that story and rise to make it a reality or not, well, that's up to us the other 50 weeks of the year.

The story of COP goes back to the formation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

What the UNFCCC gave us was the first truly global mechanism for confronting the climate crisis just then beginning to rise to the forefront of public and political consciousness. By the end of the year, 158 countries had signed on as "parties" to the agreement.

Three years later, the first Conference of the Parties (COP) was held in Berlin, beginning the now-yearly series of meetings attempting to unite an international community of wildly divergent and competing interests to stop rising temperatures.

The real breakthrough came at COP 21 in 2015, with the historic Paris Agreement, where nearly 200 countries agreed to a goal of holding "the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2° C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5° C above pre-industrial levels." 

What made the Paris Agreement possible – and for nations as disparate as the US, UAE, and Uganda to all sign on – was the introduction of nationally determined contributions (NDCs). NDCs enabled all countries to define for themselves what they would do to help reach the broader Paris goal based on where they were in terms of development and resources.

The virtue of this approach was its reliance on self-determination. The challenge was that it omits any mechanism for enforcement, relying on countries to go big enough to meet the goal in their pledges and then live up to their word.

Even at the time, countries knew the agreement was a first step, with analysts noting that even if everyone met their stated NDC goals, it likely still wouldn't be enough to hold warming to 2 degrees, much less 1.5.

Every COP since Paris has, in many ways, been an effort to get nations to not only live up to their original (read "not good enough") pledges but raise the bar with the kind of commitments that can actually meet the agreement's goals.

So far, work remains. As the UN notes, few countries are even close to making good on their original pledges. Fewer still have increased their commitments. And now fossil fuel opportunists are using the pretext of war and energy crises to push for more drilling and pipelines.

Which brings us to COP 27.

Decision Time in Sharm El-Sheikh

No question the headwinds are strong. Global emissions rose – not fell – to an all-time peak in 2021 as the world economy rebounded from COVID, in part by burning lots and lots of coal.

Meanwhile, the global finance community seems to hardly have noticed impacts like the climate-fueled floods in Pakistan that displaced 33 million people and killed another 1,200, collectively pumping $742 billion into the same fossil fuel projects driving this crisis.

But if anything is clear, it's that the fossil fuel economy that brought us here isn't working. And if the global response to the crises taking over the headlines is yet more pipelines and dirty power plants, we can only expect more of the same in the years ahead.

The answer to does the world move forward with a truly just energy transition has to be yes. To ensure it does, we're calling for action on two fronts in particular at COP 27.

1. Honoring the Commitments Already Made

Seven years ago, world leaders made us a promise to slash emissions and halt global warming in the Paris Agreement. Wealthy nations promised to help developing countries adapt to a warmer world. Few have kept their word. That has to change, starting at COP 27.

What This Means

• Major emitters and other nations make concrete plans to fulfill existing NDCs and new commitments to speed society-wide emission cuts and energy transition going forward.
• Establishing a new program for wealthy nations to share practical solutions from business, industry, local governments, and other sectors that other countries can quickly and easily replicate in their own country-specific manner.  
• Developed nations fulfill their promise to pay $100 billion annually to help developing nations transition to clean energy and thrive in a climate-changed future.

2.   Financing a Sustainable Future Together

It's time for the World Bank and other major financial institutions to finally say no to the pipelines and fossil plants destroying our health and our planet. Time for these institutions to use their incredible financial power to send the global energy transition into hyperdrive. Time for developed countries to work with developing nations to build a future where we all thrive.

What This Means

• The World Bank sets an example and contributes to the goals of the Paris Agreement by ending all support for fossil fuel projects and massively increasing lending for clean energy projects.
• Developed and developing nations work together to set an ambitious new goal for climate finance beginning in 2026.
• Wealthy nations expand and unify finance initiatives to help developing countries rebuild after climate disasters, address climate impacts, and create resilient clean energy economies. 
• Developing nations are able to build clean energy economies through enhanced market access and lower interest rates.

FOLLOW US AT COP 27

Climate Reality will be on the ground at COP 27, sharing stories and updates as we fight for progress on these three vital fronts. Follow along with us here and on Instagram at @ClimateReality. Plus, if you're not already, join over 1 million subscribers around the world on our digital activist list.

I really hope that something will come out of this convention, but I am seriously doubting that anything will.  On the face of it, all I can see is a lot of people arriving and talking crap.  Of course we have to question the mode of transport used, which highlights the total double standards of the whole thing. Every year I have followed this event and this year it seems to be bordering on a farce.  They talked and talked and talked in the last one and still we are racing towards more disasters and hardship. When will governments have the guts to penalise these companies who are destroying our planet with their greed?  On the other hand, we as people (consumers really) realise that it is our duty to act as well.  We cannot leave it to a group of people completely out of touch with the real world.  I feel for the delegates from the smaller islands and countries that are suffering because of we are doing to them.  I would love to be proved wrong and this is the one that will make a difference.

It makes me really angry because there are a lot of good people out there trying to make a difference, but until everyone helps it will be difficult.  Unfortunately when people start boo hooing that they are running out of this and that, blah blah blah, it may be too late.

PEOPLE, WAKE UP, GET OFF YOUR BACKSIDES AND DO SOMETHING, IT ONLY NEEDS TO BE ONE SMALL CHANGE ,TURN DOWN THE HEATING OR ONLY HAVE IT ON AT CERTAIN TIMES, USE THE CAR LESS, USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT MORE AND TRY TO BUY LESS ITEMS ENCASED IN PLASTIC.

The blog song for today is: "Boulevard of broken dreams" by Green Day

TTFN

Toxic Textiles: The Chemicals in Our Clothing - a report from https://www.earthday.org

Fashion for the Earth

Toxic Textiles: The Chemicals in Our Clothing

November 4, 2022

Every week, the news labels a different consumable as “bad for you.” This trend can be seen in our food, medicine, and drinking water. All of which have been described as riddled with carcinogens, hormone disruptors, forever chemicals, and toxins. Unsurprisingly, all these harmful chemicals can be found within our wardrobes and throughout the textile industry.  More importantly, the health implications of these substances are vast in range, and volume, as approximately 25% of global chemical output originates from the textile industry. Since textiles comprise a significant part of our world, and we are in contact with textiles all day, every day, safety and confidence in these products are vital.  

Good versus Bad 

There is much talk about what is good or bad for you, so before we dive into the specific chemicals in our clothing, it is essential to note that Chemicals are not inherently bad. All matter is made of chemicals! That includes you and me. While it is true that not all chemicals are “good” for us—and even those that are, namely water, can be harmful when exposed to too much of it—the word chemical should not be feared. 

What are these “bad” chemicals?

There are about 8000 synthetic chemicals that are used in the apparel industry manufacturing process, from material acquisition to the finished product. Since we cannot cover every chemical and its function, this article will focus on the most common and deleterious substances. These include, but are not limited to, flame retardants, Polyfluorinated substances (PFAS)^*, lead & chromium, phthalates, chlorine bleach, AZO dyes, and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs)⁺ such as formaldehyde. Please see the infographic below for a more in-depth look at chemicals and associated health concerns. NOTE: This is not a comprehensive list.

Function matters, but at what cost?

These chemicals were not created to be “bad,” but does their intended purpose eclipse their adverse effect? Let’s take a look

• Flame retardants were designed to stop clothing from burning and are required for children’s clothing. This helpful technology has been linked to bioaccumulate (the chemical/material builds up in the bloodstream) health risks, including infertility, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, and cancer.
• PFAS materials are fluoropolymer coatings/products that are popular due to their ability to resist water, oil, heat, and stains. You can often find these materials in raincoats, shoes, cosmetics, mattress pads, printed natural and synthetic fabrics, and finished textiles labeled as water or stain-repellents. However, these chemicals have also found their way out of their intended products into our environment, drinking water, and food. Thus, they are known to bioaccumulate and are often recognized as environmentally persistent and carcinogenic.
• Lead & Chromium (VI) are heavy metals that come in different forms. They can be found in rocks, plants, animals, and soil. Lead is a heavy metal found in natural fibers such as cotton, hemp, and flax. In the manufacturing process, Lead and Chromium (VI) materials are used to stabilize the color in the dyeing process. You can find these elements in vividly colored synthetic products. While these are naturally occurring, when high concentrations of these chemicals come into contact with the skin, are absorbed, or ingested, they have been linked to cancer and contact dermatitis. Additionally, when clothing containing these compounds is washed, during both the manufacturing process and later by consumers, they can cause environmental damage.
• Phthalates are used in activewear and anti-odor clothing, printing inks, and processing. Phthalates are a plasticizer, used with rubber to print images onto garments, and are predominately known to be cancerous. They have also been linked to endocrine disruption.
• Chlorine bleach, a whitening and stain removal agent, can cause severe asthma and respiratory problems. It is often used to process natural fibers such as cotton (think denim) and to prepare polyester for dyeing. Chlorine bleach and solvents such as chlorobenzenes can be toxic by inhalation or skin contact.
• AZO dyes make up 60-70% of fabric colorants and are responsible for the vivid colors that can be seen in many textiles, especially clothing concentrated in black and brown pigmentation. Azo dyes can quickly come off fabrics and, once in contact with the skin, break down to release chemicals called aromatic amines, causing skin allergies and dermatitis, some of which have been reported to cause cancer.
• Solvents, adhesives, plastic & metal accessories, synthetic dyes, and fibers used during the production process release VOCs. Some common VOCs are formaldehyde, toluene, ethylene glycol, benzene, methylene chloride, 1,3-butadiene, xylene, and tetrachloroethylene. These chemicals allow for an easy-care finish, such as wrinkle-free products. However, VOCs are a huge occupational hazard, as off-gassing can cause developmental and reproductive system damage, skin/eye irritation, and liver and respiratory problems.

How can I stay safe?

When looking at your wardrobe, seek materials, fabrics, and dyes that are considered natural rather than synthetic materials. Check for third-party certification standards such as the Oeko-Tex Standard 100, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), the EU Ecolabel, or the bluesign® certification.

Fashion for the Earth is EARTHDAY.ORG’s mission to educate consumers and provide them with enough information to be safe and sustainable and ultimately challenge the industry for the better. 

As I have previously written, the best option is to not buy too often  and to buy second hand garments.

The blog song for today is: "Jilted John" by Jilted John

TTFN

 

Brown gold: Treated sewage could heat one-third of Prague - a report from - www.themayor.eu and another from - www.danfoss.com

 

Brown gold: Treated sewage could heat one-third of Prague

After all, this is one energy resource that is literally inexhaustible and domestically produced

The City of Prague has plans to develop a new residential district for 25,000 people on a hundred-hectare brownfield in Bubny-Zátory. This time around though, urban planning is taking into account current crises, such as fossil fuel dependency and energy security, to offer an innovative solution – using treated sewage surplus heat to keep homes warm in winter.

For this purpose, a new energy centre will be built next to the wastewater treatment plant on Císařský island and near the planned district. The idea behind it is simple, install 12 heat pumps and channel the heat where it can be of benefit – 200,000 households.

Don’t let heat go to waste, let waste go for heating

“The (energy centre) project has been in the making for about two years. It uses the heat of wastewater that is treated on Císařsky island. Every second, three cubic meters of treated wastewater leave the treatment plant, which even in the coldest months has a temperature higher than ten degrees. We have a huge opportunity to use this water to obtain heat for up to a third of Prague. It has been working successfully for decades in Denmark or Sweden, and there is no reason why it should not be the same here. Moreover, sewage is the only raw material that Prague will always have enough of," stated Petr Hlaváček, 1^st Deputy Mayor of Prague, as quoted by Prazsky Patriot.

The Bubny-Zátory area sits on a peninsula formed by a bend of Prague’s Vltava River and thus enjoys a fairly central location that has been unutilized for decades. The development, however, apart from granting more housing units has the unique chance to serve as the platform for new future-proof solutions, making it a model district in terms of sustainability.

The first housing units in the residential quarter will be ready by 2025, though the entire district will be completed by 2040. The jewel of the new district will be the upcoming Vltava Philharmonic, which too will be heated and cooled with this sustainable approach.

Here is another report from: www.danfoss.com

Since 2010, Marselisborg wastewater treatment plant has transformed its focus beyond minimizing energy consumed, to maximizing net energy surplus. Nowadays the facility has net production of both electricity and heat, supplying the district heating system in Denmark’s second-largest municipality, Aarhus. The carbon footprint has been reduced by 35 % accordingly.

Water and wastewater treatment facilities are normally the single largest electricity consumer for a municipality. Typically water and wastewater treatment processes account for 25 – 40 % of the municipal electricity consumption. The high consumption is related to the energy intensive processes but also its continuous operation cycle, 24/7 and 365 days annually.

Over the years focus has been on developing new processes and control strategies to reduce energy consumed per litre of water processed. However at the same time the increasing demands upon wastewater treatment quality, for example in nutrient removal, in turn increase net energy consumption.

Energy balance optimization 
Water and wastewater treatment processes are characterized by high load variation during the 24 hour cycle and seasonally throughout the year. The use of frequency converters has therefore steady increased in order to control blowers, pumps and other motorized equipment, to adapt to the changing demand.

Since 2010 Aarhus Water has worked intensively together with water environment consultants to improve the energy balance for Marselisborg wastewater treatment plant.

Key steps in the strategy:

• Optimization of the nitrogen removal process using online sensor control. The frequency converter adapts the level of aeration precisely to the need. This control system reduces energy consumption and increases the amount of carbon left in the system.
• Blower technology upgrade to a high speed turbo blower. The upgrade achieves further reduction of energy consumption in the aeration process.
• Aerobic sludge age control as a function of temperature and load on the plant. Here frequency converter control of the return sludge pumps is the key to achieving energy reduction and increased retained carbon in the system.
• Upgrade of combined heat and power (CHP) process for energy production, with 90 % energy efficiency.

These changes together with improvements including the effective co-production of electricity and heat based on methane gas extracted from the aerobic sludge digestion process have created the impressive results of:

• 130 % electricity production (30 % excess electricity)
• Excess heat production of about 2.5 GWh/year

VLT® in every corner

Frequency converters are installed on almost all rotating equipment at Marselisborg WWTP: blowers, pumps, mixers and dewatering pumps. The frequency converters allow the plant to adapt to load variations, with maximum flexibility. Over 100 motors are controlled by VLT® frequency converters at Marselisborg.

Energy generation vision

The vision for Aarhus City is to extend energy generation even further, to achieve surplus production of energy from its wastewater treatment plants so high, that it can also meet the energy requirement of the city’s potable water supply. This will transform the single largest electricity consumer for the authority into an energy-neutral party.

 

Recycling Mystery: LED Bulbs- an earth911.com report - a short read!

 

Recycling Mystery: LED Bulbs

ByTrey Granger

Feb 13, 2019 led-bulbs-mystery

With limited sunlight during the winter months, increased lighting is a must. And when 75 percent of outdoor lightning is expected to be light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs by 2020, chances are good that you have some LEDs in the house. But what happens when these bulbs burn out?

First, the good news: LED bulbs last up to 50,000 hours, way longer than halogen, fluorescent, and incandescent bulbs. They fit most fixtures and will cut your energy use considerably. So, buying LEDs should limit your need for bulb disposal and save you money.

When it comes to recycling, the news about LEDs isn’t so good. The most commonly accepted light bulbs for recycling are compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and fluorescent tubes, because they contain mercury. This is both a valuable material and hazardous if exposed to humans, so fluorescent bulbs are classified as universal waste and therefore accepted by retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s, in addition to local household hazardous waste (HHW) programs.

String Light Recycling Options

After the holidays, you may have some burnt-out string lights you need to recycle. Nowadays, most string lights use LED bulbs. The good news is Home Depot will accept these for recycling, and has recycled more than 2.5 million string lights since 2008.

If you’re willing to pay for shipping, you can mail your string lights to companies like Christmas Light Source and HolidayLEDs. When you send in your lights for recycling, these companies offer a discount coupon towards the purchase of new lights. And the Christmas Light Source donates proceeds from its recycling program to Toys for Tots.

Something else to consider with string lights: You may only need to replace one bulb for the entire string to work again. You can buy replacement bulbs online for easy installation.

Before you give up on your string lights, you might need to replace just one LED bulb for the entire string of lights to work again. Image: StockSnap, Pixabay

Mail-in Programs

For LED bulbs, the best recycling option is going to be mail-in programs. Some of these companies will send you a pre-paid recycling box you can fill with bulbs for recycling. In most cases, they accept all types of bulbs — not just LEDs.

After receiving your bulbs, these programs separate the glass bulb from the metal ballast and send those materials to the appropriate recyclers. The color of the bulb will not affect the recycling process.

The Future of LED Recycling

Much is still to be determined with the recycling of LED bulbs, as their sales have jumped so drastically in the past 10 years. In 2009, there were fewer than 500,000 common home LED bulbs, according to the Department of Energy, and that number jumped to almost 80 million in 2014.

Because they are designed to last so long (just like solar panels), we can expect LED bulb disposal to surge in the next 10 to 20 years. Will manufacturers start offering take-back programs or will legislation be drafted to address the problem? We don’t know yet. But it’s worth noting that neither of these solutions were offered for incandescent bulbs, which LEDs have replaced as the go-to lighting source in America.

What the recycling system here in Spain is uncertain! I normally take mine to the recycling plant on the industrial estate in Ciutadella.

 As with most of these things, it is how to dispose of them in the future, because they are new, we do not know what will happen.

The blog song for today is: "Shake your thing" by Salt n Pepa

TTFN