Eco-shopping: Apple gets tastier
May 15, 2007
Posted in Lifestyle
Here’s some good news for Mac lovers and people who can’t live without their iPods. Apple has declared that it plans to phase out brominated fire retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) – both toxic chemicals – from its products by 2008.
Make a change: Switch off your computer and save
May 15, 2007
Posted in Green tips, Lifestyle
Switching off your computer at the end of your working day can cut the energy it consumes by 75% thereby reducing the amount of carbon-dioxide created to generate the electricity to power it by as much as 554kg a year.
Source: ZDNet “At the Whiteboard”. See also: Tectonic
Health: Pass the popcorn, it’s good for your heart
May 10, 2007
Posted in Food
Including whole grains in your diet – which very few people seem to do – can “significantly†reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to research conducted at a US medical school.
“Consuming an average of 2.5 servings of whole grains each day is associated with a 21% lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to consuming only 0.2 servings,†according to Dr Philip Mellen, the lead author of the research, who was quoted in a press release.
Whole grains don’t appear to be a big part of your average American’s diet, though. “A nutrition survey conducted between 1999 and 2000 found that only 8% of US adults consumed three or more servings of whole grain per day and that 42% of adults ate no whole grains on a given day,†the press release said.
The findings are based on an analysis of seven studies, conducted between 1966 and April 2006, and involving more than 285,000 people.
What is a whole grain?
“A grain is ‘whole’ when the entire grain seed is retained: the bran, germ and the endosperm. The bran and germ components are rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy fats. These are the parts removed in the refining process, leaving behind the energy-dense but nutrient-poor endosperm portion of the grain. Examples of whole grain foods include wild rice, popcorn, oatmeal, brown rice, barley, wheat berries and flours such as whole wheat,†according to the press release.
Climate change is an ethical issue
May 9, 2007
Posted in Green News
Climate change issues are usually presented in scientific or economic terms. Don Brown, a former Clinton administration climate negotiator, says it is “desperately important†to consider the moral and ethical issues of climate change because it could radically change the way things such as targets for global greenhouse gas emissions and payment for damages are being negotiated.
He spoke at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development in April about climate change as a moral and ethical issue. See his talk on YouTube.
He says there are many different moral and ethical issues, many of which are hidden in the scientific and economic arguments.
Climate change: Southern Africa is feeling the heat
May 7, 2007
Posted in Green News
Southern Africa is already feeling the effects of climate change. Average temperatures in the region having increased by between 0,2°C and 1°C since the 1970s and a further increase of about 1°C is “unavoidableâ€, said Dr Guy Midgley of the South African National Biodiversity Institute at a press briefing in Johannesburg recently.
Less than half of this temperature change can be ascribed to natural causes alone, the bulk is due to greenhouse gas emissions, he added.
