TresSugar

For the Sake of the Planet, Save the Plastic Bags?!

CitizenSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:45:43 -0700

The second I remember to quit grumbling when I get a paper bag with no handles instead of the evil that is the plastic bag, the whole eco-mantra of choosing paper could be dumped on its head. One man, Stephen Joseph, is out to save the plastic bag. He's head of the campaign called Save the Plastic Bag, and he means business.

Even though his battle ramped a little more uphill after LA became the most recent US city to can the bags on Tuesday, he's convinced he has facts on his side. On his website, the well-named SaveThePlasticBags, he lists the reasons to choose plastic over paper:

Roaches love paper bags - they attract them.
When paper bags decompose, they release methane.
Paper bags take up more space to transport (making more trucks on the road and more space taken in landfills if they end up there.

That's not all. To see why the global backturning on the bag may have been too hasty, read more.

Paper bags require 71 percent more energy to make and recycle.
Plastic bags consume 6 percent of the water needed to make paper bags.

And he's got much more on his website. His main complaint? The rush to ditch the plastic hasn't been fully examined. "My research into this issue has proved to me that something funny is going on. The anti-plastic-bag campaigners are not being challenged. . . . This is not an issue that belongs in the left bucket or the right bucket. It's about truth. And I'm determined to make it register."

Now that you know the facts, let me temper them with this: Joseph is also the attorney representing plastic bag companies. What's a shopper to think? Maybe the devil doesn't wear plastic after all?

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Helping the Environment Is in the Bag?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:01:35 -0700

A report just released shows that the US set a record for recycling plastic bags in 2006. Up a whopping 24 percent, the record high validates a growing national recycling trend sweeping the states. Of the 812 million pounds of plastic recovered, tons will become usable goods like decking. It's thought that the growing trend of bag recycling bins at stores as well as outright banning is helping to dump the plastic problem.

Cities like San Francisco sparked a wave of disdain for the once ubiquitous sack, and today Nashville is not far behind. If not outright bans, some cities are considering taxing the totes. The Massachusetts Legislature is debating a measure that would enact a two-cent tax that could rise all the way to 15 cents per bag over the next seven years. They hope the new tax will shrink the 380 billion plastic bags Americans use every year - a lot of which end up as litter or in a landfill.

It's not just US cities banning the bags - China announced a nationwide outlawing at the beginning of the year, which is scheduled to kick in June 1, 2008. Early adopters have already caused the nation's biggest plastic bag factory to shutter.

Britain has added the bags to a list of possible items eligible for a "sin tax" and is contemplating an outright ban by 2009.

It might just be time to consider your answer to that perennial "paper or plastic" question carefully.

Do you take your own bags to the store? Are you behind the war on bags?

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What Do You Think About OTC Paternity Tests?

TresSugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0700

The UK Sun had an article today about how over-the-counter paternity tests would soon be available in Britain. Little did I know that they've been legally available online in California, Oregon, and Washington since 2008.

The American kits, created by Identigen, sell for about $30 and come with cotton swabs that are to be used for taking samples from the inside of the baby, mother, and man's mouth. Once these samples are sealed in plastic bags along with $119 lab fee and a consent form, they're sent in for analysis. The results can be accessed online within three to five working days.

Although the results are supposed to have 99.99 percent accuracy, they're not allowed as evidence in court, where a more expensive and standard DNA test is required.

Some people think it's a bad idea to make this information so easily available. The person who would stand to lose most from the results, they reason, is the child who is suddenly without a father. What do you think about over-the-counter paternity tests?

Très Bizarre: Bagel Face Body Modification

TresSugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:15:00 -0700

Would you like a lox schmear with that bagel in your forehead?

Club kids in Japan are kicking extreme body modification up a notch by having lumps and bumps injected into their foreheads (and other body parts) via saline inflations or injections of saline into bags that are inserted under the skin. These self-inflicted deformations (like the bagel face saline implantations above) look insane, but they can be deflated by the next day. Want to find out about other body modifications? read more.

Extreme body modification isn't new. A search led me to an illuminating list of body modifications, illuminating because they range from the mainstream and mundane to the culturally specific to the OMG they do not do that! You might be surprised, for example, that getting your ears pierced or practicing body building is considered body modification, but technically, that's what those are.

Culturally specific practices of body mods include the old Chinese practice of foot binding or Kayan women with stacked neck rings. And then there are modern body modifications I'd rather not think too much about: scrotal implants, eyeball tattooing, tongue-splitting, and the baffling practice of trepanation, or drilling a hole into the skull.

We live in a world where people have plastic surgery to conform to certain ideals of beauty, so even though I would never have a saline inflation put in my forehead to look like I have a bagel in it (and I would probably gasp if I saw someone who did), I think there's something interesting about body modifications to debeautify or to look nonhuman (like the horns or wings you can get through plastic surgery to look like devils or angels).

Is all this too freaky for you, or do you think it's cool?

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Product of the Day: "I Am Not a Douchebag" Bag

GiggleSugar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0800

Plastic bags are out - being eco-conscious is in. Being douchebag-conscious is even more in.

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Thirsty For Change? US Mayors Tap Tap Water, Ban the Bottle

LibertySugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:15:18 -0700

The US Conference of Mayors, meeting in Miami, banned bottled water this week. The cities will no longer use municipal funds to purchase water bottles.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who proposed the resolution along with 17 other big-city mayors, said:

"Cities are sending the wrong message about the quality of public water when we spend taxpayer dollars on water in disposable containers from a private corporation."

But Newsom isn't exactly the first person on the tap-water train. Sixty American mayors have already canceled their hydration contracts, and some places in Canada have also banned the bottle.

Rejecting plastic water bottles is more environmentally and financially sustainable. Millions of bottles a day do not get recycled, and the plastic takes at least 1,000 years to biodegrade.

The American Beverage Association feels betrayed. In a statement, the association reminded those ready to turn on the bottle that private companies come to the rescue during emergencies that compromise public water systems. The statement also notes that plastic bottles are 100 percent recyclable.

Should thirsty city workers be subjected to tap water? First plastic bags, now plastic water bottles, whatever will we do?! Well, here are some great alternatives to the plastic water bottle.

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Los Angeles Man Saves All of His Trash For Eight Months

CitizenSugar — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 07:00:27 -0700

This is the trashiest story I've ever heard. Dave Chameides is on a mission - a mission to save all of his garbage as an experiment to see exactly how much refuse one person makes in a year. This sends shivers down my clean-freak spine: his basement is lined with soda bottles, pizza boxes, Styrofoam trays, used tea bags, and plastic wrap. After nearly eight months at this project, Chameides is beginning to get a clearer picture of his landfill footprint.

The inspiration for this personal garbage collection began while exploring the tremendous amount of trash that packs our landfills, which set him wondering how much he contributed to that total. Since he does not live alone and his wife and children are not participating in this project, Chameides does have some ground rules. For one, he only collects his own trash, and does not include potential health hazards such as toilet paper, fish wrappers, or other biodegradable contaminants. Thank goodness for that. Ack. To see what good came of this plan, read more.

The not-so-trashy news is that after several weeks of collecting, he found ways to reduce waste by taking his own plates and cutlery to work, and bringing his own containers when purchasing food at stores that provide plastic or Styrofoam containers. And then there's this detail: Chameides has enlisted a multitude of worms to consume the compost in his basement.

This experiment isn’t without its "hilarity ensues" drawbacks. Once while on vacation in Mexico, Dave was stopped by customs and asked to explain why he wanted to return to the US with a bag full of his own garbage.

Is this a brilliant way to really see the true nature of what we do to the environment, or is he one can short of a dumpster? Would you do this experiment?

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Front Page: Pakistan Earthquake Kills 150, Flash Floods Hit India, Obama On Most TV Stations Tonight

CitizenSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:59:46 -0700

Pakistan Earthquake Kills 150:
A 6.5 earthquake hit southwestern Pakistan today causing heavy damage and resulting in the deaths of at least 150 people. A local expert says, “It was a shallow earthquake, which is very destructive. The aftershocks will be felt for a week with more or less the same intensity.” Hundreds more are injured following the quake.

Flash Floods Hit India:
Floods swept through northeastern India today displacing 70,000 people from more than 70 villages. Incessant rains caused the Putimari river to breach its banks and rescue forces have been sent in. Two relief camps have been set up to try to accommodate the tens of thousands. People are currently camping on highways under plastic bags.

Obama On Most TV Stations Tonight:
Barack Obama's 30-minute ad will air on most major TV networks at 8 p.m. ET. The taped infomercial will feature a live segment with Obama at a rally in Florida. He will also be on The Daily Show tonight. The 30-minute appearance will delay the start of game five of the World Series. John McCain will be appearing on Larry King Live tonight.

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Product of the Day: Sh*t Box

GiggleSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:20:31 -0700

I'd love to have been in on the brainstorming session for this one. "So, boss, I got a great idea for a product. Materials are cheap. Use value is high. Demand will be through the roof." "Go for it, Junior. I'm all ears." "A cardboard box that you fold up like an accordion when you don't need it, but then open it up and sit on it when you need to take a crap. Give it a bold name, create a cute little poop mascot named Little Jack, and throw in some plastic poop bags." "Genius! It's so crazy it just might work." This thing is around 25 bucks, people! Sigh.

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Chinese Pollution Turns River Red and Bubbly

LibertySugar — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0800

A branch of the Yangtze River has turned red and bubbly due to a chemical spill this week. Sixty thousand people are without running water, and some schools have been forced to close as they cannot provide food for students. The cause of the spill is unknown, but is being investigated.

As China rapidly emerges as an economic power, it is leaving environmental damage in its wake. Recently, China banned plastic bags, resulting in the closure of China's largest bag factory, and over 20,000 layoffs. The plant had produced over $305 million worth of plastic bags a year!

The New York Times has described the catastrophic situation in China as: industrial cities where people rarely see the sun, children killed by lead poisoning; a coastline so swamped by algal that oceans no longer sustain life.

Are industrialization and economic progress mutually exclusive with environmental protection? This week, Britain's Foreign Secretary said rich nations must help the developing world pay for a shift to cleaner technologies to fight climate change? Do you agree?

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