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Takeoutwithout: Refuse, Retake and Reconsider |
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 By Lloyd Alter, Toronto – on Treehugger.com
Americans toss out enough paper and plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times, and K.B. Lee is trying to do something about it. He has founded Takeoutwithout to convince restaurants to encourage and accommodate people who bring their own containers.
Borden Communications and Design, a firm specializing in "eco-logical" services, put together the snappy graphics. TOWO has its own 3Rs, as explained by Ellen Moorhouse in the Star:
Refuse (Do you really need all of those straws, plastic cutlery and napkins?); Retake (Bring your own containers, cups and bags.); and Reconsider (Take a look at your eating habits, and maybe, like Lee, make some changes.)
It is a new campaign, where they are inviting restaurants to encourage people to bring their own containers (many resist, worried about health and safety) and urging patrons to cut back. It is perhaps a good first step, although I would rather see deposits on everything and producer responsibility.
Retake and Reconsider: Two more to add to our seven R's. One might also try the 25 Take-Out Foods You Can Make at Home For Cheaper
But if you can't do that, at least try to bring your own. More at Takeoutwithout. |
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Monsanto has farmers cornered |
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 By Sara Novak
I've written extensively about genetically modified organisms (GMOS). Farmers are essentially giving up the wheel to corporate entities that research, develop, and mass produce seeds. But a recent story on NPR brings to light how rigorous seed licensing is sticking it to the farmer, or their wallet for that matter.
Monsanto has figured out a system by which the company can take its customers for what they're worth, literally. Once farmers use Monsanto's Roundup Ready, which is a line of designer genetically-modified seeds, they have to continue to purchase the seeds year after year because it's illegal, yes illegal, for farmers to save seeds. Last year alone the cost of these seeds went up 50 percent.
Read more at Treehugger.com >> |
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6 ways cars have wrecked our culture and 9 things you can do about it |
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 We've been "carjacked" but it's never too late to fight back.
It's nothing new to Planet Greeners when I say cars suck...but it seems there's an endless supply of ways to prove it. Case in point: Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile and Its Effect on Our Lives. In this brand new book, authors Catherine Lutz and Anne Lutz Fernandez effectively and accessibly lay out the social, financial, historical, and of course, environmental impact of America's love affair with the internal combustion engine.
Read more at Planet Green.com >> |
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'Green' products to get a push |
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 Encouraged by resilient sales, some leading makers of environmentally friendly household products are boosting their marketing firepower, mounting a broader challenge to manufacturers of mainstream consumer goods.
Seventh Generation and Method Products, which both tout their cleaning and personal-care lines as safer for people and the environment, plan to launch their first major marketing campaigns this week. Both companies are hoping to capitalize on the momentum behind "green" products, which have posted surprisingly strong sales despite the weak economy.
More from The Wall Street Journal >> |
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Predicting a more sustainable future: The designers weigh in |
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 As we wade into a bright new year, the predictions for green living are starting to trickle in. We can predict one thing for sure: Every item that we use has an impact on the environment. Knowing this gives both designers and consumers an edge. How we use this knowledge, and whether we make ecologically sound choices, will dictate how collectively we can shape the future of the planet.
More at TreeHugger.com >> |
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