Top Climate Skeptic Does a 180, Urges Immediate Action on Climate Change

by freshfuzz September 2nd, 2010 - 1 Comment »

In 2001, Bjorn Lomborg published a book called The Skeptical Environmentalist. In it, he postulated that global warming may not be occurring since short-term data were being used to substantiate long-term changes in climate. His book, and this basic premise, have collectively been clarion calls for climate change skeptics.

Lomborg has now released another book, Smart Solutions to Climate Change, in which he calls for clear action on climate change and postulates cost-efficient methods to do so. Lomborg defends himself against being a “flip-flopper” as stating that he never disputed climate change itself, only the statistical methods that were being used to evaluate it.

In any case, this reversal in the attitude of a key climate change denier is a step in the right direction, and it sure won’t hurt his book sales either.

_

Tags: bjorn lomberg, bjorn lomborg, climate change, climate change denial, climate change deniers

1 Comment

Cars to Receive EPA Grading Based on Their Fuel Economy

by freshfuzz September 1st, 2010 - No Comments »

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is considering a letter-based grading system for cars based on their fuel economy. Sippers like the Prius would receive an A- grade, while gas burners like the Ferrari would merit a D. The new grading system is being proposed by the President.

“New fuel economy labels will keep pace with the new generation of fuel efficient cars and trucks rolling off the line, and provide simple, straightforward updates to inform consumers about their choices in a rapidly changing market,” said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.

The auto industry has mixed emotions about the proposed grading system. Forced to accept new fuel efficiency standards along with bailout money, they are already retooling to meet environmental demands placed on the industry. They don’t like the “pass and fail” mentality of the letter grading system, as stated by Dave McCurdy, the president and CEO of the Auto Alliance, a group representing the interests of the auto industry.

As Reported By: Reuters

_

Tags: epa auto industry, epa cars, vehicle emission standards, vehicle emissions

Leave Comments

Once In a Century Salmon Run Hits British Columbia

by freshfuzz August 31st, 2010 - No Comments »

For once, some great environmental and economic news. BC is currently enjoying the fruits of a sockeye salmon run the likes of which have not been seen for a hundred years. Apparently there are currently so many salmon jumping in the Fraser River that they could be landing right in the fishermen’s boats. 25 million are expected to run up the river this season, the best numbers the Pacific Salmon commission has seen since 1913, and a blessing considering the dry run that fishermen had last year.

As Reported By: Reuters

_

Tags: salmon british columbia, sockeye salmon run

Leave Comments

Oilsands Pollute Athabasca River: Independent Research Study

by freshfuzz August 30th, 2010 - No Comments »

A study independent of industry or government input by the University of Alberta has found that pollution of the Athabasca River in Alberta by toxins is a direct result of oilsands production. This counters the findings of a joint industry and government panel, the Regional Aquatic Monitoring Program, that the toxins in the river were from natural sources.

The study contrasted Athabasca River samples from mining areas with water samples drawn from undeveloped sites close to the McMurray geological formation, which is the source of most of the oil. If the pollution was truly from natural sources, the levels of cadmium, lead, mercury, nickel and thalium, among others, would have been just as bad at either sample site.

The study was headed by researchers from the University of Alberta and contributed to by Queen’s University and Oceana, a non-profit group that promotes water quality issues. The goal of the study was to test RAMP’s claims in a 2009 report that “”water quality was similar between [test] stations located within and outside oil sands development and when compared to conditions prior to development.” Based on the disparities found, the researchers would like Environment Canada to take over water quality monitoring in the area. Yeah, that may be a good idea.

And hey, if you feel like doing something about it and finding out more, we found another great anti-tar sands group: Tar Sands Watch, sponsored by the Polaris Institute. Very meaty stuff on that site.

_

Tags: athabasca river, athabasca river oilsands, athabasca river water quality, oil sands, tar sands

Leave Comments

UK Creates First-Ever Green Cellphone Ratings; iPhone Bows Out

by freshfuzz August 29th, 2010 - No Comments »

In a move that shows that the UK remains at the forefront of green thinking, the British telcom company O2 recently introduced a cellphone ranking system that rates the “green” of various cellphones. The rating works on a scale from one to five, with items like the environmental footprint of the company and materials used in the construction of the phone being taken into account.

According to 02′s scheme, the most leafy phone available is the Sony Ericcson Elm, with a rating of four out of five. Apple, however, has chosen to pick up its ball and go home, and has excluded itself from the voluntary rating scheme, likely knowing that they can’t take top prize. RIM will begin participating in the scheme next year. Come on Apple – you can’t win at everything!

_

Tags: apple iphone, green cell, green cell phone, green smartphones, sony elm

Leave Comments

We’re Banning BPA – Let’s Work on GMO’s and Organic Farms Next, Canada.

by freshfuzz August 28th, 2010 - No Comments »

Hopefully, we’re not being premature in stating that BPA will be banned in Canada in 8-10 weeks. According to this report in the Toronto Star, and our government’s chilly attitudes towards lobbyists in the American chemical industry, we are well on their way there. Let’s not jinx it by being “emotional zealots” about the issue, as the American chemical industry accuses bloggers like ourselves as being.

If we do end up banning BPA, the world will once again look to Canada as forerunners in environmental issues leadership. Sure, the Conservative government is likely throwing us a bone in order to mitigate the tarsands issue, but hey, we’ll take what we can get.

Next thing on the agenda: genetically modified foods. While we may not be able to get them all off the market, we can pressure for more subsidies to organic farms in Canada. Did you know that most organic farms do not qualify for tax relief programs that conventional farms can claim because they do not follow conventional farming methods? Let’s give our organic farmers a chance by cutting them the same breaks that factory farm conglomerates currently enjoy.

You can avoid genetically modified foods at the supermarket with a handy iPhone app from the Institute for Responsible Technology. Their site also offers a lot of insightful research into GMO’s and their possible impact on human health.

Everything You HAVE TO KNOW about Dangerous Genetically Modified Foods from Jeffrey Smith on Vimeo.

_

Tags: bpa ban canada, genetically modified foods, gmo's, organic farms

Leave Comments

ForestEthics Scores Win Convincing Walgreens, The Gap, and Others to Not Use Oilsands Gas

by freshfuzz August 27th, 2010 - 3 Comments »

The environmental group ForestEthics scored a recent win on an economic campaign to discourage Fortune 500 companies from using gas for their fleets bought from sources that use gas from the Alberta oilsands, or tar sands. The Gap, Timbaland, Walgreen’s, and Levi Strauss have all signed on to the initiative.

Whole Foods and Federal Express were early adopters of the program, which calls on major companies to not use gas that is being sold by companies that get their supplies from the tar sands of Alberta.

Forest Ethics was also one of the companies in a coalition responsible for the Rethink Alberta campaign, an international ad campaign which discourages tourists from visiting Alberta because of the oilsands.

Here’s the next question: as a Canadian, do I agree with their actions? I have to say yes. It is true that the oilsands companies are starting to take measures to clean up their operations, but they are only doing so under the threat of losing their largest customer, the United States. In my view any actions they have taken to clean up their operations are too little, too late, and for the wrong reasons.

Fun stuff: Write a logo for WalMart and SafeWay trucks that shame them for continuing to use oilsands oil.

_

Tags: alberta oilsands, dirty tar sands, rethink alberta

3 Comments

How Do You Get BPA Out of Your Body? Exercise, Exercise, Exercise…

by freshfuzz August 26th, 2010 - 1 Comment »

When faced with the recent news that over 91% of Canadians showed some measure of BPA levels in their blood, my top question was “Ok then – how do I get it out of my body?”

A simple search on the internet is not enough. It yields blog posts and articles like the ones I just wrote about avoiding BPA; not actually evacuating it from your system. Then I was lucky enough to find this Scientific American article on the persistence of BPA, and where it tends to reside.

Upshot? Large amounts of BPA will leave your body after a few hours of being ingested, but the rest will remain in your fat tissue. In addition, it will cause a drop in adiponectin, a crucial hormone excreted by fat that regulates blood sugar levels. Essentially, BPA starts a vicious chain reaction in which it stores itself in fat, then makes it harder for you to lose weight.

The first step in getting rid of it is what so many people cover in the green blogosphere; avoiding it. Buy food in glass jars, preferably with BPA-free lids. Can your own tomatoes and other acidic foods. Avoid canned foods altogether. Store food in glass containers and ban the plastic water bottles and food storage containers. Avoid packaged foods. Eat more fresh vegetables.

This isn’t all easy stuff. We are programmed to go to the grocery store, buy our ingredients for recipes in cans and make food, or buy food premade for us in boxes and toss it in the oven to heat it up. We essentially have to rewrite the program entirely and start over again.

The next step is to exercise, exercise, exercise. The less fat you have on your body, the less likely you are to store BPA. If you are obese and you were eating a lot of canned foods in the past, chances are good that you have higher than normal BPA levels. So this just gives you another reason to lose weight. And once you start exercising and the BPA starts leaving your system, you will lose weight faster. Bonus. Another excuse to crank out the Wii Fit…

_

Tags: Bisphenol A, bisphenol a free, bpa free, how to get bpa out of your body

1 Comment

Egg Recall Changes the Way Americans Buy Eggs

by freshfuzz August 25th, 2010 - No Comments »

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the interview I saw on CNN yesterday with Michael Pollan (author of Fast Food Nation) on the egg recall. In the interview, Pollan attested that studies have been done in the UK as to the safety of organic eggs versus conventionally farmed eggs, with the results being much more favourable than conventional eggs. He also cautioned that there may not have been any problems with organic eggs since they are not made in the numbers that conventional ones are.

There is something to be said for how a smaller farm operation is less likely to be contaminated than a larger farm operation. When chickens are not raised in deplorable conditions in tiny boxes, you have to imagine that the risk of food-borne bacteria such as salmonella adhering to the eggshells or being present in the eggs would be less likely. Pollan, not wanting to make himself a target for the food industry, was merely trying to present a moderate view.

During the course of the interview, the CNN reporter also stated that farmer’s markets have seen a huge spike over the weekend from people buying their eggs from there. Although there is a cost difference of 10 cents for a conventional egg and 50 cents for an organic or farm-fresh one, Pollan argued that a meal for a dollar is still a very good deal. Here’s hoping that the millions of Americans who sampled those farm-fresh and organic eggs over the weekend stick with it and start demanding better food safety laws in the USA, as well as some teeth in the FDA so that they can actually enforce these laws.

_

Tags: cnn michael pollan, egg recall, michael pollan

Leave Comments

Bikram or Hot Yoga – Great Exercise and Relaxing All at Once

by freshfuzz August 24th, 2010 - No Comments »

If you haven’t tried Bikram or Moksha Yoga yet, you really need to get out and just try a few lessons. I say a few, because if you try to judge it on the first session, you may hate it. The first session will leave you sweaty, creaky, and reaching for a bottle of Advil, but the subsequent sessions will more than make up for the pain.

For the record, I am so out of shape I make Jabba the Hut look like a UFC champion. I am so exercise-averse that I think BMI is an acronym for something to do with Warcraft. But I love, love, love hot yoga.

Bikram, Moksha, or “hot” yoga, is yoga practice that is performed in a room that is heated to over 100 degrees. Kind of like doing yoga in a Jacuzzi, if the Jacuzzi was air. The idea is to warm up your muscles so that they are getting more of a stretch. And yes, before you ask, there is a huge difference between hot and cold yoga. Cold yoga is less challenging, and offers less reward at the end of the practice in terms of the “elated” feeling that you get. Hot yoga is more invigorating, and for this reason alone I don’t recommend late evening classes. Do it past 7:00pm and you won’t be going to bed until midnight or later.

Most hot yoga studios offer a special on your first week or month so that you can decide if you like it or not. I, personally, am hooked and am just shopping around for the studio that I like the best at this point.

Note that there are subtle differences between Bikram, Moksha, and “hot” yoga, usually having to do with licenses of instructors and that sort of thing. I’ve been to studios that have done all three and can’t say I have noticed a huge difference in the well-being I feel afterwards, so they are really all awesome. Here are some resources to get you started:

Moksha Yoga
Find a Moksha practitioner near you.

Hot Yoga in Toronto
Power Yoga! Woo hoo!

Bikram Yoga in Montreal
Just don’t have the smoked meat beforehand.

_

Tags: bikram yoga, hot yoga, moksha yoga

Leave Comments

Fresh Fuzz

Within the walls of an eco-friendly mattress company

Top Climate Skeptic Does a 180, Urges Immediate Action on Climate Change

Cars to Receive EPA Grading Based on Their Fuel Economy

Once In a Century Salmon Run Hits British Columbia

Oilsands Pollute Athabasca River: Independent Research Study

UK Creates First-Ever Green Cellphone Ratings; iPhone Bows Out

We’re Banning BPA – Let’s Work on GMO’s and Organic Farms Next, Canada.

ForestEthics Scores Win Convincing Walgreens, The Gap, and Others to Not Use Oilsands Gas

How Do You Get BPA Out of Your Body? Exercise, Exercise, Exercise…

Egg Recall Changes the Way Americans Buy Eggs

Bikram or Hot Yoga – Great Exercise and Relaxing All at Once

About

Recent Comments

Blogroll