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Essentia Blog

Eco-Friendly Socks for Stanky Feet Everywhere

by Angela June 30th, 2009 - No Comments »

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We’re on a bit of a roll with organic cotton products lately. Between towels, denim, underwear and socks we think its safe to say that you can personally make a dent in conventional cotton products if you rethink what you buy and use everyday. You won’t be surprised to find out that there are a bevy of organic sock products out there that are chlorine-free and use organic cotton or bamboo as their primary material.

TEKO Socks for Kids
These socks feature:

  • tekoMERINO™ Wool: From Argentine farms that have been practicing environmentally-sound techniques for hundreds of years. The wool is shrink resistant and dyed with non-toxic dyes.
  • tekoPOLY™ Recycled Polyester reinforced heel and toe for durability.

Sock Dreams
The title of this site isn’t lying. Our deepest Emily Strange fantasies are fulfilled with these quirky yet gorgeous foot coverings made from eco-friendly fibres.

Fox Sox
This company is dedicated to making green sox in the USA, specifically in Osage, Iowa.

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Eastman Chemical Wins Top US Environmental Award

by Angela June 29th, 2009 - No Comments »

Eastman Chemical was presented with the 2009 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, DC. The award comes as a result of their green biocatalytic process which uses enzymes and closely controlled conditions to make esters, eliminating the high temperature and strong acids traditionally required in their manufacture. Esters are a vital component in many consumer products.

The award was given by the Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of the White House. The award specifically recognizes technologies that incorporate the principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacture and use. More at the Times and Democrat.

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Eco-Friendly Pens Made With Recycled Paper and Other Lovely Substances

by Angela June 28th, 2009 - No Comments »

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The next time you order pens for your office, consider one of these eco-friendly alternatives:

Bic Ecolutions
These pens aren’t the most hardcore of the environmentally friendly pen world, but they are the most widely available. Their page goes into great detail about what they are doing to make it a friendlier product, including using recycled plastics.

Eco-Green Rocket Pen
Besides having the best name for a pen ever, this pen is made from vegetable derived bioplastic.

…And Much More!
Some of the pens on this page are even made from recycled paper.

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Revisiting the River That Caught Fire Near Cleveland

by Angela June 27th, 2009 - No Comments »

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June 30th, 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the Cuyahoga River fire. Cuyahoga River was essentially an open sewer for industrial waste until oil-soaked debris on the surface of the river caught fire and alarmed the nearby city of Cleveland. It was one of the environmental disasters that led to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Water Act.

In the years since the fire the city has worked to clean up its river. The Cuyahoga is now home to more than 60 species of fish. Beavers, bald eagles and herons live on its banks, and long stretches of it are so clean that they no longer require aggressive monitoring. More over at the New York Times.

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Green Cell Phones and Cell Phone Plans

by Angela June 26th, 2009 - No Comments »

We’ve talked before about green cell phones, and specifically the green and cheap Motorola Renew. However, there’s something else that we can do green, and it is the cell phone plans that most of us are shelling out for every month. Unfortunately in Canada we are limited by our draconian federal communications agency, the CRTC, to big name companies that don’t offer these kinds of plans, but lucky blokes in the US can get the following:

Credo Mobile
Credo walks the walk and talks the talk. So far they’ve donated over $10 Million to environmental groups and can do more if more of you switch to them. They are a Sprint reseller.

Earth Tones
This company bills itself as the environmental phone and internet company, which also warrants investigation.

Samsung’s Blue Earth
This phone comes with integrated solar panels that keep it charged ALL THE TIME. First of all, how cool is it that it has solar panels. Second of all – MINIMAL CHARGING REQUIRED.  I know, all caps, but how awesome is that? Also features a gorgeous touch screen and is made from recycled plastic. I think I’m in gadget love.

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The Polluted Bodies of Newborns

by Angela June 25th, 2009 - No Comments »

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A study commissioned by the Environmental Working Group in 2005 discovered over 200 industrial compounds, pollutants and other chemicals in the blood of newborn babies. 180 of the chemicals found are carcinogenic and the rest have some form of adverse effect in the human body.

The study tested the umbilical cord blood from ten newborn babies for 413 known compounds and chemicals. 154 to 231 were found in each child. All babies shared a common 101 chemicals in their bloodstreams.

For more on the report visit the EWG website.

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Are You a GreenJeans? Organic Denim and Jeans Are Hot!

by Angela June 24th, 2009 - No Comments »

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As you already know from reading about various cotton products on our blog, conventionally produced cotton is one of the more environmentally ignorant products on the market today. Everyone has a pair of jeans, but did you know that the process used to make those jeans and other cotton products is responsible for “dead zones” in the Gulf of Mexico due to agricultural runoff from cotton fields?

Luckily, there are organic alternatives to jeans, and they cost about the same as designer jeans.

Loomstate Denim Shop
These jeans are fashionable and made entirely from organic cotton.

Del Forte
Designed for those looking to replace their Sevens, these jeans are gorgeous and earth-conscious.

Levis
Yes, the jeans giant is wading into the organic market with their Capital E line, making organic cotton jeans available everywhere.

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US Supreme Court Says Go Ahead and Kill The Fish – It’s OK With Us!

by Angela June 23rd, 2009 - No Comments »

In a distinct reversal from what environmentalists were expecting under the new Obama administration, the United States Supreme Court ruled yesterday in the favour of a US mining company which was seeking permission to dump tailings from a gold mine in Alaska into a lake. An environmental study had concluded that the action would kill all of the fish in the lake, which apparently was just fine with the US Supreme Court.

The vote wasn’t even split down the middle; it was 6-3. This could set a very dangerous precedent as to how mine waste is dumped across the rest of the US.

Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp. was issued a permit by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 2005 to dump 4.5 million tons of waste into Lower Slate Lake from their Kensington mine, just north of Juneau, Alaska. The disputed site is within Tongass National Forest, where it was ruled that the Corps, and not the EPA, have final authority over the matter.

Environmentalists are now hoping that the Obama administration will repeal Bush-era changes to the Clean Water Act that allowed the Corps to issue this permit.

Here is a list of their campaign contributions, most notably all to the Republican Party.

Please find following a full list of their board of directors so that you can put a face to the shame.

Dennis E. Wheeler
Chairman & CEO, Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp.
Shown here opening the NYSE
Here is his Forbes profile, including salary.
Mitchell J. Krebs

Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Richard M. Weston

Senior Vice President, Operations

 Donald J. Birak
Senior Vice President, Exploration
Thomas T. Angelos

Senior Vice President & Chief Accounting Officer

 Kelli Kast

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer

Luke J. Russell

Vice President, Environmental Services
Larry A. Nelson

Vice President, Human Resources

 Kenneth L. Koski

Controller

 Alfredo Cruzat

Senior Vice President, Exploration, Coeur South America
K. Leon Hardy

Senior Vice President, North American Operations

 Donald P. Gray

Senior Vice President, South American Operations

 Godfrey B. Mramba

Vice President and Managing Director, Coeur Tanzania Ltd.
Thomas C. Henderson

Vice President & General Manager, Kensington Project

 Stuart Mathews

Vice President & General Manager, Palmarejo Project

 Humberto Rada

President, Coeur South America

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Alter.net Debunks Conservative Myths About Right-Wing Terrorism and Hate Groups

by Angela June 22nd, 2009 - No Comments »

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Ever since the shootings in the Holocaust museum, I’ve been mulling over the question of what the internet can do about hate groups. That was answered for me this morning in my inbox by this awesome article on Alter.net that debunks myths that Conservatives tell about hate groups in order to distance themselves from them. Some of the highlights:

Myth:  This is a minority movement that we don’t have to worry about.
Fact:  The number of hate groups is up 54% in the US since 2000.

Myth:  These are the acts of lone wolf crazies.
Fact:  The people committing these crimes may be lone wolves, but they are steeped in deeply entrenched movements that validate their ways of thinking and their actions. It is a reasonable argument that the James Von Brunns of the world would not have done what they did without the approval and motivation of a strong internet hate community.

Also, excellent suggestion in point #7 to write advertisers who advertise on shows where someone is using hate speech logging the statement, the time of the statement, and the fact that you won’t buy their product if they are supporting hate speech. This method was apparently successful in getting people like Don Imus off the air.

Thanks again Alter.net for an eye-opening and timely article! Also, the video at the top of this article endeavors to expose the same myths.

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Making Yourself Stink Less With Natural Deodorant

by Angela June 21st, 2009 - No Comments »

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There’s a whole school of thought out there that says that you should go au naturel when it comes to your body odour, but that was just one thing I could never personally subscribe to, since I tend to get a little ripe if I go without.

There is a good argument for using deodarant in the place of anti-perspirant. First of all, it isn’t natural to not sweat. You sweat for a reason, and unless you are a drenching fountain of perspiration when it gets hot, nobody is really going to notice a bit of sweat on your armpits. That, and anti-perspirants contain aluminum and other harmful ingredients that just aren’t good for you. So I got down with ditching the anti-perspirant a few years ago.

The best choice for the environment and your pocketbook is to follow the instructions in the video and make your own.

Now, it is fairly clear that many deodarants contain other harmful ingredients, such as endocrine disruptors and parabens, according to the National Geographic Green Guide. Given that this is a product that is absorbed into your skin daily, the natural alternatives deserve some attention. Here are a few choices.

Burt’s Bees Herbal Deodorant
The Green Guide’s pick for best deodorant, this brand is also available in virtually any drug or grocery store.

Green Beaver Natural Deodorants
Available in various scents, these deodarants are 100% natural, biodegradable, vegan and gluten-free.

Tom’s of Maine
Another popular organic brand, Tom’s of Maine has been selling organic deodorant since 1976, which probably means that they’ve got the formula down by now.

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