Minimal Harm - For the Love of the Planet

Flock Web Browser: Eco-Edition

tdamji — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:37:27 -0700

Powered by Mozilla, "the same fast and secure engine that powers the Firefox browser", the Flock Browser is a great way to keep up with the latest environmental news and information.

"Flock Gives Back 10% of Search Proceeds:
Flock believes in providing users who download the Flock Eco-Edition a means to give back by donating 10% of search proceeds to the environmental charity of choice, as deemed by the voting of the community of Flock’s Eco-Edition users at the end of this year. Flock makes money when people search through the browser. So the more you search via Flock Eco-Edition, the more we're committing to give back."

DIY Crafty Projects from Recycled Materials

tdamji — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:20:56 -0700

There's no end to the ideas out there for great recycled-material crafts and goods for the home!

RePlayground is a great site that is part store, part DIY instruction sharer and part blog.

Check out their shop for pre-made goods created from scrap materials, here.

Are you particularly proud of something you've made from recycled materials? Let me know in your comments, or better yet - post it for all of us to be inspired by!

Cuckoo Clocks

tdamji — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:46:00 -0700

designspotter.com

Migrating from his homeland to New York over 15 years ago, Klaus Rosburg has been an award winning pioneer in Brooklyn's vibrant design scene. His German genes came through as he designed a cardboard version of the original German Cuckoo's clock.

Designer: Klaus Rosburg (United States)
Manufacturer: SONIC Design (United States)

Start Eco-searching with Ecocho: You search, they Plant Trees

tdamji — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:18:13 -0700

Ecocho works with either yahoo or Google and allows you to search the internet as you normally would, with the added bonus of knowing you are contributing to the offsetting of greenhouse gases!

Here are a few key facts about Ecocho:

Each time you use ecocho as your search engine, you'll be helping to slow climate change.

How? For every 1000 searches that users make on ecocho.com, up to two trees will be grown to offset carbon pollution emissions

Switching to ecocho.com doesn't alter or slow your search. Search results are displayed via technology you already know and trust - Yahoo and Google

ecocho.com is the world's first known search engine that enables users to offset their own carbon emissions for free

ecocho.com is an international initiative to reduce global warming. The service is multi-lingual and is being rolled out globally.

Trees are grown via official Government-accredited projects.

KPMG will run quarterly and final year-end audits on the amount of carbon credits purchased and "retired" by ecocho

Yahoo and Google have both given their support to the project, contributing the search results for the site

ecocho.com aims to contribute 70 per cent of revenue back into carbon offset credits, for the growth of trees

Earth Week on Minimal Harm: A Week of Events

tdamji — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:03:37 -0700

Although Earth Day is "officially" April 22nd this year, it has been and will continue to be celebrated for several weeks on either side of that date.
Source: http://ww2.earthday.net

Here, in Vancouver, the Epic Sustainable Living Expo , just one of many "green festivals" in this city at this time of year, was held this weekend. Even though "green" events are not often widely publicized, it does seem like a lot is going on around the city, country, and world in celebration of Earth Day (or Earth Month, really) and to celebrate Spring generally.

I came across a few particularly good websites that make information about such events more widely available, and thought I'd share some of the highlights with you.

This site has an extensive list of events going on around the world, so check it out for some ideas. this site has a calendar with some unusual events taking place in Canada and the USA.

click here to listen to Zach Braff (from Scrubs)'s Climate Change message.

What will you be doing this Earth Day or throughout the week?
Anything special going on in your community/city?

stay tuned for the rest of the posts this week for fun tips, activities, ways to get educated and more, in order to celebrate Earth Week!

A Test of 8 Green Cleaning Products

tdamji — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:02:11 -0700

Grist recently tested 8 different green cleaning products, ranging from pre-mixed to straight baking soda and came up with some interesting results.

Here is the article from Grist's website:
Forget the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker -- if your rub-a-dub tub is filled with grime and grub, it's time to scrub. But with what? Before you reach for just any cleaner, ask yourself whether those scrubby bubbles are going to make your bathroom surfaces even more toxic. To help you avoid soap-scummy gunk and harmful chemicals, I've taken a down-and-dirty look at a number of green-cleaning products.

Much like when shopping for detergents, I steered the cart away from products that include phosphates (which cause harmful algal blooms) and bleach, a lung irritant. You might also look for products listed as petroleum free (for obvious, oil-related reasons) and biodegradable, as many of these products will get washed down the sink or tub after use. Read the product labels -- if they have strong warnings about the product's hazards, that's a good sign to steer clear. Check out this handy guide [PDF] for more information.

In choosing which products to test, I grabbed a range of options -- from powder to liquid sprays to cream cleansers that combine properties of both. On the advice of several Grist readers, I even tried "less-product-y products" like baking soda and Borax -- and was pleasantly surprised with the results.

Since I keep my own bathroom sparkling clean with a strict regimen of preventative care (ahem), I sought out a test bathroom in the home of a Grist staffer who will remain unnamed. The bathroom she shares with six roommates proved the perfect testing ground.

GRIST'S PICK
20 Mule Team Borax
4 lbs. 12 oz. powder
$4.49
I used each product on the walls and floors of the house's shower stalls. Most of the products cleaned well enough on the wall tile -- which wasn't as dirty to begin with. The floor was the real battleground, though, its textured surface covered in black grime. That's where I found clean evidence of each product's relative efficacy.

Here are the results:

Pure Baking Soda
16 oz. powder, $1.15
Eco-claims: Safe, effective cleaning and deodorizing
Ingredients: Sodium bicarbonate (an antacid)
Cleaning instructions: Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge or cloth for cleaning of all countertops, appliances, metal cabinets, and tile.
Smell: No scent. At all.
Elbow grease required: elbow injury imminent
Resulting sparkle: a glint

Buy one little box of this stuff and you're set for litterbox odor control, tooth whitening, laundry, household cleaning, minor skin irritations, fridge freshening, and upset stomachs -- not to mention baking, of course! It was a little messy sprinkling the powder onto the damp sponge, and I had to reapply it a number of times, but the baking soda's grit did get some of the grime out. This one required a lot of elbow grease though -- for not as much return as some of the other products.

Biokleen Soyblends Kitchen & Bath Soy Cream Cleaner
32 fl. oz. cream, $4.69
Eco-claims: Natural, nontoxic, biodegradable; no negative effects on rivers, streams, plants, or wildlife; kind to those with chemical sensitivities and allergies; no artificial fragrance, colors, or preservatives; 99 percent VOC free and ozone safe; contains no: phosphate, chlorine, ammonia, petroleum solvents, alcohol, butyl, glycol ether, SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) or SLES (sodium laureth sulfate), EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), DEA (diethanolamine); No SARA Title III, CA 65, or EPA priority pollutants; no materials listed by the ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists) as hazardous; no animal testing; no animal ingredients
Ingredients: Soybean oil extract, surfactants from coconut and/or corn, xanthan gum, zeolite, low pH silicate, linear sulfonate, food-grade lime extract, less than 0.2 percent environmentally friendly polymer, natural volcanic perlite, filtered water
Cleaning instructions: Apply with sponge, soft brush, or directly on stain. Rub lightly, letting the microscrubbers do the work. Rinse with damp cloth and water.
Smell: Strong citrus scent
Elbow grease required: a little scrub'll do ya (per instructions on bottle)
Resulting sparkle: let's just call it "less dirty"

This orange creamsicle-esque bottle lists fewer actual ingredients than it does noningredients -- which is great, except that other products containing very simple ingredients out-cleaned it. The bottle said "let the microscrubbers do the work," and I just kept waiting ... but no apparent microscrubbing occurred, even after I did some macroscrubbing of my own. This guy was also the worst on the grout. But hey, it smelled yummy!

Bon Ami Polishing Cleanser
14 oz. powder, $1.29
Eco-claims: No chlorine, perfume, or dye; contains no phosphorus; biodegradable
Ingredients: Calcium carbonate
Cleaning instructions: Wet surface. Sprinkle on Bon Ami. Rub with wet sponge or cloth.
Smell: Slight flour-y scent, though hardly noticeable
Elbow grease required: scrub-a-dub and then some
Resulting sparkle: ooh! shiny

The holes at the top of this cylindrical container are grouped in the center, which made for messy pouring onto the sponge -- meaning I had to clean twice (once on the tile, and once on the floor where I spilled). The upside, though, is that this stuff has barely a scent and barely an ingredient -- so by default, there's no ooky stuff inside. It required some elbow grease, but did a pretty good job cleaning off the muck.

20 Mule Team Borax
4 lbs. 12 oz. powder, $4.49
Eco-claims: Does not contain phosphates or chlorine; safe for septic tanks
Ingredients: sodium tetraborate decahydrate (a chemical compound and mineral)
Cleaning instructions: Sprinkle on damp sponge or cloth and wipe.
Smell: Almost none -- a very slight soapy scent
Elbow grease required: a little scrub'll do ya
Resulting sparkle: blinding bling

Sign me up to be on Team Borax ... aside from the messiness of it being a powder and the big, heavy box, this product was amazing! I tested it because you readers recommended it, and I have to say -- y'all know what you're talking about. Using Borax, I was able to get the shower twice as clean in half the time -- almost no effort for a sparkling clean. I'm a convert! Next up: washing those soiled t-shirts in this stuff.

Ecover
16 fl.oz. cream, $2.69
Eco-claims: Plant-based ingredients, not based on petrochemical ingredients; no chemical residue; optimum level of biodegradability -- far exceeds legislative requirements; safe for all river and marine life; no animal testing; safe for septic tanks; recognized by the United Nations for outstanding practical achievements for the protection and improvement of the environment; Ecover's factory is built using a grass roof for insulation, wood beams from sustainable forest, and bricks made from coal mine waste
Ingredients: Plant-based, nonionic, tension-active surfactants, water, chalk powder, clay, natural gum, glycerine, and 100 percent biodegradable preservative
Cleaning instructions: Apply either directly to surface or onto wet sponge. Clean surface and then rinse off.
Smell: slight soapy scent
Elbow grease required: scrub-a-dub and then some
Resulting sparkle: bright

The not-quite-powder-not-quite-liquid cream consistency was less messy than either alternative, but I did end up using a lot of it. Because there was some grit in the cream, I was able to scrub off more grime than I thought with less work. Overall, this would be a good choice if you didn't want to mess with a powder.

Method Tub + Tile
28 fl. oz. liquid, $5.99
Eco-claims: Nontoxic and biodegradable; naturally derived; never tested on animals
Ingredients: Soap scum dissolver, nonionic surfactant, naturally derived solvents, essential oil fragrance
Cleaning instructions: Spray and wipe.
Smell: strong, lingering spruce-y, lemon scent (container says eucalyptus mint)
Elbow grease required: wipe on, wipe off (per instructions on bottle)
Resulting sparkle: a little scrub'll do ya

Because it's a spray, application on the vertical wall of tile was a bit messy as the liquid followed gravity's call. Per the bottle's instructions, this one didn't require much scrubbing -- but it also didn't do much to dent the deep-set dirt. Furthermore, the smell (while more clean-smelling than some) was a bit overpowering and definitely lingered long after I finished spraying.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Surface Scrub
11 oz. powder, $5.99
Eco-claims: Chlorine and phosphate free; cruelty-free and not tested on animals
Ingredients: Calcium carbonate, oxygen bleach (natural cleaning activator), plant-derived surfactants, fragrance, and essential oils of geranium, rose, and clove
Cleaning instructions: Wet surface, sprinkle on powder and scrub; if facing a difficult stain, sprinkle powder on wet surface, lightly scrub, and let sit for a few minutes before final scrub.
Smell: strong flowery scent (container says geranium)
Elbow grease required: scrub-a-dub and then some
Resulting sparkle: ooh! shiny

DIY Cleaning Products
Consumer Reports' GreenerChoices.org lists several simple recipes for making cleaners at home using familiar household ingredients. See all the recipes.
I really liked the clever packaging on this one -- that is, until I tried to use it. Built like a powdered Parmesan cheese container, the lid required some swiveling and poking. I'm not sure if it's meant to be child-proof or just dummy-proof, but either way, I failed. It wasn't until my lovely assistant suggested I poke the top with a pen that I was able to get it open. And even then, the powder lingered on the cap after I poured it onto my sponge -- much like powdered Parm. For the amount of scrubbing (not much), there was good return sparkle-wise, but the scent -- pretty as a perfume, but overpowering for the bathroom -- was too much for me.

Seventh Generation Natural Tub & Tile Cleaner
32 fl. oz liquid, $4.69
Eco-claims: Nontoxic, biodegradable, no fumes; free of chlorine, petroleum based solvents, glycol ethers, phosphates, strong acids, caustics, and dyes; not tested on animals, no animal ingredients
Ingredients: Natural lactic acid (to remove soap scum and lime scale), coconut surfactants (for soil removal), whole and natural plant essences (a blend of emerald cypress, balsam fir, and lime essential oils), water
Cleaning instructions: Spray the area and wipe clean; for heavy soils, spray and allow to sit for one minute, scrub or wipe clean.
Smell: strong piney, lemony scent (container says emerald cypress & fir)
Elbow grease required: wipe-on, wipe-off
Resulting sparkle: let's just call it "less dirty"

It was nice to spray on this cleaner and leave it for a few minutes (though it dripped down the tile walls), then come back and have the grime in the grout wipe clean without much effort. This might also work in a shower stall that starts out fairly clean. But for this grimy floor, it couldn't do the trick -- no matter how much I scrubbed.

photo source

The bottom line: Forget complicated ingredient lists, fancy spray bottles, and flowery fragrances. We suggest you join Team Borax and use the power of 20 mules to get bathroom surfaces sparkling for little effort and even less moola.

Olive: Green Goods for the Modern Dog - Dogs Can Go Eco-Friendly Too!

tdamji — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 15:31:47 -0700

Although I don't have a dog yet (my landlady decided against letting me get the Italian Greyhound from the SPCA last weekend), when I do get one, you can bet that my sweet dog will be wearing sweaters, jackets, and collars and sleeping on organic cotton bedding from Olive: Green Goods for the Modern Dog! With categories like play, walk, wear, sleep and more - there are sustainably-produced green goods for all your dog's needs.

Here are just a few of my favorite things from Olive Green Dogs:

Zerofootprint Carbon Calculator

tdamji — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:07:29 -0700

How often do you drive? What is your diet like? How often do you take a plane? What kind of dwelling do you reside in? These are all questions on the One Minute Calculator over at Zerofootprint.net. The calculator lets you know how much carbon (approximately) you should be off-setting. There's even a link to places where you can off-set on their site. If you register on the site you can go to their Personal Calculator you can add your profile and more - but most importantly, you can get a more comprehensive calculation based on things like public transportation etc.

one-minute calculator example

Breaking News -

Zerofootprint and The City of Toronto have partnered and launched "Zerofootprint Toronto." This first-of-its-kind initiative will harness the power of technology and empower millions of citizens in the fight against climate change.

the "Usefulness" of Bottled Water

tdamji — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:05:04 -0800

Source: http://frostfirezoo.com/the-usefulness-of-bottled-water

Carbon Tax Introduced in B.C.

tdamji — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:13:58 -0800

(Feb 21, 2008) (The Canadian Press) VICTORIA -- Finance Minister Carole Taylor introduced an escalating carbon tax on most fossil fuels Tuesday, one she says recycles revenues back to taxpayers and businesses and is designed to ignite an environmental social movement in British Columbia and across Canada to fight climate change.

Taylor is also handing every British Columbian $100 in June as seed money to get them thinking green.

"This is an important turning point for British Columbia," she said. "We think for Canada."

The carbon tax drew praise from environmentalists and business leaders but dismayed labour and social groups, while the Opposition NDP saw it benefiting banks and big polluters.

Taylor said she believes British Columbia is already at the forefront of an environmental movement in Canada.

British Columbia led Canada into the healthy lifestyles movement decades ago by choosing aerobics and granola over the beer fridge and living room couch, and the province now is ready to cut greenhouse gas emissions by driving less and walking more.

Taylor, who has signalled she will not run for re-election next year, said the budget attempts to balance the needs of fighting climate change while continuing to nurture a healthy economy.

"It is a budget that confronts and completely overturns the outdated notion that you have to choose either a healthy environment or a strong economy," Taylor said. "That either-or-thinking belongs to the past."

She said the B.C. government has decided to tackle the climate change issue despite concerns from Ottawa about patchwork green solutions that include carbon taxes and cap-and-trade emissions deals like the one British Columbia and other provinces are exploring, including an agreement with California and five other western U.S. states.

"We had made the decision not to wait for a consensus," Taylor said.

Premier Gordon Campbell said he won't try to pressure any other provinces to take action on climate change but he hopes B.C. serves as an example.

He said by giving British Columbians tax breaks on things such as fuel-efficient cars and energy-efficient appliances, British Columbians are being given real choices on battling climate change.

"It'll drive investment in the economy," Campbell said. "It's going to drive opportunity into the economy. It takes into consideration the whole province."

Campbell said everything from bio-energy to the new agriculture plan are all aimed at showing that you can actually have a strong environment and a strong economy at the same time.

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has said a variety of carbon taxes and greenhouse gas rules across the country aren't a good solution to Canada's environmental woes.

In Vancouver last January, he said the country needs to work toward a common set of regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Quebec introduced a form of carbon tax last year but the revenues return to government green technology initiatives, not taxpayers. Taylor said the B.C. carbon tax is "among the broadest and most comprehensive taxes of its kind in the world.

"The carbon tax will start at a relatively low rate to give us all _ businesses and individuals, time to adjust," she said. "As it rises, it will underline the fact that there is, indeed, a cost attached to generating greenhouse gases."

The carbon tax, effective July 1, will be phased in over five years.

The carbon tax will start at a rate based on $10 per tonne of carbon emissions and rise $5 a year to $30 per tonne by 2012, Taylor said. The tax works out to an extra 2.4 cents on a litre of gasoline, rising to 7.24 cents per litre of gasoline by 2012.

Taylor said the carbon tax on diesel and home heating oil will start at 2.7 cents per litre and increase to 8.2 cents per litre over the same five-year period.

British Columbians already pay a 3.5-cent-per-litre gasoline tax to help fund transportation projects.

"We're not just going to be talking about climate change," said Taylor. "We are acting. This could be a social movement in British Columbia."

Environmental groups supported the introduction of the carbon tax, saying it will spur investment into green technologies while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Business groups said they were bracing for a higher tax, with the Mining Association of British Columbia saying it needs work because industry will pay up to 70 per cent of the new carbon taxes.

Labour, health and education groups said the carbon tax hurts students, patients and low-income British Columbians.

Can portable space heaters be green?
Time for Ottawa to step in around Alberta oilsands
Not your parent’s solar panels
How green was my taqueria
The promise of clean coal

The Opposition New Democrats said Taylor's budget rewards banks with a $220-million tax break by phasing out the corporate capital tax over three years. It also allows huge industrial polluters to temporarily avoid the carbon tax while ordinary British Columbians start paying in July, the NDP said.

"Banks get a tax break, big polluters don't have to pay the carbon tax," said NDP finance critic Bruce Ralston. "Those are the most striking parts in the budget."

He pointed to budget documents that say industries associated with the production of oil and gas, aluminum and cement will not be initially subject to the carbon tax. Neither will landfills, said Ralston.

"They say they need more time to figure that out," he said. "It might be subject to cap and trade somewhere down the line.

"But the fact is they figured out a way to make ordinary people pay right off the top and they haven't figured out a way to make big polluters pay."

The budget documents say the fossil fuels included in the carbon tax account for about 70 per cent of British Columbia's total greenhouse gas emissions.

A spokesman with the David Suzuki Foundation said the carbon tax will spur development of green technologies and has the potential to make British Columbia an early leader in environmental initiatives.

"The government has used the most powerful tool, a carbon tax, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Ian Bruce, a climate change specialist with the foundation.

"Green choices will become cheaper."

The president of the Business Council of British Columbia, representing most of the province's large export companies, agreed the carbon tax will contribute to development of new environmental products.

"We view it as an opportunity to put an infusion of investment back into the economy where people can make their own decisions about how to spend their money," said business council president Virginia Greene.

Labour, health and education groups were not pleased with the green budget.

"It fell short on a lot of fronts," said Jim Sinclair, B.C. Federation of Labour president.

He said the government gave tax breaks to businesses and corporations without addressing the serious social issues of homelessness and child poverty hurting the province.

Sinclair called the $100 climate dividend an election stunt.

Health organizations said the government continues to move toward a market-style health-care system even though British Columbians support stronger public health care.

Education groups said there was nothing in the budget for students or to address the skills shortage facing B.C. industry.

Taylor said the carbon tax will be revenue neutral, meaning the government will not use money generated from the tax to fill its coffers.

Carbon tax revenue, estimated to hit $1.8 billion over three years, will be returned to taxpayers through personal income tax and business tax cuts, she said.

The government will introduce legislation that requires it to table an annual plan that shows how the carbon tax revenue will be returned to taxpayers, Taylor said.

To coax British Columbians to start thinking green, the government will send every resident the one-time $100 Climate Action Dividend in June.

Lower income British Columbians will receive an annual Climate Action Tax Credit of $100 per adult and $30 per child to offset the cost of the carbon tax, she said.

Taylor said the carbon tax is one of the government's key building blocks to help it reach its legislated goal of reducing British Columbia's greenhouse gas emissions by 33 per cent by 2020.

"We have to find a way that we can work towards improving our environment and at the very same time do it in a way that keeps our economy strong," she said. "One piece of the puzzle, not the whole story, is a carbon tax."

The budget forecasts a $50-million surplus and annual growth of 2.4 per cent.

Taylor said the downturn in the U.S. economy will hurt the province's export and manufacturing industries, especially the forest industry, but the economy should remain strong due to strong trading relationships with Asia and robust provincial job growth.

The bottom two personal income tax rates will be cut by two per cent in 2008 and five per cent in 2009 on the first $70,000 in earning and, effective July 1, the corporate tax rate will drop to 11 per cent from 12 per cent.

As of July 1, the small-business tax rate will be cut from 4.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent

(Source)