Beth Fiteni

The Ugly Side of Gold and Diamonds—and Finding Truly Beautiful Ones

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loose-diamonds-recently-purchased-engagement-rings-300x240pxWhile gold and diamond jewelry is beautiful, it comes with a dark side that they don’t show us on commercials. Before just looking in the jewelry case, consider this:

“In Sierra Leone, Angola, the Republic of Congo, Liberia and the Ivory Coast the sale of conflict diamonds continues to thrive for many reasons. Rebels make large profits because they use free labor–They threaten villagers at gunpoint, forcing them to dig for diamonds. If villagers refuse to follow soldiers’ orders, their limbs are amputated as punishment. Rebels sell the diamonds on the black market for less than other diamonds. Therefore, wholesalers make a bigger profit. The rebels use the money gained from the diamonds to fund wars.”[1]— CNN

The UN has established the Kimberley Process to identify conflict-free diamonds that were obtained legitimately, however this does not prevent sale of unethical diamonds.

And mining the earth for gold is equally perilous, for the environment and surrounding communities. The Smithsonian has reported:

  • The majority of the world’s gold is extracted from open pit mines, where huge volumes of earth are scoured away and processed for trace elements.
  • To produce enough raw gold to make a single ring, 20 tons of rock and soil are dislodged and discarded.
  • Much of this waste contains mercury and cyanide used to extract the gold from the rock, and the contaminated soil runs off clogging rivers.
  • Air quality is also compromised by gold mining, which releases hundreds of tons of airborne elemental mercury every year, as well as sulfur dioxide.[2]

There is a No Dirty Gold campaign to raise awareness, and fortunately there are companies making jewelry from recycled gold and diamonds. [Read more…] about The Ugly Side of Gold and Diamonds—and Finding Truly Beautiful Ones

Know What’s In Your Nail Polish

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While painted nails look pretty, most regular nail polish contains harmful chemicals such as toluene,nailpolish
xylene, and formaldehyde (carcinogens), as well as dibutyl-phthalate which is a hormone disruptor. This is especially of concern for nail salon workers who are exposed to it daily. Care should be taken
to avoid inhaling polish fumes and from putting painted nails in the mouth. There are however, several companies who have made the effort to remove these chemicals from their products. While these polishes still contain chemicals and it is advisable to take common sense caution, they are at least free of most of the above toxins:

  • OPI
  • No Miss
  • Chrome Girl
  • Suncoat
  • Zoya

A Historic Moment for U.S. Clean Energy

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Middelgrunden Wind Turbine Cooperative, Denmark - CREDIT: KIM HANSEN (FLICKR)
Middelgrunden Wind Turbine Cooperative, Denmark CREDIT: KIM HANSEN (FLICKR)

I got the best birthday present this year I could ever ask for. On Monday July 27, 2015, construction broke ground on the first ever off-shore wind park in the United States. It will be a small 30 mw wind park made up of 5 turbines off of Block Island, which is between Rhode Island and the tip of Long Island. It will supply enough energy to power about 17,000 homes mostly on Block Island, without use of fossil fuels. Many congratulations are due to Deepwater Wind for all their work in securing the proper location, approvals, and financing to achieve this major accomplishment.

While there are wind farms on land in the U.S., and there have been several other offshore projects in the works in other states such as Massachusetts and Maryland (plus a failed attempt off L.I.), this is the first project to actually begin construction offshore. This project follows in a long line of offshore wind farms in other countries such as Denmark (which I wrote about visiting four years ago on this blog), England, and China. Proposed in 2009, there is still an offshore wind farm in the works closer to the New York City area by the NY Power Authority. Let’s hope it happens soon, so we can continue to create electricity while achieving reductions in greenhouse gases and protecting our climate.

To hear my interview with Clint Plummer of Deepwater Wind last summer, go the “Listen to Past Shows” section of this website’s radio show page.

Alternatives to Typical Toxic Vinyl Shower Curtains

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showercurtainlinereva

There’s a reason why your new shower curtain smells so strongly. The Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) both have found significant off-gassing from common PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) shower curtains. They found phthalates, toluene (a carcinogen), ethylbenzene, phenol, methyl isobutyl ketone, and xylene in shower curtains bought at five major chain stores. There were up to 108 VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) leached into the air from one curtain that remained airborne for almost one month. The inhalation of these toxins can cause anything from headaches and nausea to liver, central nervous system, respiratory and reproductive problems.

Shower curtains frequently contain the obesogen tributylin. An obesogen is a chemical that disrupt our bodies’ hormones and our natural ability to maintain a healthy body weight. They can alter metabolism, promote the storage of calories as fat, increase the number of fat cells in the body, and alter gut flora.[1]

 
Alternatives to Regular Vinyl
If buying a plastic curtain, look for a PVC-free, PEVA or EVA identification. PEVA (polyethylene vinyl acetate) and EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) are plastics still made from petrochemicals (petroleum and natural gas), but they contain fewer VOC’s than regular vinyl. PEVA/EVA do contain chemicals, but are chlorine-free so have been shown to considerably reduce harmful off-gassing. They can be purchased at GreenerCountry.com.

There are also alternatives to plastic, listed below. It may be a few shillings more but worth it for protecting your health. Also, “anti-microbial/antibacterial/anti-mildew” mean more chemicals. There really is no need for these additives if you clean their shower curtains now and again.

Look for:

Excerpted from http://www.greenhome.com/

[1] http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-surprising-household-items-that-cause-obesity.html#ixzz3cUrCuDlq

My Favorite Things at this Year’s Greenfestival

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The best part of the 2015 Greenfestival at the Javits Center in NYC was witnessing the Cafeteria Culture (formerly the “Styrofoam Out of Schools” campaign) win $5,000 towards the continuation of their efforts in schools. They successfully fought for the banning of styrofoam in NYC schools, and I’d love to see the same thing happen here on LI. Their styrofoam monster, made from the plates from just ONE lunchtime, must have made an impression on some decision-makers. See http://www.cafeteriaculture.org/foam-trays-out-of-schools.html

My 3 Favorite Products

  • Anti-human trafficking t-shirts: Sustainable items made by women who either escaped from having been sold into the sex trade or who are at risk and in need of financial opportunity. Started by a woman who was studying in Cambodia and saw how sad one family was to decide to sell their child as a desperate means of making money. T-shirts are made from organic cotton, and bags made from upcycled rice bags. See http://www.nominetwork.org/ or http://www.buyherbagnotherbody.com/.

nomi shirt

  • Socks for a Cause: Conscious Steps is an international company run by 3 young men that sell 4 styles of ethically made men’s organic socks, each one dedicated to a certain nonprofit organization. One is for a group providing HIV therapy for pregnant women in Africa, one is for food packs for children, another is for schoolbooks for children in Asia, and a fourth is for tree planting in Kenya. See http://consciousstep.com/

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  • Toys and kids tableware made from recycled plastic: This one is a no-brainer. While I prefer all plastic be a thing of the past, if children are going to play with/use plastic at all, it should at least be recycled. This brand uses the plastic from used milk containers which does not contain BPA. See http://re-play.com/

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4 Honorable Mentions:

  • The GrowOya—a terracotta jug that you plant in your garden and fill with water once a week—it naturally seeps water directly into the soil so less water is wasted by evaporation. Ancient technology made new again. See http://growoya.com/

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  • The Swedish cellulose dishcloth/sponge comes with fun prints and replaces 17 rolls of paper towels because it can be dried and reused. http://threebluebirds.com/

hand towel

  • Affirmats: Yoga mat made of natural rubber and jute (a plant fiber) so is totally biodegradable. See http://www.affirmats.com/

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And last but not least, my perennial favorite… the green burial casket and seashell made of ashes. This is the way I want to go. http://agreenerfuneral.org/

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Film Review: The Human Experiment—Switch to Safer!

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Human Exprmnt

The Human Experiment is a new documentary by California film-maker Dana Nachman and narrated by Sean Penn, and is the manifestation of a film that I believe has long needed to be made. It focuses on the chemicals people are exposed to on a daily basis from common products such as plastics and body care products, and shows the history and policy decisions that have led to the current situation. It also shares some moving true stories of what has happened to several people who suffered direct physical effects of chemicals including a couple who had trouble conceiving and even lost a child due to impacts on hormones from plastic chemicals, and a house-cleaner who experienced skin rashes and respiratory effects from toxic cleaners and who now works for a green cleaning company. Friday’s showing at Cinema Village, NYC was followed by a discussion featuring Ansje Miler of Center for Environmental Health, Maida Galvez of the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center, and Ashley Orgain from Seventh Generation, a Vermont-based company that has been providing eco-friendly cleaning products for years. The groups involved are opposing the adoption of a current bill that weakens the Toxic Substances Control Act. Take action here: Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. For more info on the film or to organize a screening, see thehumanexperimentmovie.com.