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Cleaning Green, non-toxic, safe cleaners
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A Guide to Choosing Healthy, Non-toxic Ways to Clean |
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 Planet Home: Conscious Choices for Cleaning & Greening the World You Care About Most
Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder and former CEO of Seventh Generation and author of the bestseller, How to Make the World a Better Place: A Beginner's Guide to Doing Good, as well as five additional books, including The Responsibility Revolution and Planet Home has written a new book, Planet Home: Conscious Choices for Cleaning and Greening the World You Care About Most (Clarkson Potter/Publishers).
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Choosing Green Holiday Gifts |
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Green retailers have reason to hope this holiday season. And Santa has some green helpers for shoppers.
Heading into my local TJ Maxx the day after Halloween, I noticed the aisles bursting with new arrivals. Cashmere sweaters, delicacies in fancy jars, and toys galore. On your mark, get set, go: the holiday shopping season has begun.
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Understanding How Refrigerant Gases Cause Ozone Layer Destruction |
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by Daniel Stouffer Of all the causes of ozone layer depletion, chloroflurocarbons are the most damaging. Unfortunately, these gases are used in a diverse range of industries in numerous ways. For instance, refrigerant gas is used in the operation of refrigeration and air-conditioning systems and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Chloroflurocarbons (CFCs) are necessary in various firefighting equipment, aerosols, the manufacture of styrofoam and anesthetics.
Although there are numerous causes of ozone layer depletion, chloroflurocarbons have been identified as being the most damaging. These gases are used in many different industries in various ways. The most common types of ozone depleting substances are refrigerant gases found in everyday HVAC-R systems. Chloroflurocarbons are also used in firefighting equipment, aerosols, the production of installed foam and anesthetics.
After much scientific study, complete many years ago, researchers concluded that CFCs were a major source of destruction to the lower atmosphere. Once they reach the stratosphere, the sun's ultraviolet rays break down the compound, thus releasing chlorine. This resulting chlorine is what damages the ozone in a repetitive process. Unfortunately, the length of time chemicals cause destruction of the ozone depends upon the refrigerant being broken down, i.e. chlorine last for 2 years and other chemicals for much longer.
The main causes of ozone layer depletion are the gases fluorine, chlorine and bromine, which are found in manmade halocarbons. Ozone destruction and the depletion of important chemical compounds from the atmosphere were tied closely to chlorine and bromine where are both derivatives of refrigerant gases. Chlorine atoms result from chloroflurocarbons molecule, while bromine atoms result from halons. While chloroflurocarbons and halons are safe to use and cause no harm to the environment, they cause substantial damage to the stratosphere.
Fundamentally, the causes of ozone destruction comes from the breakdown of refrigerant gas into many other harmful free radicals. Currently, hydroxyl and nitric oxide occur in the stratosphere naturally. But chlorine and bromine are a result of human activity and their levels in the atmosphere are ever increasing.
The ozone layer protects the Earth from the full power of the sun's ultraviolet rays. When it is depleted, the Earth simply receives more exposure to harmful radiation. Skin cancer will increase, the immune system in humans and animals will be weakened, plants will be damaged and plankton in oceans will be reduced. The entire balance of the earth's life system will be impacted.
Once various compounds were identified as causes of ozone layer depletion, protocols were put into place to decrease their usage. They include the U.S. Clean Air Act and the Montreal Protocols. Their sole purpose is to reduce or phase-out substances that damage the ozone layer. Even with these efforts, it would take another century before these damaging substances totally disappear from the stratosphere. If the emissions of harmful refrigerant gases stops, the ozone layer has the ability to heal itself after a number of years. The length it takes to recuperate depends upon the type of refrigerant.
Way back to 1974 and the subsequent drafting of The Montreal Protocol, governments and scientific researchers documented the ozone depletion due to refrigerant gases. If the causes of ozone layer depletion are not addressed, the end result would be global warming. As the temperature of the earth rises, weather events, like more droughts and stronger hurricanes, would occur and ice caps and glaciers would melt. As the ozone layer continues to wear down, the earth would be in direct contact with the sun's heat and its damaging ultraviolet rays.
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by Pat Herron
Buy green at home and help save the world? The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that in the United States, 32 billion gallons of runoff enters the oceans daily. These pollutants float away from fertilizing lawns and golf courses, factory farms discharging animal waste and oil leaking onto our roadways.
One third of all pollution released from the home comes from the cleaning products we use. A 2002 U.S. Geological Survey found that 69% of streams sampled for contaminants contained persistent detergent metabolites and 66% contained disinfectants.
When the rain sends this runoff thru our storm drains into the rivers it creates massive, nutrient-fed algal blooms and oxygen depleted areas in the coastal zones, suffocating fish and other marine life. These dead zones are found along the shores of every major ocean including one of more than 8,000 square miles in the Gulf of Mexico.
As someone concerned about the impact your actions have on the environment, you should look at the ways your home cleaning products effect the environment. These include 1) Usage - Their use can release hazardous vapors into your homes that are unhealthy for your family. 2) Manufacture - The purchase of potentially hazardous products creates a demand for toxic chemicals which contributes to environmental pollution due to the development, manufacture and transportation of these chemicals. 3) Disposal - When hazardous products are used they release their ingredients into the waste stream adding to the runoff problem. Quite often hazardous products are not disposed of properly and get land filled or incinerated, releasing their toxins to the environment.
The use of toxic, non-biodegradable products will cause indoor air quality problems, possible chemical burns, prolonged health problems from absorption and even certain diseases. Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease are thought to be caused by environmental influences such as exposure to toxins found in cleaning solutions. In addition bioaccumulation studies have shown that some toxins store in our body fat for life. Greater amounts are being stored in younger people and diseases that used to develop later in life are now being found in children and teenagers.
There has been a 28% increase in childhood cancer since the addition of pesticides into household products (Source: National Cancer Institute)
Over 150 chemicals found in the average home have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities (Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission)
Most homes have airborne concentrations of hazardous and toxic chemicals that are 2-5 times higher indoors than outdoors (Source: Environmental Protection Agency's Report to Congress on Indoor Air Quality Act of 1989)
When it comes to choosing home cleaning supplies you have several options. Many cleaning supplies you find at the store come in "green" varieties, meaning that the cleaners are usually all natural organic elements with no chemicals. These products are safe for the environment.
Another option is to surf the Internet for the goods you need. This gives you the opportunity to learn more about what a company is offering and how well their choices match your environmental standards. Learn if they have a set of buy green standards that examine a products' lifecycle;
1) Source Material: What is the product made from?
2) Manufacturing: How is it manufactured?
3) Usage, How is it used and how does this efffect the environment?
4) Disposal: How do we dispose of it and what are the environmental impacts?
This information will help you protect our valuable water resources while offering a safe, rewarding, green shopping experience. |
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