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Find eco-friendly alternatives to releasing balloons for occasions.

8/27/2021

 
Balloons may seem like a fun addition to birthday parties or weddings, but once they are released, they pose a great danger to wildlife.  Land animals like bighorn sheep and owls as well as marine animals such as dolphins, turtles and birds mistake them for food or get tangled in the plastic string with deadly consequences.  There are plenty of ways to celebrate while avoiding releasing balloons into the environment.  Lara O’Brien with Blue Planet Global Impact at the University of Michigan makes these suggestions:
​

“Student groups or other organizations could plant native trees or flowers (in designated areas), fly kites, wave flags or banners, light candles, blow bubbles, create chalk drawings, paint murals, organize a community walk, run, or bike ride, or even do trail or river cleanups.
Any of these alternatives would help bring a community or group together to celebrate or commemorate a special occasion without causing harm to the environment or wildlife.
If you choose to organize or participate in an event where balloon alternatives are being used, please help to raise awareness by posting on social media and/or talking with family, friends, or colleagues. Help spread the message that while balloons are out, there are still plenty of fun, environmentally-friendly ways to celebrate.”

Chewing Gum is not fully Biodegradable

8/13/2021

 
​Treehugger.com explored the ingredients in chewing gum and found that the list has long since strayed from the original ingredient: chicle, which was derived from tree sap.  Author Mary Jo Rudy found that the ingredient list includes gum base: "The precise ingredients in "gum base" are a trade secret, but they may include any of 46 FDA-approved products including plastics, natural latex, synthetic rubber, wood glue, vegetable oil, and talc."*  Because plastic is part of this list, chewing gum is not considered completely biodegradable.  In addition, "according to GetGreenNow, 80-90% of chewed gum is disposed of improperly; most is dropped on the ground or stuck onto a surface. This means that thousands of pounds of gum are entering the litter stream every year,"* negatively impacting wildlife that mistakenly consume it.

As an alternative, Rudy lists gum manufacturers 
including Simply Gum, Chicza, Glee Gum, and Chewsy that use chicle to make a biodegradable gum.

*Lisa Jo Rudy, August 11, 2021, "Is chewing gum biodegradable? A look at its ingredients," www.treehugger.com

original article can be found here

A study shows that renting clothing produces more emissions than just throwing them away

8/6/2021

 
From the perspective of greenhouse gas emissions, the model of renting clothing, with the idea that it reduces manufacturing of new clothes and extends the life of older clothes, is not a sustainable practice.  A Finnish study reported on www.fastcompany.com, "calculate the greenhouse gas emissions connected to five different ways of owning and disposing of clothing, including resale, recycling, and renting."*  As part of the study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, "they calculated the “global warming potential,” which refers to how greenhouse gases are emitted throughout the lifecycle of the jeans"*  They discovered that "Renting generated the highest amount of emissions because of all the transportation involved; indeed, the study found that it’s actually better, from a climate perspective, to simply buy the jeans, wear them, and throw them away."*  Their conclusion and recommendation was "that the most sustainable way to consume fashion is to buy fewer items and wear them as long as possible. If there’s more life in the clothes, you should resell them."*

*Elizabeth Segran, July 1, 2021, "Renting clothing is worse for the planet than just throwing it away, study shows," www.fastcompany.com

​original article can be found here

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