Palm | Kelapa Sawit

New studies are being produced all of the time and some of them are just ridiculous; "British scientists have found that 40% of the 60% of people who eat Cheetohs will also eat Fritos."

While studies like these actually exist somewhere, they don't really tell people anything! They also make it easy for people to just gloss over studies in general because we are inundated by them on a regular basis.

It's because of this over-exposure that, instead of giving you statistics or telling you about a "new study", we will just let you know some of the causes that are impacting food production, clean water sources, and soil erosion.

• Population growth
• Urbanization
• Increasing pollution
• Climate Variations

These are the areas where we can make a difference by reducing our footprint on the earth and by creating more sustainable practices. While you can't just come out and tell people "Don't have kids!" We can inform people on the effects of overpopulation on the environment. We can also make small changes in our daily routine in order to lessen the impact of pollution on the Earth. Maybe it's carpool to work, or ride your bike instead of driving.

While new studies will come out all of the time, we don't need them to tell us that change is needed. It's the little changes in your daily routine that, while it may seem small, will have a major impact if everyone adopts the same attitude.

Who knows, we may even see a study about how changes in your daily life are helping to reduce soil erosion and promote sustainability! Either that or we'll find out that you do in fact "eat Cheetos and Fritos."

Source:

http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report_water-related-conflicts-set-to-escalate-research_1377699

I thought this article was important in that it makes the point, very vividly, of how many of us in a sense, 'greenwash our conscious' when it comes to our own carbon footprints. I agree with her that carbon offsetting is not a bad thing, but directly to her point it is not and should not be the starting point. Change is difficult, but necessary, far too much is at stake and each of us has the power to make a difference in terms of our carbon footprints. Put down the keys, pump up the tires, get on the bike...

Bob Jellison
Portland State University
Capstone



Artist Pollutes to Criticize Carbon Offsets

Sometimes to make a point, you have to release some greenhouse gas. On September 29, artist Francesca Galeazzi climbed to a pristine spot on the Jakobshavn fiord in Greenland and—to the shock and horror of her fellow travelers—released a 6 kg tank of CO2 gas. “The CO2 came out violently, freezing the air around the nozzle,” she wrote on her website.
Galeazzi’s act of pollution may have been blatant, but it was just a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of carbon emissions each of us produces, and we do so no less consciously. In the U.S., that number is nearly 20 metric tonnes per person per year. Before Galeazzi pulled the stunt, she purchased an equivalent offset from one of the online Gold Standard Carbon Offsetting schemes—demonstrating how many of us justify our bad behavior. Buying carbon offsets seems to be a growing trend among the green-conscious, a form of environmental penance in which you can pay cash to have someone else wipe away your carbon footprint. In a recent interview, Galeazzi explained her criticism of carbon offsets:
Instead of embracing change, we are inventing new mechanisms to greenwash our consciences, in a way. I didn’t want to say that carbon offsetting is bad because I believe it plays a role within our strategy to tackle climate change. But not as a starting point.
Galeazzi was traveling as part of an expedition of artists and scientists organized by Cape Farewell. She kept her performance art piece a secret until the last moment because she wanted to see her fellow travelers’ gut reactions. Some were supportive, many were outraged, and one person refused to talk to her afterwards.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2008/12/08/artist-pollutes-to-criticize-carbon-offsets/

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Has anyone noticed Microsoft’s new campaign and website portraying the company as environmentally conscious and cheerfully hawking the companies Vista platforms’ energy savings? If you haven’t, and would like a very high budgeted example of greenwashing then you should give Microsoft.com/environment a look. Microsoft shows a gorgeous snow-filled mountain scene and talks about the wonders of saving energy for your organization; this is a notable aspect of Windows Vista, but completely overshadows the companies’ other endeavors, most notably the packaging of Microsoft products.

Microsoft is a large company, perhaps the powers that approved the environmental website have never been to a local store and looked at their companies’ retail offerings, or they didn’t receive a company-wide memo about the company’s packaging habits; regardless, the effect is a clear example of greenwashing, though you’d be none-the-wiser by looking at Microsoft’s self-professed environmentally friendly website. That of course is the point of greenwashing, cover up the bad with a smattering of the good…

Think on the companies packaging, how many of you have seen the solid plastic coffins that Windows Vista and other Microsoft applications come encased in? For Microsoft accessories, and their Xbox 360 platform particularly, well, good luck getting a new controller out of its plastic packaging. Seriously, you almost cannot open Microsoft accessories without a powerful set of scissors and an amazing amount of patience; apparently plastic has become a new renewable resource which is simply absurd.

Microsoft should know better than portraying the positive while blissfully continuing on with the environmental deprivations their company takes part in. Please visit our website and become informed on devastating consequences of greenwashing at http://sites.google.com/site/ecomerge2008/

-John O

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Saturday, November 29, 2008

Are You Being Greenwashed?

After researching about Greenwashing and finding out how naive I have been as a consumer; I thought that I need to become more aware and informed. After reasearching and educating myself I found a wonderful article from the Greenpeace website that discusses the 4 criteria for determing if something is greenwashing or not:

4 criterias:

Dirty Business - Touting an environmental program or product, while the corporation's product or core business is inherently polluting or unsustainable. For example, if a company brags about its boutique green R&D projects but the majority of spending and investment reinforces old, unsustainable, polluting practices.

Ad Bluster - Using targeted advertising and public relations campaigns to exaggerate an environmental achievement in order to divert attention away from environmental problems or if it spends more money advertising an environmental achievement than actually doing it. For example, if a company were to do a million dollar ad campaign about a clean up that cost less.
It's the Law, Stupid! - Advertising or branding a product with environmental achievements that are already required or mandated by existing laws. For example, if an industry or company has been forced to change a product, clean up its pollution or protect an endangered species, then uses PR campaigns to make such action look proactive or voluntary.


These 4 criterias can be viewed on http://stopgreenwash.org/


Hope they can help you become better informed as they have done for me!

Cynthia Pestner

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http://sites.google.com/site/ecomerge2008/

Environmental pollution in coal mining and mitigation measures:

The environmental related issues in coal mines (both in opencast and underground) have been discussed. As coal is very important fossil fuel and its importance has been more prominent after tremendous increase in international price of crude oil; coal mining is now essential part of civilization.

A. In number of ways coal mining projects pollute environment. Environment problems related to coal mines are discussed below:

(1) Air pollution: Air pollution in coal mines is mainly due to the fugitive emission of particulate matter and gases including methane (CH4), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). The mining operations like drilling, blasting, movement of the heavy earth moving machinery on haul roads, collection, transportation and handling of coal, screening, sizing and segregation units are the major sources of such emissions. Under-ground mine fire is also a major source of air pollution in some of the coal fields.

High levels of suspended particulate matter increase respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis and asthma cases while gaseous emissions contribute towards global warming besides causing health hazards to the exposed population.

Methane emission from coal mining depends on the mining methods, depth of coal mining, coal quality and entrapped gas content in coal seams.

(2) Water pollution: The major source of water pollution in the coal mines is the carry over of the suspended solids in the drainage system of the mine sump water and storm water drainage. In some of the coal mines, acidic water is also found in the underground aquifers. In addition, waste water from coal preparation plant and mine water are other sources of water pollution.

(3) Land degradation: The opencast coal mines are developed at the surface, because of that these mines are also called surface coal mines. The overburden, i.e., the rock or soil overlaid the coal seam, are removed before extraction of coal. This overburden is dumped on surface, preferably on mined-out or decoaled area. Therefore, this type of mining requires quite large area on surface. Many a times, large forest areas are transferred for coal mining purpose. The land degradation is the result of creation and expansion of opencast coal mines. The aspect of land degradation in underground coal mines is due to subsidence over the underground cavity resulted from underground caving.

(4) Noise pollution: Main sources of noise pollution are blasting, movement of heavy earth moving machines, drilling and coal handling plants etc.

(5) Solid waste: Major source of solid waste in a coal mine is the overburden. Segregation of the stones in the coal handling plants and the coal breeze also contribute to the solid waste generation. Over-burden to coal ratio in the open cast mining is about 2 m³/tonne of coal or sometime more. Therefore, the quantum of overburden generated and its proper management is the main concern area in dealing with the environmental issue of opencast coal mines.

(6) Deforestation: As explained, the requirement of land for a big opencast coal projects are quite large. Many of the forest area, many a times, are converted to mining field. Therefore, large forest areas are deforested to make a way for large opencast coal mines.

B. The unscientific mining practices undertaken result in large degradation of land in the form of subsidence, underground goaf filled with water, mine fires, destruction of vegetation, generation of wind blow dust etc. To mitigate above environmental problems several control measures, generally, are adopted. Some of the control measures are discussed below:

(1) Subsidence: Subsidence of surface takes place due to extraction of coal by underground mining. Subsidence is exhibited by cracks on surface and lowering of land in the worked out areas compared to surroundings. The surface is rehabilitated by dozing and sealing of cracks followed by plantation of trees. The subsided areas with medium-sized depressions are ideal for developing water pools and sustain green vegetation and also to meet the water needs of local people.

(2) Abandoned mines: The mined-out areas are to be backfilled and then rehabilitated for development of vegetation. In the quarried areas water reservoir is developed for water harvesting. The big voids created by open-pit mining cause land degradation. These voids can be gainfully utilized to serve as water reservoirs. This water provides moisture for vegetation in the surroundings areas. The water is used for domestic supply after necessary treatment. Irrigation to nearby agricultural land also may be thought off.

(3) External overburden dump: The external dump area presents an unaesthetic appearance unless rehabilitated. Vegetative rehabilitation of these dumps prevents erosion and also improves aesthetics.

(4) Mine fire: The measures for controlling the mine fires, include dozing, levelling and blanketing with soil to prevent the entry of oxygen and to stabilize the land for vegetal growth.

(5) Water and air pollution control: Mine water is pumped to a lagoon, which acts as a sedimentation pond. The overflow water, which is fairly clean, is drained out to natural drain or used for dust suppression activities. Similarly, washery effluent is re-circulated through thickener and slime ponds. For reducing air pollution, water spraying and sprinkling is done on the haul /transport roads to suppress the dust generation.