Personally I don’t use antibacterial soaps because I know that they are a scam. 

Antibacterial soaps and body washes containing the chemical triclosan don’t have extra health benefits compared with regular soap and water, the Food and Drug Administration said today on its Web site.

Triclosanis a commonly used pesticide that has been added to many products such as antibacterial soaps, toothpase, computer keyboards, clothing, shopping bags and hundreds of consumer products.  Just what you would want in your hand soap.

There’s also some concern that triclosan contributes to bacteria’s increasing resistance to antibiotics, the FDA said. The Environmental Protection Agency, meanwhile, is updating its own assessment of triclosan and has said it plans to work with the FDA to “better characterize the endocrine-related effects” of the compound.

An article coauthored by Dr. Stuart Levy in the August 6, 1998 issue of Nature warned that triclosan’s overuse could cause resistant strains of bacteria to develop, in much the same way that antibiotic-resistantbacterial strains are emerging, based on speculation that triclosan behaved like an antibiotic. Based on this speculation, in 2003, the Sunday Herald newspaper reported that some UK supermarkets and other retailers were considering phasing out products containing triclosan.

There are reports that suggest that triclosan can combine with chlorine in tap water to form chloroform gas, which is classified by the EPA as a human carcinogen. 

Triclosan is used in many common household products, including Clearasil Daily Face Wash, Dentyl mouthwash, Dawn, the Colgate Total range, Crest Cavity Protection, Softsoap, Dial, Right Guard deodorant, Sensodyne Total Care, Old Spice, Mentadent, and Bath and Body works hand sanitizers.

Consider these findings before you reach for the antibacterial soap. 

In order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, the Obama Administration has set stricter mileage standards for cars and light trucks by 2016.  The new average mileage is set at 35.5 miles per gallon and will add $1,000 to the cost of the cars.

Under the new rules, it has been estimated by the Government that there would be a saving of around 1.8 billion barrels of oil.  The fuel saving would be approximately $3,000 per car.

Pollution reduction estimates would be 30% from 2012 to 2016.

My Earth Day celebration plans are:

1. I will plant a tree with Greening of Detroit for my third year in a row
2. Make upgrades to the insultation to my house to make it more energy efficient
3. Adding a rain barrel to collect water for my garden
4. Begin volunteering with the Nature Conservancy to help remove invasive species in a local fen in Michigan
5.  Attend the Earth Day celebration in Rochester, MI for the 2nd year in a row

Some suggestions include:

• Attending an Earth Day Event in your area, where you can find information on green living, earth-friendly alternatives in food, using less energy and saving money
• Plant a tree in your yard
• Make a commitment to use less pesticides, harsh cleaning products, and increase recycling
• Purchase Energy Star rated produces and recycle your old electronics
• Start a flower / vegetable garden
• Teach your children the value a sustainable lifestyle

Click here to view the EPA’s timeline of Environmental Progress. 

How will you celebrate Earth Day this year?

The Energy Star Program began in 1992 during the Clinton Administration as an effort to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.  It is an internal standard for energy efficient consumer products.

To find a list of products with the energy star label click here. 

The Energy Star Program has been a success in both the public and commercial sectors.  Consumers can feel confident in ENERGY STAR because in 2009 alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR saved enough energy to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 30 million cars—all while saving nearly $17 billion on their utility bills.  In 2009, ENERGY STAR Leaders together prevented more than 220 thousand metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and saved more than $48 million across their commercial building portfolios. These savings are more than 4 times larger than the savings achieved in 2008 and represent the single greatest year of savings since EPA recognized the first ENERGY STAR Leaders in 2004. The complete list of ENERGY STAR leaders has grown to over 100 organizations.

The EPA and DOE have launched a two-step process to expand testing of ENERGY STAR qualified products:

• DOE began tests this week on six of the most common product types: freezers, refrigerator-freezers, clothes washers, dishwashers, water heaters and room air conditioners. These product types account for at least 25% of a typical homeowner’s energy bill. DOE will test approximately 200 basic models at third-party, independent test laboratories over the next few months.
• The EPA and DOE are also developing an expanded system that will require all products seeking the ENERGY STAR label to be tested in approved labs and require manufacturers to participate in an ongoing verification testing program that will ensure continued compliance.

The Energy Star Program has made advances in 2009 & 2010.  See the timeline below.

• 2/5/09: President Obama ordered the Department of Energy to clear the logjam and issue long-delayed appliance efficiency standards. The Department subsequently met every deadline and issued six standards in 2009 that are expected to save consumers between $250 billion and $300 billion over the next 30 years.
• 7/23/09: DOE issued a subpoena to AeroSys Inc. to obtain the necessary test data to determine whether certain air conditioners and heat pumps comply with the applicable energy conservation standards.
• 9/24/09: DOE required AeroSys Inc., a manufacturer of air conditioners and heat pumps, to provide product samples for the Department to conduct its own testing to verify whether certain models meet the federal minimum energy efficiency standards.
• 10/13/09: DOE announced the formation of an enforcement team within the Office of the General Counsel, which is leading the Department’s efforts to monitor compliance with ENERGY STAR criteria and enforce minimum appliance standards. This includes a program to randomly review manufacturers’ compliance with DOE certification requirements and aggressively pursue any violations.
• 12/7/09: DOE and EPA announced they were taking steps to remove the ENERGY STAR label from 20 LG refrigerator-freezer models that multiple independent labs confirmed were consuming more energy than allowed under the ENERGY STAR criteria.
• 12/9/09: DOE announced that it would be aggressively enforcing reporting requirements that manufacturers are required to submit to the Department certifying the energy use of residential appliance models and compliance with energy efficiency standards. DOE offered manufacturers a 30 day window to submit complete and accurate reports to the Department. During that period, DOE received energy use reports from 160 different manufacturers, covering over 600,000 residential products.
• 1/7/10: DOE announced it had signed a Consent Decree with Haier on four of its freezer models—including two ENERGY STAR models—that were consuming more energy than reported. As part of the agreement with the Department, Haier is required to notify all affected consumers and repair any defective units, and has paid $150,000 to the U.S. Treasury.
• 1/25/10: DOE disqualified 34 CFL models from 25 manufacturers that did not meet all of the ENERGY STAR criteria for compact fluorescent lightbulbs.
• 1/28/10: DOE initiated enforcement actions against four showerhead manufacturers who failed to certify 116 product models as meeting the federal water conservation standards.
• 2/4/10: DOE initiated a civil penalty enforcement action against a manufacturer of air conditioners and heat pumps for failing to certify some of its products and for certifying other products when they had not been tested in accordance with DOE’s test procedure.
• 3/7/10: DOE initiated enforcement actions against two additional showerhead manufacturers who were suspected of selling products that do not meet the federal water conservation standards.
• 3/11/2010: EPA notified US Inc/US Refrigeration that their partnership with ENERGY STAR was terminated based on a history of logo misuse, unresponsiveness, and pattern of failure to comply with ENERGY STAR program guidelines.

Like many other Presidents, President Obama has a plan for education but unlike other proposals, this plan includes environmental education for K-12.   

The administration’s Blueprint for Reform highlights key priorities for a re-envisioned federal role that includes environmental learning as part of a focus on well-rounded education.

The plan has support from the National Wildlife Federation.

National Wildlife Federation, a longstanding advocate for improved U.S. environmental education, believes this new proposal is an exceptional opportunity to improve student achievement through environmental learning, and prepare students for the new clean energy economy.

How important is Environmental Education?

Studies show that environmentally literate students perform better on standardized tests and are more likely to overcome classroom challenges. While the blueprint acknowledges the important role of environmental education, National Wildlife Federation strongly believes that the education overhaul currently being considered by Congress must include the No Child Left Inside Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Congressman John Sarbanes (D – MD) and Senator Jack Reed (D – RI).

Perhaps the next generation won’t if consider not carrying about the environment.  Think of a generation who considers the environment before purchasing a product, recycles almost everything, uses almost no petroleum-based products and votes in environmental legislation by landslides.  Considering the environment will be as natural to them as breathing. 

Now that is a real dream, a generation educated on the value of the Earth. 

Svalbard archipelago

Ever wonder what would happen if a fire or storm destroyed a crop such as corn?  How would we grow corn next year, if all the seeds were gone?  Seed banks.

Norway has a seed bank called Svalbard Global Seed Vault located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, which is 810 miles (1,300 km) from the North Pole.  The facility was established to preserve a wide variety of plant seeds from locations worldwide in an underground cavern.  The facility was opened in 2008 to backup the world’s 1,400 seed banks, in case those deposits were lost — kind of a backup of a backup.   

Despite hitting the 1/2 million seed mark, the facility still has holes in the collection.  They do not have seed storage of Ethopia and some seeds from Indian and Chinese materials.   

The facility functions like a safety deposit box, the Government of Norway owns the facility and the depositing genebanks own the seeds they send.

Seed Storage

The mission of the facility is:

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault’s mission is to provide a safety net against accidental loss of diversity in traditional genebanks. While the popular press has emphasized its possible utility in the event of a major regional or global catastrophe, it will certainly be more frequently accessed when genebanks lose samples due to mismanagement, accident, equipment failures, funding cuts and natural disasters. Such events occur with some regularity. In recent years, some national genebanks have also been destroyed by war and civil strife. There are some 1,400 crop diversity collections around the world, but many are in politically unstable or environmentally threatened nations.

How was this location chosen?

Spitsbergen was considered ideal due to its lack of tectonic activity and its permafrost, which will aid preservation. The location 130 metres (430 ft) above sea level will ensure that the site remains dry even if the icecaps melt.  Locally mined coal provides power for refrigeration units that further cool the seeds to the internationally-recommended standard −18 °C (0 °F).   Even if the equipment fails, at least several weeks will elapse before the temperature rises to the −3 °C (27 °F) of the surrounding sandstone bedrock.

The facility can withstand a nuclear strike. 

Svalbard Vault Mountain Cutaway

Climate Change

NASA’s Earth Observatory website answers questions people ask about global warming and climate change.   The answers are written by Earth and climate scientists.  Click on the link below to view the Climate Q&A. 

In this column, the Earth Observatory offer answers to some of the questions people ask us about the science of global warming and climate change. We have also included some questions and answers about climate science topics that people often misunderstand. All posts are written or reviewed by Earth and climate scientists.

One of the questions answered is:

What does NASA have to do with global warming?

NASA employs the world’s largest concentration of climate scientists. NASA’s mission to study Earth involves monitoring atmospheric conditions, global temperatures, land cover and vegetation, ice extent, ocean productivity, and a number of other planetary vital signs with a fleet of space-based sensors. This information is critical in understanding how Earth’s climate works and how it is responding to change.

In addition to collecting information about the Earth, NASA also builds global and regional climate models to understand the causes and effects of climate change, including global warming. NASA shares its climate data and information with the public and policy leaders freely and in a timely manner. As part of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, NASA works with other agencies—including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and many others—to conduct research and to ensure climate science results are available to all users to address a broad range of societal needs.

NASA’s website helps to clear up all the incorrect or nonfactual information about global warming and climate change. 

The 18th Annual Environmenal Film Festivalis featuring 155 films from 30 different countries and the filmmakers will be on site to discuss their films.  This year’s theme is food and the environment.  Many screenings are free, so check the website link below for more details.

Some of the films include American Eagle about the recovery of bald eagles in America and Behold the Earth which explores America’s divorce from nature and reliance on spending time indoors with virtual amusements.  For a complete list of the films, click here. 

The 2010 Festival explores the vital connections between food and the environment. What we eat is essential to our health and wellbeing; how food is produced and transported to our tables affects the condition of our planet. Starting from the ground up, Dirt! The Movie and Soil in Good Heartfocus on earth’s most underrated source of fertility and its key role in creating nourishing food. Our pre-Festival screening for D.C. public and charter school students, What’s On Your Plate? investigates the sources of our food while Lunch looks specifically at school food programs. Food Fight traces the birth of the country’s sustainable organic food movement in California during the 1960s, led by Alice Waters. Fresh and Ingredients celebrate today’s farmers, chefs and business people who are creating a new food culture in America. Terra Madre highlights the contributions of Italy’s Slow Food movement and HomeGrown spotlights an urban family farm in Pasadena, California. Nora!profiles Washington restaurateur, Nora Pouillon, founder of the nation’s first certified organic restaurant.

Sounds like any amazing event, If I was in D.C. I would have to take a week off of work and see these films.  Perhaps, I will have to plan a trip next year. 

The $475 Million dollar project includes cleanup of water and beaches, wetland restoration, and fighting invasive species such as Asian carp. 

The plan calls itself light on study and heavy on action, seeking to heal the Great Lakes ecosystem from “150 years of abuse” and to ensure that “fish are safe to eat; the water is safe to drink; the beaches and waters are safe for swimming, surfing, boating and recreating; native species and habitats are protected and thriving; no community suffers disproportionately from the impacts of pollution; and the Great Lakes are a healthy place for people and wildlife to live.”

The plan is to cut invasive species and increase detection of new threats.

The plan also seeks to cut damaging runoff from farms, cities and suburbs into Great Lakes watersheds, which supply municipal drinking water and animal habitat, and to reduce beach pollution so recreation areas can stay open longer during the year. It includes the first complete assessment of the lakes’ entire 530,000-acre coastal wetland, and a goal of restoring nearly 100,000 acres of wetlands and other habitat areas by 2014.

Several governors from Great Lakes states say the plan will boost their environmental quality — and help energize a multibillion-dollar regional economy reliant on shipping, fishing and tourism.

They said it wouldn’t be released until Earth Day 2010, but when I went to the grocery store last week, I found my favorite Garden Salsa SunChips.

The package was created to break down in 14 weeks in a compost pile.  It will not break down in a landfill, so add it to your compost pile.  The bag is made from plant based materials.  It actually makes a loud crinkling sound when you pick it up.