Profits Before People: 7 of the World’s Most Irresponsible Companies

Money isn’t everything – or is it? To most corporations, making a profit is goal number one – but some of those companies take it way too far, sacrificing the health of the planet and its inhabitants for a bigger bank balance.  Far too many corporations turn a blind eye to the consequences of their destructive, exploitative practices. The worst of them are committing atrocities that go beyond the realm of objectionable into criminal, dumping toxic chemicals without regard to public health and employing child labor.

What makes these seven companies extra evil is the fact that they’ve committed crimes that are BOTH environmentally and socially irresponsible.

Nestle

Image via Blood in Your Coffee

More than 40% of the world’s chocolate comes from Côte d’Ivoire (the Ivory Coast) in Africa, where tens of thousands of children are estimated to be working in dangerous conditions on cocoa farms. Nestle uses cocoa harvested by slave labor, and only when Senator Thomas Harkin (D-Iowa) led an investigation and introduced legislation that would require chocolate sold in the US to be labeled “slave-free” did the company act. Nestle promised that by July 2005 they would find a way to certify chocolate as not having been produced by any underage, indentured, trafficked or coerced labor, but since then, they have achieved very little.

Nestle’s bottled water business is also a major cause for concern. Nestle controls one-third of the US market and sells 70 different brand names of bottled water including Arrowhead, Deer Park, Perrier and Poland Spring. The company buys up pristine springs in some of the most beautiful natural spaces in America and builds huge factories on the sites, releasing pollution into the air and drawing enormous amounts of water out of the springs.

And, while the company claims an environmentally friendly ethic, saying it would never harm an aquifer, that’s exactly what they have done in places like Mecosta County, Michigan, damaging the watershed with excessive withdrawals, reaping huge profits and leaving the locals to deal with the consequences.

Pfizer

Image via Daylife

Air and water pollution, disregard for safety standards and experimentation on Nigerian children: these are just a few of the environmental and human rights offenses perpetrated by the world’s largest pharmaceutical company. It’s hard to imagine how Pfizer officials can bear to look at themselves in the mirror every day after what they’ve done.

Pfizer is guilty of some of the most despicable price gouging in corporate history: it keeps its HIV/AIDS-related drugs out of the hands of the world’s poor, who need them the most. Pfizer has aggressively fought efforts to make these drugs more affordable, refusing to grant generic licenses for HIV/AIDS drugs to Brazil, South Africa and other countries in need of them.

In June 2008, Pfizer was forced to pay a $975,000 fine for violating the Clean Air Act at one of its manufacturing plants in Groton, Connecticut – a drop in the bucket for a company that makes upwards of $50 billion in profits every year. The Pfizer plant was emitting methanol, hydrogen chloride, methylene chloride, MTBE, hexane, toluene and other chemicals classified by the EPA as hazardous air pollutants. Pfizer had previously paid $430 million in 2004 to settle a large number of outstanding asbestos lawsuits from its acquisition of Quigley Company in 1968, which had sold contaminated insulation.

Worst of all, the company that has little regard for safety standards – having released a number of drugs that ended up being pulled off the market for unforeseen complications – decided to test one of its drugs on poor, critically ill Nigerian children. Masking the trial as a “humanitarian mission”, Pfizer tested an experimental antibiotic called Trovan on meningitis-infected Nigerian children without their knowledge or the knowledge of their families. 11 children died, and others developed brain damage and crippling arthritis.

Wal-Mart

Image via Brave New Films

“Save Money, Live Better”. That’s Wal-Mart’s slogan, but Wal-Mart workers themselves certainly wouldn’t say that they live better after beginning employment with the retail giant. A 2005 study found that Wal-Mart reduced the take-home pay of workers by an astounding $4.7 billion dollars annually, adding insult to injury considering that workers are often forced to work overtime for zero pay. Wal-Mart does everything it can to deny its workers basic rights, spending an enormous amount of time and money keeping unions out including $7,000 anti-union camera packages, $30,000 undercover spy vans, $100,000 24-hour anti-union hotlines and a $7,000,000 rapid response team with a corporate jet.

Furthermore, Wal-Mart pushes its suppliers to go lower and lower on their wholesale prices, until they’re so squeezed that they barely have two pennies to rub together at the end of the day. Thanks to its focus on low, low prices, the retailer has repeatedly turned a blind eye to child slave labor in its manufacturing facilities abroad, particularly in China and Bangladesh.

And, despite all of their claims about ‘going green’, Wal-Mart has broken one environmental law after the other. Wal-Mart became the first company to be fined for violating new standards for stormwater runoff in 2001, and had to pay $5.5 million. In 2004, the company faced fines for violations in 9 states. That same year, it agreed to pay $400,000 to the government to settle claims that Sam’s Club had violated air pollution regulations in 11 states.

Last year, the company admitted as much – but that hasn’t stopped them from continuing the PR effort. Former CEO Lee Scott admitted of the company’s greenwashing efforts, “It has been positive from a PR standpoint, but one of the things we learned is that we are not sophisticated enough to spin a story — ultimately, we’d get hammered. We are not out saying we’re a green company. We are not green. We have an extraordinary distance to go.”

ExxonMobil

Image via Greenpeace

The Exxon-Valdez oil spill is by far ExxonMobil’s most well-known environmental offense, but it’s certainly not the only one. The oil giant was ranked sixth on the Toxic 100 list of US corporate air polluters, and has been accused by Greenpeace of sabotaging efforts to deal with climate change, manipulating peer-reviewed studies and misleading the public with junk science. Indeed, though they have since cut off funding, ExxonMobil once financially supported a number of global warming denial organizations.

Though ExxonMobil trumpeted its investment in renewable energy sources in a series of advertisements over the past few years, the fact is that the company has invested just $300 million in renewable energy sources over the next 10 years compared to the $47 billion they spent between 2003 and 2006 alone on dirty energy sources like oil and gas.

In 2001, ExxonMobil was the target of a lawsuit by a human rights group that accused the company of actively abetting human rights abuses including torture, rape and killings in Indonesia. The suit alleged that ExxonMobil had hired a local army to protect its natural gas fields in the Aceh province, providing them with equipment to dig mass graves as well as building interrogation and torture centers. The company denied all of the charges, but a motion it filed to have the case dismissed was denied in 2006. The case is still pending.

Chevron

Image via Treehugger

Chevron has launched a huge multimedia advertising blitz about its supposed commitment to smart energy use and renewable energy sources – all while destroying pristine forests in places like Ecuador and Bangladesh, and causing myriad health problems right here in the U.S. thanks to the toxic waste at its refineries.

Texaco (which has since been taken over by Chevron) caused a toxic “Rainforest Chernobyl” in Ecuador from 1964 to 1992, cutting through the Amazon in search of oil and leaving behind dead rivers, polluted air, scarred forests and over 600 unlined oil pits. They also dumped 18 billion gallons of toxic production water into the rivers where locals bathe. Living in close proximity to the oil fields has resulted in health effects ranging from high miscarriage rates to cancer.

In Richmond, California, toxic pollutants from Chevron’s refinery in the city have infiltrated people’s homes. Air samples from inside and outside Richmond homes in 2006 were found to contain particulate matter known to come from oil refining that exceeded California’s air quality standards. Unsurprisingly, local residents are feeling the effects in the form of lupus, cancer, athsma and a number of other health problems.

Dow Chemical

Image via Greenpeace

Dow Chemical (along with Monsanto) will never escape the shadow of Agent Orange, the chemical used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War during the ‘Herbicidal Warfare’ program, which lead to 400,000 deaths and disabilities and 500,000 children born with birth defects. But even with this evil legacy – and that of Napalm, which it also produced – Dow is not contrite. This corporation continues to pollute the earth without apology.

Two rivers downstream of Dow’s plant in Midland, Michigan are polluted with chlorinated furans and dioxins from the company’s past operations. Despite the fact that these chemicals are linked to cancer and other health issues, Dow maintains that the contamination is not a public health threat and has been fighting with the EPA over cleanup for years. Many people in the area aren’t even aware of the extent of the dioxin contamination, and Dow has refused to put up warning signs. Just last weekend, Dow Chemical sponsored a fishing event in a waterway it polluted with dioxin, never even acknowledging the contamination and its possible effects.

Furthermore, following the purchase of Union Carbide – the company responsible for the Bhopal gas disaster which left nearly 20,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands disabled – Dow has refused to take responsibility for the health and environmental effects of the incident.

Monsanto

Image via Flickr user skasuga

Despite the inroads that Dow Chemical has been making lately on the evil corporation front, Monsanto still reigns supreme. It’s hard to overstate just how socially and environmentally irresponsible this company really is. Monsanto has manufactured herbicides (which, during manufacturing, create dioxin as a by-product), Agent Orange, plastics, fuel additives, saccharin, industrial fluids, fertilizers, pesticides and anti-freeze in the past. Some years ago they chose to focus on ‘life sciences’ and are now the world’s largest seed company. They’re also the creators of Recombitant Bovine Growth Hormone (rGBH) and the world’s largest producer of genetically modified food.

Monsanto is responsible for more than 50 Superfund sites including Anniston, Alabama, one of America’s worst man-made environmental disasters. For over 40 years, Monsanto routinely dumped toxic waste into West Anniston Creek while producing now-banned industrial coolants called PCBs. They also dumped millions of pounds of PCBs into open-pit landfills – and proceeded to spend decades covering it up even after confirming that fish submerged in the creek turned belly-up within seconds.

Monsanto knew exactly how dangerous the PCBs were, but chose to keep it secret, altering documents and forcing changes to study results to keep the secret. Though they were forced to pay $700 million in fines in 2003, they have not apologized or taken responsibility.

On top of that, after polluting waterways all over the world, Monsanto proceeded to buy up said waterways, filter the water and sell it back to the public, making a double profit.

Among Monsanto’s worst acts is its attempt to completely monopolize the world’s seed supply. The company has spent over $8 billion in recent years buying up seed companies – including organic seed companies – and making it illegal for farmers to retain the seeds from their crop for the following year’s planting. That means farmers are forced to pay Monsanto for new seeds, again and again. Many of Monsanto’s genetically modified seeds produce plants that are reportedly dependent upon Monsanto herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers.

The people paying the biggest price for Monsanto’s greed are Indian farmers. Every day, at least three of them commit suicide by hanging themselves, drowning themselves in rivers or drinking Monsanto pesticides because they’ve hit rock bottom in desperation, hopelessness and debt. The death toll stands at thousands, with some estimates at over 16,000. The farmers had been promised unprecedented harvests and income if they switched to genetically modified Monsanto seeds in what was basically one big experiment on unwitting subjects. When the crops failed, the farmers felt they had no way out, and they certainly didn’t have money to buy more seeds.

Now, it’s been reported that Monsanto has found a way to profit from its own misdeeds once again. In the Southeast, a “superweed” known as Palmer amaranth pigweed is taking over soybean and cotton fields, often leaving them totally unfit for future cultivation. This particular strain of weed was created thanks to overuse of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide and the attendant use of its patented Roundup-resistant GMOs. So, what will it take to wipe out this superweed? You guessed it – more Monsanto herbicides.

Coming Earth Day 2010: Disneynature’s ‘Oceans’

Disneynature’s incredible nature documentary ‘Earth’ just debuted on April 22nd, and they’ve already got another film ready to go for Earth Day 2010. A teaser trailer for ‘Oceans’ has been released, and by the looks of it, it will be just as popular as ‘Earth’, which has already made more than $100 million worldwide.

Official Plot Synopsis, via SlashFilm:

Nearly three-quarters of the earth’s surface is covered by oceans. French co-directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud have set out to capture the full expanse of these waters that have played such a crucial and constant role in the history and sustenance of man. The deep and abundant oceans are places of great mysteries and dangers that this film will dare to explore.

The teaser trailer itself definitely isn’t very revealing, acting more as a commercial for the Disneynature brand than for the film itself, but it does give us a peek at some of the amazing things captured in the sea by the Disneynature crew. Even if you’re not the type that just can’t get enough of nature documentaries, you gotta admit that it looks exciting.

Via [Ecorazzi]
Photo credit: AllMoviePhoto.com

Could Senator Spector’s Party Switch Aid a Cap-and-Trade Bill?

Arlen Spector is no environmentalist. This former Republican, now Democrat Pennsylvania senator is rated a mere 32% by the League of Conservation Voters and has made many an anti-environment vote in the Senate. Sure, Spector’s switch from one party to another may be more motivated by a desire to survive the 2010 elections than a real change in his standpoint. But, some believe that his about-face might help speed a cap-and-trade bill through the Senate.

From The Daily Green:

Specter’s party switch nominally will make it easier to pass a climate bill with the 60 votes necessary to shut off filibusters. If and when the interminable Minnesota Senate race finally ends with comedian Al Franken clinging to a narrow lead, the Democrats will have reached the magic number of 60. Specter, however, like other conservative Democrats from coal-dependent states, won’t necessarily be a slam-dunk vote for a cap-and-trade bill unless there are free allowances or other provisions to ease cost impacts.

Specter’s record on environmental issues has been, at best, fair to middlin.’ He tended to follow rather than lead, and it showed in his ho-hum numbers in Republicans for Environmental Protection’s annual Congressional Scorecard. With new leaders to follow, perhaps his environmental voting record will change.

Others aren’t so sure. From Reuters columnist John Kemp, via The Guardian:

Until now, the threat of a filibuster sustained by the 41 Republicans in the chamber has masked divisions among Democrats themselves. If the Republicans are reduced to 40 votes and unable to block legislation, Democrats will find themselves in an uncomfortable spotlight.

Party divisions were on display earlier this month when 26 Democratic senators from industrial and Midwest states broke with colleagues from the coasts to bar the use of the expedited budget reconciliation process to pass climate change legislation using a cap-and-trade programme.

On financial regulation, healthcare, and Social Security, the party is deeply split between liberals anxious to push ambitious reform, and centrists who favour a less radical approach. Given these divisions the president may not have 50 votes, let alone 60, with or without the support of Specter and Franken.

Specter’s change of party makes little difference. Together with Maine Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, Specter was already one of the most liberal Republicans in the Senate. In many areas, the administration could already count on his support to assemble ad hoc 60-vote majorities even as a Republican. Nothing will change.

It’s also important to remember that Spector is from a coal state, and he’s not likely to support any cap and trade programs that don’t include special provisions that allow the industry in Pennsylvania to remain relatively unharmed.

As anxious as we are to get a move on with climate change legislation, this likely won’t be a quick and easy battle, even with a 60-vote majority in the Senate.

Link [The Daily Green] + [The Guardian]
Photo credit: MSNBC

Exposure to Pesticides Linked to Parkinson’s Disease

If you live near a farm sprayed with a combination of pesticides, you may be at greater risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. New research has found that, when mixed, two common pesticides called maneb and paraquat have ill health effects that may explain the increased rates of Parkinson’s among farmers and rural residents.

From The Daily Green:

The scientists found that people who live within 500 meters of a field sprayed with the pesticides maneb and paraquat in combination, but not individually, had a 75 percent higher risk of Parkinson’s disease relative to controls. Being exposed to the mixture at a younger age resulted in an even higher risk. Individuals potentially exposed to these pesticides when they were 60 years old or younger were 5 times more likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

These results are predicted by studies which showed that exposing rodents to maneb and paraquat together resulted in reduced motor activity, nerve cell loss and decreased levels the neurotransmitter dopamine in certain areas of the brain as observed in Parkinson’s patients. Animal studies also predicted Costello’s finding that effects of these pesticides would be more important when exposure occurred at a younger age. (See trade names and other information about maneb and paraquat. Maneb is sold as Manzate among other brand names. Paraquat is sold to consumers as Ortho Weed Killer among other brand names; its use is banned in several Scandinavian countries.)

If you’ve ever known someone with Parkinson’s disease, you know how devastating it can be. Studies like this really make you wonder about all of the chemicals we’re surrounded by on a daily basis. As the study points out, current safety evaluations are performed on chemicals individually, not when they’re combined – but we’re exposed to a combination of all kinds of different chemicals. Who knows what other modern health ills can be attributed to such chemical cocktails.

Link [The Daily Green]

Escaping Global Warming: Climate Refugees in Alaska

Residents of a tiny coastal town in Alaska will soon be among America’s first climate change refugees, forced from their homes by flooding caused by melting permafrost. The 340 residents of Newtok, Alaska have seen the Ninglick River overtake their town, forcing them to rely on a network of boardwalks to get from building to building. Helpless to stop the damage, Newtok residents are moving to a new site nine miles inland, on higher ground.

From Discover Magazine:

“We are seeing the erosion, flooding and sinking of our village right now,” said Stanley Tom, a Yup’ik Eskimo and tribal administrator for the Newtok Traditional Council…. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has estimated that moving Newtok could cost $130 million. Twenty-six other Alaskan villages are in immediate danger, with an additional 60 considered under threat in the next decade, according to the corps [CNN].

The townspeople’s decision illustrates global warming’s impact on people living near the Arctic. While the  Yup’ik Eskimos of Newtok were making their decision, the first Indigenous Peoples’ Global Summit was taking place in Anchorage, Alaska, with representatives from 80 nations on hand to discuss how global warming is affecting their communities. Indigenous people are among those contributing least to the worsening problem of greenhouse gases and climate change, said Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, president of the United Nations General Assembly. However, he said they are the first to feel the impacts of climate change [AP].

Most of us tend to think of climate refugees as poor people in places like the sinking Maldives or the flood-plagued western coast of Africa, but this just goes to show that we Americans are not immune to the effects of climate change, no matter what the majority of us might think. It’s extremely unfortunate, however, that people who have done so little to cause it compared to the rest of us have to deal it first. The bottom line is, it’s happening here, it’s happening now, and it’s not going to magically go away.

Link [Discover Magazine]
Photo credit: Wolfdance.de

Book Review: Smogtown – The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles

If you think the air is bad in Los Angeles right now, you probably didn’t live there for much of the past century. When the thick, view-obscuring gray haze first appeared in the city on July 26th, 1943, nobody knew quite what to think of it. Was some factory suddenly spewing tons of pollution in to the air? Was it some kind of chemical attack? Citizens of this Southern California city didn’t yet realize the cost of their own modernized lifestyle, wherein practically every single resident owned their own vehicle.

“Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles” by Chip Jacobs and William Kelly tracks the smog invasion of LA from the first moment it arrived through the many efforts to combat it.  This might not sound too exciting – especially for people who aren’t hardcore environmentalists interested in every detail of our nation’s struggle with pollution – but you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that Smogtown is thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.

It’s a dramatic story, playing out like it was written for the screen, with clear protagonists and villains – and humor peppered throughout. While Smogtown does an excellent job of providing the hard facts about how the pollution got so bad, the weakness of the government in controlling it and the difficulty of convincing Los Angelenos to sacrifice any part of their lifestyle to make it go away – it’s also a gripping tale that will keep you eagerly turning the pages. What with the terrified citizens crashing their cars in panic at the appearance of the smog and bewildered, ineffectual government officials bumbling about, it’s almost like Godzilla, but with pollution as “the beast”.

Of course, we all know how this story ends. Air pollution is still a major concern in Los Angeles, and despite knowing that the automobile is the source, LA is still crawling with cars and lacking a decent public transit system. But don’t let that stop you from giving this lively story a read. It’s got sex, plenty of Hollywood glamour, scandal, and murder – but never falters in its brilliant coverage of an incredibly important environmental issue.

Check out the Smogtown blog at lasmogtown.com for lots more info, including the latest news about efforts to fight pollution in LA.

Link [Smogtown]

Fossil Fuels Industry Ignored its Own Scientists on Climate

So deep in denial is the fossil fuels industry, it ignored its own scientists when they offered advice on climate change that the industry did not want to accept. The Global Climate Coalition, a group representing industries with profits tied to fossil fuels, had spent a decade leading an aggressive lobbying and PR campaign against the notion that greenhouse gas emissions cause climate change, and they weren’t about to screw it up with a silly thing like actual facts.

From The New York Times:

A document filed in a federal lawsuit demonstrates that even as the coalition worked to sway opinion, its own scientific and technical experts were advising that the science backing the role of greenhouse gases in global warming could not be refuted.

“The scientific basis for the Greenhouse Effect and the potential impact of human emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2 on climate is well established and cannot be denied,” the experts wrote in an internal report compiled for the coalition in 1995.

The coalition disbanded in 2002, but some members, including the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute, continue to lobby against any law or treaty that would sharply curb emissions. Others, like Exxon Mobil, now recognize a human contribution to global warming and have largely dropped financial support to groups challenging the science.

Basically, the fossil fuels industry knew about the harm that rampant greenhouse gas emissions would cause, and not only didn’t act – but sought to convince the public that there was no tie between these emissions and global warming, a tactic that was also employed by the tobacco industry. British environmental activist and writer George Monbiot points out that the fossil fuels industry didn’t have to convince people of their point of view, but simply create as much confusion as possible.

And, to some degree, it worked. Much of the ‘evidence’ and ‘scientific opinion’ that global warming deniers and skeptics still use to refute the reality of climate change to this day originates from the misinformation deliberately injected into the argument by the fossil fuels industry. Luckily, the noise from the ‘global warming is a myth’ side has largely died down in the face of actual facts.

So, where’s the public anger? Why aren’t people pushing back against an industry that would sacrifice millions of lives and the future of our planet for their own financial gain? It might have something to do with the fact that most people still don’t think global warming is going to affect them personally. I hope, for everyone’s sake, that they aren’t forced to learn otherwise in the near future.

Link [The New York Times]

Americans Believe Global Warming is Happening – to Everyone But Them

People are finally beginning to wake up to the realities of global warming – to a degree. Despite a majority conceding that climate change is a real threat, only 32% of Americans believe that global warming will impact them personally.  That’s not too surprising, considering how insulated Americans tend to be, but it’s distressing because it means they’re less likely to be motivated to act.

From Treehugger:

A survey of 2,164 adults by George Mason University and the Yale Project on Climate Change discovered some of the distressing ways in which we humans just can’t see to think very long term: just 32 percent of the Americans surveyed believe global warming will personally harm them “a great deal” or a “moderate amount.” Contrast that with the same group’s opinion on the rest of the animal kingdom: nearly twice the number of respondents, or 62% believed that plant and animal species would be harmed by climate change. In fact, as the graphic shows, people somewhat ironically believed that everyone around them – their families, communities, and countries – will be more in harm’s way than they themselves. How’s that for optimistic, (perhaps even magical?) thinking?

The George Mason and Yale University researchers believe their survey points out that Americans’ believe in the reality of global warming (Sarah Palin notwithstanding) is growing – that we as a majority, think it is happening, is human caused, and is a serious threat. A rising number, the researchers said, also believe the United States should do something. Conversely, less than half believe that a cap-and-trade carbon system is what we should do. And, hidden among the data sets was a statistic pointing to ongoing erosion of the public trust: only 47% of those polled trust mainstream news media to deliver reliable global warming information, while 48% trust religious leaders to do so!

First of all, people seem to forget that humans are animals. We rely on our natural surroundings as much as the rest of the species on the planet. We need clean air and water, reliable sources of food and relatively stable weather in order to survive. Global warming threatens all of those things. Certainly, we are sentient beings with higher intellect – but are we using it right now? Really.

As for the fact that 48% of Americans trust their religious leaders to provide reliable global warming information, all I can say is:

Link [Treehugger]
Photo credit: funnyphotos.net.au

Earth Angel, The World’s First Wind-Up Sex Toy

Eco-friendly sex toys are becoming more common these days, but while we’ve seen some cool new developments, it seems like so many of the toys are always either made from new plastic or still use batteries, which are wasteful and harmful to the environment. Well, check out the new ‘Earth Angel’, the world’s first wind-up sex toy that’s also made from phthalate-free, 100% recycled plastic.

Watch LoveHoney blogger Carly Drew explain how it works:

More details from Love Honey:

Using advanced, patented technology, the Earth Angel is a vibrator that will never need batteries – a unique feature which is not only kind to the earth but kind to your pocket too.

It has a patented power core that you charge up by turning the built-in handle.
Crank the handle for 4 minutes and you get up to 30 minutes of pleasure.
Crank for 8 minutes and you’ll have a whole hour of vibrating excitement!
If you don’t use all that energy – the simple one press on/off button will keep the power stored until you are ready to go again!
And with 4 ultra-strong speeds of vibration, we guarantee that you’ll be raring to go in no time!

By the way, if your vibrator smells like a new shower curtain liner – i.e., like plastic – you’re putting some very delicate areas in direct contact with phthalates, chemical compounds that have some serious health effects like liver and kidney damage, hormone disruption and cancer. Go phthalate-free with safe sex toys from Babeland, Good Vibrations and Good Clean Love. And, check out this old post by Victoria E with more tips on how to make your playthings safer and greener.

Link [Love Honey] + [Victoria E]

Youth Skip Green Products to Save Cash

It’s generally held as common knowledge that the youth of the world is far greener than the rest of us. College environmental activism is at an all-time high and “eco kids” are calling their parents out on environmental offenses. But, does that mean the “Millenial Generation”, defined as 13-to-29-year-olds, is willing to fork over extra cash for green products?

Nope, according to a new survey conducted by General Insight, which found that the younger members of this generation aren’t buying green despite being extremely educated in green issues. The reason? Mostly, they’re confused by marketing claims and unsure of whether buying green products makes a real difference.

From Environmental Leader:

The research found that while 76 percent of Millennials ages 13-29 feel it’s very important or important for brands to get involved in the green movement, 71 percent of teens (ages 13-17) surveyed say if they had to choose between a less expensive product or one that “gave back” to the environment, they would choose the less expensive product.

In contrast, the majority of older Millennials would choose the more expensive brand that gave back in a green way.

Interestingly, the majority of Millennials surveyed found it confusing as to why products that are better for the environment are more expensive. Generate Insight noted that the extra cost – without consistent explanation – discourages the majority of shoppers from embracing and contributing to the green movement.

The study also found several other deterrents to Millennials living greener lives. These include products that require too much effort, are too time consuming and are not convenient; products that are confusing and difficult to understand, and families that are not involved in, supportive of or knowledgeable about the green movement.

Hey, these kids grew up in an era of excess, convenience and “me, me, me”. It’s kind of amazing that so many of them are even remotely ‘green’ in the first place. But on another level – kids this age don’t have a lot of money to throw around and they’re much more conscious of responsible spending now that the recession has hit. How many 19-year-old college students do you know that can shop at Whole Foods? And I’m not talking about trustifarians.

What we really need this generation to understand is that they don’t have to spend a lot of money to be green. You can be extremely green on a very small budget, though of course the many companies that are trying to make money off what they see as the “green trend” would have everyone believe otherwise.

Link [Environmental Leader]

Green College Spotlight: Yale University

Yale University is one of America’s best-known institutes of higher learning, but did you know it’s also a leader in campus sustainability? Yale is among just a handful of colleges and universities that have really proven their dedication to going green, with impressive achievements in virtually every area of sustainability on campus.

Yale signed the G8 University Summit Sapporo Sustainability Declaration, and employs four full-time staff in its Office of Sustainability. The university committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and has already made quite a bit of headway, reducing emissions by 11 percent in just two years. 25% of the Environmental Science Center’s energy needs are provided by a 250-kilowatt high-efficiency fuel cell. Yale also has its own $100 million co-generation facility which has increased fuel efficiency from 35% to 60-65%.

A big part of Yale’s success with lowering their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions is due to changing the habits of students, faculty and staff as well as improving energy efficiency in all of its buildings. Residential energy use contests encourage students to cut back energy use as much as possible, while retrofits in Yale buildings have also had a considerable impact. All new construction projects at Yale will have to meet LEED silver certification, and the school currently has one each of Silver-, Gold- and Platinum-certified buildings.

Students at Yale definitely don’t need to bring vehicles on campus, since there are so many green transportation options. A free shuttle service will get them into town, plus there’s a commercial car-sharing service and a departmental bike program. Yale’s fleet includes seven hybrids and five electric vehicles.

Recycling is one area where Yale definitely shines. The university began recycling efforts 39 years ago, on Earth Day 1970. Recycling contests encourage mindful waste management, and Yale also has a comprehensive desk-side recycling program as well as an e-waste program. In the dining hall, where a large percentage of the food is locally grown and organic, food waste is composted and biodegradable take-out containers are available.

Student involvement in sustainability at Yale is sky-high. There are a number of green student groups on campus, and students are employed by the Office of Sustainability, the Yale Sustainable Food Project and the recycling department.

Yale has set some ambitious goals, and there’s no doubt that they’ll continue to make amazing progress toward becoming a fantastic example for colleges and universities around the world.

Link [Yale University]

Dow Chemical Sponsors Fishing Event in Waterways it Contaminated

We thought Monsanto was the world’s most evil corporation, but wow, Dow Chemical is doing what they can to catch up. The corporation, which has polluted property and poisoned thousands of people since its inception in the 1890s, is not only sponsoring a sports fishing event in a waterway they contaminated, but they reportedly even offered to send the fish that are caught to local food banks. How generous of them!

This weekend, the ‘Walleye Fest’ has been in full swing at Michigan’s Tittabawassee and Saginaw rivers, which are among the region’s most contaminated waterways. Tittabawassee Township Supervisor Rick Hayes, who is overseeing the event, was not even aware of the restrictions on consuming walleye from these waterways when questioned by the Michigan Messenger.

From the Michigan Messenger:

Hayes may be typical of people in the region when it comes to knowledge of fish advisories. A few years ago, Hayes was part of a committee that created a popular unofficial walleye festival hat with the embroidered statement “Dioxins My Ass.” But he may also be partly responsible for some people not knowing about the risks of eating walleye.

According to state officials, Tittabawassee Township has resisted posting needed fish advisory signs in Freeland Festival Park — ground zero for this weekend’s walleye celebration.

Officials say that under an agreement with the state, Dow Chemical, which is responsible for the watershed’s dioxin contamination, promised to pay for fish advisory signs but has balked at fulfilling this agreement and has refused to provide necessary funds. Mary Draves, spokeswoman for Dow Chemical acknowledged that the company has come to an impasse with the DEQ over funding for fish advisory signs.

“I am not aware of anything further that we will be doing on this,” she said.

Dow is in the midst of a controversial process of negotiating its dioxin clean-up responsibilities in the watershed and Michelle Hurd Riddick of the Lone Tree Council said that company should not be allowed to sponsor a walleye festival as it suggests that the river and fish are safe. “I want to ask EPA: ‘Are you going to set back and let the polluter frame the issue around the safety of the fish?’ ”

“Dioxin My Ass”.  Perhaps these people should be tested immediately for high dioxin levels in their blood, because I think it’s already started to affect their IQ. And this weekend, they’re getting even more exposure, as dioxin has been found to be present not just in the water but in the soil at Freeland Park, where many of the weekend’s festivities have been held.

Dow: Poisoning the World Since 1891. They must be so proud.

Link [Michigan Messenger]

Catch a Green Flick at a Solar Powered Movie Theater

Next time you’re heading out to see the latest eco flick (hey, there’s a really Oscar-worthy looking Val Kilmer movie due sometime this year!), you could see it in a solar-powered movie theater. At least, you can if you live in Livermore, California. Livermore Cinemas has installed an 18,000 square foot solar installation that will reportedly provide 35% of the theater’s energy needs, and cut its electric bill by 45%.

Alternative Consumer reports that the system will provide about 190,000 kilowatts of electricity over the course of a year, and that installation of the system isn’t expected to impact ticket prices.

But even if it did – would you pay extra? I think the willingness of consumers to spend an extra fifty cents or so per ticket would encourage more theater owners across the country to install their own renewable energy systems. I’d definitely go out of my way to patronize a movie theater that cares enough to install such an impressive solar array.

Link [Alternative Consumer]

Earth Day Fail: Coca-Cola Promotes Bottled Water

Is it just us, or do big corporations just not get what it means to be green? Recently, Pepsi attempted to convince us that bottled water could be green with their new ‘Ecofina’ bottle, which is made with 50 percent less plastic but is still WATER IN PLASTIC BOTTLES. Now, Coca-Cola apparently chose Earth Day to promote their bottled water, Dasani.

From Eco Office Gals:

As I went through my email yesterday morning, I saw one from My Coke Rewards that really disappointed me.  For anyone that doesn’t know My Coke Rewards are points you can collect from entering codes on the inside of the bottle caps and cases of Coca Cola Products.

So, let me just share this email with you first:

“Earth Day is a great time to celebrate the many wonders of the world—like cool, crisp refreshing water. In honor of Mother Nature, you can earn Double Points with DASANI.

April 20th through the 30th, enjoy any 12-pack of DASANI*—then enter your codes to boost your balance with Double Points—it’s a great way to enjoy Earth Day.”

Basically, they are encouraging people to buy plastic bottle for Earth Day, and get rewarded for it!

Plastic bottles, in honor of Mother Nature. Wow, how amazingly green of you, Coca-Cola. Way to celebrate Earth Day, indeed. Because what the earth really needs is more cool, crisp, refreshing, overpriced tap water in plastic bottles that will end up in landfills and in waterways.

Read more about the gulf between Coca-Cola’s green marketing and their actions in this press release by Corporate Accountability International.

Link [Eco Office Gals]

MNN Blogger Spars with Fox Host over Global Warming

An MNN.com green blogger experienced what, for many of us, would be a living nightmare when he spent five long minutes in a Fox News studio on Earth Day. Jim Motavalli, who is also a New York Times contributor and author of “Feeling the Heat”, was invited to discuss global warming with Fox host Neil Cavuto and was treated the way virtually all liberal guests are treated on Fox – interrupted, condescended to and talked over.

From MNN.com:

Fox had gotten hold of a report—accurate enough—that sea ice has been thickening in Antarctica.

Indeed it is, and there are many possible explanations, but the Antarctica information in isolation is not all that helpful. The Arctic and Greenland ice sheets have seen unprecedented melting. According to Joseph Romm, the former Energy Department leader who blogs at ClimateProgress.org, the rate of glacial loss is a century ahead of where we thought we’d be at this point.

All the inland glaciers on the planet are melting, and Glacier National Park in Montana is now predicted to be ice-free by 2020. This is the warmest decade on record, and 2005 was the warmest year on record (2007 and 1998 are tied for second). Sea level could rise five feet by the end of the century, according to the prestigious journal Nature.

Despite Cavuto repeatedly asking Motavalli a question and then proceeding to answer it himself  (stupidly) in the midst of Motavalli’s answer, the MNN blogger amazingly kept his cool. Cavuto displayed his ignorance about what global warming actually means and how it works, and Motavalli calmly laid out the facts.

Kudos to Jim Motavalli. I don’t think I could even walk on to a Fox News set without my head exploding.

Link [MNN]

Who’s Who in Green – Jill Fehrenbacher

If there’s an ‘elite’ set of green bloggers, Jill Fehrenbacher is definitely among them. Founder of one of the web’s most interesting green websites, Inhabitat, along with its sister site Inhabitots, Fehrenbacher is like the cool, stylish and slightly geeky chick at school that everybody wants to be friends with.

Educated at Brown University, where she received a B.A. in Art Semiotics, and Central St. Martins, where she received an M.A. in Design Studies, Fehrenbacher is also a freelance designer and green design consultant based in New York City. Her stunning photography and design work can be seen on her website, JillFehrenbacher.com.

And, every year, when all of those awesome green gadget concepts start popping up on the web – well, Fehrenbacher has a hand in that, too. She’s co-founder of the Greener Gadgets Conference, which holds an annual contest that spurs creative thinkers all over the world to submit their green designs that could help make the world a better place. Here’s a video clip of Fehrenbacher speaking to the editors of Metropolis magazine, TreeHugger.com and Core77.com at the 2007 Greener Gadgets Conference.

Inhabitat.com features the latest cutting-edge green design, architecture and other innovations, offering tons of gorgeous photos and top quality reporting.  Fehrenbacher was inspired to launch Inhabitots.com, which focuses on green design and products for children, when she was pregnant with her first child in 2008.

What can we expect from Fehrenbacher in the future? She told Sean Daily of Green Living Ideas that she’s thinking about rolling out a few more specific sites a la Inhabitots, perhaps in the areas of fashion and architecture. As great as Inhabitats and Inhabitots are – and as successful as Fehrenbacher has been in positioning herself as a top green expert – we’re sure any new sites will be top-notch.

Jill Fehrenbacher’s Green Score: 20,030

Photo credit: Inhabitat.com

Great Green Job of the Week: Wildlands Organizer, Wyoming Wilderness Association

The Wyoming Wilderness Association, newly founded in 2003, believes in the value of wild lands and advocates for the protection of wilderness. The WWA is working to protect Wyoming’s public wild lands to ensure a future of wild places for people and wildlife. The main office is based in Sheridan, WY.

Position Overview:

The WWA Wild Lands Organizer is responsible for presenting the Wyoming Wilderness Association’s effort in bringing protection to wild places in Wyoming. The Organizer will meet, educate and organize Wyoming citizens in the planning, development, implementation, and measurement of campaigns aimed at achieving the protection of wild lands of Wyoming. Through this effort, the Organizer will represent the WWA with effective advocacy and public education using sound science and analysis.

Success always requires collaborative work with other leading environmental organizations, partners from other advocacy communities, and our friends in Wyoming’s counties, statehouse, congress, and regulatory agencies. To that end, the WWA Wild Lands Organizer must play a pivotal role in managing not just our own campaign efforts, but also our relationships with our partners. Of particular importance is the Organizer’s capacity to establish and enhance relationships with key leaders of diverse and conservative groups and communities throughout the state. Living in Sheridan or Buffalo is required.

Position Objective:

Continue building a successful campaign which results in the permanent protection of additional Wilderness in Wyoming. Work with the WWA Executive Director to grow wilderness campaigns, engaging Wyoming lawmakers in an exciting and ongoing effort to protect our remaining wild lands.

Responsibilities:

Continue to grow an activist network in Wyoming, including outreach to diverse allies (e.g., hunters, businesses, stakeholders and local governments).

* Have solid knowledge of Wyoming’s public lands, roadless areas and particularly the Bighorns.
* Communicate WWA policy positions to land managers, local officials, and the media.
* Set and organize meetings on priority campaigns with select stakeholders, delegation and their staff, county commissioners, and business people.
* Work with the WWA Executive Director, staff, Governing Council and Wyoming groups to develop and implement strategic plans for the protection of public lands.
* Organize and educate citizens around priority issues and proposals in a strategic manner to attain goals.
* Write regular updates, reports, and news articles for the WWA, members and groups.
* Work with Director to track expense, and develop expense plans and budgets, based on known expectancies and estimates of unknown expectancies.
* Maintain and organize WWA records and files pertaining to Wyoming wilderness issues.
* Provide recommendations and updates on organizing strategy and policy development to the Director, Governing Council and involved activists and volunteers.
* Help organize public meetings, events and conferences, representing WWA and our campaign at the events.
* Represent WWA publicly in an appropriate manner in Wyoming’s conservative climate.
* Participate in a culture in which every staff employee plays a role in achieving the WWA’s mission with respect, dignity and accountability.

Qualifications:

Ideal candidate will have a minimum of 2 years experience of successful conservation non-profit grassroots and/or biological experience, during which the person has had experience living and/or working in Wyoming. Superior oral and written communications skills are a must, as this job will require experience in public speaking, highly effective citizen and group stewardship, managerial skills and strong working relationships with a broad range of conservation organization colleagues, which could include sportsmen and civic groups.

Computer literacy is a must, along with experience in Excel, Power point, Word and databases, as well as other Microsoft Office programs. Adobe Suite, GIS, & mapping experience would be a bonus. Commitment and passion for wilderness and conservation clearly will be a strong indicator. A conservative outlook and understanding of rural values and communities is highly important for communication and acceptance.

Functional Skills and Experience:

The ideal candidate should possess the following skills and experience:

* A record of success working in advocacy campaigns in complex, intellectually charged work environments.
* Good experience in environmental advocacy, science research, public policy, grassroots organizing and/or public lands issues.
* A record of accomplishment in the development of collaborations, alliances, and partnerships with key leaders among diverse groups.
* A record of excellence involving the supervision of citizens in diverse, complex conservation campaigns.
* A strong background in–and familiarity with– federal, state and local governments–both executive and legislative branches, and basic knowledge of public policy processes, laws and institutions.
* Strong knowledge and understanding of Wyoming environmental and political issues, environmental organizations, media outlets and key funders.
* Strong writing skills and the ability to speak effectively in public.
* Ability to organize and complete bulk mailings, offer editorial skills and write newsletters.
* Extensive experience in effectively representing issues and positions to the media.
* Strong organizational and management skills and the ability to maintain an effective working environment while working under pressure.
* Literate in computer programs such as Microsoft Office and Abobe.
* Bachelor’s degree, or its demonstrated equivalent is required. Relevant graduate work will be highly regarded as will equivalent experience in the field.

Interpersonal:

The ideal candidate would have 1 or more of the following leadership characteristics:

* The vision and charisma to inspire local citizens with the desire to save Wyoming’s wild lands.
* A solid professional presence combined with appearance and proven organizing ability.
* In-depth knowledge of environmental issues and a personal commitment to protect wilderness.
* Strong intellect as a strategic thinker, with creativity, drive, and initiative.
* Superb organizational and interpersonal skills combined with the ability to diplomatically prioritize sometimes conflicting demands.
* A kind and mannerly approach to working with people of all ilk.
* Strong outdoor skills a must in attending the many outings and hikes WWA offers.
* In order to carry out the Rock Creek Wild! Campaign effectively, this position must be located in Sheridan or Buffalo, Wyoming.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree, or its demonstrated equivalent, is required. Relevant graduate work will be highly regarded as will equivalent experience in the field.

Compensation: WWA is offering this salary to start at $24,000 per year and is grant dependent.

To Apply:

Applicants need to send a cover letter, resume and 3 references with phone and email address by May 10, 2009.

WWA promotes equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. WWA complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment.

Link [Green Dream Jobs]

Jerkass Congressman Thinks He Stumped Energy Secretary Chu

Oh, the joys of Twitter – especially now that Republicans have seized onto it to prove that they’re ‘hip’ and ‘with it’.  We all know how Republicans say the darndest things and Twitter provides a platform like no other for them to make asses of themselves.

Representative Joe Barton (R-TX), the ranking member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, thinks he managed to “baffle” Energy Secretary Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, and told all of his Twitter followers so with the following message:

“I seemed [sic] to have baffled the Energy Sec with basic question – Where does oil come from?”

Gee, could it be that Barton was just doing what he could to make Chu look bad given that such a question takes much longer to answer than the few seconds he had left would allow? Heavens no! Republicans would never pull suck trickery.

This guy is almost giving Michele Bachmann a run for her money.

Link [TPM]

Bizarro Green Inventions: Shower Curtain Inflates to Trap You

Some of us need gentle reminders not to spend too much time in the shower, especially in the  middle of winter or in the midst of a raging hangover. And, there’s nothing more gentle than a shower curtain that slowly inflates while you’re bathing, giving you the subtle message that it’s time to turn off the water by trapping you in a tube of air-filled plastic.

Or, if that’s too much for you, perhaps you’d prefer a model that inflates spikes that literally push you out of the shower stall like some kind of medieval torture device.

Both shower curtains are prototypes invented by Elisabeth Buecher, who asked herself “How can your shower fight water overconsumption in either a disturbing or a gorgeous way, using innovative materials, printing techniques and inflatable technology?”

From Elisabeth’s website:

My approach to design can sometimes appear shockingly radical but I have got different reasons to legitimise that. An alarm clock is not what we can call a pleasurable object. It is often even painful to be awoken by it. However it is a necessary object, which regulates our lives and the society. That’s what I call the “design for pain and for our own good”. Some of my designs seem to constrain people, acting like an alarm clock, awaking people to the consciousness of their behaviour and giving them limits. People often need an external signal to behave more. In France the government added thousands of new radars on the roads to fight excessive speed. And it worked: there are far less people killed on the roads of France today. I call it “design of threat and punishment” and I use it as an educational tool.

Well, it’s certainly creative.

Link [Elisabeth Buecher] via [CasaSugar]

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